Shelter's donor datamart

This paper discusses the issues and technical constraints that faced Shelter in their desire to extract intelligence from their donor database. Different options are discussed briefly, along with the rationale for deciding to develop an offline datamart. The paper also presents an explanation of the shortcomings of conventional relational database systems in relation to their use for data analysis, examines the difference between different types of offline data stores and explains the benefits achievable from the datamart solution. A description of Shelter's actual experience of designing, developing and using the datamart provides insights into the technical and other issues encountered, and demonstrates the effectiveness of the datamart as a fundraising tool. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications