Data Warehouses vs Operational Databases
The database that runs your day-to-day application and the one you use to analyse trends are usually best kept separate. They are optimised for opposite jobs, and forcing one to do both leads to slow apps or slow reports.
This article explains why we often recommend a dedicated warehouse for analytics.
Operational Databases
An operational (or transactional) database handles the live work of your application: creating orders, updating profiles, processing payments. It is tuned for fast, small reads and writes happening constantly.
Data Warehouses
A data warehouse is built for the opposite pattern: large, complex questions across huge volumes of historical data, such as 'how did sales by region change over three years?'. It would slow a live app, so we keep it apart.
Why Separate Them
- Heavy reports never slow down your live customers.
- Each system is tuned for its own workload.
- Historical data can be kept long term without bloating the live database.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.