Snowflake Schema

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Snowflake Schema: A Normalized Data Modeling Approach

The snowflake schema is an extension of the star schema and is widely used in data warehousing and business intelligence. While the star schema is simple and denormalized, the snowflake schema introduces normalization by breaking down dimension tables into smaller, related tables. This results in a structure that resembles a snowflake , hence the name.

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Components of a Snowflake Schema

1. Fact Table:

   • The central table in the snowflake schema, just like in the star schema.
   • Contains quantitative data (measures or metrics) such as sales, revenue, or quantity.
   • Each row in the fact table represents a specific event or transaction.
   • Connected to dimension tables via foreign keys.

   Example:

   • A fact table for a retail store might store sales transactions:
     • Fact_Sales: Txn_ID, Date_ID, Product_ID, Customer_ID, Store_ID, Quantity_Sold, Total_Amount.

2. Dimension Tables:

   • Surround the fact table like the points of a snowflake.
   • Contain descriptive attributes (context or metadata) related to the facts.
   • Unlike the star schema, dimension tables in a snowflake schema are normalized, meaning they are split into multiple related tables to reduce redundancy.

   Examples:

   • Dim_Date: Date_ID, Date, Month, Quarter, Year, Day_of_Week.
   • Dim_Product: Product_ID, Product_Name, Category_ID, Brand_ID, Price.
   • Dim_Category: Category_ID, Category_Name.
   • Dim_Brand: Brand_ID, Brand_Name.
   • Dim_Customer: Customer_ID, Customer_Name, City_ID, Phone_Number.
   • Dim_City: City_ID, City, State.
   • Dim_Store: Store_ID, Store_Name, City_ID, Manager_Name.

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Example: Snowflake Schema for a Retail Store

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Fact Table

Fact_Sales

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Dimension Tables

1. Dim_Date:

   Date_ID	Date	Month	Quarter	Year	Day_of_Week
   20250101	2025-01-01	January	Q1	2025	Wednesday
   20250102	2025-01-02	January	Q1	2025	Thursday
   20250103	2025-01-03	January	Q1	2025	Friday

2. Dim_Product:

   Product_ID	Product_Name	Category_ID	Brand_ID	Price
   1	Saree	1	1	2500
   2	Kurta-Pajama	2	2	1500
   3	Turmeric Powder	3	3	200

3. Dim_Category:

   Category_ID	Category_Name
   1	Sarees
   2	Ethnic Wear
   3	Spices

4. Dim_Brand:

   Brand_ID	Brand_Name
   1	Nalli
   2	Fashion India
   3	ABC

5. Dim_Customer:

   Customer_ID	Customer_Name	City_ID	Phone_Number
   1001	Priya Sharma	1	9876543210
   1002	Rajesh Patel	2	8765432109
   1003	Anjali Singh	3	7654321098

6. Dim_City:

   City_ID	City	State
   1	Mumbai	Maharashtra
   2	Ahmedabad	Gujarat
   3	Delhi	Delhi

7. Dim_Store:

   Store_ID	Store_Name	City_ID	Manager_Name
   501	Nalli Silks	4	Ramesh Kumar
   502	Fashion India	5	Sunita Reddy
   503	ABC Spices	3	Amit Sharma

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How the Snowflake Schema Works

1. Querying Data:

   • Suppose you want to find the total sales of sarees in Mumbai for January 2025.
   • The query would join the Fact_Sales table with multiple dimension tables using their respective keys.
   • Example SQL Query:

     SELECT SUM(Fact_Sales.Total_Amount) AS Total_Sales
     FROM Fact_Sales
     JOIN Dim_Date ON Fact_Sales.Date_ID = Dim_Date.Date_ID
     JOIN Dim_Product ON Fact_Sales.Product_ID = Dim_Product.Product_ID
     JOIN Dim_Category ON Dim_Product.Category_ID = Dim_Category.Category_ID
     JOIN Dim_Customer ON Fact_Sales.Customer_ID = Dim_Customer.Customer_ID
     JOIN Dim_City ON Dim_Customer.City_ID = Dim_City.City_ID
     WHERE Dim_Category.Category_Name = 'Sarees'
       AND Dim_City.City = 'Mumbai'
       AND Dim_Date.Month = 'January'
       AND Dim_Date.Year = 2025;
     

2. Benefits:

   • Reduced Redundancy: Normalization minimizes data duplication.
   • Improved Data Integrity: Ensures consistency across related tables.
   • Flexibility: Easier to maintain and update.

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Advantages of Snowflake Schema

1. Normalization: Reduces data redundancy and improves storage efficiency.
2. Data Integrity: Ensures consistency by maintaining relationships between tables.
3. Scalability: Suitable for complex data models with many relationships.

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Disadvantages of Snowflake Schema

1. Query Performance: More joins can lead to slower query performance compared to the star schema.
2. Complexity: More tables and joins make the schema harder to design and understand.
3. Business-Friendliness: Less intuitive for business users compared to the star schema.

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Conclusion

The snowflake schema is a powerful data modeling technique that introduces normalization to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. While it is complex than the star schema, it is well-suited for scenarios requiring detailed and structured data relationships.