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Chapter 1 ✦ The Information Architecture Principle
A master data store, also referred to as the operational database, or Online Transaction
Processing (OLTP) database, is used to collect first-generation transactional data essential to
the day-to-day operation of the organization and unique to the organization. Customer, order,
and shipping information are stored in a master data store. An organization might have a
master data store to serve each unit or function within the organization.
For performance, master data stores are tuned for a balance of data retrieval and updates.
Because these databases receive first-generation data, they are subject to data update
anomalies, and benefit from normalization (detailed in the next section).
The master data store is part of Bill Gates’ digital nervous system brain. It’s the portion that
collects all the information from every nerve and organizes the information so that it can be
processed by the rest of the brain. The master data store is used for quick responses and
instant recognition of the surroundings. For example, by quickly solving an order-handling
problem, the master data store serves as the autonomic nervous system, or the reflexes, of
an organization.
Caching data stores are optional read-only copies of the master data store, and are used to
deliver data by partitioning some of the load off the master data store. A master data store
might have multiple caching data stores to deliver data throughout the organization. Caching
data stores might reside in a middle tier, or behind a web service. Caching data stores are
tuned for high-performance data retrieval.
Figure 1-1: A typical organizational data store configuration includes several master data
stores feeding a single data warehouse.
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Alternate
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Manufacturing
Master
Data Store
Sales
Master
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Salesperson’s
Caching
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DW
Data Mart
Data Mart
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