7 Features You Should Look for in Your Cloud Data Warehouse Solution Providers

Data and analytics are indispensable for businesses to stay competitive in the market. Hence, it’s critical for you to look into how cloud data warehouse tools can help you improve your system.

According to Mordor Intelligence, the demand for data warehouse solutions will reach $13.32 billion by 2026. As more businesses embrace digital transformation, data warehousing will play a significant role in the development of an enterprise-scale data management ecosystem for real-time reporting and analytics. It is high time you explore which solutions can help you optimize your data warehousing system.

With that, here are some features to look out for when searching for the best cloud data warehouse for your business.

1. Ease of Use

Data analysts are skilled in this field, but software deployment can take time as your team acclimates to the new systems. Hence, ease of use is an important factor to consider. This can refer to two things:

1. The setup or installation process, and
2. The software’s learning curve.

Thankfully, cloud-based data warehouse software does away with the lengthy process of installation. You can just download the software onto any device via the internet or access it directly from any web browser.

Another thing you should look out for is software’s usability. Having an intuitive interface makes it easier to implement the solution into your operations. 

One example is Astera DW Builder. It offers a code-less interface, allowing you to develop and execute data models and load pipelines with just a few clicks.

Having an IT background can also come in handy when dealing with a data warehousing solution. This will allow you to understand the dynamics of both the technology and business. You can check out the requirements for an information systems career to learn more about its benefits.

2. Scalability

As business owners, you should always leave enough room for your organization’s growth and expansion. This means ensuring that all your processes and operations remain scalable, which is especially true in data warehousing. As you extend your services, you need to make sure your operational databases can handle the influx of new data into its system.

Nowadays, most organizations prefer cloud data warehousing because of its enhanced scalability and flexibility. Since it runs on the provider’s server, you can increase its data storage capacity, processing power, and networking resources without worrying about your own hardware infrastructure. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about the maintenance of your data warehousing. Your cloud service provider will do it for you. Just make sure to choose a provider with high enough bandwidth and reliable servers to accommodate your data warehouse’s growing infrastructure needs.

3. Customization

Every business has its own needs and demands. It is safe to say that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all data warehouse solution. What works for one might not necessarily work on you. Nonetheless, having a customizable platform will allow you to tailor your data warehouse architecture according to your specific reporting and analytics needs.

With numerous options out there, take your time as you do a cloud data warehouse comparison. Look for a solution that will allow both developers and non-developers alike to build their own data warehouse model from end to end. Astera DW Builder, for example, allows users to visually design dimensional models and create data vaults to deploy the foundational schema of their data warehouse.

4. Automation

Automation is rather a necessity nowadays, making it a critical tool for businesses to remain competitive and relevant in the market. Hence, it would only make sense to consider a data warehouse solution that offers automation in its various functions.

There are several benefits to data warehouse automation. For one, it allows you to seamlessly create efficient and reusable data models and implement them into your core processes. It removes manual intervention when it comes to planning, modeling, and deploying the steps needed to optimize your data warehousing processes. 

Likewise, it can eliminate the need for repetitive data mapping and manual execution. This way, you can take full advantage of the benefits of a data warehouse without spending too much time extracting valuable insights from your operations.

5. Report generation

While raw data itself is valuable, you also need a comprehensive analytics tool to turn data into actionable insights. This will allow you to identify patterns, trends, and correlations within your operations. However, this process, when done manually, can take too much of your time. Hence, you should also consider choosing a data warehouse platform with a reliable report generation function.

Astera’s new data warehouse automation solution, for one, doesn’t just help you mine and collect data. It also meets your reporting needs by allowing you to connect to leading visualization tools and make your warehouse data accessible for creating dashboards and interactive charts via OData services. This way, you can gain valuable information in just a quick glance. It can also track the flow of your data, making it easier to study data lineage and impact.

6. Integrations

Your cloud data warehouse software won’t be the only solution you will be using for your day-to-day operations. In fact, it is simply a part of your business’s overall digital infrastructure. You might also be using other solutions such as inventory management software, warehouse management software, HRM systems, CRM solutions, and more. To provide a single source of truth for your enterprise data, data warehousing tools allow you to integrate data from multiple sources and store it in a centralized repository, in a format that supports your reporting needs.

You can easily check your solution’s compatibility by going to your service provider’s website or going to them directly. Consider going over your cloud data warehouse list and see which ones can easily be integrated with other solutions.

7. Security

Despite the rapid adoption of cloud computing, security remains the top concern for many users. In fact, 75% of cybersecurity professionals caution businesses of the potential threats in cloud-based technology, especially with the public cloud. While there are many ways to protect your data, it is still important that your service providers offer all the critical security features, like encryption and HTTPS protocols.

Do your due diligence by researching the service providers first. You can start by reading feedback from previous and current customers to get an idea of how reliable the company is. You should also consider using a private cloud instead of a public one. This way, your cloud data warehouse solution is dedicated solely to your organization.

Adopting Cloud Data Warehousing

Competition has grown tighter as businesses have become more data-driven. With data warehousing, you can tap into the power of data and fuel your analytics from sources, such as transaction systems, relational databases, and more. In turn, you can create informed decisions and better strategies to promote business growth.

Nowadays, there are many data warehouse solutions to choose from, all of which provide unique sets of features and functions for your business. And while there is no such thing as “correct” data warehouse software, there are still some essential features that you should look out for when choosing the right one for your operations. So take your time and explore what these solutions have to offer. 

You can start by checking out Astera DW Builder. It is an end-to-end data warehouse automation platform that simplifies and radically speeds up the design, development, deployment of your centralized repository and helps deliver insights in record time. 

Contact us today to talk to our experts or request a personalized demo to discover what Astera DW Builder can do for you.