Data Warehouses

The collection, documentation, and codification of information is a key activity integrated into many of the aspects of care. For example, basic demographic information is obtained at the time of patient intake into the Heart Center; a history and physical examination is documented by the housestaff, physician extenders, and attending physicians; data is reviewed and reacquired before procedures to assess the appropriateness of the plan of care. Tests themselves generate a plethora of data, typically in the form of results. The efficient flow of financial data is key to maintaining solvency. The follow-up program (led by Bernie McCants) provides data about the outcomes of the treatments delivered in the Heart Center.

Bringing the myriad of data sources together into an integrated dataset is the purpose of the data warehouse initiative. From a technical perspective, the goal is to marry a myriad of technologies, ranging from traditional databases (where data physically resides on a computer after being moved from one system to another through an interface) to XML (eXtensible Markup Language) technologies where data is packaged, but still resides, on the origin server system. An extensive effort needs to be made to clean-up data to make a data warehouse useful In essence, the concept is to create a "portal" that allows one to look at clean, accurate data regardless of the origin or location of the data.

Key individuals: Dave Kong, John Warner, Doc Muhlbaier, Linda Shaw

For more information, please follow these links.

• Primer - a basic primer on data warehouses appeared in the August 2001 edition of PC Magazine

• XML - resource describing technical specifications of XML messaging

• Brio - Brio is currently being used to manage and analyze data in the DISCC database. There are a number of components to the Brio.Enterprise data warehouse solution. BrioQuery, the main component, is a client application to query the data warehouse and produce reports. There are three versions of BrioQuery: Navigator, Explorer, and Designer. Navigator is a "stripped down" version that doesn't require a strong technical understanding of databases. Explorer includes tools to create data models. Designer adds tools for creating and managing data repositories.  A review of Brio.Enterprise is included in the August 2001 edition of PC Magazine.

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