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What is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema? When we use those schema's?

  
Total Answers and Comments: 9 Last Update: June 23, 2009     Asked by: swarna 
  
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 Best Rated Answer
Submitted by: Ravikumar
 
star schema:  it is a highy de-normilised techinque... in this one fact table is associated with n number of dimensions table... .. it looks like a star..
snow Flake Schema:  If We apply normilised Princples to Star Schema Then It is Known As Snow Flake Schema.. In This Each Demsion Table Associated With Sub Dimenson Table..


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IntMav
November 28, 2006 08:50:38   #1  
Rahul verma        

RE: what is the difference between star schema and sno...

Star Schema : Star Schema is a relational database schema for representing multimensional data. It is the simplest form of data warehouse schema that contains one or more dimensions and fact tables. It is called a star schema because the entity-relationship diagram between dimensions and fact tables resembles a star where one fact table is connected to multiple dimensions. The center of the star schema consists of a large fact table and it points towards the dimension tables. The advantage of star schema are slicing down performance increase and easy understanding of data.

Snowflake Schema : A snowflake schema is a term that describes a star schema structure normalized through the use of outrigger tables. i.e dimension table hierachies are broken into simpler tables.

In a star schema every dimension will have a primary key.

  • In a star schema a dimension table will not have any parent table.
  • Whereas in a snow flake schema a dimension table will have one or more parent tables.
  • Hierarchies for the dimensions are stored in the dimensional table itself in star schema.
  • Whereas hierachies are broken into separate tables in snow flake schema. These hierachies helps to drill down the data from topmost hierachies to the lowermost hierarchies.

  •  
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    November 29, 2006 00:57:56   #2  
    srinuv_11 Member Since: October 2006   Contribution: 23    

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and sno...

    Star schema : In this star schema fact table in normalized format and dimension table is in de normalized format. It also known as basic star schema.

    Snow flake schema: In this both dimension and fact table is in normalized format only. It is also knwon as Extended star schema.

    If u r taking the snow flake it requires more dimensions more foreign keys and it will reduse the query performance but it normalizes the records.

    depends on the requirement we can choose the schema


     
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    January 04, 2007 07:03:13   #3  
           

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and sno...

    Both these schemas are generally used in Datawarehousing.

    Star schema as the name indicates resembles the form of star as there is only one fact table which is associated with numerous dimension tables (with the help of foreign keys).This schema depicts a high level of denormalized view of data.

    However in Snowflake schema the dimension tables are further normalized into different tables (fact table is single in this schema also).This schema stores data in a more normalized form .

    It depends on scenario as how much data is generally there in the datawarehouse generally star schema is preferred.


     
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    January 17, 2007 13:05:13   #4  
    Ravikumar        

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and sno...
    star schema: it is a highy de-normilised techinque... in this one fact table is associated with n number of dimensions table... .. it looks like a star..
    snow Flake Schema: If We apply normilised Princples to Star Schema Then It is Known As Snow Flake Schema.. In This Each Demsion Table Associated With Sub Dimenson Table..

     
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    September 26, 2008 02:00:32   #5  
    lakshmib Member Since: September 2008   Contribution: 3    

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema ?and when we use those schema's?
    Star Schema means A centralized fact table and surrounded by different dimensions Snowflake means In the same star schema dimensions split into another dimensions

    Star Schema contains Highly Denormalized Data

    Snow flake contains Partially normalized data

    Star cannot have parent table But snow flake contain parent tables. Need to go for Star: Here


    Simply database

    Support drilling up options



    Need for Snowflake schema: Here some times we used to provide? seperate dimensions from existing dimensions that time we will go to snowflake

    Dis Advantage Of snowflake: Query performance is very low because more joiners are present

     
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    December 17, 2008 22:35:23   #6  
    mri_sonam Member Since: July 2008   Contribution: 19    

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema ?and when we use those schema's?
    Star Schema:
    Definition: The star schema is the simplest data warehouse schema. It is called a star schema because the diagram resembles a star with points radiating from a center.

    A single Fact table (center of the star) surrounded by multiple dimensional tables(the points of the star).
    Advantages:
    • Simplest DW schema
    • Easy to understand
    • Easy to Navigate between the tables due to less number of joins.
    • Most suitable for Query processing
      Disadvantages:
    • Occupies more space
    • Highly Denormalized


    Snowflake schema:

    Definition: A Snowflake schema is a Data warehouse Schema which consists of a single Fact table and multiple dimensional tables. These Dimensional tables are normalized.
    A variant of the star schema where each dimension can have its own dimensions.

    Advantages:

    • These tables are easier to maintain
      Saves the storage space.
    Disadvantages:
    • Due to large number of joins it is complex to navigate

    Starflake schema - Hybrid structure that contains a mixture of (denormalized) STAR and (normalized) SNOWFLAKE schemas.

     
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    April 14, 2009 06:42:06   #7  
    ranjandas123 Member Since: April 2009   Contribution: 1    

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema ?and when we use those schema's?

    1. Star shema is Demormalised data but in snowflack schema its normalised
    2. when when star schema splited into it become to snowflack schema
    3. Performace will be more on star schema but performance less in snoflack schema due to joins
    4. Star schema is simple but snowflack is complex
    5. Dimention table in star schema having no maste table but Dimention table in snowflack having so many maste table.
    6. Star schema having one fact table sarounded by dimetion table but incase of snowflack schema more than one fact table sarrounded by dimetion table.


     
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    May 25, 2009 13:51:51   #8  
    erpooja88 Member Since: January 2008   Contribution: 1    

    RE: what is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema ?and when we use those schema's?
    Accurate information is star schemas have more joins because it has only one dimension table per fact and so to retrieve more queries we have to use joins...
     
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    June 23, 2009 07:11:52   #9  
    shakilag Member Since: June 2009   Contribution: 10    

    RE: What is the difference between star schema and snow flake schema? When we use those schema's?
    Star Schema:

    A single fact table associated to N dimension tables.

    This schema is denormalised and hence has good performance as this involves a simple join rather than a complex query.

    Snowflake schema:

    A star schema in which dimensions are further normalised.

    As this schema is normalised and hence will give slower performance as this involves lot of complex joins (involves many dimensions).

     
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