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Purpose
Section titled “Purpose”A database view is a stored query, which can be called (run) in the same way as the user would query database tables. When called, the underlying query is executed against the database.
If performance considerations allow it, a view can be a convenient way to avoid having to create a table and populate it with data through data logistics (‘ETL’) processes.
In various databases, more advanced options are available for views. These include ways to materialize the results (with refresh options), and/or to apply indexing.
Motivation
Section titled “Motivation”Various view-based templates have been created to support the ‘Virtual Data Warehouse’ concept.
The collection of views allow users to interact with the data solution just as it would consist of a series of tables and/or files.
The advantages of this approach include easy refactoring and fast delivery. Using the virtual data warehouse concept, changes to models -interpretations of reality- can be implemented instantly.
The considerations to make include performance requirements, as some of the views can become complex. Another consideration is auditability. Ideally, each time a view is accessed by a user the event is logged for full auditability on data access.