10 Data Warehouse Naming Conventions Best Practices

Naming conventions are an important part of any data warehouse. They help to ensure that data is organized and easily accessible. Without proper naming conventions, data warehouses can become cluttered and difficult to navigate.

In this article, we will discuss 10 best practices for naming conventions in data warehouses. We will cover topics such as how to name tables, columns, and views, as well as how to use abbreviations and acronyms. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your data warehouse is organized and easy to use.

1. Use a naming convention that is easy to understand

When you have a data warehouse with hundreds or thousands of tables, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. A naming convention that is easy to understand makes it easier for everyone in the organization to quickly identify and locate the table they need. This helps reduce confusion and speeds up the process of finding the right information.

A good naming convention should include descriptive words that clearly indicate what type of data is stored in the table. For example, if you are storing customer orders, your table name could be “customer_orders”. Additionally, use consistent capitalization and underscores between words to make the names more readable.

2. Be consistent with your naming conventions

When you have a consistent naming convention, it makes it easier for everyone to understand the data warehouse structure. It also helps reduce errors and confusion when working with the data warehouse. Additionally, having a consistent naming convention can help make your data warehouse more organized and efficient.

For example, if you use a prefix or suffix to denote certain types of objects in your data warehouse (e.g., tables, views, etc.), then everyone will know what type of object they are looking at just by glancing at its name. This saves time and reduces the risk of mistakes.

3. Avoid using abbreviations in table names

Abbreviations can be confusing and hard to remember, especially for those who are not familiar with the data warehouse. This can lead to mistakes in querying or referencing the wrong table when writing code.

Using full words instead of abbreviations makes it easier to understand what a table contains without having to look up its definition. For example, using “customer_information” instead of “cust_info” is much more descriptive and easier to remember. Additionally, this practice helps ensure consistency across all tables in the data warehouse.

4. Make sure the name of the table describes what it contains

When you have a data warehouse with hundreds of tables, it can be difficult to remember what each table contains. By giving the table a descriptive name, it makes it easier for everyone who uses the data warehouse to quickly identify which table they need and what information is contained within it. This helps reduce confusion and speeds up the process of finding the right data.

5. Don’t use spaces or special characters in table names

Spaces and special characters can cause problems when writing SQL queries, as they need to be escaped in order for the query to run correctly. This adds an extra layer of complexity that is best avoided by simply not using them in the first place.

Additionally, some databases may have restrictions on what characters are allowed in table names, so it’s important to check with your database vendor before creating any tables. By sticking to alphanumeric characters, you’ll ensure that your data warehouse naming conventions are compatible with all databases.

6. Name tables and columns consistently

When you name tables and columns consistently, it makes it easier for users to understand the data warehouse structure. It also helps reduce errors when writing queries because users don’t have to remember different names for similar objects. Additionally, consistent naming conventions make it easier to maintain the data warehouse over time since new developers can quickly learn the naming conventions and apply them correctly.

To ensure consistency, create a set of rules that all developers must follow when creating table and column names. These rules should include guidelines on how long names should be, what characters are allowed, and which words should be used in certain situations.

7. Prefix database objects with their type

Prefixing database objects with their type helps to quickly identify the object’s purpose. For example, if you have a table named “customers,” it could be difficult to tell what kind of data is stored in that table without looking at its structure or contents. However, if you name the table “tbl_customers,” then it’s immediately clear that this is a table containing customer information.

This naming convention also makes it easier to search for specific objects within your database. If you know the type of object you’re looking for (e.g., a view), you can easily find all related objects by searching for the prefix associated with that type (e.g., vw_). This saves time and effort when trying to locate an object within a large database.

8. Keep object names short but descriptive

When object names are too long, they can be difficult to remember and use. This can lead to confusion when trying to access the data or make changes to it. Additionally, longer object names can take up more space in the database, which can slow down performance.

On the other hand, short but descriptive object names help ensure that everyone knows what each object is used for. For example, a table named “customer_orders” is much easier to understand than one called “tbl_cust_ord_data”. Short but descriptive object names also make it easier to find objects quickly, as well as keep track of them over time.

9. Never use reserved words as column names

Reserved words are keywords that have a special meaning in the database language. For example, SELECT is a reserved word in SQL and it’s used to query data from a table.

Using reserved words as column names can cause confusion when writing queries because the database engine won’t know which one you’re referring to – the column name or the keyword. This can lead to errors and unexpected results. To avoid this problem, always use unique and descriptive names for your columns.

10. Use singular nouns for table names, plural nouns for column names

Using singular nouns for table names helps to keep the data warehouse organized and easy to understand. It also makes it easier to identify which tables are related, as they will have similar names. For example, if you have a table called “customer” and another called “order,” it’s clear that these two tables are related.

Using plural nouns for column names is helpful because it allows users to quickly identify what type of information is stored in each column. For example, if you have a column named “addresses,” it’s obvious that this column contains address information. This makes it easier for users to find the data they need without having to guess or look up the meaning of each column name.