What do fact tables in a database primarily contain?

What do fact tables in a database primarily contain?

• A. Textual descriptions of business objects
• B. Structured hierarchies of data
• C. Numeric measurements corresponding to analyses
• D. Hyperlinks to external data sources

Answer: (C)

Fact tables in a database primarily contain numeric measurements that are essential for analyses. These measurements, often referred to as "facts," represent quantitative data about the business processes that are being analyzed. For instance, in a sales database, a fact table may store metrics such as sales revenue, quantity sold, or profit margin, each of which can be used for various analytical purposes such as reporting and business intelligence. Fact tables are often surrounded by dimension tables, which provide context to these numeric values, allowing for deeper insights and trend analysis. The combination of facts and dimensions allows for complex queries and helps analysts understand relationships and patterns within the data. In contrast, the other options refer to concepts that do not align with the primary purpose of fact tables. While textual descriptions of business objects belong more accurately to dimension tables, structured hierarchies pertain to organizing related data but do not relate directly to the metrics captured by fact tables. Hyperlinks to external data sources are not typical contents of fact tables, as they focus on transactional data rather than links or references to outside information.

Fact tables in a database primarily contain numeric measurements that are essential for analyses. These measurements, often referred to as "facts," represent quantitative data about the business processes that are being analyzed. For instance, in a sales database, a fact table may store metrics such as sales revenue, quantity sold, or profit margin, each of which can be used for various analytical purposes such as reporting and business intelligence.

Fact tables are often surrounded by dimension tables, which provide context to these numeric values, allowing for deeper insights and trend analysis. The combination of facts and dimensions allows for complex queries and helps analysts understand relationships and patterns within the data.

In contrast, the other options refer to concepts that do not align with the primary purpose of fact tables. While textual descriptions of business objects belong more accurately to dimension tables, structured hierarchies pertain to organizing related data but do not relate directly to the metrics captured by fact tables. Hyperlinks to external data sources are not typical contents of fact tables, as they focus on transactional data rather than links or references to outside information.