Data Vault: What's it all about?

In our March 2020 webinar, Neil Strange took us on a whirlwind tour of Data Vault 2.0—what it is, why it matters, and how you can get started. Here’s a friendly recap, plus a few ways you can get more involved with our growing community!

What Is Data Vault 2.0?

Data Vault 2.0 is more than just a data modeling technique—it’s a proven approach for building agile, scalable, and auditable data platforms. Whether you’re dealing with gigabytes or petabytes, structured or semi-structured data, Data Vault helps you integrate, automate, and future-proof your analytics.

Key benefits:

• Agile, stepwise delivery for early value

• Scalability from small to massive datasets

• Integrated analytics-ready data

• Full auditability—trace what you knew, when

• Automation and productivity (less code, more results!)

• Real-time data feeds support

Common Questions (and Answers!)

• Is Data Vault just for modeling? No! It’s about delivering results, not just diagrams.

• Is it a closed shop? Not at all—our Data Community is open, and we love sharing knowledge.

• Does it work for my business? Financial services are leading the way, but adoption is spreading fast across industries.

• Do I need to pay? You can learn, share, and get involved for free—just join our forum!

How Does Data Vault Work?

Data Vault 2.0 organizes your data into three main building blocks:

• Hubs: Store business keys (like customer numbers or booking references)

• Links: Capture relationships (like which customer made which booking)

• Satellites: Hold descriptive and historical data (like customer names, booking details, and changes over time)

This structure makes your data warehouse flexible, auditable, and ready for automation. You’ll see more tables, but you’ll also get more organization and less custom code.

Real-World Example: The Holiday Booking Business

Imagine a travel company with customers, bookings, hotels, flights, and more. Data Vault lets you bring together data from booking systems, CRM, finance, websites, and beyond—building a single, integrated view that’s ready for analytics and reporting. Start small (maybe just bookings), then grow your vault as your needs evolve.

Why Join the Data Community?

• Get support: Our forum is full of friendly experts and newcomers alike. Ask questions, share your wins, and learn together!

• Stay updated: We host regular webinars, share best practices, and keep you in the loop on the latest in Data Vault and data engineering.

• Shape the future: Your feedback and participation help us build a better, more inclusive data community for everyone.

  
  

Don’t Miss Our Next Webinar!

We’re always planning new sessions—deep dives, case studies, tool demos, and more. Got a topic you want to see? Let us know on the forum! And keep an eye on your inbox for the next invite.

Final Thoughts

Data Vault 2.0 is all about making data warehousing practical, scalable, and collaborative. With the right patterns, tools, and community support, you can deliver value faster and with less risk. Remember: less coding, more patterns, and more time to think about what really matters—your business and your data.