CA3-04: Repurposing the Virtual Data Warehouse as a Reporting Tool

Abstract

Background/Aims The creation and implementation of a research Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW) has shown demonstrable benefits for healthcare researchers. However, the VDW’s potential may be diminished to the extent its accessibility is limited outside of the research sphere. The most obvious limitation is in cases where VDW data can only be accessed via statistical software packages (such as SAS) or the use of Structured Query Language (SQL). This may inhibit access to data by interested, authorized parties who lack training in those computer languages. The potential exists for a research site to leverage the VDW into a more open and accessible reporting system, provided that its implementation meets the following criteria: its data is hosted on a relational database management system (RDBMS); its design schema reasonably well adheres to the principles of data normalization; the site implementing the VDW has access to a standardized library of medical terminology that can be used to validate data and display it in a hierarchical manner. The aim is to leverage the existing VDW data model to produce a flexible and easily accessible reporting system.