<P> Organizations build data warehouses and data marts because the information in the database is not organized in a way that makes it readily accessible, requiring queries that are too complicated or resource - consuming . </P> <P> While transactional databases are designed to be updated, data warehouses or marts are read only . Data warehouses are designed to access large groups of related records . Data marts improve end - user response time by allowing users to have access to the specific type of data they need to view most often by providing the data in a way that supports the collective view of a group of users . </P> <P> A data mart is basically a condensed and more focused version of a data warehouse that reflects the regulations and process specifications of each business unit within an organization . Each data mart is dedicated to a specific business function or region . This subset of data may span across many or all of an enterprise's functional subject areas . It is common for multiple data marts to be used in order to serve the needs of each individual business unit (different data marts can be used to obtain specific information for various enterprise departments, such as accounting, marketing, sales, etc .). </P> <P> The related term spreadmart is a derogatory label describing the situation that occurs when one or more business analysts develop a system of linked spreadsheets to perform a business analysis, then grow it to a size and degree of complexity that makes it nearly impossible to maintain . </P>

What is a data warehouse what is a data mart