What is one characteristic of an Active Data Warehouse?

An Active Data Warehouse is designed to support real-time or near-real-time data integration and analysis, allowing users to make immediate business decisions based on the most up-to-date information. One characteristic that defines an Active Data Warehouse is its ability to allow users to directly update the operational data store. This capability enables organizations to maintain a dynamic environment where data can be constantly refreshed and users can interact with live data.

This direct update mechanism empowers business analysts and decision-makers to input and manage data in real-time, reflecting the most current activities and performance metrics. As a result, the data warehouse not only serves as a repository for historical data but also functions as a platform for ongoing operational processes and immediate insights.

In contrast, limited scalability, focusing only on historical analysis, and lack of integration with other data sources are characteristics that would typically describe more traditional data warehousing approaches, which do not accommodate the need for immediate data interaction and dynamic updates that an Active Data Warehouse offers.