A call detail records data mart: Data modelling and OLAP analysis

Abstract

In order to succeed in the market, telecommunications companies are not competing solely on price. They have to expand their services based on their knowledge of customers' needs gained through the use of call detail records (CDR) and customer demographics. All the data should be stored together in the CDR data mart. The paper covers the topic of its design and development in detail and especially focuses on the conceptual/logical/physical trilogy. Some other design problems are also discussed. An important area is the problem involving time. This is why the implication of time in data warehousing is carefully considered. The CDR data mart provides the platform for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) analysis. As it is presented in this paper, an OLAP system can help the telecommunications company to get better insight into its customers' behaviour and improve its marketing campaigns and pricing strategies.