Star Schema vs Snowflake schema

This is another most important and frequently asked question in an interview. Let’s understand and learn the differences between the two.

Star Schema

1. One of the simplest in the data warehouse.
2. Resembles the structure of the star.
3. Good for querying large datasets.
4. Star schema contains a fact table surrounded by a dimension table.
5. Follows a top-down approach.
6. Denormalized data structure and queries also run fast.
7. Takes up more space.
8. Schema is good for datamarts with simple relationships.

Snowflake Schema

1. The extension of the star schema includes a subdimensions table along with a fact table and a dimension table.
2. Resembles the structure of the snowflake.
3. Good for querying small datasets.
4. Snowflake schema contains a fact table surrounded by a dimension table and a subdimension table.
5. Follows the bottom-to-top approach.
6. Normalized data structure.
7. Takes up less space.
8. Schema is good for data warehousing.

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