and associations that exist across the business keys in the enterprise. The real data
warehousing components are the satellites that store nonvolatile data over time.

The data vault model is based on normalization and separation of classes of data. In this
particular case, the business keys (hubs) are considered a different class than the
relationships (links). Both of these types are separated by context or descriptive
information (satellites) that have a tendency to change over time.

What Makes Business Keys So Interesting?

Business keys are the drivers in business. They tie the data set to the business processes
and the business processes to the business requirements. Without business keys, the data
set has no value. Business keys are the sole source of tracking the data through the
business processes and across lines of business.

Fig. 6.2.2 represents several concepts that exist within a full-scale enterprise. The blue
boxes represent hundreds of individual business processes that occur within the business.
The blue boxes are tied together through a business process life cycle. The objective of
organizing the business processes in this manner is to identify the critical path (as these
processes are engaged in cycle time reduction and lean initiatives). The critical path of
the business processes is depicted by the red dotted line.

Chapter 6.2: Introduction to Data Vault Modeling