Individual Level

The most specific level of the data warehouse information architecture. This level consists of highly summarized or highly filtered data that is available or pertinent only to some small group or executive.

Individually Structured

See individual level.

Information Architecture

The DBMS model supporting the data warehouse which usually consists of multiple levels of data summarization, transformation, derivation and/or sub-selection

Information Directory

A data store of metadata that is accessed to understand data context and how to navigate the data warehouse.

Information Model

See data warehouse model.

Informational Processing

The processing of data for analytical and decision support needs versus operational needs.

Informational Systems

Computer systems that allow organizations to report and analyze the business. The data warehouse supports these types of systems that include decision support, executive information, enhanced reporting and data mining applications.

Infrastructure

The basic facilities, components, structures of a system (e.g. a computer network infrastructure consists of wire, routers, bridges and computers).

Integration

The process of bringing data elements from different systems together to form a coherent "integrated" database.

Integrity Constraints And Relationships

The rules that define the relationship between elements or record types. A constraint is a relationship that must exist for one or the other of the elements to exist (e.g. a child record must point to a valid parent record. It is not allowed to exist as an orphan.)

Intelligent Agent

A program such as a query that, when launched, is capable of running without supervision and interacting with many databases, or system components over many networks to return the necessary result(s)

Iteration

A repetition of a set of processes while retaining and applying the knowledge gained from the previous iteration of those same processes.

Iteration Processing

The technique of re-visiting a process or processes until the results are correct or optimal.