Using logical tables to create custom views

Logical tables are schema objects that are somehow similar to SQL views. They are not a representation of an existing table but a SELECT statement that returns a series of columns. There are cases in the course of a BI project when you need the data to be in a different shape than in the source tables, so you have two choices: modify the data warehouse or create logical tables.

Sometimes access to the data warehouse is simply out of the question, or it takes weeks, or the paperwork needed to approve the modification is just not worth it.

To be clear, whenever possible, I prefer changing the data warehouse over creating logical tables because there may be other applications that use that data and it's probably wise to have a common base for every app, but I resort to logical tables for cases like the one in this recipe when I need the data to be prefiltered for a specific purpose.

Getting ready

Look at the DimEmployee table in the database diagram...