AdventureWorksDW Sample Database

Explore rich business intelligence scenarios with this sample data.

Database Overview

The AdventureWorksDW sample database is designed for use with Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence features. It provides a comprehensive dataset representing a fictional global manufacturing company, AdventureWorks Cycles. This database is ideal for learning, developing, and testing solutions related to data warehousing, reporting, and analytics.

It includes tables for sales, marketing, product inventory, human resources, and more, allowing for in-depth analysis of business performance.

Key Features & Data Domains

The AdventureWorksDW schema is structured to support various BI functionalities:

Sales Data: Comprehensive sales transactions, order details, and customer information.
Product Information: Detailed product categories, subcategories, models, and product attributes.
Dim & Fact Tables: Clearly defined dimensional and fact tables for effective data warehousing.
Measures & KPIs: Pre-calculated measures and key performance indicators for business analysis.
Hierarchies: Supports hierarchical data structures for geographical, product, and time-based analysis.

Example Schema Elements:

DimCustomer: Customer demographics and details.
DimProduct: Product catalog and specifications.
DimSalesTerritory: Geographical sales regions.
FactInternetSales: Online sales transactions.
FactResellerSales: Sales through resellers.

Setup & Usage

To utilize the AdventureWorksDW sample database, you typically need to restore a pre-built backup file onto your SQL Server instance.

Prerequisites:

Microsoft SQL Server (various versions supported, check documentation for specifics).
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

Steps:

Download the Backup File: Obtain the latest AdventureWorksDW backup (.bak) file from official Microsoft sources.
Restore the Database:
1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Connect to your SQL Server instance.
3. Right-click on "Databases" and select "Restore Database...".
4. In the "Source" section, choose "Device" and browse to your downloaded .bak file.
5. Select the destination for the database (default is usually fine).
6. Click "OK" to begin the restore process.
Connect and Query: Once restored, you can connect to the AdventureWorksDW database in SSMS and start exploring its tables and data.

Sample Query:

Here's a basic query to retrieve total sales amounts by year:

                
SELECT
    YEAR(S.[OrderDate]) AS SalesYear,
    SUM(S.[SalesAmount]) AS TotalSales
FROM
    FactInternetSales AS S
GROUP BY
    YEAR(S.[OrderDate])
ORDER BY
    SalesYear;
                
            

Get the Sample Database

Download the AdventureWorksDW sample database backup file to get started with your business intelligence projects.

Download AdventureWorksDW (.bak)

Link will direct you to the official Microsoft download center.