A Greyskull Analytics course
Bare Bones Data
Learn the Patterns of Dimensional Modelling in a Day.
Register interest face to face, five to ten people, one dayThe Context
Why should you care about Dimensional Modelling Training?
Let's be honest. Your team is already drowning in tools, buzzwords, and vendor promises. So why should dimensional modelling training be on your radar?
Here's the thing: Johnny has spent years watching data teams struggle with the same fundamental problem. They can build pipelines. They can wrangle data. They can even deploy the latest lakehouse architecture. But when it comes to actually delivering analytics that stakeholders understand and trust? That's where things fall apart.
Dimensional modelling isn't sexy. It's not the latest framework getting hyped on LinkedIn.
But it's the difference between a data platform that serves reports and one that actually serves organisational value.
Why I recommend it
I meet a lot of data teams who have gone all in on the latest lakehouse technologies, or tools like dbt, and still cannot give a stakeholder a number they trust. The pipelines run. The dashboards load. The Text to SQL agent returns an answer. Then someone asks a simple question, the answers do not line up, and everyone starts arguing about which figure is right. Nine times out of ten nobody consciously modelled the data underneath.
Johnny is one of the people who I point those teams at. He has been building dimensional models for years and he teaches the patterns the way he uses them, plain language, whiteboard first, no vendor pitch. We walked through those core patterns on episode 73 of the Agile Data N' Info podcast. One day with him and your team starts their journey to stop arguing about tables and start shipping information people actually trust.
I teach the Information Product Canvas because getting the requirements right is where the value starts. Johnny teaches the modelling that holds all of it up underneath. The two go together like a good beer and crisps.
The problem
The cost of not modelling data effectively
When your team doesn't understand dimensional modelling, you see it everywhere:
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01
Analysts writing increasingly complex SQL to answer basic business questions.
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02
Data models that duplicate the same concepts and data in multiple places.
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03
Business users who've given up on self-service because they can't figure out which table to use.
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04
And that all singing, all dancing AI chatbot you just invested in doesn't have a chance of figuring the data out either.
The fix
What Training Actually Does
Good dimensional modelling training gives your team:
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A shared language for talking about data structures
Facts, dimensions, grains, and hierarchies aren't abstract concepts, they're practical tools.
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Design patterns that work
Star schemas, slowly changing dimensions, bridge tables. These are battle-tested approaches that prevent you reinventing the wheel (badly).
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The "why" behind the "what"
Understanding user requirements means your team builds with purpose, not just following recipes.
It's about giving them foundational knowledge they can apply whether they're building in Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, or whatever comes next.
Why Upskill Your Team
The Outcome
Data Teams that understand dimensional modelling deliver analytics faster, with fewer rework cycles, and build trust with stakeholders because the data makes sense to the people (or tools!) using it.
That's it. No grand promises. Just pragmatic skills that pay off every day.If that sounds like something your team needs, you should reach out here and we can discuss things further.
Your instructor
Johnny Winter
Founder of Greyskull Analytics, co-author of Implementing Analytics Solutions using Microsoft Fabric
LinkedInJohnny is the founder of Greyskull Analytics, an independent data consultancy based in Preston in the UK. He has worked in data since 2007, starting out as a reporting analyst before moving into designing and building data warehouses.
He cut his teeth on classic enterprise reporting and analytics tools and days he builds on modern cloud platforms, working across industries from defence and manufacturing to travel, online retail and financial services.
Ask him and he will tell you that being a good data professional is not about the tools. It is about a solid grasp of the underlying concepts and building with a purpose that solves a real problem. That is what he brings to the whiteboard when he teaches dimensional modelling.
Johnny co-authored a book on modern analytics platform implementation in 2024, co-organises a regional user group for the data community, and speaks regularly at data conferences around the world.
whiteboard first, no vendor pitch
Course syllabus
What does the course cover?
Want to know more about the meat on the bones? The Bare Bones Data Modelling course covers the following topics:
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Dimensional Modelling Introduction
- Dimensional model history
- Database Fundamentals
- Why do we dimensional model?
- What is a dimensional model?
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Dimensional Modelling 101
- Fact Table basics
- Types of dimension table, type 0 to 7 SCDs
- Surrogate keys
- Relational Integrity
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Advanced Dimensional Modelling patterns
- Timespan Accumulating Snapshot Fact Tables
- Factless Fact Tables
- Centipede Fact Tables
- Junk Dimensions
- Degenerate Dimensions
- Role Playing Dimensions
- Bridge Tables
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Product Thinking in Data Modelling
- Why product thinking is important
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Gathering Requirements for your Star Schema
- Overview of requirements gathering framework
- Event Storming
- Sun Modelling
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Implementation Considerations
- Design decisions and things to think about for delivery
- Data structures, naming conventions, surrogate key strategies, loading patterns
Pricing
Ok, so I guess you'll want to know the damage right?
How much will this training set you back?
£449
per person per day (excluding VAT)- Minimum 5 people (or minimum fee of £2,245)
- Maximum 10 people (the training works best when working with a targeted group instead of a jam packed classroom!)
Delivering training face to face is in my opinion THE most effective option, with attendees being more attentive, and better able to interact with both the instructor and their fellow delegates. Please note though, the quoted pricing does not include travel expenses, venue hire or catering.
Want to get your team booked in?
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Reach Out
Get in touch with Johnny
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Contact Johnny dimensional modelling in a day