The Data Vault Handbook - Concepts and Applications

In some cases, a Non-Historized Satellite may be added to the Link to handle situations where the Link table becomes too wide due to the inclusion of numerous attributes. This can help maintain performance, and it’s particu- larly useful for managing sensitive attributes or reducing clutter. Unlike a standard Satellite, the Non-Historized Satellite does not include a hashdiff calculation, as no changes are tracked over time for each transaction. Non-Historized Links are especially valuable for scenarios where business users need to analyze transactions or events at their original level of detail. This makes them ideal for transactional reporting or event-driven processes.

NON-HISTORIZED LINK EXAMPLE

Continuing with a hospital setting, a Patient Check-ins Non-Historized Link can be used to track every instance of a patient checking into a department. Since check-ins represent distinct events that cannot be updated, each trans- action remains unchanged after it is recorded. If there is an issue with a check-in, a new transaction is added, maintaining the integrity of each event. The Non-Historized Link will include references to the Patient Hub and the Department Hub, along with a transaction ID that uniquely identifies each check-in. Additionally, attributes like the check-in time and the reason for the visit can be included directly in the link, instead of using a satellite.