1-Who is involved?
Person or organization of interest to the enterprise. That is, “Who is important to the business?” Often a ‘who’ is associated with a role such as Customer or Vendor
For example Employee, Patient, Gambler, Suspect, Customer, Vendor, Student, Passenger, Competitor. An invoice can have this info; Who sold it
2-What did they do? To what is it done?
Product or service of interest to the enterprise. It often refers to what the organization makes that keeps it in business. That is, “What is important to the business?”. For example Product, Service, Raw Material, Finished Good, Course, Song, Photograph. An invoice can have this info; What was sold
3-When did it happen?
Calendar or time interval of interest to the enterprise. That is, “When is the business in operation?”. For example Time, Date, Month, Quarter, Year, Calendar, Semester, Fiscal Period, Minute. An invoice can have this info; When was it sold
4-Where did it happen?
Location of interest to the enterprise. Location can refer to actual places as well as electronic places. That is, “Where is business conducted?. For example
Mailing Address, Distribution Point, Website URL, IP Address. An invoice can have this info; Where was it shipped
5-Why did it happen?
Event or transaction of interest to the enterprise. These events keep the business afloat. That is, “Why is the business in business?”. For example
Order, Return, Complaint, Withdrawal, Deposit, Compliment, Inquiry, Trade, Claim. An invoice can have this info; This happened because of an Order
6-How did it happen – in what manner?
Documentation of the event of interest to the enterprise. Documents record the events, such as a Purchase Order recording an Order event. That is, “How does the business stay in business?”. For example Invoice, Contract, Agreement, Account, Purchase Order, Speeding Ticket. An invoice can have this info; How many items were sold
7-How many or much was recorded – how can it be measured?
How much of documentation is recorded and what’s the left over. An invoice can have this info; How much items were sold
The 7Ws are interrogatives question forming words.
Fact table represents verbs. Dimensions that surround them are nouns. Out of 7Ws, 5Ws are dimension and 6th, 7th one is fact.