Create virtual views to store retired data in a different format from data on the production database. For example, the date-of-birth values in a table are in integer format such as 01021991. When you retire this table to the Data Vault, the date-of-birth values remain in the same integer format. You can create a virtual view table to convert these date values to a more readable, alphanumeric format, such as 01-Feb-1991, on the retirement database.

To display the converted data, Data Archive uses the SQL created in the virtual view instead of the dynamically generated SQL used during an archive or a retirement job. You can create virtual views for data that you plan to retire. You can also create virtual views when you cannot create views on a read-only source database.

Create a virtual view to accomplish the following goals:

Hide the complexity of the underlying data to create a simpler user experience.
Save space and cost because the table is virtual.
Simplify the process of capturing metadata from a retirement database.