# Bill Inmon *Source: [Bill Inmon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Inmon)* **William H. Inmon** (born 1945) is an American [computer scientist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_scientist "Computer scientist"), recognized by many as the father of the [data warehouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_warehouse "Data warehouse").[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Inmon#cite_note-1)[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Inmon#cite_note-2) Inmon wrote the first book, held the first conference (with [Arnie Barnett](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arnie_Barnett&action=edit&redlink=1 "Arnie Barnett (page does not exist)")), wrote the first column in a magazine and was the first to offer classes in [data warehousing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_warehousing "Data warehousing"). Inmon created the accepted definition of what a data warehouse is - a subject oriented, nonvolatile, integrated, time variant collection of data in support of management's decisions. Compared with the approach of the other pioneering architect of data warehousing, [Ralph Kimball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Kimball "Ralph Kimball"), Inmon's approach is often characterized as a top-down approach. ## Approach to Building a Data Warehouse **Inmon’s approach** – designing centralized storage first and then creating data marts from the summarized data warehouse data and metadata.  *** ## Appendix: Links - [[Ralph Kimball]] - [[Data Warehouse]]