Which of the following describes the purpose of data warehousing?

The purpose of data warehousing is best described by the option that emphasizes centralizing and analyzing historical data for business intelligence. Data warehouses are specifically designed to consolidate data from various sources, enabling organizations to create a cohesive repository of historical information. This warehouse is optimized for query and analysis rather than for transaction processing.

By using a data warehouse, businesses can gather extensive volumes of historical data, which can then be used to identify trends, generate reports, and support decision-making processes through business intelligence tools. This allows for comprehensive analysis and provides insights that are not typically available through standard operational databases, which primarily focus on current transactions.

In contrast, storing real-time transactions pertains to operational databases, which handle day-to-day activities and immediate data processing needs. Routine backups focus on data integrity and recovery rather than analysis, and managing user access rights relates more to database security and administration, which falls outside the primary purpose of data warehousing. Thus, the focus on centralizing and analyzing historical data for business intelligence clearly outlines the essential function of a data warehouse.