We need to return to our roots. The data warehouse is the place where people can access their data. The fundamental goals of a data warehouse can be developed by walking around the halls of any large organization and listening to management talk. These concerns are so universal that they drive the bedrock requirements for the data warehouse. The data warehouse provides access to corporate or organizational data.
Access means several things.
The managers and analysts of an organization must be able to connect to the data warehouse from their personal computers. This connection must be immediate, on demand, and with high performance. It is not acceptable if the access is through another person, or if the access is unreliable or slow. High performance access means the tiniest queries run in less than 1 second. Access also means the tools available to the managers and analysts are very easy to use.