The data warehouse is designed to co-exist with current applications rather than to replace them. Programs are written to use current data, and the process does not require changes to hardware, software or databases. Data warehousing can be used to complete a variety of tasks across many departments. The sharing capability allows for fast and easy fulfillment of requests. For example, upon returning from a week's vacation, a county administrator discovers that the state has requested a complete report of the county's economic data before it will approve an upcoming grant.
Officials demand the information immediately, threatening to hold up the grant.
Using the county's data warehouse, the administrator queries the census data for low-income areas. Then he zeros in on the neighborhoods of greatest need by combining land valuation data from the assessor and public assistance data from other sources. He produces a detailed, accurate report within minutes and faxes it out before the deadline. In a different scenario, a county planner meets with an area business owner who wants to obtain a liquor license for his restaurant. Before processing the license, she types the address of the restaurant into her computer.