Does XML open up the implementation of a truly ad hoc EDW? I’m not talking about an EDW that supports ad hoc queries. I’m suggesting a fully ad hoc EDW: data model, data structures, ETL/ELT and BI tool access to end-users with no design or predefinition. The EDW points at a data source and builds a queryable subject area based only on the data available, and discovers the relationships of this new subject area to the existing metadata and tables residing in the EDW.

Scary thought? A DBA’s worst nightmare?