Over time this approach will lead to a so-called data-mart-in-a-box architecture[3] where interoperability and lack of cohesion is apparent, and can hinder the realization of an overall enterprise data warehouse.
By dictating coherency in the development and implementation of an overall data warehouse the bus architecture approach enables an overall vision of the broader enterprise integration and consistency while at the same time dividing the problem into more manageable parts[2] – all in a technology and software independent manner.
According to Kimball and Margy Ross's article “Differences of Opinion”[5] "The Enterprise Data warehouse built on the bus architecture ”identifies and enforces the relationship between business process metrics (facts) and descriptive attributes (dimensions)”.
This makes the conformed dimensions act as the integration ‘glue’, creating a robust backbone of the enterprise Data Warehouse.
[6] Figure 1[7] shows the base for a single document planning tool for the whole of the data warehouse implementation - a graphical overview of the enterprises core business processes or events each correspond to a measurement table of facts, that typically is complemented by a major source system in the horizontal rows.