• I've been using SQL Server to build data marts and data warehouses since 1995 and have used every version since version 4.21.

    Since 95 I've used other databases for marts and warehouses too.

    I was first exposed to wherescape in the US in 2003 on a project at a bank on the west coast.

    I loved it instantly!

    Having used lots of ETL tools (most of the big ones and some others), I can say that wherescape is a little different.

    It can take some getting used to, especially if you've allowed yourself to be clouded by the ETL approach to the world.

    This is because it's not an ETL tool. It's a development tool for speeding up the delivery of your warehouse and reducing effort when you have to make changes later (and you always have to make changes later - if your warehouse is successful).

    What wherescape does is let you build the things you'd write by hand many times faster than if you were writing them by hand.

    I remember writing code by hand, having to write code to schedule my warehouse or mart and having to surf through 100,000 lines of someone elses code to make changes. If I use wherescape I don't have to do this any more. The same is true with an ETL tool, but for different reasons (mainly because there's an extra level of abstraction and I don't get to see the true code with most tools).

    I suppose my main point is (based on my experience and observations), if I was to rank approaches by speed of delivery (and everyone building warehouses should be focussed on speed of delivery - delivering before business change occurs and hence before business requirements change), I'd have to say:

    1. wherescape / rapid development / agile

    2. hand coding

    3. classic ETL

    If I was to do the same for ease of maintenance:

    1. wherescape

    2. classic ETL

    3. hand coding (unless the code was exceptionally well written and documented)

    I said above, I fell in love with wherescape instantly. I've outlined my main reason above, my other reasons are:

    - you can see, change and tuned the real code without breaking anything

    - there are no black boxes

    - contrary to what you've said above, they do seem to keep up with new database features (eg when table partitoning was added to sql 2005, I remember wherescape releasing a version to support this great new feature BEFORE sql 2005 was released! and I can remember other times this has happened)

    - it's easy to learn how to use it and become an expert in it, especially if you go on the training

    - ...

    Finally, I have to take issue with one point you made NoBIBummer. Warehousing is warehousing. A true data warehousing expert is database independent. They will understand the strengths and weaknesses of all major databases. They may even have their own personal favorite database. But to say "a great product for developing DW in non-MS based environment" is intellectually dishonest. How can an approach be ok everywhere except for SQL Server? Are you saying SQL Server 2008R2 is missing major warehousing functionality that all other database have? I'd have to disagree with you on this too, if you are...