The dimensional model is a thing of beauty when it is done right. It is designed independently of vendor and architecture. It is built with fact tables for every process, conformed dimensions, hierarchies, slowly changing dimensions, bridges, aggregates and so on. It is a work of art you print on a plotter and hang on your office wall for business users to gaze upon in total awe. It is the map you use to trace data lineage and figure out join paths. It is the reference guide for enhancement impact analysis.