In Kimball methodology, the 'expert' spends time/energy on developing a near 'perfect' representation of 'data' to be warehoused. Dimensions are conformed. All is well. But the action is in the value space.
The value space is where information is born, it is in the relational space where it is associated. And the warehouse should accurately, reversibly, store the relationship between values and the relations that provide existence.
We should coalesce types and save ourselves the cost of shoehorning data into our vague notions of perfection. And, save ourselves the cost of excessive ETL and data modelling. But, then I am not a neo-platonist, so maybe I don't get it.
