This is a question I have been pondering for some time. How will the Cloud Computing change BI and Data Warehousing? In theory, it should be much easier to get a system up an running. This is the same reason why the data warehouse appliance is so compelling. Give me a box, let me plug it in and load my data, and off I go to do the work I really need to do. The idea of Cloud Computing is even easier. This is the CPU power/storage that I need, where do I load my data, and off I go to do the work I really need to do.
I work in the technology industry and sometimes we forget that the users of our software/technology don’t really care how it works. Rather, they care that software/technology enables them to do their jobs. Cloud Computing holds that great promise.
In his article entitled "Send in the Clouds" http://www.bireview.com/bnews/10001601-1.html, JimEricson talks about how "Cloud computing will impact the data warehousing/BI equation". I think this is very pertinent. We have to get BI to more users and along with the data warehousing appliance, cloud computing will help to make BI more pervasive.