The data warehouse appliance concept delivers a number of benefits to the customer that cannot be achieved using conventional warehouse technologies. Among the benefits touted by a wide range of vendors is software, tightly optimized to specifically-tailored hardware, as well as the simplicity of a single source for hardware and software. While promoting these virtues, these vendors are actually saying that the appliance's benefits can only be accomplished using their hardware platforms coupled exclusively with their software. Therein lies the myth.

• Openness
• Flexibility
• Scalability
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• One Stop Shop
• Technical Support
• Grid Computing & Virtualization