Once again, another question – and another answer.  This time we are discussing the metadata layer as compared to a traditional approach for reporting.  If you have comments, thoughts, or other experiences I encourage you to add your COMMENT to the end of this posting.  

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What does a the metadata layer look like for reporting compared to a traditional approach?

There really is no difference.  A metadata layer is a metadata layer – and remains separate from the data warehouse.  Now, there is a rule here that can’t be ignored:  the Data Vault carries raw data – that is: the good, the bad, and the ugly data.  It is not cleansed, it is not fixed, it is not massaged – so in this regard, it should “never” be released to the business users this way.   BUT if you really want to release this data, I would recommend you build VIEWS that look like dimensions and facts – and have the reporting tools hit those.  When performance takes a dive, then you physically build data marts (turn the views into real tables).

BUT: what you really should do is either a) build a BUSINESS DATA VAULT or b) build star schemas with BUSINESS LOGIC in the ETL going from the raw data vault to the data marts.