You can view data in a different context; that is, you can navigate between databases containing many dimensions.
You need not keep the data source and data target outlines closely synchronized, because less of the outline is shared.
A single data cell can allow the user to navigate to multiple databases. For example, the Total Profit cell in the Accounting database can link to the Profit cells in the databases of each business unit.
Performance may improve, because Essbase accesses the database directly, not through a data target.