A. The requirement is to design flexible database schema patterns

The following question has been asked on Experts-Exchange.

QUESTION: flexible database schema patterns
ZONE(S): Databases Miscellaneous
DATE: 02.21.2011 11:39PM GMT
POINTS: 500
ID: 26837581

Hi

I have a lot of data for a specific 'thing' from lots of disparate data sources and I'd like to integrate them. 
I dont want to have to deal with how each source models the domain in question as it is a very complex domain. 

To have a traditional 3NF denormalised database would require having to remodel the schema every time i wanted to 
incorporate a new data source and that isn't feasible. I'm thinking of having some sort of data warehouse approach 
and a reverse star schema with the 'thing' at the middle as the fact and the data from each different source as a 
dimension so they can keep their own idiosyncracies regarding the domain. 

It would be a reverse star in the sense that the thing in the middle would have a primary key and the dimensions 
would have foreign keys which link to the relevant row in the central 'fact' table.

I was wondering if any you esteemed database experts had any comments and/or were aware of any database 'design patterns' 
or approaches for managing this sort of scenario

regards