title: When to build a separate reporting database?
body: <p>We're building an application that has a database (yeah, pretty exciting huh :).  The database is mainly transactional (to support the app) and also does a bit of "reporting" as part of the app - but nothing too strenuous.</p>
  
  <p>Above and beyond that we have some reporting requirements - but they're pretty vague and high-level at the moment.  We have a standard reporting tool that we-use in-house which we'll use to do the "heavier" reporting as the requirements solidify.</p>
  
  <p>My question is: how do you know when a separate database for reporting is required?</p>
  
  <p>What sort of questions need to be asked? What sort of things would make you decide a separate reporting database was necessary?</p>