I read this and still don't know exactly what the author is asking for. Is an "exploratory, queryable interface" not exactly how you would describe a modern dashboard?
They want you to use their interactive dashboards backed by their database using features their PMs prioritized, like wide columns and drill-downs. But you're right, other systems do support these . Ex: Splunk has done wide columns with index-on-write columnar analytics and point-and-click pivoting/drilldowns since ~day 1. So, as they add features, they get very definitional on each one. Most startup people (myself included!) have a lot to learn from their successful developer/IT marketing style.
