ServiceBroker, at least, had the capability of (transactionally) sending messages between databases. So, if you drank the kool-aid (I did; it wasn't so bad), th

ServiceBroker, at least, had the capability of (transactionally) sending messages between databases. So, if you drank the kool-aid (I did; it wasn't so bad), there needn't be "the centralized database". You can separate your databases and decompose your services, and indeed it's easier to do so correctly and with confidence because the technology eliminates a lot of hairy edge cases.