| Online Analytical Processing servers, or OLAP servers, | | | | cube) which consists of numeric facts (measures) that |
| basically serve the purpose of rapidly answering | | | | are categorized via dimensions. This data is usually |
| multidimensional analytical queries by different parties. | | | | derived from a star or snowflake schema of tables in |
| The methodology, as such, is a part of the business | | | | a relational database, with dimensions being derived |
| intelligence domain, the other parts of which are data | | | | from the dimension tables and measures being derived |
| mining and relational reporting. | | | | from the records in the fact table. To state it in a |
| The term OLAP was basically created from OLTP | | | | simpler manner, each measure can be seen have |
| (Online Transaction Processing), which is a traditional | | | | having a set of labels or meta-data associated, while a |
| database term. OLAP servers are most frequently | | | | dimension describes these labels and provides details |
| used in business reporting for sales and marketing, | | | | about the measure. |
| budgeting, financial reporting and management | | | | Further, many claim that OLAP cubes can devise an |
| reporting. The databases that are configured for this | | | | answer for around 0.1% of the time as would be taken |
| methodology are based on a multidimensional data | | | | by OLTP relational data and the mechanism that |
| model that allows the quick resolution of complex | | | | allows for such rapid speed is the usage of |
| queries by borrowing parts of navigational and | | | | aggregations. These are built from the fact table by |
| hierarchical databases, which are comparatively faster | | | | altering the granularity on specific dimensions to |
| than relational databases. An OLAP query's output is | | | | aggregate data along with the former. Although the |
| generally in a matrix format, with the dimensions | | | | detailed methodology is beyond the scope of this |
| forming the rows and columns of the same, and the | | | | article, the fact of the matter is that OLAP servers are |
| measures forming the values. | | | | increasingly being used by organizations around the |
| Coming to the concept part, OLAP servers employ | | | | world to speed up processes and simplify things for |
| the functionality of a multidimensional cube (OLAP | | | | the IT staff. |