OLAP

From OLAP

OLAP or ON-Line Analytical Processing is a software technology that enables analysts, managers and executives to gain insight into data through fast, consistent, interactive access to a wide variety of possible views of information that has been transformed from raw data to reflect the real dimensionality of the enterprise as understood by a user. OLAP functionality is characterized by dynamic multi-dimensional analysis of consolidated enterprise data supporting end user analytical and navigational activities. OLAP tools do not store individual transaction records in two-dimensional, row-by-column formats, like a worksheet, but instead use multi-dimensional database structures-known as Cubes in OLAP terminology-to store arrays of consolidated information. The data and formulas are stored in an optimized multidimensional database, while views of the data are created on demand. Analysts can take any view, or, Slice, of a Cube to produce a worksheet-like view of points of interest.