What is OLAP?
OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) was introduced into the business intelligence (BI) space
over 20 years ago, in a time where computer hardware and software technology weren’t nearly as
powerful as they are today. OLAP introduced a groundbreaking way for business users (typically
analysts) to easily perform multidimensional (data cube) analysis of large volumes of business
data.
Aggregating, grouping, and joining data are the most difficult types of queries for a relational
database to process. The magic behind OLAP derives from its ability to pre-calculate and pre-
aggregate data. Otherwise, end users would be spending most of their time waiting for query
results to be returned by the database. However, it is also what causes OLAP-based solutions to
be extremely rigid and IT-intensive.
Online Analytical Processing Server (OLAP)
Online Analytical Processing Server (OLAP) is based on the multidimensional data model. It
allows managers, and analysts to get an insight of the information through fast, consistent, and
interactive access to information
Limitations of OLAP /Multidimensional data (data
cubes)
OLAP requires restructuring of data into a star/snowflake schema.
There are a limited number of dimensions (fields or attributes) in a single OLAP cube.
It is nearly impossible to access transactional data in the OLAP cube.
Changes to an OLAP cube require a full update of the cube – a lengthy process.
Vendors offer a variety of OLAP products that can be grouped into three categories:
multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP), relational OLAP (ROLAP), and hybrid OLAP (HOLAP).
What is ROLAP?
ROLAP stands for Relational Online Analytical Processing. ROLAP stores data in columns and
rows (also known as relational tables) and retrieves the information on demand through user
submitted queries. A ROLAP database can be accessed through complex SQL queries to
calculate information. ROLAP can handle large data volumes, but the larger the data, the slower
the processing times (or speed).
Because queries are made on-demand, ROLAP does not require the storage and pre-computation
of information. However, the disadvantage of ROLAP implementations are the potential
performance constraints and scalability limitations that result from large and inefficient join
operations between large tables. Examples of popular ROLAP products include Metacube by
Stanford Technology Group, Red Brick Warehouse by Red Brick Systems, and AXSYS Suite by
Information Advantage.
What is MOLAP?
MOLAP stands for Multidimensional Online Analytical Processing. MOLAP uses a
multidimensional cube that accesses, stored data through various combinations. Data is pre-
computed, pre-summarized, and stored (a difference from ROLAP, where queries are served on-
demand).
A multi-cube approach has proved successful in MOLAP products. In this approach, a series of
dense, small, precalculated cubes make up a hypercube. Tools that incorporate MOLAP include
Oracle Essbase, IBM Cognos, and Apache Kylin.
Its simple interface makes MOLAP easy to use, even for inexperienced users. Its speedy data
retrieval makes it the best for “slicing and dicing” operations. One major disadvantage of
MOLAP is that it is less scalable than ROLAP, as it can handle a limited amount of data.
What is HOLAP?
HOLAP stands for Hybrid Online Analytical Processing. As the name suggests, the HOLAP
storage mode connects attributes of both MOLAP and ROLAP. Since HOLAP involves storing
part of your data in a ROLAP store and another part in a MOLAP store, developers get the
benefits of both.
With this use of the two OLAPs, the data is stored in both multidimensional databases and
relational databases. The decision to access one of the databases depends on which is most
appropriate for the requested processing application or type. This setup allows much more
flexibility for handling data. For theoretical processing, the data is stored in a multidimensional
database. For heavy processing, the data is stored in a relational database.
Example:-
Microsoft Analysis Services and SAP AG BI Accelerator are products that run off HOLAP.
