MULTI DIMENSIONAL DATABASE

MULTI DIMENSIONAL DATABASE

A multidimensional database is a computer software system designed to allow for the efficient and convenient storage and retrieval of large volumes of data that is

·         intimately related and

·         stored, viewed and analyzed from different perspectives.

These perspectives are called dimensions.

A multidimensional database (MDB) is a type of database that is optimized for data warehouse and online analytical processing (OLAP) applications. Multidimensional data-base technology is a key factor in the interactive analysis of large amounts of data for decision-making purposes.

Multi dimensional database technology:

1.    A multidimensional database (MDB) is a type of database that is optimized for data warehouse and online analytical processing (OLAP) applications.

2.    Multidimensional databases are frequently created using input from existing relational databases.

3.    Whereas a relational database is typically accessed using a Structured Query Language (SQL) query, a multidimensional database allows a user to ask questions related to summarizing business operations and trends.

4.    An OLAP application that accesses data from a multidimensional database is known as a MOLAP (multidimensional OLAP) application.

5.    A multidimensional database - or a multidimensional database management system (MDDBMS) - implies the ability to rapidly process the data in the database so that answers can be generated quickly.

6.    Conceptually, a multidimensional database uses the idea of a data cube to represent the dimensions of data available to a user. Additionally, a database creator can define hierarchies and levels within a dimension.

 ADVANTAGES OF MULTI DIMENSIONAL DATABASE

·         Fast query performance due to optimized storage, multidimensional indexing and caching.

·         Smaller on-disk size of data compared to data stored in relational database due to compression techniques.

·         Automated computation of higher level aggregates of the data.

·         It is very compact for low dimension data sets.

·         Array models provide natural indexing.

·         Effective data extraction achieved through the pre-structuring of aggregated data.

DISADVANTAGES OF MULTI DIMENSIONAL DATABASE

·         Within some MOLAP solutions the processing step (data load) can be quite lengthy, especially on large data volumes.

·         Some methodologies of multi-dimensional database introduce data redundancy.