OLAP (online Data Processing)
It is another tool through which retrieval and storage are made faster than ever before. This tool stores data in hypercube format specially designed to summary values of each of the transaction points across all of the various dimensions. Source record are extracted from the relational database, aggregated and batch loaded into predefined dimensions on a dedicated multidimensional server.
If any time a user needs to see a new dimension, it can be created with the next reload by the database administrator. The user may see the combination of dimensions at a time, say, past year’s sales by trading area and product category; go down immediately to see what’s going on in a specific store by department and item; then roll right back up to a regional level, merely by clicking at the appropriate dialogue boxes.