OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) and OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) are two different approaches to handling data in databases.
Let's discuss the differences:
|
OLAP |
OLTP |
Full Form |
Online
Analytical Processing |
Online
Transaction Processing |
Purpose |
Supports
complex queries for data analysis and reporting. |
Manages
real-time transaction processing. |
Focus |
Data
retrieval and aggregation for insights. |
Fast,
consistent transactions and data integrity. |
Data
Structure |
Denormalized |
Normalized to
reduce redundancy and ensure data integrity. |
Operations |
Involves
read-heavy operations like aggregations, slicing, dicing, and drilling down
into data. |
Involves
frequent read/write operations like inserts, updates, and deletes. |
Examples |
Data
warehouses, business intelligence tools, and dashboard |
Banking
systems, e-commerce websites, order management system |
When to use? |
Analyzing
sales trends over time, generating monthly financial report |
Processing a
purchase order, updating account balances, or handling customer support
tickets. |