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Check out this article highlighting OLTP vs. OLAP - What is the Difference?
Here are the major highlights from the article:
| Parameters | OLTP | OLAP |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | It is a system for processing large volumes of real-time transactional data. | It is a system for the multidimensional analysis of consolidated business data. |
| Usage | It is used for adding, deleting, or updating databases to keep the data up-to-date. | It is used to make business decisions through queries and complex analyses of large amounts of data. |
| Focus | The system is more focused on transactional data maintenance and less on data analysis. | The system is focused on data analysis and not on maintaining day-to-day transactions. |
| Data Source | OLTP sources data from traditional database management systems. | OLAP has multiple data sources, which include real-time and historical databases, including OLTP. |
| Data Type | The data consists of a large number of short transactions. | The system processes large volumes of data from multiple sources. |
| Processing Time | Very low processing time at the scale of a few milliseconds. | Depending on the query, processing time is not as fast as OLTP systems and may range from a few seconds to hours. |
| Query | Related to adding, deleting, and updating data. | Related to data analysis. |
| Availability | OLTP systems are available round-the-clock and updated frequently to maintain data integrity. | OLAP systems don’t need to be updated so frequently since their functions are analytic in nature. |
| Normalization | Data tables are normalized. | Data tables are not normalized. |
| Backup | Requires constant backup and recovery. | Can be backed up less frequently. |
| User volume | Supports large user volume simultaneously. | Accommodates multiple users but doesn’t have a large user volume like OLTP. |
| Operations | Allows both read and write operations. | Usually supports read-only operations. |
| Process | Processes day-to-day data quickly. | Processes analytical queries consistently and at a fast pace. |
To learn more about these differences, checkout the full article here⤵️