OLAP Solutions: Building Multidimensional Information Systems

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 688 pages
• Published by: Wiley
• Edition: 2nd Edition April 15, 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0471400300
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0471400301
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches
• Weighs: 2.6 pounds

Product Description
OLAP enables users to access information from multidimensional data warehouses almost instantly, to view information in any way they like, and to cleanly specify and carry out sophisticated calculations. Although many commercial OLAP tools and products are now available, OLAP is still a difficult and complex technology to master.

• Substantially updated with expanded coverage of implementation methods for data storage, access, and calculation; also, new chapters added to combine OLAP with data warehouse, mining, and decision support tools
• Teaches the best practices for building OLAP models that improve business and organizational decision-making, completely independent of commercial tools, using revised case studies
• Companion Web site provides updates on OLAP standards and tools, code examples, and links to valuable resources

Publisher Description
This book is a hands-on guide to using OLAP to create multidimensional data systems that quickly retrieve information from storage. Explaining what OLAP actually is, the book details the many available OLAP tools, how to select the proper tool, and how to apply multidimensional structuring to existing data sets. CD-ROM includes a copy of software package TM1, a fully functioning version of each case study covered in the book, and a copy of visualization product "Data Diamond." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: OLAP Solutions: Building Multidimensional Information Systems (Paperback) Even though I had been familiar with OLAP concepts before I bought this book, I enjoyed reading it and recommend it to anyone seriously interested in OLAP. You will learn the history of OLAP and why traditional tools like SQL and spreadsheets are not very well suited for analysis that multidimensional tools are capable of performing. There are two comprehensive chapters on basic multidimensional features like dimensions, hierarchies, attributes and so on for those who are not familiar with them yet. There are more chapters describing some advanced features like joining cubes, visualization, formulas. Sparsity problems are taken into consideration as well as storage options for multidimensional data. There are several business cases for OLAP application, but, unfortunately, as other reviewers have already noticed the software which goes with the book does not work properly, so I just skimmed throuth the chapters where the use of the software was described. For me it was not the main part because I had already had some experience with OLAP tools before. The author destinguishes clearly between data warehousing and OLAP which some people sometimes fail to do. I liked also the last chapter where the author gives some guidelines on how to evaliate OLAP tools, which may be very helpful for those who have not made their minds yet about what tool to use in their project. Although there is some outdated material in the book, it without a doubt deserves its five stars.