Difference between OLTP and OLAP

Online Transaction Processing(OLTP) is a transactional processing system that involves processing transactional data and updating a back-end database to reflect the new input. Relational databases(RDMS) are a suitable choice for OLTP since it requires a database that can handle numerous queries and updates while supporting quick response times.

Online Analytical Processing(OLAP) is an analytical processing system that can handle any analytical process. OLAP tools are used to perform complex queries and bring insights from large data sets especially those collected from multiple databases.

Let’s discuss the difference between OLTP and OLAP.

OLTP VS OLAP

VSOLTPOLAP
Stands forOnline Transaction ProcessingOnline Analytical Processing
Sources of dataOperational dataData warehouse(from various databases)
Purpose of dataControl and run fundamental business tasksFor planning, problem-solving, and decision support
Processing speedTypically very fastDepends on data size, techniques, and algorithms
Space requirementsCan be a relatively smallLarger due to aggregated databases
Database designHighly normalized with many tablesTypically, denormalized with fewer tables. Use of star or snowflake schemas
OperationUse insert, update, and delete operationsUse select operations
UserUsed by the database administrator, and other database professionalsUsed by managers and data analysts
QueriesQUEL, SQL, QBEXMLA, XQuery, MDX
DataThe OLTP database always contains comprehensive and well-organized dataThe OLAP method may use unorganized data
QueriesSimple queriesComplex queries and algorithms

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