OLAP (Short for Online Analytical Processing) is the highly specialized, yet powerful technology behind many BI (Business Intelligence ) and subsequently, Management Information Systems applications. It’s multidimensional analysis of data including data mining, querying, relational databases and reporting, and tremendous speed make it superior in its field.

OLAP digests immense amounts of data using it’s intuitive multi dimensional database and discovery algorithm, which enables users to easily extract complex queries, such as customized report viewing, budgeting, forecasting projections, financial reporting, marketing, sales, management reporting, predictive “what if” scenarios (such as changing fees or opening new locations, staff adjustments), long term projections, analysing trends over a span of years, and any other customized data extraction.

OLAP makes data retrieval real-time and immensely swift for strategic decision making. It is commonly used in applications wherever large storage data at-hand retrieval is necessary and cost control is paramount, including law firms, professional service industries and even agriculture.