JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 15(1): 273-303, doi: 10.3217/jucs-015-01-0273
A Formal Framework of Aggregation for the OLAP-OLTP Model
expand article infoHans-J. Lenz‡, Bernhard Thalheim§
‡ Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany§ Christian Albrechts University Kiel, Kiel, Germany

Corresponding author: Hans-J. Lenz ( hjlenz@wiwiss.fu-berlin.de )

© Hans-J. Lenz, Bernhard Thalheim.
This article is freely available under the J.UCS Open Content License.
Citation: Lenz H-J, Thalheim B (2009) A Formal Framework of Aggregation for the OLAP-OLTP Model. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 15(1): 273-303. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-015-01-0273
Open Access
Abstract
OLAP applications are widely used in business applications. They are often (implicitly) defined on top of OLTP systems and extensively use aggregation and transformation functions. The main OLAP data structure is a multidimensional table with three kinds of attributes: so-called dimension attributes, implicit attributes given by aggregation functions and fact attributes. Domains of dimension attributes are structured and thus support a variety of aggregations. These aggregations are used to generate new values for the fact attributes. In this paper we systematically develop a theory for OLAP applications. We first define aggregation functions and use these to introduce an OLAP algebra. Based on these foundations we derive properties that guarantee or contradict correctness of OLAP computations. Finally, for pragmaticatreatment of OLAP applications the OLTP-OLAP specification frame is introduced.
Keywords
aggregation functions, OLAP, cube operator, OLTP-OLAP specification frame