A Simpler and Semantic Multidimensional Database Query Language to Facilitate Access to Information in Decision-making

Abstract

OLAP and multidimensional database technology have contributed significantly to speed up and build confidence in the effectiveness of methodologies based on the use of management indicators in decision-making, industry, production, and services. Although there are a wide variety of tools related to the OLAP approach, many implementations are performed in relational database systems (R-OLAP). So, all interrogation actions are performed through queries that must be reinterpreted in the SQL language. This translation has several consequences because SQL language is based on a mixture of relational algebra and tuple relational calculus, which conceptually responds to the logic of the relational data model, very different from the needs of the multidimensional databases. This paper presents a multidimensional query language that allows expressing multidimensional queries directly over ROLAP databases. The implementation of the multidimensional query language will be done through a middleware that is responsible for mapping the queries, hiding the translation to a layer of software not noticeable to the end-user. Currently, progress has been made in the definition of a language where through a key statement, called aggregate, it is possible to execute the typical multidimensional operators which represent an important part of the most frequent operations in this type of database.