What is OLAP ?

Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) is by far the most complex and advanced SQL Server components. Companies are using OLAP more and more as they try to make sense of their tons of accumulated data. OLAP is used in the mysterious field called “data
Analysis,” The standard database table represents a flat matrix; SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services use the notion of cubes. The data and corresponding objects are multidimensional, having more dimensions than our four-dimensional space-time continuum; the number of dimensions is limited only by your imagination and hardware capabilities. You must install SQL Server Analytical Services. SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services presents the data from these fact and dimension tables as multidimensional cubes that can be analyzed for trends and other information that is important for making informed business decisions.