Question: Compare Data Warehouse database and OLTP database?
Answer: The data warehouse and the OLTP data base are both relational databases. However, the objectives of both these databases are different. The OLTP database records transactions in real time and aims to automate clerical data entry processes of a business entity. Addition, modification and deletion of data in the OLTP database is essential and the semantics of the application used in the front end impact on the organization of the data in the database.
The data warehouse on the other hand does not cater to real time operational requirements of the enterprise. It is more a storehouse of current and historical data and may also contain data extracted from external data sources.
Differences| Data warehouse database | OLTP database |
| Designed for analysis of business measures by categories and attributes | Designed for real time business operations. |
| Optimized for bulk loads and large, complex, unpredictable queries that access many rows per table. | Optimized for a common set of transactions, usually adding or retrieving a single row at a time per table. |
| Loaded with consistent, valid data; requires no real time validation | Optimized for validation of incoming data during transactions; uses validation data tables. |
| Supports few concurrent users relative to OLTP | Supports thousands of concurrent users. |
However, the data warehouse supports OLTP system by providing a place for the latter to offload data as it accumulates and by providing services which would otherwise degrade the performance of the database.
Tutorial 2: Data Warehouse database and OLTP database
