OLAP — Online Analytical Processing
Definition: Databases optimized for complex queries across large historical datasets. OLAP systems (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) power dashboards and analysis, not transactions.
Example
In engineering planning, you'll often hear something like: "Let's pull the latest OLAP numbers before we make a call" — shorthand for online analytical processing.
When you'll hear it
OLAP shows up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to online analytical processing — and they expect the room to already know what that means.
FAQs
What does OLAP stand for?
OLAP stands for Online Analytical Processing.
What does OLAP mean in technology and engineering?
Databases optimized for complex queries across large historical datasets. OLAP systems (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) power dashboards and analysis, not transactions.
Where will I hear OLAP used at work?
OLAP comes up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. It's used as shorthand for online analytical processing, so people assume you already know the term.