Difference Between OLTP and OLAP

Both OLTP and OLAP are IT systems. There is substantial difference between OLTP and OLAP. The simple difference between OLTP and OLAP is that the former is a transactional system and the latter is an analytical system. The two systems are correlated in some ways and disassociated in others. Let us explore in detail what both the systems do and how they are different.

OLTP: Explained

OLTP is On-line Transaction Processing. It is a transactional system dealing in operations of a system involving short transactions. The on-line transactions can be Update, Insert or Delete among others. OLTP deals with quick processing of queries. It is an efficient way to maintain data in systems that have multiple accesses, points of updates and amends. The data often remains updated in real time.

OLAP: Explained

OLAP is On-line Analytical Processing. It is an analytical system dealing in historical data with much smaller volume of transactions. The response time and the frequency of the data being updated are the principal components of OLAP. The queries are complex and the processing time depends on the quantum of data being analyzed. OLTP deals with short transactions, not OLAP.

Difference Between OLTP and OLAP

OLTP supplies data to the warehouse or where the data is stored and OLAP analyzes the supplied data. OLTP pertains to operational data. OLAP pertains to historical or stored data. OLTP has simple queries. OLAP has complex queries. OLTP is a fast process. OLAP is not necessarily a fast process if the quantum of data is substantially huge. OLTP doesn’t demand much space but OLAP by the very nature of its operational demand needs a lot of space to store and analyze the historical data.

OLAP has a normalized database design. There are many tables making it easier to compartmentalize the data. OLTP has a de-normalized design with very few tables. OLTP transactions are short while OLAP transactions are complex and long. The volume of OLTP transactions is much higher than that of OLAP. OLAP depends on recovery of transaction. OLTP doesn’t have any such requirement. OLTP keeps updating data, almost always in real time. OLTP doesn’t have any such focus or requirement. Its job is to report and retrieve data.

OLTP plays a quintessential role in offering a snapshot of various business processes ongoing at a given point in time. OLAP offers a multidimensional perspective of all business activities or processes and not necessarily in real time.

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