Get ready to toss out everything you've ever learned about storing data in a typical relational database with tables, rows, and columns. Keeping the above example of the Essbase outline in mind, we will now begin covering how the data is stored in Essbase and the various options available to you (the Essbase programmer).
Note
An Essbase cube usually stores less physical data than a typical relational database must store to deliver the same results to the user. Usually, the greatest saving is in the expense of data retrieval times. The results returned from a typical Essbase database require less processing overhead than the similar results being delivered as the result of queries performed against relational database tables.
Essbase stores data in what is commonly referred to as a multidimensional array. Inside the multidimensional array are the data cells. It is these data cells where the data is actually stored.
Essbase stores data in what is commonly...
