The Evolving Role of Analytical Databases: From OLAP Cubes to Graphs and Vectors
Analytical databases are no longer confined to OLAP cubes and MDX. Today, they encompass a broader ecosystem of tools that enable fast, complex, and multidimensional querying across diverse data structures. This post traces my first-hand account of the evolution of analytical databases from traditional multidimensional OLAP to more modern paradigms, including graph and vector databases. I provide my views on selecting the right engine for the analytical job based on structure, purpose, and performance.