An OLAP cube is a data structure that organizes data in a fashion that promotes end-user driven adhoc reporting. Many front end utilities exist to allow users to manipulate the cube by slicing the data by dimensions, drilling through layers of granularity, and pulling out the measures they want.

One of the most common dimensions for an OLAP cube is the time dimension. The time dimension allows the user to aggregate data based on, well dimensions of time. For instance, you may report data on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

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