Databases: OLAP and Recursion
This course is one of five self-paced courses on the topic of Databases, originating as one of Stanford's three inaugural massive open online courses released in the fall of 2011. The original "Databases" courses are now all available on edx.org.
This course builds on concepts introduced in Databases: Relational Databases and SQL and is recommended for learners seeking to understand On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and/or recursion in the SQL language.
- The On-Line Analytical Processing section of this course introduces star schemas, the data cube concept, and OLAP features in relational databases including the Cube and Rollup operators.
- The Recursion section of this course covers the SQL standard for queries over recursively-defined relations.

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Frequently asked questions
How long will it take to go through the course material?
All courses in the Databases series are self-paced and include videos, quizzes, and/or exercises. The courses vary considerably in length and complexity, and some students work faster than others, so we're not able to predict an individual time commitment.
What background do I need?
The series of courses does not assume prior knowledge of any specific topics, however a solid computer science foundation -- a reasonable amount of programming, as well as knowledge of basic computer science theory -- will make the material more accessible.
Do I need to buy a textbook?
Detailed lecture notes are provided. Having a textbook in addition to the notes is not necessary, but you might want to purchase one for reference, to reinforce the core material, and as a source of additional exercises. Suggested textbooks and readings are listed as part of the materials.