What Is Data Cube?

We all know a cube: a shape with six flat sides. But what about a data cube? It's the same thing, except it has three dimensions instead of two. And that third dimension? Well, that's time. Data cubes are used in image processing to describe an image in terms of its temperature, intensity and other properties at different points in time. The data cube contains the values for these three properties at every moment in space and time, allowing us to see how they change over time and relate to each other. It's like a regular ol' cube in one way: you can't rotate a data cube without losing some information about how it's arranged, but unlike a standard ol' cube, you can rotate through multiple dimensions--including time! Data cubes are like a cake. They're like a cake because they're multi-dimensional, and you can stack them on top you can have a 2-D or 3-D data cube and even more if you have enough room in your kitchen. And if you don't have enough room for the whole thing, you can always bake it in the oven! But unlike most cakes, data cubes are not sweet. They don't taste good with some ice cream or whipped cream on top—they're not meant to be eaten, after all! Data cubes are used to store data that cannot fit into 2-D tables or even 3-D tables. So your cake is delicious, but your data cube is probably not so much? Data cubes are like big, juicy, delicious ice cream sandwiches. The data cube has dimensions and measures just like an ice cream sandwich has bread, cookies, and deliciousness! A data cube is a tool for quickly analyzing data. It's advantageous when representing data and dimensions because it can help you see how business requirements measure over time. Each size represents an unavoidable database characteristic—daily, monthly or yearly sales. The data in a data cube makes it possible to analyze almost all the figures for virtually any or all customers, sales agents, products, and much more. This makes it great for establishing trends and analyzing performance!