XMLA, or XML for Analysis, is an industry-standard protocol for accessing data in Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) and data mining systems. It's a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)-based protocol that enables clients to send queries and commands to analysis servers that also support XMLA. Here are some key points about XMLA:
Interoperability: XMLA provides a standard method for applications to communicate with multidimensional databases. This allows developers and businesses to use a variety of front-end tools to access data stored in different analytical databases.- Based on Internet standards: By using Internet-based standards like XML and SOAP, XMLA facilitates integration with existing web infrastructure, allowing queries to be made over HTTP.
- Access to multidimensional data: It is specifically designed for querying and manipulating data stored in multidimensional formats, as used in OLAP systems. This is crucial for tasks such as business analysis, reporting, and data mining.
- Language and platform independence: Being XML-based, XMLA is independent of programming language and platform, allowing its use across a wide variety of environments and systems.
- Functionalities: XMLA allows the execution of MDX (Multidimensional Expressions) queries, a query language for OLAP databases, and can also support DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) in certain environments. Additionally, it supports operations such as the creation, modification, and deletion of analytical database objects.
- Industry adoption: Various database providers and analytical solutions like Microsoft (with Microsoft Analysis Services), SAP, and others, support XMLA, facilitating interoperability between different data analysis solutions.
