XML Multidimensional Modelling and Querying

As XML becomes ubiquitous and XML storage and processing becomes more efficient, the range of use cases for these technologies widens daily. One promising area is the integration of XML and data warehouses, where an XML-native database stores multidimensional data and processes OLAP queries written in the XQuery interrogation language. This paper explores issues arising in the implementation of such a data warehouse. We first compare approaches for multidimensional data modelling in XML, then describe how typical OLAP queries on these models can be expressed in XQuery. We then show how, regardless of the model, the grouping features of XQuery 1.1 improve performance and readability of these queries. Finally, we evaluate the performance of query evaluation in each modelling choice using the eXist database, which we extended with a grouping clause implementation.