Broadbase Decision Server: an Architectural Overview

Julian Hyde and Roy Goldman

Broadbase is a new relational decision support engine for Windows NT. Geared for smaller data sets known as "data marts," Broadbase features an architecture optimized for OLAP, modern query processing techniques, and use of Java as its procedural language. To simplify deployment, Broadbase integrates data mart creation, loading, and analysis into one cohesive system. We will discuss the server architecture, including column-based storage, compression techniques, and pre-computed data cubes. Further, we will show how Broadbase's unifying view of all data as relations facilitates data mart creation and loading through a graphical user interface.