Personalization and OLAP Databases

Abstract

This paper focuses on the integration of personalization in a multidimensional context. We provide (i) a conceptual model, (ii) a query language and (iii) a personalized multidimensional database system. (i) The model we provide is based on multidimensional concepts (fact, dimension, hierarchy, measure, parameter or weak attribute) as well as personalization rules. These rules are based on Event-Condition-Action formalism and assign priority weights to attributes of a multidimensional schema. (ii) We also define OLAP operators adapted to the personalization context. Weights are taken into account during OLAP analyses; e.g. data with higher weights are displayed thus reducing the number of multidimensional operations a decision-maker executes during an analysis. (iii) This solution has been implemented in a prototype, which allows users both to define personalized rules and to query the personalized database. The system integrates user interfaces on top of an ROLAP database.