Okuzeka
Databases & SQL vocabulary · Database Basics

OLTP

Meaning in databases & SQL, with examples

/ˌoʊ ɛl tiː ˈpiː/abbreviationCommon term

In databases & SQL, OLTP means: Online transaction processing: database workloads made of many small, fast reads and writes from users, such as placing orders or updating profiles.

In Turkish: çevrimiçi işlem işleme, OLTP

How it is used

Usually contrasted with OLAP (online analytical processing), which means large analytical queries over historical data. Architects say a database is 'built for OLTP' or 'an OLTP system', and warn against running heavy reports on it.

Example sentences

  1. Our OLTP database handles about 5,000 transactions per second at peak.

  2. Don't mix OLTP and analytics on the same server; the reports slow down checkout.

Common collocations

  • OLTP system
  • OLTP workload
  • OLTP vs OLAP
  • OLTP database
  • data warehouseA central database built for reporting and analysis that collects historical data from many systems and is designed for large read queries rather than small updates.
  • transactionA group of database operations that are treated as one unit: either all of them succeed together or none of them is applied.
  • relational databaseA type of database that stores data in tables made of rows and columns and links tables to each other through keys. Data is usually managed with SQL.
  • ACIDAtomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability: the four guarantees that make database transactions reliable even with errors, crashes and many users at once.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Database Basics

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: