What is user-facing analytics and who are the popular OLAP databases in this space?

Slides on why StarRocks for user-facing analytics

User-facing analytics is all about putting the power of data analysis directly in the hands of the people who use an application or service, rather than just internal teams. It involves presenting complex data in a user-friendly way, with features like:

• Interactive dashboards and reports: Users can explore data through charts, graphs, and tables that are easy to understand, even for those without a data science background.
• Self-service analytics: Users can drill down into the data themselves, filter information, and get the insights they need without relying on technical specialists.

Here’s why the databases you mentioned are well-suited for user-facing analytics:

• StarRocks: Designed for real-time analytics with massive concurrency, meaning it can handle a large number of users querying data simultaneously. This is crucial for user-facing dashboards that need to update quickly. Another bonus is that StarRocks is JOIN performant at scale; no need for denormalization and they support all the major open table formats like Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi and Delta Lake.
• Trino: Enables querying data from multiple sources in a single platform. This is useful if user-facing analytics needs to combine data from different databases or applications.
• ClickHouse: Known for its blazing-fast query speeds, ideal for user-facing analytics where users expect quick results without long wait times.

Overall, these databases excel in the following areas that are important for user-facing analytics:

• Speed: Fast query response times are essential for a positive user experience. Expecting low single digit to sub-second response times on petabytes of data.
• Scalability: The ability to handle a growing number of users and data volume. 1000s of co-current users with GB, TB, and PB of data.
• Ease of use: User-facing analytics shouldn’t require complex queries or technical expertise to use.

In conclusion, StarRocks, Trino, and ClickHouse are all strong options for user-facing analytics due to their speed, scalability, and focus on user accessibility. The best choice for you will depend on your specific needs, such as whether you need to query data from multiple sources or prioritize real-time updates.