METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FORECASTING USING AN ONLINE ANALYTICAL PROCESSING DATABASE

A method (and system) for providing a forecast, the method including providing a multi-dimensional database storing data at a lowest level in a first dimension, calculating a first forecast at a level that is higher than the lowest level of a first dimension in the database, calculating a forecast for each category within the lowest level of the first dimension, aggregating a second forecast across all categories at the lowest level of the first dimension based upon an aggregation of the calculated forecasts for each category within the lowest level of the first dimension, determining a difference between the first forecast and the second forecast, and storing the difference in a dummy category at the lowest level of the first dimension.