Analytics Database is designed for decision support. It handles complex data requirements and manages the data warehouse environment through the use of a parallel implementation that distributes data and balances workloads. Parallel processing is an efficient method of handling complex tasks like ad hoc queries, as it breaks a task into smaller subtasks that are managed concurrently by multiple work units. The support of query and workload parallelism in Analytics Database enables better performance and higher throughput levels as a relational database management system (RDBMS).
A node is the basic building block of the Analytics Database. It is a physical processor that includes its own CPU, memory, and system disk which stores a copy of the database software, operating system, and application software.