Where are summary data sets that require high financial intelligence best stored?

Storing summary data sets that require high financial intelligence is most effectively accomplished in cubes. Cubes are optimized for analytical operations and can efficiently handle complex calculations and multidimensional data. They support aggregations across different dimensions, allowing users to quickly analyze and derive insights from data.

Cubes are specifically designed to handle financial intelligence needs, enabling advanced functionalities such as drill-down analysis, slicing, and dicing of data. This makes them highly suitable for financial reporting and analysis where multidimensional insights are crucial. The ability to quickly access and manipulate data in a structured format allows organizations to make informed decisions based on comprehensive financial insights.

In contrast, reports serve primarily as output formats for data presentation rather than storage, while data warehouses are designed for large-scale data storage and retrieval. Although data warehouses can store summary data, they may not provide the specialized analytical capabilities found in cubes, which render complex financial analysis straightforward and efficient. Flat files lack the structure and capabilities required for effective financial intelligence analysis and do not facilitate the fast retrieval of insights needed for financial decision-making.