Final answer:
Databases are optimized for fast retrieval and updates of operational, real-time data, while data warehouses are designed to store large amounts of historical data for analysis and reporting. Option a is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main difference between databases and data warehouses is their purpose and the types of data they handle. Databases are designed to handle real-time, operational data that is regularly updated, typically structured, and used for day-to-day operations like transaction processing. They are optimized for fast and efficient data retrieval and updates for a specific set of tasks, and are typically used for online transaction processing (OLTP).
On the other hand, data warehouses are designed for analytical purposes, storing large amounts of historical data which can come from various sources and can be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured. They are optimized for query performance and speed in data analysis, providing insights through data mining and online analytical processing (OLAP). Data warehouses are impact adept at handling multi-dimensional data sets, allowing for complex queries and reports.
So, the most accurate statement among the options given is (a) Databases efficiently ingest large amounts of real-time data, while data warehouses rapidly analyse multi-dimensional datasets.