Database system comprising a storage means for storing encoded and compressed multidimensional array data; a storage interface; an application programming interface; and processing means for effecting a storage and query processing, and for providing processed data to the storage interface or the application programming interface, said processing means comprising an encoder/decoder, a compressor/decompressor, a query processor, a query optimizer and a format converter. The provision of to be stored data to the storage interface through the processing means takes place in a storage format predetermined by an indicator assigned to the data. The provision of to be output data to the application programming interface through the processing means takes place in an output format predetermined by an indicator transmitted via the application programming interface. The storage format and the output format as well as a predetermined internal format of the processing means for the processing of the data are respectively independent from one another.