Generally speaking, carbohydrates can be classified into two groups, simple sugars, and complex carbohydrates. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, are carbohydrates that cannot be further broke down by hydrolysis. When glycosidic linkages connect two or more monosaccharide units, complex carbohydrates are formed. Complex carbohydrates, according to the different number of monosaccharide units, can be classed into three groups, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. A disaccharide is formed from two monosaccharides. When a carbohydrate contains 3-10 monosaccharides, it is called a oligosaccharide. Higher oligosaccharides with more than 10 monosaccharides are polysaccharides. 
So far, there has not been a unified synthetic strategy of consistent oligosaccharide production because of the nuances in the anomeric effects of monomers and the complexity in the carbohydrate structures. The facile procedures such as the one-pot and solid phase synthesis which ensures atom economy are used. However, further developments in those synthetic approaches are needed since still not fully controlled and automated.