Database Management Articles
The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has announced the release of PostgreSQL 9.1. This latest version of the open source database offers important new features such as synchronous replication, K-Nearest Neighbor indexing, and foreign data wrappers.
Posted September 13, 2011
The Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) has announced its program of hosted meetings and educational sessions at the upcoming Oracle OpenWorld 2011 conference Oct. 2-6 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Throughout the week of the event, OAUG members will facilitate more than 30 educational sessions addressing the training and professional development needs of Oracle Applications users.
Posted September 13, 2011
For many organizations, data is not only crossing into the hundreds of terabytes, but into the near-petabyte (PB) and multi-petabyte range. In a new survey sponsored by Oracle and conducted by Unisphere Research among members of the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), "The Petabyte Challenge: 2011 IOUG Database Growth Survey," close to one out of 10 respondents report that the total amount of online (disk-resident) data they manage today - taking into account all clones, snapshots, replicas and backups - tops a petabyte.
Posted September 07, 2011
At an event for customers, partners and industry experts in Redwood Shores that was also presented live online, Oracle announced Oracle VM 3.0, the latest release of its server virtualization and management solution. According to the company, Oracle VM 3.0 is suitable for all data center workloads and features new policy-based management capabilities, advanced storage management via the Oracle VM Storage Connect plug-in API; centralized network configuration management, improved ease-of-use and Open Virtualization Format (OVF) support.
Posted September 07, 2011
Oracle has announced the availability of Oracle Application Express Release 4.1, which enhances existing functionality and adds data upload capabilities. Oracle Application Express is a "no-cost" option included with all editions and releases of Oracle Database 11g that allows developers, using only a web browser, to build and deploy professional and scalable applications for Oracle databases.
Posted September 07, 2011
Gluster, a provider of open source storage solutions, has just released a version of its storage system that includes support for Apache Hadoop. GlusterFS 3.3 beta 2 employs standard file system APIs available in Hadoop to provide a new storage option for Hadoop deployments.
Posted September 06, 2011
Ingres, an open source database provider, has begun shipping VectorWise for Windows, intended to address analytics requirements within Microsoft technology shops. This latest release of VectorWise provides analytics and interactive reporting against big data sets for companies with Windows-based architectures.
Posted September 06, 2011
Versant Corporation, a provider of specialized data management software, has released a new object database that delivers improved performance and scalability. Versant Object Database 8.0 Service Release 2 (VOD 8 SR2) is designed to provide scalable real-time analytical performance for large, complex applications. SR2 adds several enhancements, including an improved query optimizer now supporting compound indexes, a refined horizontal scale out with support of distributed databases, upgraded production environments due to new online database configuration capabilities, and general multi-core performance improvements.
Posted September 06, 2011
Calpont Corporation, a provider of analytic databases has announced a a bi-directional data connector between InfiniDB and Hadoop. By providing a bi-directional connector for InfiniDB customers, Calpont says, it eliminates the need to custom code Hadoop for high performance analytics since InfiniDB's columnar architecture is optimized for rapid and easy access to highly dimensional data and has the flexibility, scale and horsepower to work with massive data sets. "For doing high-performance analytics, a high-performance database like InfiniDB is the proper database to be doing the analytics in," Nick Ochoa, vice president of marketing, Calpont, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted September 01, 2011
At VMworld 2011 yesterday, VMware, Inc. announced a new database provisioning and operations solution designed to deliver a database as a service model for the enterprise. Described as an extension of VMware's Cloud Application Platform strategy, VMware vFabric Data Director aims to give IT the ability to control and manage a growing set of heterogeneous databases through policy-based automation, while streamlining application development via a self-service provisioning model for developers to rapidly access the database services needed for modern applications. Built on VMware vSphere, vFabric Data Director will also extend the benefits of virtualized infrastructures to the database tier, optimizing resource utilization for increased operational efficiency and cost savings.
Posted August 30, 2011
MarkLogic Corporation has announced that Kaplan Publishing, a publisher of academic and professional development resources, has built a new iOS application using MarkLogic Server as the platform beneath a customized digital content reader developed by Bluefire Productions. Kaplan Mobile allows registered students to download a free electronic copy of their course books to their mobile devices. The application is available for download for free from the Apple iTunes Store for all iOS devices. MarkLogic has worked on mobile interfaces for customers in the past, some in the government, David Gorbet, vice president, Product Strategy at MarkLogic, tells 5 Minute Briefing, "but this is the first time to my knowledge that anybody is doing a full course's worth of material as a mobile application."
Posted August 30, 2011
InterSystems Corporation has announced that application partner Medical Systems, Inc. (MSI) is launching an application for community health centers (CHCs) built on the InterSystems Caché high-performance object database. The new version of Vision:CHC is a comprehensive offering that includes the full range of facilities needed for CHCs to fulfill Meaningful Use and Patient-centered Medical Home criteria. "Modern community health centers exist in an environment requiring multiple levels of regulatory and reporting requirements on a federal, state and often local level," Matt Nee, InterSystems vice president of North American Sales, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted August 30, 2011
Quest Software, Inc. expanded its Toad product portfolio with the addition of free and commercial versions of Toad for Sybase. The new suite adds Sybase ASE, Sybase IQ and SQL Anywhere to Toad's list of supported relational and non-relational database platforms. "Quest has historically supported Sybase through a number of other products - such as Toad for Data Analysts and Spotlight - but there hasn't been a true Toad UI for Sybase development and administration until now," Claudia Fernandez, director of product management, Toad solutions for Quest, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted August 24, 2011
Registration is now open for TechWave 2011, which will be co-located with SAP TechEd, September 12-16 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. TechWave will continue to deliver targeted training on Sybase products, plus offer attendees access to TechEd keynote sessions, exhibits, special event and other networking functions.
Posted August 24, 2011
The rise of big data has garnered much of the attention in the data management arena lately. But it is not simply the sheer volume of data that is challenging data professionals. Many new types and brands of DBMSs are also popping up across organizations, bringing new problems for the data professionals who are tasked with managing them, and also giving rise to scores of "accidental database administrators" with no formal DBA training, a new Unisphere Research study reveals. The results of the survey are explained in a research report titled "Data Cross-Currents: 2011 Survey on Cross-Platform Database Administration."
Posted August 24, 2011
The rise of big data has garnered much of the attention in the data management arena lately. But it is not simply the sheer volume of data that is challenging data professionals. Many new types and brands of DBMSs are also popping up across organizations, bringing new problems for the data professionals who are tasked with managing them, and also giving rise to scores of "accidental database administrators" with no formal DBA training, a new Unisphere Research study reveals. The results of the survey are explained in a report titled "Data Cross-Currents: 2011 Survey on Cross-Platform Database Administration," now available from Quest Software.
Posted August 24, 2011
EnterpriseDB, a provider of PostgreSQL and Oracle compatibility products and services, has announced general availability of Postgres Enterprise Manager, which allows developers and DBAs to monitor, manage, and tune both PostgreSQL and Postgres Plus Advanced Server installations regardless of the platform they run on - from a single console application. "Now, customers can easily ramp up their PostgreSQL footprint at a fraction of the cost of proprietary alternatives," said Ed Boyajian, president and CEO of EnterpriseDB.
Posted August 23, 2011
HP and Autonomy Corporation plc have announced plans for HP (through an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, HP SPV) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Autonomy for £25.50 ($42.11) per share in cash. "Together with Autonomy, we plan to reinvent how both unstructured and structured data is processed, analyzed, optimized, automated and protected. Autonomy has an attractive business model, including a strong cloud-based solution set, which is aligned with HP's efforts to improve our portfolio mix," said Léo Apotheker, HP president and chief executive officer, in a statement issued by the company.
Posted August 23, 2011
Ntirety has announced that it will undergo the MSPAlliance's (MSPA) Unified Certification Standard for Cloud and Managed Service Providers audit (UCS). UCS is the first program of its kind, specifically designed and created to provide business consumers of cloud and managed services with the assurance that the service provider they hire meets or exceeds the highest principles of quality in areas such as financial stability, facilities, managed services practices, and customer satisfaction. "As the market matures for remote DBA companies, the bar has been getting raised higher and higher," Michael Corey, founder and president of Ntirety, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted August 18, 2011
Over the years, countless papers and articles have been written on enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project success rates and why ERP projects fail. Interestingly enough, the reasons that projects fail are the same today as they were 10 years ago: lack of top management commitment, unrealistic expectations, poor requirements definition, improper package selection, gaps between software and business requirements, inadequate resources, underestimating time and cost, poor project management, lack of methodology, underestimating impact of change, lack of training and education, and last, but not least, poor communication.
Posted August 11, 2011
The Broadway tune goes, "The sun will come out tomorrow ... it's only a day away." The words from this optimistic jingle are often heard on IT projects that are overburdened with features and functions. On any project of significant size the list of desired things often becomes larger than the budgeted resources or time. Faced with limiting circumstances, the only option becomes aligning the work effort with the constraints and only doing what fits within those constraints. The items are "timeboxed," and the amount of planned work is exactly the amount of allowed work. Some things remain in, while other features are left out. Alternatively, responsibility for controlling a project may be ignored and the end date arrives with some things simply not completed. Essentially, a project is timeboxed by default.
Posted August 11, 2011
Often, when the business of data management frustrates me, I look for inspiration in what may seem at first glance to be odd places. For instance, I think the Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland" books offer sage advice for our particular industry.
Posted August 11, 2011
In last month's column, "2012 Might Really Be the End of the World as We Know It," I described a number of major developments in the IT industry that are likely to disrupt the life of database professionals everywhere. I categorize those four disrupters - virtualization, cloud computing, solid state drives (SSD), and advanced multi-core CPUs - into two broad groups. I'm going to continue an analysis of these disruptive technologies in inverse order. Today, let's discuss SSDs.
Posted August 11, 2011
Quest Software, Inc. expanded its Toad product portfolio with the addition of free and commercial versions of Toad for Sybase. The new suite adds Sybase ASE, Sybase IQ and SQL Anywhere to Toad's list of supported relational and non-relational database platforms. Toad is a cross-platform database management toolset. There have already been more than 15,000 downloads of the Toad for Sybase beta, which has many of the same features as Toad's other database products, Claudia Fernandez, director of product management, Toad solutions for Quest, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted August 09, 2011
InterSystems Corporation has announced that Partners HealthCare Systems is now providing clinicians throughout its integrated delivery network (IDN) with mobile access to its electronic health record (EHR). The InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database is the foundation platform for Partners HealthCare's EHR and for hundreds of clinical applications used by thousands of clinicians throughout the IDN. "Mobility is becoming a watchword in the healthcare sector," observes Paul Grabscheid, InterSystems vice president of Strategic Planning. "The Partners mEHR provides clinicians with the ultimate in mobility by delivering the information they want, when and where they want it, in the presentation form that they want and expect."
Posted August 09, 2011
The rise of big data has garnered much of the attention in the data management arena lately. But it is not simply the sheer volume of data that is challenging data professionals. Many new types and brands of DBMSs are also popping up across organizations, bringing new problems for the data professionals who are tasked with managing them, and also giving rise to scores of "accidental database administrators" with no formal DBA training, a new Unisphere Research study reveals.
Posted August 04, 2011
Oracle's S. Ramakrishnan, group vice president and general manager for Oracle Financial Services Analytical Applications, was in New York last week to provide an update on how financial services institutions are leveraging tailored technology from Oracle - including the recently announced Oracle Financial Services Data Warehouse - to manage the complex information needed to compete profitably and effectively address stringent regulatory requirements.
Posted August 04, 2011
Oracle announced that early access to new features of MySQL 5.6 is available for the community to test, deploy and provide feedback.The latest features are focused on better scalability, performance and flexibility. Enhancements include the InnoDB storage engine, to provide support for full text search, greater performance for write-intensive applications, and better scalability under high concurrency/user loads. In addition, new and improved MySQL replication features are intended to help with performance, scale-out and data integration.
Posted August 04, 2011
Tableau Software, a provider of business intelligence software, has announced the general availability of Tableau 6.1. "This is the first version of Tableau that is optimized for mobile devices and in particular, the iPad," Francois Ajenstat, director, Product Management, Tableau Software, tells 5 Minute Briefing. "Organizations of all sizes are increasingly getting their analytics on the go so they can make better decisions wherever they are. We are trying to make that kind of delivery extremely easy."
Posted August 02, 2011
Expanding its existing product portfolio, Informatica Corporation now offers Universal Data Replication, giving customers more options to meet their business continuity, big data and operational data integration needs. A part of the Informatica Platform, Informatica's new data replication technology includes Informatica Fast Clone which automates the cloning of application data and Informatica Data Replication which manages the capture, routing and delivery of high-volume transaction data across diverse systems in real time with minimal source system impact.
Posted August 02, 2011
Sybase, an SAP company, has announced the general availability of Sybase IQ 15.3, which aims to help enterprise IT departments overcome the scalability limitations of many data warehouse approaches. By implementing a business analytics information platform that allows sharing of computing and data resources through the new Sybase IQ PlexQ technology, the company says enterprises can break down user and information silos to increase analytics adoption throughout their entire organization. That is the major theme for 15.3 - not only handling even bigger data within the PlexQ environment, but also handling many more users in a scalable way, David Jonker, senior product marketing manager of Sybase IQ, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted July 27, 2011
Less than one year following its acquisition of Sybase, SAP AG is opening up mobile solutions from the Sybase portfolio to partners within the global SAP ecosystem. This marks the first time that SAP value-added resellers (VARs) that are currently authorized to sell SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Business All-in-One solutions get the opportunity to sell select Sybase-branded enterprise mobility apps and solutions for application development, device management and security. "Making Sybase solutions available through our existing reselling partners around the world allows us to reach a wider array of customers, both large and small, and allows customers to team up with the best partners to meet their distinct mobility needs," said Friedrich Neumeyer, senior vice president, Volume Reseller and Service Partners, Global Ecosystem and Channels, SAP.
Posted July 27, 2011
Embarcadero Technologies, a provider of administration tools for database platforms, is shipping a new version of its DB PowerStudio suite that includes new capabilities within its multi-DBMS management suite. Enhancements include features for optimizing SQL with fewer clicks, new database and schema change management functionality, improved reporting features and faster performance across all tools. Together, these enhancements make it easier for DBAs and developers to improve database performance and to carry out their work with greater efficiency. "With our XE2 database products, we're giving database professionals, especially those tasked with working in multi-DBMS environments, a set of tools that enables them to get their job done faster, more efficiently, and with higher dependability and quality," Scott Walz, senior director of product management for Embarcadero, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Posted July 27, 2011
Registration is now open for TechWave 2011, which will be co-located with SAP TechEd, September 12-16 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. TechWave will continue to deliver targeted training on Sybase products, plus offer attendees access to TechEd keynote sessions, exhibits, special event and other networking functions.
Posted July 27, 2011
There is no doubt that virtualization is radically changing the shape of IT infrastructure, transforming the way applications are deployed and services delivered. Databases are among the last of the tier 1 applications to be hosted on virtual servers, but the past year has seen a huge wave of increase for production Oracle, SQL Server and other databases on VMware platforms. For all the benefits of virtualization, including cost-effectiveness, there are some impacts on the IT staff involved. Unfortunately for the DBAs virtualization often means losing control and visibility of their systems, which can ultimately hinder their ability to deliver database-oriented business solutions. While in the past DBAs had perfect visibility to the physical servers hosting the databases, the virtualization layers and the tools to manage them are typically out of bounds to them. While all the excitement of late has centered on VMware and other virtual machine systems, the DBAs have a valid reason for skepticism.
Posted July 27, 2011
Given all of the recent discussion around big data, NoSQL and NewSQL, this is a good opportunity to visit a topic I believe will be (or should be) forefront in our minds for the next several years - high velocity transactional systems. Let's start with a description of the problem. High velocity transactional applications have input streams that can reach millions of database operations per second under load. To complicate the problem, many of these systems simply cannot tolerate data inconsistencies.
Posted July 27, 2011
Oracle has introduced the Oracle Exadata Storage Expansion Rack to offer customers a cost-effective way to add storage to an Oracle Exadata Database Machine. "There are customers, earlier Exadata Database Machine customers, that have now started to fill up the disks that they have on the Database Machine and they are starting to look for ways to expand their storage capacity, and so this is going to be really welcome for them," says Tim Shetler, vice president of Product Management, Oracle.
Posted July 27, 2011
Sybase, an SAP company, has announced the general availability of Sybase IQ 15.3, which aims to help enterprise IT departments overcome the scalability limitations of many data warehouse approaches. By implementing a business analytics information platform that allows sharing of computing and data resources through the new Sybase IQ PlexQ technology, the company says enterprises can break down user and information silos to increase analytics adoption throughout their entire organization. There is a lot of talk about big data, but how to manage it and analyze it is only half the problem, observes David Jonker, senior product marketing manager of Sybase IQ. "The other half is how do you make it more pervasive throughout the enterprise and from our perspective that is where a lot of the existing data warehousing solutions fall down."
Posted July 27, 2011
EnterpriseDB, a provider of PostgreSQL and Oracle compatibility products and services, announced general availability of Postgres Plus Advanced Server 9.0. featuring improvements such as enriched database performance and availability, and increased Oracle compatibility.
Posted July 19, 2011
Naïve approaches to business intelligence will occasionally trap designers as they juggle operational data stores and data warehouses. The trap results from an honest endeavor to simplify designs and increase consistency throughout the solution. Under the umbrella of consistency a designer may plan for a reference table used for operational look-ups to perform a second service as a star schema dimensional table. Some or all reference tables then are declared by fiat to also be dimensions. While on a superficial level there are similarities between dimension tables and more normalized look up or reference tables, fundamentally these two concepts are separate things.
Posted July 07, 2011
Like most people, I chuckled under my breath when doomsayers started publishing books about the apocalypse predicted by their interpretation of the Mayan calendar. In their view, the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 and thus spells doom for us all - despite the fact that the classical Mayan calendar, like ours today, was cyclical. But as I was considering some of the momentous and disruptive changes we're facing lately, it suddenly hit me. The year 2012 might be the year when life as we've known it as IT and data professionals changes, completely and irrevocably
Posted July 07, 2011
Simplification is important in today's era of increasing complexity and ever-changing software environments. A key component of simplification is to remember the basics and apply some elementary rules and practices to your database environment. Many problems arise because we don't keep track of the things most of us already know. I stumbled upon the idea for this month's column after recalling Malcolm Gladwell's excellent business book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. In this book, Gladwell offers up case studies and examples depicting the benefit of our "adaptive unconscious" - a powerful innate ability that provides us with instant and sophisticated information.
Posted July 07, 2011
Time series data is a sequence of data points typically measured at successive times and may be spaced at uniform time intervals. Time-stamped data can be analyzed to extract meaningful statistics or other characteristics of the data. It can also be used to forecast future events based on known past events. Time series data enables applications such as economic forecasting, census analysis and forecasting, fleet management, stock market analysis, and smart energy metering. Because it is time-stamped, time series data has a special internal structure that differs from relational data. Additionally, many applications such as smart metering store data at frequent intervals that require massive storage capacity. For these reasons, it is not sufficient to manage time series information using the traditional relational approach of storing one row for each time series entry.
Posted July 07, 2011