DBMS product categories
Analysis of database management technology in specific product categories. Related subjects include:
Workday comments on its database architecture
In my discussion of Workday’s technology, I gave an estimate that Workday’s database, if relationally designed, would require “1000s” of tables. That estimate came from Workday, Inc. CTO Stan Swete, in a thoughtful email that made several points about Workday’s database strategy. Workday kindly gave me permission to quote it below.
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| Categories: Data models and architecture, Object, OLTP, Software as a Service (SaaS), Specific users, Theory and architecture, Workday | 3 Comments |
The Workday architecture — a new kind of OLTP software stack
One of my coolest company visits in some time was to SaaS (Software as a Service) vendor Workday, Inc., earlier this month. Reasons included:
- Workday has forward-thinking ideas about SaaS enterprise applications and the integration of business intelligence into same.
- Workday has highly innovative ideas in how it manages data.
- Companies founded by Dave Duffield tend to feature smart, likeable people who talk to one pleasantly and forthrightly. Workday is no exception; CTO Stan Swete and the other Workday folks present were a delight to talk with.
- I’d invited Merv Adrian to come along with me. He asked great questions, and I could gather myself a bit despite how sleep-deprived I was for the first part of that trip.
Workday kindly allowed me to post this Workday slide deck. Otherwise, I’ve split out a quick Workday, Inc. company overview into a separate post.
The biggie for me was the data and object management part. Specifically: Read more
I’m collecting data points on NoSQL and HVSP adoption
I was asked to do a magazine article on NoSQL, where by “NoSQL” is meant “whatever they talk about at NoSQL conferences.” By now the number of publications planning to run the article is up to 2, the deadline is next week and, crucially, it has been agreed that I may talk about HVSP in general, NoSQL and SQL alike.
It also is understood that, realistically, I can’t be expected to know and mention the very latest news for all the many products in the categories. Even so, I think this would be fine time to check just where NoSQL and HVSP adoption stand. Here is most of what I know, or links to same; it would be great if you guys would contribute additional data in the comment thread.
In the NoSQL area: Read more
Teradata’s future product strategy
I think Teradata’s future product strategy is coming into focus. I’ll start by outlining some particular aspects, and then show how I think it all ties together.
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| Categories: Business intelligence, Data warehouse appliances, Data warehousing, Kickfire, MicroStrategy, Solid-state memory, Storage, Teradata | 5 Comments |
Links and observations
I’m back from a trip to the SF Bay area, with a lot of writing ahead of me. I’ll dive in with some quick comments here, then write at greater length about some of these points when I can. From my trip: Read more
| Categories: Analytic technologies, Aster Data, Calpont, Cassandra, Couchbase, Data warehouse appliances, Data warehousing, EMC, Exadata, Facebook, Greenplum, HP and Neoview, Kickfire, NoSQL, OLTP, ParAccel, Sybase, XtremeData | 1 Comment |
Advice for some non-clients
Edit: Any further anonymous comments to this post will be deleted. Signed comments are permitted as always.
Most of what I get paid for is in some form or other consulting. (The same would be true for many other analysts.) And so I can be a bit stingy with my advice toward non-clients. But my non-clients are a distinguished and powerful group, including in their number Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, and most of the BI vendors. So here’s a bit of advice for them too.
Oracle. On the plus side, you guys have been making progress against your reputation for untruthfulness. Oh, I’ve dinged you for some past slip-ups, but on the whole they’ve been no worse than other vendors.’ But recently you pulled a doozy. The analyst reports section of your website fails to distinguish between unsponsored and sponsored work.* That is a horrible ethical stumble. Fix it fast. Then put processes in place to ensure nothing that dishonest happens again for a good long time.
*Merv Adrian’s “report” listed high on that page is actually a sponsored white paper. That Merv himself screwed up by not labeling it clearly as such in no way exonerates Oracle. Besides, I’m sure Merv won’t soon repeat the error — but for Oracle, this represents a whole pattern of behavior.
Oracle. And while I’m at it, outright dishonesty isn’t your only unnecessary credibility problem. You’re also playing too many games in analyst relations.
HP. Neoview will never succeed. Admit it to yourselves. Go buy something that can. Read more
How should somebody teach themselves database and programming skills?
From time to time, I get in a conversation with somebody who is:
- Unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise desirous of having more commercial skills.
- Not a programmer, but desirous of having some technical skills.
- Astute enough to realize s/he will never be a serious techie.
I generally have two models in mind when guiding such a person:
- Analytics/business intelligence/stats.
- Website building.
Those are both useful skill sets for people who aren’t full-time techies, the first perhaps best for those who are more quantitative and big-company-friendly, the second perhaps better for the creative and/or rebellious types.
So what SPECIFICALLY should one guide them to do? My initial thoughts include: Read more
| Categories: Business intelligence, MicroStrategy, MySQL, Open source | 35 Comments |
dbShards — a lot like an MPP OLTP DBMS based on MySQL or PostgreSQL
I talked yesterday w/ Cory Isaacson, who runs CodeFutures, makers of dbShards. dbShards is a software layer that turns an ordinary DBMS (currently MySQL or PostgreSQL) into an MPP shared-nothing ACID-compliant OLTP DBMS. Technical highlights included: Read more
| Categories: dbShards and CodeFutures, Facebook, MySQL, OLTP, Parallelization, PostgreSQL | 3 Comments |
Kickfire unlikely to survive
Following up on a previous report of Kickfire’s troubles — a Kickfire customer tipped me off that Kickfire told him they’re selling their IP and engineers, and the Kickfire products will be discontinued.
At this time, I have no idea who the lucky buyer is.
Edit: We now know it’s Teradata.
| Categories: Data warehouse appliances, Kickfire, Teradata | 12 Comments |
Some interesting links
In no particular order: Read more