Blog

Flash Enables Human-Time Analytics

Analytics. Apparently it's "the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data". Allegedly it's the "Next Holy Grail". By definition it's "the science of logical analysis". But what is it really? We know that it is considered a type of Business Intelligence. We know that when applied to massive volumes of information it is often described … Continue reading Flash Enables Human-Time Analytics →

Why In-Memory Computing Needs Flash

You might be tempted to think that In-Memory technologies and flash are concepts which have no common ground. After all, if you can run everything in memory, why worry about the performance of your storage? However, the truth is very different: In-Memory needs flash to reach its true potential. Here I will discuss why and … Continue reading Why In-Memory Computing Needs Flash →

More on Exadata X3 “Database In-Memory” (but not by me)

Not a real post - but a recommendation... Kevin Closson, former Performance Architect within Oracle's Exadata development organisation, has (finally!) written a blog post about the new Exadata X3 model with it's claimed "Database In-Memory" marketing title. For the history of Exadata click here. But more importantly, for the insider view, click here: Oracle Exadata … Continue reading More on Exadata X3 “Database In-Memory” (but not by me) →

Technology Hype Cycles

I had a great idea this week. It started because I wanted to write about Business Intelligence and the benefits of flash memory for Decision Support Systems, but realised that it's hard to mention those subjects these days without referencing Unstructured Data. That got me thinking that the hype surrounding Big Data and the way in which trends such … Continue reading Technology Hype Cycles →

SLOB using Violin 6616 on Fujitsu Servers

I've been too busy to blog recently, which is frustrating because I want to talk more about subjects that are important to me such as Database Virtualization and the great hype around In Memory Databases. However, in the meantime I'd like to share some results from running SLOB (the Silly Little Oracle Benchmark) on Violin … Continue reading SLOB using Violin 6616 on Fujitsu Servers →

In Memory Databases: HANA, Exadata X3 and Flash Memory (Part 2)

In the first part of this blog series on In Memory Databases (IMDBs) I talked about the definition of "memory" and found it surprisingly hard to pin down. There was no doubt that Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), such as that found in most modern computers, fell into the category of memory whilst disk clearly … Continue reading In Memory Databases: HANA, Exadata X3 and Flash Memory (Part 2) →

Thoughts on In Memory Databases (Part 1)

Everyone is talking about In Memory at the moment. On blogs, in tweets, in the press, in the Oracle marketing department, in books by SAP employees, even my Violin colleagues... it's everywhere. What can I possibly add that will be of any value? Well, how about owning up to something: I find myself in a bit … Continue reading Thoughts on In Memory Databases (Part 1) →