We are stuck with an antiquated two-dimensional integration and implementation model which assumes that before value can be realized, we need to get components of that value into a more stable and normalized condition. A third dimension is critical for analytics and BI to stay effective against the growth of data and activities at the edge.
Posted January 07, 2015
Statisticians and data miners have been using R software and language for analytics within research and academia environments for some time. This open source community has contributed thousands of packages to meet the diverse needs across research and business analytics. And, to top off the perks of the software and language - R is free. But even in the face of its benefits, programmers still face fundamental challenges.
Posted January 07, 2015
Similar to server, storage, and network virtualization, data virtualization simplifies how data is presented and managed for users, while employing technologies - under the covers - for abstraction, decoupling, performance optimization and the efficient use/reuse of scalable resources.
Posted December 15, 2014
2015 is going to be a big year for big data in the enterprise, according to Oracle. Neil Mendelson, Oracle vice president of big data and advanced analytics, shared Oracle's "Top 7" big data predictions for 2015. "The technology is moving very quickly and it is gaining to the point where a broader set of people can get into it - not just because it is affordable - but because they no longer require specialized skills in order to take advantage of it," he said.
Posted December 15, 2014
Big data continues to have an impact on business, government, and society at large. Here's a look back at 10 noteworthy blog posts from 2014. These blog posts explore the benefits and downsides of advancements in big data technologies.
Posted December 15, 2014
The rise of digital platforms is spurring new innovation and new thinking within the data management world to an unprecedented degree, and it is recasting the look, feel, and functionality of solutions and approaches to data applications. There are many business opportunities arising from digital platforms that call for proactive leadership or engagement by data managers. A prime example is the emergence of the Internet of Things, which SMAC makes possible.
Posted December 03, 2014
Exploding data assets and the need for greater agility are helping to drive the move to virtualization. More than two-thirds of organizations in a recent Unisphere Research survey among members of the Independent Oracle Users Group indicate that the number of Oracle databases they manage is expanding. At the same time, many managers admit that their IT departments are sluggish when it comes to responding to new business requirements. For more than 50% of organizations, it takes their IT department 30 days or more to respond to new initiatives or deploy new solutions. For one-quarter of organizations, it takes 90 days or more.
Posted December 03, 2014
The increasing pressure of compliance regulations and security policies makes the deployment of high-level database protection a must-have for any organization. For those looking for ways to advance database security, here are 5 SQL Server best practices to maintain database security and streamline compliance.
Posted November 12, 2014
With Juno Release, OpenStack Hits a Significant Milestone
Posted November 12, 2014
Virtual Data for the High-Performance Warehouse
Posted November 12, 2014
The opportunity and imperative to optimize energy use in the data center industry is at an all-time high. In the modern digital era, data centers are as essential as power plants, a massive and critical infrastructure upon which our social, business, retail, healthcare, and government services are run. Gathering good data streams — metrics that matter to both business and IT — and correlating them through powerful analytics will amplify bottom line results. Here are 5 key ways more efficient power utilization can enable data centers to be more effective and efficient.
Posted October 22, 2014
We are in the midst of a business performance revolution, one where companies and customers alike expect instant access to the tools of commerce from anywhere at any time. Mobility is integral to this revolution, as the enterprise mobility phenomenon is quickly becoming a key driver of business innovation.
Posted October 22, 2014
At the most fundamental level, consider that at the end of the day NoSQL and SQL are essentially performing the same core task — storing data to a storage medium and providing a safe and efficient way to later retrieve said data. Sounds pretty simple — right? Well, it really is with a little planning and research. Here's a simple checklist of 5 steps to consider as you embark into the world of NoSQL databases.
Posted October 22, 2014
Apache Hadoop has been a great technology for storing large amounts of unstructured data, but to do analysis, users still need to reference data from existing RDBMS based systems. This topic was addressed in "From Oracle to Hadoop: Unlocking Hadoop for Your RDBMS with Apache Sqoop and Other Tools," a session at the Strata + Hadoop World conference, presented by Guy Harrison, executive director of Research and Development at Dell Software, David Robson, principal technologist at Dell Software, and Kathleen Ting, a technical account manager at Cloudera and a co-author of O'Reilly's Apache Sqoop Cookbook.
Posted October 22, 2014
In his presentation at the Strata + Hadoop World conference, titled "Unseating the Giants: How Big Data is Causing Big Problems for Traditional RDBMSs," Monte Zweben, CEO and co-founder of Splice Machine, addressed the topic of scale-up architectures as exemplified by traditional RDBMS technologies versus scale-out architectures, exemplified by SQL on Hadoop, NoSQL and NewSQL solutions.
Posted October 22, 2014
Organizations have been collecting data for years, but never before has there been such urgency to have it immediately available. The business need is pressing—decision makers need up-to-the-minute situational awareness in a volatile global economy.
Posted October 08, 2014
The Unfolding Future: More Data, Not Enough Data Gurus
Posted October 08, 2014
In what is being heralded as an epic change at Oracle, Larry Ellison, the charismatic CEO of Oracle, is stepping down and will be succeeded by Safra Catz and Mark Hurd who will share the CEO position. Despite the widespread pronouncements that this is the end of an era and that Ellison is relinquishing his membership in the exclusive club of rock-star tech leaders that has included Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates, some industry insiders believe that is simply not the case. Ellison, they say, will remain a force to be reckoned with at Oracle.
Posted September 25, 2014
In simpler times, businesses kept their data in one place. That made the data easy to access and control. Today, many large enterprises have a global component to daily business transactions, with customers, partners and employees located around the world. Given the distributed nature of an organization's users and increasing data location regulations, the traditional method of storing data on a central server to support worldwide stakeholders no longer meets business needs.
Posted September 25, 2014
The expectations for technology in business have never been higher—thanks to the consumerization of IT, disruptions across the tech stack, and the emergence of new technology-based business models. And the pressures facing corporate IT departments been greater. So, how can business leaders and CIOs maximize the value of their technology investments to drive competitive business advantage? By tackling three important areas.
Posted September 25, 2014
It's not unusual to have different parts of your data system solving different problems. From utilizing partitioning in a relational database to user-facing in-memory caches to a Lambda architecture, it is important that pieces of the system are the "right tool for the job"; appropriate for the task at hand, and not duplicating the functionality of another piece of the system. While there are technical challenges, the root and the solutions to these challenges is largely non-technical.
Posted September 10, 2014
When should you scale your database? The short answer often is: Don't scale until you have to. It is important to understand—and exhaust—all of your options for improving database performance first. Here is a look at the common options available.
Posted September 10, 2014
When it comes to data analysis, companies often have a long project list with each project having it's own set of specific needs - the net result is a lengthy and growing project backlog. Since the late 1980s, business intelligence (BI) vendors have been attempting to address this backlog through various "ease of use" enhancements. We've seen big improvements with the latest generation of cloud-based BI solutions. But how can companies evaluate which analysis projects will work well with a cloud-based solution?
Posted September 10, 2014
2014 is turning out to be a banner year for Hadoop. The big data giant is continuing to move forward and expand and evolve as big data technology and big data analytics become more mainstream. Here are six key points that demonstrate the advances being made.
Posted August 19, 2014
The overwhelming movement to cloud computing and big data is creating compelling efficiencies for businesses. However, this growing revolution is also introducing previously unseen levels of complexity for IT managers.In order to solve the problem of big data and cloud architectures that don't fit into traditional IT frameworks—and unlock their potential rewards—entirely new technologies are needed.
Posted August 19, 2014
Many data integration use cases only require simple transformations—and others don't require any transformations at all. For these scenarios, traditional ETL tools are overly complicated and can't deliver data updates as rapidly as business users need. The priority isn't on the T, but rather on the L—expediting data delivery—so users have fresh, accurate data to make business decisions.
Posted August 19, 2014
Managing business-critical databases is no easy task even for experienced DBAs, so for IT pros who might be new to the role—and likely already wear multiple other hats within their organization—it can be a challenging endeavor to say the least. Here are the 5 key areas that IT pros who have found themselves in the position of accidental DBAs should focus on.
Posted August 19, 2014