Application servers are proliferating, the number of end users is expanding rapidly, and data volumes and types are growing impressively as part of today’s increasingly digital organizations.
However, the performance of database systems is struggling to keep pace—in fact, databases are hampered by reliance on disk based storage, a technology that has been in place for more than two decades. Even with the addition of memory caches and solidstate drives, the model of relying on repeated access to the permanent information storage devices is still a bottleneck in capitalizing on today’s “Big Data.”
Key highlights and findings from the survey, which explores opportunities with in-memory technologies, include the following:
- Today’s data warehouse environments are not keeping up with the explosive growth of data volume (or “Big Data”) and the demand for real-time analytics. Fewer than one out of 10 data warehouse sites in the survey, for example, can deliver analysis in what respondents would consider a real-time timeframe. Overall, existing database and data warehouse environments are time-consuming for both administrators and end users.
- Nearly 75% of respondents believe that in-memory technology is important to enabling their organization to remain competitive in the future. Yet, almost as many also indicate they lack the in-memory skills to deliver even current business requirements.
- In-memory is most often currently deployed to augment or accelerate existing data environments. The most frequently cited use cases of in-memory technology are for selective acceleration of analytics through replication of data from their data warehouses (45%), and within data marts that complement data warehouse environments (39%). Future areas of opportunities for use of in-memory technology commonly cited include real-time operational reporting and accelerating or complementing current data warehouse environments.
- Real-time/acceleration of analytics is the most recognized benefit of in-memory technology, especially as a means to enhance existing systems with this capability—rather than replace components of the existing IT landscape.
Accelerating Enterprise Insights: 2013 IOUG In-Memory Strategies Survey was produced by Unisphere Research in partnership with the Independent Oracle Users Group, and sponsored by SAP.