MariaDB has announced the availability of MariaDB Platform X4, a cloud-native, open source database intended to make it easier for developers to build modern applications.
According to MariaDB, these applications require access to vast amounts of data optimized for analytical queries and machine learning models so that transactions can be augmented with data-driven insights turning them into smart transactions.
Starting with the next version of MariaDB Community Server, the ability to perform smart transactions will be included out-of-the-box. With smart transactions, applications take advantage of analytics before, during, and/or after a transaction. Applications utilizing smart transactions can anticipate user needs, create context to be more helpful, and take advantage of historical records to accurately predict outcomes such as on-time flight performance, best pricing options, or sales forecasts for better decision making or automation.
“The use of mobile devices and the rapid pace of technology has fundamentally changed how we interact with applications and what we expect from them,” said Gregory Dorman, vice president of distributed systems and analytics, MariaDB. “This creates different requirements for how these modern applications work. The trick is to add the smarts without impacting the performance of transactions, which is why we implemented a dual storage layout for data: row based for transactions and columnar for true analytics. MariaDB Platform X4 is a huge step to make modern applications easy to develop and gives everyone an opportunity to experience the benefits without a huge upfront investment.”
Similar to newer analytical solutions such as Snowflake, MariaDB Platform X4 implements a cloud-native disaggregated architecture for analytics using an API compatible with AWS S3 for up to 70% cost savings over block storage, 99.999999999% durability and 99.99% availability, storage across multiple availability zones and unlimited storage capacity. Unlike pure analytical cloud-native solutions, MariaDB Platform X4 also uses block storage, such as AWS EBS, for fast transactions along with object storage, such as AWS S3, for fast, scalable analytics.
Starting with MariaDB’s integrated columnar engine for analytics, MariaDB Platform X4 introduces a smart engine API, enabling greater functionality and comprehensive pushdown capability, improving developer access to large amounts of analytical data that can be used to interplay with transactions in real time.
With version X4, MariaDB Platform simplifies and streamlines the process for using transactional and analytical storage engines together to deliver smart transactions. MariaDB Platform X4 uses native replication to synchronize dual data storage for the best reliability and availability. A single line installation means developers can start using smart transactions instantly without complex setup and configuration.
MariaDB Platform X4 includes new smart query routing capabilities that simplifies data access for developers. With this new feature, queries are routed to the most appropriate engine based on behavior and performance so developers no longer need to be concerned about the differences between transactional and analytical queries.
MariaDB is also publishing new material to help developers build modern applications using smart transactions. New enterprise documentation includes install and deployment guides, and outlines new platform functionality. MariaDB is also creating sample applications available on GitHub that demonstrate the power of MariaDB. Join the January 30 webinar for new code samples and a live demonstration of MariaDB Platform X4.
MariaDB Platform X4 is available for subscription customers to download now. MariaDB Community Server 10.5 with columnar storage for analytical processing out-of-the-box will be available in late January