Splice Machine, the developer of a SQL-compliant database designed for big data applications, has raised $4 million in Series A funding from Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), enabling it to continue the development of the Splice SQL Engine. “We are providing the first SQL-compliant database designed for big data applications,” Monte Zweben, chairman and CEO, Splice Machine, tells 5 Minute Briefing. The company has been in stealth mode and this is its first public announcement, says Zweben.
Built on the Hadoop and Hbase stack, the Splice SQL Engine aims to enable application developers to build personalized web, mobile and social applications that scale while leveraging users’ SQL tools and skill sets. The Splice SQL Engine will also scale to handle business intelligence and analysis, and work turnkey with tools like MicroStrategy and Tableau, says Zweben.
“There are a tremendous number of new applications that we are loosely calling ‘big data apps’ that are overwhelming traditional relational database solutions,” says Zweben. The variety of new approaches including big data implementations of Hadoop and other NoSQL solutions have responded with scalable architectures in some way, but, he says, “We believe they threw the baby out with the bathwater and they discarded the ubiquitous SQL standards.”
According to Zweben, “What is different about what we do is that we are providing this massively scalable infrastructure but at the same time supporting a performant SQL standard that will work turnkey with existing SQL infrastructure in companies whether that is BI infrastructure like MicroStrategy and Tableau or other SQL tools, and most importantly, enabling companies to leverage the breadth of SQL skills that they have in-house.”
In talking with prospective customers about their requirements and working with them in the design of the solution, the ability to leverage SQL skills has emerged as the number-one point, he says. While it is important to them to not have to change their existing analysis or applications which are already in SQL, he notes, it is even more important that they do not have to hire additional people with new skill sets.
Zweben says Splice SQL Engine will be ready for test in the winter of 2012-13 and in early 2013, it will be generally available.
For more information on Splice Machine, visit www.splicemachine.com.