In-memory databases or IMDBs are often employed in applications in which response time is critical. Examples of this are those running telecommunications or mobile advertising networks. Lately, IMDBs have also gained a lot of favor in data analytics, mainly because of cheaper production of infrastructure like RAM. In contrast with other database management systems, especially those that employ disk storage, IMDBs are faster as the internal optimization algorithms employed are much simpler as well as it executes fewer CPU directives. Accessing data in memory removes the added time needed when querying the data, which in turn makes it a faster and more predictable performance.
Data analysis is a business priority
Analysis of data is the extensive use of data and management of facts so as to arrive to pertinent decisions and actions. As a process it includes inspecting, statistical and quantitative analysis, transforming, and modeling data with explanatory and predictive models. The goal is to arrive at useful information, conclusions, and decision-making, which can prove essential in realizing the value of assets, and discovering enhanced opportunities for businesses.
Businesses have made analytics as top priority, especially for healthcare companies in 2015. In fact, CDW revealed that more than two-thirds of the healthcare industry makes analytics as one of their organization’s top three priorities. CDW made a survey of 150 healthcare decision makers to determine how important data analytics is in their respective implementation processes. They also identified what are the benefits and challenges existing and how they can plot for the future of analytics. Jonathan Karl, the sales director of CDW Healthcare, declared that “A strong data infrastructure is critical”.
Another example of its importance in business is from a survey done through the Gartner Business Intelligence & Analytics Summit in October 2014, in Munich, Germany. According to them, analytics is a top business priority, especially with the need to make advanced analysis more accessible to a lot more users. This also broadens the business insight, making it the fastest-growing sector of business intelligence. As of 2013, analytics software market had surpassed $1 billion in sales.
Advanced analytics needs advance speed
What sets IMDBs when it comes to analytics is that it executes fewer central processing unit instructions, in contrast to conventional disk storage mechanisms. This was proven to cut down the amount of time it takes for businesses to run various analysis applications. Mike Matchett from TechTarget, had said that traditional databases only held critical intelligence records in its memory, while the cheaper disks were used to stock low-priority data volume. Many database experts find that most of the structured databases require to be repetitively queried. This alone can be sluggish, arduous and slow especially if the interactions occur external to the server. This conundrum probably wasn’t such a big deal to enterprises decades ago. Big organizations then at that time weren’t running complex systems of data analysis like they do today.
However, the modern era had ushered in the thirst for new applications and real-time data analytics, which has made IMDBs the more obvious and practical choice. Even though they are hardly new, they were highly specialized. IMDBs are more and more entering into the mainstream especially now with DRAM memory prices dropping considerably.
If you find the need to augment your application’s speed by upgrading IMDBs, even without significantly touching the application itself, call Four Cornerstone today and see how you can initiate this at your own business or organization.
Photo by Marc Smith.
