The troubles with traditional databases are legion. Even die-hard database administrators struggle to cope with inflating data tables,increased transaction loads, and the grunt work required to keepthese systems running. Sure, RDBMS works, but the cost and hassles are creating opportunities.
MySpace.com–whose catastrophic outage annoyed teen users–has licensed Aster Data Systems next-generation data managment system. Click here for IDG’s scoop. (Hurry. Some IDG stories can become tough to find after a day or two online.)
Aster’s approach is to distribute data over nodes. The company uses “tiers” to handle specific functions. A loader tier handles data intake and export. A queen tier adds intelligence to data management and database operations.
Aster includes management and analytic tools. According to the company’s Web site, the principal benefits of the approach are:
- Easier scaling
- Fault tolerance
- Better performance.
The founders of Aster are products of Stanford University, and the system shares some broad design features with Google’s data management techniques. Pricing for the system begins at about $100,000.
Stephen Arnold, May 20, 2008