Re: Column stores

Hi Seth,

On 2/2/08 4:52 AM, "Seth Grimes" <grimes(at)altaplana(dot)com> wrote:

>> They're not one that I'd say is "all the rage" - two reasons: MySQL
>> doesn't work for DW queries and more importantly doing a different
>> storage engine doesn't solve the DW performance and scale problems.
>
> No, but they're a counterexample to your incorrect statement that all
> column stores are also MPP.

Nah - I said that all "raging" column stores are MPP and I make that
contention still :-)

> Doing a different storage engine targets current MySQL users who would
> prefer to expand the scope of what they (try to) do with MySQL before they
> switch DBMSes or bring in a second DBMS. That approach makes sense in
> many cases.

Sure - "current MySQL users" that want a little more bang than they can get
now is far away from the very active DW marketplace.

> No I don't. "Rages" are about image, not about substance. "Rages" die
> away when the substance doesn't match the image.

Yep!

> The only announcements I see posted to Greenplum's site are about industry
> deals and the like. Gartner says that Greenplum "has been quietly adding
> clients ... for about two years." So how about describing some?

Are you a Gartner customer? If so, you can get the magic quadrant report
and they will talk to you in detail about significant Greenplum
installations.

> I'd like to hear about additional, significant Greenplum reference
> installations. The only one I've seen, not for want of asking, is
> Frontier Airlines, and when I looked at it a year ago, the application was
> limited to fare optimiation or something like that with a small number of
> users. Perhaps you can send me information about others. I see PR from a
> year ago on Greenplum's site for a deal with Smart Communications in the
> Philippines. How has that worked out for instance?

Our approach has been quiet progress - we're about to get a lot less quiet.

Part of the challenge of this market is that the demands of large scale
enterprise data warehouse customers are very high and it takes time to earn
a reputation as a trusted provider.

BTW - I love the Frontier example, the DAXPY guys doing revenue optimization
using Pentaho on Greenplum is a beautiful example of how it should work.
Frontier is able to do things they couldn't otherwise do because the
technology revolutionized the price point at which multiple TB of data could
be used for fast query. I'm happy to say that DAXPY has now sold the same
solution to other airlines using Greenplum and Frontier remains a reference
for us.

- Luke