The Secret behind Oracle’s Exadata Success
Data is growing at an unanticipated rate and enterprise applications of the past decade are struggling to handle the requirements of Big Data. The pressure has built up to a level that the hardware is almost cracking and the situation has escalated to a level where an alternative solution has to be found. This is where Oracle came in and pioneered their ‘Ex’ trio of offerings that has completely revolutionized the way we handle large amounts of data.
While companies that are relying on the traditional infrastructure are finding it difficult to handle Big Data requirements, others that have streamlined architecture are handling the data requirements like a breeze. If you are not being taught about the ‘Ex’ trio of offerings in your Oracle training classes, it may be a good time to ask your instructor to include it in the curriculum.
Traditional IT Infrastructure Was Never Designed To Handle Big Data
It is true that the traditional IT architecture is something that most of the companies, especially the ones that began in the 80s and 90s, are nostalgic about. Some of them are so attuned to the existing systems that they are end up making some basic mistakes to cope with the lack of performance and speed. They think that they can cope with the requirements by multiplying the IT budget annually, even though they do not have so much money at their disposal. Also, they are slowly but finally coming to terms with the fact that a radical approach is needed if we have to figure out how to deal with this problem of Big Data.
Oracle Comes To the Party with Its ‘Ex’ Offerings
Oracle has been one of the pioneers of the IT industry and it is not surprising that they were the first to come up with a whole new approach of dealing with the problem of Big Data. Their solution is very simple and therein lays its ingenuity. They planned to come up with a whole new system, built from ground up, just to deal with the current data and performance demands. Although IBM is endorsing and following Oracle closely, the work is mostly done by Oracle. Their solution to this problem is Exalogic, Exadata and Exalytics.
These are customized servers, networking and storage equipment that are incorporated in individual boxes that are differentiated from each other at the level of architecture. This helps in extracting the maximum performance out of these systems. Combined with some proprietary software from Oracle, these systems manage to deliver speeds and performance that is unmatched by any other offering in the present day. These systems not only perform at elite levels but their cost is also something that can be borne by the companies, which is another major reason for making the offering public.
Oracle Is Justifying the Claim That Streamlined Systems Are Quintessential
With the release of Oracle Exadata X3 Database Machine, the company is justifying the claim that the usage of customized equipment will go a long way in improving the performance and the long term costs. Slowly but steadily, companies are realizing that the traditional systems were designed well but they just are not able to match up to the grueling performance requirements of the modern day.
IBM Trying To Beat Oracle at Its Own Game
While Oracle has been the first innovator to realize that custom made systems are needed to cater to the present requirements, IBM is trying to optimize this with their own offering, Pure Systems. This offering is based on the fact that the more streamlined your system is, the better its performance will be. This is why they have come up with a few different types of databases that they recommend based on your existing workloads.
However, Exadata is not just about putting hardware together and streamlining it to deliver the best it can. There is a more complex understanding of this concept that only Oracle seems to have. In fact, this would be a good topic for a seminar in one of your Oracle training classes as everyone in this industry is curious how Oracle is managing to hold its own in spite of the exponential growth in the data requirements.
At this point of time, Exadata is something that is rocking the IT world and there is not a single player that can even claim the position. There is a long way to go before the next big solution for this issue comes up but till then, it is ‘the era of Oracle Exadata’.
Please Share This Knowledge With Others!
Chiquita says
Is this really that big of a problem? Is there really something to be alarmed about? I remember how people were terrified about the Y2k adjustment period. So if I understand correctly, the amount of beg data that needs to be managed and stored. That kind of makes sense considering that most people are no using the internet and social media at record numbers. And this creates opportunities to track data for advertisers.
Maria says
Further proof that the Python platform is up to the task of managing big data is the fact that United Space Alliance (USA), NASA’s main shuttle support contractor, had a mandate to provide software that meets all three criteria. Their experience with Python told them NASA’s demands were within reach. Less than a year later, USA is nearing deployment of a Workflow Automation System (WAS) that meets or exceeds all of NASA’s specifications.
Lorraine says
I have to wonder about the elephant in the room. Can there really be a programming architecture that can better manage the challenges associated with big data? Is a programming language the answer or do we just need to use these new kinds of servers with Oracle? At least to me, it seems there are more questions than answers when it comes to solving this problem.
Saul says
Like your post says the data is growing exponentially over every day and the more data we get the more space we need to save it that won’t take up our own hard drive space so something like this and the cloud are the way to go when it comes to data saving. Thank you for posting this it makes a lot of sense and I will definitely look into it.
Jarvis says
I am not quite sure what the benefit is for going public with this venture for this new generation of servers. What I did gather from the article is how smart grid deployments are creating exponentially more data for utilities and giving them access to information they’ve never had before. Accessing, analyzing, managing, and delivering this information – to optimize business operations and enhance customer relationships – is proving to be a daunting task.
Melissa says
This news makes me wonder if consumers will feel any effects resulting from the development and deployment of this new generation of data servers. Perhaps this is a development that only companies that acquire and manage big data and the developers who write the code can notice, simply because they are the ones on the back end of this technology. Either way, it is exciting to ponder.
Micheal says
From what I know, this exadata X3 databas is a Fourth Generation Exadata X3 Systems and they are Ideal for High-End OLTP, Large Data Warehouses, and Database Clouds; Eighth-Rack Configuration Offers New Low-Cost Entry Point and other features I do not quite understand. The other thing that raises some interesting thoughts is that Oracle Exadata X3 Database In-Memory Machine is a key component of the Oracle Cloud.
Tamara says
PureData System being the newest member of the PureSystems family, is also optimized exclusively for delivering data services to today’s demanding applications with simplicity, speed and lower cost – just like their competition, aparently. I understand it started to be available on October 26, 2012, in 3 models. They are: PureData System for Transactions; PureData System for Analytics; and PureData System for Operational Analytics
Robert says
This was very interesting and I am going to save this link so that I can check back later for more updates. You have a great blog here and I am looking for the next big thing to come out and I think this is going to be it. Great job keep up the good work I look forward to communicating with you through this blog so keep up the good work.
Bob says
The recently launched Oracle 11g database server is now shipping but one of their recent announcements came with a twist: From what I heard, some of the new features come at an additional cost. So I guess it is a similar deal as with most things digital: the basic features are free so as to entice you and get you feeling like you need it and the real power costs money.
Howard says
Saul’s response to the article is so correct with all the information that people are downloading these days and the videos that kids are saving because they are funny you have to have a an offsite server some where that you can put this on, isn’t that why the cloud was manufactured for that purpose alone. Thank you for posting that information.
Keith says
I am thinking that I will need this shortly because I am downloading a lot of movies lately and songs my mom says I have to find a way to store them elsewhere or get rid of them. This sounds like the best possible plan so far. Thank you for posting this I look forward to future updates on this and hope that you keep it going
Jeffrey says
Does this mean the time has come for Oracle to introduce its first hardware products? I read that the first one is Exadata Storage Server. It’s based on the HP ProLiant DL180 G5 server and allows storage capacity up to a whopping 12 TB. I wish I had that much space on a cloud server. Exadata Storage provides the foundation for building dynamic storage grids It’s the building block for the HP Oracle Database Machine.
Patricia says
I am extremely glad that you have come up with something like this for us Oracle is going to open up a completely new idea in data storage. The did this when the cloud came out but I think this is going to be even better than that. Great job here keep up the good work because there are a lot of people like mw that are looking for information like this.
Micheal says
Is what Jeffery said true about the amount of storage space that will be available on the first round of hardware? 12 TB is phenomenal and I can’t wait, there is no way that I could possibly have enough information to ever fill something like that but it could be good for the entire family and anything they want to store, let alone what it would look like in the business world.
Sandra says
This is a great article, I have learned a lot about big data and data storage and other valuable pieces of information that will help me in the classes I am taking at the local trade school. I am working on getting my degree in computer technology and every little piece of information that I can gather to help me will make a huge difference.
Darlene says
The 2013 International CES gadget show, the biggest trade show in the Americas, just took place in Las Vegas this past week. I wish I would have been able to be there, cause I am quite a gadget geek. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s a place for technology companies to showcase the television sets, computers and other gadgets they plan. With technology pushing the limits, exadata servers seem necessary.
Timothy says
Ever since September 2008, when Larry Ellison announced Oracle’s entrance into the hardware market at Oracle OpenWorld, users have been left with some unanswered questions. I am just learning about it myself and this article was very informative regarding this strategic move on the part of Oracle. For so long, we have grown accustomed to their being information management software apps, but never a hardware manufacturer. You got to think that is risky.
Sherry says
Timothy I think you are right I know I have some unanswered questions that have been plaguing me since that announcement. I am just thankful that posts like this are being made because they are slowly answering the questions that most people have had. This is a great resource for a lot of those answers and I hope they will continue to keep up the good work.