Top 10 Enterprise Database Systems to Consider in 2015

Top 10 Enterprise Database Systems to Consider in 2015

By Hadi Yanuar   21.49   Tidak ada komentar:

How far back does your knowledge of databases go — late-1980s, mid-1990s, five years ago? If so, you might not recognize some of the old timers in this list. You'll also do a double take if you didn't know many of them have their roots in the mid-to-late 1970s. It would be hard to argue that the database market is not mature.


It's also highly competitive, and enterprise database systems come packed with features from hot backups to high-availability to extensive cloud services. These database systems range in price from free to tens of thousands of dollars.


There's no single correct answer for every data problem. Nor is there a perfect database system; each has its own set of features and shortcomings. Here's a primer of the top enterprise database systems on the market in 2015 to help you determine which solution will likely work best for you.


1. Oracle


Oracle began its journey in 1979 as the first commercially available relational database management system (RDBMS). Oracle's name is synonymous with enterprise database systems, unbreakable data delivery and fierce corporate competition from CEO Larry Ellison. Powerful but complex database solutions are the mainstay of this Fortune 500 company.


The current release of Oracle's RDBMS is Oracle 12c. The "c" stands for cloud and is reflective of Oracle's work in extending its enterprise RDBMS to enable firms to consolidate and manage databases as cloud services when needed via Oracle's multitenant architecture and in-memory data processing capabilities.


2. SQL Server


Say what you may about Microsoft, but its profitability exceeds all other tech companies, and SQL Server helped put it there. Sure, Microsoft's desktop operating system is everywhere, but if you're running a Microsoft Server, you're likely running SQL Server on it.


SQL Server's ease of use, availability and tight Windows operating system integration makes it an easy choice for firms that choose Microsoft products for their enterprises. Currently, Microsoft promotes SQL Server 2014 as theplatform for both on-premises and cloud databases and business intelligence solutions.


Microsoft also touts SQL Server 2014 in helping enterprises build mission-critical applications with high-performance, in-memory security technology across OLTP (online transaction processing), data warehousing, business intelligence and analytics.


3. IBM DB2


Big Blue puts the big into data centers with DB2. The latest release of DB2, DB2 10.5, runs on Linux, UNIX, Windows, the IBM iSeries and mainframes. IBM has pitted its DB2 system squarely in competition with Oracle's, via the International Technology Group, and the results showed significant cost savings for those that migrate to DB2 from Oracle. How significant? How does 34 percent to 39 percent for comparative installations over a three-year period sound?


IBM DB2 10.5, or the DB2 "Cancun Release," is also the only database fully optimized for the IBM Power Systems POWER8 processor and the company's Power 8 server systems.


4. SAP Sybase ASE


Sybase is still a major force in the enterprise market after 25 years of success and improvements to its Adaptive Server Enterprise product. Although its market share dwindled for a few years, it has seen a bump in the next-generation transaction processing space following being acquired by Sybase in 2010 and relabeled as SAP Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE). Sybase has also thrown a considerable amount of weight behind the mobile enterprise by delivering partnered solutions to the mobile device market.


5. PostgreSQL


PostgreSQL, or simply Postgres, is an open-source object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) that hides in such interesting places as online gaming applications, data center automation suites and domain registries. PostgreSQL also enjoys some high-profile duties at Skype and Yahoo! PostgreSQL is in so many strange and obscure places that it might deserve the moniker, "Best Kept Enterprise Database Secret." PostgreSQL's current stable release is 9.4.x.


PostgreSQL runs on a wide variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, FreeBSD and Solaris. And as of OS X 10.7 Lion, Mac OS X features PostgreSQL as its standard default database in the server edition. PostgreSQL benefits from more than 25 years of development as a free, open-source database system, and it includes enterprise-grade features comparable to Oracle and DB2 such as full ACID compliance for transaction reliability and Multi-Version Concurrency Control for supporting high concurrent loads.


6. MariaDB Enterprise


MariaDB Enterprise is a fully open source database system, with all code released under GPL, LGPL or BSD. MariaDB originated in 2009 as a community-driven fork of the MySQL RDBMS and is led by the original developers of MySQL, who created the fork following concerns over MySQL's acquisition by Oracle. The current stable series of MariaDB Enterprise is powered by MariaDB 10.x.


MariaDB has seen its popularity explode recently at the expense of MySQL, particularly in its support by popular Linux distributions. In 2013 alone, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) ditched MySQL for MariaDB, Fedora opted for MariaDB over MySQL in its Fedora 19 release, and both openSUSE and Slackware Linux made similar switches to MariaDB over MySQL. Wikipedia also adopted MariaDB over MySQL as its backend database in 2013.


Another key factor in moving MariaDB ahead of MySQL is its enhanced query optimizer and other performance-related improvements, which give the database system a noticeable edge in overall performance compared to MySQL.


7. MySQL


MySQL began as a niche database system for developers but grew into a major contender in the enterprise database market. Sold to Sun Microsystems in 2008, MySQL has since become part of the Oracle empire in 2009 following Sun's acquisition by Oracle. More than just a niche database now, MySQL powers commercial websites by the hundreds of thousands, and it also serves as the backend for a huge number of internal enterprise applications.


Today MySQL remains a very popular option for use in Web applications, and it continues to serve as a central compoment of the LAMP open-source Web application software stack, along with Linux, Apache and PHP (or Python or Perl). At the same time, MySQL has seen support from users and developers erode over the last few years following the acquisition by Oracle.


MySQL's decline has helped fuel the adoption of other open-source database options and forks of MySQL like the fully-open source MariaDB, which doesn't feature closed-source modules like some of those found in newer versions of MySQL Enterprise Edition, as well as Percona and the cloud-optimized Drizzle database system.


8. Teradata


Have you ever heard of Teradata? If you've built a large data warehouse in your enterprise, you probably have. As early as the late 1970s, Teradata laid the groundwork for the first data warehouse — before the term even existed. Teradata created the first terabyte database for Wal-Mart in 1992. Since that time, data warehousing experts almost always say Teradata in the same sentence as enterprise data warehouse.


As a Very Large Database (VLDB) system, Teradata's capabilities have made it a great fit for handling emerging enterprise trends like Big Data analytics, business intelligence (BI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Teradata released version 15 of its RDBMS in early 2014.


9. Informix


Another IBM product in the list, IBM offers a range of Informix database options, starting with entry-level Workgroup and Express Editions and scaling up to an Enterprise Edition, an Enterprise Hypervisor Edition and finally Advanced Workgroup and Enterprise Editions with the Informix Warehouse Accelerator (IWA).


Informix touts its database solutions as being "intelligent databases" for managing Internet of Things (IoT) data, with the ability to seamlessly integrate SQL, NoSQL/JSON, timeseries and spatial data. Often associated with universities and colleges, Informix made the leap to the corporate world to take a No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction. Informix customers often speak highly of its low cost, low maintenance and high reliability.


10. Ingres Ingres


Ingres is the parent open source project of PostgreSQL and other database systems, and it is still around to brag about it. Ingres is all about choice, and in this case choosing might mean lowering your total cost of ownership for an enterprise database system. Other than an attractive pricing structure, Ingres prides itself on its ability to ease your transition from costlier database systems. Ingres also incorporates security features required for HIPPA and Sarbanes Oxley compliance.


Bonus: Amazon's SimpleDB Amazon SimpleDB


Databases and Amazon might at first seem worlds apart, but they aren't, especially in our increasingly cloud-centric world. Amazon's SimpleDB (Simple Database Service) offers enterprises a simple, flexible and inexpensive alternative to traditional database systems. SimpleDB enables users to store and query data items via web services requests, and it boasts scalability, speed, minimal maintenance and Amazon services integration. As part of Amazon's EC2 offering, you can get started with SimpleDB for free.

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Pre-Buy The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PC for $39

Pre-Buy The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PC for $39

By Hadi Yanuar   21.48   Tidak ada komentar:

Green Man Gaming has rolled out one of the best offers we've ever seen for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC. The site is currently offering pre-purchases for $39, a healthy 35 percent discount from the role-playing game's standard $60 price.

Your copy of The Witcher 3 will be delivered by way of a key redeemable through The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red's own DRM-free platform GOG. Keys will be distributed prior to the game's release on May 19, allowing you to pre-load your copy.

Green Man Gaming's deal is the best around for the PC edition of The Witcher 3, but if you'd prefer to buy elsewhere, GOG and Steam are offering the game for $54. Console players, meanwhile, can pre-purchase The Witcher 3 for $54 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

After multiple delays, The Witcher 3 release date is May 19. However, since the game unlocks at 1 AM CET, that means people in the United States can actually start playing on May 18.

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10 Apps to Take Your Job Search Mobile

10 Apps to Take Your Job Search Mobile

By Hadi Yanuar   21.47   Tidak ada komentar:

Searching for a new career can feel like a full-time job, but with these 10 mobile apps, you can continue your job search on the go. And you won't be the only one. In 2014 Glassdoor found that 9 out of 10 people reported searching for a job on their mobile device. So trade in some time spent on Candy Crush and Instagram, and move your career forward with these apps.

Job Search - Simply Hired

Simply Hired's job search app brings job listings to your mobile device and allows you to search by industry, date, relevance, and more. It's a pretty straightforward app and offers most of the common features mentioned in this list of apps. You can track your job search process across devices and the app will let you use your LinkedIn profile to quickly create your resume. Once you set your resume up within the app, you can quickly apply to any job you find. Job Search also allows you to set up alerts for relevant job openings that fit your skills and experience.

Job Aware

JobAware connects you with Indeed's job listings and allows you to find and apply for jobs that fit your skills. You can apply directly through the app, and with the Auto Fill feature, the app will automatically populate your information into a job application. If you need to send a cover letter or attach a resume, you can use the Paste Doc feature to insert the documents directly into the job application. The app allows you to prioritize jobs with three categories, which includes dream jobs, second choice, and third choice. You can also track your progress for each job you apply to throughout the entire process. Another unique feature of Job Aware is that it can connect with your LinkedIn account, which means when you find an opening you are interested in, you can see if you know anyone who works at the company.

Ladders

Networking has become an integral part of job hunting, and leveraging your professional circle can help you find the right job and get in the door for an interview. At least, that's what Ladders intends to do by allowing you to search through job listings and refer friends and colleagues for jobs you think they would be a great fit for, and vice versa. The app will also recommend jobs you may be interested in based on your resume and experience. If you aren't interested in the job, you can choose to recommend someone in your network for the position instead. And, in theory, people in your network will refer you for other positions as well.

Zip Recruiter

If you're searching for a job, you've probably realized that there are a number of sites with available jobs. Zip Recruiter takes listings from Career Builder, Dice, SimplyHired, Monster, Glassdoor, Snagajob, and more. With all of the listings in one convenient place, you don't have to worry about missing any openings on another job board. Similar to other job search apps, you can connect to your LinkedIn account to upload your resume to apply for jobs directly within the app.

Monster 

Monster was one of the first online job boards back in the late 90's, and it sparked the future of the online job search. With the Monster app, you can quickly browse through the database of job openings by location, skills and more. The app will also send you push notifications of jobs that fit your skills and experience. Another unique feature with Monster's job search app is the capability to communicate directly with recruiters in the Message Center. You can also upload cover letters and your resume directly from Dropbox as well as manage your Monster job seeker account.

Switch 

Switch is considered the Tinder of job searching, and for good reason. Much like the popular dating app, Switch lets you swipe left or right on job openings the same way they would swipe left or right on potential suitors. What makes it even more like Tinder, is that hiring managers on Switch can swipe left or right on potential applicants as well. When a match is made, an email is sent introducing the two parties so they can set up a time to chat. The app also condenses information about the job and the job seeker, so that it is easier for users to make quick judgements about the position or job seeker. Your identity, such as name and location, are kept private until there is a match, then the hiring manager will be able to see your name and photo. The app also syncs with LinkedIn, so you can get your resume up and start swiping.

Career Builder

Career Builder's app offers much of what the other apps on this list bring to the table. Whether that's location-based search, filtering by date posted or searching by salary range, you can easily tailor your job search to your needs. One unique aspect of Career Builder's app is that you can choose to have push notifications sent whenever an employer looks at your resume and profile. That is valuable information for any job seeker and it can help you prioritize certain companies and job listings. You can also quickly apply to jobs within the app, save them for later, or email yourself a link to the job listing.

Dice

Dice is a well-established resource for anyone searching for a job in the technology industry. With the website's app, you have access to Dice's job database in the palm of your hand. You can filter jobs by location and you can also set up new job alerts so you can be the first to apply to new openings. If you find a job worth applying to, you can quickly access your resume and cover letter via Dropbox or Google Drive. The app also lets you save multiple resumes on file so the next time you want to apply within the app, your resume will be ready to go.

LinkedIn Job Search 

LinkedIn is a popular resource for networking, but the company also supplies job listings and, if you're already active on the site, it offers an easy way to quickly apply to jobs. Your LinkedIn profile is essentially your digital resume, and some companies allow you to apply with just the click of a button. LinkedIn offers two apps, one for the networking aspect, and a separate job search app so you can focus on applying, rather than the social side of its service. The app lets you filter by location, distance, company, industry and experience, which makes it easy to find the right fit. It also indicates which jobs let you apply directly with your LinkedIn profile, saving you a few steps in the process.

Glassdoor

Glassdoor offers something unique over other job search sites -- reviews directly from current and past employees. The site also includes data on salary ranges for specific positions and general ratings of different aspects of the company. Taking a new job is a big commitment, and you might find that the culture or job description doesn't fit the impression you got in the interview. Or maybe there were questions you were uncomfortable asking during the interview process. With Glassdoor, you can read reviews from other employees about their experience to help gage if it's the right fit for you. You might want to take some reviews with a grain of salt, but reading through enough of them can give you a pretty good impression of how the company operates. If you've been burned by company culture or politics in the past, this might be the best app for you. Not to mention, the salary data can help you with your negotiation.

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Dota 2 Compendium Raises $4 Million Prize Pool Overnight

Dota 2 Compendium Raises $4 Million Prize Pool Overnight

By Hadi Yanuar   21.42   Tidak ada komentar:

Valve has released the 2015 Compendium to its annual Dota 2 tournament The International last night, and proceeds from its sales have already raised the championship’s overall prize pool to more than $4 million.

First introduced in 2013, the Compendium is a digital interactive program for the competition, where you can keep track of the different teams and make predictions. Each Compendium costs $10, and each sale raises the prize pool by $2.50. As the prize pool grows and hits its stretch goals, more rewards unlock for all Compendium owners and, in some cases, all players. When the Compendium hits $4.5 million, for example, Valve will add new loading screens to the game.

Leveling up your Compendium by using it and completing special challenges will reward you with Battle Point and different items. You can also just buy points to level up, and 25 percent of those sales will also add to the overall prize pool.

Last year, the Compendium helped drive the total prize pool to over $10 million, making it the largest purse for any eSports event in history.

Valve sold tickets to the 2015 International in two waves of 10,000 tickets in late March, both of which sold out in less than 10 minutes.

This year's International takes place August 3-8 at KeyArena in Seattle, WA, the city that's hosted the last three tournaments.

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How Additive Manufacturing Is Making Injection Molding Cooler

How Additive Manufacturing Is Making Injection Molding Cooler

By Hadi Yanuar   21.41   Tidak ada komentar:

Plastic part manufacturers are always looking for ways to reduce cycle time and get more productivity out of their injection molding machinery. One of the longstanding constraints in injection molding production has been cooling time. Removing parts from the mold before they have cooled induces warping or shrinking. But wait time works against productivity.

Another constraint has been cooling channels drilled straight through the metal blocks of injection molds using CNC machining. While coolant is passed through the channels to cool the mold and draw heat away from the part after it has been injected, the efficiency of that cooling process is limited by the conventional straight-line drilling that's used for the channels.

But if those cooling channels could more closely conform to the shape of the part, the cooling process could become more efficient and faster. According to Tober Sun, manager for the technical research division at software provider Moldex3D, a typical production cycle for a plastic part is 30 seconds to a minute, but cooling takes more than half of that cycle time.

Moldex 3D is a design and simulation software developer that offers a conformal cooling design tool for plastic injection molding part designers who are using additive manufactured molds for part production. (Source: Moldex 3D) Moldex 3D is a design and simulation software developer that offers a conformal cooling design tool for plastic injection molding part designers who are using additive manufactured molds for part production. (Source: Moldex 3D)

Thus, he says conformal cooling has emerged as a practice, which is being aided by advances in additive manufacturing. With a conformal cooling channel design, the toolmaker can use an additive process to lay down the mold one layer at a time, fashioning the cooling channels along the way and curving them to any desired shape.

According to plastics consultant Robert A. Beard, “a typical cycle-time reduction range for a properly engineered, conformally cooled mold is 20% to 40%.” Such savings can lead to much greater productivity, especially in high-volume plants producing millions of parts.

MORE FROM DESIGN NEWS: Injection Molding Adapts to a More Interconnected World

Many industry observers associate conformal cooling with laser sintering, in which a solid object is printed by melting metallic powder using lasers. Sun told Design News that he prefers the broader term “additive manufacturing,” because of the widespread perception that sintered molds are not as strong as machined molds.

“It's not really sintering anymore. I prefer to call it remelting,” as it produces a solid metal object, he said. Sun stresses that additive manufacturing technologies are now handling very strong and durable materials, such as stainless steel and titanium, which compete well with machined molds. “Strength is no longer an issue,” he contended.

Sun recognizes that the added design effort and the use of additive technologies will increase the cost of mold development. But injection molds are expensive to start with, as they usually cost anywhere from $30,000 up to $1 million. The true economic concern shouldn't be the comparative cost of conformal molds versus traditional molds, Sun insists, but the trade-off between the added cost of the conformal mold versus the savings in cooling time on the production line. “The mold is quite unique and expensive, but you are using that single mold to make millions of parts. So it's important to increase the efficiency of that mold.”

Moldex3D makes one of the simulation solutions that designers are using to create molds with conformal channels. The company's Moldex3D Designer solution includes a Cooling Channel Design (CCD) module.

Such applications aren't simple by any means, as cooling channel design is an optimization task with a multitude of factors to consider: the shape of the part; the temperature of the plastic; the speed of the coolant; and the thermal characteristics of the mold, the plastic, and the coolant -- not to mention the amount of cooling time the manufacturer is trying to shave off. CCD is said to allow the designer to enter a set of parameters and then generate an optimal conformal cooling design that can be edited and incorporated into the larger injection tooling design.

Al Bredenberg is a writer, analyst, consultant, and communicator. He writes about technology, design, innovation, management, and sustainable business, and specializes in investigating and explaining complex topics. He holds a master's degree in organization and management from Antioch University New England. He has served as an editor for print and online content and currently serves as senior analyst at the Institute for Innovation in Large Organizations.

Design engineers, New England's premier design and manufacturing event, Design & Manufacturing New England, will take place in Boston, May 6-7, 2015. A Design News event, Design & Manufacturing New England is your chance to meet qualified suppliers, get hands-on with the latest technologies, be informed, and expand your network.

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Windows Server 2003 End of Life Poses Hurdles for Businesses

Windows Server 2003 End of Life Poses Hurdles for Businesses

By Hadi Yanuar   21.40   Tidak ada komentar:

Sixty-one percent of companies have at least one instance of Windows Server 2003 running within their environment, representing millions of installations across both physical and virtualized infrastructures, according to a recent survey of 1,300 business and IT professionals conducted by Spiceworks.

According to the survey results, companies are allocating an average of $60,000 for use in migration-related projects.

That adds up to $100 billion in spending on migration-related spending on technology, including new hardware, software, cloud-based solutions, and associated services, Spiceworks said.

"After July 14, 2015, Microsoft will no longer release patches for WS2003, essentially leaving the OS defenseless against new threats – and hackers are well aware of this," Peter Tsai, IT content manager at Spiceworks, told eWEEK. "Companies that use WS2003 after the deadline need to know that the bad guys will stockpile exploits that will be unleashed after the end of life date. Being in a vulnerable state with your sensitive information is not a good place for a company to be."

The survey found a majority of IT professionals have started the migration process in advance of the July 14 deadline.

Fifteen percent of respondents have fully migrated their environment while 48 percent have partially migrated and 28 percent remain in the planning stages.

Eight percent of IT professionals have no plans to migrate at all, and of those who plan to keep Windows Server 2003 after end of life, 85 percent cited concerns with security vulnerability, 72 percent were concerned with software compatibility, and 66 percent cited concerns with compliance risks.

Fifty-six percent of respondents indicated they are moving to the latest version of Windows Server. Of these respondents, 39 percent said they are doing so for software standardization and ease of management;37 percent said they already own Windows Server 2012 licenses, 37 percent cited features and functionality, and 36 percent are seeking additional virtualization capabilities.

Seventy-four percent of IT professionals who are either fully, partially, or planning to migrate, plan to move applications currently running on Windows Server 2003 to a virtualized environment.

Of those, 34 percent plan to move applications from a physical to a new virtual environment while 31 percent will be moving applications from a physical to an existing virtualized server.

Nearly a quarter (23 percent) plan to move their applications from an existing virtualized server to another existing virtualized server, and 22 percent plan to move applications from an existing virtualized server to a new virtualized server.

Respondents also cited plans to purchase hardware and software as part of the migration process.

Thirty percent of respondents plan to purchase new physical servers and operating systems, and 16 percent plan to purchase standalone server software for existing hardware. Only 12 percent of respondents plan to move to a cloud-based or hosted solution.

Twenty-two percent of IT professionals said they don’t plan to upgrade every system currently running Windows Server 2003, and those who are not planning to fully migrate their environment cite lack of time and budget constraints as key barriers to full migration.

"While the real solution is to migrate away from Windows Server 2003, the big takeaway for holdouts is to prepare as much as possible so they’re not scrambling at the last minute to protect their network," Tsai said.

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Filiphine bans Dota 2 after Mutiple Murders

Filiphine bans Dota 2 after Mutiple Murders

By Hadi Yanuar   21.36   Tidak ada komentar:

A small village in the Philippines will no longer allow residents to play Defense of the Ancients following a series of violent incidents that culminated in two deadly stabbings.

As reported by the Filipino news site Inquirer.net, the village of Salawag chose to enact this Dota ban after government officials met with computer cafe owners and determined that the game was making their children more violent. In November, two teenagers were stabbed and killed after a fight involving the game, Salawag's village chief told Inquirer.net.

Defense of the Ancients, a Warcraft III mod, remains popular in the Philippines even as it has been trumped by popular successors like Dota 2 and League of Legends in North America and Europe.

"Dota's a really big game here in the Philippines, partly because of the presence of Internet cafes around almost every city and provincial district," says a Filipino Kotaku reader who asked that we not use his name. "Unfortunately, based on my personal observations, it seems that a lot of players here can be intense (really, to say the least)."

Intense enough that at least one small village felt the need to ban Dota completely. Here's the resolution they passed earlier this month:

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