Comparison of the characteristics of nine large data warehouse schemes

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Comparison of the characteristics of nine large data warehouse schemes

China Institute of Electronic Equipment Systems Engineering Wang Jiannu Lidompo


Powerful companies such as IBM, Oracle, Sybase, CA, NCR, Informix, Microsoft, and SAS have launched their own data warehousing solutions (through acquisitions or research and development). Professional software companies such as Bo and Brio also have a place in the front-end online analytical processing tools market. The following is an analysis and comparison of the performance and characteristics of these data warehousing solutions.

1.IBMIBM offers a suite of business intelligence (BI) solutions based on visual data warehouses, including visual Warehouse (VW), ESSBASE/DB2 OLAP Server 5.0, IBM DB2 UDB, and front-end data presentation tools (such as BO) and data mining tools (such as SAS) from third parties. The VW is a powerful integrated environment, which can be used for data warehouse modeling and metadata management, as well as for data extraction, transformation, loading and scheduling. ESSBASE/DB2 OLAP Server supports the definition of "dimension" and data loading. ESSBASE/DB2 OLAP server is not a ROLAP (relational OLAP) server, but rather a hybrid HOLAP server (ROLAP and MOLAP) that is stored in the system-specified DB2 after the essbase completes the data load UDB database.
Strictly speaking, IBM itself does not provide a complete data warehouse solution, the company is to take a partner strategy. For example, its front-end data presentation tools can be business Objects's Bo, lotus approach, Cognos Impromptu, or IBM's query Management facility; Multidimensional Analysis tools Support Arbor Software's Essbase and IBM (jointly developed with Arbor) DB2 OLAP server; the statistical analysis tool uses the SAS system.

The 2.oracleoracle Data warehousing solution consists of Oracle Express and Oracle Discoverer two parts. Oracle Express is made up of four tools: Oracle Express Server is a MOLAP (multidimensional OLAP) server that utilizes multidimensional models to store and manage multidimensional databases or multidimensional caches while also having access to multiple relational databases; Oracle The Express Web Agent supports web-based dynamic multidimensional data presentation through CGI or Web plug-ins; Oracle Express objects Front-End data analysis tools (currently supported only on Windows platforms) provide graphical modeling and hypothesis analysis capabilities, Support for visual development and event-driven programming techniques that provide a language compatible with Visual Basic syntax, which supports OCX and Ole;oracle Express Analyzer as a general-purpose, end-user-oriented reporting and analysis tool (currently supports only Windows platforms). The Oracle Discoverer Ad hoc query tool is designed specifically for end users and is divided into end-user and Administrator editions.
In the Oracle Data Warehouse solution implementation process, the summary data is usually stored in the Express multidimensional database, while the detailed data is stored in the Oracle relational database, and when detailed data is required, Express server accesses the relational database by constructing the SQL statement. However, the current express is not flexible enough, a change in data warehouse design often leads to the reconstruction of the database. In addition, the current level of integration between Oracle 8i and Express is not high enough, Oracle 8i and express need to replicate metadata, if Oracle Discoverer (or Bo) need to access the rollup data, It is difficult to maintain the summary data in both Oracle and Express. Notably, the Oracle 9i, which has just come out, is an important feature of OLAP and data mining.

3.sybasesybase provides a data warehousing solution called Warehouse Studio, including Data Warehouse modeling, data extraction and transformation, data storage and management, metadata management, and visualization of data analysis tools. Among them, Warehouse Architect is a design module in PowerDesigner, it supports star model, snowflake model and ER model, and data extraction and conversion tools include Powerstage, Replication Server, Carleton Passport,powerstage is a visual data migration tool provided by Sybase.

Adaptive Server Enterprise is a Sybase enterprise relational database, Adaptive Server IQ is a relational database designed by Sybase for data warehousing, optimized for high-performance decision support systems and data warehousing. Sybase IQ supports a variety of popular front-end presentation tools (such as Cognos Impromptu, Business Objects, Brio query, etc.); Data analysis and presentation tools include Powerdimensions, Englishwizard, Infomaker, PowerDynamo, and so on, Powerdimensions is a graphical OLAP analysis tool that supports SMP and multidimensional caching technology to integrate heterogeneous relational data warehouses and distributed data marts to form a single, new multidimensional model Data Warehouse maintenance and management tools include warehouse control Center, Sybase, distribution Director, warehouse Center is a metadata management tool that is provided for data warehousing developers.

Sybase provides a complete data warehousing solution Quick Start datamart with good performance and support for Third-party data presentation tools. It is easy to see from the name of Quick Start Datamart that it is especially suitable for data mart applications. In addition, Sybase can provide customer relationship management (CRM) products for 4 industries such as telecommunications, finance, insurance, and healthcare, where 80% of the features are common and 20% require Sybase to develop with partners for different needs.

4.informixinformix acquired the internationally renowned data warehouse supplier Red Brick system and data management software vendor ardent in 1998 and 1999, and provided a complete, integrated data warehousing solution. The solution also includes a "Quick Launch" consulting service to help users quickly complete the development of a data warehouse or data mart. Informix products can integrate Microsoft IIS or Netscape Enterprise/fasttrack servers to support web-based Data warehouse applications.
Informix did not provide its own reporting and data mining tools, but they established a strategic alliance with Brio and SAS and launched the Informix Business Intelligence Alliance program. The program is based on Informix, combined with Brio front-end data analysis and reporting functions, as well as SAS data mining function, formed a "BI Center" packaging solution.
(Informix software was acquired by IBM this April, a move that would give IBM database and data warehousing products a tremendous boost from technology and market share.) ）

5.CACA acquired the Platinum technology company in 1999, and received a complete data warehousing solution, including: Erwin Data Warehouse design tools, infopump data conversion and extraction tools, Infobeacon ROLAP server, Forest&trees front-end data presentation tools, provision system monitoring and job scheduling tools and decisionbase metadata management tools.
Similar to the Informix solution, the CA solution also provides data warehouse modeling, metadata management, data extraction and transformation, online analysis servers based on relational databases, system monitoring and job scheduling, front-end data presentation, and Web application support. The difference is that Informix provides a high-performance target database (Red Birck) specifically designed for the data Warehouse, while the CA solution provides an ODBC interface and stores the data in a Third-party relational database such as Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, Informix and IBM DB2, etc.), have some discounts on performance, but openness is better. In addition, the CA's OLAP server is currently integrated only with Microsoft's IIS Web server.

The 6.NCR teradatancr Teradata is the most powerful competitor in the high-end data warehousing market, running mainly on the UNIX operating system platform of NCR Worldmark SMP hardware. In 1998, the company also provided Windows NT based Teradata, an attempt to open up the Data Mart Market (Mart). In general, NCR's product performance is very good, the Teradata Data Warehouse in the 100GB, 300GB, 1TB and 3TB level of the Tpcd index Test record. However, the price of NCR products is relatively high, SMEs users are difficult to accept.

7.microsoftmicrosoft integrates OLAP functionality into Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and provides an extensible, COM-based OLAP interface. It supports data warehouse applications through a series of service programs. Data Transfer Service DTS (Transformation Services) provides input/output and automatic scheduling functions that enable data validation, cleaning, and conversion to be performed during the transfer process, through integration with Microsoft Repository, Share related metadata; Microsoft repository stores all intermediate data, including metadata; SQL Server OLAP Services supports online analytical processing; PivotTable Services provides client OLAP data access capabilities, With this service, developers can develop user front-end data presentation programs in VB or other languages, PivotTable services also allows data to be stored on local clients, and MMC (Microsoft Management Console) provides scheduling, storage management, Core management services for performance monitoring, alerting, and notification; Access and excel in the Microsoft Office 2000 suite are available as data presentation tools, and SQL Server also supports Third-party data presentation tools.

8.sassas Company in the 1970s with "statistical analysis" and "linear mathematical model" and reputation of the industry, after the 90, SAS also joined the Data Warehouse market competition, and provides a distinctive data warehouse solutions, including more than 30 dedicated modules. Among them, Sas/wa (Warehouse Administrator) is a data Warehouse integrated management tool, including the definition of theme, data conversion and summary, update summary data, metadata management, data mart implementation, etc. sas/ MDDB is a multidimensional database server that SAS uses for online analysis, SAS/AF provides screen design features and the SCL (screen control language) for development, and SAS/ITSV (IT service Vision) is the performance assessment and management software for IT services, These IT services include computer systems, network systems, Web servers, and telephony systems. The SAS system has the advantages of strong function, high performance and outstanding specialty, and the disadvantage is that the system is more complex.

9.Business objectsbusiness Objects (BO) is an intelligent decision support system which integrates query, report and OLAP technology. It uses the unique "semantic layer" technology and "dynamic micro-cube" technology to represent the multidimensional data in the database, it has better query and report function, provides multidimensional analysis technology such as drill-through (Drill), supports a variety of databases, and supports query, report and analysis decision based on web browser. Although Bo is constantly adding new features, in a strict sense, bo can only be regarded as a front-end tool. Perhaps because of this, almost all data warehousing solutions use Bo as an optional data presentation tool.
Although there are many universities and research institutions in the country engaged in data warehouse technology research, but so far, there is basically no mature data warehouse solutions.