Actian Newsletter - June 2011
Actian Company Update
June 2011
Dear Actian Customer,
Welcome to the second of our 2011 quarterly newsletters designed to keep you up to date with what's happening at Actian. Each edition is edited by a different member of the Actian Leadership Team. This approach will provide you with a rounded perspective of the company as well as our products and services. In this issue, Actian Engineering takes its turn.
Since the publication of the last newsletter the Engineering Team has achieved a number of significant milestones:
- Vectorwise now holds the TPC-H benchmark record for 300 GB and 1000 GB in addition to the 100 GB record announced earlier this year.
- Ingres 10 is now available for 64-bit Microsoft Windows, enabling Ingres users to manage significantly larger data volumes on the Windows platform.
- Vectorwise 1.5 for Linux, the version used for the 100 GB TPC-H benchmark, is now generally available.
- Vectorwise 1.6 is now available as a beta for 64-bit Windows.
- OpenROAD 5.1 is now available on 32-bit Windows, Solaris and AIX.
- We conducted a hugely successful Code Sprint in the UK.
In this edition we present a couple of opportunities for you to help shape the roadmap for future Ingres and OpenROAD releases by providing your input into our product planning process.
We recently launched SkyInsight, a managed service built on Actian Vectorwise, providing high performance analytics in the Cloud. For details, see SkyInsight.
Delivering on our promise of affordable high performance analytics, Actian and Jaspersoft have collaborated to provide a free trial software package that combines the Jaspersoft 4 Enterprise BI Suite and the Vectorwise analytic database. For details, see Jasper VM Powered by Vectorwise.
If you have any questions about this newsletter, or items that you would like to see covered in a future edition, we encourage you to contact us at newsletter-feedback@actian.com.
Warm regards,
Emma K. McGrattan
SVP, Engineering
Product Planning Survey
As we complete our product roadmap and finalize plans for our next product releases, we want to offer you an opportunity to provide your input. We've assembled the following questionnaire to gain a better understanding of your requirements and plans as they relate to our products:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IngresOpenROADPlanning
We would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete this brief survey and share your views about where you would like to see our products develop so that they match your needs. As always, we value your input and look forward to sharing our product roadmap with you in the near future.
New Features Discussion at the UK IUA
At this year's UK IUA we conducted a "New Features Vote." Bill Maimone, SVP and Chief Architect, and Director of Engineering, Teresa King, did a great job of fielding suggestions, exploring ideas, and documenting the results, which you can read and comment on at UK IUA 2011 Actian Products Future Features Vote.
Product Updates
SkyInsight
Last month we announced the launch of SkyInsight, a managed service providing high performance analytics in the Cloud. Built on Vectorwise, SkyInsight enables companies to derive business insight from data without the overhead associated with typical data analysis and BI projects. Despite the on-demand and self-service attributes of the Cloud, business users continue to face the challenge of uploading data, updating it, and building reports before they glean any insight from their data.
SkyInsight is a highly secure managed service designed to remove these barriers by putting best-of-breed tools in the hands of data management experts who know exactly how to maximize business value in the shortest time.
Jasper VM Powered by Vectorwise
We recently collaborated with Jaspersoft, maker of the world's most widely used business intelligence (BI) software, to produce Jaspersoft VM powered by Vectorwise, a free trial software package that combines the Jaspersoft 4 Enterprise BI Suite and the Vectorwise analytic database. With this offer, business intelligence professionals can access and analyze complex data at the speed of thought.
The 30-day trial download provides full access to the complete commercial version of the Jaspersoft Business Intelligence Suite and Vectorwise. It is available on the Jaspersoft Downloads page.
Ingres 10
We are happy to announce that since our last update we have delivered Ingres 10 for 64-bit Windows as well as an Ingres 10 AMI for deployment in the Amazon Cloud. Go to http://www.actian.com/downloads/ingres for the latest Ingres releases.
The Ingres Geospatial Option
We are committed to delivering the Ingres Geospatial Option to the market before the end of this year. The Ingres Geospatial Option will be certified for use with the most popular Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. Any Ingres users who want to help us test this product, contact info@actian.com for further details.
OpenROAD 5.1
In the last newsletter we announced the impending release of OpenROAD 5.1, which adds significant new XML capabilities to the product. Since then we have released versions of OpenROAD 5.1 for Windows, Solaris and AIX that are available for download on ESD. For details regarding the features in OpenROAD 5.1, visit http://community.actian.com/wiki/Ingres_Roadmap/OpenROAD_5.1.
Vectorwise 1.6
Vectorwise 1.6, the database that was used to deliver the 1 TB, 300 GB, and the latest 100 GB TPC-H benchmark records, is due to be released June 30. This database version will also be available on Windows later this summer.
Version 1.6 takes the first steps to implement the ANSI SQL analytic functions. In addition to this, numerous smaller improvements were made, such as support for scrollable cursors to further simplify a Vectorwise implementation.
Services and Support
Upcoming End of Life Dates
As a reminder, Actian Corporation formally announced the end of Actian Enterprise Support Services for the Ingres Database 9.1 product release for all platforms as of December 31, 2011. This release will join previous versions of Ingres releases as functionally stabilized with no further Enterprise Support Services. The already publicized dates can be viewed at http://www.actian.com/support-services/support#lifecycle.
We also announced the end of support for the Unixware platform, meaning there will be no further certifications of new OS releases for this platform. The final release for Unixware is Ingres 9.1.1.
If you have not already started to migrate to a newer release of the Ingres Database, please review the information and features for the 9.2 release (the next minor release in the 9.x series) or the recently announced Ingres Database 10.0 release. Ingres 10.0 is the latest release of the Ingres Database and continues the tradition of providing important new features to meet the demands of our customers and partners.
Please contact your local sales and services teams if you have questions about which version makes the most sense for you. A complete listing of Actian Corporation office numbers is provided at http://www.actian.com/about/worldwide-offices, or you can email us at http://www.actian.com/about/contact.
After Enterprise Support Services end, if you wish to continue contacting the Actian Support Services team regarding your 9.1 or older installation, you must have an Extended Support contract in place. Telephone and web-based services with Actian Enterprise Support Services staff will only be available for Ingres 9.1 and older releases if you purchase an Extended Support contract.
Zero Downtime Upgrade
To help expedite updating your system to a later supported release, Actian Services can assist you in getting your system upgraded quickly in the minimum time. One key migration offering is the Zero Downtime Upgrade.
Actian Services perform many successful upgrades every year by utilizing our experience, proven upgrade methodology, and a set of tools to ensure success. Using Actian High Volume Replicator, we can create a parallel upgrade environment that enables the go-live on a new platform (i.e., changing either Actian, the operating system, or both) to be achieved with no interruption to business services. This technology also ensures that the upgrade can be backed out just as quickly in the unlikely event of needing to return to the older version.
If you are interested in our Zero Downtime Upgrade service, contact us at services@actian.com. For more information about Actian Services offerings, see http://www.actian.com/support-services/services.
Upcoming Education
| Introduction to the Ingres Product and Ingres SQL |
20-Jun, Melbourne, Australia |
| Ingres 1-Day Overview |
20-Jun, Melbourne, Australia |
| OpenROAD Application Development and Maintenance |
20-Jun, Slough, UK |
| OpenROAD 1-Day Overview |
20- Jun, Slough, UK |
| Introduction to the Ingres Product and Ingres SQL |
11-Jul, NY, USA |
| Ingres 1-Day Overview |
11-Jul , NY, USA |
| Managing Ingres Installations and Databases |
18-Jul, NY, USA |
| Introduction to the Ingres Product and Ingres SQL |
18-Jul, Slough, UK |
| Ingres 1-Day Overview |
18-Jul, Slough, UK |
| Ingres Database for Oracle DBAs |
26-Jul, Slough, UK |
| Introduction to the Ingres Product and Ingres SQL |
08-Aug, Langen , Germany |
| Ingres 1-Day Overview |
08-Aug, Langen , Germany |
| Get Started With Ingres Vectorwise |
18-Aug, Langen , Germany |
| OpenROAD Application Development and Maintenance |
22-Aug, Langen , Germany |
| OpenROAD 1-Day Overview |
22-Aug, Langen , Germany |
| Ingres Database for Oracle DBAs |
22-Aug, Redwood City, USA |
Promotional Programs
Do you need summertime DBA coverage?
For a limited time, Actian Services are offering a Remote Database Administration service in three-month increments. Remote DBA is usually offered only as an annual service, so this is a great opportunity to get the coverage you need during summer vacation or holidays. Discover how beneficial an extra set of hands can be. The service is tailored to your specific needs and priced competitively. To learn more, contact services@Actian.com.
Events
5th Annual UK Code Sprint
The Ingres and OpenROAD engineering teams, together with members of the Actian Community, conducted a weekend Code Sprint to coincide with the UK IUA Conference. This was our fifth UK code sprint where professional and amateur developers worked shoulder to shoulder on a series of small development projects. It was a fun and very productive event that saw many new features added to both Ingres and OpenROAD.
Emma McGrattan, SVP of Engineering, and Joe Kronk, Senior Architect, presented the results of the Code Sprint at the UK IUA. Check www.uk-iua.org.uk for a copy of the presentation. Details of the features developed at the event will also be available on the community wiki.
User Group Events
The UK Actian User Association's Annual Conference took place in London on June 7. As always the agenda was packed with interesting sessions, which will soon be available online at http://www.uk-iua.org.uk/. Next year's UK IUA Conference will take place on June 12, 2012, so mark your calendar now and stay tuned to www.uk-iua.org.uk for details.
The German IUA's Annual Conference will take place in Düsseldorf on September 12-13. The event includes a full day of sessions followed by a one-day Vectorwise workshop. Details about the event can be found at http://www.giua.de/konferenzen/2011.html.
Providing Feedback
If you have questions about this newsletter, or items that you would like to see covered in a future edition, we encourage you to contact us at newsletter-feedback@actian.com.