BIAnalytix Tip Summary: Microsoft’s Parallel Data Warehouse

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (previously known as project “Madison") is the result of Microsoft’s 2008 purchase of the company DATAllegro. The Technology Preview was available in late 2009 and the full version became available for purchase in November 2010. SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (or PDW) is a highly scalable appliance that delivers performance at low cost through massively parallel processing (MPP).

When a media organization’s data volumes approach the tens to hundreds of terabytes of data a PDW appliance solution can help improve ETL and other complex query processing times dramatically. Rather than relying on a single processor or even multiple (usually four) multi-core processors working on ETL in a single instance of SQL Server, the PDW appliance uses one control node to manage a practically infinite number of compute nodes, all running their own instance of SQL in a “shared nothing” environment. The control node passes work to each compute node and then streams their various answers back to the user. By working in parallel on small pieces of a complex problem the PDW is able to get final results much more quickly than a traditional multi-processor server.

Depending on the brand of disks used in the storage arrays a 40 node system, occupying between 4 and 5 server racks in the data center (again, based on brand choice) can store a maximum of between 180 and 400 terabytes of data. One exciting aspect of the PDW is that a 40 node appliance is not necessary a starting point. The PDW can be expanded by starting small and simply adding compute nodes to the architecture as needed. The performance improvements are nearly linear when adding new compute nodes, as opposed to the rapidly diminishing return of performance found in traditional servers when scaling up with additional processors, disks, and memory.

BIAnalytix an advanced Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence system that utilizes the current Microsoft SQL Server BI stack to deliver timely, actionable intelligence to business users. Cutting edge technologies like Microsoft’s PDW are exciting additions to the BIAnalytix tool set.

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