Oracle Ships NoSQL Database

According to Marie-Anne Neimat, vice president of database development at Oracle, the Oracle NoSQL database is ideally suited for applications that have dynamic schema requirements that change rapidly versus the more structured schemas associated with standard SQL database platforms. Examples of those applications include Web log data, sensor and smart meter data, data gathered for personalization services, and other data maintained by social networks.

The key-value data model used in Oracle NoSQL, which is built on top of a Berkeley database technology, also provides a more efficient mechanism for storing data in a flexible format that scales linearly, which Neimat says suits applications that need to be rapidly deployed and constantly updated, or generate a lot of online transactions.

Oracle is also including a set of open programming interfaces for its NoSQL database, as well as a Web-based management console, and plans to make both commercial and community editions of its NoSQL database available, said Neimat.

Oracle in the first quarter of 2012 will also deliver a new Oracle Big Data Appliance based on Sparc processors that is optimized for running the Oracle NoSQL Database and Oracle’s other Big Data technologies such as Hadoop. As part of that effort, Neimat says that support for the R programming language will be built into its Hadoop offering and Oracle will soon roll out a Hadoop Loader for Oracle tool that will simplify the transferring of data between Hadoop and Oracle databases.

Ultimately, Neimat says Oracle plans to deliver a range of database platforms to support a range of applications. These applications will all need to be managed within the construct of a common framework that is accessible to database administrators who need to manage SQL and NoSQL database platforms alongside each other.