SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse

Scale out with Parallel Data Warehouse

Overview

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (previously code named project "Madison") is a highly scalable appliance that delivers performance at low cost through a massively parallel processing (MPP).

Key Features

Data warehouse scalability into the petabyte range
Low cost of ownership through industry standard hardware
Appliance model simplifies deployment and maintenance
Integrates with existing SQL Server 2008 data warehouses via hub-and-spoke architecture
Greater ROI from BI investments through integration with SQL Server 2008
Reduced risk through use of redundant, industry standard hardware
Balanced reference architectures deliver predictable performance
Better agility and business alignment through hub and spoke architecture

Scale out with SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse

A SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse MPP appliance acts as an enterprise “hub” that publishes data as needed to various business units or departments (spokes). For dedicated high performance requirements, individual business units can redeploy SQL Server 2008 data marts, or deploy their own Parallel Data Warehouse appliances, as spokes.

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Scale Your Data Warehouse from Terabytes to Petabytes

SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse is a highly scalable appliance for enterprise data warehousing. It is the next step in the evolution of the data warehouse appliance created by DATAllegro. SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse uses massively parallel processing (MPP) to deliver the high performance and scalability on SQL Server 2008, Windows Server® 2008 and industry-standard hardware. The MPP architecture helps enable better scalability, better and more predictable performance, reduced risk and a lower cost per terabyte than other DW solutions.

Improve Performance at a Lower Price per Terabyte

In symmetric multi-processing (SMP) architecture, query processing occurs entirely within one physical instance of a database. CPU, memory and storage impose physical limits upon speed and scale. A SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse MPP data warehouse appliance partitions large tables across multiple physical nodes, each node having dedicated CPU, memory and storage, and each running its own instance of SQL Server, in a patented parallel design known as Ultra Shared Nothing™. SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse delivers improved performance through its unique design as follows:

All components are balanced against each other to reduce performance bottlenecks, and all server and storage components are mirrored for enterprise-class redundancy
A Control Node routes queries from applications to all Compute Nodes, then collects and returns the result
Because data is evenly distributed across multiple nodes and processing occurs in parallel, queries can be many times faster than on single SMP database servers

This architecture can cost less for several reasons:

Rather than relying on expensive proprietary processors or storage, SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse appliances use industry-standard hardware
As data volumes grow, scalability simply requires the addition of capacity to the appliance
There is no need for a “forklift upgrade” where the entire appliance must be upgraded

Parallel Data Warehouse Partners

Improve ROI of Existing BI Investments

Extract more value from existing BI investments through tight integration of SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse and Microsoft BI tools
Integrates with SQL Server technologies including Integration Services, Reporting Services and Analysis Services
Existing SMP data marts can be redeployed and “plugged in” to the MPP cluster as “spokes”, receiving data from the MPP “hub”

Appliance Model

Simplify data warehouse deployment and maintenance
SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse appliances include carefully balanced, pre-assembled hardware and software from leading hardware vendors
Significantly accelerates your time to value and reduces deployment costs

Deliver Predictable Performance

Through carefully balanced configuration, tight specifications and testing, the SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse MPP data warehouse appliance is designed to deliver predictable performance. Microsoft-designed reference configurations suit different usage scenarios, including reporting and ad hoc queries. Automated workload management and system resource balancing enable you to load data concurrently with queries, without sacrificing performance. As data grows and business needs change, Microsoft offers options to support more users performing different types of queries.

Better Agility and Business Alignment through Hub-and-Spoke

Using a true hub-and-spoke architecture, all enterprise data can be maintained on a SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse hub while departments or business units keep their existing data marts to suit their needs. High-speed data transfer relieves traditional barriers to hub and spoke. Power users can even deploy a dedicated MPP appliance as a “spoke” so they can autonomously manage resources, while IT can enforce enterprise standards across all data.

Additional Benefits

Automated storage management replaces complex space allocation
Available diagnostics detect and broadcast hardware issues
A management console provides a simple GUI interface and dashboard for tracking and resolving issues
Ultra-fast loading and high-speed backups reduce administration for even the largest data warehouses

Use a SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse MPP data warehouse appliance:

As an economical, high-performance enterprise data warehouse or data mart
As a platform for high scale Data Warehouses from terabytes to over 1 petabyte
As the hub of a hub-and-spoke EDW
To offload applications from an EDW for high-speed aggregation and queries
As long-term data storage in multi-tier data warehouses
As a subject-oriented data mart or sandbox for new analytic applications

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