Leading Edge R&D:

BILLION RECORDS + COMPLEX QUERIES = SUB-SECOND RESPONSES

Sub-second responses to complex queries on billion-records databases are possible. Try it for yourself. Go to www.billionrecords.com.

Dallas-based WhamTech Inc has established billionrecords.com as a separate site for companies and individuals to test for themselves the capabilities of the Thunderbolt Open Database Engine^TM (ODE), a high-performance, relational very large database (VLDB) technology that can manage data and queries at near real-time speeds.

WhamTech recently announced real-time indexes that allow hundreds to tens of thousands of records per second to be added to a VLDB and simultaneously allow complex queries by a large number of users.

Now, WhamTech has developed a technology enhancement to Thunderbolt called the complex query processing accelerator, and according to Gavin Robertson, chief technology officer, this enhancement proves to deliver sub-second responses on a billion-records database.

"It's a major breakthrough, not only for WhamTech, but also for the way data and information can be managed, especially in combination with our real-time indexes," Robertson said. "As a result, we're making it easy for anyone to test the accelerator for themselves. Our online database is live, with data tables and with no special indexes or data warehouse techniques. It's relatively simple -- a single table -- but it illustrates how Thunderbolt can meet customers' needs. WhamTech will enhance the demonstration over time."

"Thunderbolt ODE's primary advantage is its ability to bring high performance to demanding data and information situations; the larger and more complex the data and information challenge is, the more suited is Thunderbolt to the task," Robertson said.

Such high performance is possible because of Thunderbolt's unique index-and-query system, which merges two binary-level technologies into one, extremely fast system:

• Balanced binary tree indexes that scale to multibillions of records and multiterabytes of data, and immediately rebalance after any insert, update or delete; and 2. Integer-list and bitmap result-set representations of record numbers that can be used "as is" for simple queries or combined using Boolean operations for complex queries.

"We aren't aware of any other company that has successfully implemented the combination of both technologies," Robertson added. "So although Thunderbolt is a fully functioning relational database technology with all the usual database functions, it is different in its indexing techniques. That's what sets it apart from other database technologies."

Thunderbolt ODE can be used as a stand-alone database engine, or it can be used to complement existing transactional systems, such as an active or real-time data warehouse with simultaneous real-time indexing and complex query processing. Primary applications include data warehousing, data processing, as a source for business intelligence, customer relationship management and reporting applications, enterprise search and wireless embedded support.

Designed for a Microsoft Windows platform, porting also can be made available to other platforms, including IBM AIX, Linux and Sun Solaris. In addition, Thunderbolt ODE offers the capacity to accommodate an unlimited number of tables as well as multiple databases.

The base price for Thunderbolt ODE is $20,000 per CPU. And because it requires up to 90 percent less hardware that other database solutions, the total cost of ownership (TCO) is very low.

About WhamTech

Founded in l998, WhamTech Inc is a privately held technology company that develops breakthrough database-related products and technologies designed for enterprise-scale database and search systems. WhamTech's VLDB technology offers an extremely high performance-to-cost ratio, running on off-the-shelf servers, enabling simultaneous real-time updates and complex queries by a disproportionately large number of users. Customers currently include Affiliated Computer Services, SCA Promotions and Garage Operator Inc, among others.

WhamTech's primary markets include financial services, telecommunications, retail, transportation, and utilities - any business that needs to query and/or report on very large volumes of data. The company's products are distributed via original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), a growing network of integration services firms, and value-added resellers (VARs). Web site: www.whamtech.com.

Contact Michael A. Burns & Associates Inc, Dallas, Craig McDaniel, 214-521-8596, cmcdaniel@mbapr.com.