INDUSTRY

Netezza delivers record-breaking analytic performance on largest semantic graph search: Netezza Corporation today announced that its Netezza Performance Server appliance has performed a groundbreaking data analysis calculation with important potential applications in national defense. Netezza’s innovative data management appliance was evaluated by computer scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as part of a partnership to develop a platform for the rapid management and analysis of very large data sets for international and homeland defense. Netezza’s system uses a data-intensive rather than traditional compute-intensive approach. Netezza’s data management appliance, a massively parallel data analytic system, was evaluated by searching a massive semantic graph used to determine relationships between objects by storing nodes (the object) and how they link to other objects (an edge). Semantic graphs are an important technology for analyzing relationships in large data sets. The graph contained 300 billion edges and 11 billion nodes, the largest known graph search to date. A similar calculation by LLNL scientists last year was a finalist for the prestigious Gordon Bell Prize. Computer scientists ran level-set expansion, and bi-directional, breadth-first search against the data. More than 90 percent of the searches were completed in less than five minutes, demonstrating Netezza’s ability to scale for managing and analyzing the largest data sets. These types of calculations have traditionally been conducted on very large and complex systems, but can now be executed on an appliance that is easy to deploy, maintain and use. “We’re looking for simplicity and scalability,” said John Johnson, a LLNL computer scientist. “The ability to rapidly retrieve, manage and analyze large data sets is critical to our missions in global security and national defense.” “To have our partner LLNL evaluate the Netezza system and produce such dramatic results validates that our appliance approach easily handles the high-volume, complex analytics that government agencies need to quickly analyze and identify relationships,” said Steve Williams, vice president and general manager of Netezza’s Federal Division. “We look forward to working with LLNL to identify new opportunities for the unique capabilities of our system.” The Netezza Performance Server data management appliance is built specifically to analyze terabytes of detailed data 10 to 100 times faster than existing options, at half the cost. The NPS system stores, filters and processes terabytes of records within a single unit, analyzing only the relevant information for each query. Netezza has placed the CPU power next to the data, allowing the NPS system to speed through processes that would occupy most data management systems for hours, or even days, thereby enabling dramatic increases in productivity across the organization. Customers who have recognized the benefits of Netezza’s approach include Amazon.com, Cingular Wireless, CNET Networks, Department of Veterans Affairs, Orange UK and the United States Navy.