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May 31 2024

How To Data Model – Real Life Examples Of How Companies Model Their Data

How companies data model varies widely. They might say they use Kimball dimensional modeling. However, when you look in their data warehouse the only part you recognize is the word fact and dim. Over the past near decade, I have worked for and with different companies that have used various methods to capture this data.…
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May 31 2024

Actian Ingres Disaster Recovery

Most production Actian Ingres installations need some degree of disaster recovery (DR). Options range from shipping nightly database checkpoints to off-site storage locations to near real-time replication to a dedicated off-site DR site.

Actian Ingres enterprise hybrid database that ships with built-in checkpoint and journal shipping features which provide the basic building blocks for constructing low-cost, efficient DR implementations. One such implementation is IngresSync, which utilizes Actian Ingres’ native checkpoint/journal shipping and incremental roll-forward capabilities to implement a cost-effective DR solution.

IngresSync works on the concept of source and target Actian Ingres installations. The source installation is the currently active production environment. The target, or multiple targets if needed, kept current by an IngresSync job scheduled to execute on a user-defined interval. Each sync operation copies only journals created since the previous sync and applies those transactions to the targets. Checkpoints taken on the source node are automatically copied to and rolled forward on all targets.

Example

Suppose we have an environment where the production installation is hosted on node corp and we need to create two DR sites dreast and drwest.

The DR nodes each need:

An Ingres installation at the same version and patch level as corp
Passwordless SSH configured to and from the other nodes
Ingres/Net VNODE entries to the other nodes

To configure this environment, we must first designate the source and target hosts and apply the latest source checkpoint to the targets.

ingresSync --source=corp --target=dreast,drwest --database=corpdb --iid=II --ckpsync --restart

The two target installations are now synched with the source, and the target databases are in incremental rollforward (INCR_RFP) state. This state allows journals to be applied incrementally to keep the targets in sync with the source. Incremental rollforward is performed by:

ingresSync --hosts=corp,dreast,drwest --database=corpdb --iid=II --jnlsync

When executed, this will close the current journal on the source, copy new journals to the targets, and roll forward those journals to the targets. The journal sync step should be configured to execute at regular intervals using the system scheduler, such as cron. Frequent execution results in minimal sync delay between the source and targets.

The target installations at dreast and drwest are now in sync with the source installation at corp. Should the corp environment experience a hardware or software failure, we can designate one of the target nodes as the new source and direct client connections to that node. In this case, we’ll designate drwest as the new source and dreast will remain as a target (DR site).

ingresSync --target=drwest --database=corpdb --iid=II --incremental_done

This takes the drwest corpdb database out of incremental rollforward mode; the database will now execute both read and update transactions and is the new source. The dreast database is still in incremental rollforward mode and will continue to functioning as a DR target node.

Since the corp node is no longer available, the journal sync job must be started on either drwest or dreast. The journal sync job can be configured and scheduled to execute on all three nodes using the –strict flag. In this case, the job determines if it executes on the current source node; if so it will execute normally. If executing on a target, the job will simply terminate. This configuration allows synchronization to continue even as node roles change.

Once corp is back online it can be brought back into the configuration as a DR target.

ingresSync --source=drwest --target=corp --database=corpdb --iid=II --ckpsync --restart

At some point, we may need to revert to the original configuration with corp as the source. The steps are:

Terminate all database connections to drwest

Sync

corp

 with

drwest

 to ensure

corp

 is current
ingresSync --source=drwest --target=corp --database=corpdb --iid=II

--jnlsync

Reassign node roles

ingresSync --target=corp --database=corpdb --iid=II --incremental_done

ingresSync --source=corp --target=drwest --database=corpdb --iid=II

--ckpsync --restart

Summary

IngresSync is one mechanism for implementing a DR solution. It is generally appropriate in cases where some degree of delay is acceptable and the target installations have little or no database user activity. Target databases can be used for read only/reporting applications with the stipulation that incremental rollforwards cannot run while there are active database connections. The rollforward process will catch up on the first refresh cycle when there are no active database connections.

The main pros and cons of the alternative methods of delivering disaster recovery for Actian Ingres are outlined below:

Feature	Checkpoint Shipping	IngresSync	Replication
Scope	Database	Database	Table
Granularity	Database	Journal	Transaction
Sync Frequency	Checkpoint	User Defined	Transaction
Target Database	Read/Write(1)	Read Only	Read/Write(2)

Target database supports read and write operations but all changes are lost on the next checkpoint refresh.
Target database supports read and write operations but there may be update conflicts that require manual resolution.

Note: IngresSync currently runs on Linux and Microsoft Windows. Windows environments require the base Cygwin package and rsync.

The post Actian Ingres Disaster Recovery appeared first on Actian.

12 Key AI Patterns for Improving Data Quality (DQ)

AI is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think, learn, and make decisions. A typical AI system has five key building blocks [1]. 1. Data: Data is number, characters, images, audio, video, symbols, or any digital repository on which operations can be performed by a computer. 2. Algorithm: An algorithm […]

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Why Your Business Needs Data Modeling and Business Architecture Integration

In the contemporary business environment, the integration of data modeling and business structure is not only advantageous but crucial. This dynamic pair of documents serves as the foundation for strategic decision-making, providing organizations with a distinct pathway toward success. Data modeling provides organization to your facts, whereas business architecture defines the operational mechanisms of your […]

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Types of Databases, Pros & Cons, and Real-World Examples

Databases are the unsung heroes behind nearly every digital interaction, powering applications, enabling insights, and driving business decisions. They provide a structured and efficient way to store vast amounts of data. Unlike traditional file storage systems, databases allow for the organization of data into tables, rows, and columns, making it easy to retrieve and manage information. This structured approach coupled with data governance best practices ensures data integrity, reduces redundancy, and enhances the ability to perform complex queries. Whether it’s handling customer information, financial transactions, inventory levels, or user preferences, databases underpin the functionality and performance of applications across industries.

Types of Information Stored in Databases

Telecommunications: Verizon
Verizon uses databases to manage its vast network infrastructure, monitor service performance, and analyze customer data. This enables the company to optimize network operations, quickly resolve service issues, and offer personalized customer support. By leveraging database technology, Verizon can maintain a high level of service quality and customer satisfaction.

E-commerce: Amazon
Amazon relies heavily on databases to manage its vast inventory, process millions of transactions, and personalize customer experiences. The company’s sophisticated database systems enable it to recommend products, optimize delivery routes, and manage inventory levels in real-time, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers.

Finance: JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase uses databases to analyze financial markets, assess risk, and manage customer accounts. By leveraging advanced database technologies, the bank can perform complex financial analyses, detect fraudulent activities, and ensure regulatory compliance, maintaining its position as a leader in the financial industry.

Healthcare: Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic utilizes databases to store and analyze patient records, research data, and treatment outcomes. This data-driven approach allows the clinic to provide personalized care, conduct cutting-edge research, and improve patient outcomes. By integrating data from various sources, Mayo Clinic can deliver high-quality healthcare services and advance medical knowledge.

Types of Databases

The choice between relational and non-relational databases depends on the specific requirements of your application. Relational databases are ideal for scenarios requiring strong data integrity, complex queries, and structured data. In contrast, non-relational databases excel in scalability, flexibility, and handling diverse data types, making them suitable for big data, real-time analytics, and content management applications.

Image ⓒ Existek

1. Relational Databases

Strengths

Structured Data: Ideal for storing structured data with predefined schemas
ACID Compliance: Ensures transactions are atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable (ACID)
SQL Support: Widely used and supported SQL for querying and managing data

Limitations

Scalability: Can struggle with horizontal scaling
Flexibility: Less suited for unstructured or semi-structured data

Common Use Cases

Transactional Systems: Banking, e-commerce, and order management
Enterprise Applications: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems

Real-World Examples of Relational Databases

MySQL: Widely used in web applications like WordPress
PostgreSQL: Used by organizations like Instagram for complex queries and data integrity
Oracle Database: Powers large-scale enterprise applications in finance and government sectors
Actian Ingres: Widely used by enterprises and public sector like the Republic of Ireland

2. NoSQL Databases

Strengths

Scalability: Designed for horizontal scaling
Flexibility: Ideal for handling large volumes of unstructured and semi-structured data
Performance: Optimized for high-speed read/write operations

Limitations

Consistency: Some NoSQL databases sacrifice consistency for availability and partition tolerance (CAP theorem)
Complexity: Can require more complex data modeling and application logic
Common Use Cases

Big Data Applications: Real-time analytics, IoT data storage
Content Management: Storing and serving large volumes of user-generated content

Real-World Examples of NoSQL Databases

MongoDB: Used by companies like eBay for its flexibility and scalability
Cassandra: Employed by Netflix for handling massive amounts of streaming data
Redis: Utilized by X (formerly Twitter) for real-time analytics and caching
Actian Zen: Embedded database built for IoT and the intelligent edge. Used by 13,000+ companies
HCL Informix: Small footprint and self-managing. Widely used in financial services, logistics, and retail
Actian NoSQL: Object-oriented database used by the European Space Agency (ESA)

3. In-Memory Databases

Strengths
Speed: Extremely fast read/write operations due to in-memory storage
Low Latency: Ideal for applications requiring rapid data access

Limitations

Cost: High memory costs compared to disk storage
Durability: Data can be lost if not backed up properly

Common Use Cases

Real-Time Analytics: Financial trading platforms, fraud detection systems
Caching: Accelerating web applications by storing frequently accessed data

Real-World Examples of In-Memory Databases

Redis: Used by GitHub to manage session storage and caching
SAP HANA: Powers real-time business applications and analytics
Actian Vector: One of the world’s fastest columnar databases for OLAP workload

Combinations of two or more database models are often developed to address specific use cases or requirements that cannot be fully met by a single type alone. Actian Vector blends OLAP principles, relational database functionality, and in-memory processing, enabling accelerated query performance for real-time analysis of large datasets. The resulting capability showcases the technical versatility of modern database platforms.

4. Graph Databases

Strengths

Relationships: Optimized for storing and querying relationships between entities
Flexibility: Handles complex data structures and connections

Limitations

Complexity: Requires understanding of graph theory and specialized query languages
Scalability: Can be challenging to scale horizontally

Common Use Cases

Social Networks: Managing user connections and interactions
Recommendation Engines: Suggesting products or content based on user behavior

Real-World Examples of Graph Databases

Neo4j: Used by LinkedIn to manage and analyze connections and recommendations
Amazon Neptune: Supports Amazon’s personalized recommendation systems

Factors to Consider in Database Selection

Selecting the right database involves evaluating multiple factors to ensure it meets the specific needs of your applications and organization. As organizations continue to navigate the digital landscape, investing in the right database technology will be crucial for sustaining growth and achieving long-term success. Here are some considerations:

1. Data Structure and Type

Structured vs. Unstructured: Choose relational databases for structured data and NoSQL for unstructured or semi-structured data.
Complex Relationships: Opt for graph databases if your application heavily relies on relationships between data points.

2. Scalability Requirements

Vertical vs. Horizontal Scaling: Consider NoSQL databases for applications needing horizontal scalability.
Future Growth: For growing data needs, cloud-based databases offer scalable solutions.

3. Performance Needs

Latency: In-memory databases are ideal for applications requiring high-speed transactions, real-time data access, and low-latency access.
Throughput: High-throughput applications may benefit from NoSQL databases.

4. Consistency and Transaction Needs

ACID Compliance: If your application requires strict transaction guarantees, a relational database might be the best choice.
Eventual Consistency: NoSQL databases often provide eventual consistency, suitable for applications where immediate consistency is not critical.

5. Cost Considerations
Budget: Factor in both initial setup costs and ongoing licensing, maintenance, and support.
Resource Requirements: Consider the hardware and storage costs associated with different database types.

6. Ecosystem and Support

Community and Vendor Support: Evaluate the availability of support, documentation, and community resources.
Integration: Ensure that the database can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems and applications.

Databases are foundational to modern digital infrastructure. By leveraging the right database for the right use case, organizations can meet their specific needs and leverage data as a strategic asset. In the end, the goal is not just to store data but to harness its full potential to gain a competitive edge.

The post Types of Databases, Pros & Cons, and Real-World Examples appeared first on Actian.

Automation and AI: Achieving Success Within IaaS

Within the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) industry, the adoption of advanced automation technology into data center operations marks a key shift in the technological transformation of IaaS. For data centers aiming to maximize efficiency and minimize human error, implementing advanced automation is a step toward achieving incomparable responsiveness and scalability. In this constantly evolving […]

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The Duality of Ideas: Multiplication and Execution

Ideas are the seeds that blossom into groundbreaking products, services, and solutions. The belief that “ideas are like rabbits” is a long embraced one, it celebrates the notion that the more ideas one generates, the greater the potential for breakthroughs. However, Apple founder and innovator, Steve Jobs astutely observed, the mere abundance of ideas can also breed a dangerous “disease” – the misguided belief that a brilliant concept alone is sufficient for success, without the arduous journey of execution.

The metaphor of ideas as rabbits captivates, conjuring up images of rapid multiplication and boundless potential and just as rabbits are known for prolific breeding (breeding like rabbits), ideas can have the capacity to spawn new thoughts, concepts, and perspectives at an astonishing rate in specific circumstances and in the company of specific audiences.

Idea proliferation through ‘brainstorming’ is often celebrated in creative circles, where such sessions and ideation workshops are designed to unleash a torrent of possibilities, each one building upon the last.

Author and entrepreneur James Altucher eloquently captures this sentiment in his book “Choose Yourself,” stating, “Ideas are the multiplicative force that allows a human to combine, recombine, and create new ideas from old ideas.” This concept also resonates with the concept of “idea sex,” a process of combining existing ideas to generate novel ones attributed to Science writer, Matt Ridley first came up with the concept in 2010 writing a book on the subject called The Rational Optimist as well as speaking at a TED talk under the theory of “Ideas have sex” espoused at the “blue-sky thinking” conference.

Apple’s Steve Jobs also cautioned, that the unbridled multiplication of ideas can lead to a dangerous pitfall – the “disease of thinking that a really great idea is 90% of the work.” So the rabbits metaphor plays in this space again. Overbreeding rabbits can lead to various health issues and diseases for both the mother rabbits and their offspring. Diseases like pregnancy toxemia, uterine cancer, mastitis, exhaustion and malnutrition. For the offspring there is the risk of genetic defects, and weakened immunity.

A Jobs Stanford commencement speech emphasized the immense effort required to transform even the most brilliant idea into a tangible, successful product or service.”There’s a huge gulf,” he proclaims, “between a great idea and its ultimately becoming a phenomenal success in the real world.”

Jobs understood that the path from conception to realization is fraught with challenges, requiring relentless problem-solving, teamwork, and a willingness to make countless tradeoffs and refinements along the way.

Such sentiment echo the words of renowned management consultant Peter Drucker, who described ideas as not dissimilar to babies, in that they need to be born and nurtured. Newborns requires constant care and attention to thrive, an idea must be meticulously cultivated, refined, and executed to reach its full potential.

Jobs warns against the “disease” as a false belief that simply having a great idea is enough – that the mere act of sharing or discussing a brilliant concept is tantamount to success. This misconception can lead to complacency, a lack of follow-through, and a failure to recognize the immense effort required to bring an idea to fruition.

In contrast, Jobs also championed a balanced approach, one that embraced the rapid multiplication of ideas while simultaneously recognizing the necessity of diligent execution. Understanding that true innovation lies not only in the generation of ideas but also in the ability to identify the most promising concepts and nurture them through a rigorous process of refinement, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Guy Kawasaki, author and speaker, states, “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” Akin to “ideas are cheap”. He also emphasizes the importance of execution, noting that even the most groundbreaking ideas are worthless without the dedication and perseverance required to bring them to life. The duality of ideas – their curated multiplication and the necessity of considered execution form the balance that product managers, designers and architects must consider.

So if your thinking is that “ideas are like rabbits” which do you celebrate? The boundless potential of human creativity, or the carefree strewing of concepts without due conisderation for the immense effort required to transform those ideas into tangible successes.

The true path to innovation lies not in the mere abundance of ideas but in the ability to identify the most promising ones and nurture them through a relentless pursuit of excellence, collaboration, and attention to detail per Jobs.

The “disease” of overvaluing ideas be cured, and the full potential of human ingenuity be realized if we accept the tax of execution.

The key message for product managers is to strike a balance between fostering idea generation and ensuring rigorous execution. While the rapid multiplication of ideas is essential for innovation, overvaluing ideas alone can lead to the proverbial falls into the pit.

Execution is King

Here are some ideas that product managers should be considering in this context:

Implement systematic approaches like the SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) formula, which provides techniques for acquiring skills and generating original ideas.

Subtraction: Removing an essential component from a product or service and finding new uses for it.
Multiplication: Repeating or multiplying a component that was previously considered non-essential.
Division: Separating a product or service into smaller components and rearranging them.
Task Unification: Assigning new tasks or functions to existing components.
Attribute Dependency: Linking two independent attributes or components to create a new value proposition.

Invest time and effort in developing and maintaining some sort of strategic product roadmap that translates the visionary product strategy into actionable plans, defining milestones and timelines aligned with the vision of the product(s) and the business.

Set and agree on clear objectives, priorities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) based on customer needs, market research, and the overall product strategy.

Influence and collaborate on the allocation of resources efficiently, budgets, team members, and resource allocation to maximize value and productivity.

Continuously evaluate and refine your product managemnt strategies based on data-driven decision-making, user feedback, and market dynamics.

Unlock the Power of Structured Data Through Conversational AI

Data is often heralded as “the new oil” because of its ability to be a competitive advantage. But how can organizations grapple with the deluge of data being generated at breakneck speeds, much less turn it all into a competitive advantage? One solution lies in enabling conversational interactions with structured data. Imagine leveraging AI tools, similar […]

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Data Logistics Mandates: Devising a Plan to Ensure Long-Term Data Access

Microsoft 365 has become the nucleus for many organizations for centralized communication and collaboration, especially large organizations with more than 1,000 full-time employees. One million companies globally use 365 and create 1.6 billion documents each day on the platform and in the next two years, that is expected to grow by 4.4 times, according to a […]

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Securing Data in Transit for Analytics Operations

Most enterprises today store and process vast amounts of data from various sources within a centralized repository known as a data warehouse or data lake, where they can analyze it with advanced analytics tools to generate critical business insights. Modern data warehouse platforms such as Snowflake, AWS Redshift, Azure Synapse Analytics, and IBM Db2 are built with […]

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Demystifying AI: What Is AI and What Is Not AI?

In recent months, particularly following the release of ChatGPT, there has been an unprecedented surge in interest surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). This heightened attention spans across a multitude of sectors, including business enterprises, technology companies, venture capital firms, universities, governments, media outlets, and more. As the interest in AI is intensifying, some companies have even […]

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Why Data Analysts And Engineers Make Great Consultants

Many data engineers and analysts don’t realize how valuable the knowledge they have is. They’ve spent hours upon hours learning SQL, Python, how to properly analyze data, build data warehouses, and understand the differences between eight different ETL solutions. Even what they might think is basic knowledge could be worth $10,000 to $100,000+ for a…
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May 24 2024

Maximizing AI’s Potential: High-Value Data Produces High-Quality Results

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), companies are rushing to incorporate automated technology into their networks and applications. However, as the age of automation persists, organizations must reassess the data on which their automated platforms are being trained. To maximize the potential of AI using sensitive data, we […]

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Beyond the Basics: Advanced Tips for Effective Data Extraction

Data extraction is a cornerstone in data analytics, enabling organizations to extract valuable insights from raw data. While basic extraction techniques are fundamental, understanding advanced strategies is crucial for maximizing efficiency and accuracy. This article will explore advanced tips for effective data extraction, shedding light on automation tools, leveraging APIs and web scraping techniques, enhancing […]

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How a Neuro-Symbolic AI Approach Can Improve Trust in AI Apps

As a cognitive scientist, I’ve been immersed in AI for more than 30 years – specifically in speech and natural language understanding, as well as machine-based learning and rule-based decision-making. Progress in our field is always uneven, unfolding in fits and starts. Those of us in the AI field have witnessed multiple “AI winters” over the […]

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Trends in Customer Master Data Management

In today’s complex business landscape, managing vast datasets has become a critical challenge. Customer master data management (MDM) emerges as a pivotal solution to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of customer master data records.

Pretectum CMDM, a leading provider of customer MDM solutions, has adapted its offerings to keep pace with the evolving trends in this domain. By leveraging advanced features like data deduplication, matching, and merging, Pretectum CMDM enables organizations to effectively manage their customer data.

The implementation of Pretectum CMDM delivers tangible benefits, such as improved data quality, accessibility, and enhanced business decision-making through advanced analytics and reporting capabilities.

To further support organizations in navigating the customer data management landscape, Pretectum CMDM offers a comprehensive, cloud-based solution that streamlines data governance processes.

By adapting to the challenges of managing large datasets with a scalable and flexible architecture, Pretectum CMDM empowers businesses to drive competitive advantage and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of customer data management

Learn more at https://www.pretectum.com/trends-in-customer-master-data-management-and-how-pretectum-cmdm-supports-adapting-to-these-changes/

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May 22 2024

Taming Access Creep: Strategies to Rein in Unnecessary Privileges

One of the most pervasive cybersecurity challenges is “access creep” – the gradual, often unnoticed accumulation of access privileges by employees beyond what their current role requires. This phenomenon occurs when initial access rights granted for specific roles are not revoked as employees change positions or their job duties evolve. Over time, this unchecked accrual […]

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Technology Audit Processes Are Broken, but Attention and Automation Can Fix Them

Technology audit processes have become increasingly important, as they tie directly to adherence to an ever-growing list of compliance frameworks and mandates such as NIST, CIS, SOC 2 ISO 27001, and others. A component of all these regulations pertains to the integrity of enterprise technology management and requires an up-to-date and accurate inventory of all […]

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Actian Life: Celebrating Our Author and Our SEO Award Winner

Actian employees Thomas Schweser coauthored a book on graph theory and Ron Weber earned a 2023 SEO Evangelist Edgie award, exemplifying Actian’s culture of innovation.

At Actian, we believe that our employees’ achievements are a strong reflection of our vibrant culture and innovative spirit. That holds true whether employees are making breakthroughs and delivering value in their day jobs or finding success in work-adjacent activities.

Today, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on Thomas Schweser, who co-wrote a book on graph theory called “Brooks’ Theorem,” and Ron Weber, who received BrightEdge’s 2023 SEO Evangelist Edgie award. They showcase employee achievements in two highly competitive areas.

Graph Theory Guru and SEO Maestro

Schweser is a research engineer on Actian’s Vector team based in Ilmenau, Germany. His book, published by Springer, focuses on graph coloring and critical graphics, which are a niche but important area of discrete mathematics.

While graph theory isn’t his primary focus at work, he appreciates its ubiquitous presence in the technology world. “Graphs are everywhere, especially in computer science,” he explains. “They make complex information digestible and help visualize relationships clearly.”

His book offers a valuable resource for those studying or utilizing Brooks’ Theorem—which states a relationship between the maximum degree of a graph and its chromatic number. “The book gives an overview of all the important graph coloring theorems and trends that have occurred over the last decades,” Schweser points out. “It should serve as a nice book if you want to give a college lecture on graph coloring.”

On the U.S. side of the business, Weber is the Senior Director, Web Communications and SEO, for Actian. Based in San Diego, he leads efforts to enable coworkers across the organization to succeed with and leverage SEO-driven content. As soon as he joined Actian a couple years ago, he went right to work on a complete website redesign while creating an aggressive content development schedule and building a formal SEO program from scratch.

The results were immediate and impressive:

A whopping 96% improvement in Actian content that comes up on the first page in search results because of strong keywords and robust content
33% improvement in second page results, and 51% increase in third page results
7% improvement in website traffic
1% boost in conversion rates
Overall increases in website traffic, lead volume, and qualified leads

“We grew our website traffic exponentially from 2022 to 2023, and again in 2024,” Weber notes. “A lot of it was the content strategy, like insisting that we start developing a lot of reader-friendly content. This is not a surprise—you can’t have SEO without content, and I’ve been advocating for SEO since I got here.”

Pursuing Passions Leads to Successes

Schweser and Weber’s successes are the direct result of pursuing their passions. Weber’s journey into SEO began in the early days of the internet when he was helping clients with website optimization and using paid search engines to drive results. His passion for search engine optimization has only grown since then, which mirrors the importance for Actian to place near the top in internet search results.

“If we think about how we want companies to migrate to Actian, we have to know what they’re searching for and we need to have content around that part of the journey,” he explains. “More than 90% of the customer journey involves companies using search engines, so we need to meet them at every step.”

Weber continues to stay ahead of changes in search engine algorithms that impact page rankings. He enjoys seeing Actian place high in search results that feature specific keywords. “We’re number four right now in a search term against 23 billion results,” he notes. “That to me is a thrill—you get to number four or even number one against millions and millions of index pages—and that excitement never gets old.”

Schweser’s journey to having a book published began in 2015 when he was finishing his bachelor’s thesis. A professor, Michael Stiebitz, shared an early version of the book that he was working on with his colleague Bjarne Toft. That draft served as the starting point for Schweser’s master’s thesis and later his Ph.D. thesis. The three collaborated, gathered examples and papers about the theorem from across decades, and co-authored the book together.

“In 2020, I was asked to join the book as a coauthor, and of course I accepted,” he relates. “A lot of the research that I was dealing with in my PhD thesis also made it into the book.”

Commitments to End Goals Are Validated

The SEO award is particularly gratifying for Weber because it validates his ongoing efforts at Actian. “It’s meaningful because it shows that our strategy works and that our team’s hard work pays off,” he notes.

He challenges himself and his team to continue evolving their strategy to engage and retain website visitors. “Our play is, ‘How do we bring people to our site? How do we engage them with good content? How do we get them to do the thing that we want them to do?’” he explains. “We have to understand how to acquire, convert, and then retain them over time.”

Weber credits the Actian leadership team, especially CMO Jennifer Jackson, for supporting his efforts, including investing in the tools needed to build and measure the success of a modern website. “This is very much their award too,” he says. “When I see our CMO showcase our site, it makes our work very meaningful.”

For Schweser, the book was a culmination of his ongoing interest and research in Brooks’ Theorem. “There was no comprehensive overview of all the recent trends in graph coloring theory,” he points out. “A lot of people were writing papers, but nobody tried to collect all of them, and nobody was trying to figure out the large trends that exist there. That’s what we did with our book.”

Helping the Next Generation of Employees

One area that Schweser and Weber have in common is their enthusiasm for helping students who are about to enter the workforce. Schweser, along with coworkers, works with interns on Actian projects, while Weber is an adjunct professor for content marketing at the University of California, San Diego.

Schweser is excited about mentoring the next generation of tech talent and has helped guide numerous students through hands-on projects that actively contributed to Actian goals and product releases. Over the last year, his office has mentored about 10 students.

“Along with my colleague Steffen Kläbe, I’m responsible for the German student program at Actian,” he says. “We try to find students from the universities who want to do an internship with us or want to write their thesis in collaboration with Actian. I have always enjoyed working with students, and it’s great that Actian offers us the opportunity to continue doing that here.”

Weber also has experience mentoring college students by serving as an adjunct professor. He teaches students about the value of SEO and how to optimize SEO platforms to drive results. In addition, he has experience working with interns and supporting them as they transition to full-time careers.

Many Paths to Innovation

Actian prides itself on innovation. As Schweser and Weber have demonstrated, there are many ways to innovate and drive success. Having a clear strategy, the right resources, and strong backing leads to exceptional results.

Their achievements reflect Actian’s culture of supporting and valuing all employees’ contributions. Employees’ diverse backgrounds and ability to combine different perspectives ultimately enable outstanding solutions. Whether it’s writing and researching graph theory or creating award-winning SEO strategies, Actian employees show how to achieve innovation in their fields.

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Data Privacy Through Robust Data Governance: Strategies and Best Practices

Today, more than ever, people are concerned about data privacy. Reflecting this, countries all over the world have introduced privacy laws – GDPR and CCPA being the biggest examples. These laws govern how businesses should collect, manage, and maintain data. This has prompted businesses to reevaluate their data collection operations. But to keep data private and secure businesses […]

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Running Generative AI in Production – What Issues Will You Find?

As your data projects evolve, you will face new challenges. For new technology like generative AI, some challenges may just be variations on traditional IT projects like considering availability or distributed computing deployment problems. However, generative AI projects are also going through what Donald Rumsfeld once called the “unknown unknowns” phase, where we are discovering […]

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Driving Data Governance: The Role of Data Strategy and Data Literacy Programs

In today’s data-driven world, organizations face increasing pressure to manage and govern their data assets effectively. Data governance plays a crucial role in ensuring that data is managed responsibly, securely, and in accordance with regulatory requirements. One key component and driver of successful data governance is the implementation of a robust data strategy coupled with […]

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How AI Tools Can Help Organizations Maximize Their Enterprise Knowledge

AI and machine learning can be revelatory for organizations inundated with a sea of data and grappling to find ways to generate meaningful insights from it. AI tools help identify patterns and trends within large datasets that are often challenging for humans to discern. These tools can be trained to make predictions based on historical […]

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Microservices and AWS RDS Instances: Revolutionizing Application Development

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the demand for flexible, scalable, and independent application deployment is more critical than ever. Microservices architecture has emerged as a game-changer in how developers build and manage applications, allowing for the decomposition of traditional monolithic systems into independently deployable services. Coupled with the power of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Relational […]

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How to Assess GenAI’s Impact on Your Business

Since the beginning of 2023, generative AI (GenAI) has quickly made a significant impact across an expanding range of industries and applications. In just over a year since its groundbreaking debut, there’s much to celebrate about GenAI – and even more to still uncover and understand. Today, 79% of employees report at least some exposure to AI, […]

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🔴 Red Button Data

🔴 Red Button Data

Monthly Archives: May 2024

Example

Summary

Types of Information Stored in Databases

1. Relational Databases

2. NoSQL Databases

3. In-Memory Databases

4. Graph Databases

Factors to Consider in Database Selection

Execution is King

Graph Theory Guru and SEO Maestro

Pursuing Passions Leads to Successes

Commitments to End Goals Are Validated

Helping the Next Generation of Employees

Many Paths to Innovation