Oracle has announced the Oracle Database In-Memory option to help customers accelerate database performance for analytics, data warehousing, reporting and online transaction processing (OLTP). Oracle’s unique in-memory optimisations enable real-time ad-hoc analytics on live transactional data while also accelerating OLTP.

Every application that runs on Oracle Database 12c can automatically and transparently take advantage of Oracle Database In-Memory Option. Existing applications will retain full functionality while experiencing effortless speedups. New applications can be developed that were previously impractical due to performance limitations.

All of Oracle Database’s leading reliability, scalability, availability and security technologies work transparently with Oracle Database In-Memory option, bringing Oracle’s mature technologies developed over decades of joint work with thousands of leading banks, telecoms and e-commerce sites to in-memory computing.

Oracle’s unique “dual-format” approach enables realtime ad-hoc analytics on live transactional data while also accelerating OLTP. Data is maintained in both the existing Oracle row format, and a new purely in-memory column format optimised for analytical processing. Both formats are simultaneously active and transactionally consistent.

The Oracle database automatically uses the new in-memory column format for analytic queries and the existing row format for OLTP operations.

The new in-memory columnar format eliminates the need for expensive to maintain analytic indexes and therefore greatly accelerates OLTP operations.

Oracle Database In-Memory Option simplifies development and management and lowers costs by eliminating the need for separate databases and data structures that have traditionally been required to achieve good analytic performance.

“Organisations that make data-driven decisions have a distinct competitive advantage,” says Andrew Mendelsohn, senior VP, Oracle Database Development. “The Oracle Database In-Memory Option will enable near instant analysis of data in existing applications allowing users to make better decisions faster and with complete confidence.”