A Course in In-Memory Data Management ― The Inner Mechanics of In-Memory Databases

Recent achievements in hardware and software development, such as multi-core CPUs and DRAM capacities of multiple terabytes per server, enabled the introduction of a revolutionary technology: in-memory data management. This technology supports the flexible and extremely fast analysis of massive amounts of enterprise data. Professor Hasso Plattner and his research group at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, have been investigating and teaching the corresponding concepts and their adoption in the software industry for years.

This book is based on an online course that was first launched in autumn 2012 with more than 13,000 enrolled students and marked the successful starting point of the openHPI e-learning platform. The course is mainly designed for students of computer science, software engineering, and IT related subjects, but addresses business experts, software developers, technology experts, and IT analysts alike. Plattner and his group focus on exploring the inner mechanics of a column-oriented dictionary-encoded in-memory database. Covered topics include - amongst others - physical data storage and access, basic database operators, compression mechanisms, and parallel join algorithms. Beyond that, implications for future enterprise applications and their development are discussed. Step by step, readers will understand the radical differences and advantages of the new technology over traditional row-oriented, disk-based databases.

In this completely revised 2^nd edition, we incorporate the feedback of thousands of course participants on openHPI and take into account latest advancements in hard- and software. Improved figures, explanations, and examples further ease the understanding of the concepts presented. We introduce advanced data management techniques such as transparent aggregate caches and provide new showcases that demonstrate the potential of in-memory databases for two diverse industries: retail and life sciences.

Prof. Dr. H.C. Hasso Plattner is the chair of the "Enterprise Platform and Integration Concepts" research group at HPI, which focuses mainly on In-Memory Data Management for Enterprise Applications. He is author and co-author of over 50 scientific publications and has served conferences such as ACM SIGMOD as a keynote speaker. He is author of "In-Memory Data Management" and currently serves as a visiting professor at the Stanford University Institute of Design. Hasso Plattner is also a co-founder of SAP AG, where he served as CEO until 2003 and has since been chairman of the supervisory board. SAP AG today is the leading provider of enterprise software solutions. In his role as chief software advisor, he concentrates on defining the mid and long-term technology strategy and direction of SAP.