In-Memory Database Call Accounting Software Meeting Business
Needs For Speed And Security
Ten years of real-time business intelligence and security systems
When Oracle announced in 2005 that it was acquiring an
in-memory database provider, the term "real time" had become an
industry standard. But with the way technology has progressed
and broadband driving the demand for speed, the term has now
taken on a new relevance. In-memory databases can speed
transaction times and give immediate access to real time data,
making this a requirement in the gathering of business
information. One application that benefits from the speed and
accuracy of an in-memory database is call accounting software.
Ten years ago TelSoft Solutions, a privately held company that
provides call accounting and billing services to organizations
and multi national companies, was faced with requests from
customers for immediate access to the wealth of untapped
information in their call detail records. At that time
processing the call data, and running the reports necessary to
effectively acquire and isolate the desired information, could
take days or even weeks. In most cases, the task was abandoned
before it began. The challenge was to provide an easy to use
solution in which data retrieval and reporting are virtually
instantaneous.
"To meet our customers' requirements we set out to meet certain
parameters," says Don Simons, CEO of TelSoft Solutions. "All
reports, regardless of size and type, had to run in less than
five minutes (start to finish.) Call processing speed had to be
sustained, (collecting call records, calculating call price
information, and database insertion) it had to exceed a rate of
one million calls processed per hour, the speed of processing
had to ensure that data processing did not delay reporting in
any way, even when the call data arrived in large batches,
individuals with no programming background and minimal computer
experience could easily run and customize reports, and the
system had to run on off-the-shelf industry-standard hardware of
the time."
Experts in the fastest databases (such as Oracle, Informix, and
Ingres) were gathered and divided into competing research teams.
Over a period of several months, these teams tested existing
technologies in an effort to meet the performance
specifications. To best optimize potential solutions, the teams
called upon additional experts in each respective database
technology. Numerous tuning and caching schemes were
implemented. And still, the target goals were nowhere in sight.
During this process, additional calculations proved that no
existing off-the-shelf solution, even if disk drives were 100
times faster, could attain the required performance goals. All
standard solutions proved unsuccessful.
"We were about to throw in the towel," says Simons. "Then one of
the developers came up with an original and exciting idea, an
in-memory database manager (IMDB)"
Since call accounting reports by nature access a large majority
of the dataset in each query, it wasn't clear at first that such
a solution would be viable or reliable. A team was assigned and
a prototype rapidly assembled. The new concept was rigorously
tested for performance, reliability, and data integrity. Testing
proved that a full-blown IMDB would meet and exceed all
specified requirements, even on the standard hardware technology.
The MegaBase IMDB and the MegaCall application were completed
and made generally available in 1995. The database runs most
reports in just seconds and even large annual reports in under
the five-minute limit. It processed real time calls virtually
instantaneously, could be used effectively by a novice, required
no routine maintenance or additional support personnel, provided
seamless archival access, and had extensive open data exchange
capabilities.
As other companies realize the value of in-memory databases to
reduce risk and add speed and reliability, TelSoft's call
accounting software has been meeting these business requirements
for ten years. The ability to access business intelligence
immediately and have your data be totally secure is vital in
today's competitive environment.
Under current conditions requiring the highest levels of
security, real-time retrieval of critical data is an essential
element in maintaining a secure environment. MegaBase was
designed and is currently deployed in enterprises with
heightened security requirements as well as the standard
reporting needs.