MarkLogic Tames Big Data
November 20, 2009
I spent several hours on November 18, 2009, at the MarkLogic client conference held in Washington, DC on November 18, 2009. I was expecting another long day of me-too presentations. What a surprise! The conference attracted about 250 people and featured presentations by a number of MarkLogic customers and engineers. There were several points that struck me:
First, unlike the old-fashioned trade show, this program was a combination of briefings, audience interaction, and informal conversations fueled by genuine enthusiasm. Much of that interest came from the people who had used the MarkLogic platform to deliver solutions in very different big data situations. Booz, Allen & Hamilton was particularly enthusiastic. As a former laborer in the BAH knowledge factory, the enthusiasm originates in one place—the client. BAH professionals are upbeat * only * when the firm’s customers are happy. BAH described using the MarkLogic platform as a way to solve a number of different client problems.
MarkLogic’s platform applied to an email use case caught the attention of audiences involved in certain types of investigative and data forensics work.Shown is the default interface which can be customized to the licensee’s requirements.
Second, those in the audience were upfront about their need to find solutions to big data problems—scale, analytics, performance. I assumed that those representing government entities would be looking for ways to respond to President Obama’s mandates. There was an undercurrent of responding to the Administration, but the imperative was the realization that tools like relational databases were not delivering solutions. Some in the audience, based on my observations, were actively looking for new ways to manipulate data. In my view, the MarkLogic system had blipped the radar in some government information technology shops, and the people with problems showed up to learn.
Finally, the MarkLogic presentations about the firms XML and Xquery centric approach were clear and mini-graduate school courses on why the MarkLogic technology could handle large data flows, the need for real time updating, and outputs that were, in the words of one MarkLogic customer, “ready to use by a 19 year old in a stressful in theater situation”. I sit through quite a few technical briefings. I asked one MarkLogic presenter for a copy of this slide deck because my own analysis of one XML method was inferior to his.
Was there a downside in this gathering? Sure. The MarkLogic team was busy adapting to the number of people who showed up. Pre-registration was required, but the interest in the event meant that it was crowded with standing-room-only for three of the four sessions I attended. This is a sharp contrast to the conferences that attract small audiences.
If you have not been paying attention to MarkLogic’s information processing capabilities, take a look at the firm’s Web site at http://www.marklogic.com.
Stephen Arnold, November 20, 2009
I want to report to the Bureau of Land Management that MarkLogic bought me lunch. Well, I stood in line with 200 plus people and got two small sandwiches and a Diet Coke. But two MarkLogic people were friendly to me and promised to keep me in mind in the event they needed me and the goslings to do a competitive analysis or give a speech. No dough, though and the chocolate cake was gone before I went back to the buffet for dessert.
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