Syncsort
Encyclopedia
Syncsort Incorporated is a software company specializing in high speed sorting products, as well as data integration
and backup software and services, for Windows
, Unix
, Linux
, and mainframe
systems. According to its website, Syncsort products are used by over 90 of the Fortune 100 companies and can be found in over 12,000 customer sites worldwide. Syncsort is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, United States. It has offices in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with an international support center in The Netherlands. Syncsort customers operate in a range of industries, including manufacturing, consumer goods, transportation, local and federal governments, and health care.
, and Backup Express
(now known as BEX).
The current incarnation, SyncSort for z/OS, is a sort/merge/copy and data management utility designed to take advantage of the capabilities of the IBM zSeries computers and the z/OS
operating system's advanced facilities, including the IBM MIDAW
and System z9 Integrated Information Processors (zIIP
). SyncSort for z/OS also supports S/390, the OS/390
operating system, and compatible computers. A similar product, SyncSort VSE, is designed for IBM z/VSE and VSE/ESA operating systems.
product for UNIX, Windows, and Linux. DMExpress is typically used for ETL
, data warehousing, and business intelligence
applications. The program is designed to transform and consolidate data from multiple sources. On November 14, 2008, DMExpress set a world record for ETL performance by extracting, transforming, cleansing, and loading 5.4 TB of data into a Vertica
Analytic Database on a c-Class HP BladeSystem in 57 minutes. Microsoft
and Unisys
set the previous ETL world record at 2.36 TB/hr in early 2008. System administrators and analysts often use DMExpress to pre-process data to speed database loads, to create and maintain aggregate data stores from flat files, to optimize reporting, and for changed data capture (CDC) applications. Data warehouse expert, Dr. Ralph Kimball
in the first edition of his popular book, The Data Warehouse Toolkit, explained how data management and sorting products like Syncsort’s can be valuable for Database Management Systems (DBMSs):
or BEX is used for data protection, disaster recovery
and business continuity
. It integrates snapshot, image and rapid recovery options, works across Fibre Channel
or iSCSI
networks while sharing system drives, and supports NDMP
incrementals. Utilizing D2D techniques, including block-level incremental backups and image-based storage, Backup Express offers recovery in place, server re-imaging, and thin cloning capabilities.
Data integration
Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of these data.This process becomes significant in a variety of situations, which include both commercial and scientific domains...
and backup software and services, for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, and mainframe
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
systems. According to its website, Syncsort products are used by over 90 of the Fortune 100 companies and can be found in over 12,000 customer sites worldwide. Syncsort is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, United States. It has offices in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with an international support center in The Netherlands. Syncsort customers operate in a range of industries, including manufacturing, consumer goods, transportation, local and federal governments, and health care.
History
Syncsort began as a mainframe company in 1968 as Whitlow Computer Systems, founded by Duane Whitlow and Stan Rintell , then renamed itself in 1981 to its flagship product (SyncSort, Inc.). In the nineties, Syncsort expanded into client–server environments, offering a sort utility for UNIX and later Linux, and a backup product for heterogeneous environments called Backup Express(now known as BEX). In 2004, SyncSort for UNIX evolved into a data management product called DMExpress. In recent years, Syncsort has received several readership awards from DMReview magazine.Products
Syncsort products are designed to back up and recover data rapidly in distributed, heterogeneous environments; to speed data warehouse processing, database loads, and query performance, and to handle mainframe sorting and data transformation jobs. Syncsort offers its solutions through three sets of products: SyncSort, DMExpressDMExpress
DMExpress is an ETL tool designed primarily for performance. It processes data using proprietary algorithms instead of the database engine. It is able to generate code in C, C++, Visual Basic, Kornshell and SQL to carry out ETL tasks...
, and Backup Express
Backup Express
Syncsort BEX is an enterprise-level data protection solution that backs up and restores data and applications for a variety of operating systems. It has data protection, disaster recovery and business continuity planning capabilities.[1] BEX supports many database applications, including Oracle,...
(now known as BEX).
SyncSort for z/OS
The original SyncSort sorting utility was developed in the late 1960s and was designed to speed batch processing on mainframes. In his book Mainframe High Productivity Tools of the 90s, computing expert Alex Varsegi defined SyncSort’s capabilities.
From the user’s perspective, SyncSort essentially replaces a number of utility and program functions (for example, compiling, debugging, testing, and linking programs, as well as selecting, reformatting, converting, and summarizing the various record types).
The current incarnation, SyncSort for z/OS, is a sort/merge/copy and data management utility designed to take advantage of the capabilities of the IBM zSeries computers and the z/OS
Z/OS
z/OS is a 64-bit operating system for mainframe computers, produced by IBM. It derives from and is the successor to OS/390, which in turn followed a string of MVS versions.Starting with earliest:*OS/VS2 Release 2 through Release 3.8...
operating system's advanced facilities, including the IBM MIDAW
IBM MIDAW
Modified Indirect Data Address Words are a channel programming capability of the IBM System z9 processor. The MIDAW facility is an extension to the pre-existing Indirect Data Address Word channel programming capability, providing support for more efficient FICON channel programs.MIDAWs allow ECKD...
and System z9 Integrated Information Processors (zIIP
ZIIP
In IBM System z9 mainframes, the System z Integrated Information Processor is a special purpose processor. It was initially introduced to relieve the general mainframe central processors of specific DB2 processing loads, but currently is used to offload other z/OS workloads as described below...
). SyncSort for z/OS also supports S/390, the OS/390
OS/390
OS/390 is an IBM operating system for the System/390 IBM mainframe computers.OS/390 was introduced in late 1995 in an effort, led by the late Randy Stelman, to simplify the packaging and ordering for the key, entitled elements needed to complete a fully functional MVS operating system package...
operating system, and compatible computers. A similar product, SyncSort VSE, is designed for IBM z/VSE and VSE/ESA operating systems.
DMExpress
The data sorting and transformation capabilities described by Varsegi for mainframe systems are provided as well in DMExpress, Syncsort's data integrationData integration
Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of these data.This process becomes significant in a variety of situations, which include both commercial and scientific domains...
product for UNIX, Windows, and Linux. DMExpress is typically used for ETL
Extract, transform, load
Extract, transform and load is a process in database usage and especially in data warehousing that involves:* Extracting data from outside sources* Transforming it to fit operational needs...
, data warehousing, and business intelligence
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
applications. The program is designed to transform and consolidate data from multiple sources. On November 14, 2008, DMExpress set a world record for ETL performance by extracting, transforming, cleansing, and loading 5.4 TB of data into a Vertica
Vertica
Vertica Systems is an analytic database management software company. Vertica was founded in 2005 by database researcher Michael Stonebraker, and Andrew Palmer; its President and CEO is Christopher P. Lynch. HP announced it would acquire the company in February 2011. On March 22, 2011, HP completed...
Analytic Database on a c-Class HP BladeSystem in 57 minutes. Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Unisys
Unisys
Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
set the previous ETL world record at 2.36 TB/hr in early 2008. System administrators and analysts often use DMExpress to pre-process data to speed database loads, to create and maintain aggregate data stores from flat files, to optimize reporting, and for changed data capture (CDC) applications. Data warehouse expert, Dr. Ralph Kimball
Ralph Kimball
Ralph Kimball is an author on the subject of data warehousing and business intelligence. He is widely regarded as one of the original architects of data warehousing and is known for long-term convictions that data warehouses must be designed to be understandable and fast...
in the first edition of his popular book, The Data Warehouse Toolkit, explained how data management and sorting products like Syncsort’s can be valuable for Database Management Systems (DBMSs):
[The] massive sorting and summarizing operations required to build aggregates can be handled much more efficiently with a dedicated sorting package like SyncSort on either IBM or a UNIX machine than by using the sorting capabilities of the relational DBMS.
BEX (formerly Backup Express)
Backup ExpressBackup Express
Syncsort BEX is an enterprise-level data protection solution that backs up and restores data and applications for a variety of operating systems. It has data protection, disaster recovery and business continuity planning capabilities.[1] BEX supports many database applications, including Oracle,...
or BEX is used for data protection, disaster recovery
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster. Disaster recovery is a subset of business continuity...
and business continuity
Business continuity
Business continuity is the activity performed by an organization to ensure that critical business functions will be available to customers, suppliers, regulators, and other entities that must have access to those functions. These activities include many daily chores such as project management,...
. It integrates snapshot, image and rapid recovery options, works across Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel is standardized in the T11 Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards , an American National Standards Institute –accredited standards...
or iSCSI
ISCSI
In computing, iSCSI , is an abbreviation of Internet Small Computer System Interface, an Internet Protocol -based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage...
networks while sharing system drives, and supports NDMP
NDMP
NDMP, or Network Data Management Protocol, is a protocol invented by the NetApp and Legato companies, meant to transport data between NAS devices and backup devices...
incrementals. Utilizing D2D techniques, including block-level incremental backups and image-based storage, Backup Express offers recovery in place, server re-imaging, and thin cloning capabilities.