Database consolidation: 4 approaches to beating data disarray

[ComputeExperts]

Data-first strategies depend on fast pipelines, but data might be siloed across a sprawl of multi-generational, multi-LOB environments. Discover the benefits of consolidating databases with HPE Superdome Flex.

Is data disarray one of your biggest data challenges?

Businesses transforming into data-driven organizations are facing a new range of problems. They need to learn how to manage the huge data volumes being created today. And increasingly, they are relying on real-time analytics to accelerate decision-making and innovation. Workloads regarded as “mission critical” now include not only high-velocity transaction processing, but also analysis and insight creation to drive the business forward.

That's why HPE Mission Critical solutions has evolved to become Data Solutions. We are providing our customers with the technology and expertise they need to realize their broader data-first strategies.

One of the most significant challenges faced by many organizations is with data disarray, where valuable data is fragmented into silos in a sprawl of multi-generational IT environments. These environments often belong to multiple lines of business, making data even more disjointed.

So, while data-first strategies need fast pipelines that allow data to flow rapidly through transaction processing, to real-time analysis, to insight, data disarray means the pipeline is broken into many pieces and scattered across the organization. Managing them all is also costly and time-consuming.

One potential solution is database consolidation—the centralization of databases and instances to share resources and reduce waste. So, when is database consolidation a good idea, and what are your options?

Why database consolidation? 

Database consolidation can solve common business problems and deliver significant benefits:

• Cost savings. Consolidating smaller databases in one larger system, such as HPE Superdome Flex, can mean more efficient resource sharing and less to spend. There is also potential to reduce software licensing costs.
• New efficiencies. Instead of deploying, managing, fixing, and updating lots of small databases in lots of smaller servers, consolidation means managing just one or few systems. This can free IT staff from routine tasks and provide extra savings. In addition, running multiple databases on the same server can speed up interactions with applications that depend on them.
• Improved security. consolidating databases on fewer systems makes it easier to standardize security, and if you do a server refresh at the same time you’re likely to modernize security features as well. Applying security updates is also faster and easier on fewer systems.

However, consolidation also has its own challenges. With your databases running on fewer systems (or even just one), how would a failure of those systems affect availability? And how can you make sure that high demand for one database won’t impact the performance of others running on the same system?

Four approaches to database consolidation

Thankfully, there are several options in how to approach consolidation, and you can choose the most suitable approach for your own workloads.

1. Server consolidation
   Run multiple operating systems and database instances on fewer, right-sized servers to meet workload requirements with efficiency. If you leverage hard partitioning, such as HPE nPars[i] on HPE Superdome Flex, you can achieve total isolation with no performance overhead. The hardware can be repartitioned to grow or shrink resources as required.
2. Consolidation and virtualization
   Move each of your legacy servers to a virtual machine (VM) on a modern server. Run multiple operating systems and database instances, with isolation through VM guests. Some performance overhead is likely.
3. Database instance consolidation
   Run a single operating system with multiple database instances. Share resources flexibly across instances. No performance overhead.
4. Database consolidation
   Turn many databases into a single operating system and database instance. Maximize resource utilization, scale easily, and achieve highest performance. This is the best option when performance is your priority.

Consolidating SAP HANA, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL server databases 

The HPE Superdome Flex family of servers is flexible enough to meet a range of use cases and powerful enough to deliver the performance your critical databases need, as proven by these three examples of approaches to consolidation for key databases:

1. Virtualization: SAP HANA

The SAP technical deployment-type “SAP HANA with Virtualization” enables you to run multiple SAP HANA database SIDs, or instances, on one or more virtual machines. HPE Superdome Flex 280 delivers record-breaking virtualization performance for this use case, having set the world’s fastest 2-node, 4-processor record on the VMmark 3.1.1 benchmark.

2. Database instance consolidation: Oracle

HPE Superdome Flex servers support “Instance Caging” with Oracle database, which allows you to run multiple Oracle database instances on a single multi-CPU server. This method of consolidation allocates one CPU to each instance, to prevent performance degradation in other instances when one database comes under heavy load.

With massive scale-up capability, you can consolidate up to 8 instances in one server with HPE Superdome Flex 280, or up to 32 instances in HPE Superdome Flex. With Instance Caging, you can ensure predictable performance and protect critical Oracle workloads.

This recent Reference Architecture covers how the combination of HPE Superdome Flex 280 and HPE Alletra 9000 can meet the performance, scalability and flexibility demands of Oracle workloads.

3. Database consolidation: Microsoft SQL Server

When you are dealing with very large data volumes, database consolidation can help you achieve scale and use resources most efficiently.

Consolidating SQL Server databases on HPE Superdome Flex servers means you are ready to scale massively. Only Superdome Flex is certified by Microsoft to run Windows Server 2022 with 32 sockets and 48 TB of memory—enough to make sure your database has all of the resources it needs.

Consolidate your way with the HPE Superdome Flex family

Database consolidation can solve a range of problems to support your data-first strategy. And with the power and flexibility of HPE Superdome Flex, you have plenty of choice on how to approach consolidation, whether you are running SAP HANA, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, or other database workloads.

And that’s not all you can achieve. Look out for our next blog to learn how HPE Data Solutions can help you modernize you applications and systems to unlock the value of data trapped in legacy systems.

Learn more about HPE Superdome Flex servers.

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Meet Compute Experts blogger, Diana Cortes, Marketing Manager, Data Solutions

Diana has spent the past 23 years working with the technologies that power the world’s most demanding IT environments and is interested in how solutions based on those technologies impact the business. A native from Colombia, Diana holds an MBA from Georgetown University and has held a variety of regional and global roles with HPE in the US, the UK and Sweden. She is based in Stockholm, Sweden.  Connect with Diana on LinkedIn!

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[i] HPE nPars are hard partition technology providing complete workload isolation, enabling you to configure a multi-chassis server complex as one large server or as multiple, smaller, independent servers. Each HPE nPar has its own independent processors, memory, and I/O resources of the chassis that make up the partition. This technology is available on HPE Superdome Flex. where hard partitions are configured in varying 4socket (per chassis) increments from 4 to 16 sockets with a maximum HPE nPar size of 16 sockets.