Sand Technology Upgrades Info Management Software

Sand Technology debuted a new version of a product suite that the information management software firm says will let companies query compressed data without decompressing it first.

The Montreal-based company says the software package, Sand Dynamic Nearline Architecture (DNA), can compress data to 10 percent of its original size. Users can then query that information, typically stored in a data warehouse, without decompressing it.

Sand designed DNA, which actually comprises a group of the vendor's core products, for the healthcare, government, financial services, retail and transportation industries, among others. The firm says DNA is ideal for industries bound by regulatory compliance requirements.

An analytics element of the DNA package can carry out queries immediately after data's loaded, without requiring indexing or specialized schemas, Sand says. The tool can store terabytes of data within a standard hardware footprint that's typically 30 percent the size of an indexed relational warehouse. The analytics tool costs about $275,000 for one terabyte of input information.

A second DNA component stores a read-only copy of data that can serve as an auditable record of the information. That data can then be analyzed using standard business intelligence tools, Sand says. The application, called Access, starts at about $50,000 for a single terabyte.

Separately, Sand this week announced a version of the DNA package that's designed specifically for use with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence software. Pricing for the package runs about $200,000 for a terabyte.

Sand Technology was founded in 1983. Sales for its most recent fiscal year ended July were $6 million.