Frequently Asked Questions
What is StreamBase?
StreamBase’s Event Processing Platform™ is high-performance software for rapidly building systems that analyze and act on real-time streaming data. StreamBase combines a rapid application development environment, a low-latency high-throughput event server, and enterprise connectivity to real-time and historical data. With StreamBase, organizations rapidly build real-time systems that can generate millions of dollars in new profits and are deployed at a fraction of the cost and risk of alternatives
The server queries and analyzes data streaming into the systems — and delivers results — on-the-fly, with extremely low latency. It does this by maximizing the use of in-memory resources, while minimizing or eliminating dependencies with other applications. The integrated development environment (IDE), StreamBase Studio, enables programmers to quickly build, test, and debug StreamSQL applications using a graphical workflow model. StreamBase applications are then compiled and deployed on the run-time server. They can typically be built and modified in a fraction of the time required for custom-coding.
What makes StreamBase different than other event processing products?
The StreamBase Event Processing Platform™ is distinguished in the marketplace by combining three significant capabilities in one integrated platform—rapid development via the industry’s first and only graphical event-flow language, extreme performance with a low-latency high-throughput event server, and the broadest connectivity to real-time and historical data. The StreamBase Event Processing Platform is powered by patent-pending second generation Dynamic Stream Compiler ™ (DSC) technology. With its built-in DSC technology, the StreamBase Server compiles multiple StreamSQL queries at run-time into single, highly efficient execution units and then executes the compiled application at ultra low latency. It also offers fine-grained parallelism controls to optimize message throughput and application scalability.
What is StreamSQL?
StreamSQL is a next generation query language which extends the industry-standard Structured Query Language (SQL), to enable the processing of real-time data streams. Just as the inherent value of SQL is its ability to issue queries against stored data, this same querying capability must also exist for data streams. Thus, in order to go beyond finite stored dataset records, StreamSQL manages continuous event streams and time-based records. StreamSQL retains the capabilities of SQL while adding new capabilities such as a rich windowing system, the ability to mix stored data with streaming data, and the power to extend the primitives to include custom logic, such as analytic functions.
What types of applications are best-suited for StreamBase?
Applications that are the best fit for StreamBase involve real-time data, where the goals are fast processing on commodity hardware along with rapid prototyping and deployment. In the financial services industry, best applications involve market data feed processing, data enrichment (e.g. VWAP, Black-Scholes), automated trading, real-time profit-and-loss, transaction cost analysis, and real-time compliance. In the federal sector, applications include intelligence and surveillance, homeland security, network monitoring, and battlefield sensor monitoring. E-businesses use StreamBase for fraud prevention and real-time transaction and clickstream monitoring.
What is a “stream”?
In the StreamBase context, a stream is a sequence of data messages that can run continuously. Each data message contains one or more fields.
What is a StreamBase “operator”?
An operator is a StreamBase processing unit that performs user-defined work on streaming data, such as aggregating windows of data streams, merging streams, or retrieving shared data from a table.
What type of connectivity is available to commercial data feeds, messaging systems, or other enterprise systems?
StreamBase offers a set of connectivity options that allow for integration with a variety of data sources and enterprise systems. These include i) StreamBase Adapters to leading financial market data feeds (Reuters, Bloomberg, Wombat, exchanges), messaging systems (e.g. Tibco RV, EMS/JMS messaging), JDBC-compliant databases, and real-time dashboard development environments like Adobe Flex; and ii) StreamBase Chronicle, a data storage framework for tight integration with high capacity databases and data warehouses (Sybase RAP, Vertica, and DB2). StreamBase also offers published Java, C++, and .NET API support and a wizards-based rapid adapter development toolkit to help customers build their own input or output interfaces with enterprise systems or client applications.
Is StreamBase a main-memory database?
Although StreamBase makes use of main-memory and caching models, that represents only a small subset of the StreamBase feature set. A main-memory database is a type of classic “store-then-query” database, generally using SQL or a similar query language. Main-memory databases run faster than traditional relational databases because they are in memory, not because of any change in the “store-then-query” model. In contrast, StreamBase employs a more sophisticated on-the-fly query processing model” which is uniquely appropriate for processing real-time data streams with high performance and low latency.
Do you have evaluation copies of your software available? How do I obtain the StreamBase software?
To learn more about evaluating StreamBase’s software, please click here.
In addition, you may call +1 866 STRMBAS (+1 866 787 6227), or +1 781 761 0800 if you reside outside the United States or Canada; or send e–mail to contact@streambase.com. Our sales representatives will assist you with your purchase or on-site pilot evaluation. For orders from companies residing outside the U.S., the purchase and use of StreamBase is subject to U.S. export control laws.
For additional information about StreamBase’s software, please visit our Knowledge Center.