More BI and Analytics In Depth

How to make PHP apps scale

The most popular language for Web apps, PHP tends to buckle under heavy loads -- unless you opt for cloud scaling and a NoSQL back end

10 essential performance tips for MySQL

From workload profiling to the three rules of indexing, these expert insights are sure to make your MySQL servers scream

Computerworld continuing coverage of Hadoop

Latest news, features and more on Hadoop.

Master MySQL in the Amazon cloud

Amazon Web Services offer new challenges and flexibility for database admins -- here's how to avoid the pitfalls and tune for performance

Review: SQL Server 2012 stands tall

Huge HA and indexing improvements top the list of great new features in Microsoft's latest database release

How to Use Hadoop to Overcome Storage Limitations

Big data is all about storing and accessing large amounts of structured and unstructured data. However, where to put that data and how to access it have become the biggest challenges for enterprises looking to leverage the information. If you haven't yet considererd the open source Hadoop platform, now's the time.

SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott explains its five-market focus

If you think SAP equals ERP, Bill McDermott would like a few minutes to set you straight about the 2012 version of the software giant, which he claims is in the midst of "an intellectual renewal." McDermott has been co-CEO -- along with Jim Hagemann Snabe -- of SAP since 2010 and has helped broaden the company's strategy beyond traditional applications and analytics to the cloud, mobile, Big Data and a bet-the-business focus on real-time computing with the HANA in-memory database at the forefront. Insider (registration required)

How to Implement Next-Generation Storage Infrastructure for Big Data

Managing the petabyte-scale and larger data stores that are a fact of life with Big Data is a different beast than managing traditional large-scale data infrastructures. Online photo site Shutterfly--which manages more than 30 petabytes of data--shares its strategy for taming the storage beast.

Big Data in the Real World Isn't So Easy

The pundits make it sound so simple. But CIOs wrestling with overwhelming amounts of unwieldy data know that 'big data' is a big challenge that requires high-quality data, new approaches to data management and more processing power. But the payoff could be a strong competitive advantage.

Data analytics driving medical breakthroughs

Big data and other technologies are poised to start saving lives and enhancing quality of life for sick patients.

Chart and image gallery: 30 free tools for data visualization and analysis

Compare tools for functionality, skill level and more.

8 cool tools for data analysis, visualization and presentation

Data crunching can be useful for a wide range of analyses; we look at 8 tools that can make it easier to sort your numbers and show them off to their best advantage.

5 Business Analytics Tech Trends and How to Exploit Them

Big Data. Faster infrastructure. Falling costs. Mobility. Social media. CIOs at John Hancock, Shopzilla and other organizations say these IT trends are transforming how their companies process data to gain valuable business intelligence.

How to get a hot job in big data

The big data revolution is creating a new breed of business-IT jobs -- and threatening to destabilize dyed-in-the-wool IT careers

Can Your Apps Handle an 1,800 Percent Spike in Traffic?

Business customers and users are demanding ever-better performance from websites and applications. However, the majority of CIOs are uncertain they can meet those expectations. Next-generation application performance management (APM) tools can provide the visibility necessary to proactively identify bottlenecks and performance issues before they affect users.

The big promise of big data

For Twitter, making sense of its mountains of user data was big enough of a problem that it purchased another company just to help get the job done.

Look Before You Leap Into Hadoop

Analysts and early users warn that companies should move slowly if they want to take advantage of the open-source Hadoop technology, noting that it requires extensive training along with analytics expertise not seen in many IT shops.

What's the big deal about Hadoop?

Hadoop is all the rage, but it requires expertise that's beyond the ken of many IT shops, customers say.

Your Big Data To-Do List

Ready or not, big data is coming. Here are 5 things IT managers can do today to prepare for the data deluge of tomorrow.

Flexing NoSQL: MongoDB in review

MongoDB shines with broad programming language support, SQL-like queries, and out-of-the-box scaling