Graph DB Ecosystem Grows - Objectivity Introduces InfiniteGraph

Data management software vendor, Objectivity, has unveiled their newest project: InfiniteGraph.  This beta program is the latest addition to the small, but growing realm of NOSQL graph databases.  Objectivity says InfiniteGraph lives up to its name by having nearly unlimited scalability in a distributed environment.  Objectivity believes that graph databases are becoming very significant because they can glean useful insights and analyze complex relationships from massive amounts of largely unstructured data.

Applications for InfiniteGraph are able to navigate systems heavily reliant on many-to-many relationships (social network analysis, BI, etc.).  InfiniteGraph currently provides a graph API in Java with C# support coming in the next release.  These language  bindings  allow  users  to  create  a  new  graph  DB  instance  or  connect  to  an  existing instance with a dedicated API using a familiar language.  The parameters and variables related to the operation are specified in a small config file, and these settings control everything from memory caching options, to recovery mode for transactions, to configuration of the persistence layer, and the physical layout for a new database.

The InfiniteGraph API is very simple and requires minimal design and development effort to quickly develop advanced systems and get these products to market.  Objectivity's new InfiniteGraph business unit developed InfiniteGraph to provide distributed database technology with an API (for direct use with the graph data model) to help organizations get real-time data from analyzing complex, multi-dimensional relationships.  InfiniteGraph's database and API are designed to exceed high levels of graph computing requirements.  Developers can download InfiniteGraph and it is free for two months.  

A plugin for InfiniteGraph supports most of the common graph types.  The information model, and the way in which it attaches data, can have a significant impact on performance:

"Using  an  array  of  name‐value  pairs  attached  to  the  item,  and  having  a  value  that  may  be text/string based could create a lot of unnecessary overhead.  This would then require a lot of parsing and string comparison to move information to and from the data model.  If XML is used, there are other performance penalties, which also require text-based parsing." -- InfiniteGraph Technical Overview

InfiniteGraph provides a powerful built-in type system supported by a schema definition to circumvent performance pitfalls.  It allows InfiniteGraph to support arbitrary classes that are presented as flexible, reusable type definitions.  This system provides better efficiency, performance, and flexibility. 



The technology supports a wide range of usage and deployment options.  InfiniteGraph could be used as a primary database management system, or as an extension to existing relational infrastructures, map reduce, and batch processing layers.  It can be deployed in the datacenter, the cloud, or as an embedded data component within sensors and devices.  The system is also designed to require virtually zero administration.  Objectivity thinks that InfiniteGraph will open the way to some innovative, next-generation solutions in areas like social networking, business intelligence, scientific research, and national security (among others).  They also hope to capitalize on their early entry into the graph database domain and garner attention from NOSQL and Graph DB communities.

The beta period for InfiniteGraph will last about six weeks with a final release around mid-July.  More info can be found on the InfiniteGraph website.  Sign up for the beta here.

Qualified start-ups and new businesses with a GoGrid Cloud Hosting account will be able to use InfiniteGraph for free, per an exclusive offer provided by InfiniteGraph and its cloud platform partner, GoGrid.  Developer licenses and support options will start at $999.00 per year.