InterSystems Caché

Main product of InterSystems – the high-performance object Cache database management system. It is the post-relational object DBMS giving almost unlimited opportunities for development of Web solutions and client-server applications. Cache DBMS is intended for transaction processing in systems with superbig databases and almost unlimited number of at the same time working users. In Cache DBMS InterSystems sales pattern occupies 75%. In 2010 financial year growth in sales of this DBMS made 18%. Growth in sales of new products is Ensemble, EhealthShare Snapshot, TrakCare Snapshot there were higher than 100%.

The platform of data InterSystems Caché supports the different data types (structured and unstructured, centralized and not centralized), SQL and NoSQL-methods of data view and also executes automatic control of metadata. It provides impressive horizontal and vertical scaling. The uniqueness of a product consists that the Caché platform allows to perform analytical processing of primary information, guaranteeing the continuity of a cycle of work with data: their collecting, distribution, analysis and actions of users.

According to the report of Gartner, the market of management systems for operational databases consists from "… relational and not relational DBMS which are suitable for an extensive range of transactional applications of the corporate level; here commercial business applications, such as ERP- and CRM system and also the unique transaction systems developed by the organizations for own application by forces of own developers belong". For this magic quadrant of Gartner defined operational DBMS as the systems supporting a set of structures and data types, such as XML, text, notation of objects of JavaScript (JSON), sound, images and video.

According to Gartner, strengths of InterSystems are: rich functionality and high performance of Caché, focus of efforts of the company on promotion of products and technologies in the markets, especially in the market of health care. Assignment of the status "leader" in a magic quadrant of Gartner says that the product gains at clients high recognition thanks to a combination of enhanced capabilities of data management, their integration and the analysis.

About the Product

InterSystems Caché is the post-relational object DBMS giving unlimited opportunities for development of Web solutions and client-server applications.

Principal components

• TMDM. A multidimensional core of a system, orientation for work with transactions.

• Cache server' Objects. Representation of multidimensional structures of data of a core of a system in the form of the objects encapsulating both data and methods of their processing.

• Cache server' SQL. Representation of multidimensional structures of data in the form of relational tables.

• Server of direct access. Providing direct access to multidimensional structures of data of a core of a system.

Programming languages

In spite of the fact that Caché supports a large amount of technologies for creation of business logic (for example, Java, COM, C ++, etc.), it is recommended to develop to developers for achievement of maximum capacity and scalability a part of business logic in the form of methods of classes and programs on Caché. At the same time Caché gives the choice between and Caché ObjectScript and Caché Basic. Caché ObjectScript

Caché ObjectScript is an original programming language, an object-oriented language, powerful and easy for studying. One of interesting features of Caché ObjectScript is that it allows to apply all access types to data at the same time. The developer can work with data in the form of objects, relational tables (using SQL) or multidimensional arrays. Also, unlike others object-oriented languages, Caché ObjectScript allows to create separate programs. It is not obligatory that all code was methods of some classes.

As Caché ObjectScript is completely compatible to other products InterSystems, it is more preferable to developers already familiar with multidimensional data of Caché. Also it well is suitable for the developers familiar with technologies of object-oriented programming.

Caché Basic was added in order that to programmers, acquaintances with Visual Basic, it was simpler to begin to work with Caché. Caché Basic is founded on the VBScript language and includes expansions which the code written on it on the Caché virtual machine allows to execute. Thus, Caché Basic has all potential, as Caché ObjectScript. It also supports all 3 access types to data and allows to create separate programs.

In essence, any who knows Visual Basic, knows also Caché Basic. It allows a large number of developers to use around the world Caché advantages for fast creation of high performance applications. Complete equivalence

The code written both on Caché ObjectScript and on Caché Basic is executed on the same high-performance Caché virtual machine.

It allows also Caché ObjectScript and Caché Basic to be completely equivalent: Programs and methods of classes can be implemented, both on Caché ObjectScript, and on Caché Basic. The programs written on Caché Basic can be caused from the programs written on Caché ObjectScript.

The programs written on Caché ObjectScript can be caused from the programs written on Caché Basic.

Caché Studio allows to create and debug the code written both on Caché ObjectScript, and on Caché Basic.

2014: InterSystems Caché and InterSystems HealthShare are certified by FSTEC

On December 4, 2014 the branch of InterSystems corporation in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries announced obtaining certificates of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC) by the Russian Federation on security tools of information of the platform of data of InterSystems Caché 2014.1 and the medical integration InterSystems HealthShare 2014.1 platform.

The received certificates of conformity No. 3257 of October 31, 2014 (InterSystems Caché 2014.1) and No. 3264 of November 7, 2014 (InterSystems HealthShare 2014.1) certify that security tools of the specified software products functioning in the Microsoft Windows and RedHat Linux operating systems successfully passed compliance tests to requirements:

• regulating document of FSTEC of Russia "Protection against unauthorized access to information. Part 1. Information security software. Classification by the level of absence control of not declared opportunities" (State Technical Commission of Russia, 1999) — on the 4th level of control;
• the specifications (S) attached to certificates.

Specification requirements are developed on the basis of the following documents of FSTEC:

• Order No. 17 of 2/11/2013. "About the approval of Requirements about the data protection which is not the state secret, contained in the state information systems";
• Order No. 21 of 2/18/2013. "About the approval of Structure and the maintenance of organizational and technical measures for security of personal data at their processing in personal data information systems".

According to certificates, security tools of the InterSystems Caché 2014.1 database management system and platform of creation of the medical information networks HealthShare 2014.1 are the software tools of protection against unauthorized access to information which is not containing the data which are the state secret, implementing the following functions:

• identification and authentication of subjects of access to access objects,
• access control of subjects of access to access objects,
• registration of events of security,
• control (analysis) of security of information,
• ensuring availability of information,
• ensuring integrity of an information system and information,
• information system protection, its means, communication systems and data transmission.

InterSystems Caché 2014.1 and InterSystems HealthShare 2014.1 can be used:

• in the state information systems certified up to the 1st class of security;
• in the personal data information systems certified up to the 1st level of security.

"Certificates certify that the data protection mechanisms implemented in Caché and HealthShare are checked and can be used during the developing and operation of the state information systems and ISPDN any class of security. Existence of the certificate confirms compliance of the built-in means of protecting of these products of the most part of requirements of orders of FSTEC to the IC security tool as these requirements are included in the specification. It allows to simplify certification of the information systems which are based on our products on compliance to requirements of orders No. 17 and No. 21. InterSystems HealthShare is the only medical integration platform certified on absence of NDV" — Dmitry Zasypkin, the leading technical adviser of InterSystems corporation notes.

2015: InterSystems Caché 2015.1

22,000,000 appeals to a DB per second

"2015.1 improvements implemented in the version of Caché in the field of scalability and performance blow the mind. Indicators of scalability grew practically twice. It will become key strategic advantage for our users working with multi-user medical information systems. And also will allow them to implement aggressive growth strategies for the purpose of preparation for priority inversion in modern health care — from collection of information to its active use", Carl Dvorak, the president of Epic says

Increase in scalability of Caché 2015.1

The important changes implemented in the new version of Caché are directed to performance improvement and scalabilities in large multicore systems. Initial tests of a system confirm a possibility of almost linear horizontal scaling of a system from 16 to 64 cores. Concerning performance we managed to simplify a core of the database and to implement more effective operation algorithms with data, having increased system performance when using different models of access to applications. As a result of these changes work of the majority of applications will be more effective, however true advantages will become available to those who are going to execute scaling from 16 to 64 cores.

We updated several internal algorithms, having simplified and having optimized them that made possible use of architecture and functions of the modern equipment (chipsets). For example, in systems with a large number of cores the so-called decelerations of NUMA caused by uneven data access are quite often observed, however equipment suppliers often provide the instruction and technology of programming for specific chips, allowing to minimize a delay. In version 2015.1 we managed to implement similar technicians that system performance measured on response time of applications did not decrease at its vertical scaling.

We added several new algorithms to optimize parallel processing of specific workloads. It becomes especially noticeable if to look at response time of applications — it does not change even when adding in the system of workloads and users by the principle of horizontal scaling.

Several modifications were executed for the purpose of optimization of critical sections and internal resources, as a result it was succeeded to provide much higher capacity thanks to a parallelization of processes at horizontal and vertical scaling.

Scalability: vertical and horizontal

There are two approaches to scaling of the software.

• Vertical scaling consists in adding in the system of computing resources (the CPU, network, memories, storage resources, etc.).
• Horizontal scaling is reached by increase in number of the equipment. In this case the possibility of functioning of the database or application in distributed computing environment should be implemented.

Unique advantage of Caché is that a system gives powerful opportunities of vertical and horizontal scaling in finished form. The InterSystems Enterprise Cache Protocol (ECP) protocol represents high-performance and scalable technology thanks to which computers in distributed system can use databases of each other. Work with the ECP protocol is rather transparent for applications. The applications intended for work on one server without any changes function in multiserver environment.

Results: horizontal scaling

• Peak throughput in the normal mode: 22,000,000 appeals to a DB per second.
• For horizontal scaling the InterSystems Enterprise Cache Protocol (ECP) protocol was used.
• Wednesday consisted of 140 computing cores at the level of the application server.
• 50,000 appeals to a DB in a second/GHz of calculations.
• Increase in scalability by 3.5 times in comparison with Caché 2013.1.
• Performance improvement by 2.8 times in comparison with Caché 2013.1.

• Results are received when using model of the application for maintaining electronic medical records, real data and scenarios.

Results: vertical scaling

• Peak throughput in the normal mode: 13,000,000 appeals to a DB per second.
• Vertical scaling is executed within one SMP system with 80 cores.
• 65,000 appeals to a DB in a second/GHz of calculations.
• Increase in scalability by 1.7 times in comparison with Caché 2013.1.
• Performance improvement by 1.7 times in comparison with Caché 2013.1.

Results are received when using model of the application for maintaining electronic medical records, real data and scenarios.

Platforms

• Microsoft Windows UNIX Linux, OpenVMS and Mac OS X.

Links

• Official site