March 2017 Summaries

The Java driver team has released version 3.2.0 of the DataStax Java driver for Apache Cassandra®, which includes full compatibility with recent Guava versions up to 21.0 and noticeable performance improvements. This release also introduces a new SSL configuration interface, enhancements to the object mapper, and full support for the CQL duration type. The driver is available from Maven and the downloads server, and user feedback on platform and runtime preferences would be appreciated to improve testing infrastructure.

The DataStax Graph Loader (DGL) is a tool for loading data into DSE Graph, and can also help familiarize users with the platform. This tutorial guides users through creating mapping scripts and functions, using DGL to speed up schema creation, and manipulating data within the tool. It covers working with Pokemon data as an example, including creating vertex labels, defining edges between vertices, specifying input files, and generating a schema for the graph. The final step is loading the data into the graph using the mapping script created earlier.

The text discusses analogies between medical diagnoses and treatments and graphical diagnoses and treatments. It highlights the importance of leveraging patient symptoms and vitals in determining the nature of an individual's affliction/disease, whether it be a human or a graph system. Vitals are defined as functions that map a person to a value, such as age, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and height. Graphs can also have vitals like vertex count, edge count, and degree distribution. The text further explains the growth of graphs using different models: lattice graphs, scale-free graphs, and random graphs. It emphasizes that understanding the relationship between structure and process is crucial in diagnosing potential performance issues in graph applications.

DSE Graph is a unique graph database that combines scalability, replication, fault tolerance, and real-time operational capabilities. It differentiates itself from other graph databases by leveraging the strengths of DataStax Enterprise and Apache Cassandra's storage engine. The key aspects that set it apart are its positioning on the right side of the chart where relationships are most valuable, and towards the top due to its scalability. DSE Graph is designed for handling large graphs with custom IDs, allowing developers to take graph partitioning into their own hands. It supports single cardinality edges (thereby idempotent) which can be created using the "single()" keyword in DSE Graph.

The DataStax Enterprise (DSE) Graph Loader (DGL) is a powerful tool for loading graph data into DSE Graph. It supports multiple data input sources and provides high flexibility for manipulating data on ingest by requiring custom groovy data mapping scripts to map source data to graph objects. Key considerations when using DGL include handling timeouts, managing large volumes of data, and optimizing performance through techniques such as chunking, using local SSDs instead of S3, leveraging bookekeeping for resuming progress, and strategically loading data with or without search indexes depending on the graph schema.