Challenge Overview
Welcome to the “Actian Zen Client Reporting Engine Challenge” with - 100 Placements! In this challenge you will install and configure Zen v13 Server and Zen v13 Client Reporting engine and run two simple test application executables to compare query execution time with the Zen Server under a simulated production load and the same query on Zen Client Reporting engine on a separate machine.
We will be awarding 100 placements of $100. Please note that the challenge will automatically close when we reach 100 valid submissions. You only need to provide screenshots with the test results from the application executables. Even if you haven’t seen the Actian Zen database before, it is a very straightforward install and configure process. You should be able to get through the entire challenge in under 30 minutes.
ABOUT ACTIAN ZEN EMBEDDED DATABASE
The Actian Zen Embedded database delivers a zero-DBA, SQL and NoSQL, embeddable, nano footprint database for low or no IT environments. Perfect for embedded SMB business and IoT applications. It is available on ARM and Intel on multiple OS platforms like Windows and Linux, including Raspbian, with Android and iOS on the way. New in Actian Zen v13, the 64-bit Client Reporting Engine enables customers to run SQL queries against client cache and offload large reporting workloads to a separate machine, reducing the impact on the main server engine.
CHALLENGE BACKGROUND
As with any client-server architecture, sharing transaction and report processing on a single server can create problems. As data sets grow, report processing slows overall performance, sometimes to the point where the reports need to be run during non-business hours. This results in information that is, at best, one day old and dramatically reduces the organization’s ability to run ad hoc reports. The Client Reporting Engine included as part of the Zen v13 release lets businesses offload large reporting jobs to a separate server, improving the speed and availability of reports with minimal effect on the production system.
If you accept this challenge, your objective will be to install Actian v13 Server and Actian v13 Client Reporting Engine on two separate machines, run a pair of simple applications simulating reporting and transaction processes and report the results.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS CHALLENGE
You’ll need 2 machines (physical or VM) running 64-bit Windows with at least 4GB of RAM each to handle the sample data set. You’ll install and configure Zen v13 Server on one (the production system) and the Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine on another (the reporting system).
DOWNLOAD
Actian Zen v13 Server and Client Reporting Engine, Directions, Sample Applications and Data Sets
DIRECTIONS FOR THIS CHALLENGE
If you are already familiar with PSQL/Zen, the short set of instructions below should be sufficient. If you are new to Actian Zen, welcome! More detailed instructions for the challenge are available with the download.
1) Download the zipfile containing:
a. Zen v13 Server
b. Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine
c. Test data set with ddfs
d. Insert Data application
e. Report Test application
f. Detailed challenge directions
2) Install Zen v13 Server on the ‘production’ machine. Create a TestDB database with data and ddf’s from the TestDB Data folder included in the download.
3) Install the Client Reporting Engine on the ‘reporting’ machine. Configure the Client Reporting Engine to use the production database as the Storage Engine. Run the reporting application. This populates the reporting engine cache with data for future use.
4) On the production machine, simultaneously run the insert application and 3 instances reporting application. This simulates multiple users running reports on a system also handling transactions. Get a screen shot of the results for each application. They all have millisecond counters.
5) On the reporting machine, run the reporting application and get a screen shot of the results.
6) Finally, on the production machine use the insert application to clear test tables. Now rerun the insert and get a screenshot of the results. This shows the improvement in application performance resulting from not running reports at the same time as ‘transaction processing’.
DELIVERABLES FOR THIS CHALLENGE
Submit screen shots of results from steps 4, 5 and 6 above with each screen shot labeled.
Make sure the screen shots include:
- Time took to run in milliseconds
- A few lines of the query results for the reporting application
- and the PSQL Control Center showing the engine name.
PRIZES
$10,000 Total Prizes
- The first 100 successful submission will each earn $100.
RULES
- Contest begins March 23 and runs until there are 100 successful submissions.
- Winners will be notified via Topcoder forum and email.
- Winners will be announced throughout the contest with the complete list of winners within one week of the contest’s conclusion.
- Both Actian Zen v13 Server and Actian Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine are licensed for trial purposes for internal, evaluation use only under the terms of Actian’s Customer License and Support Services Agreement.
- NOTE: This challenge will be reviewed by client, in its sole discretion, and there will be no appeals or appeals response phases.
SCORECARD
- All Software Setup Requirements and all Valid Submission Requirements completed before the deadline
- Be one of the first 100 members to successfully complete the challenge.
- Only one entry per Member. Duplicate submissions from the same member, and submissions that are copies from other members will be disqualified.
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
By participating in this Competition, You acknowledge and agree that:
- You must comply with all applicable laws in submitting a Competition Submission, and you represent that you are authorized to submit the Competition Submission.
- Actian Corporation (“Actian”) is free to use, disclose, distribute or otherwise exploit Residual Knowledge. Residual Knowledge means information that is retained in the unaided memories of Actian’s employees and contractors who have had access to any Competition Submissions submitted by You. An employee’s or contractor’s memory will be considered unaided if the employee or contractor has not intentionally memorized the information for the purpose of retaining and subsequently using or disclosing it; and
- If You provide comments, criticism, suggested improvements, test results, answers to questions, and other feedback regarding the function, features, and other characteristics of the Actian products in written or oral form (“Feedback”), You agree that all Feedback is the property of Actian and may be used, reproduced, adapted, modified, distributed, and otherwise exploited by Actian in any manner and for any purpose.
- You are not entitled to any compensation from Actian or any of the benefits which Actian may make available to its employees, and You are not authorized to make any representation, contract or commitment on behalf of Actian.
- Employees and direct and indirect subcontractors of Actian Corporation and its subsidiaries and other affiliates, and employees and direct and indirect subcontractors of Actian’s partners (including TopCoder and its affiliates) are not eligible to participate in the challenge.
- You may only use data that is open and that can be shared with anyone in the world and which is freely available and to which you have rights to use the data in submitting such data.
- You may only use software that you are licensed and permitted by law to use.
Please let me us if you have any questions on the challenge forum:
https://apps.topcoder.com/forums/?module=Category&categoryID=41517
Remember, there are also free technical resources for Actian Zen available in the Zen Community forums, knowledge base and official documentation.
Please read the section "Deliverables for this challenge".
1. If you are one of the winners and you would like Actian to contact you about opportunities to have your entry featured on the Actian blog, please confirm your interest and provide your full name and email address
2. If you would like someone from Actian to contact you, please provide your full name, email address and a brief description of what you would like to discuss so that we can connect you with the appropriate person from Actian
We will be awarding 100 placements of $100. Please note that the challenge will automatically close when we reach 100 valid submissions. You only need to provide screenshots with the test results from the application executables. Even if you haven’t seen the Actian Zen database before, it is a very straightforward install and configure process. You should be able to get through the entire challenge in under 30 minutes.
ABOUT ACTIAN ZEN EMBEDDED DATABASE
The Actian Zen Embedded database delivers a zero-DBA, SQL and NoSQL, embeddable, nano footprint database for low or no IT environments. Perfect for embedded SMB business and IoT applications. It is available on ARM and Intel on multiple OS platforms like Windows and Linux, including Raspbian, with Android and iOS on the way. New in Actian Zen v13, the 64-bit Client Reporting Engine enables customers to run SQL queries against client cache and offload large reporting workloads to a separate machine, reducing the impact on the main server engine.
CHALLENGE BACKGROUND
As with any client-server architecture, sharing transaction and report processing on a single server can create problems. As data sets grow, report processing slows overall performance, sometimes to the point where the reports need to be run during non-business hours. This results in information that is, at best, one day old and dramatically reduces the organization’s ability to run ad hoc reports. The Client Reporting Engine included as part of the Zen v13 release lets businesses offload large reporting jobs to a separate server, improving the speed and availability of reports with minimal effect on the production system.
If you accept this challenge, your objective will be to install Actian v13 Server and Actian v13 Client Reporting Engine on two separate machines, run a pair of simple applications simulating reporting and transaction processes and report the results.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS CHALLENGE
You’ll need 2 machines (physical or VM) running 64-bit Windows with at least 4GB of RAM each to handle the sample data set. You’ll install and configure Zen v13 Server on one (the production system) and the Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine on another (the reporting system).
DOWNLOAD
Actian Zen v13 Server and Client Reporting Engine, Directions, Sample Applications and Data Sets
DIRECTIONS FOR THIS CHALLENGE
If you are already familiar with PSQL/Zen, the short set of instructions below should be sufficient. If you are new to Actian Zen, welcome! More detailed instructions for the challenge are available with the download.
1) Download the zipfile containing:
a. Zen v13 Server
b. Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine
c. Test data set with ddfs
d. Insert Data application
e. Report Test application
f. Detailed challenge directions
2) Install Zen v13 Server on the ‘production’ machine. Create a TestDB database with data and ddf’s from the TestDB Data folder included in the download.
3) Install the Client Reporting Engine on the ‘reporting’ machine. Configure the Client Reporting Engine to use the production database as the Storage Engine. Run the reporting application. This populates the reporting engine cache with data for future use.
4) On the production machine, simultaneously run the insert application and 3 instances reporting application. This simulates multiple users running reports on a system also handling transactions. Get a screen shot of the results for each application. They all have millisecond counters.
5) On the reporting machine, run the reporting application and get a screen shot of the results.
6) Finally, on the production machine use the insert application to clear test tables. Now rerun the insert and get a screenshot of the results. This shows the improvement in application performance resulting from not running reports at the same time as ‘transaction processing’.
DELIVERABLES FOR THIS CHALLENGE
Submit screen shots of results from steps 4, 5 and 6 above with each screen shot labeled.
Make sure the screen shots include:
- Time took to run in milliseconds
- A few lines of the query results for the reporting application
- and the PSQL Control Center showing the engine name.
PRIZES
$10,000 Total Prizes
- The first 100 successful submission will each earn $100.
RULES
- Contest begins March 23 and runs until there are 100 successful submissions.
- Winners will be notified via Topcoder forum and email.
- Winners will be announced throughout the contest with the complete list of winners within one week of the contest’s conclusion.
- Both Actian Zen v13 Server and Actian Zen v13 Client Reporting Engine are licensed for trial purposes for internal, evaluation use only under the terms of Actian’s Customer License and Support Services Agreement.
- NOTE: This challenge will be reviewed by client, in its sole discretion, and there will be no appeals or appeals response phases.
SCORECARD
- All Software Setup Requirements and all Valid Submission Requirements completed before the deadline
- Be one of the first 100 members to successfully complete the challenge.
- Only one entry per Member. Duplicate submissions from the same member, and submissions that are copies from other members will be disqualified.
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
By participating in this Competition, You acknowledge and agree that:
- You must comply with all applicable laws in submitting a Competition Submission, and you represent that you are authorized to submit the Competition Submission.
- Actian Corporation (“Actian”) is free to use, disclose, distribute or otherwise exploit Residual Knowledge. Residual Knowledge means information that is retained in the unaided memories of Actian’s employees and contractors who have had access to any Competition Submissions submitted by You. An employee’s or contractor’s memory will be considered unaided if the employee or contractor has not intentionally memorized the information for the purpose of retaining and subsequently using or disclosing it; and
- If You provide comments, criticism, suggested improvements, test results, answers to questions, and other feedback regarding the function, features, and other characteristics of the Actian products in written or oral form (“Feedback”), You agree that all Feedback is the property of Actian and may be used, reproduced, adapted, modified, distributed, and otherwise exploited by Actian in any manner and for any purpose.
- You are not entitled to any compensation from Actian or any of the benefits which Actian may make available to its employees, and You are not authorized to make any representation, contract or commitment on behalf of Actian.
- Employees and direct and indirect subcontractors of Actian Corporation and its subsidiaries and other affiliates, and employees and direct and indirect subcontractors of Actian’s partners (including TopCoder and its affiliates) are not eligible to participate in the challenge.
- You may only use data that is open and that can be shared with anyone in the world and which is freely available and to which you have rights to use the data in submitting such data.
- You may only use software that you are licensed and permitted by law to use.
Please let me us if you have any questions on the challenge forum:
https://apps.topcoder.com/forums/?module=Category&categoryID=41517
Remember, there are also free technical resources for Actian Zen available in the Zen Community forums, knowledge base and official documentation.
Final Submission Guidelines
Final Submission GuidelinesPlease read the section "Deliverables for this challenge".
1. If you are one of the winners and you would like Actian to contact you about opportunities to have your entry featured on the Actian blog, please confirm your interest and provide your full name and email address
2. If you would like someone from Actian to contact you, please provide your full name, email address and a brief description of what you would like to discuss so that we can connect you with the appropriate person from Actian