What is our primary use case?
DataStax Enterprise serves as the primary database for all transactional processing in my organization. DataStax Enterprise provides linear scale as well as multi-data center real-time replication of data such that we can maintain uptime even with the loss of multiple data centers. Keeping the system up and the data fresh is of paramount importance for our clients. Performance is also top of mind, and DataStax Enterprise delivers best-in-class performance.
A specific example of how I use DataStax Enterprise in my organization is that there is a learning curve and tasks that are simple in traditional RDBMS systems can be complicated with DataStax Enterprise. However, once I get the hang of denormalizing data and getting the data model correct, DataStax Enterprise is very usable. Usability from a developer's standpoint is very simple, but the complication is on the architectural side with the data model.
I also love the ability to have our self-services up and running even with a total outage at one of our data centers.
What is most valuable?
The best features DataStax Enterprise offers include scaling, speed of data access, and ease of use for those familiar with traditional SQL.
The scaling and speed of data access have benefited my team because the scaling and the speeding of data provide linear scale as well as multi-data centers' real-time replication of data such that we can maintain uptime even with the loss of multiple data centers. It enables us to maintain our uptime, which is very crucial for our clients.
DataStax Enterprise has positively impacted my organization by providing the ability to have our services up and running even with a total outage at one of our data centers. There is no need to maintain windows since we can turn off data centers while doing maintenance and then put them back in the rotation and move on.
I can share specific outcomes or metrics that show this positive impact, such as improvements in performance of about 60% and a reduction in downtime of about 40 to 45%, which is very great.
What needs improvement?
I think DataStax Enterprise can be improved by having a hybrid on-prem and cloud solution with Astra. Better compatibility with prior versions in terms of codebases should also be improved.
More ways to reach out to customer support would be great as additional feedback on the needed improvements.
Better compatibility with prior versions in terms of codebase would be appreciated as another improvement needed for DataStax Enterprise.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using DataStax Enterprise for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
DataStax Enterprise is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
DataStax Enterprise's scalability is very fast with linear scalability and hence is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support team is best-in-class, navigable and easy-to-customize in UI. The customer support is responsive and proactive, but they should find more ways to be reached.
My advice to others looking into using DataStax Enterprise is that real-time transaction processing, both reads and writes, is where DataStax Enterprise shines the most. It's very fast with linear scalability. Should more resources be needed, additionally, nodes are added very easily. DataStax Enterprise on its own without Solr or Spark enabled is well-suited for long, complicated reports. The data model doesn't support joining multiple tables together, which is common in BI reporting.
I have additional thoughts about DataStax Enterprise, stating that the escalation process is excellent, the best I've seen. The support team is incredibly strong. Outside of emergencies, the team is very helpful with general questions and working through the data model exercise. I believe the subscription still comes with some hours to help get the data model reviewed.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Azure Cosmos DB as a different solution. I decided to switch from Azure Cosmos DB to DataStax Enterprise because I believe DataStax Enterprise is the best-in-class. There are some things that are different with the schema-less system, but I found that DataStax Enterprise is the easiest to implement while evaluating. The replication is on par or better than others in practice. We are evaluating Astra in our test environment, and that has additional benefits we are looking forward to using.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment. If not keeping current with updates, updating from an older major version to a newer major version can be a bit complicated and time-consuming, but DataStax Enterprise support will help us with this.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing indicates that the cost is a bit affordable, especially for my organization. However, for smaller organizations working under a tight budget, it might not be very affordable compared to other alternatives.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing DataStax Enterprise, I evaluated other options including Oracle Java SE, Microsoft Power BI, and MySQL.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate DataStax Enterprise an eight out of ten.
I chose eight out of ten because it provides us with linear scale as well as multi-data center real-time replication of data such that we can maintain uptime even with the loss of multiple data centers, which is very crucial for our clients.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?