Ameritech selects Tandem servers and database software for large-scale decision support system; $12 million system to provide usage information culled from hundreds of millions of daily call records

Business Wire, Nov 1, 1994

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 1994--Tandem Computers Inc. Tuesday announced that Ameritech has selected Tandem's NonStop parallel processing systems and NonStop SQL/MP database software as the platform for its massive new Customer Usage Tracking Systems (CUTS).

CUTS will, for the first time, allow Ameritech to extract useful network usage and marketing information from the large volumes of data known as "call detail records," associated with the hundreds of millions of calls made daily in its five-state region.

According to Ameritech, the new decision support system will enhance its competitive position through improved network efficiency, and by providing a better understanding of individual customer's needs. Also, according to Ameritech, the new system was made feasible by Tandem's massively parallel hardware and software architecture, and the excellent price/performance of its servers. The agreement is valued at over $12 million.

Dr. Michael S. Patrick, director of Information Services for Ameritech Small Business Services, said, "In the past, the sheer magnitude of multi-terabyte database, and the difficulties of trying to glean insights from it, proved too great a roadblock for us to really use this information for decision support. Tandem's parallel architecture, with its ability to efficiently run large scale queries, together with the superb price/performance of the new Himalaya servers, make such a system workable.

"CUTS represents one of Ameritech's information pillars for better understanding and serving our customers," concluded Patrick.

Bruce Dougherty, Tandem's vice president of Solutions Marketing, said, "We are pleased that Ameritech chose Tandem's parallel processing systems and database software after a rigorous competitive assessment. Tandem's proven parallel processing is an exceptionally good fit for decision support applications. As databases grow in size, and as the queries against them become more complex, Tandem Himalaya servers can expand with full linearity to hundreds of processors, querying databases of all sizes up to multiple terabytes."

CUTS will utilize an advanced client/server architecture, based on Tandem Himalaya K10000 parallel processing servers running Tandem's recently announced NonStop SQL/MP software. NonStop SQL/MP is an open, parallel processing database management system and is the only database built from the ground up for full, inherent parallelism.

The system will collect and collate call detail records and other account data currently residing on various legacy systems throughout the Ameritech region. The CUTS system will support a multi-terabyte mirrored database. Ameritech information technology and marketing analysts will be able to access the database and analyze the data via easy-to-use, Windows-based front-end query tools and report writers.

High-Performance, Scalable Decision Support

Tandem's NonStop SQL/MP database management system is a fully parallel implementation of the industry-standard Structured Query Language, and is uniquely architected to perform the complex, lengthy queries that characterize decision support. For example, by dividing queries into smaller pieces across multiple processors, NonStop SQL/MP allows requests to be executed faster, while making optimal use of processing power.

In Tandem's parallel NonStop environment, dividing a query among 100 processors, for example, can reduce processing time by 99%. NonStop SQL/MP supports from two up to 4,000 processors and from a few gigabytes to terabytes of data. This scalability allows applications to grow without modification, and without any response time degradation or unfavorable price/performance impact.

In addition to providing high performance, NonStop SQL/MP is designed to ensure database consistency in a single server, or across a global network. It supports online database management procedures, such as re-partitioning, reorganization and backup, while users continue to access the entire database -- a particularly important feature in a large-scale database environment. NonStop SQL/MP also features the industry's most flexible locking options for managing concurrent access to data, and will automatically restore lost data in the event of disk failure through an online recovery procedure.

The CUTS system was installed in late September, and Patrick anticipates full data reporting by Nov. 15.

Ameritech (NYSE:AIT) helps 12 million customers communicate and manage information, primarily in the Midwestern United States. With 1993 revenues of $11.7 billion, the company also has international operations in New Zealand, Hungary, Poland, Norway and other regions.

Tandem Computers Inc. (NYSE:TDM), founded in 1974, is the leader in continuously available parallel processing, reliable client/server solutions and enterprise networks. The company manufactures, markets and provides services and systems ranging from the desktop to the data center, as well as software to deliver complete customer solutions. Tandem, headquartered in Cupertino, is a Fortune 500 company with offices worldwide. -0-