Sybase IQ’s patented design features permit databases to scale to contain many terabytes of data. Its index-based structure allows IQ to store your data in a much smaller space than the size of the raw input data, and access it far faster than a traditional relational database. These features make Sybase IQ ideal for storing and accessing very large databases (VLDBs).
Database administrators need to understand the options and features that affect performance, and follow documented guidelines. While many default settings automatically provide the greatest efficiency, you may need to experiment with certain option settings for the fastest results, based on your configuration, your loading requirements, and your queries. Setting these options appropriately is necessary for top performance in any Sybase IQ database, but is especially important as your database grows to the multiterabyte scale.
This section introduces Sybase IQ features that help you manage a very large database, and points you to more detailed discussion and recommendations.
