The Business of Managing Data: Implications for Research

Abstract

Since 1990, Persistent Systems has been in the business of building systems to manage data. In this talk, based on my experience of working with companies building data management products, I propose to provide an overview of how the data business has evolved over the last two decades. I will attempt to connect research trends from database conferences during this period and explore the commercial impact of hot research topics. It would be interesting to explore why certain technologies were not successful in the commercial world and how certain technologies were commercially available before they became hot research topics. Through examples, I will try to chart the timeline of how technologies have moved from research projects to start-ups to products in the market.