Kx Systems Enhances kdb+ with Encryption and Google Snappy Compression

Blog entry

Kx Systems, a subsidiary of First Derivatives and supplier of high performance data management and analytics technology, has released version 3.4 of its kdb+ database with the inclusion of encryption, an additional compression algorithm and the latest upgrade of Microsoft’s Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface.

The additions in release Kx v3.4 are a response to client feedback and are expected to provide immediate benefits to kdb+ users. The encryption feature uses TLS/SSL protocols to secure connections to the database, the upgrade to Microsoft ODBC 3.8 allows integration with visualisation tools such as Tableau, and the addition of Google’s Snappy compression to existing compression algorithms allows data to be compressed up to 25% faster than other methods.

Simon Garland, chief customer officer at Kx, explains: “The main feature clients have been asking for is encryption. The addition of TLS support provides secure connections that are vital as financial institutions face ever greater cyber security challenges and banks must meet regulatory requirements around cyber security. The new ODBC driver will help our clients access much larger datasets through business intelligence packages like Tableau.”

The production version of Kx v3.4 is available immediately. The 32-bit version that is free and can be downloaded from the Kx website for non-commercial activities will be available shortly.