Amazon Redshift Benefits Data and Analytics at Ohio State

One of the benefits of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform is its flexibility and constant innovation. As new features and functions arrive, the Data and Analytics Team (DNA) within the Office of the CIO evaluates them and when applicable, initiates changes in the tools and components that we use to deliver analytics capabilities for Ohio State.  

On Sunday, January 2, 2022, we will transition the core database and query engine for the Reporting and Analytics Environment (RAE) to a new type of Amazon Redshift server cluster. The new cluster will enable us to expand our data store to as much as 64 terabytes of data, while providing the same or better query performance and enabling operational cost savings. 

This change will be transparent to any analyst or system that utilizes the RAE. No changes in connectivity settings are needed. Server endpoints, usernames, passwords, and other information that you use to connect to the RAE will not change. There will be no downtime for users. Our system administrators will validate the updates on Sunday and all operations will return to normal on Monday, January 3, 2022. 

Our DNA colleagues will continue to work with AWS to implement additional capabilities and features in the coming year, as we grow the RAE system. If you would like more information about the new cluster type, check out a recent AWS article to learn more (aws.amazon.com/redshift/features/ra3). 

If you have questions about this forthcoming update, please contact the team at: CIO-RAE-Admin@osu.edu.