Key Takeaways:
– Neo4j unveils major updates to its AuraDB graph database solution, driving increased accessibility and efficiency.
– A new GenAI-infused console, an interactive dashboard builder, and a cheaper Business Critical tier have been introduced.
– Real-time read capabilities have been enhanced by a factor of 15 in Neo4j’s latest update.
Neo4j, the front-runner in the sphere of graph databases has today unveiled several enhancements to its AuraDB graph database solution–a new GenAI-integrated console, an interactive dashboard builder, and a new Business Critical tier that offers a cost advantage of 20% over the preceding solution. A whopping 15X improvement in real-time read capabilities also marks the new suite of updates.
AuraDB’s Transformation Through GenAI
Neo4j’s AuraDB console now integrates all tools necessary for setting up and managing a graph database cluster as well as for utilising the database to explore and visualize data. This change is a significant departure from the former AuraDB console, which was predominantly geared towards administrators, according to Sudhir Hasbe, Neo4j’s chief product officer.
The new update aims at collating all of the graph tooling for graph analysis and graph visualization into a singular console. This will streamline the customer experience as users won’t have to switch interfaces to extract full value. The transition from creating the instance to importing, visualising, querying and running algorithms on data can all occur in one unified console.
Furthermore, Neo4j’s new console integrates its natural language-powered copilot. This will simplify the experience and make it easier for novices as they won’t have to learn the Cypher language used by Neo4j.
Introducing NeoDash: An Interactive Dashboard
Alongside the new console, Neo4j is also launching an interactive dashboard known as NeoDash. This open-source service permits users to employ low-code/no-code tools, enhancing their understanding, analysis, and interaction with graph data. This move seeks to promote NeoDash from a labs project to a fully supported product.
Distinguishing NeoDash from the AuraDB console, Hasbe explains that NeoDash primarily serves users who need to consume results of graph database or graph analytics. The more technical tasks of exploring the database or developing queries are still best handled by the Aura Console.
New Tier and Pricing Model
Neo4j introduces a new solution, the AuraDB Business Critical, at a price point 20% lower than its former AuraDB Enterprise offering—now renamed AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud. Customers can leverage the Business Critical edition to make their apps highly available on a multi-machine cluster with a few clicks.
Enabling Greater Throughput and Security
Neo4j also plans to enhance read capabilities from the graph database with a 15X scale-out read capacity. However, this speedup exclusively benefits read-intensive workloads like graph queries and won’t affect write-intensive tasks such as transaction processing.
Another key update focuses on heightening safety in AuraDB with new features such as fine-grained access control, encryption in transit and at rest, single sign-on via AAD and Okta, and support for private VPCs and Private Links.
All these AuraDB enhancements will be accessible across all main clouds, and the announcement comes right before Neo4j’s GraphSummit enterprise conference in New York. This marks the first of four GraphSummit events the company intends to host this year.
