Greenplum
By VMware (Broadcom)
Greenplum is an open-source massively parallel processing (MPP) data warehouse database built on top of PostgreSQL, designed for large-scale analytics and business intelligence.
Definition
Greenplum is an open-source massively parallel processing (MPP) data warehouse database built on top of PostgreSQL, designed for large-scale analytics and business intelligence.
Overview
Greenplum extends PostgreSQL's storage engine and SQL compatibility with a shared-nothing MPP architecture, distributing data and query execution across many segment nodes coordinated by a master node — an approach conceptually similar to Teradata and Vertica but built on the familiar, extensible Postgres foundation. Because it inherits PostgreSQL's SQL surface and extension model, Greenplum supports rich analytical SQL, user-defined functions, and integrations with the broader Postgres ecosystem, while adding column-oriented storage options and query optimization tuned for OLAP scan-heavy workloads rather than high-frequency OLTP transactions. Greenplum has passed through several corporate owners — originally developed independently, then acquired by EMC, folded into Pivotal, and now part of VMware Tanzu under Broadcom — while remaining available as open-source software that organizations can self-host as an alternative to proprietary MPP warehouses.
Key Features
- Built on PostgreSQL, inheriting its SQL compatibility and extensibility
- Shared-nothing MPP architecture with segment and master nodes
- Row and column-oriented storage options per table
- Open-source licensing alongside commercial VMware support
- Support for user-defined functions and PostgreSQL extensions
- Parallel data loading and query execution across segments