It can be reassuring that early adopters have gone before you. Multiprocessor systems have been used successfully for online transaction processing, data warehousing, decision support, simulation and financial modeling. Database vendors finally have arrived on these platforms. Informix took three years to rewrite its core database architecture to provide clustered SMP and another year to accommodate MPP functionality. Sybase, Oracle and IBM now also have integrated parallel processing capability into their database architectures.
Scalability is a major benefit.
When anticipated correctly, upgrades are relatively straightforward. Hewlett-Packard, for example, is touting the advantage of parallel server technology over more traditional MPP architectures. There are multiple sources. All major hardware vendors have a multiprocessor product line, so you can shop around and count on continued competition, variety and innovation among major systems. Choosing SMP, clustering or MPP should depend upon your specific applications and goals.