1. A method comprising: maintaining, within volatile memory of a particular computing device, a plurality of column vectors for a relational table of a relational database; wherein each column vector, of the plurality of column vectors, corresponds to a distinct column of the relational table; wherein each column vector, of the plurality of column vectors, is a contiguous array of values; wherein, within a particular column vector of the plurality of column vectors, values for the corresponding column are represented in a byte-comparable format; wherein the values in the particular column vector are of a data type that is not binary numeric; during execution of a database command, transferring, from the volatile memory of the particular computing device, a contiguous series of values in the byte-comparable format from the particular column vector to a CPU of the particular computing device; and within the CPU of the particular computing device, concurrently performing at least one operation on each value in the contiguous series of values; wherein the method is performed by the particular computing device.