This section describes the rapid evolution of IT solutions setting new requirements for DBMS technology and the SOLID solution to beat these challenges.
Most relational databases have their technological roots in systems dating from the early 1980s or even from the 1970s. They were designed for very different kinds of applications and hardware than are developed today. In the early days, RDBMS technology was used by large corporations to produce single, centralized systems. Tailor-made software and proprietary solutions were run on a few expensive high-end computers.
Database vendors developed complex proprietary features to squeeze all possible power out of the expensive hardware and to lock customers into their non-standard solutions. Highly-trained database administrators were needed day in day out to maintain and fine-tune these complex centralized systems.
Meanwhile the fast-paced IT industry has moved on, creating entirely new requirements.
The predominant products on the market are complex, massive, and expensive to manage. They may be appropriate for old centralized enterprise solutions. But times have changed.
"It must be easy to embed and easy to distribute in high volumes.
It must be care-free to administer and invisible to the end-user."
There is a major paradigm shift going on in the software industry. It is reshaping professional application development and distribution.
First, PCs created a huge market for mass-produced personal productivity software such as word processors, spreadsheets, and graphics packages.
Then LANs, WANs, and the Internet came along, connecting the new inexpensive desktop processing power. Today, the market is demanding high-volume, high-quality multi-user business solutions.
For software houses, increasing competition means reaching for cost-effectiveness through economies of scale: high-volume distribution with a low margin. This requires more efficient distribution channels for mass-marketed, easy-to-install, and care-free applications. All barriers to the efficient mass production and distribution of applications must now be torn down.
The software industry is now focusing on standard application packages and volume production.
"It must support standards and run on all major platforms.
It should scale and grow dynamically with the organization."
Software houses talk about Internet and client/server and sell their technology as compliant with the paradigms. The new network oriented architecture permits dynamic and decentralized smartsizing:
- the freedom to select the most suitable and cost-effective platform for each client and server application
- the ability to develop the infrastructure gradually by replacing older components with new tools and technology
- the ability to adjust rapidly to operational business changes
For IT departments, however, the administration of this architecture is setting high demands. New applications are distributed throughout the organization and deployed at multiple sites, most of which have very limited database administration resources. In this new era, efficient deployment and low operational costs are much more important than previously.
The new applications are distributed throughout the organization and deployed at multiple sites, most of which have very limited database administration resources.
"It must meet the challenges of mobile computing to offer
the organization independence of time and location."
Increased computing power and improved telecommunications enable the use of powerful mobile devices. Notebooks, handheld PCs, and communicators open up a new world of freedom and productivity.
The challenge of mobile computing, however, is to offer enough functionality to make working outside the office a real choice. This is not only a question of the availability of applications; even more challenging is sharing the corporate data.
To be viable, mobile solutions should fulfill two requirements. First, they must operate seamlessly off-line. Second, they need to synchronize their data with the main system even if the online time and quality of the connection are limited.
For a complete solution, a compact but robust DBMS is needed: it must ensure data integrity for mission critical corporate data with the limited mobile resources.
The real challenge in mobile computing is providing a viable solution for sharing the corporate data.
Accelerating competition has stretched conventional RDBMS technology to its limits by creating compound software layers. As a result, the predominant products on the market are massive, and expensive to manage. They have extensive hardware requirements and significant administration costs. These products may be appropriate for old centralized enterprise solutions running at computer centers, where dedicated database administrators are available.
But now the software industry is developing application packages to be distributed in countless copies. In addition, organizations are deploying not only centralized solutions but also high-volume distributed and mobile applications.
In this new era, applications are plentiful, and efficient distribution and low operational costs are much more important than previously. The future is in flexible and open database components that combine robust power with simple deployment and maintenance. These kinds of features need to be designed into the system from the very beginning they cannot be implemented by adding still more software layers.
Times have changed. You need new solutions.
Evolution is not about the survival of the biggest. The future is in flexible and open components that combine robust power with simple deployment and maintenance.
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