Concept Of Embedded Databases

摘要

The concept of embedded databases evolved with the rise in the number of the portable computing devices. As these devices have proliferated and gained communication capabilities, users have begun to depend on them for more tasks. Users thus find themselves storing an increasing amount of data that they generate on the devices themselves. Many users also must store material they download from a central enterprise database to the devices so that they can work on the data offline. Because of these developments, users now need devices with sophisticated data-management capabilities. This has led to the development of embedded databases for the portable machines. Even the small-embedded systems found in many everyday machines, such as car engines and point-of-sale devices, are beginning to use databases. These embedded databases store data that technicians and others can access to monitor, diagnose, and otherwise work with the machines. And tiny embedded databases are finding their way into smart cards. In general, embedded databases face a number of challenges that their full-sized counterparts don't. For example, they must be integrated into small devices that have limited storage and memory resources and that require continuous uptime with little or no maintenance. Therefore, embedded databases must have very small footprints - generally ranging from 8 to 350 Kbytes, compared to hundreds of Mbytes for full-sized enterprise databasesand must be able to run without the services of a database administrator. Embedded databases also face interoperability and portability challenges. Nonetheless, the demand for embedded databases is growing, and the market is wide open. This paper is an attempt to explain the evolution of embedded databases with the up-gradation of technology. The primary issues involved in the design of an embedded database have also been presented.