RDBMSs

When the world started going on the Web, the biggest problem

was having a database that could easily present data on the Web, and could also

be dynamically updated. Several initial attempts were made. For example, Borland

came out with its IntraBuilder–a dynamic database Web publishing tool. It had

wizards that guided you through creating your database, and then helped you

publish it on the Web. Since then, databases have continually been used for

interactive Web applications.

Most common database applications are being developed for

e-commerce. To create an e-commerce store, you need a strong database at the

back-end that will store all your customer information, orders booked,

merchandise details, etc.

India has mostly been Oracle territory in the RDBMS arena.

Last year, Oracle made a clean sweep with no other brand making it to the UPI

chart. This year, two others have managed to enter the rankings. The first one

is age-old FoxPro, which still seems to be a preferred brand among Indian users.

Oracle was also reported highest in currently-used databases. FoxPro and SQL

followed suit in that order.

SQL Server, which has been making strides in the online

market, managed to enter the charts at number three. SQL Server has come up with

plenty of innovations. For example, one of its most talked-about features is the

simple English query, where a user doesn’t have to know cryptic query commands

to extract a piece of information. Another feature of the database was that it

could also be installed on clients without hogging up resources. The next

version–SQL 2000–is still in the Beta stage, but is more tightly integrated

with Windows 2000.

Oracle has been coming out as the winner year after year since 1997. Let’s

see if it can manage to maintain its momentum next year.