Database-centric architecture

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Database-centric architecture

Database-centric architecture or data-centric architecture has several distinct meanings, generally relating to software architecture

Software architecture

The software architecture of a program or computing system is the structure or structures of the software system, which comprise software components, the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships between them....
s in which database

Database

A database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. The structure is achieved by organizing the data according to a database model....
s play a crucial role. Often this description is meant to contrast the design to an alternative approach. For example, the characterization of an architecture as "database-centric" may mean any combination of the following:

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Encyclopedia

Database-centric architecture or data-centric architecture has several distinct meanings, generally relating to software architecture

Software architecture

Database

using a standard, general-purpose relational database management system
Relational database management system

A Relational database management system is a database management system that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. Most popular commercial and open source databases currently in use are based on the relational model....
, as opposed to customized in-memory or file
Computer file

A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable computer storage....
-based data structures and access method
Access method

An access method is a function of a mainframe computer operating system that enables access to data on disk, tape or other external devices. They were introduced in 1963 in IBM OS/360 operating system....
s. With the evolution of sophisticated DBMS
Database management system

A database management system is computer software that manages databases. DBMSes may use any of a variety of database models, such as the network model or relational model....
software, much of which is either free or included with the operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
, application developers have become increasingly reliant on standard database tools, especially for the sake of rapid application development
Rapid application development

Rapid application development is a software development methodology, which involves iterative development and the construction of prototypes....
.

using dynamic, table
Table (database)

In relational databases and flat file databases, a table is a set of data elements that is organized using a model of vertical column and horizontal row ....
-driven logic, as opposed to logic embodied in previously compiled program
Computer program

Computer programs are Instruction for a computer. A computer requires programs to function. Moreover, a computer program does not run unless its instructions are executed by a Central processing unit; however, a program may communicate an Algorithm#Formalization of algorithms to people without running....
s. The use of table-driven logic, i.e. behavior that is heavily dictated by the contents of a database, allows programs to be simpler and more flexible. This capability is a central feature of dynamic programming language
Dynamic programming language

Dynamic programming language is a term used broadly in computer science to describe a class of high-level programming languages that execute at runtime many common behaviors that other languages might perform during compiler, if at all....
s.

using stored procedure
Stored procedure

A stored procedure is a subroutine available to applications accessing a relational database database management system. Stored procedures are actually stored in the database data dictionary....
s that run on database server
Database server

A database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs or computers, as defined by the client-server software modeling....
s, as opposed to greater reliance on logic running in middle-tier application server
Application server

An application server, in an Multitier architecture, is a server that hosts an Application programming interface to expose business logic and business processes for use by third-party Business software....
s in a multi-tier architecture. The extent to which business logic
Business logic

Business logic is a non-technical term generally used to describe the functional algorithms that handle information exchange between a database and a user interface....
should be placed at the back-end versus another tier is a subject of ongoing debate. For example, Toon Koppelaars presents a detailed analysis of alternative Oracle-based
Oracle database

The Oracle Database consists of a relational database management system produced and marketed by Oracle Corporation. , Oracle had become a major presence in database computing....
architectures that vary in the placement of business logic, concluding that a database-centric approach has practical advantages from the standpoint of ease of development and maintainability.

using a shared database as the basis for communicating between parallel processes
Parallel computing

Parallel computing is a form of computing in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved Concurrency ....
in distributed computing
Distributed computing

Distributed computing deals with hardware and software systems containing more than one processing element or Computer data storage element, Concurrent computing processes, or multiple programs, running under a loosely or tightly controlled regime....
applications, as opposed to direct inter-process communication
Inter-process communication

Inter-Process Communication is a set of techniques for the exchange of data among multiple thread in one or more Process . Processes may be running on one or more computers connected by a computer network....
via message passing
Message passing

Message passing in computer science, is a form of communication used in parallel computing, object-oriented programming, and interprocess communication....
functions and message-oriented middleware
Message-oriented middleware

Message-oriented middleware is a client/server infrastructure that increases the interoperability, portability, and flexibility of an application by allowing the application to be distributed over multiple heterogeneous platforms....
. A potential benefit of database-centric architecture in distributed application
Distributed application

An application made up of distinct components in separate runtime environments, usually on different platforms connected via a network. Typical distributed applications are two-tier , three-tier , and multitier ....
s is that it simplifies the design by utilizing DBMS-provided transaction processing
Transaction processing

In computer science, transaction processing is information processing that is divided into individual, indivisible operations, called transactions. Each transaction must succeed or fail as a complete unit; it cannot remain in an intermediate state....
and indexing
Index (database)

A database index is a data structure that improves the speed of operations on a Table . Indexes can be created using one or more column , providing the basis for both rapid random look ups and efficient access of ordered records....
to achieve a high degree of reliability, performance, and capacity. For example, Base One describes a database-centric distributed computing architecture for grid
Grid computing

Grid computing is the application of several computers to a single problem at the same time -- usually to a scientific or technical problem that requires a great number of computer processing cycles or access to large amounts of data....
and cluster computing, and explains how this design provides enhanced security, fault-tolerance, and scalability
Scalability

In telecommunications and software engineering, scalability is a desirable property of a system, a network, or a process, which indicates its ability to either handle growing amounts of work in a graceful manner, or to be readily enlarged....
.