Solutions for Networked Databases. How to Move from Heterogeneous Structures to Federated Concepts PDF
Preview Solutions for Networked Databases. How to Move from Heterogeneous Structures to Federated Concepts
SOLUTIONS FOR NETWORKED DATABASES How to Move from Heterogeneous Structures to Federated Concepts Dimitris N. Chorafas Saint-Laurent d'Eze Alpes Maritimes, France Heinrich Steinmann Union Bank of Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. Harcourt Brace & Company San Diego New York Boston London Sydney Tokyo Toronto This book is printed on acid-free paper. <*> Copyright © 1993 by ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Academic Press, Inc. 1250 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, California 92101-4311 United Kingdom Edition published by Academic Press Limited 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DX Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Solutions for networked databases: How to move from heterogeneous structures to federated concepts / Dimitris N. Chorafas and Heinrich Steinmann. p. cm. ISBN 0-12-174060-9 1. Distributed databases. 2. Computer networks I. Steinmann, Heinrich, 1931- II. Title. QA76.9.D3C4758 1993 005.75'8-dc20 92-36765 CIP PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 93 94 95 96 97 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 PREFACE The approach and purpose of this book are different from those of many other publications on databases. It is not intended primarily to describe theoretical aspects, though the basic theories are discussed. Rather, it explains the most up-to-date developments in standards and ad hoc solutions aimed at providing cross-database connectivity for networked databases. The tension between the need for innovation and the requirement for practical solutions—not to mention standards capable of commerciali- zation—has always made the job of managing high technology a chal- lenge. Yet without high technology we can have neither innovation nor valid solutions in database management. "Interoperability is the No. 1 item on customers' agendas today," said the marketing vice president of a major American computer manufac- turer. The solution to cross-database connectivity is not just technical. It is primarily managerial and it depends on: "Whether or not we have the intellectual vitality to face the new era of information technology." Along such frontier spirit, this book intends to go beyond informing the reader on principles and breakthroughs concerning heterogeneous databases. It aims to stipulate consideration of different and better ways to solve problems connected to networked databases—demonstrating solutions which have been able to overcome some of the thorniest problems we have faced so far in this domain. This book is written for specialists in computers and commu- nications. As graduate engineers with management experience, we fully reject the dichotomy often made between an engineering-oriented and a management-oriented text. It is a fake division. This sort of ill-conceived dichotomy from college onward to profes- sional life is responsible for the huge computer-management gap cre- ated over 35 years of practice and is still around, to the detriment of everybody. The gap has to be closed—the organization and contents of this book constitute our contribution. The book is divided into three parts. Part I addresses itself to the advent of the multidatabase, which has at its roots the concept of a corporate database. This is treated in Chapter 1 in a way which brings together database and knowledgebank concepts, reliability and avail- xi xii Preface ability characteristics, as well as the synergy necessary to create and sustain federated databases. Chapter 2 examines the alternatives of centralized and distributed databases, showing when, how, and why we have been led from the former to the latter. But distributed databases must be managed as Chapter 3 explains, and there are different ways for doing so, ranging from a common denominator to added value. Networked databases must be treated as a corporate resource. Chapter 4 documents this issue by emphasizing the evolving goals in a dynamic organization. It is up to computer professionals to face the networked database challenges, as Chapter 5 suggests, and this calls for a cultural change in database management. Part II rests on three pillars: schemata, data dictionaries, and pro- tocols. Schemata and metaphors with distributed databases are the theme of Chapter 6, which establishes, on the basis of how schemata are handled, the difference between loosely and tightly coupled approaches to networked databases. "Can we solve cross-database problems through the able manipu- lation of schemata?" asks Chapter 7. It answers this query by demon- strating that efforts toward a global schema have not given commend- able results. By contrast, the able usage of the semantics of schema integration can lead toward efficient solutions. Two chapters concentrate on the increasingly sophisticated data dic- tionary. Chapter 8 highlights guiding lines and results from the generic Japanese efforts in designing and developing an electronic data dictio- nary. The Information Resource Dictionary System (IRDS) in the United States is the theme of Chapter 9. Networked databases need first-class protocols to sustain their im- pact. Chapter 10 tells the story of ANSI SQL, the productization efforts of the SQL Access Group and what IBM has to offer. Chapter 11 elabo- rates on the concepts and standards behind application programming interface (API), formats and protocols (FAP), and remote data access (RDA). Part III is dedicated to real-life cross-database application, particu- larly some of the most successful implementations which can presently be found in the domain of networked databases. As the reader will appreciate, there exist both ad hoc and commodity software solutions. The Distributed Relational Data Architecture (DRDA) introduced by IBM in 1990 is the subject of Chapter 12. Chapter 13 focuses on the DataLens concept and its productization as one of the most agile com- mercially available solutions. The excellent effort by the General Telephone and Electronics Labora- tory in developing the intelligent database assistant (IDA) is discussed Preface xiü in Chapter 14. This presentation also includes the implementation of IDA, which has been done by GTE in its operations in California (CALIDA). Solutions to the problems presented by heterogeneous networked databases can only be given through basic studies which address the underlying problems, not through cosmetics and the revamping of old, impotent approaches. A project which addresses the issues of effective data sharing and modeling is the Data Access Integrated Services (DAIS) that is presented in Chapter 15. One of the most generic developments available today for software portability and cross-database access is the Multivendor Integration Architecture (MIA). The last three chapters of this book (16, 17, and 18) elaborate on this very important project which has been initiated by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and in which DEC, IBM, Hit- achi, Fujitsu, and NEC participate. As the largest investor in computers and software in Japan—a role similar to that of the Department of Defense in the United States—NTT has made the MIA specifications the pivot point of its procurement services. In the United States, both Project Carnot of MCC and Digital Equipment rest their strategy on MIA. The power underpinning the MIA, DAIS, IDA, and DataLens is the able exploitation of know-how. Unlike capital, knowledge has no fixed limits. It is not a finite substance to be diminished by division and neither does it multiply through arithmetic manipulation. On the con- trary, the more knowledge other people enjoy, the more each person will have individually. This is a fundamental premise in the implementation of networked databases and in one paragraph crystallizes what we have learned dur- ing the intensive research which led to this book. This research took place during 1991 and 1992 in North America, Japan, and Western Europe: 85 organizations and 196 executives participated in it. The names of senior executives, specialists in computers and commu- nications, as well as faculty members who contributed to these research projects are found in the Acknowledgments. To all of them we wish to express our appreciation for their advice and assistance. Let us close by presenting our thanks to everyone else who also contributed to making this book successful: to our colleagues for their advice, to some of the organizations being visited for reviewing selected parts of the text, and to Eva-Maria Binder for the artwork, the typing of the manuscript, and the index. Dimitris N. Chorafas Heinrich Steinmann ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following is a list of organizations and their senior executives, specialists in computers and communications, and faculty members who contributed to the research projects on which this book is based. The list is subdivided by country and the organizations are arranged alphabetically within these subdivisions. United States American Airlines Jeffrey A. HARTIGAN, Managing Director, Advanced Technology and Enduser Technology Mary ALEXION, Managing Director, Corporate Data Management 4200 Amon Carter Blvd., CP2 Mail Drop 2517, Ft. Worth, TX 76155 Susan L. DUNLAP, SABRE Computer Services Todd FITZGERALD, Manager, Database Administration Warren ELLIOTT, Manager, Data Models Brenda MORYAN, Manager, Data Planning Sam ANTURI, Technical Planning Phil HARTLEY, Advanced Technology, Object-Oriented Applications P.O. Box 619616, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, TX 75261-9616 Andersen Consulting Bruce B. JOHNSON, Director of Research Michael DE BELLIS, Center for Strategic Technology 100 S. Waker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606 Stanton J. TAYLOR 69 West Washington Street, Chicago, IJJinois 60602 Charles W. McDONOUGH 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan 48243 XV xvi Acknowledgments Associative Design Technology John C. EDWARDS, President Two Westborough Business Park, Westborough, MA 01581-3199 Bankers Trust Dr. Carmine VONA, Executive Vice President One Bankers Trust Plaza, New York, NY 10015 Beatrice/Hunt-Wesson John L. ESTES, Director, Information Systems and Services Elaine M. GIDCOMBE, Manager, Systems Development 1645 West Valencia Drive, Fullerton, CA 92633-3899 BBN Communications Corporation Jeff MAYERSOHN, Senior Vice President Dr. Gilbert FALK, Director, Telecommunications Consulting A. LYMAN CHAPIN, Chief Network Architect 150 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation Steve JEFFREYS, Staff Scientist, Laboratories Division 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02238 Chemical Bank Frank A. KORAHAIS, Vice President, Information & Technology Management Division 96 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 John E. CANTELLA, Vice President, Systems Development Department 55 Water Street, New York, NY 10041 Chicago Board of Trade Glen W. BELDEN, Vice President, Information Systems James D. WHITE, Vice President, Computer Systems and Operations Richard N. LEE, Manager, Administrative Information Systems Frank CHERECK, Manager, Network Computing Veronica MURPHY, Database Administrator Mark JESSKI, Supervisor, Administrative Systems LaSaJJe at Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604 Acknowledgments xvii Citibank Colin CROOK, Chairman, Corporate Technology Committee 399 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10043 Daniel SCHUTZER, Vice President Sholon ROSEN, Vice President Dr. Alexander J. PASIK, Assistant Vice President 909 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 John DAVIES, Vice President Robert HSU, Vice President 1 Huntington Quadrangle, 4th Floor, Melville, NY 11747 Harvard Software (HSC) Thomas GUTCHIGIAN, Vice President, Software Jim DUDMAN, Product Manager 1661 Lincoln Blvd., Suite 101, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Hewlett-Packard Dr. Ming-Chien SHAN, Manager, Cooperative Information Management, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Prof. Witold LITTWIN, University of Paris (currently at Hewlett-Packard) Abbas RAFII, Manager, Database Technology Philippe DE SMEDT, Database Technology Weimin DU, Database Technology Dr. Rah AHMED, Database Technology 1501 Page Mill Road, 3U-4, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1126 Douglas DEDO, Product Line Manager, Commercial Systems Division Hewlett-Packard Company, 19111 Pruneridge Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014 Hughes Aircraft Bhadra K. PATEL, Senior Scientist, Systems Technology Laboratory Mae MA, Project Leader, Database Integration Command and Control Systems Division, Bldg. 618, MS P325, P.O. Box 3310, Fullerton, CA 92634-3310 Hughes Research Laboratories Son DAO, Senior Staff, Knowledge Based Systems, Artificial Intelligence Center M/S RL 96, 3011 Malihu Canyon Road, Malihu, CA 90265 xviii Acknowledgments inference Corporation Dr. Alexander JACOBSON, President Dr. Philip KLAHR, Vice President, Professional Services 550 N. Continental Blvd., El Segundo, CA 90245 Kendall Square Research (KSR) Alex DONNINI, Director of Marketing Dr. David S. REINER, Director of Commercial Software Development Robert H. DORIN, Manager of Technical Support Commercial Products Group 170 Tracer Lane, Waltham, MA 02154-1379 LAC-USC Medical Center Dr. Bharat N. NATHWANI, Professor of Pathology, President Intelligraph 1200 N. State Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033 Lotus Development Corporation Peter HARRIS, Systems Architect 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02142 Steven L. SNEDDON, Chief Technologist One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 Microelectronics and Computer Development Corporation fMCCj Dr. P.E. CANNATA, Manager, Carnot Project 3500 West Balcones Center Drive, Austin, TX 78759-6509 National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Robert N. RIESS, Senior Vice President, Technology & Development 1735 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 Santa Clara University Dr. Mohammad A. KETABCHI, Director of Engineering Design Center Santa Clara, CA 95053 Security Pacific Automation Company Dale P. TERRELL, Executive Vice President Security Pacific Plaza, 333 S. Hope Street, Los Angeies, CA 90071 Acknowledgments xix Terryhill Associates Meir BARTUR, Partner Marc D. GUREN, Partner 1900 Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025-5620 Thinking Machines Corporation Dr. Craig W. STANFILL, Senior Scientist 245 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1214 TBW Systems Engineering Dr. Anthony T. MATERNA, Manager, Data Integration Systems Software & Systems Laboratory, DH6/2753, P.O. Box 6213, Carson, CA 90746 UBS Securities, New York Dr. KRAENZLIN, Manager of Information Technology 299 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10171-0026 University of Southern California, School of Business Administration Dr. Jack R. BURSTING, Dean Prof. Dr. Alan ROWE, Professor of Management Dr. Dennis McLEOD, Professor of Computer Science Los Angeles, CA 90089-0871 University of Virginia Prof. John ROSENBLUM, Dean Prof. Brandt R. ALLEN, Director, The Executive Program Prof. William W. SIHLER, Executive Director, Center for International Studies Prof. Robert J. SACK, Chairman, Information and Technology Committee Frank MORGAN, Manager, Executive Education Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, P.O. Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6650 Dr. Anita K. JONES, Professor and Department Head, Computer Science Dr. John L. PFALTZ, Professor and Director, Institute for Parallel Compu- tation Thornton Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903 Philip M. NOWLEN, Dean, Division of Continuing Education P.O. Box 3697, Charlottesville, VA 22903
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