Client/server databases meet the need for networked access to data, and usually support industry standards such as SQL and ODBC. For applications requiring exceptionally fast response from a local data store, a database based on a native C API, linking directly into the application, offers better performance.
Some applications need both capabilities. For example, a telecommunications switch or machine-control application may need local (server-based) information for use in real-time processes, while also needing networked SQL and ODBC access for reporting, analysis and other functions.
The Velocis Application Server Technology (VAST) in Centura Software's new Velocis 3.0 offers exactly such “best of both worlds” functionality. VAST allows a local (server-based) application to link directly into the database server process—the application becomes the server, with the kind of performance gains that can be expected from bypassing the communications layer that usually lies between the client application and the server. Although the communications mechanism is bypassed by the local in-process application, the mechanism remains in place, allowing access to the database server by multiple applications via remote procedure calls or proprietary interfaces (OLE DB, COM, etc.) available from third-party vendors.
Among other uses, the Velocis Application Server Technology can enhance the performance of web database applications. With Velocis 3.0, the database engine can be linked directly with the Internet web server, via the application-specific extensions provided by most web servers. The resulting web application server provides the most efficient, fastest access to the database, taking a noticeable bite out of response latency.