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Oracle Rdb
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{{Short description|Relational database management system}} {{for|Oracle Corporation's original product|Oracle Database}} {{Infobox software | name = Oracle Rdb | logo = | logo size = | screenshot = | screenshot size = | caption = | collapsible = | author = [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] | developer = [[Oracle Corporation]] | released = {{Start date and age|1984}} | discontinued = | latest release version = {{Oracle Rdb version}} | latest release date = {{Oracle Rdb version|releasedate}} | programming language = | operating system = [[OpenVMS]]<br />Previously: [[Tru64]], [[Windows NT]], [[VAXELN]] | platform = [[VAX]], [[DEC Alpha|Alpha]], [[IA-64]]<br />Planned: [[x86-64]] | size = | language = | genre = [[Relational database management system]] | license = Proprietary | website = }} '''Oracle Rdb''' is a [[relational database management system]] for the [[OpenVMS]] [[operating system]]. It was originally released by [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (DEC) in 1984 as '''VAX Rdb/VMS'''.<ref name="first-20-years">{{cite web|url=http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/rdb/pdf/2003_tech_forums/13_rdbs_first_20_years.pdf|title=Rdb's First 20 Years: Memories and Highlights|author=Ian Smith|date=2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103112619/http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/rdb/pdf/2003_tech_forums/13_rdbs_first_20_years.pdf|archive-date=2005-11-03|access-date=2021-01-24}}</ref> ==Product history== Rdb was a component of the ''VAX Information Architecture'', and was designed to interoperate with other Digital database tools and application frameworks such as the [[Application Control Management System]], [[Datatrieve]] and the Common Data Dictionary.<ref name="vax-info-handbook">{{cite web|url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/vax/handbook/VMS_Information_Management_Handbook_1985.pdf|title=VAX/VMS Software Information Management Handbook|date=1985|access-date=2021-01-24|publisher=Digital}}</ref> It originally provided a proprietary query interface known as the Relational Data Operator (RDO), but later gained support for [[ANSI SQL]].<ref name="first-20-years" /> In 1994 DEC sold the Rdb division to [[Oracle Corporation]] where it was rebranded Oracle Rdb. As of 2020, Oracle is still actively developing Rdb, with over half of the codebase developed under Oracle's ownership.<ref>[http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/rdb/learnmore/rdb-statement-of-direction-086886.html Oracle Rdb Statement of Direction] // Oracle</ref> It remains a VMS-only product;<ref name="rdbmslateryears20070612">{{Cite interview |interviewer=Burton Grad |title=RDBMS Plenary Session: The Later Years |url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102701921-05-01-acc.pdf |access-date=2025-05-30 |publisher=Computer History Museum |date=2007-06-12}}</ref> version 7.0 runs on OpenVMS for [[VAX]] and [[DEC Alpha|Alpha]], version 7.1 on Alpha only, and versions 7.2 to 7.4 on Alpha and [[IA-64|IA-64 (Itanium)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-technologies/rdb/documentation/rdb-rn709-133387.pdf|title=Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS|website=Oracle.com|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-technologies/rdb/documentation/rdb-rn7152-130501.pdf|title=Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS|website=Oracle.com|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://download.oracle.com/otndocs/products/rdb/pdf/rdb07258_release_notes.pdf|title=Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS|website=Download.oracle.com|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://download.oracle.com/otndocs/products/rdb/pdf/rdb07332_release_notes.pdf|title=Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS|website=Download.oracle.com|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oracle.com/a/tech/docs/rdb07411-release-notes.pdf|title=Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS : Release Notes|website=Oracle.com|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref> Rdb featured one of the first [[Query optimizer|cost-based optimizers]], and after acquisition Oracle introduced a cost-based optimizer in its regular [[Oracle RDBMS]] product. On March 22, 2011, Oracle announced it had decided to end all software development on the [[Itanium]], and that Oracle Rdb 7.3 would be the last major version released by Oracle. Due to a [[Oracle Corporation#HP and Oracle lawsuit|lawsuit filed by HP against Oracle]], Oracle was ordered to continue porting its software to Itanium computers for as long as HP (now [[Hewlett Packard Enterprise]]) sells Itanium computers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/features/itanium-346707.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-03-27 |archive-date=2013-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308091127/http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/features/itanium-346707.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Despite the announcement that 7.3 would be the last major release, Oracle released version 7.4.1.0 of Rdb in August 2020 for OpenVMS on both Alpha and Itanium.<ref name="Oracle_Rdb_release" /> In November 2020, Oracle announced that they are in the process of porting Rdb 7.4 to the [[x86-64]] port of OpenVMS.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.vms/c/gVJPLdhkJgw|title=Rdb/x86|access-date=2020-11-12|date=2020-11-12|website=Groups.google.com}}</ref> ==Data access== Interactive access to the Oracle Rdb can be by [[SQL]] (Structured Query Language), RDO (Relational Database Operator), or both. High level languages usually access Oracle-Rdb by: #embedding RDO statements in the source file then running it through a precompiler #:(example: "file.RCO" is pre-compiled into "file.COB") #embedding SQL statements in the source file then running it through a precompiler #:(example: "file.SCO" is pre-compiled into "file.COB") #placing the SQL statements in a file external to the source code; this separate file is converted to object code by the "SQL Module Language" compiler, and the source code then references these SQL statements and, after compilation, the two are joined by the OpenVMS [[Linker (computing)|linker]]. example: $ SQL$MOD file_bas.sqlmod β file_bas.obj $ BASIC file.bas β file.obj $ LINK file.obj,file_bas.obj β file.exe A variation of example 3 allows "Dynamic SQL" to be created in the source code, and then used to communicate with Rdb via a structure known as SQLDA (SQL Descriptor Area). On OpenVMS systems, Oracle Rdb is a popular (although expensive) upgrade path for applications written using [[Files-11|Record Management Services]] (RMS) files. ==Architecture== Rdb is built on top of a low-level database kernel named '''KODA''', which handles functionality such as locking, journaling, and buffering of data.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-technologies/rdb/predicate-estimation-129333.pdf|title=Guide to Database Performance and Tuning: Predicate Estimation|author=Mark Bradley|publisher=Oracle Corporation|date=August 2003|access-date=2021-01-29}}</ref> The KODA kernel is shared with Oracle's [[CODASYL]] DBMS (originally known as VAX DBMS) which is a [[network database model|network model]] database.<ref>{{cite conference|title=KODA - The Architecture And Interface Of A Data Model Independent Kernel|author1=Gopalan Arun|author2=Ashok Josh|date=August 1998|conference=VLDB '98: Proceedings of the 24rd International Conference on Very Large Data Bases|publisher=Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.|citeseerx=10.1.1.106.8846 }}</ref> ==Rdb on other platforms== '''VAX Rdb/ELN''' was the name of Digital's relational database for the [[VAXELN]] operating system. Despite sharing the Rdb name, and being announced at the same time, Rdb/ELN was not based on Rdb/VMS, or vice versa.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5187227|date=April 1984|access-date=2020-11-12|title=DEC launches new top-end VAX|doi=10.1049/ep.1984.0129 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Rdb/ELN was created by [[Jim Starkey]], and was the first commercially available database to use [[Multiversion concurrency control]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://firebirdsql.org/en/multi-version-concurrency-control/|website=Firebirdsql.org|access-date=2020-11-12|title=A not-so-very technical discussion of Multi Version Concurrency Control}}</ref> Ports of Rdb previously existed or were planned for [[Tru64]] and [[Microsoft]] [[Windows NT]]. Demand for the [[Tru64]] version was so low that support was dropped. The Windows NT port was never released as Oracle could not obtain support on the [[BLISS]] compiler necessary for this platform. In order to port Rdb to these platforms, an abstraction layer named the Common Operating System Interface (COSI) was implemented to isolate the database from the underlying operating system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://download.oracle.com/otndocs/products/rdb/pdf/tech_archive/port_rdb_to_itanium.pdf|date=2002|access-date=2020-11-15|title=Porting Rdb to Itanium|website=Oracle.com}}</ref> Digital provided a relational database for their [[Ultrix]] operating system named '''ULTRIX/SQL''', but it was based on [[Ingres (database)|Ingres]] instead of Rdb.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/vax/ultrix-32/4.0_Jun90/AA-PBZ8A-TE_ULTRIX_SQL_Database_Administrators_Guide_Jun1990.pdf|title=ULTRIX/SQL Database Administrator's Guide|date=June 1990|access-date=2020-11-12|website=Bitsavers.org}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/related/rdb.html Oracle-Rdb home page] * [http://neilrieck.net/docs/openvms_notes_rms_rdb.html OpenVMS Notes: Oracle Rdb] * [http://neilrieck.net/links/openvms_demos.html#rdb_examples Free OpenVMS BASIC Rdb educational software] * [http://www.jcc.com/resources/oracle-rdb-list-server Oracle Rdb listserver discussion] {{Oracle}} [[Category:Oracle software]] [[Category:OpenVMS software]] [[Category:Oracle acquisitions]]
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