tp@ndm20 (01/15/86)
I am currently looking for a database package to use in several engineering application programs. The goal is to have all of our applications using the same database for all data. If anyone has any information I might be able to use (info, product references, literature references, etc.) I would greatly appreciate it. Any database vendors are welcome to contact me. I would especially appreciate hearing from people who have done similar work. I have heard that there are public domain versions of both Ingress and RIM. If anyone knows where I can get them, I would appreciate it. The following are some of the constraints we are working under: a) The applications are commercial systems, therefore we need something that we can OEM. Royalties/relicensing fees are critical, as we are attempting to keep our software modestly priced. b) Our system is not a CAD system in the usual sense of an inter- active drafting utility. This is a design system (civil engineering, though that probably doesn't matter). Performance is still important, however, and we may eventually expand to full CADD. I have heard that there are few (if any) suitable databases for this kind of work. Anything designed explicitly for CAD would be a big plus. c) The software must run or be made to run on several different machines, including Harris H series, Harris HS series (Masscomp), and Harris HCX series. We therefore MUST have source and the right to port it. Ease of porting will be a big consideration, as time and manpower are limited. (The HS and HCX series are unix, the H series is not.) d) Standard DB interactive query/reporting capability is a big plus, but not a requirement. The main need here is something that can be called as a subroutine/function package. We are willing to live with the hassles of interfacing various languages. C is preferred, FORTRAN is ok. Any other language is a possibility, depending on the availability of compilers that will interface to C and FORTRAN on various machines. e) The database should allow control over levels of multi-user access (i.e. different levels of data locking). f) It would be very helpful to be able to access multiple databases at the same time (not necessarily full access, but at least enough to copy data). g) No particular data model is preferred, except as it bears on the performance of our particular applications. We tend to access items in a random pattern, with some amount of locality. Items tend to be re-used several times once they are referenced. It would be nice if the system were optimized for this sort of behavior, so we wouldn't have to put a "caching" front end on the database (1 disk hit per item access is too slow). I will of course summarize all info to the net (unless I am asked not to). This is very early in the search process, so I don't have any hard numbers on what we are willing to pay up front or in royalties. If you are a vendor, please send me that information with your reply. Thanks, Terry Poot Director of Software Development Nathan D. Maier Consulting Engineers 3 Northpark East 8800 North Central Expressway, Suite 300 Dallas, Texas 75231 Phone : (214)739-4741 UUCP : ...!{allegra|ihnp4}!convex!smu!ndm20!tp CSNET : ndm20!tp@smu ARPA : ndm20!tp%smu@csnet-relay.ARPA