[Info-Ingres] Multi-database table references

[Karl & Betty Schendel]

At 12:10 PM +0000 9/25/07, Raghavan wrote:
>I think we are narrowing down to the problem/solution.
>S, We have One huge database with multiple applications (80 odd
>applications). I need to club 4-6 related applications to one
>database. However, each database will access the tables from some
>other database(s) . Scenario will be for select or for insert or for
>update.
>
>what I understand is Ingres STAR should suffice to my conditions.  I
>hope I am correct.


I think you are making a mistake, and should simply leave things
alone.  The whole idea of a "database" is that you store things
in it that applications need.  If you can't slice the database
into independent pieces, you should leave it as one database.

There is nothing wrong with having a "huge" database.  Chopping
it into pieces is not going to make it any smaller;  and if
there is no logical partitioning, chopping it up is not going
to make it any more maintainable or understandable either.
(I will admit that more, smaller databases might be easier
to checkpoint and maintain, but again, not if multiple db's
are in use simultaneously.)

Yes, Ingres/Star can allow you to chop up the database into
a number of subsidiary databases, and it will allow you to
present a view of the subsidiaries (Star calls them local databases,
or LDB's) as one combined database.  But why?  Why take
things apart only to put them back together?

Star will restrict you in various ways as to the SQL you
are allowed to use.  (For example, Star doesn't support
outer join, nor does it support session temporary tables.)

Maybe if I knew the whole situation I would feel differently,
but I doubt it.  I think you are going to expend a lot of
work and end up with something that is slower, harder to
understand, and harder to maintain than what you have now.

Karl