• Design simplicity optimized for both OLTP and OLAP. The result is a tighter, cleaner, more maintainable system. This is important in the new era of rapidly changing business models because it enables you to keep pace with your company's evolving business needs-today and in the future.
• Flexibility inherent in its object architecture. All elements on the network are implemented as either D³® objects or COM objects. The dynamic nature of the localization of objects on the network is the key to the architecture's distributed character.
• Open systems compliance with built-in SQL that lets you implement global interconnectivity.
• ODBC to facilitate your open client/server applications.
• OLE objects for seamless client/server implementations.

• The Open Systems File Interface (OSFI) to support distributed databases and deliver a practical solution for all your data warehouse and database-to-Web interface needs.
• FlashCONNECT® for a FlashBASIC-to-Internet development utility.
• Easy adoption because all code from legacy Pick, licensed Pick variants and Pick-derivative systems are forward compatible.
• An In-Process OLE Server that lets mixed-origin "green screen" code to coexist with Visual Basic programs without any conflicts.
• Rapid deployment and adaptability to help you compete better and more efficiently in a highly competitive environment where competitive advantages are measured in months. Or weeks.

SERVICES

D³ running as Windows NT service is controlled by the Windows NT Servi ce Control Manager. Services run under a user specified by the system administrator that defines, globally, basic rights for the D³ clients.

MULTITHREADED SERVERS

Each service runs as a multithreaded process to provide scalability, efficient resource usage, multiple client support, SMP and a fully-utilized Windows architecture by using the WIN32 API directly.

OSF DCE (OSF Distributed Computing Environment)

Client/server communications are based on industry-standard remote procedure calls (RPCs). RPC allows transport-independent communications, directory-based dynamic resource finding and transparent component distribution. There is no proprietary protocol.

CLIENT IMPERSONATION

Client impersonation is a Microsoft extension that allows RPC server threads to act under the security context of the client. The user logs on only once to Windows NT and can access D³ resources like any other NT resource as specified by the administrator. There is no double logon or proprietary security mechanism.

Manages the distributed file system.

HOST FILE SYSTEM INTERFACE

Each D³ file or table is composed of a series of Windows NT files that contain a file control block, the file's primary space and, optionally, the file overflow and file indexes. The D³ file system can be implemented on any file system type, NTFS and FAT.

LIMITS

• There is an unlimited number of files.
• Each file can have up to four terabytes of data per file section, dictionary, data level, overflow space or index.
• Files can be located on any number of servers of various types (Windows NT server, Windows NT Workstation).
• Items can contain up to two gigabytes of data.
• Item IDs can have up to 249 characters and may contain non-Latin characters.
• Any item can contain binary data.

DISTRIBUTED DATABASE

Files can be spread across any number of servers. · Files can be located on any disk, partition or directory. · The physical location of data is transparent to the application because resource finding is provided dynamically by the Microsoft Name Service.

FUNCTIONALITY

• Multi-value data model with variable size fields and records.
• Hashed file access for efficient direct data retrieval.
• One-disk access for any file size.
• B-Tree indexes provide application correlative-based access methods.
• Files can be re-sized online without any create/copy/delete operation.
• Database triggers developed in FlashBASIC can be associated to open, read, write and close operations.
• An adjustable frame size from 1K to 128K accommodates various record structures.
• A robust internal file structure.
• In conjunction with the NTFS journalized file system, the file system integrity is preserved.
• Complete logical compatibility with other D³ implementation data.

Manages the legacy ASCII-type application and AQL environment.

LEGACY APPLICATION SUPPORT

• Legacy applications run unchanged.
• New FlashBASIC interpreter provides performance and object portability across all D³ platforms.
• Source compatibility options with several other Raining Data licensees.
• PROC, macros, user exits are fully supported.
• D³ NT databases can be restored directly from account saves.
• Applications can be migrated at once as new object-oriented technologies are developed.

SCALABILITY

• Any number of VME servers can reside in a network.
• Multiple servers allow large configurations, all sharing common databases.
• Third party smart terminal servers or routers provide dynamic load balancing.

TELNET SUPPORT

• The VME acts as a standard TELNET server, allowing a wide choice of TELNET terminal emulators or terminal servers.
• There is no proprietary protocol or specific client software to acquire.
• Nailed TELNET ports allow a fixed, predetermined association Client-to-D³ PIB.
• Reverse TELNET allows the VME to act as a client to another TELNET server (terminal server, device).

SERIAL DEVICES

• The VME can use any serial device (COM1, COM2…COM255) recognized by Windows NT.
• There is no proprietary driver.
• Device characteristics are set by the usual D³ commands (SET-PORT, XONOFF, etc.)

TAPE DEVICES

• The VME can use any tape device recognized by Windows NT (SCSI 1/2", 4mm, 8mm, DLT, TRAVAN, etc.) as well as pseudo tapes (NT files) and floppies.
• There is no proprietary driver.
• Devices are shared dynamically with other NT applications.
• The tape format is a classic D³ format and can be exchanged with any other D³ or SMA-compatible Pick implementation.

PRINTER DEVICES

Any device that can be defined to NT as a printer (local or networked) can be used. The VME supports three types of printers:

Direct NT printers A D³ form queue is associated to an NT printer. Data is spooled directly to the Windows NT printer and is managed completely by NT. This provides the simplest, fastest printing method and the best integration with NT.

Shared NT printer The output from a classic D³ printer is routed to an NT printer. Jobs are managed by the D³ spooler until they are output to NT. This provides a classic way of controlling jobs (e.g., hold files, multiple copies) while still sharing the printer with other NT applications.

Dedicated printer The device is managed completely by the VME. This provides a classic, complete control of the print jobs including alignment, choking, immediate printing, etc.

WINDOWS LOGON

The VME user name and password are optionally controlled by windows NT, allowing the system administrator to use NT security to control access to the VME and to D³ and other NT resources.

Provides services for SQL and ODBC requests.

COMPLIANCE

The bundled D³ SQL grammar is SQL-compliant with extended ODBC functionality. The following SQL features, for example, are supported: Create/Drop Table, Select, Insert, Update/Delete Searched, Simple Expressions, Alter Table, Full Select, Create/Drop Index, Select for Update, Update/Delete Positioned, Unions and Transaction Processing statements. All statements completely support the D³ multi-value data structure. This includes, but is not limited to, single-value, multi-values and multi-subvalues, correlatives, translates, standard dictionary definition, etc. The included 32-bit D³ ODBC driver currently supports Microsoft's ODBC 2.0 and above.

SEMANTIC LAYER

Utilities are provided to assist in the creation of a semantic layer that describes the D³ database in normalized relational definitions that SQL/ODBC-based clients expect. The existing D³ database structure does not require any physical alterations. Multi-valued and Multi-subvalued attributes (nested tables) expose unique IDs, permitting direct and unique access to nested structures.

ADDITIONAL

D³ SQL supports Star Schema index structures, database triggers, constraints, and execution of AQL statements and stored procedures. All database access via SQL also honors the OSFI (Open System File interface) that enables the re-vectoring of file I/O to remote D³ Unix, D³ NT, or heterogeneous file systems.

CLASS LIBRARIES

The bundled OLE D³ ActiveX Development Library allows access to all elements of the D³ architecture (Domain, Database, Table, Record and Select lists) as well as FlashBASIC Rule Modules. The databases can be shared dynamically with legacy applications running in a Virtual Machine Environment (VME). Any development tool that supports COM can utilize the D³ class library to access and manipulate D³ components. The transport mechanism can be either RPC or ODBC, to access concurrently D³ NT and D³ Unix data sources from a single application. The exposed class hierarchy and methods provide existing Pick-based developers a robust, yet comfortable path for ActiveX-based development.

GUI FILE MANAGER

A Windows GUI file manager presents a logical representation of the database, allowing all common operations.

A Windows GUI tool allows services to be configured.

Database
Integrated Data
Data Access
File System
System