The "data storage issues" portion of my presentation (given without explicitly mentioning the "O" word)

As I noted in my previous post, I spent a bit of time in this morning's presentation talking about data storage issues. However, because of the rules of the conference at which I was presenting, I was unable to endorse any particular database application. Oracle users, however, will recognize how Oracle Database 11g addresses the four problems that I raised. Here, direct from my presentation, are the four data storage issues that I identified:

• Separate storage of image and textual data leads to potential synchronization and data recovery problems

Regarding this first bullet, it should be noted that applications in my vertical market ALWAYS need to refer to images, and have done so for decades. However, earlier database technologies did not allow storage of images in the database itself, so the database would merely store pointers to the images, which were stored in an external filesystem. If the database had to be restored for some reason, you still had to worry about synchronizing the images in the filesystem with the data in the database.

• Different customer descriptor sets may result in costly database table redesign


• Poor database design can lead to data retrieval delays


• Non-optimized databases and data errors can cause problems

Regarding this last bullet, it should be noted that most sites that install our vertical application are too small to have a resident DBA on-site. Therefore, a system installed several years ago, in which database has since been added or deleted, may no longer be optimized.

Taking care not to mention the O-word, I then presented four solutions to the four problems listed above. I would suspect that other leading databases can also address these issues, but Oracle users will recognize how the O-thing addresses them:

• Store images directly in database


• Store textual data in XML format directly in database


• Use speed-optimized database technologies


• Use database diagnostics and self-optimizing techniques

Since this is the one portion of this morning's presentation that WOULD be of interest to the people who read this blog, I figured I'd go ahead and share it.

But I'm not going go share my Wall of Voodoo Usenet message from 1982.

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