Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!olivea!oliveb!isc-br!bodhi
From: bodhi@isc-br.ISC-BR.COM (Satyabodhi)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Which DB's have BLOBS on VMS besides SYBASE
Keywords: BLOBS
Message-ID: <2975@isc-br.ISC-BR.COM>
Date: 23 Nov 90 18:20:05 GMT
References: <17273@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Organization: ISC-Bunker Ramo, An Olivetti Company
Lines: 38

In article <17273@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt8963a@prism.gatech.EDU (MCCARTNEY,JEFFREY ELWOOD) writes:
>I'm searching for mature DB's that have BLOBS (datatypes that handle images,etc)
>on the VMS operating system.

Empress, which runs on VMS and on UNIX, supports blobs.  Empress calls
this data type "BULK".  Empress also allows C coded extensions to SQL. 
So you can create new SQL operators or functions that operate on your
bulk attributes.  Then you may include these function calls in SQL
statements, anywhere that you may place an attribute expression, that
is, in projections or in "where" clause selection criteria expressions.

I have implemented my own user functions in Empress SQL and they worked
very well.  Once implemented, they are easy and satisfying to use. 
But, the developers interface is complex and the C coding and various
table setups are not simple.

>  I'd also be interested as to what programming
>languages they interface with.  
>
C, their $GL "Mbuilder", (maybe COBOL and others).

>And also how long (time and releases) the blob feature has been out.
>
Empress has supported blob (bulk) data for at least 4 years.

>And also, if you've experience with the DB software, how is it in general and
>how professional the people behind the product are (or are not)
>
My version of Empress (V2.4) was basically solid.  But, it was not
based on client/server architecture and I need that.  Also, it was not
very good for multiple simultaneous users.  There were too many
(logically unnecessary) locking conflicts when the usage was heavy.  I
understand that these problems were addressed in the version released
in the first quarter of 1990.

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