A database machines or back end processor is a

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

or special hardware that stores and retrieves data from a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...

. It is specially designed for database access and is tightly coupled to the main ( front-end) computer(s) by a high-speed channel, whereas a

database server A database server is a server which uses a database application that provides database services to other computer programs or to computers, as defined by the client–server model. Database management systems (DBMSs) frequently provide database-s ...

is a general-purpose computer that holds a database and it's loosely coupled via a

local area network A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building. By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger ...

to its clients. Database machines can retrieve large amount of data using hundreds to thousands of

microprocessors A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...

with

database software In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

. The front end processor asks the back end (typically sending a query expressed in a

query language Query languages, data query languages or database query languages (DQL) are computer languages used to make queries in databases and information systems. A well known example is the Structured Query Language (SQL). Types Broadly, query language ...

) the data and further processes it. The back end processor on the other hand analyzes and stores the data from the front end processor. Back end processors result in higher performance, increasing host

main memory Computer data storage is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media that are used to retain digital data. It is a core function and fundamental component of computers. The central processing unit (CPU) of a computer ...

, increasing

database recovery In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

, and decreasing cost to manufacture. NCR_Teradata_Worldmark_5100_Unix_Storage

Britton-Lee (IDM),

Tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

( Non-Stop System), and

Teradata Teradata Corporation is an American software company that provides cloud database and analytics-related software, products, and services. The company was formed in 1979 in Brentwood, California, as a collaboration between researchers at Caltech ...

(

DBC dBc (decibels relative to the carrier) is the power ratio of a signal to a carrier signal, expressed in decibels. For example, phase noise is expressed in dBc/ Hz at a given frequency offset from the carrier. dBc can also be used as a measurement o ...

) all offered early commercial specialized database machines. A more recent example was

Oracle Exadata The Oracle Exadata Database Machine (Exadata) is a computing platform optimized for running Oracle Databases. Exadata is a combined hardware and software platform that includes scale-out Intel x86-64 compute and storage servers, RoCE or Infini ...

Criticism and suggested remedy

According to

Julie McCann Julie Ann McCann is a British computer scientist who is a professor at Imperial College London. She is the leader of the Adaptive Emergent Systems Engineering. She is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and was awarded the Suffrage Science ...

Criticism and suggested remedy

References

Further reading

See also