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Table of contents:

Object Oriented Database vs Relational Database

• Introduction
• The Wall: Where an RDBMS breaks down
• Programming Time and Cost
• Integrity Loss
• Performance
• Information Model Issues
• Architecture Issues
• Benchmark
• Benchmark Parameters
• Benchmark Execution
• Parts Creation
• Updates
• Deletes
• Selects
• Summary
• Examples
• Cimskil (Manufacturing)
• Exxon (Configuration and FEA)
• CERN (Data Gathering and Analysis)
• Decision•ism (Decision Supportware)
• QUALCOMM (Telecommunications)
• COM21 (Cable Modem)
• Nortel, Sprint (Cell Phone Base Station Management)
• Nousoft (Library Document Management, Web)
• Iridium (Telecommunications)
• BBN (Military Logistics and Control)
• Intraspect (Knowledge Management)
• Fisher-Rosemount (Manufacturing, Process Control)
• A Brief Overview of Our Development
• ODB Selection
• Introduction
• Performance
• Scalability
• Productivity
• Fault Tolerance
• Additional Features and Benefits
• Summary
• Kintetsu (Transportation, Logistics)
• Siemens (Process Control)
• SEH (Semiconductor Manufacturing)
• NEC (Semiconductor Manufacturing)
• American Meter (Process Control)
• Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Geographic Information System)
• LMS (Healthcare, Fetal Monitoring)
• Synthesis (Healthcare, Record Management)
• Daikin (Multi-Media CD-I Authoring)
• How to Avoid the Wall

Object Oriented Database vs Relational Database

LMS
(Healthcare, Fetal Monitoring)

LMS has developed and deployed their Computer Assisted Labor Monitoring (CALM) system for obstetrical care units. It provided real-time, multi-access (bedside, nurse's station, doctor's office, etc.) to comprehensive patient monitoring information, management and analysis of that information, and decision support capabilities. The target is better care including reduced cesareans, fewer critical situations, better handling of those situations, with resulting decrease in injury to mother and child. Their key requirements as outlined by LMS are:

"System Reliability: The CALM system provides obstetricians and nurses with comprehensive patient monitoring, information management and decision support capabilities by more precisely identifying fetal distress events. The critical information is stored in the database. Clinicians requirement to have the data at their fingertip and always available is paramount.

Information Quality: The diagnostic information that the CALM system collects must have high integrity. A corruption in the information could be catastrophic. A clinician administers treatment to the patient based on the information collected in the CALM system. This is why information must be accurate.

Quick Information Access: Clinicians must be able to recall historical information on the patient and quickly react in emergency situations. Also, fast access to statistical information is critical for patient diagnosis."

LMS chose Objectivity/DB, an ODBMS, for the following reasons:

"Code: Unlike others, Objectivity did not appear to require as much training and performance tuning. LMS also liked the guaranteed integrity of objects by using bi-directional object references, as well as safe, transparent indirections (handles) on all references. LMS also liked the transparency of the code.

Caching Mechanism: The ability to configure the size of the cache.

Partnership: LMS felt more comfortable with Objectivity's reliability and performance than that of our competition. These are areas that could not be thoroughly tested. However, in speaking with c ustomers who have deployed applications, they were impressed with the high satisfaction with product and level of support."