One way to look at a database is that

1. 
   
2. there is data, and
   
3. there are ways to access data.
   

This dichotomy was actually coined (whether intentional or not) by Vinay in the MySQL telecom team when discussing the MySQL Cluster vision some months ago.

Even if you typically think of MySQL Cluster as just a clustered version of the plain old MySQL server, it is actually more like the opposite is true, if you consider the architecture and history of MySQL Cluster. The original cluster was just the data store called Network DataBase or NDB as we familiarly know it still. Then MySQL Server was integrated on top of that to provide an SQL interface. The original and "native" NDB interface is still there though, and many prefer to use direct C++ or Java access to their …

One way to look at a database is that

1. 
   
2. there is data, and
   
3. there are ways to access data.
   

This dichotomy was actually coined (whether intentional or not) by Vinay in the MySQL telecom team when discussing the MySQL Cluster vision some months ago.

Even if you typically think of MySQL Cluster as just a clustered version of the plain old MySQL server, it is actually more like the opposite is true, if you consider the architecture and history of MySQL Cluster. The original cluster was just the data store called Network DataBase or NDB as we familiarly know it still. Then MySQL Server was integrated on top of that to provide an SQL interface. The original and "native" NDB interface is still there though, and many prefer to use direct C++ or Java access to their …

One way to look at a database is that

1. 
   
2. there is data, and
   
3. there are ways to access data.
   

This dichotomy was actually coined (whether intentional or not) by Vinay in the MySQL telecom team when discussing the MySQL Cluster vision some months ago.

Even if you typically think of MySQL Cluster as just a clustered version of the plain old MySQL server, it is actually more like the opposite is true, if you consider the architecture and history of MySQL Cluster. The original cluster was just the data store called Network DataBase or NDB as we familiarly know it still. Then MySQL Server was integrated on top of that to provide an SQL interface. The original and "native" NDB interface is still there though, and many prefer to use direct C++ or Java access to their …