Online Processing Redux.
Joseph M. Hellerstein · 1997
The term "online" has become an all-too-common addendum to database system names of the day. In this article we reexamine the notion of processing queries online. We distinguish between online processing and preprocessing, and argue that online processing for large queries requires redesigning major portions of a database system. We highlight pressing applications for truly online processing, and sketch ongoing research in these applications at Berkeley. We also outline basic techniques for running long queries online. We close by reevaluating the typical measurements of cost/performance for online systems, and propose a mass-market approach for designing and measuring data-intensive processing. 1 Introduction In the parlance of today's database systems, "online" signifies "interactive", "within the bounds of patience." Online processing is the opposite of "batch" processing. In the dark days of computing, all serious work was done in batch mode --- the COBOL or FORTRAN programmer sub...