SAP MaxDB

Introduction

MaxDB is a relational database management system that is developed from SAP AG, which is compliant to ANSI SQL 92. It was developed for supporting large SAP environments that need enterprise-level functionalities while performing database operations.

It is written in the C++ programming language and is available in English. It has a simple interface and is used by many large corporations all over the world.

What is SAP MaxDB?

SAP MaxDB is an RDMS that is presented along with a set of development and administration tools. The system supports both command line and graphical user interfaces. It is basically a set of data having a regular structure. The data consists of a database catalogue and application data records.

It is a database that is supported by all operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac. Since version 7.7.00, the database application uses multi-version concurrency control.

MaxDB is a closed source software whose source code is not freely available under the public license of GNU.

History of MaxDB

In 1977, Rudolf Munz started working on the database project at the Technical University of Berlin. In the early 1980s, the software product was bought by companies like Software AG, Nixdorf Computer and Siemens-Nixdorf. Today the software product is owned by SAP AG.

In 1997, the database application was acquired by SAP from Software AG and renamed as SAP DB. In 2003, SAP AG and MySQL AB collaborated and re-launched the application naming it MaxDB. Then in 2007, things changed and this agreement was abolished and sales/ support reverted to SAP again. SAP AG is handling the sales and support since October 2007.

The development of the new features, customer support, and distribution are handled by SAP AG. The latest source codes of the application are not available under the GNU public license.

Version 7.5 is based on the code of version 7.4. So the version of 7.5 can be considered as a direct upgrade if the previous versions.

Properties of MaxDB

The different properties of MaxDB are as follows:

• The database application has self-administrating features that allow the user to manage the database system with minimum effort. It can facilities of backing up log entries and can alter the database size
• Built-in hot backup is offered
• No online reorganizations are required as the application uses a shadow storage mechanism
• Most of the tools offered to the user are GUI based making it easier to use for all types of users
• It has low hardware requirements and has good Online transactional processing facilities
• Load balancing feature for the CPU is provided by default
• The application offers facilities to isolate software installations
• It has few fault records as the availability mode is high
• Writing parallel logs are easy as multiple log partitions are allowed
• Can also be used for Online Analytical Processing, where data models such as snowflake schema and star schema can be incorporated

Conclusion

The MaxDB has become widely popular since its inception and its user base continues to grow. The application is famous for its easy to use interface. As the data logs are managed independently, users can remove and add space dynamically. Users love it as the consistency checks and data backups can be performed online. Additionally, as it can handle up to 32 terabytes of data, large datasets can be handled easily.