Multi-database Access from Amos II using ODBC

In recent years, there has been a tremendous proliferation of databases in the work place, dominated by relational database systems. An emerging need for sharing data across different database platforms has introduced the need for Multi-DataBase Systems (MDBS). MDBS are systems capable of operating over a netowrk and encompassing a heterogenous mix of different database systems, providing the user with a unified view of distributed and heterogenous data. The aim of this work is to present an approach to the problem of building high level abstractions as views that integrate data from different relational databases. The mechanism presented can serve as a basis for a multidatabase system. As a platform for this work we use the object oriented multi-database system Amos II. To access data stored in different databases the ODBC standard is used. ODBC provides multidatabase connectivity using a common interface approach, which gives programmers a uniform SQL interface to different relational databases. A number of problems were identified and alternative solutions were in most cases proposed and implemented. Measurements on the implementation are reported and discussed