User Guide

RoboInfo Deployment Manual

About RoboEngine databases

RoboEngine supports several different types of databases, depending on the

specific license you purchased. With the standard RoboEngine product you can

use a Microsoft Access database. If you purchased the RoboEngine Connectivity

Pack, you can use Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL, or Oracle (8.0 or higher).

Following are brief descriptions of the three different kinds of databases that

are compatible with RoboEngine.

Microsoft Access: Access is a tool that has a rich set of features. Access

applications can be written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This is the

same programming language that other popular Microsoft software programs

including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook use. A database solution

written in Access can easily integrate with these other tools. It is easy to create

Excel spreadsheets using data held by Access, to generate mail merges using

Word templates, and to send mail messages from the database. Access stores

information using the Jet database engine. It uses a fileserver model of

computing where all logic is with the client application.

Note: There are a few limitations when using an Access database:

1. Access databases cannot be used on load balanced servers

2. Access databases have a data limit of 2 GB

3. Access file must be located on same machine as RoboEngine

Microsoft SQL: SQL Server is a relational database management system that

is capable of handling large amounts of data and many concurrent users while

preserving data integrity and providing many advanced administration and data

distribution capabilities. When a client application requests data, SQL Server

ensures that the client has permission to do so, and then decides how to

retrieve or update the data.

Oracle: Oracle is a database management system that provides for the

definition, storage, and management of data in a centralized area that can be

shared by many users. The Oracle Server provides efficient and effective

solutions with the following features: client/server (distributed processing)

environments, large databases and space management, many concurrent

database users, high transaction processing performance, openness,

compliance with industry standards, manageable security, portability,

compatibility, and connectibility.

Note: SQL and Oracle databases may be located on the same machine as the

RoboEngine, or a different machine. Also, SQL and Oracle databases can

support load balanced servers.