Introduction to Data Management

2 Managing Data on the
Tandem Systems
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Today, many businesses own and operate an online transaction processing (OLTP)
facility. At this facility, the database must always accurately reflect the up-to-the-
minute activities of the business. The survival of many businesses, in fact, depends on
their ability to obtain this current information quickly. To provide this capability, the
Tandem NonStop computer systems offer the following important features:
High-volume throughput. The system can process many transactions per second,
with the specific rate depending on the processor model used.
Concurrent transaction processing. The system can work on many transactions
simultaneously, servicing requests from many users at the same time.
Database integrity. The system always protects your data against contamination or
loss.
Database consistency. The data in the database, as seen by all users, remains
consistent with the real world that the database is supposed to reflect.
Application expandability. The system allows you to easily expand and alter your
applications to fit the growing needs of your business.
High Volume
Throughput for
Processing Efficiency
One way of measuring the efficiency of any computer system is to examine its
throughput: the number of transactions that the system can process in a particular
span of time—expressed, for instance, as transactions per second. As throughput
increases, the cost of each transaction falls proportionally. On the Tandem systems,
high-volume processing applies not only to applications of moderate size, but also to
those with large databases and extensive remote networks.
Several basic design features contribute to high throughput on the Tandem systems:
Multiprogramming and multiprocessing
Efficient resource-queue management
Reduced virtual memory paging between main memory and disk
Residence of critical portions of the operating system in main memory
Powerful, efficient management of disk I/O processing
To learn more about these design features, see Introduction to Tandem NonStop Systems
and Overview of Tandem Products.