A distributed database is spread across multiple hardware devices but managed by a central controller, providing better performance and reliability. It separates data by business units or geographical areas, offering faster response times and reducing the load on each server. This design is recommended for global organizations and industries such as manufacturing, hospitality, and banking. However, there are drawbacks to consider, such as database integrity and concurrency issues due to network problems.
Database design typically includes the physical layout of the hardware and software devices that manage a company’s data storage. There are several techniques that can be applied when designing a database. A distributed database is a database that is spread across multiple hardware devices but managed by a central database controller. This distributed approach typically provides better performance and reliability.
Dividing a database into separate physical units has many benefits. This approach provides better control over specific data. It also distributes the load on computer hardware and network devices.
A distributed database is usually separated by business units, companies or geographical areas. This approach provides faster response times for users because the database is local to every business unit within the organization. The business unit is typically smaller than the entire organization, which reduces the overall load on each server.
Most large companies have separate business units for specific functions. Some examples include accounting, human resources and sales departments. A distributed database is designed to serve specific business units throughout the organization while maintaining control from a central server. This technique allows for the separation of hardware and data across the enterprise, which provides better control and overall performance.
A distributed database design provides the benefits of centralized access from the corporate headquarters while allowing local access for specific business units. This is a good design for companies that are dispensed worldwide. It is also recommended for organizations that support multiple portfolios. Some examples of industries that would benefit from this design include manufacturing, hospitality and banking.
A distributed database could also be used in an accounting operation. A global organization would typically include a distributed database designed to serve each country. This geographic distribution approach would allow the local country to query the data faster. The central database would have access to each country’s data without impacting each local accounting application.
Distributed databases offer more flexibility for a business. With data spread across multiple servers, it can easily be replicated to new hardware throughout the organization. This reduces the risk of data being unavailable due to hardware failure.
There are some drawbacks to a distributed database design. The most prevalent is database integrity and concurrency. Sometimes the distributed data may not be available to the central server. This is usually due to network problems within the computer system. While the database will remain available to local business units, it may become obsolete within the organization’s headquarters until the network issue is resolved.
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