Parallel processing and database architectures

A fundamental mismatch between programming tools and the nature of real hardware has been removed by the introduction of parallel processes to the model of computation. This is exemplified by the programming language occam (trade mark of the INMOS group of companies), which implements Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP) on INMOS transputers. The paper notes some of the characteristics of applications written in the CSP style and suggests some of the ways in which they may influence the design of future large data base systems. Current n-ary and binary data base data models are reviewed in the light of the outstanding functional limitations of todays data base systems. It is suggested that extensions to the models could significantly change the way data is viewed in real time distributed data bases and will interact strongly with the model of computation used to animate the static data store.<
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