Book Image

Applying and Extending Oracle Spatial

Book Image

Applying and Extending Oracle Spatial

Overview of this book

Spatial applications should be developed in the same way that users develop other database applications: by starting with an integrated data model in which the SDO_GEOMETRY objects are just another attribute describing entities and by using as many of the database features as possible for managing the data. If a task can be done using a database feature like replication, then it should be done using the standard replication technology instead of inventing a new procedure for replicating spatial data. Sometimes solving a business problem using a PL/SQL function can be more powerful, accessible, and easier to use than trying to use external software. Because Oracle Spatial's offerings are standards compliant, this book shows you how Oracle Spatial technology can be used to build cross-vendor database solutions. Applying and Extending Oracle Spatial shows you the clever things that can be done not just with Oracle Spatial on its own, but in combination with other database technologies. This is a great resource book that will convince you to purchase other Oracle technology books on non-spatial specialist technologies because you will finally see that "spatial is not special: it is a small, fun, and clever part of a much larger whole".
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Applying and Extending Oracle Spatial
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Table Comparing Simple Feature Access/SQL and SQL/MM–Spatial
Index

OLTP and OLAP databases


The database systems are usually designed either as an OLTP database or as an OLAP database. An OLTP database is typically characterized by a large number of short transactions that take no more than a few seconds (or minutes) to complete. The main emphasis of the OLTP systems is on very fast query processing, maintaining data integrity in multi-user environments. The number of transactions per second usually measures the performance of an OLTP database. The OLTP databases generally contain detailed and current data, and the data models are usually designed using the third normal form. In these systems, the data models are designed to have very little data duplication so that the database system can sustain high transaction rates. On the other hand, an OLAP database is typically characterized by a low volume of transactions. The queries are often very complex and involve aggregation of data from multiple tables. For OLAP systems, the response time to queries is an...