Introduction to the OpenQM Database |
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OpenQM is a database management system that allows you to develop and run applications for your business or personal use. It includes a wide range of advanced tools and features for complex applications whilst still allowing relatively painless construction of simpler applications.
OpenQM is a member of a family of database products known as multivalue databases, a term that relates to how the system stores your data. If you have experience of products such as Access or Oracle, you may find the architecture of OpenQM to be alien to what you have learnt in the past. It's not wrong; it's just a different way to work. Experience over many years shows that application development for a multivalue database is often many times quicker than for other methodologies, resulting in lower development costs and simpler maintenance.
OpenQM is the only multivalue database product that is available both as a fully supported closed source commercial product and in open source form for developers who wish to modify the product under the terms of the General Public Licence. In common with all GPL software, the open source version comes with no warranty and no support. This documentation describes the commercial product though most of what is here should apply equally to the open source.
The name OpenQM is often abbreviated to QM and it is this shorter name (which is the operating system command used to enter the product) that is used in most places within this documentation.
QM has a high degree of compatibility with other multivalue databases systems such as UniVerse, PI/open, Prime Information, Unidata, D3, Reality and many more.
Facilities are provided to create data files, enter, modify and retrieve data, produce reports and, where the data processing operation required cannot be achieved using the supplied tools, to construct powerful programs with the minimum of effort.
The major components of QM are:
Specific topics:
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