computer science

NonStop SQL

NonStop SQL is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NonStop SQL rather than just read about it. In short: NonStop SQL is a commercial relational database management system that is designed for fault tolerance and scalability, currently offered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The latest version is SQL/MX 3.4.

Key takeaways

NonStop SQL belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NonStop SQL to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NonStop SQL from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NonStop SQL is a commercial relational database management system that is designed for fault tolerance and scalability, currently offered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The latest version is SQL/MX 3.4. The product was originally developed by Tandem Computers. Tandem was acquired by Compaq in 1997. Compaq was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002. When Hewlett-Packard split in 2015 into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NonStop SQL and the rest of the NonStop product line went to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The product primarily is used for online transaction processing (OLTP) and is tailored for organizations that need high availability and scalability for their database system. Typical users of the product are stock exchanges, telecommunications, POS, and bank ATM networks.

History NonStop SQL is designed to run effectively on parallel computers, adding functionality for distributed data, distributed execution, and distributed transactions. First released in 1987, a second version in 1989 added the ability to run queries in parallel, and the product became fairly famous for being one of the few systems that scales almost linearly with the number of processors in the machine: adding a second CPU to an existing NonStop SQL server almost exactly doubled its performance. The second version added /MP to its name, for Massively Parallel. A third version, NonStop SQL/MX, created a product that was more ANSI SQL compliant than its predecessor. NonStop SQL/MX has shipped on the NonStop platform since 2002, and can access tables created by NonStop SQL/MP, although only "Native SQL/MX tables" offer ANSI compliance and many "Oracle-like" enhancements. The HP Neoview business intelligence platform was built using NonStop SQL as its origins. NonStop SQL/MX is HP's only OLTP database product. Parts of the Neoview code base were open sourced in 2014 under the name Trafodion, which is now a top-level Apache project.

See also List of relational database management systems Comparison of relational database management systems Enscribe NonStop (server computers) Tandem Computers

References

External links HPE NonStop

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NonStop SQL

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NonStop SQL claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NonStop SQL before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NonStop SQL ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NonStop SQL

In research: NonStop SQL appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NonStop SQL in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NonStop SQL is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fault-tolerant computer systems, HP software, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NonStop SQL outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NonStop SQL in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NonStop SQL means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NonStop SQL out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NonStop SQL in simple terms?

Why does NonStop SQL matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NonStop SQL?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NonStop SQL.