computer science

SciDB

SciDB 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 SciDB rather than just read about it. In short: SciDB was a column-oriented database management system (DBMS) designed for multidimensional data management and analytics common to scientific, geospatial, financial, and industrial applications. History Stonebraker showed that arrays are 100 times faster in SciDB than in a relational DBMS on a class of problems.

Key takeaways

SciDB 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 SciDB to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SciDB from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SciDB was a column-oriented database management system (DBMS) designed for multidimensional data management and analytics common to scientific, geospatial, financial, and industrial applications.

History Stonebraker showed that arrays are 100 times faster in SciDB than in a relational DBMS on a class of problems. It is swapping rows and columns for mathematical arrays that put fewer restrictions on the data and can work in any number of dimensions unlike the conventionally widely used relational database management system model, in which each relation supports only one dimension of records. A 2011 conference presentation on SciDB promoted it as "not Hadoop".

See also Comparison of object database management systems Comparison of structured storage software

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SciDB

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SciDB 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 SciDB 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 SciDB 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 SciDB

In research: SciDB 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 SciDB 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: SciDB is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Data management, Distributed computing architecture, Distributed data stores, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SciDB 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 SciDB in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SciDB 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 SciDB out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SciDB in simple terms?

SciDB was a column-oriented database management system (DBMS) designed for multidimensional data management and analytics common to scientific, geospatial, financial, and industrial applications. History Stonebraker showed that arrays are 100 times faster in SciDB than in a relational DBMS on a cla…

Why does SciDB 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 SciDB?

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 SciDB.