Valentina is a cross-platform, object-relational SQL/API database system designed to provide a generational step in database superlatives: exceptional performance, modern database model and a complete set of integrated tools for development and management of database enabled applications. This document gives a brief description of Valentina benefits.

Extremely High Performance

The primary contributions to Valentina performance are following:

Valentina organizes data on disk in columns (so called vertical format)

Values of a table field are stored as columns (arrays), in contrast to storing table fields as rows. When a query needs to access only a few columns of a table, then only those columns needed are read from disk. In contrast, in a row-oriented database, all values in a table are usually read from disk.

Vertical storage formating is completely transparent to users. A Valentina user works with a standards-compliant SQL interface, or optionally using the API of a supported programming language. Migration of existing relational databases to Valentina requires no changes to most standard SQL queries or to database schema. To gain even better performance however, developers will want to take advantage of Valentina unique features.

Powerful Indexes

Valentina uses several types of indexes to get the best results: smaller size on disk and faster work. Valentina does not use B-tree indexes like most databases available. Valentina itself is able to choose the best type of index.

You can create indexes based on calculated fields; you can even create indexes by using any valid Valentina SQL expression on single field or combination of fields to get the best results.

Bitset Calculations

Valentina was originally developed and optimized to use bitsets for resolving queries. Many Algorithm Branches.There are many possible combinations of algorithms for solving any one database task. There is usually a general algorithm that works for most common database tasks; there are others that are more specialized for performing specific tasks, which are optimized for performance, unlike the general one.

A part of the Valentina specification is to provide as many variations as possible for achieving the greatest performance gain.

Advanced Cache

Valentina have very advanced, highly optimized cache. One of its advantages is optimization to reduce disk I/O overhead.

Advanced SQL Optimizer

Valentina has and advanced SQL optimizer, which choose the best way to resolve SQL queries.

Pool of Queries

Valentina utilizes pools of queries to significantly improve performance of cached queries. This feature works transparently.

If you send to Valentina a query that is byte-to-byte the same as some other query stored in the pool, then Valentina extract from pool compiled form of query and execute it immediately.

Advanced Client/Server Protocol

Valentina Server utilize a packet-based protocol, while many popular DBMS use stream-based protocol. Packets allow to solve many tasks in effective way. In particular, we can compress packets itself, what is not possible with data streams. This can reduce the network traffic in 7-10 times, increasing performance.

Stored Procedures

Valentina offers you stored procedures by syntax close to SQL92 standard. Using stored procedures you can develop business logic, which will be executed on server side, dramatically reducing network overhead.

Valentina Database Model

Although we emphasize again and again about the incredible speed of Valentina, Valentina initially was engineered to introduce a new paradigm of database development and management.

The first step in database design is to design the logical model of the database structure. Some database developers use an ER model, others UML. In either case, you define objects with attributes and Links between objects. For example: Object Person and Object Phone linked as Many to Many by link with “Has”.

When you finish the logical design you then need to implement it in the physical model of a database system. If you are implementing this in a relational database, you then translate your logical model as tables - and not much else except tables.

In other words: you have links in your logical model? Sorry. Convert them into Tables. You have properties of objects? Sorry. Convert them into Tables. You have collections of objects? Sorry. Convert them into Tables.

Database developers actually try to mirror the real world - and the real world contains objects with properties, relationships (links) between objects, state of objects, processes in time, and so on. This is why, we believe that a next generation DBMS should be armed with a model that easily and effectively mirrors objects and links of real world (as well as other entities).

Another important paradigm in Valentina is evolution. C++ compilers are able also compile older programs written in C; so in the Valentina database model, you should be able use existing relational databases. This is why Valentina database is referred to as an Object-Relational (OR) database.

Beyond support for relational models, the new Valentina paradigm also provides:

RecID field

Every Valentina table has this field. Each record when created gets its own RecID, which is never changed. RecID takes up no disk space, in contrast to regular PK on ULONG field. A table with a million records in other databases need:

DATA : million * 4 bytes     =  4MB
INDEX: million * (4+4) * 1.5 = 12MB
TOTAL:                       = 16MB

This feature lets you avoid the creation and overhead of artificial Primary Keys in tables - reducing disk space, improving speed, and reducing development time.

OID Field

ll Valentina tables have OID fields, with the exception of RecID fields. This field contains an 8 bytes LLONG value, which is unique in the scope of the whole database. This field was inspired by the pure OODBMS model. The huge advantage of Valentina solution is that this OID field again consumes no disk space. Compare to million table for other dbs, will need:

DATA : million * 8 bytes     = 8MB
INDEX: million * (8+4) * 1.5 = 18MB
TOTAL:                       = 26MB

A new abstraction “Link”

Valentina currently supports three types of links:

• Foreign Key Link.
• ObjectPtr Link.
• Binary Link - supports not only 1:M but M:M.

Big advantage of supporting different link types is that developer can work with them using the same API interface I_Link, I_Link2 or SQL commands.

Foreign Key Link

RDBMS use a Foreign Key as a constraint. These are applied to values of some field (FK) of a child table, with set of actions that the RDBMS must execute ON UPDATE or ON DELETE of parent record. As a result, RDBMS are able provide consistency of values in FK and Primary Key fields.

Valentina Database Model presents the Foreign Key as a Link of 1:M type between two tables. Name of constraint now plays also role of link name.

This is not just other variation on FK. Valentina implements this as kind of Link; it is used in all portions of the database engine that works with any kind of link, such as Join builder.
TIP: you can think about this extension similar to new point of view on C language struct as a class with always public scope.

ObjectPtr Link/Field

ObjectPtr is a special kind of Field, which is also a 1:M type link. It is similar to Foreign Key in usage, but more simple and more effective. It points not to a primary key of the parent table, but to its RecID field. Joins on ObjectPtr links can be 4 times faster than Foreign Key-based joins, because, as described above, RecID fields has ZERO disk-weight.

Binary Link

Binary Link is unique feature of Valentina engine that provides a special structure to store links between two tables of M:M type.

This kind of link uses at least 1.5 times less disk space compared to a third table that must be used to establish link M:M between two tables. Binary Links are able to build joins of two tables that are 8 times faster than the third-table way, because there are fewer indexes to touch.

Link Refactoring

Provides easy way to convert one link type to another using single SQL command.
For example, you can convert into Valentina some relational database, later decide start to use binary link between tables T1 and T2 instead of third table T12. Valentina gives you single SQL command way to do this task.

Properties of Schema Objects

You can define your own persistent properties of Tables, Fields, Links and other objects of database schema. For example, you may want assign a COLOR to each table in your application.

With relational model, this task also can be solved of course, but you need define additional table(s) for this information that result in unnecessary bloat. Also you need write special code that will support this logic. Now in developer head and in the code of this single application will exists knowledge that tables of this database have color, just it is implemented in odd way with help of “special” table.

Important to note, that any other application based on the same RDBMS engine if open this database will NOT see colors. It will see only N tables

Now lets look on Valentina model. You just define a new PROPERTY of TABLE COLOR. This property now works in the same way as other properties of Tables. You can see it, for example, in the SHOW PROPERTIES command. And any Valentina based application will know automatically that COLOR is PROPERTY OF TABLE, and nothing else.

Smarter SQL

SELECT Person.*
FROM Person JOIN PersonPhone ON Person.id = PersonPhone.person_ptr
            JOIN Phone       ON PersonPhone.phone_ptr = Phone.phone_id
WHERE Number LIKE '99%'

SELECT Person.*
FROM Person, Phone
WHERE Number LIKE '99%'

Valentina Database Architecture

Valentina Tools

The Valentina product line includes integrated tools to develop database-enabled applications.

Valentina ADK - Application Development Kit.

ADKs plug Valentina DB into the most modern, popular programming languages and platforms: C++, .NET, Objective C, COM, VB, REALbasic, Director, PHP, Ruby, Revolution, ...

These are provided as a 4th DLL linked to VSHARED, and weak linked to VKERNEL and VCLIENT. ADKs expose public Valentina APIs to programming languages as sets of classes or methods.

Valentina SERVER

Valentina Server is available on Windows/Linux/MAC OS X. This provides multi-user access to Valentina databases.

The three versions of Valentina Server include:

• Valentina Office Server.
• Valentina Embedded Server - OEM, royalty free edition for developers.
• Valentina Free Server - free Linux server with PHP and Ruby support for web developers.

Valentina STUDIO

Valentina Studio a GUI application that allows you to manage local and remote Valentina databases. You can modify database structure. You can analyze your structure in trees, columns and diagrams. You can add/update/delete records, do searches using SQL and non-SQL methods. There are numerous other useful features to manage your databases and servers.

Valentina REPORTS

Valentina Reporting Services are available in different products. Valentina Studio Pro offers you a professional Report Editor where you can design layout of reports and test them. All your reports can optionally be stored in a single Valentina Project file (*.vsp).

After designing a report, a developer can use them directly in an application via Valentina ADK API or upload them under Valentina Server; application(s) will get reports produced on the server side using the same ADK API.

TEAM WORK

Because the Valentina Project format is supported under Valentina Server, several developers/users can connect to it from VStudio PRO or from applications in order to work on the same project.

Who Should Use Valentina?

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