Database replication is a key technology for the long-term competitiveness of today's businesses. In this novel context, replication technology is faced with new requirements. Firstly, enterprise-wide availability should take into account legacy information systems. Moreover, open markets and a globalised economy also mean that wide-area support is required not only by large businesses, but also by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which inevitably raises security issues. Finally, wider applicability of database technology calls for highly scalable DBMSs.

The resulting heterogeneity, geographical dispersion and scale have a profound impact on the applicability of replication techniques. The wider applicability of DBMS also calls for an increased concern with cost.

The goal of the GORDA project was to foster database replication as a means to address the challenges of trust, integration, performance and cost in current database systems underlying the information society. This was achieved by standardising architecture and interfaces, and by sparking their usage with a comprehensive set of components ready to be deployed.

Starting Date: October 1, 2004

Budget: €1,250,000

Project team: Rui Carlos Oliveira, José Orlando Pereira, Ricardo Manuel Vilaça, Miguel Ângelo Matos and António Luís Sousa

Project Website: GORDA