path: root/lib/mnesia/doc/src/Mnesia_chap1.xml

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<chapter>
  <header>
    <copyright>
      <year>1997</year><year>2013</year>
      <holder>Ericsson AB. All Rights Reserved.</holder>
    </copyright>
    <legalnotice>
      The contents of this file are subject to the Erlang Public License,
      Version 1.1, (the "License"); you may not use this file except in
      compliance with the License. You should have received a copy of the
      Erlang Public License along with this software. If not, it can be
      retrieved online at http://www.erlang.org/.
    
      Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS"
      basis, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See
      the License for the specific language governing rights and limitations
      under the License.
    
    </legalnotice>

    <title>Introduction</title>
    <prepared>Claes Wikstr&ouml;m, Hans Nilsson and H&aring;kan Mattsson</prepared>
    <responsible>Bjarne D&auml;cker</responsible>
    <docno></docno>
    <approved>Bjarne D&auml;cker</approved>
    <checked>Bjarne D&auml;cker</checked>
    <date></date>
    <rev>C</rev>
    <file>Mnesia_chap1.xml</file>
  </header>
  <p>The <c>Mnesia</c> application provides a heavy duty real-time
    distributed database.</p>

    <section>
      <title>Scope</title>
      <p>This User's Guide describes how to
        build <c>Mnesia</c> database applications, and how to integrate
        and use the <c>Mnesia</c> database management system with
        OTP. Programming constructs are described, and numerous
        programming examples are included to illustrate the use of
        <c>Mnesia</c>.</p>
      <p>This User's Guide is organized as follows:</p>
      <list type="bulleted">
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_overview">Mnesia</seealso>
	provides an introduction to
	<c>Mnesia</c>.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap2">Getting Started</seealso>
        introduces <c>Mnesia</c> with an example database. Examples
        are included how to start an Erlang session, specify a
        <c>Mnesia</c> database directory, initialize a database
        schema, start <c>Mnesia</c>, and create tables. Initial
        prototyping of record definitions is also discussed.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap3">Build a Mnesia
        Database</seealso> more formally describes the steps
        introduced in the previous section, namely the <c>Mnesia</c>
        functions that define a database schema, start <c>Mnesia</c>,
        and create the required tables.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap4">Transactions and Other Access Contexts</seealso>
         describes the transactions properties that make <c>Mnesia</c> into
         a fault tolerant, real-time distributed database management
         system. This section also describes the concept of locking
         to ensure consistency in tables, and "dirty
         operations", or short cuts, which bypass the transaction system
         to improve speed and reduce overheads.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap5">Miscellaneous Mnesia
        Features</seealso> describes features that enable the
        construction of more complex database applications. These
        features include indexing, checkpoints, distribution and fault
        tolerance, disc-less nodes, replication manipulation, local
        content tables, concurrency, and object-based programming in
        <c>Mnesia</c>.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap7">Mnesia System
        Information</seealso> describes the files contained in the
        <c>Mnesia</c> database directory, database configuration data,
        core and table dumps, as well as the important subject of
        backup, fall-back, and disaster recovery principles.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_chap8">Combine Mnesia with
        SNMP</seealso> is a short section that outlines <c>Mnesia</c>
        integrated with SNMP.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_App_A">Appendix A: Backup
        Callback Interface</seealso> is a program listing of the
        default implementation of this facility.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_App_B">Appendix B: Activity
        Access Callback Interface</seealso> is a program outlining
        one possible implementation of this facility.
        </item>
        <item><seealso marker="Mnesia_App_C">Appendix C: Fragmented
        Table Hashing Callback Interface</seealso> is a program
        outlining one possible implementation of this facility.
        </item>
      </list>
    </section>

    <section>
      <title>Prerequisites</title>
      <p>It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the Erlang
        programming language, system development principles, and
        database management systems.</p>
    </section>
</chapter>