tableBASE handles tables as data structures resident in main memory. It provides high performance and easy maintenance by using a memory management system that is optimized for table structures.
tableBASE integrates memory management capabilities that are lacking in many programming languages. It provides:
- automatic table load and unload facilities
- efficient main-memory data organization
- a variety of high-performance search methods
- dynamic runtime expansion of allocated table space
- dynamic runtime reorganization of tables
- high performance Index structures
- dynamic runtime Index creation and modification
- dynamic runtime Alternate Views
Most of the above are not found in traditional DBMSs or databases because those systems are primarily DASD oriented. Because tableBASE is main memory oriented, it offers facilities and features beyond that of a typical database or DBMS.