Derby: Coding for the Overcrowded Data Center
The light footprint of Derby can potentially make a contribution to the much-needed data center consolidation. By using fewer computational resources (RAM, disk, and CPU), Derby applications can reduce the need for big machines.
It’s a little like the way Java now spans the computing spectrum from handheld computing devices all the way up to the largest enterprise systems.
Derby can be used in the same way in the database arena. Obviously, some mission-critical applications will always require the kind of large-scale database support that comes only with expensive licensed products.
In this article, I describe how to implement some data definition and manipulation using Derby. I have to say that when I started using Derby I thought it might be disadvantageous that Derby allows the full database lifecycle to be controlled from within Java code.
However, you soon get used to having the database engine inside your code instead of residing outside in some form of server or external service.