User:RichardGereHead/sandbox

MDBS III was an early computer database management system (DBMS) created by Micro Data Base Systems (mdbs) of Lafayette, Indiana. MDBS III was introduced in 1979 and was a marketed as a full featured computer database development system based on the Hierarchical database model, but extended to also support shallow network structures or CODASYL network structures. The base software consisted of a Data Definition Language (MDBS-DDL) which would describe the records and fields in the database, as well as their static relationships with one another, key fields, and sort orders. The DDL would reside in a file that was compiled to create an initial blank database. After being initialized, changing the database design, like adding new tables, columns or indexes was not really possible. Accessing the database was via the MDBS III Data Manipulation System (DMS) which was typically implemented as library of function calls to be used from a Third-generation programming language such as Basic, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL, PL/1, or C.  A Design Modification Utility (MDBS-DMU) allowed for management of the database files on the host operating system for things such as backup, increasing the size of the database, and modifying userids, passwords and security. DMU also allowed for some limited changes to the DDL schema after the database was initialized and in use, such as expanding a the column size of a specific non-key field.

Other optional modules included an ad-hoc reporting module called 'Query Report System' (MDBS-QRS) that used an MDBS proprietary data query language. A command based data manipulation moduled called 'Interactive Data Manipulation Language' (MDBS-IDML) which would allow for interactively adding/modifying/deleting data in an existing database. An optional module 'Transaction Logging and Recovery' (MDBS-RTL) allowed for real time transaction logging which could be used for database recovery in the event of an application crash a host system failure.

MDBS III included some rather advanced features for a microcomputer database system of the era. These features included encryption of values in the database, hashing values for faster access, access mechanisms for enforcement of read/write constraints based on database specific userids, many-to-many relationships in the schema, transaction logging and Feasibility Range Specification. It also implemented safeguards for protecting data base consistency using things such as transaction checkpoints and selective rollback of updates in the case of system or application failure.

MDBS III was originally developed on Digital Equipment VMS systems and then ported to 8-bit CP/M microcomputers, HP-3000 MPE systems, and early Unix minicomputers. Later versions were released for 16 bit CP/M-86, MS-DOS, and OS/2 systems. In the MS-DOS and OS/2 versions, there were multi-user versions of the DMS which would use client/server technology to allow multiple users to have access to a database over a LAN.

MDBS III underwent a major upgrade and became MDBS IV sometime around 1992. Later the product was upgraded again, this time including several GUI based modules, and became rebranded as 'Titanium'.

In 2004, mdbs folded and its product line was taken over by Savitar Corporation. Savitar folded in 2008.

Uses
MDBS III was used by many commercial micro computer software products, such as the accounting software Solomon.

It was also possible to access MDBS III databases from the KnowledgeMan product.