Active Real-Time Database Systems

Real-time systems are systems where the correctness of the system not only depends on the logical result of a computation, but also when the result was produced. In complex real-time applications, real-time systems have to handle a signiicant amount of information which requires to be handled eeciently, motivating the need for incorporating real-time database management modules into the real-time systems. Characteristically , real-time systems are normally highly interactive with their environment , reacting to stimuli in the environment. However, no uniform method for specifying the reactive behavior has yet been developed within the real-time research community. This chapter addresses issues and problems associated with incorporating active functionality, and real-time constraints into a single database system. As of now, there are no database systems available that provide support for both active and real-time capabilities. This is in contrast to the envisioned rather large number of applications that can beneet from the use of such a system. In this chapter we provide a general introduction to real-time systems. Then, we elaborate on identiied problems, potential solutions, and current research projects within active real-time database systems.