A distributed database is a database that consists of two or more files located in different sites either on the same network or on entirely different networks. Portions of the database are stored in multiple physical locations and processing is distributed among multiple database nodes. With distributed databases, data is physically stored across multiple sites and independently managed. The processors on each site are connected by a network, and they don't have any multiprocessing configuration. Distributed databases can be homogenous or heterogeneous. In a homogenous distributed database system, all the physical locations have the same underlying hardware and run the same operating systems and database applications. In a heterogeneous distributed database, the hardware, operating systems or database applications may be different at each location.
Advantage of Distributed databases:
Better Response − If data is distributed in an efficient manner, then user requests can be met from local data itself, thus providing faster response
More Reliable - When the data and DBMS software are distributed over several sites one site may fail while other sites continue to operate ,which makes database more reliable
Easier Expansion - : Expansion can be easily achieved by adding processing and storage power to the existing network.
Improved Performance -These systems provide greater efficiency and better performance
Resource Sharing -Since data is distributed, a group of users can easily share and use data of different sites Though there are many distributed databases to choose from, some examples of distributed databases include Apache Ignite, Apache Cassandra, Apache HBase, Couchbase Server, Amazon SimpleDB, Clusterpoint, and FoundationDB