NLSVet Database

NLSVet utilises an absolute first class mature Open Source database that has been developed for nearly 30 years. It is known for its stability and scalability, handling databases of all sizes, from small databases of just a few Megabytes in size to very large databases of several hundreds of Gigabytes, holding literally million of records.

It is widely used across the world by companies that require guarantee of stability, such as businesses in the Finance, Government and Pharmaceutical sectors.

Two major benefits of using an open source database are cost saving and certainty of continued support and development

1. Great cost saving.

A clear benefit of using an Open Source database is that it is free. There are two main expenses for software companies using commercial databases. These expenses has to be passed on to clients buying the software.

• The initial purchase of a database license permitting distribution of the database server with the software application. For many commercial database the license costs $3000-4000*.
• Royalties paid on distribution. In many cases for commercial databases the cost for shipping the database server with the software is as high as $700*. Some database companies charge an additional cost for each networked PC.

*Prices are quoted from commercial databases comparable to the Open Source database used by NLSVet

Because we use an Open Source database we do not have any of these expenses to include in our software price.

2. Certainty that the database will continue to be developed.

Due to its popularity, which continues to increase, the Open Source database is supported by a very active, large community of developers that constantly work to expand the database's capabilties. This ensures that it continues to be at the absolute forefront of database technology. In contrast, this kind of certainty of support cannot be given for commercial databases owned by a particular company. Over the past decade a number of popular databases have ceased to be supported by the vendor. This means that from that moment no further development goes into the database, which will eventually be out-of-date.

We tested numerous commercial and non-commercial databases on the market before deciding which one to use. Of all the databases tested, one of the things that made this Open Source database stand out was its performance speed.

Simply said: it is super fast!

Search operations, navigation, report generation, opening records are all performed in the blink of an eye. Even backing up the entire database only takes a few seconds!

• First class mature, stable and reliable
• Fast and efficient
• Supports local and remote connection (local network, intranet and internet)
• Uses secure remote connection
• Unlimited number of workstations can be connected to the network
• Client/server database system providing maximum protection of data integrity
• Entire database contained in a single, password protected file
• Works equally well and efficiently on small and very large databases (several milllions records)
• Instant screen update on all computer when a record is modified
• Online backup (no need to shut database down to make backup)
• Virtually unbreakable