THE ARchitecture Problem ROBUST Addresses

The use of database applications has been hampered by design decisions made 60 years ago. While the software industry uses new hardware, networks and media technologies, the original software design decisions remain, decades later, at the core of today’s systems. The fundamental constraints underlying these assumptions create systemic problems in a world that needs effective software solutions to meet ever more dynamic needs.

In the 1960s, IBM pioneered the design decision that led most software systems to separate the management of data and the instructions for its use. In addition, the design separates each data item, storing it in an isolated cell within a tabular structure. The relations between a data item and its expected and actual use are captured elsewhere by programming instructions that operate on the data. As long as the same programming instructions apply to a large volume of data, this is indeed an optimized design. For example, this was the case when database applications were primarily used for accounting and similar systems that capture data produced by static processes.

In contrast, today’s software is expected add value above and beyond documenting the results of essentially clerical tasks. Organizations need their software systems to help drive better business outcomes. In order to do so, software needs to meet much broader business requirements. It must help align strategy with operations, apply know-how to optimize decisions in each transaction and provide the means to coordinate and execute the expected outcomes.