[Erlang Systems]

1 Introduction

This book describes the Mnesia DataBase Management System (DBMS). Mnesia is a distributed Database Management System, appropriate for telecommunications applications and other Erlang applications which require continuous operation and soft real-time properties. It is one section of the Open Telecom Platform (OTP), which is a control system platform for building telecommunications applications.

1.1 The Mnesia DataBase Management System (DBMS)

1.1.1 Features

Mnesia contains the following features which combine to produce a fault-tolerant, distributed database management system written in Erlang:

Details of these features are described in the following sections.

1.1.2 Add-on Applications

Mnemosyne and Mnesia Session can be used in conjunction with Mneisa to produce specialized functions which enhance the operational ability of Mnesia. Both Mnesia Session and Mnemosyne have their own documentation as part of the OTP documentation set. Below are the main features of Mnesia Session and Mnemosyne when used in conjunction with Mnesia:

1.1.2.1 When to Use Mnesia

Use Mnesia with the following types of applications:

On the other hand, Mnesia may not be appropriate with the following types of applications:

1.1.3 Scope and Purpose

This manual is included in the OTP document set. It describes how to build Mnesia database applications, and how to integrate and utilize the Mnesia database management system with OTP. Programming constructs are described, and numerous programming examples are included to illustrate the use of Mnesia.

1.1.4 Prerequisites

Readers of this manual are assumed to be familiar with system development principles and database management systems. Readers are also assumed to be familiar with the Erlang programming language.

1.1.5 About This Book

This book contains the following chapters:

1.1.6 Where to Find More Information

Refer to the following documentation for more information:


Copyright © 1991-98 Ericsson Telecom AB