Quantitative evaluation of micro versus larger database products

Abstract This paper uses a model of the functional structure of database management systems (DBMS) and quantitative methods for evaluation in order to compare functional capabilities of the micro DBMS products with those of the larger ones. To this end, two micro products, dBASE III (version 1.1) and R:Base 5000 (version 1.0) and a larger product: VAX-11 Datatrieve are compared. The results show only marginal distinction between micro and larger DBMS products on the basis of functional capabilities — a distinction which is likely to disappear in the near future.