Which embedded database capable of 100 million records has an efficient C or C++ API

Question

I\'m looking for a cross-platform database engine that can handle databases up hundreds of millions of records without severe degradation in query performance. It needs to h

Answer 1

You didn't mention what platform you are on, but if Windows only is OK, take a look at the Extensible Storage Engine (previously known as Jet Blue), the embedded ISAM table engine included in Windows 2000 and later. It's used for Active Directory, Exchange, and other internal components, optimized for a small number of large tables.

It has a C interface and supports binary data types natively. It supports indexes, transactions and uses a log to ensure atomicity and durability. There is no query language; you have to work with the tables and indexes directly yourself.

ESE doesn't like to open files over a network, and doesn't support sharing a database through file sharing. You're going to be hard pressed to find any database engine that supports sharing through file sharing. The Access Jet database engine (AKA Jet Red, totally separate code base) is the only one I know of, and it's notorious for corrupting files over the network, especially if they're large (>100 MB).

Whatever engine you use, you'll most likely have to implement the shared usage functions yourself in your own network server process or use a discrete database engine.