The Grid and Database Management Systems

[Maria A. Nieto-Santisteban]

Dear all,
                       
I'm doing some (re)search about how database management systems are being
used on the Grid to do data analysis or data mining (whatever is your
preferred term).

>From what I have been reading, it seems that the Grid middleware that
allows interaction to different DBMS is OGSA-DAI
http://www.ogsadai.org.uk/docs/docs.php#current

As a member of the IVOA, I'm specially interested in astronomy
applications, but not restricted to them. So if any body knows about real
applications in other disciplines, I am eager to hear about them!

I would like to know HOW and WHAT specific astronomy applications and
catalogs are using the OGSA-DAI software. What DBMS are being used: DB2,
MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Xindice, eXist?

According to OGSA-DAI, Astrogrid is one of the projects using their
software. Is Astrogrid using any of these DBMS or only the flat files
capabilities? Any known application from NVO?


A more general question about the infrastructure of the Grid:

Can anybody tell me what Grid nodes (if any) support database management
systems? Are they tide to specific disciplines projects like Biology,
Astronomy, Chemistry, etc or are they available for general use (providing
the user has a proper certificate)?

I am mostly interested in something similar to what CasJobs offers
http://casjobs.sdss.org/CasJobs/ A place where I can create my own
relational database, and I have full power to create tables, indexes,
functions, stored procedures, etc. CasJobs is related to the SDSS project
but nothing obligates the user to work with SDSS data. In principle, MyDB
can be used with any data the user is willing to load. That's the type of
capabilities I am looking for on Grid nodes. Do they currently exist? If
not, is there any plan to provide them?

I really would appreciate any information you can provide me.

Feel free to redirect this e-mail to anybody you might think can give an
answer :)

Thanks,

Maria