Introducing SQL Anywhere Studio
The Architecture of Database Applications
You can use Adaptive Server Anywhere to build a complete application and database on a single computer. In the simplest arrangement, this is a standalone application: it is self-contained, with no connection to other databases. In this case, it is common to refer to the database as an embedded database because, as far as the end user is concerned, the database is a part of the application. When a database server is used as an embedded database, it is sometimes called a database engine.
Many relational database management systems require experienced staff for administration. A characteristic of embedded databases is the ability to run entirely without administration.
The Adaptive Server Anywhere personal database server is generally used for standalone applications. A client application connects through a programming interface to a database server running on the same machine:
If you want to provide a database application for a small device such as a handheld organizer, you may want to use the UltraLite deployment technology. In UltraLite, the database server and the application are part of the same process, and the database server is specific to the application.
In this case, the database may not be a file on disk. The storage method for the database depends on the deployment platform.