Optical Implementation of SELECTION Operation in Database Machines

In its most elemental form, a database can be viewed as a computer-based record keeping system. The database organization is optimized for efficient addition, deletion and updating of the records. Accurate, flexible and efficient techniques for retrieving and organizing data is the objective of a database management system. Applications of such database management systems range from banking and libraries in the commercial world to onboard electronic warefare systems for airplanes and logistics databases for weapons readiness management in the military world. In either domain, the size of the database is constantly growing, while the desired data retrieval time is simultaneously decreasing. In addition, onboard systems may have volume, power and weight limitations while maintaining ruggedness. The recent developments in optical storage, interconnects and switching technologies has initiated investigation into the use of optical technology to enhance the performance of conventional database machines [1].