MultiValue

MultiValue is a type of NoSQL and multidimensional database, typically considered synonymous with PICK, a database originally developed as the Pick operating system.

MultiValue databases include commercial products from Rocket Software, Zumasys, Revelation, Ladybridge, InterSystems, Northgate Information Solutions, ONgroup, and other companies. These databases differ from a relational database in that they have features that support and encourage the use of attributes which can take a list of values, rather than all attributes being single-valued. They are often categorized with MUMPS within the category of post-relational databases, although the data model actually pre-dates the relational model. Unlike SQL-DBMS tools, most MultiValue databases can be accessed both with or without SQL.

Don Nelson designed the MultiValue data model in the early to mid-1960s.Dick Pick, a developer at TRW, worked on the first implementation of this model for the US Army in 1965. Pick considered the software to be in the public domain because it was written for the military. This was but the first dispute regarding MultiValue databases that was addressed by the courts.[1]

Ken Simms wrote DataBASIC, sometimes known as S-BASIC, in the mid-70's. It was based on Dartmouth BASIC, but had enhanced features for data management. Simms played a lot of Star Trek while developing the language, in order to have the language function to his satisfaction.

Three of the implementations of MultiValue, PICK version R77, Microdata Reality 3.x, and Prime Information 1.0, were very similar. In spite of attempts to standardize, particularly by International Spectrum and the Spectrum Manufacturers Association, who designed a logo for all to use, there are no standards across MultiValue implementations. Subsequently, these flavors diverged, although with some cross-over. These streams of MultiValue database development could be classified as one stemming from PICK R83, one from Microdata Reality, and one from Prime Information. Because of the differences, some implementations have provisions for supporting several flavors of the languages. An attempt to document the similarities and differences can be found at the Post-Relational Database Reference (PRDB).

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