My First Encounter with a Chinese Database: GBase

By Huang Guobin

My Very First Certificate for a Chinese Database

About Me

I am from Meiya Pico, a company where I have spent over a decade specializing in data development and working with data in all its forms. Meiya Pico is a leading provider of digital forensics, cyberspace security, and big data analytics in China, primarily serving judicial authorities and administrative law enforcement agencies at all levels.

Love at First Sight

In China's database market, Oracle claims a 56% share, with DB2 and SQL Server holding the second and third positions. A tax bureau client of ours recently issued a notice requiring that all future projects adopt locally developed, secure, and controllable software and hardware. The shift toward indigenous technology is unavoidable, and it is high time to take stock of Chinese databases. As it happened, a senior colleague recommended GBase, and right around then, GBase was offering a free online training course for its database. Naturally, I could not let the opportunity pass.

The training was organized as an online boot camp, which was very convenient. It was not only free but also provided a cloud environment for hands-on practice. What impressed me most was how incredibly detailed the instructors' explanations were—they truly went deep into every key point. They were also very patient and prompt in answering our questions in the group chat. I want to express my gratitude to the instructors and to my fellow learners for sharing their questions and experiences throughout the process.

Getting Hooked

Let me share my first impressions of the GBase 8a product, as well as what I later discovered while browsing the GBase community forum. In terms of cluster architecture, it uses a federated design with a scalable main cluster, which eliminates single points of failure and single-point bottlenecks. For data distribution, data can be stored in a distributed manner or as replicated tables, offering significant advantages in star-schema scenarios. In the area of backup, it supports both full and incremental backups—the incremental backup capability is particularly noteworthy. I also installed and tried out GBase 8a MPP Cluster myself. The overall experience was that installation was simple and convenient, and its usage follows standard SQL conventions. It provides a graphical management interface, with commonly used connection configurations and system information placed prominently, which is highly convenient. The graphical client tools also integrate system monitoring, database auditing, and resource management. There are no flashy or unnecessary features—it offers exactly the tools that database developers and operators care about most. It truly suits the habits of Chinese users. Awesome!

Don't Miss Out

China has the largest population and generates the greatest amount of data. I hope that GBase, the Chinese database, can first serve the domestic market well and then go global, bringing ‘Excellent Chinese Services’ to the world.

Finally, I would like to thank the Modb community and GBase. Fellow data enthusiasts, don't miss out on GBase, the great Chinese database!