: A DISTRIBUTED DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

The author discusses the experience gained during the implementation of a prototype distributed database management system. The R* prototype supports transparent distribution of a relational database which is accessed using the SQL language for data definition and manipulation. While supporting autonomy among the participating sites, R* also provides good performance for both local and multiple site operations. The author discusses the guiding objectives of the R* effort, as well as several areas of the implementation which presented special difficulties or were simplified by design decisions.