Featuring advanced object technology and a transactional multidimensional data model (TMDMÔ ), Caché is optimized for fast performance and maximum scalability in complex transaction processing. Both performance and scalability requirements are critical success factors for today’s healthcare systems, according to Grabscheid.

"First, clinicians and physicians require effective information access and immediate response. They and their patients can’t afford to wait, so high performance is paramount," he says. "We also see a continuing trend of mergers and acquisitions creating larger healthcare networks, making easy scalability a key requirement. Third, healthcare information and the applications that manipulate healthcare data are inherently complex."

"The Web adds a new dimension, making development even more challenging," Grabscheid continues. "Performance expectations are rising and scalability must be viewed in almost infinite numbers. And, developers must build applications that handle complex transactions in a way that requires very little effort or learning curve from the Web user."