Glossary
These are the terms used across the FPT Database Engines documentation, grouped by area. Look one up when a guide uses a word you want pinned down.
General cloud and DBaaS terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Database | A structured or semi-structured collection of data stored and managed for retrieval and information processing. |
| SQL | The standard language used to define, query, and manipulate data in relational databases. |
| Relational Database | A database that organizes data in interrelated tables, following the relational model. |
| Non-relational Database | A database that does not use the relational table model, typically used for large, flexible data. |
| Virtual CPU (vCPU) | A virtual processing unit allocated to compute resources in a cloud environment. |
| RAM | Temporary memory allocated for cloud workloads. |
| Storage Disk | Block or file storage resources for cloud systems. |
| Compute | Processing resources including CPU and RAM used to run applications or services. |
| Flavor | A predefined configuration of compute resources (vCPU, RAM) for a database instance. |
| Cloud Computing | A model for providing IT resources (compute, storage, network) on demand over the Internet. |
| Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) | A managed database service allowing users to use databases without operating infrastructure. |
| Managed Database | A database service where the provider is responsible for deploying, operating, maintaining, and backing up the system. |
| Region | A geographic area containing independent infrastructure. |
| Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | A virtual network that isolates cloud resources per tenant. |
| Subnet | A subdivision of a VPC that defines the IP range for resources. |
| CIDR | A notation for expressing IP ranges used to define subnets. |
| Static IP Pool | A reserved set of IPs within a subnet used for fixed allocation. |
Database architecture and deployment terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Database Instance | A single database instance running on allocated resources. |
| Database Cluster | A group of database instances working together to ensure HA and scalability. |
| Primary Node | The node responsible for handling write operations. |
| Standby / Replica | A node that replicates data from the primary for failover or read purposes. |
| Read Replica | A replica optimized for read queries. |
| Failover | The automatic or manual process of switching roles to a standby node when a failure occurs. |
| High Availability (HA) | An architecture that ensures continuous system operation with minimal downtime. |
| Database Proxy | An intermediary component that routes application connections to the appropriate database. |
Backup and restore terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Backup | A copy of data created to support recovery when a failure occurs. |
| Full Backup | A complete backup of all data at a specific point in time. |
| Differential Backup | A backup of the changes made since the last full backup. On FPT Database Engine this is the Diff Backup Job, supported on relational engines. |
| Incremental Backup | A backup of only the changes since the last backup. |
| Archived Log | Transaction logs stored to support PITR. |
| Retention Policy | A rule defining the number of full backups to retain. |
| Backup Job | A database backup task executed on a schedule or on demand. |
| Restore | The process of recovering database data from a backup. |
| Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) | The ability to recover a database to a specific point in time. |
Security and access control terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) | An access control mechanism based on user roles. |
| Identity and Access Management (IAM) | A system for managing identities and access permissions. |
Monitoring and operations terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Monitoring | The process of tracking system status and performance. |
| Metrics | Performance measurement data such as CPU, Memory, IOPS. |
| Alert | A notification sent when a configured threshold is exceeded. |
| Log | A record of system events and activities. |
| Maintenance Window | A time window reserved for system maintenance activities. |
Billing and service terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) | A billing model based on actual resource usage. |
| SLA (Service Level Agreement) | A commitment on service levels between the provider and the customer. |
| Provisioning | The process of creating and configuring service resources. |
| Deprovisioning | The process of deleting or releasing allocated resources. |