The benefits of using MLE to process data within the database are described.

When developers implement a Smart-DB approach, application logic and data coexist in the same database. Applying this strategy, the database is used as a full-fledged processing engine as opposed to simply a persistence layer or a simple REST API. Making use of the database for processing data where it lives can provide numerous advantages in the form of enhanced security, potential elimination of network round-trips, and better data quality thanks to the use of referential integrity.

The database's optimizer also benefits from this approach. Using referential integrity constraints allows it to know more about the data it's working with. Performance benefits can also be realized when using set-based SQL and oftentimes, database servers are more powerful than the machines serving the application's front-end, further speeding up processing time.

The Smart-DB approach requires you to be familiar with the programming languages offered by the database system to make the best use of the concept. The only other option is to use a client-side driver to extract data from the database to a middleware system or client machine for processing.

With the ever-increasing data volumes to be handled, especially for batch-processing, transferring large quantities of data from the database to a client can be problematic for the following reasons:

• The transfer of database information between servers is time consuming and can cause significant network overhead

• Latencies are often significantly increased; the cumulative effect can be very noticeable, especially for "chatty" applications

• Processing large data volumes in a middle-tier or client requires these environments to be equipped with large amounts of DRAM and storage, adding cost

• Data transfer between machines, especially in cloud environments, is often subject to regulatory control due to the inherent security risks and data protection requirements

Processing data within the database is a common strategy for mitigating against many of these problems.

With the introduction of Oracle Database Multilingual Engine (MLE), JavaScript is added to the database. The inclusion of JavaScript acknowledges the language's popularity and opens its extensive ecosystem for server-side database development.

With MLE, you can use idioms and tools available in JavaScript's ecosystem, as well as deploy and use modules from popular repositories such as Node Package Manager (NPM) right in the database. Furthermore, you can move between application tiers, providing more flexibility to teams dealing with varying workloads. The large pool of JavaScript talent can help staff existing and upcoming projects.