SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED WIDE-AREA DATA MANAGEMENT OF A NETWORK OF DATA SOURCES THROUGH A DATABASE INTERFACE

Methods and a system that provide a network of data sources in terms of a traditional database schema, convert traditional database queries into network messages, and route those messages to those data sources which have relevant data, in some instances through designated query nodes. In the present invention, those data sources accept the message, and then send reply messages to the originator of the query, or via designated join nodes in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the data sources may be able to perform local join operations. The system then collects these reply messages as appropriate at the designated join nodes, designated query nodes, and/or at the data sources, and the reply messages that meet the requirements of the query are sent back to the query originator. The query results provided to the query originator are presented as a traditional database result.