In database application categories, an on-line commercial site such as Amazon.com is best classified as which type of database application?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: e-commerce database application

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Real-world systems are often described by their database application category. E-commerce platforms, ERP systems, analytics warehouses, and single-user desktop apps each emphasize different access patterns and nonfunctional requirements.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Example system: Amazon.com (a public online retailer).
  • Workload: high-volume product browsing, shopping carts, orders, payments, and fulfillment metadata.
  • Users: millions of concurrent visitors, customers, and internal staff.


Concept / Approach:
E-commerce systems center on transactional processing for catalog, cart, order, and payment workflows. They must support high concurrency, durability guarantees, and integrations (payment gateways, recommendation engines, inventory, shipment). While multiuser is true, the more specific category is e-commerce.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify domain: public online retail → e-commerce.Check workload: OLTP with business rules (tax, shipping, fraud checks).Concurrency: large multiuser traffic but class name should reflect business function, not just user count.Therefore, select the most specific and accurate label: e-commerce database application.


Verification / Alternative check:
Architecture references (microservices, order management, checkout) map to e-commerce patterns, not purely analytical or single-user models.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Single-user: Clearly false; e-commerce is massively multiuser.
Multiuser (generic): True but too broad; the question expects the domain-specific label.
Data mining: Analytics may be present, but the primary application is transactional sales (OLTP).



Common Pitfalls:
Equating “multiuser” with the application category when a more precise industry term exists.



Final Answer:
e-commerce database application

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