In Ingres, one application can have multiple sessions, with each session accessing one database. However, in many applications, the ability to access multiple databases in a single session is also very useful. In Ingres, this expanded functionality is available by using Ingres Star.

Ingres Star lets you create a distributed database. A distributed database is composed of some or all of the tables from a number of databases. When you access a distributed database, these tables appear to reside in a single database. The composition and operation of the distributed database is completely transparent to the user.

Combining Ingres Net and Ingres Star gives you simultaneous access to any number of databases residing on separate instances. Ingres Net gives you the ability to query a database on a different instance, and Ingres Star allows you to simultaneously query more than one database. You need both Ingres Net and Ingres Star to simultaneously access more than one database if the databases are in separate instances.

For a full explanation of how to use Ingres Star, see the Ingres Star User Guide.