InterSystems Cache

InterSystems Caché is a high-performance [[Database Management Systems|database management system]] designed to facilitate rapid application development. Known for its speed and scalability, Caché is used in various industries, particularly where large volumes of data are processed, like in healthcare, finance, and government sectors.

Caché is a multi-model (or multimodal) database, meaning it can store data in different formats. It supports object-oriented, relational, and key-value data models, allowing developers to choose the most appropriate model for their needs.

One of Caché’s distinctive features is its object-oriented database model. It allows developers to store objects directly in the database without needing to convert them to a relational format, enhancing development speed and flexibility.

Caché evolved from MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System), a language and database originally designed for healthcare applications. It still supports MUMPS, now known as M, which is used in legacy applications, especially in healthcare.

The system is designed for high performance, particularly in transactional environments. Its efficient use of memory and disk I/O allows it to handle large volumes of transactions and data.

Caché can scale vertically and horizontally to accommodate growth in data and user numbers, making it suitable for enterprise applications. Despite its object-oriented architecture, Caché supports [[Structured Query Language|SQL]] queries, including JDBC and ODBC, allowing for straightforward integration with existing tools and systems that use SQL.

Caché’s data storage system, known as globals, is highly efficient and allows for rapid data access, storage, and retrieval. It offers strong interoperability capabilities, making it easy to integrate with various applications, data formats, and protocols.

Caché is particularly popular in the healthcare industry, where it’s used for electronic medical records (EMR) systems, due to its robust data handling capabilities and MUMPS language support.