How It Works

ChronicDB is a combination of a software engineer and a hosted database:

• You run your database in our datacenters, using an easy point and click interface.
  
  
• There is no software to install: all you need is an ordinary browser.
  
  
• We host your database. We also host a finished site that makes processing your data easier. You can have your own address like data.yourname.com. Or you can use yourname.chronicdb.com.
  
  
• Data are accepted securely using industry-standard SSL and SSH encryption.
  
  
• You can retrieve data (securely) from our datacenters over the Web. Data can also be retrieved by ordinary database access tools and using industry-standard SQL, ODBC/JDBC, or HTTP.
  
  
• If you are a programmer, a powerful HTTP API and command-line tool let you integrate your data processing automatically.
  
  
• You can log in to access or export data whenever you want, from any browser.
  
  
• Pricing is simple: we only charge by database size. There is no startup fee, and you can cancel whenever you want.

You'll be amazed how easy it is to create your own online database. You just enter information like the names and kinds of data you want to store. It takes minutes to add new data in, and you can connect data intelligently with other data with a single click.

As well as being easy to use, ChronicDB generates databases that are among the best looking and technically most sophisticated on the Web.

There is simply no easier way to have a high-quality, secure online database.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we try ChronicDB?

You can make yourself an account and create a database right now, with our test drive. If you have any questions, email us at support@chronicdb.com and our friendly staff will be happy to help you.

What do you do about security?

All online transactions at ChronicDB are handled with industry-standard SSL and SSH encryption.

Do we have to sign a contract with ChronicDB?

You have to agree to our Terms of Service, but you don't have to sign up for a set period of time. You can cancel whenever you want.

Can we have data.ourname.com as our database address?

Yes, many of our users do. Additionally ChronicDB generates a domain name for every database it manages (databasename.chronicdb.com).

How do we get to our data?

There are three ways to get your data:

1. Most users load data on the Web: just go to the ChronicDB home page and click on the Sign-In button. After entering your password, you'll be able to view your data over a secure connection.
   
   
2. You can also export data as database files in a choice of common formats. This lets larger businesses feed data into their existing data stream.
   
   
3. You can have data loaded into an existing database.
   
   

If you want your site to be maintained by a freelance web consultant, you can make the password for managing data different from the one for editing the data forms.

Does ChronicDB support real-time notifications?

Yes, our software can do real-time POSTs to other Web-services in your business or issue SQL directly to a database.

Do we have to know SQL?

You never see SQL. All you have to do to create a database is type in the name and kinds of data you want to store and indicate any connections the data have with each other.

On the other hand, if you want use SQL to process data, you can.

Can we change a database after we've created it?

You can update your database as often as you want, from wherever you happen to be. A lot of our users update their databases several times a day.

While you are changing your database, your customers continue to see the previous version, but once you publish your changes, the updated version instantly becomes visible.

I have a database. Can I build dataforms from it?

Yes. You can upload entire databases, inspect the data, and then build your entire data site with one button click. You can also have the data site connect to an existing database you manage.

We already have a web site. Can we put just the database on your platform?

Yes, many of our users do this, and it works fine.

Will anyone else have access to our data?

Absolutely not. We publish aggregate statistics, but we never disclose data for specific databases without their prior consent.

We also understand the value of customer lists to direct marketers, and our policy is that this information is your property. We do not sell customer names, nor do we use them ourselves.

Will ChronicDB lock-in my data?

Not at all, quite the opposite. ChronicDB helps you move your data anywhere, and does so with zero downtime. You can download a complete copy of your database at any time.

Is ChronicDB a new database?

No, ChronicDB works as a layer that adds superpowers to existing industry-standard databases. You can run ChronicDB in our hosting service, in the cloud, in your Intranet, or in all three.

Can ChronicDB manage databases in other clouds?

Absolutely, you can manage a database located anywhere.

Is it true that ChronicDB can undelete data?

Yes, you can rollback DELETE statements that were already committed, and their cascading effects. Reverting DROP TABLE statements is planned.

Do ChronicDB superpowers introduce downtime?

No, zero downtime. All ChronicDB superpowers are enabled while your database is live. Schemas are changed lock-free, as an atomic transaction, without data inconsistencies.

What kind of network connection do you have?

ChronicDB policy is to always have twice as much network bandwidth as we need. We currently use multiple redundant 100Mb/s fiber optic network lines to the servers that host your database.

What kind of servers do you have?

We use the same configuration as Amazon Web Services: Intel-based servers running Linux. Our servers are dedicated, secured against overvoltage, tolerant to hardware failure, and with redundant air-conditioning.

How reliable are your servers?

It is rare for a server to be down for more than 10 minutes per month. Regardless, automatically switching service over to a copy of your database in a physically distinct datacenter is planned.

What do you do about backups?

We backup all databases every night. With database changes, we don't even wait until that night: they are backed up continually with asynchronous replication.