Mass Frontier library utilities are based on the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000)®. MSDE 2000 is a data engine built and based on core SQL server technology. It is a reliable storage engine and query processor for desktop applications. MSDE 2000 is a royalty-free, redistributable database engine that is fully compatible with the SQL Server. MSDE 2000 is included in the Mass Frontier installation process.

MSDE 2000 is Mass Frontier's background application. Library utilities are seamlessly integrated in a graphical interface and the user does not need to directly interact with the database engine. Our database concept offers a broad spectrum of functionality and provides flexible features, but these are connected with an overhead problem that affects all modern database systems. Therefore, complex searches in large amounts of data may require longer search times than in previous versions of Mass Frontier.

There is an important restriction in MSDE 2000 that you should be aware of. This database engine allows the creation of databases with a maximum file size of 2 GB. Therefore, libraries created in Mass Frontier cannot exceed this file size. If you try to store data above this limit, Mass Frontier will inform you that this action cannot be completed and you should store the extra data in a new library. This problem will probably occur more often with chromatographic libraries than with spectral libraries. For example, the NIST 2002 database with 175,000 spectra takes up  800 MB in the MSDE 2000 format. However, if you need to create large spectral or chromatographic databases, MSDE 2000 can be upgraded to the higher SQL Server editions (Enterprise, Standard, Personal) that have terra byte capacity. Mass Frontier libraries are fully compatible with other editions of the Microsoft SQL Server. Higher SQL Server editions must be setup individually by a database expert. If you require additional information on how to upgrade MSDE 2000, please contact Microsoft or the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it database group.

Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE)® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.