ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Parallel database

Imagine you have a lot of toys that need to be organized and sorted. If you start by sorting them all on your own, it could take a very long time and you might get tired quickly. But what if you could have some of your friends help you? Each of your friends could take some toys and start sorting them at the same time. This way, you would all work together and finish the sorting much faster.

A parallel database works in a similar way. When we talk about a database, we mean a place where lots of information is stored, like a big collection of data. However, sometimes the amount of data is so huge that it would be difficult and time-consuming for one computer to manage it all on its own.

So, a parallel database divides the workload among many computers, just like you divided the toy sorting task with your friends. Each computer works on a small part of the data at the same time, making the whole process much faster.

But here's the catch, just like you and your friends need to communicate to make sure you're all sorting toys correctly, these computers also need to communicate with each other. They do this by sharing information and coordinating their efforts. This way, they can all work together efficiently and ensure that the data is managed properly.

In the end, a parallel database allows us to handle a lot of data quickly and efficiently by dividing the workload among many computers that work together. It's just like when you and your friends work together to sort lots of toys in no time.