BlackRay is a relational database system designed to offer performance features commonly associated with search engines. It offers SQL support and sophisticated operational and management features. Load-balancing and operational stability by means of N+1 redundance are included. BlackRay is called a "Data Engine" since it combines traditional, relational database features and SQL with the power and flexibility of search engines. It is a true hybrid, offering transaction support, data-versioned snapshots, and sophisticated function-based indices. Wildcards, phonetic, and fuzzy logic searches are supported, as well. BlackRay supports a subset of the SQL92 standard and provides JDBC/ODBC/native driver options via the PostgreSQL protocol, in addition to an API based query option. The project is released under the GPLv2, with some drivers available under BSD-style licenses. Commercial support contracts are available as well.
