Flexible Server Architecture (FSA)
This means that the database server is designed to support a small number of users or a very large number. For small numbers, you can run the database server on an inexpensive machine with a small amount of memory and it will perform well. For large numbers of users, you can run the database server on a powerful machine and also make use of extra utilities that help the database and improve performance. The architecture is flexible because it allows you to buy, install and use only those parts of the database server that your software really needs.
More simply, this just means that when you have only a small number of users who connect to the database, you don't have to spend lots of money on a big machine, or on a database expert that knows how it all works. You can make the database architecture as simple or as complex as your software requires.
You only need to worry about FSA for very big databases or databases that have many users.
Dynamic Database Kernal (DDS)
This means that you can adjust the kernal parameters without having to shut down the database first. When you start the database server, you can specify lots of progress parameters that allocate memory and set buffer sizes. With DDS, you can change these parameters without shutting down the database. This means that you can adjust the amount of system resources (memory) that the database uses at any time. For example, at peak times when the database is very busy, you can adjust the parameters so that performance is maintained. During quieter periods, you can release some of the resources for other applications that run on the same machine.
You only need to worry about DDS for very big databases or databases that have many users.
Third-Party Applications
This is just an english term. A 'party' is a 'participant'. e.g. someone who is involved.
A 'third party' usually means software that isn't written by you (the first party) and is not part of the Progress 4GL (the second party). For example, if you use Crystal Reports, then this would be called a third-party application.
A host of...
This just means 'a lot of' - or 'many'.
So Progress is just saying that there are a lot of third-party applications that can access the database using ODBC or JDBC drivers (e.g. Actuate or Java applicatons).
Current Commit Lock Protocol (CCLP)
Who knows? This is a really technical term and neither you nor I need to know how it actually works. But all it really means is that it makes the database perform much better.
If you ask Progress 'how fast is your database?' they will usually tell you how many 'transactions per second' that it can do. Using CCLP, the Progress V9 database can do more transactions per second that the V8 database. So CCLP just means that the V9 database is faster.
