M3 uses true MARC records that do not need to be reinterpreted, resulting in exceptionally fast data retrieval. The transaction rates and effect of the system  on hardware is dependent on the hardware supplied,  number  of transactions in a given time period, and the number of simultaneous connections. Fixed and vari- able USMARC fields, subfields, leaders, tags, and indicators  are used in the system. All MARC fields  and subfields  are indexed and searchable. In the M3 system, all record types (bibliographic, holding, patron, authority, equipment, transaction, and specialty databases) conform to either a standard or customized MARC record structure. The maximum record length is limited by the MARC standard when using  a MARC format. The MARC standard is 100K per record and 4K per field.

 

Bibliographic, holding, patron, authority, and equipment records  are contained separately in table structures. Each table can hold up to 2 billion records. An unlimited number of tables can be created, enabling  M3 to store any number of records. Tables can span multiple hard disks on multiple servers  to accommodate libraries with large volumes of records. Special interest databases, such as com- munity resource lists and reading lists, can be added to the M3 system for custom- ized local use.

 

Disk Storage Requirements

Disk storage requirements for M3 can be estimated using  3 MB of hard disk space per 1,000 records. This amount takes into account the program,  record, and stored transactions. Each 9.1 GB hard disk on a file server is capable of accommodating approximately 3 million records.