Abstract One of the main advantages of the cloud computing
paradigm is that it simplifies the time-consuming processes
of hardware provisioning, hardware purchasing and
software deployment. Currently, we are witnessing a proliferation
in the number of cloud-hosted applications with
a tremendous increase in the scale of the data generated
as well as being consumed by such applications. Cloudhosted
database systems powering these applications form
a critical component in the software stack of these applications.
To better understand the challenges in developing effective
cloud-hosted database systems, this article discusses
the existing technologies for hosting the database tier of
software applications in cloud environments, illustrates their
strengths and weaknesses, and presents some opportunities