# Pre-relational reporting vendor-specific interface · access · 1991

Revision 1 (11 October 2026) · Modeled snapshot · through 8 October 2026.

All figures are research-informed estimates of analytical activity. Significant errors may remain; decimal places do not imply measurement precision.

21.65% of the full access layer.

[Pre-relational reporting vendor-specific interface](https://history.columnar.tech/technologies/access/vendor-legacy.md): historical names and annual shares.

This category groups the reporting and analytical work done by systems whose roots predate the widespread adoption of relational databases. It includes custom COBOL and RPG programs that read sequential or indexed business files, such as VSAM files, and calculate totals, produce summaries, and generate periodic reports. It also includes reporting over hierarchical databases such as IBM IMS, network databases such as IDMS, and other early database systems such as Adabas and Model 204.

Packaged reporting and query systems also did this work. Examples include MARK IV and FOCUS when they process application files or their own nonrelational databases. These systems could support substantial business analysis; the category is not limited to printing records or running overnight batches. We count their analytical processing, not the transaction processing, data entry, or report presentation that may surround it. If a reporting tool sends the analytical query to a separately listed relational engine, that work belongs to that engine.

“Pre-relational” refers to these systems’ origins and underlying data organization. It does not mean that they disappeared when SQL databases arrived, or that later versions could not offer SQL access. Desktop databases such as dBASE, FoxPro, Microsoft Access, and FileMaker are grouped separately under Desktop databases as they become available; they are not included here simply because they are older products.

Connections below describe the whole Pre-relational reporting engine. Access and storage mixes are estimated separately; they are not a joint interface-to-storage distribution.

## Access use within this engine

| Option | Share of engine activity | Share of full access layer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Pre-relational reporting vendor-specific interface](https://history.columnar.tech/technologies/access/vendor-legacy.md) | 100% | 21.7% |

## Storage use within this engine

| Option | Share of engine activity | Share of full storage layer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Pre-relational reporting native storage](https://history.columnar.tech/technologies/storage/native-legacy.md) | 100% | 21.7% |

[All percentages for 1991](https://history.columnar.tech/years/1991.md)

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