Non-trivial retrieval applications involve complex computations on large multi-dimensional datasets. These should, in principle, benefit from the use of relational database technology. However, expressing such problems in terms of relational queries is difficult and timeconsuming. Even more discouraging is the efficiency issue: query optimization strategies successful in classical relational domains may not suffice when applied to the multi-dimensional array domain. The RAM (Relational Array Mapping) system hides these difficulties by providing a transparent mapping between the scientific problem specification and the underlying database system. In addition, its optimizer is specifically tuned to exploit the characteristics of the array paradigm and to allow for automatic balanced work-load distribution. Using an example taken from the multimedia domain, this paper shows how a distributed realword application can be efficiently implemented, using the RAM system, without user intervention
