Structure
For every table or view, a database stores the definition information plus the actual data. The definition information consists of the name of the table/view, description, and the definition of the columns, which make up that table/view.
For real tables and views, the definition information is stored on the RX1 file. When a database is connected, this information is read into memory. For temporary tables and views, the in-memory storage of the definition information is updated but it is not written to the RX1 file, which is how R:BASE can support different users having their own unique temporary tables and views in the same database.
Views require additional information, such as the query that is used to supply data to the view. This additional view information is stored in the SYS_VIEWS system table (whether a real or temporary view).
Data
For real tables the actual data is stored on the RX2 file. For file-based temporary tables the actual data is stored in a temporary file that is structured like an RX2 file, but is stored where temporary files are created and has an extension of $$$. Temporary files are deleted when a database is disconnected and R:BASE is closed. For in-memory temporary tables the actual data is stored in memory. This memory looks like data in an RX2 file, where each row has a pointer to the next row, the previous row, and a row size. When a database is disconnected the in-memory area is freed.
For views, whether they be real, file-based temporary, or in-memory temporary, no actual data is stored as they get all their data from tables. If a view is defined to be a complex multi-table query, optimization might create a temporary internal table to store intermediate data for that query. For views, there is no processing difference between file-based temporary views and in-memory views.
