One method of accessing data in a remote location involves using a three-part name. An application simply uses the fully qualified name (location.authid.object) of a table or view that resides in another location. Based on information in the system catalog tables on the current XDB Server, the request is sent to the appropriate XDB Server and data is returned. This configuration is also referred to as a distributed unit of work (DUW).
Multiple locations controlled by multiple XDB Servers can be queried in this way. A client application can request data from any XDB Server in the distributed environment, as long as the server and the locations it controls are registered in the system catalog tables.
An alias of a three-part name can also be used. Remember that aliases actually provide better location transparency because the first part of the three-part name need not be specified. Throughout the Server-to-Server Connectivity an alias can also be used wherever a three-part name can be used.