A) a plurality of nodes, each node comprising:

i) an interface between high level-input and output commands at a user level and input and output commands at the system level that control a sequence of operations for interacting with the data base, wherein, in response to certain system level commands, atom objects generate atoms, each atom containing a specified fragment of data or metadata whereby a set of all instances of atoms collectively define all the metadata and data in the database,

ii) a communications control for establishing a communications path with each other node in the system,

iii) a method responsive to a system command from the interface for requesting from a selected node copy of an atom that is relevant to the query but is not present in that node,

iv) a method responsive to a request for an atom from another node for replicating the requested atom for transfer to the requesting node whereby only atoms required to complete a query need be located in any transaction node at any given time, and

v) a method responsive to a change in an atom at that node for replicating that atom for transfer to every other node in the system in which that atom is resident,

B) means connected to the plurality of nodes for providing communications paths between all the nodes, and

C) means connected to said communications means for providing persistent storage for information in atom whereby the collection of atoms in persistent storage collectively contain all the data and metadata in the database.