Abstract: Allowing users to share an online search experience is disclosed. The method includes hosting an interactive virtual session. The interactive virtual session enables a primary user to control the interactive virtual session. The interactive virtual session is displayed at least in part on a computer associated with the first user. The method further includes providing access to the interactive virtual session to at least one secondary user. The secondary user has limited functionalities for interacting with the virtual session. A search query is received from a computer associated with the primary user. At least one search result is determined based on the received search query. The search results are sent to the computer associated with the user for display as part of the interactive virtual session. The search results include at least one representation of an item of interest in the one or more items of interest.

Abstract: A programmatic interface to allow external functions to be registered and called in parallel from within a database management system is described for coordinating a computation at multiple nodes. In one embodiment, each node executes a process configured for starting a program to perform the computation in response to a command received from a database system. In response to receiving a query at the database system, multiple commands are transmitted to the processes for concurrently performing the computation at each said corresponding process. Results are received from each of the processes and execution of the statement is completed based on the results received.

Abstract: A programmatic interface to allow external functions to be registered and called in parallel from within a database management system is described for coordinating a computation at multiple nodes. In one embodiment, each node executes a process configured for starting a program to perform the computation in response to a command received from a database system. In response to receiving a query at the database system, multiple commands are transmitted to the processes for concurrently performing the computation at each said corresponding process. Results are received from each of the processes and execution of the statement is completed based on the results received.