This volume constitutes the proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Services Computing 2021, held as Part of SCF 2021 in December 2021 as a virtual event due to COVID-19. The 5 full papers and 2 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 21 submissions. It covers the science and technology of leveraging computing and information technology to model, create, operate, and manage business services.

For all the buzz about trendy IT techniques, data processing is still at the core of our systems, especially now that enterprises all over the world are confronted with exploding volumes of data. Database performance has become a major headache, and most IT departments believe that developers should provide simple SQL code to solve immediate problems and let DBAs tune any "bad SQL" later.

In "The Art of SQL," author and SQL expert Stephane Faroult argues that this "safe approach" only leads to disaster. His insightful book, named after Art of War by Sun Tzu, contends that writing quick inefficient code is sweeping the dirt under the rug. SQL code may run for 5 to 10 years, surviving several major releases of the database management system and on several generations of hardware. The code must be fast and sound from the start, and that requires a firm understanding of SQL and relational theory.

"The Art of SQL" offers best practices that teach experienced SQL users to focus on strategy rather than specifics. Faroult's approach takes a page from Sun Tzu's classic treatise by viewing database design as a military campaign. You need knowledge, skills, and talent. Talent can't be taught, but every strategist from Sun Tzu to modern-day generals believed that it can be nurtured through the experience of others. They passed on their experience acquired in the field through basic principles that served as guiding stars amid the sound and fury of battle. This is what Faroult does with SQL.

Like a successful battle plan, good architectural choices are based on contingencies. What if the volume of this or that table increases unexpectedly? What if, following a merger, the numberof users doubles? What if you want to keep several years of data online? Faroult's way of looking at SQL performance may be unconventional and unique, but he's deadly serious about writing good SQL and using SQL well. "The Art of SQL" is not a cookbook, listing problems and giving recipes. The aim is to get you-and your manager-to raise good questions.

Know how to use the new capabilities and cloud integrations in SQL Server 2022. This book covers the many innovative integrations with the Azure Cloud that make SQL Server 2022 the most cloud-connected edition ever. The book covers cutting-edge features such as the blockchain-based Ledger for creating a tamper-evident record of changes to data over time that you can rely on to be correct and reliable. You'll learn about built-in Query Intelligence capabilities to help you to upgrade with confidence that your applications will perform at least as fast after the upgrade than before. In fact, you'll probably see an increase in performance from the upgrade, with no code changes needed. Also covered are innovations such as contained availability groups and data virtualization with S3 object storage. New cloud integrations covered in this book include Microsoft Azure Purview and the use of Azure SQL for high availability and disaster recovery. The book covers Azure Synapse Link with its built-in capabilities to take changes and put them into Synapse automatically. Anyone building their career around SQL Server will want this book for the valuable information it provides on building SQL skills from edge to the cloud. What You Will Learn Know how to use all of the new capabilities and cloud integrations in SQL Server 2022 Connect to Azure for disaster recovery, near real-time analytics, and security Leverage the Ledger to create a tamper-evident record of data changes over time Upgrade from prior releases and achieve faster and more consistent performance with no code changes Access data and storage in different and new formats, such as Parquet and S3, without moving the data and using your existing T-SQL skills Explore new application scenarios using innovations with T-SQL in areas such as JSON and time series Who This Book Is For SQL Server professionals who want to upgrade their skills to the latest edition of SQL Server; those wishing to take advantage of new integrations with Microsoft Azure Purview (governance), Azure Synapse (analytics), and Azure SQL (HA and DR); and those in need of the increased performance and security offered by Query Intelligence and the new Ledger

Troubleshoot slow-performing queries and make them run faster. Database administrators and SQL developers are constantly under pressure to provide more speed. This new edition has been redesigned and rewritten from scratch based on the last 15 years of learning, knowledge, and experience accumulated by the author. The book Includes expanded information on using extended events, automatic execution plan correction, and other advanced features now available in SQL Server. These modern features are covered while still providing the necessary fundamentals to better understand how statistics and indexes affect query performance. The book gives you knowledge and tools to help you identify poorly performing queries and understand the possible causes of that poor performance. The book also provides mechanisms for resolving the issues identified, whether on-premises, in containers, or on cloud platform providers. You'll learn about key fundamentals, such as statistics, data distribution, cardinality, and parameter sniffing. You'll learn to analyze and design your indexes and your queries using best practices that ward off performance problems before they occur. You'll also learn to use important modern features, such as Query Store to manage and control execution plans, the automated performance tuning feature set, and memory-optimized OLTP tables and procedures. You will be able to troubleshoot in a systematic way. Query tuning doesn't have to be difficult. This book helps you to make it much easier. What You Will Learn Use Query Store to understand and easily change query performance Recognize and eliminate bottlenecks leading to slow performance Tune queries whether on-premises, in containers, or on cloud platform providers Implement best practices in T-SQL to minimize performance risk Design in the performance that you need through careful query and index design Understand how built-in, automatic tuning can assist your performance enhancement efforts Protect query performance during upgrades to the newer versions of SQL Server Who This Book Is For Developers and database administrators with responsibility for query performance in SQL Server environments, and anyone responsible for writing or creating T-SQL queries and in need of insight into bottlenecks (including how to identify them, understand them, and eliminate them)

Prepare for Microsoft Exam 70-764-and help demonstrate your real-world mastery of skills for database administration. This exam is intended for database administrators charged with installation, maintenance, and configuration tasks. Their responsibilities also include setting up database systems, making sure those systems operate efficiently, and regularly storing, backing up, and securing data from unauthorized access. Focus on the expertise measured by these objectives: * Configure data access and auditing * Manage backup and restore of databases * Manage and monitor SQL Server instances * Manage high availability and disaster recovery This Microsoft Exam Ref: * Organizes its coverage by exam objectives * Features strategic, what-if scenarios to challenge you * Assumes you have working knowledge of database installation, configuration, and maintenance tasks. You should also have experience with setting up database systems, ensuring those systems operate efficiently, regularly storing and backing up data, and securing data from unauthorized access. About the Exam Exam 70-764 focuses on skills and knowledge required for database administration. About Microsoft Certification Passing both Exam 70-764 and Exam 70-765 (Provisioning SQL Databases) earns you credit toward an MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration certification. See full details at: microsoft.com/learning

Learn to automate SQL Server operations using frameworks built from metadata-driven stored procedures and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). Bring all the power of Transact-SQL (T-SQL) and Microsoft .NET to bear on your repetitive data, data integration, and ETL processes. Do this for no added cost over what you've already spent on licensing SQL Server. The tools and methods from this book may be applied to on-premises and Azure SQL Server instances. The SSIS framework from this book works in Azure Data Factory (ADF) and provides DevOps personnel the ability to execute child packages outside a project-functionality not natively available in SSIS. Frameworks not only reduce the time required to deliver enterprise functionality, but can also accelerate troubleshooting and problem resolution. You'll learn in this book how frameworks also improve code quality by using metadata to drive processes. Much of the work performed by data professionals can be classified as "drudge work"-tasks that are repetitive and template-based. The frameworks-based approach shown in this book helps you to avoid that drudgery by turning repetitive tasks into "one and done" operations. Frameworks as described in this book also support enterprise DevOps with built-in logging functionality. What You Will Learn Create a stored procedure framework to automate SQL process execution Base your framework on a working system of stored procedures and execution logging Create an SSIS framework to reduce the complexity of executing multiple SSIS packages Deploy stored procedure and SSIS frameworks to Azure Data Factory environments in the cloud Who This Book Is For Database administrators and developers who are involved in enterprise data projects built around stored procedures and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). Readers should have a background in programming along with a desire to optimize their data efforts by implementing repeatable processes that support enterprise DevOps.

Understanding dBASE5 for Windows is a good tutor for anyone interested in the new Windows version.

From this systematic and comprehensive book, you can learn the basics and features of dBASE as well as the advanced techniques that will make you an expert.

The book presents the basic concepts of using a database, and instructs you to build sophisticated database systems step by step. It is full of valuable tips, tricks and timesaving techniques.

"The Complete HyperCard Handbook" is your best choice for learning and mastering HyperCard whether you are a professional or a beginner.

Macintosh products expert Danny Goodman introduces HyperCard 2.2's powerful new features to you.

AppleScript support; Improved user interface design elements; Enhanced HyperTalk scripting language; Convenient Color Tools for applications design; Creating double-clickable applications

And shares his experience: using HyperCard for multimedia applications; debugging HyperTalk scripts; applying Apple events; using AppleScript with a multiuser FileMaker database

This handy pocket reference gives you instant reminders on how to use important MySQL functions, especially in conjunction with key parts of the LAMP open source infrastructure. MySQL is so rich in features that no administrator or programmer can stay familiar with all of them. "MySQL Pocket Reference" is an ideal on-the-job companion, well organized to help you find and adapt the statements you need - quickly. To help you be more efficient in your work, this handy pocket reference gives you instant reminders on how to use important MySQL functions, especially in conjunction with key parts of the LAMP open source infrastructure. This powerful database system is so rich in features that no administrator or programmer can stay familiar with all of them."MySQL Pocket Reference" is an ideal on-the-job companion, well organized to help you find and adapt the statements you need - quickly. Updated for the latest versions of this popular database, this edition covers many complex features that have been added to MySQL 5.0 and 5.1, including a section dedicated to stored procedures and triggers. After a brief introduction on installation and initial setup, the book explains: how to configure MySQL, such as setting the root password; MySQL data types, including numerics, strings, dates, and complex types; SQL syntax, commands, data types, operators, and functions; arithmetic, comparison and logical operators; aggregate and general functions; stored procedures and triggers, including procedure definition, procedure calls, procedure management, cursors, and triggers.You don't have time to stop and thumb through an exhaustive reference when you're hard at work. This portable and affordable guide is small enough to fit into your pocket, and gives you a convenient reference that you can consult anywhere. When you reach a sticking point and need to get to a solution quickly, the "MySQL Pocket Reference" is the book you want to have.

Now in its fourth edition and covering Oracle Database 21c, this best-selling book continues to bring you some of the best thinking on how to apply Oracle Database to produce scalable applications that perform well and deliver correct results. Tom Kyte and Darl Kuhn share a simple philosophy: "you can treat Oracle as a black box and just stick data into it, or you can understand how it works and exploit it as a powerful computing environment." If you choose the latter, then you'll find that there are few information management problems that you cannot solve quickly and elegantly. This fully revised fourth edition covers the developments and new features up to Oracle Database 21c. Up-to-date features are covered for tables, indexes, data types, sequences, partitioning, data loading, temporary tables, and more. All the examples are demonstrated using modern techniques and are executed in container and pluggable databases. The book's proof-by-example approach encourages you to let evidence be your guide. Try something. See the result. Understand why the result is what it is. Apply your newfound knowledge with confidence. The book covers features by explaining how each one works, how to implement software using it, and the common pitfalls associated with it. Don't treat Oracle Database as a black box. Get this book. Dive deeply into Oracle Database's most powerful features that many do not invest the time to learn about. Set yourself apart from your competition and turbo-charge your career. What You Will Learn Identify and effectively resolve application performance issues and bottlenecks Architect systems to leverage the full power and feature set of Oracle's database engine Configure a database to maximize the use of memory structures and background processes Understand internal locking and latching technology and how it impacts your system Proactively recommend best practices around performance for table and index structures Take advantage of advanced features such as table partitioning and parallel execution Who This Book Is For Oracle developers and Oracle DBAs. If you're a developer and want a stronger understanding of Oracle features and architecture that will enable your applications to scale regardless of the workload, this book is for you. If you're a DBA and want to intelligently work with developers to design applications that effectively leverage Oracle technology, then look no further.

Know how locks work in MySQL and how they relate to transactions. This book explains the major role that locks play in database systems, showing how locks are essential in allowing high-concurrency workloads. You will learn about lock access levels and lock granularities from the user level as well as table locks to record and gap locks. Most importantly, the book covers troubleshooting techniques when locking becomes a pain point. Several of the lock types in MySQL have a duration of a transaction. For this reason, it is important to understand how transactions work. This book covers the basics of transactions as well as transaction isolation levels and how they affect locking. The book is meant to be your go-to resource for solving locking contention and similar problems in high-performance MySQL database applications. Detecting locking issues when they occur is the first key to resolving such issues. MySQL Concurrency provides techniques for detecting locking issues such as contention. The book shows how to analyze locks that are causing contention to see why those locks are in place. A collection of six comprehensive case studies combine locking and transactional theory with realistic lock conflicts. The case studies walk you through the symptoms to look for in order to identify which issue you are facing, the cause of the conflict, its analysis, solution, and how to prevent the issue in the future. What You Will Learn Understand which lock types exist in MySQL and how they are used Choose the best transaction isolation level for a given transaction Detect and analyze lock contention when it occurs Reduce locking issues in your applications Resolve deadlocks between transactions Resolve InnoDB record-level locking issues Resolve issues from metadata and schema locks Who This Book Is For Database administrators and SQL developers who are familiar with MySQL and want to gain a better understanding of locking and transactions as well as how to work with them. While some experience with MySQL is required, no prior knowledge of locks and transactions is needed.

Pro SQL Server 2012 Administration is a one-stop source for all the knowledge you'll need to professionally manage a database under Microsoft SQL Server 2012. SQL Server administration is a complex field requiring an unusually broad and well-rounded skill set. A good database administrator must be part system administrator, part database design expert, and part SQL tuning optimization guru. Above all, he or she must be capable of restoring a damaged database at any time. Database administration requires excellent people skills for dealing with management and clients, and solid technical skills for dealing with the hardware and the software. Pro SQL Server 2012 Administration addresses all aspects of database administration, regardless of the size of the implementation. Install SQL Server 2012 and create new database environments. Develop a sound backup strategy for your database. Perform recovery as needed, which many consider to be job #1. Authors Ken Simmons and Sylvester Carstarphen also help you automate your work through the use of policy-based management.Performance optimization gets good coverage, so that you can render assistance when developers need help with problem queries. Rare among database and other technical books is solid guidance on the people side of the equation. Success as a database administrator comes from working well with others, becoming involved in the community, and building the right combination of technical knowledge and people skills to solve problems and get things done professionally and amicably. Simmons and Carstarphen pay special attention to these aspects of the job in this new edition of their comprehensive book on SQL Server administration.* Helps you manage a SQL Server 2012 database at professional level * Covers the gamut of database administration skills * Provides guidance on performance optimization What you'll learn * Install SQL Server 2012 and create new databases * Implement backup & recovery strategies to protect your database, and your job * Diagnose and resolve query performance problems * Apply policy-based management for consistency across all databases in an organization * Turn every interaction with a client, manager or executive into a stepping-stone towards career success Who this book is for Pro SQL Server 2012 Administration is aimed at junior and seasoned database administrators who are looking to develop their knowledge and skill set in Microsoft SQL Server 2012. Readers should already have some exposure to databases in general, or to SQL Server in specific. Table of Contents * What's New?* Pre-Install Considerations * Choosing a High-Availability Solution * Installing and Upgrading * Post Installation * Multi-Server Administration * Security * Administering Database Objects * Indexing for Performance * Managing Backups * Restore and Recovery Strategies * Automating Routine Maintenance * Monitoring Your Server * Auditing * Extended Events Interface * Managing Query Performance * Secrets to Excelling as a Professional DBA * What's Next?

Now available in paperback-- Service Broker is a key Microsoft product in support of message--based processing between applications. Pro SQL Server 2008 Service Broker helps you to take full advantage of this key Microsoft technology, beginning from the fundamentals, moving through installation and application development, and ultimately showing you how to develop highly available and scalable applications based upon the service--oriented architecture that is quickly gaining ground as the way forward in application development.* Comprehensive approach to developing with Service Broker * Strong focus on best practices and real--world scenarios * Covers the key aspects of distributed application design What you'll learn * Understand the fundamentals of message--based processing * Install Service Broker and manage the environment * Design databases for service--oriented applications * Develop distributed applications * Build in scalability and high availability * Apply best practices to avoid future trouble Who this book is for Pro SQL Server 2008 Service Broker is written for new and existing users of Service Broker who wish to develop service--oriented and distributed transactions that scale well, that are resilient against failure, and that are as future--proofed as possible from the application of current best practices in Service Broker development.

A concise reference to the enormous store of information Oracle8 or Oracle7 DBAs need every day, Oracle Database Administration covers DBA tasks like installation, tuning, backups, networking, auditing, and query optimization. It's also a set of quick references on initialization parameters, SQL statements, data dictionary tables, system privileges, roles, and syntax for SQL*Plus, Export, Import, and SQL*Loader.

Oracle Application Express 4 Recipes provides an example-based approach to learning Application Expressthe ground-breaking, rapid application development platform included with every Oracle Database license. The recipes format is ideal for the quick-study who just wants a good example or two to kick start their thinking and get pointed in the right direction. The recipes cover the gamut of Application Express development. Author and Application Express expert Edmund Zehoo shows how to create data entry screens, visualize data in the form of reports and charts, implement validation and back-end logic, and much more. Solutions are presented in an easy problem/solution format, which you can copy and adapt for your own use. Detailed discussion for each solution deepens your understanding and aids in customizing the solutions to fit your particular development challenges. Teaches Application Express via an example-based format Takes you from beginner to intermediate level Shows how to build a fully-functional web store in just one hour What you'll learn Create web application forms and tables Customize application look and feel Visualize data via reports, calendars, maps, and charts Globalize applications in support of language and regional differences Implement complex business logic Optimize the performance of Application Express Protect applications from security threats Who this book is for

Oracle Application Express 4 Recipes is aimed at web application developers, PL/SQL developers, and database administrators wishing to learn and use Oracle's groundbreaking tool for rapid developmentApplication Express. The book is a quick-study and is perfect for the reader who wants only a good example to work from, customize, and adapt. Table of Contents Introducing Oracle APEX Application Data Entry WiringupApplication Logic Customizing Look and Feel Visualizing Your Data Globalizing the Application Improving Application Performance Securing the Application Deploying the Application A Mini Book Catalog Site

Breathe new life into older applications by refactoring T-SQL queries and code using modern techniques. This book shows you how to significantly improve the performance of older applications by finding common anti-patterns in T-SQL code, then rewriting those anti-patterns using new functionality that is supported in current versions of SQL Server, including SQL Server 2019. The focus moves through the different types of database objects and the code used to create them, discussing the limitations and anti-patterns commonly found for each object type in your database. Legacy code isn't just found in queries and external applications. It's also found in the definitions of underlying database objects such as views and tables. This book helps you quickly find problematic code throughout the database and points out where and how modern solutions can replace older code, thereby making your legacy applications run faster and extending their lifetimes. Author Lisa Bohm explains the logic behind each anti-pattern, helping you understand why each pattern is a problem and showing how it can be avoided. Good coding habits are discussed, including guidance on topics such as readability and maintainability. What You Will Learn Find specific areas in code to target for performance gains Identify pain points quickly and understand why they are problematic Rewrite legacy T-SQL to reduce or eliminate hidden performance issues Write modern code with an awareness of readability and maintainability Recognize and correlate T-SQL anti-patterns with techniques for better solutions Make a positive impact on application user experience in your organization Who This Book Is For Database administrators or developers who maintain older code, those frustrated with complaints about slow code when there is so much of it to fix, and those who want a head start in making a positive impact on application user experience in their organization

Here is the expert-level, insider guidance you need on using Azure SQL Database as your back-end data store. This book highlights best practices in everything ranging from full-stack projects to mobile applications to critical, back-end APIs. The book provides instruction on accessing your data from any language and platform. And you learn how to push processing-intensive work into the database engine to be near the data and avoid undue networking traffic. Azure SQL is explained from a developer's point of view, helping you master its feature set and create applications that perform well and delight users. Core to the book is showing you how Azure SQL Database provides relational and post-relational support so that any workload can be managed with easy accessibility from any platform and any language. You will learn about features ranging from lock-free tables to columnstore indexes, and about support for data formats ranging from JSON and key-values to the nodes and edges in the graph database paradigm. Reading this book prepares you to deal with almost all data management challenges, allowing you to create lean and specialized solutions having the elasticity and scalability that are needed in the modern world. What You Will Learn Master Azure SQL Database in your development projects from design to the CI/CD pipeline Access your data from any programming language and platform Combine key-value, JSON, and relational data in the same database Push data-intensive compute work into the database for improved efficiency Delight your customers by detecting and improving poorly performing queries Enhance performance through features such as columnstore indexes and lock-free tables Build confidence in your mastery of Azure SQL Database's feature set Who This Book Is For Developers of applications and APIs that benefit from cloud database support, developers who wish to master their tools (including Azure SQL Database, and those who want their applications to be known for speedy performance and the elegance of their code

A hands-on implementation guide to application development in Node.js using the powerful Sequelize ORM Key Features Use the highly powerful JavaScript library to map your database to objects easily Build an application from scratch with easy-to-follow steps and examples Discover industry best practices, tips, and techniques on Sequelize to manage your database with ease Book DescriptionContinuous changes in business requirements can make it difficult for programmers to organize business logic into database models, which turns out to be an expensive operation as changes to the database may result in errors and incongruity within applications. Supercharging Node.js Applications with Sequelize helps you get to grips with Sequelize, a reliable ORM that enables you to alleviate these issues in your database and applications. With Sequelize, you'll no longer need to store information in flat files or memory. This book takes a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies for your database that will have you up and running in no time. You'll learn how to configure Sequelize for your Node.js application properly, develop a better sense of understanding of how this ORM works, and find out how to manage your database from Node.js using Sequelize. Finally, you'll be able to use Sequelize as the database driver for building your application from scratch. By the end of this Node.js book, you'll be able to configure, build, store, retrieve, validate, and associate your data from a database to a Node.js application. What you will learn Configure and optimize Sequelize for your application Validate your database and hydrate it with data Add life cycle events (or hooks) to your application for business logic Organize and ensure the integrity of your data even on preexisting databases Scaffold a database using built-in Sequelize features and tools Discover industry-based best practices, tips, and techniques to simplify your application development Who this book is forThis book is for beginner- to intermediate-level Node.js developers looking to upgrade their skills and use Sequelize as their ORM of choice. Basic knowledge of and prior experience with JavaScript and SQL are needed to make the most out of this book.

Learn all of the available upgrade and migration methods in detail to move to Oracle Database version 12c. You will become familiar with database upgrade best practices to complete the upgrade in an effective manner and understand the Oracle Database 12c patching process. So it's time to upgrade Oracle Database to version 12c and you need to choose the appropriate method while considering issues such as downtime. This book explains all of the available upgrade and migration methods so you can choose the one that suits your environment. You will be aware of the practical issues and proactive measures to take to upgrade successfully and reduce unexpected issues. With every release of Oracle Database there are new features and fixes to bugs identified in previous versions. As each release becomes obsolete, existing databases need to be upgraded. Oracle Database Upgrade and Migration Methods explains each method along with its strategy, requirements, steps, and known issues that have been seen so far. This book also compares the methods to help you choose the proper method according to your constraints. Also included in this book: Pre-requisite patches and pre-upgrade steps Patching to perform changes at the binary and database level to apply bug fixes What You Will Learn: Understand the need and importance of database upgrading and migration Be aware of the challenges associated with database upgrade decision making Compare all upgrade/migration methods Become familiar with database upgrade best practices and recommendations Understand database upgrade concepts in high availability and multi-tenant environments Know the database downgrade steps in case the upgraded database isn't compatible with the environment Discover the features and benefits to the organization when it moves from the old database version to the latest database version Understand Oracle 12c patching concepts Who This Book Is For: Core database administrators, solution architects, business consultants, and database architects

This report illustrates why Southeast Asian countries need big data for recovery from COVID-19 to radically transform the delivery of key services such as health care, social protection, and education. The final of a four-part series, it looks at the impact of the pandemic on Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines to determine how big data can help governments analyze the challenges they face. It outlines policy reforms and recommendations to help capture the benefits of big data, including drawing up digital roadmaps, improving technical infrastructure, and ramping up training to create a skilled workforce to lead the digital transformation.

This edition provides analysis of tax systems and their administration in 38 economies across the region as a resource for revenue bodies seeking to boost fiscal capacity weakened by the pandemic. Topics covered include features of an effective tax reform strategy, the use of innovative technologies, taxing the digital economy, and international cooperation to help crack down on tax loopholes. The publication enables revenue bodies to benchmark their administration against similar economies in the region to help improve performance. The comparable data and analysis are based largely on the 2020 round of the International Survey on Revenue Administration.

This report identifies and examines six key technologies that are transforming fundamental financial market infrastructure and will serve as a springboard for the technological advancement of financial market infrastructure in the region. This report ascertains the most current status of technology adoption by Cross-Border Settlement Infrastructure Forum member organizations. They include central securities depositories and central banks in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (collectively known as ASEAN+3) region.