Distributed databases are

Concept

A distributed database is a logically unified database whose data is physically stored at two or more networked sites. A distributed database management system coordinates these sites so users can work with the data as one database.

Application

The phrase “spread across multiple locations” matches the defining physical arrangement: related database data is held at multiple connected sites rather than being confined to one site.

Contrast

• Centralized systems place data processing or storage under one central site, which describes the opposite physical arrangement.

• Offline use describes whether a system needs a live connection; it does not define how database data is distributed among sites.

• A single storage system keeps the data at one storage location, so it does not have the multi-site distribution in the definition.

Cross-check

Check the defining word “distributed”: it refers to the database data being located across multiple networked sites. Therefore, the result is “Spread across multiple locations.”