iAnywhere Solutions, a subsidiary of Sybase, is pushing its enterprise-class anytime, any where database solution down into small- and mid-sized businesses. With the general availability of SQL Anywhere Studio 9, iAnywhere now offers an alternative for smaller businesses that have out grown Microsoft’s Access database program, but still don’t need the computing power of pricier upgrades, such as Microsoft’s SQL Server or Oracle i9 database solutions.
SQL Anywhere Studio 9 now provides expanded platform and standards support, for XML, Web services, .NET, Mac OS X and server initiated synchronization for unwired environments. Along with significant advances in scalability and performance, developers will find productivity enhancements optimize SQL Anywhere Studio’s ability to deliver database-powered mobile applications, as well as embedded and Web-based applications, designed to serve small- to medium- sized businesses.
Expanded platform and standards support gives developers more choices for creating mobile, remote, embedded and small business solutions. The upgrades allows for extensible markup language (XML) import and export capabilities, as well a SQLX functionality — where structured query language standards meet XML. New hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server capabilities allow for platform-agnostic transfer of simple object access protocol (SOAP) commands to enable the creation of database-powered Web services. Expanded support for the .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework for mobile devices allows .NET developers to leverage their existing development tool expertise. And support for Mac OS X and 64-bit Itanium platforms extends SQL Anywhere Studio’s appeal to new communities of developers.
Chris Kleisath, iAnywhere Solutions director of engineering, said the computing capabilities of SQL Anywhere Studio 9 makes it easier for developers to provide enterprise-class database computing to small- and mid-sized businesses.
“The new version’s performance and usability enhancements enable our partners to develop sophisticated solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses that are easy to use and leverage the power of an enterprise-class database,” Kleisath said.
SQL Anywhere Studio 9 has been optimized to serve up larger databases and provide more complex queries among larger multi-user environments. Its revamped Index Consultant provides administrators with an easy to use method for optimizing performance by guiding them through the selection of appropriate indexes. SQL Anywhere Studio 9 also has new query processing algorithms, which enables many complex queries to run in a fraction of the time of previous releases. Its advanced cache management system also improves concurrency and scalability for environments with hundreds of simultaneous users or surges of queries.
Beta testers of SQL Anywhere Studio 9 agree that the programming enhancements make it easier for smaller businesses to take advantage of more powerful database solutions. Based in Springfield, Mass., Video Communications provides advertising sales, accounting and trafficking solutions to the television broadcast industry. VCI’s client-server system integrates the core business functions that helps broadcasters manage commercial inventory more effectively. W. Lowell Putnam, VCI president and chief executive officer, said the company chose SQL Anywhere Studio because it is flexible and powerful enough to serve its clients quickly and efficiently.
“VCI selected SQL Anywhere Studio to power our sales, traffic and billing solution for television broadcasters because it is both powerful and flexible enough to meet the needs of our varied client base, from a handful of simultaneous users to many hundreds,” Putnam said. “The enhancements in version 9 raise the performance bar even higher, making SQL Anywhere Studio the ideal solution for our customers who require enterprise caliber performance in an easy to use database server.”
Developer productivity lies at the heart of SQL Anywhere Studio’s enhancements. Its ability to migrate existing data into new, more powerful business applications eases development time for programmers and accelerates deployment for small businesses. Enhanced graphical administration tools — including a query editor, integrated stored procedure debugger, profiler, and synchronization monitoring tool — give developers faster access to information. Consequently, smaller businesses can implement robust databases to run their operations today, knowing that they have the computing power to meet customer demands as they grow.
Server-initiated synchronization, faster synchronization speeds and other new synchronization options provide developers with greater flexibility in designing effective applications for deployment in wired, public wireless and Wi-Fi environments. The introduction of UltraLite Dynamic SQL for mobile devices also eases development for SQL programmers looking to create dynamic data-driven applications.
Based in Youngstown, Ohio Microsys Computing specializes in the development of healthcare software. Founded in 1983 as a home-based business with a staff of one, Microsys has expanded to serve clients from coast-to-coast and has emerged one of the leaders in healthcare management software. Mark Soukup, Microsys senior software developer and SQL Anywhere Studio 9 beta tester, said the enhanced programming would allow the company to bring new services to market faster.
“We are looking to add Web services capabilities to our healthcare industry solutions to ease integration with multiple backend data sources and enterprise applications,” Soukup said. “The XML and Web services enhancements in SQL Anywhere Studio 9 will make it much easier for us to expose information that already exists in the database as a Web service, significantly speeding the development process.”
Pricing and Availability
SQL Anywhere Studio 9 will be priced at $399 with a single deployment license priced at $119. Windows versions of the product will be available in July through iAnywhere Solutions and its partners. Mac OS X and Unix versions including Linux will be later in the year.
