Embarcadero, Quest Stretch DBA Skills, Platform Support

Two database management software vendors—Embarcadero Technologies Inc. and Quest Software Inc.—are expanding support for additional platforms, thus enabling database administrators to manage multiple database platforms from a single console.

Embarcadero last week began offering deeper support for IBM databases in updates of DBArtisan and Rapid SQL—its database administration tool and integrated database development environment, respectively.

New features of DBArtisan 7.1 include support for IBM DB2 7.2 Universal Database EEE (Enterprise Edition Extended). Users will no longer have to leave the DBArtisan management consoles to administer EEE environments, thus saving time and improving ease of use, according to officials at Embarcadero, in San Francisco.

Also new is application processes support for IBMs OS/390, including support for database request managers; cross-reference associated plans and packages; view and explain package statements; and bind, rebind and free plans and packages.

Like the DBArtisan upgrade, Rapid SQL 7.1 is picking up support for Version 7.2 of the IBM database. The support means that developers tapping into the database will be able to create and maintain code on all distributed DB2 servers, Embarcadero officials said.

Rapid SQL 7.1 also includes support for OS/390. This adds support for OS/390 project management, including code generation for statements and procedures, OS/390 favorite-code templates, and Paste SQL and SQL Syntax.

Also last week, officials at Quest, of Irvine, Calif., announced plans to expand the heterogeneous database management of Quest Central, an integrated tool set that handles daily database management duties including administration, performance diagnostics, SQL tuning and space management.

Quest markets Quest Central as separate products for Oracle Corp. and DB2 databases. At some point in the summer, officials said, Quest will roll out the Oracle console with added plug-ins for Microsoft Corp.s SQL Server database. Then, by years end, Quest will merge DB2, SQL Server and Oracle database plug-ins into one console.

Officials said that by consolidating support for the three major databases into one console, organizations can overcome the challenges associated with limited DBA resources and multiplatform database environments.

Ray Paquet, an analyst at Gartner Inc., in Lowell, Mass., said that these types of heterogeneous database management offerings will be welcomed by enterprise users.

“Wed estimate that at least 90 percent of the Fortune 2000 has at least two [relational DBMSes],” Paquet said. “What that tells us is they have significant levels of heterogeneity.

“DBAs are amongst if not the most expensive staff in an operations environment,” Paquet said. “Productivity improvements that deal with people cycles can show pretty significant returns.”