Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Database
    • Database

    Integration Is Focus of Database Offerings

    Written by

    Brian Fonseca
    Published February 28, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      IBM and Microsoft Corp. are aggressively pushing their database offerings toward a cohesive information management framework, with special emphasis on integration, simplified failover and lowered cost.

      Less than six months after the release of its revamped DB2 Universal Database, code-named Stinger, IBM is upgrading its federated WebSphere Information Integrator middleware to more easily mine and access data from non-IBM sources and to discover relationships within metadata content, said Nelson Mattos, an IBM distinguished engineer and vice president of information integration, in an interview last week.

      IBM will focus this year on enabling Information Integrator to provide customers better ways of understanding information assets they possess within their IT enterprise.

      Information Integrators OmniFind technology will be used to open up direct search interfaces from IBM to partners and customers, leading toward the creation of new applications capable of gleaning information and real-time analysis more quickly across systems and documents, Mattos said.

      The enhanced integration reach of the product will create “actionable search” to manage records more effectively, he said.

      Microsoft, meanwhile, last week unveiled pricing and packaging details for its SQL Server 2005 lineup, due to be released this summer.

      /zimages/2/28571.gifClick here to read more about Microsofts introduction of its SQL Server 2005 lineup.

      The long-delayed database portfolio is buoyed by the introduction of SQL Server Workgroup Edition.

      The new entry-level database is geared toward small and midsize businesses or MSDE 2000 (Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine) users wary of jumping to the business intelligence-enhanced SQL Server Standard Edition, said Tom Rizzo, director of product management for SQL Server at Microsoft, in Redmond, Wash.

      Workgroup Edition is limited to two processors and 3GB of RAM; offers unlimited database size and backup log shipping; and features Enterprise Manager, to manage different SQL Server editions.

      The new offering costs $3,899 per processor and $739 per server with five users, compared with Standard Editions price of $5,999 per processor and $2,799 per server with 10 users.

      Next Page: Microsoft partners up.

      Microsoft partners up

      Microsoft will partner with Dell Inc. as an OEM for SQL Server Workgroup and Standard editions. Analysts paint the move as an effort by Microsoft to fend off open-source database vendors.

      Rizzo said Microsoft took care to offer customers what they wanted most in the SQL Server database—rich XML and Web services support and deep integration with .Net. Some of the enhancements proved to be addition by subtraction.

      For instance, Microsoft removed the Workload Governor feature in the low-end SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, with officials admitting that the tool had been too difficult for customers to grasp.

      Within its SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition, Microsoft incorporated new features including unlimited RAM; a new version of Reporting Server; and database mirroring capabilities, which create the need for a new license by turning a passive server into an active server, enabling customers to use a database snapshot at a failover site.

      “I love it when Oracle [Corp.] and IBM underestimate us. Were coming in guns blazing,” said Rizzo.

      /zimages/2/28571.gifRead more here about Dells new offerings for business users.

      “They can charge high prices for their software and for all these add-ons, but customers want value. High-priced database software is coming to an end.”

      Damien Georges, manager of database applications for private equity company Summit Partners LP, in Boston, said he is eager to get his hands on SQL Servers mirroring.

      “Wed like to use mirroring and the redundancy of an offline SQL Server,” said Georges. “We have an office in Palo Alto [Calif.], and were thinking of using [the feature] as part of our disaster recovery plan.”

      Georges said he anticipates some users may not be prepared for the advanced controls and features of the revamped SQL Server 2005 line.

      “There will be a big learning curve,” he said. “Its going to scare some [database administrators] to death, and I think theyll have some push-back. Thats inevitable.”

      Other features Summit Partners is finding advantageous within its SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition production deployment is the ability to more easily create business intelligence and analysis services, tighter integration with Microsofts Visual Studio development tool, as well as being able to consume Web services directly from the SQL Server database.

      /zimages/2/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest database news, reviews and analysis.

      Brian Fonseca
      Brian Fonseca
      Brian Fonseca is a senior writer at eWEEK who covers database, data management and storage management software, as well as storage hardware. He works out of eWEEK's Woburn, Mass., office. Prior to joining eWEEK, Brian spent four years at InfoWorld as the publication's security reporter. He also covered services, and systems management.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×