Rocket Software has unveiled release 11.2 of the UniVerse Database, its MultiValue database software. UniVerse 11.2 provides enhancements targeted at two main groups of constituents – partners who are writing their software on top of UniVerse and end users. This is the first major release of the software in two years and the biggest release in more than a decade in terms of the number of features added, said Dan McGrath, managing director for research and development, U2 Servers, at Rocket Software.
UniVerse lets users store business-critical data in a natural structure and access all relevant information with one direct read. In addition, UniVerse avoids performance-draining database joins, offers data replication and encryption, and enables high-availability solutions.
Enhancements in the new release are targeted at two main groups of constituents – partners who are writing their software on top of UniVerse and end users.
UniVerse 11.2 for Partners
In terms of enhancements for partners, UniVerse 11.2 delivers account-based licensing. This allocates and manages the license allotments for each account individually so partners can ensure that all of their accounts get their fair share of licenses. “We have some partners who run multi-tenant environments so account-based licensing in either a SaaS model or their hosting environment allows them to correctly divide the licenses up among their individual customers,” explained McGrath.
Another enhancement aimed at partners is support for local subroutines and functions. “The whole idea with this is allowing developers to write more modular code within the database itself so they can keep the processing close to the data. And by enabling them to write more modular code, it allows them to reuse it easier and write fewer defects,” said McGrath. The more a developer has to rewrite the same code, the higher the chances of an error, he noted. “Support for subroutines and functions allows them true isolation within their programming which many times decreases the defect rate when maintaining existing solutions or writing new solutions.”
UniVerse 11.2 for End Users
New features for end user customers include the addition of Audit Logging. Addressing the needs of organizations in high regulated industries, UniData provides a tool flexible enough to support specific needs, such being HIPAA/HITECH- and Sarbanes-Oxley-compliant. “Auditors are starting to get a lot smarter in the IT environments now and they understand how everything fits and are asking harder questions,” observed McGrath.
In addition, new Replication Performance Monitoring provides advancements in high availability by monitoring the performance of UniVerse replication in all sections of the system, enabling users to pinpoint bottlenecks early on.
With the database industry exploding in terms of variety, UniVerse which was launched more than 25 years ago, now sits between established systems and new products that have just been launched, said McGrath. UniVerse is used heavily in the banking, retail, travel, healthcare, government, and oil & gas sectors. “We have been around long enough to be proven,” he said.
For more information, go to www.rocketsoftware.com/products/rocket-universe.