Newsletters




Database Management

Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMSs) continue to do the heavy lifting in data management, while newer database management systems are taking on prominent roles as well. NoSQL database systems such as Key-Value, Column Family, Graph, and Document databases, are gaining acceptance due to their ability to handle unstructured and semi-structured data. MultiValue, sometimes called the fifth NoSQL database, is also a well-established database management technology which continues to evolve to address new enterprise requirements.



Database Management Articles

Oracle has announced the availability of Oracle Application Testing Suite (ATS) 9.0, an open and integrated application testing solution for Oracle applications, web and SOA applications.

Posted October 01, 2009

Continuing its approach of providing tailored master data management (MDM) solutions for key industries, Oracle announced the availability of Oracle Higher Education Constituent Hub. As a tailored MDM solution for higher education institutions, the new Oracle Higher Education Constituent Hub enables customers to reduce IT costs and lower implementation times by eliminating the need to build customized solutions.

Posted October 01, 2009

Oracle recently introduced new capabilities for its Accelerate Program, including new Accelerate Solutions, Oracle Business Accelerators, financing options and deployment methods.

Posted October 01, 2009

Working with Sybase and ISUG, Bradmark Technologies will showcase its premier monitoring and event management solution at cities across the U.S. this fall.

Posted September 23, 2009

At the Sybase Techwave Symposium in Washington, D.C., last month, Sybase announced the availability of its data management and analytics servers, including Sybase SQL Anywhere, Sybase IQ, and Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise, for the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) environment. With these products, customers will have the ability to quickly develop and deploy on-demand data systems for mobile, analytics and transactional applications.

Posted September 23, 2009

Also at Techwave last month, Sybase announced the newest release of Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) Cluster Edition, its enterprise data management solution that reduces the complexity of deploying a database application across a shared disk server cluster environment.

Posted September 23, 2009

CA, Inc. today announced CA Database Management r12 for DB2 for z/OS, and CA Database Management r12 for IMS, the latest versions of its mainframe database management solution. The new versions feature enhancements for performance management, database administration, and backup and recovery.

Posted September 21, 2009

Oracle has introduced new releases of Oracle Berkeley DB and Oracle Berkeley DB XML, two members of the Oracle Berkeley DB family of open source, embeddable databases.

Posted September 15, 2009

Ntirety Inc., which provides both software tools/appliances and database experts to proactively monitor, manage, and optimize customer's Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL databases, has released Ntrust version 4, the newest generation of its proprietary database administration platform that enables Ntirety to remotely and securely service customers' databases. With the version 4 release, Ntrust is now available as either a physical appliance that resides at a client's site or as a virtualized offering to meet the needs of customers utilizing cloud computing.

Posted September 15, 2009

InterSystems Corporation has introduced technology additions to its InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database. Available now in CACHÉ 2009, the new features provide enhanced web services security, reporting, and system management and monitoring.

Posted September 14, 2009

Revelation Software is planning several road shows for the last quarter of 2009 and is soliciting input from users about where to host the events. Possible cities include: Boston, Mass.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.; Houston, Tex.; London, United Kingdom; Nashville, Tenn.; Seattle, Wash.; Sydney, Australia; Tampa, Fla.; Westwood, N.J.; and Vancouver, Canada. Votes for cities can be cast at the Revelation website. City selections will be announced in September.

Posted September 14, 2009

A member of the Quest International Users Group and IT specialist at Shell Canada Ltd., Sue Shaw took on the role of president of the users group in June. She talks with Database Trends and Applications about what drew her in as a member and her goals for the PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Oracle Utilities association now that she is at the helm.

Posted September 14, 2009

This year, despite a turbulent economy marked by painful layoffs in many sectors, database professionals appear to be weathering the storm. In fact, database professionals reported higher incomes and bonuses this year over last. Still, a sizeable segment of professionals saw changes in their jobs as a result of economic conditions, and many are concerned going forward about the impact of tighter budgets on their departments' performance.

Posted September 14, 2009

Microsoft SQL Server has been a favorite for years for organizations that want to implement business intelligence (BI) functionality - even in traditionally non-Microsoft shops. Especially since the SQL Server 2005 release, the ROI of a Microsoft solution coupled with the ease of implementation has driven healthy adoption of the DBMS for BI. And the integration of SQL Server 2008 with Microsoft Office, SharePoint Server, and PerformancePoint Services for delivering BI to end users has created an even stronger end-to-end platform.

Posted September 14, 2009

Clerity Solutions, a provider of mainframe migration and modernization solutions, today introduced the Clerity Migration and Modernization Analysis Process (MMAP) for Adabas Natural environments. The new service is targeted at helping companies analyze migration options for Software AG environments, including the business impact and implementation requirements involved in moving to other platforms and application architectures.

Posted September 14, 2009

Oracle Database 11g Release 2 became generally available and downloadable yesterday from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). Improvements have been made in all key areas, with a general emphasis on helping customers lower their IT infrastructure costs. Announcing the new release during a conference call yesterday, Andy Mendelsohn, senior vice president of Database Server Technologies, Oracle observed, "Right now the majority of our installed base customers are running on 10g R2, with a good number on 11g R1. The reason 11g R2 is important is not only for the innovations in the release but it is really the release that the masses of our installed base are going to be moving to as they go to the 11g family of databases."

Posted September 02, 2009

Stratavia, an independent provider of data center automation and cloud enablement software solutions, has announced the release of the Sybase Migration Data Center Automation Application, a software solution aimed at enabling organizations to make an error-free migration from Sybase database environments to their choice of Oracle, as well as Microsoft SQL Server or IBM DB2 database platforms. Stratavia customers can now automate the migration of Sybase database objects, code and data from a centralized location, while also enabling self-service access for application teams to begin their testing without impacting migration timelines.

Posted September 02, 2009

Oracle has extended the Oracle Validated Configurations program to include Oracle VM server virtualization software. "The Validated Configurations program creates best practices for deploying Linux in the enterprise," Monica Kumar, senior director, product marketing, Oracle, tells 5 Minute Briefing. "Oracle has created a test kit which we share with partners, customers and actually it is an open source test kit. It is available for free download by anyone. You can use a test kit to run multiple tests against a stack, which includes servers, storage, drivers, networking components, operating system—in this case being Linux—and now we have added virtualization to that stack and an Oracle Database version."

Posted September 02, 2009

Oracle Database 11g Release 2 is generally available and downloadable today from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). Improvements have been made in all key areas, with a general emphasis on helping customers lower their IT infrastructure costs.

Posted September 01, 2009

Stratavia, an independent provider of data center automation and cloud enablement software solutions, has announced the release of the Sybase Migration Data Center Automation Application, a software solution aimed at enabling organizations to make an error-free migration from Sybase database environments to their choice of Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server or IBM DB2 database platforms. Stratavia customers can now automate the migration of Sybase database objects, code and data from a centralized location, while also enabling self-service access for application teams to begin their testing without impacting migration timelines.

Posted September 01, 2009

Sybase has announced the beta availability for PowerBuilder 12, considered by the company to be one of the most significant in the product's history. This latest release provides developers with an easy and cost-effective path to the Microsoft .NET Framework, the Microsoft Windows component that supports building and running the next generation of applications.

Posted August 26, 2009

Bradmark Technologies, Inc., a provider of data management solutions, today announced that it has teamed with Sybase, the largest enterprise software and services company exclusively focused on managing and mobilizing information, and Intertech Consulting, Inc., a strategic partner for companies striving to gain competitive advantage through the use of information technology, to provide professional services offerings for Surveillance installations.

Posted August 26, 2009

InterSystems Corporation has introduced technology additions to its InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database. Available now in CACHÉ 2009, the new features provide enhanced web services security, reporting, and system management and monitoring.

Posted August 26, 2009

With the Denver event less than a month away, the U2 team is doing final reviews of all the sessions, and making final hotel arrangements for U2 University 2009, the premier U2 technical event. The U.S. event will be Sept. 16-18 at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Denver.

Posted August 26, 2009

Revelation is offering special pricing this summer for fall training classes. Through the end of August, individuals can register for themselves, and bring a co-worker along for free.

Posted August 26, 2009

In a brief announcement last week, Oracle stated that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved its proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems and terminated the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

Posted August 25, 2009

Quest Software, Inc. has unveiled the newest version of SharePlex for Oracle, a real-time Oracle-Oracle database replication solution that supports high availability, reporting, data synchronization/integration, and load balancing on Oracle databases. Key features introduced in the new version include wildcard support, batch processing, and configuration management enhancements to SharePlex's monitoring and management dashboard, SharePlex Manager. These new features bring benefits in the areas of ease-of-use, improved performance, task automation, and managing complex replication environments.

Posted August 19, 2009

InterSystems Corporation yesterday introduced technology additions to its InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database. Available now in CACHÉ 2009, the new features provide enhanced web services security, reporting, and system management and monitoring.

Posted August 18, 2009

Four top Microsoft SQL Server executives will present keynote addresses at the Professional Association for SQL Server's PASS Summit Unite 2009 conference, Nov. 2-5.

Posted August 18, 2009

There are mainly four kinds of information management professionals in an OLTP environment—data architects, database architects, application DBAs and operational (or production support) DBAs. It should be the aim of an information management professional to master all the four roles and seamlessly shift between them with ease. Once you are able to shift roles easily, be assured that you're adding to the revenue of your business.

Posted August 14, 2009

The data manager's job has never been easy, often presenting significant challenges, including data system rewrites, data security, regulatory compliance, and reporting. And the digital age, with a myriad of new and innovative data sources and more sophisticated analytic models, presents its own unique hurdles to implementing a successful data-management and data-quality program in the modern insurance enterprise.

Posted August 14, 2009

New data modelers often see things as black and white. But rather than being concrete flooring beneath our feet, knowledge is more like a gossamer web that builds up layer upon layer to provide the effect of a solid foundation. We may think we know facts, such as one plus one equals two, or Columbus discovered America in 1492. What we have come to know about our world comprises our own internal knowledge base. We gain much of this knowledge because it has been passed onto us by others, people with experience, parents, educators, clever friends, verbally or in print. But how do we know such items are real, actual, absolute bona fide beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt truths?

Posted August 14, 2009

Microsoft SQL Server's relational engine has offered new instrumentation that improves by light years with each new release. The introduction of Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) in SQL Server 2005 provided a much-needed equivalent to Oracle's long-standing and capable V$ and X$ system views. SQL Server 2008 has provided another dramatic improvement to its instrumentation with Extended Events (also known as XEvents) that promises to offer even greater opportunities to tune, trace and troubleshoot the inner workings of a SQL Server application. All of this stands in stark contrast with the anemic instrumentation offered in SQL Server Analysis Services, Microsoft's wonderful multi-dimensional data repository that is a free feature-set within the SQL Server product.

Posted August 14, 2009

As the U.S. markets strive for a recovery in 2009, many IT managers are cringing at the thought of managing their data through what may be a record year of mergers and acquisitions. Managing an ever-increasing mountain of data is not a simple task in the best of times, but doing so while combining formerly separate entities during an economic slowdown can be a monumental challenge.

Posted August 14, 2009

Quest Software, Inc. has unveiled the newest version of SharePlex for Oracle, a real-time Oracle-Oracle database replication solution that supports high availability, reporting, data synchronization/integration, and load balancing on Oracle databases. Key features introduced in the new version include wildcard support, batch processing, and configuration management enhancements to SharePlex's monitoring and management dashboard, SharePlex Manager. These new features bring benefits in the areas of ease-of-use, improved performance, task automation, and managing complex replication environments

Posted August 11, 2009

Microsoft recently released a SQL Server 2008 add-in for MapPoint. MapPoint is Microsoft's business mapping application and gives users the power to visualize business data and communicate insights in a new way. It enables them to integrate maps into the work they do in Microsoft Office, and with MapPoint 2009 they also receive new geographic and demographic data, greatly enhanced GPS functionality, and a version that comes with a GPS locator.

Posted August 11, 2009

DBSophic, a developer of innovative software solutions for database performance optimization, has announced the launch of its new Trace Analyzer tool for Microsoft SQL Server. This tool, which can be downloaded free of charge from the company's website, allows users to instantly find out what is slowing down their databases by enabling them to easily pinpoint which batches or specific parameter value sets consume the most resources.

Posted August 11, 2009

Vertica, a column-oriented analytic database technology provider, has announced a new release of its Analytic Database product with new features for performance gains, increases in scale, and advanced analytics. The primary new features consist of a next-generation column-store architecture called FlexStore, MapReduce technology for advanced ETL loading and analytical processing, and load balancing via IPVS.

Posted August 04, 2009

Oracle today announced the availability of Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database 11g and Oracle In-Memory Database Cache 11g, the database caching option for Oracle Database 11g.

Posted July 28, 2009

Quest Software recently announced the forthcoming release of Toad for Oracle version 10, the de-facto standard tool for Oracle database development and administration. Toad for Oracle 10 will offer new functionality enhancements that the Toad community has been asking for, providing improved productivity, better database manageability and easier access to educational resources. Toad for Oracle 10 is the culmination of suggestions gathered from the Toad community's "wish list," incorporating many enhancements in the areas of usability, automation, education, and flexibility.

Posted July 28, 2009

Oracle said last week that it has agreed to acquire GoldenGate Software, Inc., a leading provider of real-time data integration solutions.

Posted July 28, 2009

Sybase, Inc. yesterday reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009. Highlights of the quarter include historical second quarter records achieved in operating income, operating margin, net income, EPS, and cash flow; as well as license revenue that increased 4% year over year and 11% in constant currency; and database license revenue that increased 23% and 30% in constant currency. Additionally, mobile software license revenue increased 4% and 11% in constant currency.

Posted July 22, 2009

Idera, a provider of management and administration solutions for Microsoft SQL Server, has announced SQL comparison toolset v1.1, a solution that is aimed at helping DBAs save time in comparing and synchronizing SQL Server databases.

Posted July 21, 2009

IBM announced enhancements to its information infrastructure portfolio of high-end enterprise storage products designed to help businesses manage the explosive growth in data and information.

Posted July 20, 2009

HP announced that it signed a definitive deal to acquire IBRIX, a provider of enterprise-class file serving software that includes data protection, high-availability features and data management services for extreme scale-out, cloud and high-performance computing deployments.

Posted July 20, 2009

IBM announced second-quarter 2009 net income at $3.1 billion, a 12% increase over $2.8 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Total revenues for the second quarter of 2009 of $23.3 billion decreased 13% (7%, adjusting for currency) from the second quarter of 2008.

Posted July 20, 2009

While good database design is always necessary, the value of good design is reinforced by such endeavors as service-oriented architecture. The semantics-laden engineering of service-oriented tactics used in creating solutions melds seamlessly into the semantics-laden world of data modeling. Although one aspect does not necessarily build on top of the other, each works as part of a team in braiding solutions that grow in usefulness as they emerge. The processes surface as a method to further define the meaning of an object, and the object serves as a harbinger of the processes that must exist. Business rules much more advanced than today's simple constraints may one day reside within the database itself as a built-in function of a some future DBMS. Therefore, data architects should never try to wall themselves behind a veneer of thinking only in terms of data without a thought regarding the processes that touch the data. As a database designer, working within projects that use service-oriented architecture approaches can be exhilarating.

Posted July 13, 2009

Protecting the data in our enterprise databases is extremely important. But what exactly does that mean? Oh, at one level we have the database authorization and roles built directly into the DBMS products. You know what I'm talking about: GRANT and REVOKE statements that can be used to authorize access to database objects, resources and statements. Many organizations have adopted policies and products to migrate this type of security out of the DBMS and into their operating system security software.

Posted July 13, 2009

At a rather muted Microsoft TechEd in Los Angeles in May, the crowds were diminished and the educational content was slimmed down. In the past, SQL Server sessions were so abundant that you'd have trouble choosing which of several you might want to attend. This year, the state of the economy was reflected in many ways, including the one, or, in just a few cases, two sessions per time slot allotted SQL Server professionals. Despite the low ebb, the Microsoft SQL Server team made an exciting announcement about the upcoming availability of the SQL Server 2008 R2 CTP (Community Technology Preview).

Posted July 13, 2009

The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has released version 8.4 of the PostgreSQL open source database. The new release contains 293 new or improved features, including many enhancements to make administering, querying, and programming of PostgreSQL databases easier. The most numerous changes in PostgreSQL 8.4 are new or improved administration and monitoring tools and commands.

Posted July 07, 2009

Pages
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153

Sponsors