The latest release of Oracle Berkeley DB, the small footprint open source embeddable database engine for mission-critical "edge" applications, is now available for downloading. Oracle Berkeley DB 11g Release 2 introduces a new SQL API, based on SQLite, which is familiar to a large developer community, and paves the way to a wider array of applications that the database may be able to support.
New features in Berkeley DB include support for JDBC and ODBC connections to Oracle Berkeley DB. In addition, Oracle Berkeley DB 11gR2 introduces support for the Android platform, offering developers the ability to develop and deploy a wide range of applications. Oracle Berkeley DB runs directly in applications that use it, enabling the applications to execute faster in embedded environments including handsets and mobile devices. The database's small footprint (less than a megabyte) means that it can easily be used in limited-resource devices such as smart phones, Marie-Anne Neimat, vice president of development for Oracle, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
This mobile phone capability represents a shift for Berkeley DB, Neimat adds. "Previous versions of Oracle Berkeley DB have been used in some mobile devices, but the lack of the SQL API was a limiting factor. Oracle Berkeley DB 11gR2 provides a unique advantage; it allows the user to choose a familiar SQL API or the key-value API. This release is ideally suited for high-volume mobile devices, while continuing to support the needs of existing non-SQL applications."
Additional new features in Oracle Berkeley DB 11gR2 include a new SQL API, which enables application developers to utilize SQL skills with the flexibility to choose APIs that best meet their technical requirements. In addition, the latest release features SQLite Tools Integration, meaning that all tools that work with SQLite will also work with Oracle Berkeley DB, making it easier to develop, deploy and manage Oracle Berkeley DB applications and databases.
Another enhanced feature is simplified data synchronization using the Oracle Database Lite Mobile Server which enables automatic provisioning and synchronization of Oracle Berkeley DB mobile applications and databases. Oracle Berkeley DB has traditionally been strong in applications ranging from cell phones, network equipment, email and directory servers to 24x7 commercial web applications, Neimat says. Version 11g will expand the range of applications. "Fundamentally, any application that doesn't need the ad hoc query capability of SQL can use Oracle Berkeley DB," she says.
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