Sybase Inc. announced PowerBuilder Enterprise 6.0, the newest version of its enterprise application development tool. Version 6.0 features new capabilities for creating Web applications, distributed development capabilities for creating multitier applications, expanded Unix platform support with HP-UX and IBM AIX, and the capability to generate open components.
PowerBuilder 6.0's component automatically generates PowerBuilder objects in PowerBuilder and C++ formats. (CORBA and ActiveX component formats will be available soon.) These components can be deployed into a variety of middle-tier server environments, including distributed PowerBuilder servers, Microsoft's Transaction Server, and the Jaguar CTS component transaction server. PowerBuilder Enterprise 6.0 expands HTML-generation capabilities for thin Web clients, adds a new Java proxy generator for distributed PowerBuilder connectivity to thin Java clients, and introduces an environment for running down-loadable PowerBuilder clients as ActiveX components.
The platforms supported by PowerBuilder 6.0 include HP-UX, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, Windows 95, Windows NT, and MacOS. Development pricing for PowerBuilder Enterprise 6.0 on Windows platforms starts at $2,995. PowerBuilder is also available in Desktop and Professional versions priced at $299 and $1,295, respectively. PowerBuilder Enterprise 6.0 will also be part of PowerStudio, Sybase's suite of enterprise application development tools, which will also include PowerJ Enterprise, Jaguar CTS, PowerSite, Power++, and PowerDesigner AppModeler.
Sybase also announced ClearConnect, a client-to-host connectivity solution that lets workgroups and small project teams access DB2 from their Windows-based workstations. The company also announced the opening of its beta program for PowerSite, its tool for developing, managing, and deploying enterprise business applications on the Web. Contact Sybase Inc., Emeryville, CA; 800-879-2273 or 510-922-3555; www.sybase.com.
Sylvain Faust Inc. announced SQL-Optimizer, a performance management toolset for Oracle database developers, DBAs, testers, end users, and third-party application providers who need to improve database performance. The product identifies SQL code causing bad performance and rewrites it. SQL-Optimizer uses a SQL rulebase to analyze existing SQL statements and derive alternatives. SQL-Optimizer is available in three configurations: Interceptor, DBA, and OEM.
SQL-Optimizer/Interceptor captures and analyzes SQL statements (select, insert, update, delete) generated by third-party applications before they access the Oracle Server. It acts as a filter to trap bad SQL commands. Interceptor then transforms the generated SQL into an optimal structure at the user's workstation before passing it to the Oracle Server for processing. The user can also instruct Interceptor to issue an alert when a problem is identified.
The SQL-Optimizer/DBA lets database administrators monitor and analyze SQL performance in multiserver database environments. It uses SQL-Optimizer's SQL transformation technology with data collection, monitoring, analysis, and reporting tools designed for large applications running in a production environment.
The SQL-Optimizer/DBA components include: Data Collector, which continually monitors session activity on one or more Oracle instances and produces a stream of events that describes the changes in the runtime state of database sessions. Users can control the frequency and level of detail for data sampling; Dynamic Modeler, which is an internal service that processes the event stream produced by the Data Collector, interprets the meaning of these events and maintains an in-memory model of the state of the Oracle session. The Dynamic Modeler keeps track of connected sessions, their state (active, idle, or waiting), and their statement execution statistics. It processes either "live" events that are being generated by the Data Collector or historical events replayed from previously recorded Data Collector sessions; Session Viewer, which provides a graphical view of the state of current or previous Oracle sessions tracked by the Data Collector. It shows the state of all Oracle sessions and lets the user select and drill down on a specific session to analyze its SQL activity; Plan Viewer, which displays a tree structure view of the execution plan for any SQL statement (select, insert, update, delete) chosen by the user. Plan Viewer shows the original and rewritten SQL, as well as the plan for both; Expert SQL Rewriter, which analyzes a SQL statement for poor syntax and rewrites it for better performance. Rewritten statements, with estimated performance improvement factors, are passed to the Report Generator, which compiles a performance-defect report. Key runtime context information and performance statistics are presented for each problem SQL statement. Performance-improving transformations and suggestions, generated by the Expert SQL Rewriter, are incorporated into the defect report, showing the transformed SQL syntax with estimated performance improvement factors for each transformation.
SQL-Optimizer/OEM provides the same core SQL optimization and rewriting services that are in the Interceptor and DBA products. Through its C-callable API library, application providers can embed SQL-Optimizer/OEM into their products and automatically optimize all generated SQL. SQL-Optimizer/OEM can generate optimized SQL statements before sending them off to the database.
The introductory price is $1,995 per server with up to 16 concurrent sessions being monitored, or $2,995 per server with up to 64 concurrent sessions being monitored. (Prices include one year of maintenance.)
Contact Sylvain Faust Inc., Hull, Quebec, Canada; 819-778-5045; www.sfi-software.com.
Seagate Software announced Seagate Crystal Reports 6.0, the latest version of its desktop query and report writer. Seagate Crystal Reports provides integrated report design, analysis, and distribution supporting more than 30 PC and SQL data sources. In addition to user interface and developer enhancements, Seagate Crystal Reports now includes support for workgroup-level Web reporting.
The Professional 32-bit edition of Seagate Crystal Reports 6.0 supports intranet-based reporting by letting users run reports directly from popular Web browsers. Fully compatible with standard .RPT files, the included Crystal Web Report Server works with Microsoft- and Netscape-based Web servers to process, cache, and return reports in a format supported by the user's browser.
Browsers supporting ActiveX or Java plugins are sent an appropriate Smart Viewer and display reports in the same native format as desktop users of Seagate Crystal Reports. Each viewer provides group navigation trees and support for chart drill down, text search, and report refreshing. Reports are viewed in a page-on-demand fashion, minimizing download times, and reducing intranet traffic. Reports can also be viewed in HTML and HTML-frame formats for older browsers.
Seagate Crystal Reports 6.0 runs on Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT. It works with any HTML 3.0-or-higher-compatible browser, and is Microsoft and Netscape Web server-compliant. Seagate Crystal Reports Professional edition comes with PC, SQL, and ODBC data connectivity. It is priced at $395, or is available as an upgrade from previous versions for $199.
Contact Seagate Software, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; 604-681-3435; www.seagatesoftware.com.
Expersoft Corp. announced CORBAplus, Enterprise Edition, the company's Net integration server. The Enterprise Edition provides an integration of Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and message-oriented middleware (MOM) technologies. It lets developers integrate Java, client/server, and legacy applications into distributed object systems that can be deployed across intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
CORBAplus, Enterprise Edition provides a communications architecture for network-based, distributed object applications, which combines point-to-point communications, multicast technology, and software routing agents. The product can manage an active cluster of CORBA servers and load balance processing tasks across the cluster on the fly. CORBAplus, Enterprise Edition supports multiple development languages, including Java, C++, and Visual Basic.
Contact Expersoft Corp., San Diego, CA; 619-824-4100; www.expersoft.com.
Fortý Software Inc. announced the availability of Fortý Release 3.0. This version of the Fortý Application Environment, along with the Fortý Web SDK, provides Java integration via IIOP and gives users the ability to automatically update individual desktops and server components of Web-based applications. The Web SDK generates HTML pages, which lets Web browsers function as Fortý clients with access to Fortý's scalable application servers.
Fortý supports two object request brokers: Visigenic Software's VisiBroker and Iona Technologies' Orbix. These ORBs are the client components required for interoperability with Fortý servers via IIOP. ActiveX objects can now be embedded within Fortý applications for ease of access to ActiveX component libraries. Business Server Plug-Ins makes it possible to install new business rules into deployed applications.
Contact Fortý Software Inc., Oakland, CA; 510-869-3400; www.forte.com.
Sun Microsystems Inc. announced Java Blend, a product for building applications that integrate Java objects with enterprise data. Java Blend automatically generates Java objects that correspond to data in a database. Java Blend can either use an existing database schema or automatically generate a new database schema to store instances of Java classes.
Java Blend automatically translates and maps data and understands database structures so developers can write applications entirely in Java for any database. Because Java Blend is implemented on top of JDBC, it can be used with any DBMS for which JDBC- or ODBC-compliant drivers have been defined. Java Blend implements ODMG on top of JDBC. Java Blend also lets developers use the Java object model for persistent data, instead of using SQL or another database language. Java Blend can be used in a two-tier client/server, but is also designed for use in the middle-tier server of a three-tier architecture with a thin client.
Contact Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA; 800-528-2763 or 512-434-1591; java.sun.com.
PeopleSoft Inc. announced PeopleSoft 7, the next release of its client/server enterprise suite. PeopleSoft 7 includes Web Client, a three-tier processing option, and online analytical processing (OLAP) integration. In addition, PeopleSoft 7 marks the general availability of the company's Universal Applications for self-service transactions on the Web; a new integrated development tool, Application Designer; and two new applications for distribution and manufacturing, Product Configurator and Engineering.
The Web Client runs in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator Web browsers. The Web Client offers users full access to PeopleSoft panels and queries, as well as to worklists from PeopleSoft's embedded workflow. The Web Client is a Java applet that uses the BEA Jolt middleware product from BEA Systems Inc., for connectivity to the PeopleSoft application server. The Web Client also runs the company's Universal Applications, which use the Web Client and Internet technology to extend information throughout the enterprise.
Application Designer, a development tool with drag-and-drop support combines PeopleTools such as Data Designer, Panel Designer, Menu Designer, Business Process Designer, and Upgrade Manager. Application Designer presents a project-oriented view of a user's development activities and provides an inventory of the components that make up an application. With Application Designer, users can create and edit these objects, with full locking capabilities, using the same tool, in a integrated development environment.
Contact PeopleSoft Inc., Pleasanton, CA; 510-225-3000; www.peoplesoft.com.
SAP is heading toward full componentization of the R/3 System by adding more than a dozen new components, including new financial components, an independent Human Resources component, the Business Information Warehouse component, and new logistics components. Many of these components support both Release 3.x and 4.0 of R/3, letting customers use the new functionality without having to upgrade their entire system. With R/3 Release 4.0, SAP has increased the number of application link enabling (ALE) distributed integration scenarios. ALE scenarios allow for the integration of multiple components at the business process level by providing the necessary semantic synchronization.
The SAP initiative for supply-chain optimization, planning, and execution (SCOPE) combines the R/3 enterprise resource planning solution with new SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO) products and technologies, third-party specialized products and business intelligence capabilities such as the SAP Business Information Warehouse. The SAP SCOPE initiative extends Business Framework by offering additional business application programming interfaces (BAPIs) and an APO solution delivered as a component. It also incorporates new technologies such as liveCache, a memory-resident data-object processing capability.
New technology delivered by SAP includes: the Business Client, which provides client-component enabling technology for executing ActiveX Controls and JavaBeans applets at the presentation layer, and seamless DCOM integration with BAPIs under Business Framework, which enables DCOM-based component-level integration between BAPIs and Microsoft development and runtime technologies, including Microsoft Transaction Server. BAPIs now are available for almost all application areas. BAPIs can be accessed from development environments, including Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual J++, and IBM Visual Age. Also, BAPIs can now be incorporated into 100% Pure Java applications. Support is now provided for both synchronous and asynchronous BAPIs.
Contact SAP America Inc. (a division of SAP AG), Wayne, PA; 800-872-1727 or 610-725-4500; www.sap.com.
Pandesic LLC, the electronic commerce solutions company formed by Intel Corp. and SAP America Inc., announced its Pandesic e-business solution, which streamlines and automates the full range of back-end business processes for Web-based commerce. The Pandesic e-business solution consists of high-performance, scalable hardware and customizable software that is based on SAP's business process automation products.
The Pandesic Web commerce solution allows merchants to manage their electronic commerce businesses in real time using integrated business processes. A fully end-to-end system, it handles all marketing, order processing and fulfillment, inventory pricing, materials management, tax handling, payment processing, shipping and handling logistics, financial reporting, and vendor-payment processes associated with electronic commerce transactions.
Contact Pandesic, 888-349-3249; www.pandesic.com.
Visient Corp. has developed the Object/Data Bridge, a tool that integrates Powersoft's PowerDesigner and Rational Software Corp.'s Rational Rose. The Object/Data Bridge provides integration between the visual modeling tools.
The Object/Data Bridge enables Rational Rose and PowerDesigner to exchange data. The Bridge, with its full round-trip engineering support, allows database developers using PowerDesigner to reverse engineer relational database tables into Rose object models. In addition, the Bridge allows software developers using Rational Rose to generate DDL files from Rose object models directly into PowerDesigner for relational database design. The Bridge supports "smart merging" in both directions. This means that information that is not converted between Rose and the CDM file is not lost if the user regenerates the original model (or file).
The Object/Data Bridge is built to work with PowerDesigner DataArchitect 6.0 and Rational Rose 4.x. The Bridge will run on Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95.
Contact Visient Corp., Parsippany, NJ; 973-455-1800; www.visient.com.
Borland International Inc. announced the availability of JBuilder Professional and JBuilder Standard, the first products in the company's new line of visual development tools for Sun Microsystems' Java programming language. The JBuilder product family features JavaBean component creation, a scalable database architecture, visual development tools, and the ability to produce 100% Pure Java platform-independent applications, applets, and JavaBeans. JBuilder Client/Server Suite, a higher-end version for building enterprise-scale business applications with Java, is scheduled for availability later this year.
JBuilder's scalable, component-based environment is designed for all levels of "InfoNet" development projects ranging from applets and applications that require networked database connectivity to client/server and enterprisewide, distributed multitier computing solutions. As part of Borland's Golden Gate strategy to support major industry standards in all of its tools, JBuilder's open environment will support 100% Pure Java, JavaBeans, JDK 1.1, JFC, AFC, RMI, CORBA, JDBC, ODBC, and all major corporate database servers. JBuilder will also provide developers with a flexible open architecture to incorporate third-party tools, add-ins, and JavaBean components.
JBuilder will feature BeansExpress, a way to build JDK 1.1-compliant JavaBean components. With BeansExpress, developers can visually create components from scratch, or combine a number of existing components into a new JavaBean. BeansExpress will also let developers deploy their JavaBeans and add them to JBuilder's component palette.
JBuilder will include a new, scalable database architecture called DataExpress, which provides pure JDBC database connectivity. With DataExpress, developers will be able to use JBuilder's drag-and-drop data aware components and visual design tools to build database applications and applets using industry-standard JDBC database connectivity.
JBuilder will include many developer productivity features including: the Borland RAD WorkBench, an IDE with an application browser, project manager, code editor, HTML viewer, graphical debugger, and compiler; Pure Java two-way-tools, which ensure that the source code editor and visual designers are always synchronized; productivity wizards to assist with the development and deployment of projects, applications, applets, and JavaBeans; an application browser, which combines the features of a project manager, class browser, file browser, and source code editor; a graphical debugger and SmartChecker Compiler; and a local InterBase server and Borland SQL Tools for building, managing, and deploying scalable database server applications.
Borland also announced Borland DataGateway for Java, a database connectivity middleware solution providing 100% Pure Java client access to corporate databases through industry-standard JDBC interfaces. Borland DataGateway is designed to provide JDBC database access using native drivers on a middle-tier to corporate information residing on Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, and InterBase servers, desktop databases, and ODBC data sources. Borland DataGateway's client JDBC driver is written entirely in Java and can run on all Java virtual machines that support JDK 1.1. The Borland DataGateway Server currently supports Windows NT and Windows 95.
Contact Borland International Inc., Scotts Valley, CA; 800-233-2444; www.borland.com.
Inline Internet Systems Inc. announced iHTML 2.1 for creating dynamic and interactive Web sites and intranet systems. iHTML is a server-side scripting/programming language that is an extension to HTML. The product is browser independent and all features are implemented in standard HTML Web pages. iHTML eliminates the need to create CGI programs by providing all the necessary technology as HTML-like tags for use in Web pages.
With iHTML's graphics engine, it is possible to program graphics, draw images on the fly, or overlay one graphic image on top of another within an HTML document. Combined with the database access tools, it can be used to generate charts and graphs from data stored in a corporate database system. All processing is done on the server and requires no plug-ins or special browsers. iHTML has built-in Internet-specific features including DNS lookup, POP and SMTP Mail, Web advertisement management, and server push technology. iHTML can access multiple data sources on one HTML page, has numerous database cataloging capabilities, can handle multiple concurrent connections, and can perform database joins between different database systems using ODBC.
Contact Inline Internet Systems Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; 905-813-8800; www.ihtml.com.
Arbor Software Corp. announced Arbor Essbase Web Gateway 1.5, which combines graphical formatting and Java applet integration with cross-enterprise application development and system management features to deliver OLAP capabilities to user environments. Arbor Essbase Web Gateway delivers scalable, interactive read-and-write access to the Arbor Essbase OLAP server via standard Web browsers over intranets, extranets, and the Internet. It lets designers combine data from multiple OLAP servers across the enterprise into a Web-enabled application.
New in-line Java applets for charting, mapping, analysis, and visualization let users enhance OLAP applications. Web Gateway 1.5 will automatically launch Java applets and populate them with data from the Arbor Essbase OLAP server. Numeric formatting options let designers control formatting for decimal places and percentages, and custom fonts, color, size, and other features can be included with new report formatting options.
Contact Arbor Software Corp., Sunnyvale, CA; 800-858-1666 or 408-744-9500; www.arborsoft.com.
Thinking Machines Corp. announced Darwin 2.1, the latest version of its data mining solution for very large databases. A new feature is the ability to export predictive models in Java development language. This new feature will bring Darwin data mining to the Web for the first time. Darwin 2.1 will also export models in C and C++, which will allow users to integrate data mining results into custom applications and/or embed them in SQL queries. Other new features include the ability to read and write SAS files, faster and more robust data mining algorithms, the ability to export results into Microsoft Excel and a general importance/sensitivity analysis feature which indicates the relative importance of attributes that are used to build a model.
Contact Thinking Machines Corp., Bedford, MA; 617-276-0400; www.think.com.