Unify Newsletter November 2008


Unify Newsletter November 2008
SQLBase 11.5 Now Available! Ramp up your database performance; leverage SQLBase’s new multi-processing support. Gain up to 35% higher performance and higher scalability for your SQLBase servers. SQLBase 11.5 automatically takes advantage of multi-processor and multi-core systems. Unicode in SQLBase 11.5 helps organizations that deliver international software to provide solutions supporting any language or character set. Users not requiring Unicode are not affected by the Unicode additions. The new SQLBase 11.5 Command Center brings immediate power to database administrators. The new rich and modern GUI allows managing SQLBase 11.5 with a few mouse clicks. From visual check database to automated backups, SQLBase Command Center covers every task a database admin needs to be able to do. The following features are provided by SQLBase Command Center: Manage manual maintenance tasks like check database, install and uninstall database etc. Database object editing including automatic change script Powerful Stored Procedure editor with full debugger New SQLTalk featuring color coded editor and grid output Automated database tasks like backups, executed by a service, including notification emails Connectivity Administrator SQLBase Command Center table editor and data view SQLBase 11.5 introduces higher security by allowing a password length of up to 32 characters. Support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is included in SQLBase 11.5. SQLBase uses the new Windows ProgramData directory for database files and other runtime created files to honor the new Windows security concepts. SQLBase 11.5 uses advanced Unify database technology that has been ported from the enterprise class database DataServer to SQLBase. SQLBase 11.5 uses the DataServer multi-processing and cache management technologies. The cache size of SQLBase 11.5 can now grow to a maximum of 1 GB allowing for large parts of a database to be in cache for optimum performance. Download SQLBase 11.5 Test Drive! More about SQLBase 11.5.	In this issue: SQLBase 11.5 Now Available! DataServer 9.0 Now Available! VISION 8.5 Now Available! Unify DevCons 2008 Highlights Ford Upgraded Application to TD 5.1 Composer Sabertooth Success Unify Resources SQLBase 11.5 Downloads Team Developer 5.2 Preview Team Developer Downloads Composer for Lotus Notes Sabertooth Resources Unify News Unify Webinars Unify Events Webinars to return in January 2009! We’ll have a new host of topics and new product releases to showcase throughout the new year. Be sure to check the December and January Newsletters for further details.
Unify is also pleased to announce support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 for DataServer 9.0 and VISION 8.5 DataServer 9.0 for Windows Now Available! DataServer 9.0 for Windows is certified for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 allowing for DataServer deployment on the latest Microsoft Windows platforms. This latest release of DataServer for Windows introduces SQL92 outer joins for flexible queries and high SQL compatibility. VISION 8.5 Now Available! VISION 8.5 supports the latest Microsoft Windows Vista operating system for desktop users and the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system for deployment on the latest Microsoft Windows platforms.

Unify DevCons 2008 Highlights

Unify has just wrapped up a very successful DevCon season. Over 250 Unify customers and partners visited the DevCons in Stockholm, Munich and Sacramento to learn the latest about current and upcoming products and to network with colleagues. Unify’s product management and development appreciates the valuable input and feedback on our products. By listening to customers, we are able to build customer-centric products and product roadmaps. We thank you for attending.

DevCon Stockholm & Munich

We are delighted to say that every DevCon exceeded not only our goals and expectations but were also the most successful developer events we’ve hosted in many years. With the European venues in Stockholm and Munich we could welcome nearly 200 attendees from 30 different nations. Here’s a quick flashback:

New product releases of Team Developer 5.2 and SQLBase 11.5
Special session on how to update old applications to Team Developer 5.x
Customer showcase of a successfully updated old Team Developer application to version 5.1
Event days: 2 days + a third optional Munich training day with workshops on Team Developer 5.2 and Sabertooth
More opportunities for interaction and collaboration
Fantastic feedback, comments and responses to our customer survey forms

With two to three parallel tracks divided on Team Developer, SQLBase and NXJ/Composer including Unify database products, we were able to cover more subjects, such as the new Team Developer version 5.2, the new data grid, Report Builder 5.2, our new end-user reporting tool “Q”, Product Sneak Previews, SQLBase 11.5, the Command Center for automated tasks and easy administration, database performance with multi-processing support, NXJ 12, Business Process Management, building rich internet applications with NXJ 12, migrating Lotus Notes apps to .NET and SharePoint.

Of course we can’t forget the keynote presentations from the management, highlighting the company overview, financials, company updates and the product strategy and direction for the future.

If you have missed this year’s event you should already plan to attend next year!

DevCon Sacramento

Held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Sacramento, the 2008 North America DevCon proved a great success!

The two-day event included sessions on the latest enhancements in Team Developer 5.2; the new Command Center and multi-processor support in SQLBase 11.5; creating rich internet applications using NXJ; and, the upcoming release of Q.

General sessions included management’s company overview, product updates and product road map.

Customers came from not only the United States and Canada, but also from Columbia, Honduras, and Angola.

Here are some of the comments from our attendees:

“Thank you for listening to us. The future is bright!”

“Enjoyed meeting so many Unify people. Your enthusiasm and commitment are remarkable. Thank you for a great DevCon!”

Thank you for your input. We certainly value your comments and look forward to hosting another conference with training sessions next year in North America.

It has truly been Unify’s pleasure to meet and learn more about our customers from all over the world. We look forward to having you at DevCon 2009!

Ford Upgraded Application to Team Developer 5.1

The Analytical Warranty System (AWS) is a mission critical application in production for over 10 years. Built originally in Gupta SQLWindows (the former name and early release of Team Developer), AWS contains 10 libraries, 4 different executables, over 80 forms, and nearly 7,500 functions.

AWS customers, users of the application, include Ford’s Corporate Quality Offices, Design/Development, Reliability Engineers, and Finance and Assembly Plants around the globe. Users have the ability to request on-line reports that include a wide range of selection criteria and a variety of output formats, as AWS is integrated with a powerful graphics system.

“Our customers are very active on the AWS application,” said Mike Dunfield, IT Supervisor, Quality and Warranty Portfolio, Ford Motor Company. “AWS integrates vehicle and service data to provide critical information and analysis regarding warranties, claims, parts and services, that in some cases drive business decision directly impacting Ford’s bottom line.”

The worldwide expansion of this global warranty system included the planned rollout into China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand. In these markets, the application had to support double-byte characters. Expansion of the application into this market was critical in order to deliver integrated, worldwide information regarding warranties and claims on Ford vehicles.

Prior to the availability of Team Developer 5.1, Ford’s only alternative would have been to rewrite the AWS application in a new Web-based system from scratch. Application rewrite initiatives for mission critical systems are typically very expensive and lengthy projects that often run into serious difficulties that result in scope creep and cost overruns.

The release of Team developer 5.1 added the functionality to support double-byte characters with the support for Unicode. Unicode support enables applications to display characters of any language worldwide. Team Developer 5.1 offers database connectivity support for Unicode at the database access level without the need for character set conversions or other requirements to support local languages.

Ford assessed its options and in order to get the functionality to support AWS on different PCs in different languages, elected to upgrade the AWS application to Team Developer 5.1 rather than rewrite it as a new Web-based system.

“The transformation to a Web-based system, while a good alternative, was not an option as it would be a long and expensive process, which would have been unacceptable from our customers’ standpoint,” said Dunfield. “We elected an upgrade path to Team Developer 5.1 as the relatively quick and easy solution to enable us meet the needs of our customers today as well as in the foreseeable future.”