Unix Expo - IBM To Ship DataJoiner 09/20/95 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 20 (NB) -- IBM expects to ship its new DataJoiner "multi-database server" on September 29, said Jeffrey Jones, advisory programmer, Information Warehouse Strategic Planning, in a briefing session for Newsbytes at Unix Expo. DataJoiner will allow users of Windows, OS/2, AIX, DOS, Solaris, and HP-UX to access multivendor RDBMS (relational database management systems) as well as legacy flatfile databases without the need for individual gateways, Jones reported, speaking with Newsbytes in the IBM suite. The new server will eliminate the need for end users in large organizations to learn multiple database systems, easing database access and also lowering companies' training costs, according to the IBM exec. Aside from serving as a "common interface," DataJoiner will also provide an "ideal access point" for data warehousing, he maintained. Information Builders was the first vendor to come out with a product in the same general category, with its EDA/SQL, Jones told Newsbytes. Oracle and Sybase also produce "server-ish" products, he acknowledged. But Oracle's product "turns everything into Oracle," and Sybase's uses "proprietary SQL (structured query language)," he contended. In addition, he asserted, no other product offers the sophisticated "optimization" of DataJoiner, which considers factors like the number of rows per database table, the relative CPU (central processor unit) speed of each data source, relative I/O (input/output) speed, and relative network bandwidth in deciding which of the available data sources to use in actually answering a query. Also during the briefing session, Roger Johnson of L M Ericsson Data AB, Stockholm, Sweden, told Newsbytes that, during beta testing, DataJoiner spared users at Ericsson from needing to deal with multiple interfaces for the company's VSAM, DB2, Sybase, Oracle, and Informix databases. The RDBMS at Ericsson run on Unix servers from IBM, Sun, and Hewlett-Packard, Johnson added. Jones pointed out that DataJoiner represents one facet of a current move by IBM to provide multivendor services and support. Some DataJoiner customers are not even users of servers, workstations, and databases from IBM, Newsbytes was told. In other interviews with Newsbytes at Unix Expo, Donna Van Fleet, VP for AIX systems development, and Thomas G. Arthur, brand manager for RISC system/6000 workstations, made reference to similar multivendor strategies with regard to IBM's operating system and server/workstation support, respectively. DataJoiner currently supports the following databases: VSAM; IMS; Oracle; Sybase; DB2 for MVS; DB2 for VM&VSE; DB2 Parallel Edition; DB2 for HP-UX; DB2 for Solaris; DB2 for OS/2; and DB2 for OS/400. (Jacqueline Emigh/19950920/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900; Press Contacts: Margaret S. Bonilla, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2800; Marlena Villafane, Pam Preston or Rob Cronin, Technology Solutions for IBM, 212-696-2000) Unix Expo - Digital/Informix/KPMG In Data Deal 09/20/95 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 20 (NB) -- During a press and analysts' event at Unix Expo called "Digital at Planet Hollywood," officials of Digital Equipment Corp., Informix, and KPMG Peat Marwick announced a data warehousing initiative revolving around a new KPMG-operated data warehousing lab that will be used to test users' applications for a newly announced 64-bit very large database from Informix running on Digital's AlphaServer. At the event in New York City, which was attended by Newsbytes, Harry Copperman, VP and general manager, Systems Business Unit, told attendees that the agreement with Informix and KPMG represents one of a series of "partnerships and alliances" that Digital plans to forge this year to carry forward a strategic focus on areas that will include client-server, connectivity software, services, and components. "All in all, Digital expects a great year," Copperman remarked. Digital, he noted, recently announced its first profitable year in five years, and is now predicting six percent year-over-year growth. Copperman dubbed Digital a "leader" in industry directions that include performance, clustering, and SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing). With 95 percent of customers projected to ultimately be operating both Unix and Windows NT, the company will give weight to both environments, according to the Digital VP. "We have great technology together," maintained Steve Sommer, senior VP of marketing for Informix. The new 64-bit Informix Online Dynamic Server, which will initially be available on AlphaServer running Digital Unix, features "very large memory capabilities" that will provide "significant performance increases" in applications such as data warehousing, decision support systems (DSS), and OLTP (online transaction processing), according to Sommer. Digital and Oracle announced a 64-bit version of the Oracle database for AlphaServer last spring. The new 64-bit database from Informix is slated to provide capabilities for "I/O (input/output) efficiency and query optimization" that include: multithreading; parallel data query; database partitioning; asynchronous read-ahead, for index scanning of I/O performance; hash joins, for non-indexed joins of large tables; and row-level locking, for improved performance of OLTP and hybrid OLTP/DSS applications. KPMG's David Flaxman, another speaker, predicted that KPMG's new data warehousing lab, to be established at KPMG's Enabling Technology Facility in Radnor, Pennsylvania, will have a "large number" of users. "Informix and DEC will provide two of the most important components," added Flaxman, who is a partner in KPMG Enabling Technologies. In a related move, Digital, Informix, and KPMG have also initiated a "three-way cross-training program" for technical employees of the three companies, according to the execs. In an interview with Newsbytes during the event, Flaxman said that, although the new test facility will serve users from across industry segments, KPMG's interest in establishing the center was initially sparked by the many KPMG customers in the financial services market that are now moving into data warehousing. The center, he reported, will be based on KPMG's "Centributed Model," which exploits parallelism in two ways. In a single parallel database server, an individual SQL (structured query language) query can be "de-composed" by the server and dispatched for processing to multiple CPUs (central processing units) for faster querying, according to Flaxman. Each CPU works on a different part of the query, so that data is "effectively partitioned across disks." Parallelism also occurs in situations where the front-end query router passes queries to an SMP server. In this case, data is only partitioned across servers that share a high-speed private LAN (local area network) segment, such as ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) or FDDI (fiber distributed data interface). Queries that are not "logically related" are routed to different servers, meaning that they do not "compete for resources." (Jacqueline Emigh/19950920/Reader Contacts: Digital Equipment Corp., 508-493-5111; Informix, 415-926-6300; Press Contacts: Andy Pool, Digital, 508-264-6729; Jennifer Leclerc, Beaupre & Company for Digital, 603-436-6690; Holly Hunter, Cunningham Communications for Informix, 408-764-0791; Bill Durling or Patricia M. Williams, The Weber Group for KPMG Peat Marwick, 617-661-7900) ****Unix Expo - DEC Chief Urges Unix/NT Interoperability 09/20/95 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 20 (NB) -- With the move of Unix to 64-bit computing, Unix vendors should come together now to support interoperability across Unix platforms, as well as with Microsoft's Windows NT, urged Digital Equipment Corp.'s President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman Robert B. Palmer, during a keynote speech at Unix Expo in New York City. "Unix (still) dominates (Windows) NT in mission-critical applications," Palmer told the Unix Expo crowd. "But NT is coming on fast." The new 64-Bit Initiative, recently raised as an industry standard, gives Unix vendors what could be their final chance to meet the promises of cross-platform interoperability and application portability that have now existed for about 25 years, Palmer reported. "Unix is about making useful tools," he noted. Unix presently holds an edge with users in areas such as high availability and support for very large databases, according to the Digital chief, who aired videotaped interviews with officials from MCI, EDS and Oracle to back up this point. But vendors must also recognize that mixed environments of Unix and Windows NT are a reality today, and will continue to exist in the future, he contended. The 64-Bit Initiative, Palmer suggested, provides Unix vendors with an opportunity to leverage the current advantages of Unix, while eliminating some of the one-half billion dollars currently spent each year on companies' individual development of "different approaches to the same things." Digital's mix of Alpha- and Intel-based hardware supports Windows NT, in addition to OpenVMS and Digital Unix, previously known as DEC OSF (Open Software Foundation)/1. Also at Unix Expo this week, Digital is demonstrating Unix/Windows NT interoperability in a "special interest booth" (booth number 476). In booth 534, The company is showing products from Digital and third-party partners for PD/Unix connectivity, Digital Unix, system and storage management, and application development. Also at the show in New York City, Digital, Informix and KPMG Peat Marwick have announced a data warehousing initiative. Digital has unveiled the Digital Authentication Server, a system that uses Kerberos encryption, a master server, and slave servers for network security. In addition, Computer Associates has announced shipment of CA-Unicenter for Digital Unix running on Alpha. (Jacqueline Emigh/19950920/Reader and Press Contact: Digital Equipment Corp. 508-493-5111; Press Contacts: Andy Pool, 508-264-6729; Laura Desmarais, 603-436-6690; Dick Calandrella, 508-496-8626; Bob Price, 508-493-4297)