|
|
|
||
| ||||
| ||||
|
 |
| Topics |
|
Features |
| Tools and Services |
|
Archives |
| About Us |
|
Submit a Release |
| Powered by... |
   |
|
|
|
 Resting On Their Shoulders From the success of groupware to client/server to the World Wide Web, it could be argued that the most critical component to these technologies’ astounding acceleration was the relational database. The relational database model was created by IBM’s E. F. Codd in 1969 but didn’t achieve widespread success until the modern marvels of local area networks, mass storage and powerful microprocessors converged in the late 1980s and early ’90s. This convergence led to the widespread deployment of two-tier client/server systems, commonly built around a popular relational database management system, or RDBMS, such as IBM’s DB/2, Microsoft/Sybase SQL Server or Oracle. Relational databases allow information to be grouped into related tables and sorted using one or more indices. The power of relational databases can be realized when related data is joined using key columns across multiple tables. For instance, examine the fictional PERSON and ADDRESS tables:
Powering Enterprise Relational databases are the unquestioned engines behind the vast majority of corporate applications and e-commerce sites. They have moved rapidly beyond the relatively simple concepts of tables, keys and indices to encompass transaction management, message queuing, coded logic using stored procedures and triggers, and in-database support for newer technologies such as Java and XML. RDBMSs are so widely used that it’s virtually unheard of to begin working on an enterprise project without one. Yet, until recently, that’s exactly what mobile application developers were forced to do. Mobile platforms such as Palm OS and Windows CE include support for a system database that essentially works like a record-based file system. However, these file systems cannot be queried using SQL nor do they support bidirectional synchronization with a back-end database. Thus a market opportunity exists for vendors that can deliver the reliability, management and performance benefits of an RDBMS to the popular mobile platforms. And they’ve done so. Each has released mobile versions of their enterprise products seeking to increase licensing revenues while also increasing the return on investment for enterprise RDBMS purchases. Let’s examine the strengths and weaknesses of three popular mobile database products available for a variety of operating platforms: Oracle 9i Lite, Sybase Ultralite and PointBase. Oracle’s 9i Lite The Oracle 9i Lite product aims to offer the feature-set and reliability of the popular Oracle 9i database server, while delivering a small footprint and synchronization for mobile clients. The 9i Lite product replaces the confusing mish-mash of products that comprised the older product (e.g., Web-To-Go, Mobile Agents, Consolidator, iConnect) with a streamlined installation divided into Mobile Client and Mobile Server tools. 9i Lite is available for Win98/NT/2000, Palm OS, Windows CE/Pocket PC and Symbian EPOC. Database APIs via JDBC, ODBC and OLEDB are supported on Win32 and Windows CE, as are popular development languages such as C, C++, Visual Basic and Java. The Oracle Mobile Server is unique among database vendors’ mobile solutions in that it handles both data and application synchronization. While one would expect a database solution to handle data synchronization with a back-end server, 9i Lite’s integrated Web-To-Go product also supports application management and deployment for mobile clients (e.g., Windows98/NT/2000 laptops). This means that not only can your data be kept up to date but that a user could receive the latest version of the client application at the click of a mouse. Other vendors offer similar solutions but it’s handy to have this capability included with the database product. Unfortunately, application deployment management is only available for Win32 clients. 9i Lite data, users and applications can be managed through an intuitive Web interface. “Wizard” applications also are provided to support the definition of new data repositories and replication definitions. Oracle 9i Lite actually lies somewhere between a truly “light” client and a full-blown database product. Client installations still are fairly complex and contain a host of runtime files used by the database and synchronization engines. In addition, Oracle’s popular PL/SQL database language is not fully supported in the 9i Lite database, making it impossible to directly port logic–in the form of procedures and triggers–from the enterprise database. If you’re looking for a higher-powered mobile database that supports advanced database, synchronization and replication capabilities, however, 9i Lite should be on your short list. Pros • Web-based interface provides an intuitive management console for application and user maintenance. Cons • Unlike other mobile database solutions, the 9i Lite product does not support synchronization through JDBC or ODBC, meaning that the product only works with back-end Oracle databases. Unless Oracle is the only database used in your organization, this could be a drawback. Sybase SQL Anywhere Studio Sybase SQL Anywhere Studio products currently are the mobile database market-share leader, with more than 60 percent share. This lead over the competition stems both from the company’s longtime commitment to mobile databases as well as the product’s excellent architecture and its Adaptive Server Anywhere and Ultralite database technologies. Adaptive Server Anywhere, or ASA, is a powerful mobile database that supports advanced synchronization as well as procedures, triggers, transaction management, record locking and database replication. ASA is available on Win32, NetWare, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX and Linux. Ultralite is the name of Sybase’ analyzer technology that supports the creation and usage of a minimal database on client platforms. An Ultralite database can be as small as 50KB in size. If you’re writing in C/C++, Ultralite applications can be deployed by simply distributing your application’s executable file. The database itself is created automatically when your app starts. Ultralite is supported on Win32, Palm OS, Windows CE, RIM pagers, MS-DOS, QNX Neutrino, VxWorks and EPOC. Application development is supported through C/C++, Java, Visual Basic and PenRight’s MobileBuilder tool. A strong point of SQL Anywhere Studio’s offering is its MobiLink synchronization technology and uniform operation across a variety of platforms. To set up a MobiLink server, a developer makes use of a “reference” and a “consolidated” database. The reference database, which must be an ASA database, is used to define the database installed on the mobile client. The consolidated database, which can be any RDBMS with a valid JDBC driver, represents your enterprise database that serves as the data engine. Synchronization rules are defined using the Sybase Central tool. Syncs are handled through a series of events managed through the MobiLink server and handled SQL event code you write yourself. This three-tier architecture based on SQL supports an almost unlimited degree of customization. Pros • Wide platform support. Cons • Sybase Central management tool could use some user interface improvements, such as support for cut-and-paste and drag-and-drop. PointBase PointBase is an upstart in the database world, offering a Java-only database for any platform with an accompanying Java Virtual Machine. While new to the RDBMS scene, PointBase isn’t comprised of Johnny-come-latelies. The PointBase founder, Bruce Scott, also co-founded Oracle (for Oracle aficionados: yes, he’s Scott/Tiger) as well as Gupta Technology and Inquiry.com. While other Java products have been known to limit themselves to Win32 or Solaris–thereby losing the language’s purported platform independence– PointBase is a Sun-certified “100% Pure Java” product, meaning that it is certified to run flawlessly on any platform with a certified JVM. The PointBase database product comes in three versions: Server, Embedded and Micro. The Server database is a multi-threaded enterprise database that includes support for transaction management, record-locking and user security. The Embedded product is intended for mobile clients that require multiple database connections from within the same JVM. The Micro product works in both J2SE and J2ME environments that require a single database connection within a JVM. Micro has been successfully tested under a wide variety of JVMs including the Kada VM (for Palm OS), Insignia’s Jeode (for Windows CE), Symbian EPOC and Motorola’s J2ME phones. Client installation is straightforward. Simply include the accompanying PointBase Java Archive, or JAR file, your application classes and a database file on a mobile client and you’re ready to roll. Because of its Java architecture, PointBase is easy to install and administer. In fact, new technologies from Sun, such as JNLP, offer to provide an easy-to-use deployment solution for application management. PointBase databases synchronize through a middle-tier product known as UniSync and can be synchronized with any enterprise database with a valid JDBC database driver. Pros • All Java, All The Time; 100% Pure Java certification offers reliability. Cons • All Java, All The Time. While Java on desktop/server platforms is well developed, it’s still in its infancy on handheld clients, leaving much to be desired in the areas of performance and stability. All the products reviewed here will exceed the needs of straightforward forms-based applications that use a minimal amount of data. Other capable database products from vendors such as Cloudscape and IBM also are popular choices for mobile application developers.
|
|
|
| Sponsors |
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2001 Cahners Business Information Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use Privacy Policy |