Sybase's SQL Anywhere 7.0 to Launch in March

HANOVER, GERMANY (02/28/2000) - Sybase Inc. today detailed the latest release of its mobile database product, SQL Anywhere Studio 7.0 , which will be available on the market next month.

SQL Anywhere Studio 7.0 lets users create and deploy mobile computing applications enabling users to exchange data between corporate systems and remote devices such as handheld computers or mobile phones.

The enhanced version of the product is designed to meet soaring demand for mobile computing applications that tap into corporate data, said Tobias Philipp, business development manager for Sybase GmbH's mobile and embedded computing division, in an interview here at the CeBIT trade show last week.

The model of computing via mobile phones currently propagated by phone manufacturers leaves something to be desired, Philipp said, because it always expects users to be connected to the Internet to get information.

"Our vision is to have people online connecting to central systems, but with a local data store," said Philipp.

This is one thing which the SQL Anywhere Studio is designed to address, he said. For example, user addresses can be stored locally in a mini-database on the mobile phone. Doing so makes the application run more efficiently, Philipp said, because users do not have to download unnecessary information, improving data processing speeds.

SQL Anywhere Studio 7.0 is designed to be easier to administer than its predecessor, and lets users synchronize information in both directions between remote devices and their to standard back-end enterprise database systems, including those from Sybase, Oracle, IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp, according to a statement released today from Sybase.

It also supports multiple communications protocols, including IP (Internet Protocol) wireless protocols and e-mail, and offers 128-bit encryption technology, enabling secure data synchronization, Sybase said.

Other enhancements include new dynamic cache sizing and improved indexing features, Sybase said.

Features to make it easier for applications developers include Version 7.0's new native OLE DB (Object Linking and Embedding Database) driver, which allows the applications to access data residing in Microsoft applications.

New administration features include a tool that incorporates support for Java and new task scheduling and event handling capabilities, Sybase said.

SQL Anywhere Studio 7.0 can also be deployed on devices with VxWorks, an operating system created by Wind River Systems Inc. The two companies have a strategic partnership that has been working to improve links between embedded database devices -- such as set-top boxes, office equipment and consumer appliances -- and central databases. [See "Sybase Shows Embedded Database Products," Sept. 28, 1999.]The new release of SQL Anywhere also supports EPOC -- the operating system developed by Symbian Ltd. and which currently runs on handheld devices from Psion PLC.

Sybase has also extended Java support in Version 7.0 to allow developers to create applications for handhelds in Java, as well as for the MS-DOS operating system, targeting the industrial handheld market, the company said.

The new release costs $399 for one user and $999 for ten users.

Sybase, in Emeryville, California, can be contacted at +1-510-922-3555, and http://www.sybase.com/.