Falling Paradigms

Oracle was by far and away the biggest beneficiary of client/server computing models that made the database the center of the universe. The most efficient way to build client/server applications was on a SQL database, and Oracle became the market leader.

But as we move to Web services and XML, an interesting trend,and challenge,is emerging. Much of the data we need to access is distributed across the enterprise in applications and file systems, as opposed to being neatly organized in databases.

While it's still early, BEA and IBM have jumped into the lead by rising to this data management challenge. The architecture around BEA's Liquid Data offering creates a foundation for building a more robust meta directory for accessing data and integrating business processes. In aninterviewwith BEA Vice President of Engineering Adam Bosworth on CRN Online, it's clear that BEA has ambitious plans. Close behind, however, is IBM, which is beta-testing a data management system code-named Xperanto.

A dark horse in this race is Novell, which could pull together its file system, directory and SilverStream application server to build a platform that rivals those from BEA and IBM. In light of previous miscues, Novell has a lot of work to do, but its executives at least understand the opportunity.

Of course, Microsoft is another major player, but given the heterogenous nature of distributed data management, it is hard to see how Microsoft could dominate the enterprise. That would make IBM the favorite, but the vendor is still very wedded to a DB2-centric view of the world. Furthermore, its WebSphere offering is really a collection of middleware that is not very tightly integrated. BEA may actually have an early lead given the integration of WebLogic and a new generation of XML middleware and application development tools. The unknown and most important question is, now that BEA has the tools, can it actually take its vision to market.

Where are you placing your paradigm bets? I can be reached at (516) 562-7477 or via e-mail at [email protected].