IBM Touts New DB2 Database, Master Data Management
database beta version Data Management
The market for such capabilities remains huge, said Steve Mills, IBM software group senior vice president, speaking at the company's Information on Demand conference in Las Vegas. "There's still more data out there sitting in file systems than in databases. Understand the quantities that we're talking about here. It truly is mind boggling."
IBM also announced a program that provides business partners who build solutions around the Information on Demand products, including resellers and ISVs, with free access to IBM global sales experts, marketing resources and technical consultants. IBM even said it would provide partners with telemarketing and lead generation assistance.
Some of the introduced products contain technology IBM has picked up through its many acquisitions. The meta data management server, for example, will include technology from Trigo and DWL, companies IBM bought in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Also finding its way into IBM's Information on Demand products is hierarchical data storage technology from Princeton Softech and real-time data integration software from Data Mirror, two companies IBM acquired earlier this year.
The DB2 9.5 "Viper 2" database offers a 200-percent improvement in transactional XML data performance, according to IBM. The new release has new "autonomic" or self-administering/tuning capabilities, such as advanced data compression and memory management, and improved security and encryption features. The new database will be available Oct. 31 priced starting at $50.25 per processor value unit or $170 per user for DB2 9.5 Express.
But Mills emphasized that the IBM initiative is "more than just [the] database. It's all about how do you manage all different kinds of data. How do you reconcile it, how do you deal with the challenge of master data?" he said.
Last week Oracle, a chief rival of IBM in the database and middleware market, launched a $6.6 billion takeover bid of BEA Systems, a developer of data integration and data services middleware.
IBM Data Studio allows developers to design, develop and deploy information management systems throughout the data management life cycle. It includes XML tools for pureXML data and a query editor for SQL and XQuery expressions. Data Studio will be available as a free download starting Oct. 31.
IBM Enterprise Content Management 8.4 offers a new Web client interface, based on advanced Web development technologies such as Ajax and DOJO, for accessing documents in an IBM Content Manager repository via a Web browser. The new release will be available before the end of the year.
And the IBM Master Data Management Server is slated for availability in early 2008 following a beta program late this year. The software will help organizations manage customer, product and account master data and access and use that data in real time.