Realising that there’s not too much business left to squeeze out of the nichey Pick and Prime Information markets, Denver, Colorado-based Unidata Inc is setting out its nested relational database stall in the wider Cobol world. Version 3.2 of its UniData database has been re-architected to include interface and compiler technology developed in conjunction with […]
Realising that there’s not too much business left to squeeze out of the nichey Pick and Prime Information markets, Denver, Colorado-based Unidata Inc is setting out its nested relational database stall in the wider Cobol world. Version 3.2 of its UniData database has been re-architected to include interface and compiler technology developed in conjunction with AcuCobol Inc, San Diego, California, that enables legacy applications written in AcuCobol-85 to migrate to the UniData database. Under UniData 3.2 the firm says converted applications and their associated data are immediately available to the range of proprietary language development tools and environments UniData supports. Unidata Cobol85 Direct Connect is included in release 3.2, which costs from $450 to $600 per user under Unix or VMS, with Windows clients also supported. (Although it has not been mentioned, a similar deal with Cobol language market leader Micro Focus Plc would help it get really serious).
Thumbs-up from its resellers
The privately-held company, which expects to have done around $20m business in its year to the end of June, is aiming the new product at mid-range system users in small and medium size businesses up to and above the $500m mark, saying it will target mainframe users with a further iteration of its system next year. UniData 3.2 – which includes UniSQL and UniQuery supports on-line back-up, automatic file recovery, files of up to 256Gb and comes with its own transaction management system. Other Unidata products include Wintegrate, from London firm Impact Business Systems Ltd for adding a Windows front-end to character-based applications; UniBasic, CallC, CallBasix and SB+ high-level and proprietary langauge development tools; Sybase Open Server/Open Client communications marketed as UniServer and UniDesktop; USAM and udt Monitor system administration and management tools and various database gateways. Open Data Base Connectivity communications and support for Windows clients across its full product range are also promised. UniData claims an installed base of 3,000 sites and 150,000 users. It sells 20% direct, the rest through some 200 value-added resellers and resellers. Towards the end of last year Unidata said it would likely only convert its nested brand of relational database technology for Windows NT if its value added resellers proved favourable to the idea and if Microsoft Corp were to support the Open Software Foundation Distributed Computing Environment. It got the thumbs-up from its resellers and although Microsoft is only supporting the DCE Remote Procedure Call, Unidata is pushing ahead with a Windows NT Advanced Server implementation that it expects to complete by the end of the first half of next year. Meanwhile, anticipated DCE and Transarc Corp Encina versions for UniData using Transarc code won’t be finished anywhere near as soon as this summer, as envisaged – both developments are taking a back-seat. The company doesn’t yet offer either two-phase commit or replication technology for true distributed functionality, but it is all set to head down the replication route, according to vice-president marketing Alan Snell. If DCE were a truly multivendor network interoperability standard (meaning implemented by Microsoft, we presume) then two-phase commit would predominate, he argues. Because it’s not, replication technologies are likely to win out, he believes.
