STRATEGIC PROFILE OF THIRD-PARTY RELATIONAL DATABASES ------SOFTWARE AG VER 1.2----- LANGUAGES SUPPORT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Japanese Yes in 4Q '92 German, French ... about Hanggui 60 languages ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sorting Sequences Yes; EBCDIC and ASCII ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Error messges Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upper/Lower case conversion Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sorting/Collating sequences Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiple character set support Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-Byte character set Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GRAPHICS PRESENTATION "Entire" GUI ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WYSIWYG environment No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Product graphics directly from query No CONNECTIVITY/GATEWAYS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DB2 Connectivity DB2, RDB, IMS, RMS, VSAM, VAX VMS, IMS, ALLBASE, DMS ORACLE, RDB ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PC Integration Yes; OS/2, Windows, DOS, Macintosh PORTABILITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSI 89 (level 2) compatibility No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hardware Platform Supported IBM Mainframe, VAX, IBM PCs Wang, NCR, Unix systems, HP9000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Operating System Supported MVS/XA, MVS/ESA, VAX/VMS, VSE, OS2000, UNIX, DOS, Windows, OS/400, OS/2, HP-UX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for Non-Relational Database Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DATA TYPES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Character Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Integer Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Float Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Logical Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Currency Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Time Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Long Text No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Image (BLOBS) No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for Arrays Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ User defined data type No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ User defined functions and operators Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Binary (Fixed / Var) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sound No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Graphics No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Facsimiles No DISTRIBUTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Parallel Server ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Location Transparency Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distributed Query Processing Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distributed query optimizer No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distributed transaction processing Yes (2-phase commit) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for data replication Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Access to heterogeneous databases Yes, 1Q '93 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loosely coupled support Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distributed data dictionary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Max. no. of simultaneously connected dbs 255 ARCHITECTURE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Client/Server Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiserver Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum number of server/systems No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum number of user/server Platform dependent ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maxiumu number of user/system No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multithreaded server yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for symmetric multiprocessors Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Open architecture (APIs available) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loosely coupled support Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ UNDERLYING FILE STRUCTURE B-tree, inverted list ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DATABASE PARAMETERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Database size No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database/server No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tables/database 255 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Records/database No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Record size 32k ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fields/record 936 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Indexes/database 256 x 255 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database connected to a client No limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ USER INTERFACE Menu-driven ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Menu bypass Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contextual help Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tutorial Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability to customize standard menus Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for colors Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for graphical user interface Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SCREEN FORMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Default form generator Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Customized Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiple tables/forms Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiple screens/forms Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Embedded processing (if-then-else, display Yes aggregates) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIELD ATTRIBUTES ON FORMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Case conversion Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Default Value Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Required field Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Acceptable values No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Verification (enter data twice) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Formatting of data Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Calculated fields Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Display/read only (no entry/update) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hidden Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prompt (for data entry) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Customized help Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Video display Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability to change field attribute Yes dynamically ------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUERY-BY-FORMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exact match Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Relational operators Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ List of values Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wild cards Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum/Minimum values Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Print query results Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pass results to report writer Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Text search Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SQL SQL support available in 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Standard SQL statements Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data Definition language (DDL) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data manipulation language (DML) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Extension to SQL Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Commit/rollback transaction Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Execute operating systems commands No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Load/unload data to/from ASCII file Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Additional data definition statements Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Control-of-flow logic Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for embedded SQL Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suport for dynamic SQL Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Can create new tables with query results No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stored queries Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CASE-insensitive (eg., filed names) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Can call C routines Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How create SQL queries/statements Using standard SQL syntax ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Query optimizer-statistical Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Syntax independent performance Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optimization method Dynamic statistical ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Procedural extension to SQL Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remote SQL database calls Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B-TREE INDEXING ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maximum number of indexes 256 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum number of fields/index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum size of index key 253 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Order options Ascending ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unique index Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clustered index No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other file access methods (hash, etc.) Sequential, key, internal sequent number ------------------------------------------------------------------------ REPORT WRITER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Non Procedural Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Default report generator Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Interactive report generator Yes using screen forms ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Interactive debugging Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Input source Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiple tables Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page formatting Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Headers and footers Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data formatting Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sort data Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aggregate functions Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Logical processing (if-then logic) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ User variables Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prompt for input variables at run time Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION GENERATOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CASE Tools Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4GL Interface Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability to design application menus Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Default menu generator Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Custom help Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Consistent module interface Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toolset for multimedia application No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABILITY TO CREATE VIEWS Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTEGRITY Yes -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transaction logging Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Commit/rollback transaction Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Roll forward Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Referential integrity Declarative ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Field validation Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for business rules Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database Triggers Yes; user program control ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database event alerters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Entity integrity Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Domain Integrity Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ STORED PROCEDURES Yes; under program control ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Precompiled Yes; under program control ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Can be nested Yes; under program control ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability to store and execute Yes; under program control procedures on the server ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONCURRENCY CONTROL LOCKING LEVELS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table Yes; optional ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Record (row) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lock type: shared, update, exclusive Shared, update, and exclusive ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deadlock recognition Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other data isolation levels DATABASE SECURITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Login password Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multilevel access control Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ User Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Group Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Application Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database-level access Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table-level access Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Record-level access No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Field-level access Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Access by time of day Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Access by location (workstation) Yes; 4Q '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ability to define resource limits on user Yes queries (same as create views?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AVAILABILITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On-line backup Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On-line database changes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Software-based disk mirroring No; support hardware based ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Raw Input-Output Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Database can scan multiple physical devices (disks) Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support for CD-ROM, WORM Drives Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NETWORK SUPPORT TCP-IP, SNA LU6.2, DECNet, (only supports TCP-IP on HP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORT / EXPORT CAPABILITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Import formats ASCII delimited, fixed field ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Export formats ASCII delimited, fixed field ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DATABASE ADMINISTRATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Screen based administrative utilities Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Performance tuning Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dynamic modification Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dynamic disk space allocation Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I/O REDUCTION TECHNIQUES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fast Commit Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Group Commit Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Parallel Checkpoint on multiprocessor Yes systems ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Index compression No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data compression Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiblock Read/Write Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAULT-TOLERANCE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mirrored Discs Yes; if hardware supports it ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disc Failures Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CPU Failures Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------------