DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JULY 14, 2003; VOL. 2 NO. 28    ( Table of Contents )

Breaking News - Storage:

Sleepycat Software Launches Native XML Data Manager

Sleepycat Software, makers of Berkeley DB -- the most widely deployed application-specific data management software in the world with over 200 million deployments -- announced general availability of Berkeley DB XML, a native XML database built on the most advanced version of Berkeley DB ever engineered.

Berkeley DB XML is designed for professional software developers who need a transactional, recoverable data manager for native XML and semi-structured data that is fast, cost-effective and flexible. The software was validated during a 12-month beta program by more than 5,000 companies, including BEA Systems, Boeing, EDS, Leadscope and TELOS.

"Berkeley DB XML helps companies get to market quicker with faster performing, lower TCO solutions for their customers. Our customers can rely on an established and profitable partner like Sleepycat to be there in the future," said Michael Olson, CEO of Sleepycat Software and one of the original co- authors of Berkeley DB. "Unlike many newcomers to the XML market, we have a proven track record of meeting mission-critical requirements for Global 2000 corporations. And with so many companies testing Berkeley DB XML in beta, clearly our no-compromises XML solution tapped into considerable pent up demand."

Unlike legacy relational databases with XML extensions to convert native XML data into a relational structure for storage and to re-construct the XML upon retrieval, Berkeley DB XML provides true native XML storage, eliminating the overhead of conversion and re-construction. Compared to other XML databases, Berkeley DB XML is more fully featured, including support for replication and the XA interface for distributed transactions. It is based on the proven Berkeley DB engine that first shipped in 1991 and today boasts more than 200 million deployments at some of the world's largest enterprises and service providers.

"The native XML database market has not yet fully established itself as a strong long-term niche in the database market, and therefore native XML vendors need to demonstrate a compelling value proposition to not only differentiate their offering from relational enterprise database vendors but also stimulate demand and stay in the forefront of today's Web-enabled and Web-service-oriented database technologies," said Wayne Kernochan, vice president at industry research firm the Aberdeen Group. "Sleepycat Software is well positioned to seize this opportunity with its new native XML offering built around the well-established Berkeley DB engine."

Among the thousands of companies participating in Sleepycat Software's beta program for Berkeley DB XML were global systems integrator EDS and Canadian telecommunications company TELOS.

"Berkeley DB XML gives us carrier-grade scalability and reliability for our Mobile Switching Centres that need to manage up to 600,000 mobile phone accounts in real-time," said Steve Williams, product development director at TELOS, provider of telecommunications infrastructure to network operators and manufacturers. "We wanted a transactional, recoverable, native XML data store that scales and we knew we could count on Berkeley DB."

"We needed an XML solution that was flexible, extensible and easy to manage," said Dan Hatfield, Senior Consultant, EDS. "Berkeley DB XML met these requirements and integrated easily into our IT framework."

Berkeley DB XML has also garnered support from industry-leading platform software providers such as BEA Systems who are helping their customers build XML-based solutions across the enterprise. "Customers using XML and Web services for application integration will need native XML data managers like Berkeley DB XML for fast, reliable data persistence," said Adam Bosworth, vice president of engineering of BEA Systems.

Tim Bray, chief technology officer of Antarctica and one of the authors of the original XML specification while with the W3C, said "Berkeley DB is at the center of a lot of really excellent applications, particularly in the Web context, with a reputation for being solid and fast. I am delighted to see that they are addressing XML seriously with Berkeley DB XML."