Database Buzz: IBM's New Stinger Optimizes Searches, PerformanceDatabase Buzz: IBM's New Stinger Optimizes Searches, Performance

Stinger is here. IBM's new DB2 version 8.2, code-named Stinger, was made broadly available in mid-September.

The company is positioning the upgrade as an easier-to-use, easier-to-manage, self-tuning upgrade to its DB2 lineup. And no, IBM didn't forget about small to midsize companies. It has a version of Stinger for that market, too.

As previously reported, the database incorporates new "autonomic" computing perks, including IBM's Learning Optimizer, or LEO, which promises to expedite searches. Also new is a Design Advisor that automatically optimizes the database and improves its performance, IBM said.

Boris Zibitsker, chairman and CTO of BEZ Systems, a Chicago-based ISV and IBM partner, is particularly bullish on the Design Advisor. "This is a very important milestone and building block for autonomic computing," he said. BEZ makes performance management and tuning software.

"The new Design Advisor will help our customers reduce risk and uncertainty and enable them to implement and manage critical system support and data warehouse applications," Zibitsker said.

Duc Pham, founder and CTO of Vormetric, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based data security specialist, lauds the database's improved development capabilities and tight links to Microsoft Visual Studio.Net toolkit. "They've added an extensive plug-in framework so that DB2 can now integrate with native operating systems and Kerberos-supportive security systems. Kerberos [support] is a requirement for government and financial services accounts," Pham said.

IBM, Armonk, N.Y., is also touting high-availability disaster recovery (HADR) in this release. DB2 8.2 Express for small-to-midsize businesses will sell for $500 per CPU and will support up to four processors. The Enterprise Edition is $25,000 per CPU and will support up to 1,000 processors, IBM said.

IBM's DB2 franchise faces fierce market-share competition from Oracle 10g and Microsoft SQL Server databases. Repeated delays to Microsoft's next-generation SQL Server could bolster IBM's efforts, some partners say. SQL Server 2005, code-named Yukon, is still in beta and now is promised for next year.