Sybase Flexes Muscle With Database Software Release 2Sybase Flexes Muscle With Database Software Release 2

Amid the noisy competition among Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft for dominance in the database software market, it's easy to overlook the fact that Sybase Inc. is still a competitor. Sybase aims to remind everyone of that this week when it ships its updated Adaptive Server Enterprise database.

Sybase has seen its share of the $7.06 billion relational database market steadily shrink since the mid-1990s; most recently, it dropped to 4% in 2000 from 4.3% in 1999, according to Dataquest. The vendor's 7% increase in database sales last year didn't keep pace with the double-digit growth recorded by the "Big Three."

But Sybase retains a loyal customer base, particularly among financial-services companies. Defections have decreased as the company's finances have stabilized in recent years, Giga Information Group analyst Teri Palanca says. Sybase "still has a solid group staying with them for the time being," she says.

Case in point is Fannie Mae, the federal mortgage lender in Washington, D.C., which maintains some 6 terabytes of data in more than 5,200 databases--all from Sybase. While Oracle and IBM tout their leading-edge technology, William Banick, director of Fannie Mae's database-management systems, is more interested in "technology that will deliver business value in the most cost-effective manner," he says. "Sybase has found a good balance between value-added features and quality. It's one of the most stable technology platforms we have."

And so goes the new release, ASE 12.5, which offers a range of bread-and-butter features and enhancements. It includes new XML data storage and query capabilities, the ability to execute Enterprise JavaBean applications, and technology for managing nonrelational content. Security enhancements include row-level access control and Secure Sockets Layer encryption. "As we develop new projects in the E-business space, security becomes more important," Banick says. ASE 12.5 also offers new self-tuning capabilities and clustering for improved availability.

Palanca calls ASE 12.5 "a very solid release." Pricing for the workplace edition starts at $995, plus $195 per user, and $3,995 for the enterprise edition, plus $795 per user.