** IBM One-Ups Oracle With DB2 Ship Date It looks like IBM and Oracle will ship the next major releases of their databases within a week of each other, next month. IBM says DB2 version 7.2, which offers tighter integration with other IBM software and performance enhancements, is scheduled to ship June 8. Last week, Oracle said it should ship Oracle9i June 14. IBM is touting the data-integration capabilities of DB2 7.2. The update is more tightly linked with IBM's own WebSphere application server and MQSeries messaging middleware, and is capable of exchanging data with competing databases from Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft. DB2 7.2 also supports a number of Web services standards, including the Simple Object Access Protocol and Universal Description Discovery and Integration. IBM says the new database's transaction processing and business intelligence will be speeded up, and its reliability will be 80% better than the current version. Pricing has not been announced. IBM and Oracle are locked in a battle for high-end database supremacy. Both are trying to woo each other's customers as well as those from other vendors. DB2 7.2, in fact, provides tools that make it easier for users to migrate to DB2 from Oracle and Sybase. Two weeks ago, IBM said it plans to buy Informix Corp. in what industry observers see as a pre-emptive strike to bring that vendor's 100,000 customers into the IBM fold. IBM's emphasis on reliability, manageability, and performance is part of a movement by the database vendors to "go back to their roots," says Gartner analyst Betsy Burton. She says they are putting less emphasis on object-relational technology and other leading-edge capabilities and more emphasis on core functionality. - Rick Whiting For related stories, see: IBM Hopes Informix Is A Billion-Dollar Bargain http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eDeu0BdFGA0V20NkK0Az Vendors Tighten Data-Mining Database Links http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eDeu0BdFGA0V20Ner0AY -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
