Databases get a grip on
XML
From Inforworld.
The next
iteration of the SQL standard was supposed to arrive in 2003. But
SQL standardization has always been a glacially slow process, so
nobody should be surprised that SQL:2003 ? now known as SQL:200n ?
isn?t ready yet. Even so, 2003 was a year in which XML-oriented
data management, one of the areas addressed by the forthcoming
standard, showed up on more and more developers? radar
screens. >> READ MORE
This article rounds up
product for 2003 in the critical area of Enterprise Database
Technology. It's certainly provides an apt reflection of how
Virtuoso compares with offerings from some the larger (but
certainly slower to implement) database vendors in this space. As
usual Jon Udell's quote pretty much sums this up:
"While
the spotlight shone on the heavyweight contenders, a couple of
agile innovators made noteworthy advances in 2003. OpenLink
Software?s Virtuoso 3.0, which we reviewed in March,
stole thunder from all three major players. Like Oracle, it offers
a WebDAV-accessible XML repository. Like DB2 Information
Integrator, it functions as database middleware that can perform
federated ?joins? across SQL and XML sources. And like the
forthcoming Yukon, it embeds the .Net CLR (Common Language
Runtime), or in the case of Linux, Novell/Ximian?s
Mono."
Albeit still somewhat
unknown to the broader industry we have remained true our
"innovator" discipline, which still remains our chosen path to
market leadership. Thus, its worth a quick Virtuoso release
history, and featuresÂrecap as we get set to up the ante even
further in 2004:
1998 - Virtuoso's
initial public beta release with functional emphasis on Virtual
Database Engine for ODBC and JDBC Data Sources.
1999 - Virtuoso's
official commercial release, with emphasis stillÂon
Virtual Database functionality for ODBC, JDBC accessible SQL
Databases.
2000 - Virtuoso
2.0 adds XML Storage, XPath, XML Schema, XQuery, XSL-T, WebDAV,
SOAP, UDDI, HTTP, Replication, Free Text Indexing (*feature
update*), POP3, and NNTP support.
2002 - Virtuoso
2.7 extends Virtualization prowess beyond data access via
enhancements to its Web Services protocol stack implementation by
enabling SQL Stored Procedures to be published as Web Services. It
also debutsÂits Object-Relational engine enhancements that
include theÂincorporation of Java and Microsoft .NET Objects
into its User Defined Type, User Defined Functions, and Stored
ProcedureÂofferings.
2003 - Virtuoso
3.0 extends data and application logic virtualization into the
Application Server realm (basically a Virtual Application server
too!), by adding support for ASP.NET, PHP, Java Server Pages
runtime hosting (making applications built using any of these
languages deployable using Virtuoso across all supported
platforms).
Collectively each of
these releases have contributed to a very premeditated architecture
and vision that will ultimately unveil the inherent power of
critical I.S infrastructure virtualizationÂalong the
following lines; data storage, data access , and application logic
via coherent integration of SQL, XML, Web Services, and Persistent
Stored Modules (.NET, Java, and other object based component
building blocks).
Â