REDMOND, Wash. - September 3, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the
immediate availability of the OLE DB Software Development Kit (SDK) 1.0.
OLE DB, a data access API, is Microsoft's component database
architecture
interface. Based on the Component Object Model (COM), OLE DB is will
provide access to data regardless of location or type. OLE DB is a
freely
published specification created with industry-wide participation and
designed
to fully leverage the existing ODBC industry standard. OLE DB provides
a
standard for data access and interoperability in an enterprise's
network, from
the desktop to the mainframe and across the Internet.
The OLE DB SDK is a complete development kit designed for use by
developers
whose products either supply or consume data. The SDK includes the
programmers
reference, test utilities, sample code, an ODBC data provider for
efficient OLE
DB-based access to existing ODBC data sources, and an OLE DB data
provider
for ODBC-based access to OLE DB data sources. The OLE DB SDK 1.0 also
contains a beta version of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). ADO is a data
access
object model based on OLE DB functionality for use by solutions
developers from
any ActiveX compliant development tool or language.
OLE DB Provides Solutions for Accessing Data
The combination of OLE DB and ADO creates a unified strategy for data
access
and will be used throughout Microsoft's line of applications, tools, and
data stores
as well as a broad range of third party products. This will provide a
consistent
data access object model across a range of tools and data sources for
developers.
"We expect OLE DB to play a significant role in the way tools and
languages access
data industry wide," said David Vaskevitch, vice president of enterprise
computing
at Microsoft. "There is a rapidly increasing variety of types of data
and data stores
in business today. The inconsistency in the way data is found and
accessed creates
barriers to the developer attempting to deploy integrated solutions.
The goal of
OLE DB is to leverage data sources such as relational, desktop,
mainframe, mail,
and ISAM, in a consistent and high performance way. "
"OLE DB's standardized interface is a critical step forward in the
support of object
data access for mainstream applications," said Larry Alston, Director of
Product
Management at Object Design. "Our goal is for users of our object
database
management system to have an industry standard option for accessing
object data.
We view this as an important evolutionary step towards the coexistence
of traditional
and object data management."
Market Opportunity for Database Components
OLE DB defines how to partition the functionality of a traditional
relational database
into logical pieces, allowing developers to use these interfaces to
define a very simple
data provider such as a log file, all the way to a full relational
database. The OLE DB
SDK will enable developers to create database products that are
assembled from the
best-in-class components, encouraging a new market for interoperable
database
components to emerge and creating a more flexible way to access and
manage
heterogeneous data sources. For example, a query processor or
transaction manager
can be written as separate components that can plug into an OLE DB
compliant data
source, allowing functionality to be incrementally added as required by
the client
application. This enables specialized database components to be offered
by a third
party value-added market.
An application of this approach can be seen in the ISG Navigator ? an
OLE DB based
distributed middleware product, which provides transparent access to
data on a
variety of platforms and data sources such as RMS and MUMPS and SQL
based data.
"OLE DB allows ISG Navigator to plug into and manage a wide variety of
data sources,
distributed throughout the enterprise and across the Internet
boundaries. We are able
to make existing corporate information considerably more valuable by
accessing more
data sources in their native form. I am confident that OLE DB will
become the industry
standard for data access and manipulation to both SQL and non-SQL data
source,"
said Arie Gonen, CEO of ISG International Software Group.
"With OLE DB, we have an opportunity for our decision support tools to
integrate a
wealth of diverse information and present it to users in ways that are
not possible today,
said Tom Steele, president of Intergraph Software Solutions. "By
exposing the technical
information within our applications through OLE DB interfaces, we
believe the benefits
for our customers to be almost limitless."
ODBC in a COM World
Microsoft's Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is an industry standard
SQL-based
data access interface that will continue to provide a unified way to
access SQL-based
data. Transparent access to ODBC-based data from an OLE DB client is
provided
through the ODBC data provider, included in the SDK, giving OLE DB
developers high
performance access to existing ODBC drivers, thereby leveraging their
investments in
ODBC drivers.
"OLE DB provides a robust data access design and enhances the support of
any data
source, along with ODBC," said Bob Zurek, Vice President of Research and
Technology
for the Powersoft Business Group of Sybase, Inc. "This technology will
allow our
customers to build applications with even greater access to enterprise
data with Powersoft
development tools."
Broad Industry Support for OLE DB
Since the beta release of the OLE DB SDK last July, over 700 software
companies and 300
corporations have downloaded the SDK. These companies include Apex
Software Corp,
Asymetrix Corp., Attachmate(tm) Corp., Borland International, Digital
Equipment Corp.,
Pervasive Software (formerly Btrieve Technologies), Seagate Software,
Information
Management Group, Informix, Intergraph Corp, International Software
Group (ISG),
INTERSOLV, Inc., MapInfo Corp., ONTOS, Inc., Open Horizon, Pervasive
Software, Inc.,
PLATINUM technology, inc., Powersoft Corp., SAP America Inc., SAS
Institute Inc., Simba
Technologies, Tandem Computers, Visigenic Software Inc., Visio
Corporation, Wall Data
and many others.
Pricing and Availability
The OLE DB SDK will be available at no charge to customers via download
at
http://www.microsoft.com/oledb/ beginning today. (9/3!!!)
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software
for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and
services for
business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it
easier and more
enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal
computing every day.
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Thanks,
Doyoung Rhee
(02) 531-4628 , dyrhee@microsoft.com