SQL Anywhere is an RDBMS product from iAnywhere Solutions. iAnywhere is a subsidiary of Sybase.
Features
- Database files are operating-system-independent. This means that they can be copied between supported platforms.
- Can be run on Windows, Windows CE, Novell NetWare, and various UNIX platforms, including Linux.
- Has several standard interfaces (ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET) and some special interfaces (eg. PHP).
- Supports stored procedures and user functions (using Watcom SQL, T-SQL, or Java), triggers, referential integrity, row-level locking, replication (two technologies: SQL Remote, MobiLink), proxy tables (links to other databases), and events (both scheduled and in response to system events such as lack of free disk space)
- Supports strong encryption of both database files and client-server communication
- Version 10 supports materialized views, database mirroring, server clustering, and snapshot isolation
Uses
SQL Anywhere is widely used as an embedded database, as an application data store; for example, it is used in Intuit QuickBooks, in network management products, backup products, and others. Its ability to be used with minimal administration is a distinguishing feature in this role.
SQL Anywhere is also widely used for mobile computing. It includes scalable data synchronization technology that provides change-based replication across many mobile databases.
There are over 10 million deployed seats of SQL Anywhere.[1]
History
- Initially created by Watcom as Watcom SQL.
- Version 3: 1992
- Watcom acquired by PowerSoft in 1993; Watcom SQL shipped with their visual programming environment PowerBuilder
- Version 4: 1994 (Stored procedures, triggers)
- PowerSoft and Sybase merged in 1995: Watcom SQL was renamed SQL Anywhere.
- Version 5: 1995 (SQL Remote data replication; graphical administration tools)
- Version 6: 1998. Renamed Adaptive Server Anywhere. (multi-processor support, Java objects in the database)
- Version 6.0.2: 1999 (MobiLink data synchronization, UltraLite small database for Palm OS and Windows CE)
- Version 7: 2000 (dynamic cache, task scheduling and event handling, cross-platform administration tools)
- Version 8: 2001 (Volcano query optimizer, encrypted data storage and transmission,
- Version 9: 2003 (Index consultant, embedded HTTP server)
- Version 10: 2006 - renamed SQL Anywhere (high availability, intra-query parallelism, materialized views)