IBM has announced plans to ship 20 new or upgraded database
management tools in a bid to bolster its competitive position in
the database management market, where the company is still a
relative newcomer.
The company has revealed details of a pair of self-managing tools
for administering the Windows, Unix and Linux versions of its DB2
database. One tool analyses DB2's performance and recommends tuning
changes, and the other handles database recovery procedures.
IBM is also developing several tools that will support multiple
versions of DB2 as well as Informix Dynamic Server (IDS), which the
company bought last year as part of its acquisition of Informix's
database operations. In addition, IBM is rolling out 15 database
utilities for the version of DB2 that runs on its zSeries
mainframes.
IBM entered the database tools market just 18 months ago, but it
now offers 60 management products, Jeff Jones, director of strategy
for the company's data management solutions unit, said. The new
tools are designed to make it easier for database administrators to
work with DB2 and reduce internal costs, he said.
Wayne Kernochan, an analyst at Aberdeen Group, said IBM rivals such
as Computer Associates and BMC Software already offer similar tools
and noted that CA has been working on automating its database
management tools for several years.
However, Kernochan said that IBM has done a good job with its new
management utilities. IBM had no choice but to offer Informix users
some database tools to help reassure them of the long-term
viability of the IDS software, he said.
IBM said the self-managing performance-tuning tool is scheduled for
release late next month, and the database recovery product will
follow in September. The mainframe DB2 utilities and the mixed
tools for DB2 and IDS are due before the end of next month.