BUILT TO SCALE

By Gina M. RoosSpecial to GCNLike so many other applications once relegated to large, centralized and expensive systems, database management has come down from the mountain to the workgroup, even individual, level. New products are making it easier to store, organize, maintain and share information at a low-entry cost.The increased functionality of these database management systems lets you use and manipulate data easily while sharing databases within a workgroup or across the Web.This is a big plus for individuals and small workgroups that don't require moving their database product beyond the workgroup level. But many of these same DBMS products are readily scalable, from standalone to client-server applications, as agency needs grow.Many DBMS vendors also offer developer's editions of their PC databases for creating front-end applications for client-server databases. And PC databases such as Lotus Approach and FileMaker Inc.'s FileMaker Pro allow access to data stored on a variety of enterprise database servers, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and Sybase.A major difference between a PC and a client-server version is that, with a PC version, all data changes are made at the user's PC, although the database may reside on a file server, which only stores the information.PC databases are used in a variety of ways'to track inventory, manage customer records, create reports and catalog various forms of information, including images and computer-aided design drawings.Buying a desktop PC product is much cheaper than buying a client-server DBMS. What you lose in functionality with a PC database you make up for in cost, sometimes spending less than $300 instead of up to several thousand dollars. And many small DBMS products support both single- and multiuser implementations.DBMS vendors advise that buyers evaluate database products according to how each fits into the rest of their organizations, not according to the requirements of individual small projects. You should also consider commonality, with the goal that users share and deploy data easily, and look at the growth path with scalability in mind.Most of the new work done in developing PC database management systems has focused on ease of use, scalability and Web connectivity. A few of the latest releases include an Open Database Connectivity import function that lets users query ODBC-compliant data sources and import them into the database.Easy-to-use PC databases now supply Internet features for online publishing and let users exchange data across multivendor applications. Corel Corp.'s Paradox 9 relational database lets users publish to the Web and exchange data from competing applications such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft FoxPro, dBase, Lotus 1-2-3 or Corel Quattro Pro, as well as other ODBC-compliant databases.With FileMaker Pro 4.1, users no longer need expertise in Structured Query Language programming; it has a built-in point-and-click OBDC SQL Query Builder. Users can query and use ODBC-compatible data sources once the ODBC drivers have been installed in the FileMaker Pro database.Now, FileMaker Pro database users can import data from sources such as Oracle, SQL Server, Access or Excel into existing or new FileMaker databases. Converting files from other applications is as simple as drag-and-drop.Lotus Approach Millennium, a relational database, lets users easily query, report and analyze data, while they manage and perform analysis in small to large database systems such as Oracle, dBase, Lotus Notes, and IBM DB2. Users can link data from other sources to build reports based on data from multiple sources.For beginners, many PC database systems provide on-board tutorials and a choice of templates.New users will find Paradox 9 easy to learn, with online tutorials, database templates and other on-board wizards that teach users such functions as performing SQL queries and publishing Paradox tables and reports to a Web page.A key new feature of many PC DBMSes is Web-enabling applications.'Almost every government customer has some plans for Web-enabling their data and applications, and they want easy access using the Web,' said Larry Weiss, manager for mobile and embedded solutions at Oracle Service Industries in Reston, Va. 'When we talk about Web-enabling applications we're talking about an order-of-magnitude improvement in productivity,' he said.Last year, Oracle launched Oracle8i, an Internet database designed to integrate enterprise apps, Java programs, Web sites and content. It's available in several versions, including Oracle8i Enterprise Edition, Personal Oracle8i'a single-user development database for Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT'and Oracle8i Lite, a small-footprint, Java-enabled database for mobile computing.Corel Paradox 9's Web Form Designer lets users publish, retrieve and manage data on the Web via drag-and-drop text boxes, drop-down lists and other objects to design Web forms in what-you-see-is-what-you-get format.Built-in Internet and intranet capabilities let users integrate Lotus Approach applications with the Web.With Data Access Pages, Microsoft Access 2000 users can view, update and analyze data within a Web browser and can add a Data Access Page onto a Web page by simply dragging from the field list for live updates.Common administration and integration among a vendor's database products are becoming more important as organizations' systems grow.As a result, DBMS vendors that supply client-server databases try to leverage their product lines by providing integration from the desktop PC level to the enterprise.Microsoft Access 2000 adds SQL Server 7.0 integration that lets users create scalable databases. With a built-in Upsizing Wizard, users can convert an Access file to a full SQL Server database.The same is true for Oracle8i, available in Personal and Windows CE editions. These versions are for users who need compatibility with other Oracle8i database products. Replication and distribution features let users deploy work in an Oracle enterprise environment.Some single-user applications can be used in a workgroup simply by opening it with a client-server version. For example, ACI US Inc.'s 4th Dimension Standard'a cross-platform relational database, integrated Web development and data publishing tool'is scalable to 4D Server, ACI's client-server database. 4D lets users develop an application and Web server at once.Computer Associates International Inc.'s Ingres II workgroup edition, although optimized for NT, can support up to 25 concurrent users, and provides a relational DBMS, including facilities for n-tier, object-oriented application development and deployment.The PC version for Windows 3.1 and Win95 provides a complete DMBS with a replication feature to automatically synchronize changes between the PC database and Ingres server databases.With the growth of the Internet, more users want to have their agency data shared among many devices'Unix servers, mainframe computers and PCs. 'What they're really looking for is some kind of standardization, or common operating environment. The real challenge is taking the power of an enterprise application and bringing it down to something as small as a chip set,' Oracle's Weiss said.For a small or remote office, Superbase Developers Inc.'s Superbase gives the user the capability to create custom databases for such uses as inventory tracking, storing personal information records, and archiving images and CAD drawings.Remote connectivity also can be important when organizations need to track and access data from the road. U.S. Geological Survey teams, for example, typically have a lot of employees on the road with notebooks or palmtops performing land, bridge and stream surveys.