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Cross-platform Database
Management
Cross-platform Database Management
Over the last years database technologies have developed greatly.
Nowadays many platforms with different functionality and complexity levels
are available to choose from. It is a common belief that the more available
and diverse the solutions, the better. But what about working with many
different platforms at the same time?
Administrative horror
A common characteristic of today’s enterprises is the coexistence of multiple database systems.
Managing a cross-platform environment has become a real administrator’s nightmare as the
management of different database systems with help of many platform-dedicated applications is a
very complex task. Those working with many platforms at a time are therefore particularly
vulnerable to mistakes and errors.
The success of the whole organization can rely upon efficient database management. The
situation particularly applies to telecommunications and finance industries. The companies struck
by the problem are mainly banks, where even a small disturbance can have disastrous
consequences. In this case, the problem appears to be more complex as the connections with
external systems are more prevalent and further subsidiaries and branches increase the quantity
of the generated data. Utility suppliers are also faced with the problem. Most of these companies
aggregate data from different periods into database systems. It is therefore crucial to ensure
cooperation between different platforms.
Data migration
It is clear that the number of partnerships between companies is ever growing. An efficient
business integration process largely depends on accurate exchange of information resources.
Merging the databases of the cooperating organizations is a risky venture. It is thus necessary that
the application used in the process features reverse engineering. It is a collection of operations to
obtain information on the structure and relations in the database. Reverse engineering is a very
useful tool when there is no current documentation of the database. It often happens that
organizations try to merge databases from different periods. The best solution in this case is use
of a management system capable of handling multiple databases created in diverse technologies.
ul. Wagrowska 6
61-369 Poznań, Poland
tel: +48 61 6580 500
e-mail: [email protected]
www.veraxsystems.com
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Cross-platform Database Management
Not only the time
Oracle, DB2, MS SQL Server or Informix are just a few examples among many commercially
available database systems. Different implementation technologies and various versions available
on the market greatly complicate efficient administration. Actions carried out on each separate
database mean not only a longer time to perform the operation, but also an increased risk of error,
and such mistakes can be costly. Almost every system bases its operation on the database,
obtaining and storing information in it. A damaged or halted database means downtime of many
key services such as ERP systems.
Cross-platform systems
Many systems aspiring to this label can be found in the market, but none of them seems to be
perfect. Existing solutions enable work with many different databases, however, not always to the
full potential. Sometimes the range of possible actions is limited to particular databases. The
problems also occur in case of import and export features. Some export file formats may not be
possible to import into other databases. In this case, the migration without additional converters is
impossible. The rise in the number of the applications involved in this process complicates the
work and increases the risk of error.
Security and control
Many cross-platform database management systems’ vendors do not seem to pay due attention to
security issues, focusing only on automatic archiving. Apart from the automatic archiving and
database restoring, an essential feature is repairing damaged databases. This is particularly
important during any kind of migration operations. A good system must support dynamic
management of databases and their components’ access privileges. Unfortunately, it is not
uncommon that an employee who has left the company several months ago still has the access to
the corporate information resources. This situation may be due to the fact that the currently used
application does not monitor the ongoing granting of privileges, but only shows a confusing list.
Another important issue related to the security is monitoring – not only of the parameters related to
the disc space the database occupies, but also of the capacity and performance parameters.
Detailed statistics collected in this way allow reducing the risk of damage due to overload.
To see the invisible
Although visual query builders have become a standard in this type of applications, they can still
be incomprehensive. This extends the time of obtaining relevant data, whereas efficient data
visualization is a crucial factor. It facilitates not only navigation in a complex environment, but also
allows for better data structure representations. Some applications offer forward-engineering,
which generates data structure images and allows an adjustment of its current structure to that
adopted in the fixed model. Such a visualization of the database structure and a feature to display
queries in the form of charts is not only a convenient service. It is also the access to information
for a greater number of users, who are able to quickly find the information they need without any
ul. Wagrowska 6
61-369 Poznań, Poland
tel: +48 61 6580 500
e-mail: [email protected]
www.veraxsystems.com
Page 3 of 4
Cross-platform Database Management
knowledge on how the database works. It is therefore important that the vendors are committed to
cooperation with the administrators, considering their suggestions and proposals.
A possible solution
Verax Systems currently works on a tool integrating multiple database systems. Our aim is to
create an application that provides full functionality to monitor and perform operations on many
types of databases simultaneously. The solution is designed to help companies wishing to
integrate their database environments and improve their administration. The system will provide
advanced support of multiple databases working in various technologies. A broad spectrum of
possible operations and data migration support between any types of databases will effectively
integrate and manage different environments. Advanced data visualization modules to support not
only administrators but also individual users will increase the number of people able to access the
information gathered in the database.
Furthermore, Verax Systems lays great emphasis on the issues related to data security. An
automatic backup feature along with the recovery of the damaged elements is intended to prevent
the loss of the valuable resources. An important element of the security module is a so-called
early alerting system. By monitoring the performance and the resource utilization parameters, the
module warns the administrator about the event probability (e.g. full disc workload) in a timely
manner.
Time flies
The databases have become an indispensable tool in business activities. With the development of
enterprises the number of data increases, which necessitates their database capability growth. For
many organizations their databases built over the years have become the foundation of the market
success and represent their competitive advantage. Growing information resources and rapid
technology development create new challenges for the database environment maintenance and
efficient administration. The demand among medium enterprises is also gradually increasing due
to the popularization of ERP systems.
All these factors contribute to the emergence of new cross-platform tools to effectively support the
administration of increasingly complex environments. It is crucial then that the solutions are
created in cooperation with the administrators as well as the end users.
If you are interested in an extended version of this publication or obtaining more detailed
information, please contact our consultant.
ul. Wagrowska 6
61-369 Poznań, Poland
tel: +48 61 6580 500
e-mail: [email protected]
www.veraxsystems.com
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