In-Depth

DataMirror Unveils Integration Suite

New offering supports relational and non-relational data stores, distributed and mainframe computing platforms

• By Stephen Swoyer
• 09/29/2004

Over the last few years, many one-time-ETL vendors have struggled to reinvent themselves as data integration jacks-of-every-trade, even to the point of trumpeting—in the case of both Ascential Software Corp. and Informatica Corp.—full-blown integration strategies based on ETL and non-ETL solutions alike.

This week, DataMirror officially launched its own make-over effort, touting a new data integration offering—dubbed Integration Suite 2005—which it bills as an end-to-end data integration solution for relational and non-relational data stores, along with heterogeneous applications and computing platforms. The upshot, DataMirror officials say, is that the new Integration Suite 2005 is designed to address the integration requirements of customers working with mainframes, midrange servers, and even mobile devices.

"Integration Suite 2005 addresses these challenges by offering a single solution that fuses multiple products together that are easy to implement and administer, increasing productivity levels through reduced deployment time and costs,” said DataMirror CEO Nigel Stokes in a statement.

The new suite is anchored by DataMirror Transformation Server, peer-to-peer data integration or ETL middleware that allows companies to capture, transform, and flow corporate and customer data in real time between DB2 UDB, SQL Server, Oracle, PointBase, Sybase, and Teradata data stores. Transformation Server features new change data capture, transform, and flow (CTF) technology that can integrate data in real time or periodically, and which ensures that only changed data is captured and transferred from source to target systems.

Elsewhere, Transformation Server boasts new summarization, row consolidation, and adaptive apply features that are said to support greater flexibility in replication and database design, along with improved query and reporting capabilities. Other enhancements include support for Oracle Redo Log Capture, a feature that analyzes data from Oracle redo logs; support for role-based security; and support for more platforms, including Oracle 10g, IBM i5/OS V5R3, and Microsoft Windows 2003.

Similarly, Integration Suite 2005 features DataMirror’s DB/XML Transform offering, which is designed to support bi-directional data transformation between XML and a range of text, database, and EDI formats. To that end, DataMirror officials say DB/XML Transform can retrieve data from relational data stores and format it in XML according to pre-defined specifications, and also supports database-to-database transformations, which gives customers relatively painless access to non-relational or legacy data stored in flat files.

Other Integration Server features include iReflect for Oracle, an offering that taps Oracle redo logs to replicate data and object definitions between Oracle databases. DataMirror officials say iReflect can function as a means to rapidly rebuild data infrastructures for disaster recovery purposes, or to accelerate data distribution, replication, or integration services. Another new Integration Server offering, DataMirror LiveAudit, is facilitates compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, Basel II, the USA PATRIOT Act, and other requirements. IT captures all data that is inserted, updated, or deleted and creates real-time audit trails that preserve historical information and enable companies to monitor and store all operational activities as they occur.

On the enterprise application integration (EAI) front, Integration Server 2005 ships with Constellar Hub, an Oracle-based EAI solution that’s designed to function as an integration hub between data sources and applications. Constellar Hub boasts certified connectivity to SAP environments and includes pre-built interfaces to PeopleSoft and Oracle Applications, along with support for messaging middleware such as MQSeries from IBM Corp. and Oracle AQ.

Finally, other Integration Suite 2005 components include iDeliver—a product that lets organizations securely filter and publish data from DB2, Oracle, SQL Server and download it into desktop applications like Microsoft Excel, Outlook or Access; and iFederate, an offering that facilitates access to data stored in common mainframe storage formats, such as relational (DB2), non-relational (VSAM and ISAM), hierarchical (IMS) and sequential flat files (SAM).

There’s also LiveConnector—an integration component that uses application-specific adapters to enable information exchange between CRM, ERP or packaged software applications—along with Pervasive Gateway, a client-server software product that provides integration services between SAP ERP systems and mobile client devices.