DataMirror Extends Replication to Desktop
DataMirror Corp. has released a beta of a new replication and transformation technology that delivers real-time, updated data to desktop applications.
Codenamed BackDraft, the product connects business information from production databases, including DB2/400, to desktop applications via its integration of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications.
Nigel Stokes, chairman, president and CEO of DataMirror, says the product makes accessing data as easy as using a Web browser.
"Users no longer have to struggle to find information they have access to, be concerned about obtaining the information from the right source, or entering information from paper reports. BackDraft is designed to make all that easy and automatic."
Powered by DataMirror Transformation Server, BackDraft runs on an NT server, receiving and distributing information from DB2/400 as well as SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase and DB2 databases on NT, Unix and MVS system, to desktop applications such as Microsoft Office 95 and 97, Outlook 98, Project 98, Visio 5.0, Autodesk AutoCAD and Great Plains Dynamics. Applications are updated from the database automatically as the database is changed.
No Visual Basic programming skills are necessary for basic use of the product, though VB skills are required for higher-level customization. The beta can be downloaded from the DataMirror Web site through March 15 at www.datamirror.com/backdraft. General availability is planned for the second half of this year.
--D. Callaghan