CenturioDB Hooks OS/400 Apps to Outside Databases

Published: August 22, 2006

by Alex Woodie

The German software company CenturioDB has launched a new data access utility designed to provide a fast and easy gateway to external databases from within OS/400 and i5/OS applications. The software, which is also called CenturioDB, enables users and programmers of RPG and COBOL applications to execute SQL commands on Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and other relational databases, without leaving the comfort of the green-screen environment, running separate query tools, or transferring files.

CenturioDB was designed to be integrated into existing RPG, COBOL, and CL programs using the CALL interface. Once it has been set up, users call the program from within the host application, enter the desired SQL commands, and they are immediately executed on the remote database server.

The software should support any standard relational database management system. CenturioDB has been tested on DB2/400, MySQL versions 4 and 5, Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005, and Microsoft Access 2000, 2002, and 2003. Support for additional databases can be accomplished quickly if there is a customer need, according to the company.

Speed is the main benefit of using CenturioDB, says Markus Litters, the creator of the utility. "Thanks to the ADO.NET technology, it is possible to access the external databases very flexibly and most of all, fast," he says via e-mail. "Different tests showed that this access, in the most cases, is much faster than accessing external databases via Java programs." However, if a Windows gateway is not available, Litters points out that CenturioDB also provides a Java gateway that can run directly on the OS/400 server.

The Windows gateway requires the .NET Framework 1.1 running on one of the following operating systems: Windows NT 4.0 SP6a, Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003.

Flexibility, Litters says, enables CenturioDB users to access a range of databases from one location. "With this you can access the external database interactively direct from the green screen via an SQL command without the need for the i5 programmer to install or use or learn Windows- or Java-based query or SQL clients for the different databases," he says.

For those of us who aren't comfortable with SQL there is an add-on product called CenturioDB SQL Generator. Instead of writing and submitting SQL statements from the command line, users can have their SQL automatically generated after directing the program to the desired table and the action they want to run against it.

Enhancements to CenturioDB are already on the way. Next month, Litters plans to unveil support for XML and Excel documents. There's also a product called CenturioDB Synchronizer on the horizon that will enable users to replicate their DB2/400 database to any external database.

Litters originally developed CenturioDB for a customer in Germany, but soon discovered he could market it as a shrink-wrapped product. Several German OS/400 shops are currently testing the product, Litters says. He is currently looking for U.S. and Canadian partners to help market the product. Support is provided directly from Germany for the time being.

CenturioDB supports OS/400 V4R5, V5R2, and V5R3. Licenses are $1,750. Free trial downloads are available at www.centuriodb.com.