HiT Software Updates SQL Middleware for i5/OS Database

by Alex Woodie

OS/400 shops looking to get the most out of the database enhancements in i5/OS V5R3 may want to take a look at the latest SQL middleware from HiT Software. The San Jose, California, company makes ODBC and OLE DB middleware that is specifically designed for connecting Windows clients and servers to OS/400 database servers, and with last week's release, it does so faster than ever.

IBM delivered significant enhancements to DB2 UDB for iSeries (commonly referred to as DB2/400) with the release of i5/OS (also called OS/400) V5R3 this spring. A new SQL Query Engine, better file reorganization capabilities, support for partitioned tables, improved SQL support, and many other enhancements were introduced with this release. For a thorough rundown on the DB2/400 enhancements, read IT Jungle tech editor David Morris' story, "V5R3 Advances DB2 UDB for iSeries."

The DB2/400 database also got better support for becoming a Microsoft .NET managed data provider with OS/400 V5R3. However, while .NET may be the data access standard for the future, ODBC and OLE DB are still more popular data access standards today, according to HiT Software.

HiT Software sells a range of tools for Microsoft Visual Studio developers who need to access iSeries servers as well as DB2 databases running on IBM's mainframe, Unix, and Windows servers. The company offers a complete set of data access products built specifically for the iSeries.

Last week HiT Software announced the Version 7.0 release of its ODBC and OLE DB family of SQL middleware products, including the ODBC/400 and OLE DB/400 products, which offer up-to-date support for DB2/400 with V5R3.

HiT's SQL middleware for iSeries is designed for accessing, retrieving, and updating the DB2/400 database from Windows clients and servers, and can be used by third-party vendors or in-house developers writing their own applications. The software has been tailored specifically for iSeries users' needs, and offers support for stored procedures, control language programs, and IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) and Optimized Database Server protocols.

The ODBC/400 and OLE DB/400 products run on Windows 98/2000/XP workstations, while the ODBC/400 Server and OLE DB/400 Server products run on Windows NT/2000/2003 servers. HiT also offers a Developer's Edition of each of these products, as well as an SSL Server product for encrypting the SQL sessions.

According to Giacomo Lorenzin, HiT Software's chief executive, any customer relying on DB2 to run critical applications or reports should consider HiT's SQL middleware. "We continually enhance our products and keep them current with the latest releases of DB2, so our current and future customers know that they can count on our expertise to provide an efficient conduit to data residing on DB2," he says.

Version 7.0 releases of HiT's ODBC and OLE DB middleware products are shipping. Pricing for the client software starts at $249, while the server software starts at $1,295. For more information, go to www.hitsoftware.com.