HiT Software Delivers ADO.NET 2.0 Data Provider for DB2/400

June 5, 2007 Alex Woodie

HiT Software last week unveiled a new version of Ritmo/i5, its data provider product connecting Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 to DB2/400. With Ritmo/i5 version 4, HiT is providing support for Visual Studio developers using the latest ADO.NET 2.0 techniques to pull data from their System i database into their Windows applications. The result is the “smoothest” integration between System i and Microsoft’s development tools yet, HiT says.

ADO.NET 2.0 debuted in late 2005 with the release of the .NET Framework 2.0, Visual Studio 2005, and SQL Server 2005. Version 2.0 implemented a base-class provider model that brings a number of benefits over its predecessors, ADO.NET 1.0 and 1.1, including features like provider factories, server enumeration, connection string builders, metadata schemas, conflict detection and tracing, and security, among other improvements.

Many of the enhancements Microsoft delivered with ADO.NET 2.0 are aimed at better integration with SQL Server 2005. In fact, the ADO.NET 2.0 product ships with data providers for SQL Server, as well as a provider for Oracle‘s database and generic OLE DB and ODBC drivers. However, that doesn’t mean that users of other databases, such as IBM‘s DB2 for System i (better known as DB2/400) or UDB DB2 can’t take advantage of some of the enhancements Microsoft has made with ADO.NET 2.0 by using data providers from other software vendors, such as HiT Software.

That’s what HiT has done with Ritmo/i5 version 4, which integrates with the Visual Studio 2005 Designer tools and Server Explorer. With Ritmo/i5 (formerly Ritmo for iSeries) running, developers can develop their Windows applications without regard to the source of data, treating DB2/400 data just like any other data.

HiT says the new release of Ritmo/i5 is ideal for quickly and easily developing forms or generating reports that include DB2/400 data. The software can also be used with Visual Studio SSIS Import and Export wizard to import DB2/400 data into SQL Server. The software also supports SQL Server 2005’s Reporting Services features, works in both 32-bit and 64-bit environments, and provides its own pooling mechanism that boosts performance, HiT Software says. (ADO.NET 2.0 introduces pooling enhancements only for the SqlClient and OracleClient data providers that ships with the product.)

Giacomo Lorenzin, CEO of HiT Software, says the new release of Ritmo/i5 will be well utilized by System i customers. “Ritmo/i5 v4 delivers the smoothest Visual Studio 2005 integration with the IBM System i platform available in the market today,” Lorenzin says. “The whole Ritmo/i5 product was designed from the ground up to access not just a generic DB2 database, but DB2 for i5/OS, the only database that ships with any IBM System i. As .NET Framework-based applications become more pervasive, Ritmo/i5 is well positioned to be the ideal conduit to access, retrieve, and deposit data on System i.”

The Ritmo product family consists of Ritmo/i5, which consists of server, developer, and client products. The software requires OS/400 V3R1 or higher, and Windows Vista/XP/2000/98. Pricing was not disclosed. For more information, visit www.hitsw.com.