Administrative Tool
Wirelessly Access Database Information
Xora announced the Xora Platform, a set of software modules that provide mobile workers with wireless access to realtime information from their enterprise applications. You can access the data through a cellular phone, a pager, a PDA, the Web, or by speech recognition through a landline telephone. The technology uses existing applications, so you don't have to learn new tools and procedures. Xora incorporates speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. You can work in your existing environments, build SQL Server stored procedures just once, and deploy them simultaneously for both wireless and voice.
The Xora Platform supports SQL Server 2000, 7.0, and 6.5; Oracle; Sybase; IBM; and Informix databases. For pricing, contact Xora at 650-314-6460 or http://www.xora.com.
Backup
Back Up Databases
DBAssociates released SQL LiteSpeed, a backup and restore utility that can securely back up databases. The software encrypts and compresses all data as it backs up. The size of the backup file is usually only 10 percent of the original database size. The 128-bit encryption algorithm secures data while the software transports data to an offsite backup facility. In a restore situation, you can use SQL LiteSpeed to bring data back online. The current version of SQL LiteSpeed doesn't support backups directly to tape, but SQL LiteSpeed does offer full cluster support.
SQL LiteSpeed supports SQL Server 2000 and 7.0. For pricing, contact DBAssociates at [email protected] or http://www.sqllitespeed.com.
Database Administration
Automate Database Management
Concord Communications announced eHealth Application Insight Module (AIM) for Microsoft SQL Server, software that lets you manage the health and performance of your SQL Server database. The software offers fault- and event-management capabilities, proactive alarm notification, and the ability to automatically fix problems without human intervention. eHealth AIM monitors SQL Server performance metrics, including lock requests, access methods, transaction-log activity, memory utilization, buffer efficiency, and user-login activity. You can monitor and restart failed processes and services to ensure maximum uptime. You can also watch SQL Server log files for regular text expressions that might indicate security violations, user violations, and application and system events.
eHealth AIM for Microsoft SQL Server supports SQL Server 2000 and 7.0 and starts at $2500. Contact Concord Communications at [email protected], 800-851-8725, or http://www.concord.com.
Technical Resource
Learn to Design a Database
Apress announced Josef Finsel's The Handbook for Reluctant Database Administrators, a book that describes how to design, build, secure, and maintain a database. Finsel wrote the book from the perspective of someone who has crossed over from programming to database administration. Topics include database design, backup and recovery, indexing, stored procedures, user-defined functions (UDFs), SQL Server error handling versus Visual Basic (VB) error handling, triggers, database security, XML in SQL Server, an introduction to performance tuning, and an overview of how the Microsoft .NET strategy will affect SQL Server.
The 450-page book costs $49.95. Contact Apress at 510-549-5930 or http://www.apress.com.
Build Database Solutions
Microsoft Press announced Microsoft Access Projects with Microsoft SQL Server, a book by Ralf Albrecht and Natascha Nicol that teaches you to build database solutions by retaining the development environments of Access 2002 and Access 2000 while using SQL Server 2000 and 7.0. Topics include programming with ADO, connection objects, Recordset objects, command and parameter objects, ADO events, using the Upsizing Assistant, moving from Data Access Object (DAO) to ADO, multiuser transactions and locking, SQL Server tools, security, backup and recovery, Data Transformation Services (DTS), external data sources, and system procedures.
Microsoft Access Projects with Microsoft SQL Server is 656 pages and costs $59.99. Contact Microsoft Press at 800-677-7377 or http://mspress.microsoft.com.
Configure, Manage, and Optimize SQL Server 2000
Osborne/McGraw-Hill, a division of McGraw-Hill Education, announced Brian Knight's Admin911: SQL Server 2000, a book that teaches you how to configure, manage, and optimize SQL Server 2000. Topics include optimizing and automating administration by using SQL Server Agent, monitoring and tuning SQL Server by using the system monitor and alerts, optimizing T-SQL and stored procedures, troubleshooting database performance, and implementing disaster-recovery procedures. The book also covers many administrative features, including Enterprise Manager, multiserver administration, and the system monitor.
Admin911: SQL Server 2000 is 400 pages and costs $39.99. Contact Osborne/McGraw-Hill at 800-227-0900 or http://www.osborne.com.
E-Business
Analyze Data
Visual Insights announced Executive Portal, an add-on feature for eBizinsights XL, e-business software that gives you an immediate overview of your company's e-business operation performance. Executive Portal features browser-based access, simplified standard report-generation capabilities, role-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and a report-generation server. The site-summary metrics view feature lets you define and customize key items that you want to measure and monitor over a daily, weekly, or monthly period. You can use Executive Portal to get an executive overview of your Web site, to analyze promotional and content effectiveness, and to gather reports.
eBizinsights XL supports SQL Server 2000 to store data for repeated analysis and reporting. Pricing starts at $12,500. Contact Visual Insights at 630-753-8600 or http://www.visualinsights.com.
Security
Fix Security Vulnerabilities
Gravity Storm Software announced Service Pack Manager 2000 6.3, security patch management software that lets you detect, track, monitor, and install Windows 2000 and Windows NT service packs to fix security vulnerabilities. The LiveUpdate feature updates the local machine with the latest information about service pack availability and hotfixes. The software won't reboot the target machine at hotfix installation, so it doesn't disrupt the tasks users are running on the target machines. The software can stop and start SQL Server services.
Service Pack Manager 2000 6.3 supports SQL Server 2000 and 7.0 and Win2K and NT systems. The software starts at $2195; you install it on one computer to manage as many as 100 computers. Contact Gravity Storm Software at 866-248-7670 extension 9035, 910-792-9100, or http://home.san.rr.com/gravitystorm.
