Database connections are the lifeblood of enterprise applications, administrating the secure and steady flow of information between corporate applications and their persistent relational databases. Optimizing these connections can usher in widespread improvements in information management and improvements in server and network resource utilization

Database connections are the lifeblood of enterprise applications, administrating the secure and steady flow of information between corporate applications and their persistent relational databases. Optimizing these connections can usher in widespread improvements in information management and improvements in server and network resource utilization.

This article discusses the architectural distinctives of a well-designed .Net connectivity product. It looks at the features required to minimize resource utilization on the host system and provide optimal scalability within an enterprise ecosphere.

Database connections are the lifeblood of enterprise applications, administrating the secure and steady flow of information between corporate applications and their persistent relational databases. Optimizing these connections can usher in widespread improvements in information management and improvements in server and network resource utilization.

This article looks at the characteristics of efficient, well designed ODBC driver suites, such as communication strategies and compiled architectures. It addresses key areas of resource optimization in memory, cpu utilization and network bandwidth. It helps the reader consider the challenges of enterprise scalability.

The Internet Security Advisors Group (ISAG), an international information security firm specializing in security assessment, conducted a review of the architecture and functionality of the DataDirect Connect product line. Ira Winkler, founder of ISAG and well-known security expert, wrote the report, which documents his assessment and establishes the need for security features as an integral part of database drivers and providers. The report also provides important information if you’re looking to implement Single Sign-on (SSO) or data encryption.

In this white paper, Jason Bloomberg explains the role of data in a SOA, the data issues you face when attempting to layer a service-oriented approach on top of existing data sources, how to solve data integration challenges and address potential data access pitfalls, and how to architect a data services layer to reap the full benefits of SOA.

Part I: Redefining Mainframe Economics with the Specialty Engines
November 2008

By Jeff Goldberg, Celent Senior Analyst

With the market crisis, increasing efficiencies and reducing cost are greater issues than ever. Insurance CIOs may decide that expensive technology investments may need to wait, such as that long-planned and long-delayed policy admin replacement project, and will be looking for ways to continue modernizing without the cost.

Learn how the mainframe can be modern and cost-efficient while still providing reliability with the System z specialty engines.

The performance analysis of DataDirect Shadow z/Services v7.1.2 (Shadow z/Services v7) was conducted at the DataDirect Technologies mainframe products development lab in Sugar Land, Texas. Testing was performed in a controlled environment using Shadow z/Services v6.1 and v7.1.2.

By incorporating Shadow into their solutions, ISVs can expand their potential market by including initial or expanded access to mainframe assets as well as enhance their solution TCO by leveraging the most cost effective mainframe integration product on the market.

A global financial services firm deployed DataDirect Shadow and its mainframe Web services technology at the early stages of its service-oriented architecture (SOA) adoption. This strategy enabled the company to leverage existing mainframe assets while increasing developer productivity and the ability to deliver new applications to customers.

ROI: 150%
Payback: 11 months

In this report, Clipper Group analyst Anne MacFarland recommends using DataDirect Shadow v7 to make using IBM’s System z9 for SOA less expensive. With the release of DataDirect Shadow version 7, you can offload data traffic (including SOA messaging) to System z9’s zIIP processor and application traffic (including SOA orchestration) to a z9 zAAP processor. By offloading work to these specialty engines, the work gets done faster and is charged according to a less escalating pricing model. The report also details other significant capabilities added in version 7 such as adding DataDirect Connect database driver technology, and more.