EnterpriseDB has issued the 8.4 version of Postgres Plus Advanced Server, the commercial relational database system based on the open source PostgreSQL project.
It includes new protection against SQL injection attacks, enhanced Oracle compatibility characteristics and other features.
Postgres Plus is in its sixth iteration of Oracle compatibility, which allows it to run applications written for the Oracle database with few changes. It includes the ability to recognize the Oracle developers' version of the data access language, PL/SQL, and the triggers and stored procedures used by the application.
In Release 8.4, the system's compatibility with Oracle applications has moved, on a scale of 1-10, from 8.4 in the previous Postgres Plus edition to 9.5 compatibility rating with the 8.4 release, said Ed Boyajian, CEO of EnterpriseDB, in the announcement. EnterpriseDB created the scale as a measurement of five areas of database operation.
In response to an email query seeking examples, Postgres Plus technicians said one compatibility addition is support for PL/SQL's User Defined Exceptions and the RAISE command, which raises a User Defined Exception to make it explicitly stated in a logic sequence. Adding the support eliminates what was previously a manual rewriting step in migrating an application to Postgres Plus, the spokesmen said.
The release also supports the Oracle GoTo statement, Reverse for Loop statement, and Public Synonyms for Functions, Stored Procedures, along with other additions, the spokesmen said.
The injection attack protection, called SQL/Protect, provides query learning and enforcement modes that give the database administrator new powers to guard against malicious queries. DBAs can identify the nature of an attack query and apply a ban on its use. Protecting against SQL injection attacks is usually a responsibility of application programmers.
Release 8.4 also includes StackBuilder Plus, an installation management tool that allows users to add new features to Postgres Plus. StackBuilder ensures that additions are integrated with existing modules and tests the installation. EnterpriseDB used StackBuilder to add PostgresPlus HQ, a database infrastructure monitoring tool that can check 160 throughput, performance, availability and utilization metrics for Postgres databases. It can alert DBAs on out-of-bounds conditions that it finds.
StackBuilder was also used to add xDB Replication Server, which allows an organization to offload Oracle reporting tasks from a transaction server, create a warm standby server or use xDB Replication Server to migrate data to new Postgres Plus system.
Boyajian said EnterpriseDB is aiming to supply "an enterprise class alternative to expensive proprietary databases." The changes in the 8.4 release "are designed to simplify the deployment, integration, usability and management" of Postgres Plus databases, he said. An annual developer subscription for Postgres Plus Standard edition is $4,995; one for production systems is $2,995 per socket. No pricing is listed on the Web site for Postgres Plus Advanced Server; visitors are advised to contact the sales staff.
