Two New Palm-To-Database Systems

Databases and wirelessly enabled Palm OS devices may not seem like a natural fit from a technology standpoint, but PocketDBA Systems and an alliance between ThinAirApps and AppForge are providing systems to create applications and manage systems, all from a handheld device to a company's established database.

PocketDBA 1.2 lets database administrators remotely monitor and manage their Oracle databases using a Palm OS device. The new version includes a software installer to reduce installation time to minutes.

Also, the company has signed an agreement with Computer Associates to develop a similar system to manage Unicenter TSreorg for Oracle from CA. It's expected by the end of the year, according to Steve Lemme, VP of open systems database management solutions for CA.

Because a reorganization of an Oracle database using Unicenter can be a time-intensive process requiring small permissions along the way, Lemme intends to let database administrators manage the process remotely. "The wireless device is not to replace the entire management application. It's so you are able to quickly make a business decision, and, if there is a problem, you can react over the device," Lemme says.

PocketDBA's new version for standard Oracle systems should remove the hassle of adopting a time- and back-saving technology for administrators who have to remain on call 24 hours a day, says PocketDBA user Jeremy Wechsler, director of database application at Playboy.com in Chicago, who manages four Oracle 8.17 databases.

"I was carrying around a laptop, cell phone, modem, and a connection cable. I always had to cart that stuff about, just in case. Now I just carry around a Palm VII," says Wechsler, who uses the system to make sure his site is accessible at all times. "PocketDBA can significantly reduce your staffing requirements and increase your uptime availability. And the cost of the product is well under the cost of 24-hour outside services."

ThinAirApps and AppForge, meanwhile, are providing a system to let programmers familiar with Visual Basic create applications for Palm OS devices, which can then access a company's standard database using a Java Database Connectivity or Open Database Connectivity connection. The product, Identicon DB Developer Edition for AppForge, combines ThinAirApps' Identicon wireless database-access platform with AppForge's graphical user interface, which converts Visual Basic script to operate on the Identicon platform.

"A Visual Basic developer can drop those lines of code into a GUI using AppForge, and what comes out is a true client-server application," says Bret Brase, VP of sales and marketing for ThinAirApps.

ThinAirApps intends future support for Java 2 Mobile Edition and Microsoft's Pocket PC platform, Brase says.

Pricing for PocketDBA 1.2 is $6,000 per database for unlimited users, running on an Oracle database. The PocketDBA application server runs on Linux, Solaris, and Windows NT and 2000.

Pricing for Identicon DB Developer Edition for AppForge is $300, including tools and a five-seat license. ThinAirApps Identicon DB comes as a Professional Edition for Microsoft SQL server and an Enterprise Edition for Oracle and Sybase, both ranging from $25,000 to $75,000, based on requirements.