SAP, MySQL prepare new version of MaxDB

Application vendor SAP and its partner MySQL are readying enhancements to the former’s open-source database that will offer support for 64-bit computing, along with new monitoring and management features.

SAP inked a deal with open-source database vendor MySQL about a year ago to help SAP develop, support and market its own database, now called MaxDB. According to Zack Urlocker, vice president of marketing at Uppsala, Sweden-based MySQL, the companies are readying MaxDB 7.6, which will run on new platforms, including 64-bit Linux and HP-UX.

To appeal to Java developers, MaxDB 7.6 will support the Java-based Eclipse development framework originally created by IBM. There will also be support for MySQL Proxy, a stand-alone software program that allows MaxDB and MySQL products to share data and allows developers to create applications that can transparently use both databases. MaxDB will also have a tool to monitor performance and automatically offer recommendations to keep it running smoothly.

The performance boost that comes with 64-bit support, along with the automated monitoring and management features, is of interest to Charlie Brann, SAP administrator at Swisslog TransLogic Corp. in Denver. The materials handling systems maker uses SAP DB 7.3 to support its R/3 enterprise resource planning and other applications. Swisslog is also considering an upgrade to the mySAP ERP platform and migrating to MaxDB 7.6.

The database’s clustering capability would be extremely desirable for the database, said Reiner Jung, project leader for the migration of 10,000 government users in Parana, Brazil, from Lotus Notes to open-source eGroupWare E-mail and calendaring software.

The Parana project, which already has 700 users, relies on a single version of Max DB 7.5, which was originally selected for its stability and reliability. Once Version 7.6 is ready, Parana will switch to it for greater scalability, said Jung, who is also an independent IT and security consultant in Cologne, Germany. That migration is slated to wrap up later this year.

MaxDB 7.6, which will support replication, will be available by year’s end. Pricing starts at $49 per named user on single-CPU systems, with a minimum of five users. The price for for MaxDB for SAP is $1,490 per CPU.