DB2 9 Subversive relational databases?

July 14, IBM Software group released its newest generation of database products DB2 9, different from other databases, this product combines the advantages of hierarchical database and relational database, can store data in XML format, the status of XML in this database product is no longer subordinate, but one of the core, The resulting series of problems is like stirring up too much spray on a calm surface-will relational databases be subverted? Will this change the traditional pattern of the database market? Does the gap between database design and application development design be bridged? Since the launch of IBM DB2 9 can trigger so many important ripple effects, it is less important to discuss whether the product is landmark because it is already telling a new story.

The storm that the XML raises

DB2 9 can provide "raw" storage of XML data without the need to convert data to a row or column format or to store it as a large object (LOB). In recent years, the database market is really a place that feels prosaic. Since the beginning of the 80 's, the relational database has been developed rapidly with its solid theoretical foundation, and after that, the major manufacturers have spared no effort to promote the dominant position of the relational database. At the beginning of this century, 20 years later, the database manufacturers led by Oracle, IBM and Microsoft have formed a tripod pattern, and their respective Government officer and treatment, the situation changes very little. At the same time, the sound of database technology innovation is weakening, it is simply to enlarge the processing scale and efficiency of relational database, the Oracle company that has been the boss of database has turned to the application software, the database market is almost backwater.

"Whenever the market is particularly calm and boring, there will always be major breakthroughs, everyone is settling," Zohong, IBM's Greater China Software group Marketing Director, is looking at the evolution of the database market, "we found that the current database market is full of excitement, and XML can trigger multiple breakthroughs in technology and applications. ”

According to IDC's forecast to the database market, the XML database grows up to 140%, which is far more than the growth ratio of other databases. This indicates that XML will become the dominant force in the future database market. and the major database vendors are also preparing for the growth of XML.

2005, Sybase and Microsoft each released a new generation of database products, which support for XML is one of the main features, for example, in Microsoft SQL Server 2005, fully integrated. NET and Web services technology, and developed an entirely new XML database and related query Language XQuery. The Sybase ASE15 database provides a flexible way to store and extract XML content: Storing XML documents in text or image columns, mapping XML to new or existing relational tables, creating result sets in XML from relational queries, and supporting both Xpath/xquery and SQLX two ways to further extend the functionality of XML.

Oracle database 10g has also increased support for accessing XML data in its small version upgrade, the second edition, and enhanced support for application developers.

XML is not a new face, its initial mission is to deal with data transactions between systems, but XML does not immediately shake the foundation of the database. relational database products provide support for XML, but do not change the lineage inherent in relational databases, they provide a database called xml-enabled, and XML is only a subsidiary function.

Recently, however, the xml-enabled database has faced considerable challenges, which have come from the external environment. "The challenge for the database is that the range of data types is much more than 20 years ago," said IBM Academician Wangyun. The breadth and complexity of information has improved a lot. What people are now facing is a very large and complex information environment. ”

IBM Software Department information management China technology manager Liu Jingwei said: "Today, we use structured data tables to describe the world, and this kind of planar description can be met with less data, but when the data is exploding in an explosive way, the incomprehensible of many data increases, for example, an ERP application system involves tens of thousands of tables, So many tables are inherently inefficient, and the ability to describe the business is very weak. ”

Currently, relational databases provide the support that XML-ENABLED,IBM from DB2 V7.0 to DB2 V8.2, but DB2 9 's appearances completely changed the tradition, which uses IBM's registered trademarks-"PureXML" A naming solution to manage data stored in XML format. This means that it can provide "raw" storage of XML data without having to convert the data to a row-and-column format or to store it as a large object (LOB).