Neil Cave, Solutions Architect of Software AG SA, says there has been a high demand for this capability.

Because Adabas is a hierarchical database, this was not possible before the launch of the SQL Gateway, he says. The Adabas SQL Gateway is a middleware tool which provides true access in real time to Adabas data from packages which support SQL, SQL Level 2 and Ansi 92 SQL.
 
Software AG SA launched the product to existing and prospective customers at a recent event, which included a demonstration of what was claimed to be the simplicity and power of the new product.

According to Cave, Adabas SQL Gateway was enthusiastically received, with high numbers of attendees asking to evaluate the product.
 
After 30 years, Adabas continues to provide flexible data management while ensuring data-structure integrity. It is the foundation for many large-scale, mission-critical systems, providing incredibly fast performance and high transaction throughput. Easy access to Adabas information is therefore paramount for business users to leverage that data in real time, and to successfully extend the data to enable the organisation to be more responsive and efficient, Cave explains.
 
Adabas SQL Gateway is designed to allow mission-critical Adabas data to be accessed quickly and easily by any ODBC, JDBC, OLEDB or ADO.Net standard SQL application.

ICT and business users may also access Adabas with SQL-based reporting tools such as Business Objects, Crystal Reports and Microsoft Office, Cave adds.
 
Using Adabas SQL Gateway, critical information access is given directly to the business users who need it, through their familiar desktop applications, Cave continues.

Getting critical enterprise information directly into the hands of business users is imperative in todays atmosphere of doing more with less. ICT organisations face several challenges when ensuring the operation of business applications serving customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he says.
 
The benefits delivered by Adabas SQL Gateway are said to include cost-effective mainframe data use and re-use, elimination of the need to duplicate or move data to a data warehouse, and increased productivity for ICT and business users by reducing the number of requests for Adabas information.
 
In addition, Adabas SQL Gateway aims to lower operational costs and to provide real-time read/write access to Adabas data, thereby eliminating the need for data extraction at night and during the working day, the company says.

The Gateways comprehensive security also supports a layer of ANSI SQL security and honours existing mainframe, enterprise and database security session management, Cave concludes.