Challenging Computing Frontiers

Oracle8i, the database for internet computing, will be

launched at Oracle Open World this year. The latest generation database from Oracle

promises to change the way information is managed and accessed to meet the demands of the

internet age, while providing significant new features for traditional OLTP and

datawarehouse applications. In today's fast-paced business climate, application developers

have been pushed to produce advanced applications not only quickly, but also with inherent

flexibility to meet ever-changing needs. Oracle8i introduces additional support for

Java-today's most popular and productive programming language-by including a robust,

integrated and scalable Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) within the server. This expands

Oracle's support for Java into multiple tiers of applications, allowing Java programs to

be deployed where they perform best, either in the client, server or middle tier without

recompiling or modifying the Java code. Oracle8i also includes Oracle WebDB, a

browser-based application development, deployment and management toolset that makes

web-enabling both an easy and inexpensive business. The database is much more than just a

simple relational data store. Oracle, having invented the relational database, continues

its lead in the database industry by introducing iFS (Internet File System). iFS provides

the easy-to-use functionality of a file system combined with the advantages of all data,

such as text and web pages, in a single server-data integration with the cost savings of a

single server. Oracle8i also introduces interMedia, which allows businesses to manage and

access multimedia data, including image, text, audio/video and spatial data. For

datawarehouses, Oracle8i now provides sophisticated summary management features to store

aggregates that are commonly queried, reducing query processing significantly. For OLTP

applications, the database introduces many features that improve the availability of the

database during routine operations, such as index rebuilds and in disaster situations by

providing automated standby database support.

Java in database



Java has quickly become today's most popular programming language because it appeals

to everyone. Oracle8i extends Oracle's Java strategy by integrating a scalable Java VM

with the database server. The Java VM in the Oracle database enables developers to write,

store, and execute Java code within the database. This means developers can create stored

procedures, functions, or triggers in Java. A Java VM within the database server also

reduces the skill set required for database programming. As opposed to C, Oracle Call

Interface, PL/SQL, and other languages, developers can now create applications using only

Java. Oracle8i also supports SQLJ, a syntax for embedding SQL in Java code. Using SQLJ,

SQL can easily be embedded in client or server Java code for communication with a

relational database. Oracle8i also provides support for Enterprise JavaBeans and

communication via the CORBA communication standard, IIOP. Distributed Java objects can

connect directly to Java objects in an Oracle Data Server via native CORBA protocols.

JDeveloper is Oracle's next generation component-based Java development environment. It

supports any kind of development from a simple JavaBeans component to an enterprise-wide

application development environment.

Developing web-based apps



Oracle WebDB is the solution for building, deploying and proactively monitoring web

database applications, and content-driven web sites. By combining an intuitive, HTML

interface with a complete set of robust, browser-based HTML tools, Oracle WebDB enables

users to easily and quickly develop web database applications. The solution comes with all

the tools necessary to build dynamic web applications and content-driven web sites.

Applications and web sites developed using Oracle WebDB are completely contained within

the Oracle database. The only client software needed to develop and deploy Oracle WebDB

applications is a web browser. Oracle WebDB is expected to meet the challenges internet

poses to the traditional IT shop-fast application development and simplified deployment.

Content management



Oracle iFS combines the power of Oracle8i with the ease of use of a file system.

Completely integrated with Oracle8i, the iFS is a Java application that runs on the

Oracle8i Java VM.

From an end user's standpoint, iFS appears as if it were

just another volume on the network. Whether the user accesses the contents of iFS through

Windows Explorer, a Web browser, an FTP client, or an e-mail client, the files appear the

same. Relational data can appear as files; so too can hybrid documents that combine

relational and non-relational data. It also supports intelligent text searches and queries

of files and data stored in iFS.

From a developer's standpoint, iFS is the single data store

containing the data for many different applications. And for the system administrator, it

provides a single system for file storage and messaging, rather than several separate

systems to maintain and administer. In short, iFS is a simpler way of storing different

types of files in the database.

As part of Oracle8i, iFS provides universal access to any

data in the database. While the iFS runs within Oracle8i, it appears as if it were simply

another file system volume on the network. Any data or files in iFS can be accessed using

any of these different protocols:

InterMedia



Web applications require advanced data management services that support the rich data

types used in web repository, ecommerce, and other internet applications. Oracle

interMedia adds support that enables Oracle8i to manage multimedia content, both for

internet and traditional applications that need access to image, audio, video, text, and

location information. InterMedia includes Oracle's ConText text services, to deliver the

powerful text retrieval capabilities, fundamental to web applications. This lets users

query and analyze documents stored in document archives, online news feeds, customer call

reports, and other online text information sources.

Users can query for data in the most common formats,

including HTML, Word, Excel and Acrobat/PDF formats. Audio, video and image services

support integrated management of audio, video and image information within an Oracle8i

database. These services enable access to audio, video and image data in dozens of

internet formats from a variety of sources, both within Oracle8i and from external

locations such as web URL sites or specialized servers.

InterMedia supports delivery of video through any streaming

server such as the Oracle Video Server, or RealNetworks RealAudio and RealVideo Servers.

It also supports drag and drop of audio, video and image data through the interMedia

clipboard into web applications and web authoring tools such as Oracle WebDB, Symantec

Visual Page, and Microsoft FrontPage. Geometric locator services to support the

development of internet applications that help users locate information, such as stores,

distribution points and events, based on their location or distance from a given address.

InterMedia locator enables Oracle8i to perform location

queries, and supports the internet's leading online geocoding services, including Centrus

from QMSoft and MapXtreme from MapInfo.

Transportable tablespaces



Moving data from a datawarehouse to a datamart or from an OLTP system to a staging

area for a datawarehouse can be cumbersome and time consuming. Direct path loading via SQL

Loader or parallel DML makes the task faster, but the process should be simpler for data

movement between identical databases. Oracle8i provides a mechanism for copying

tablespaces (datafiles) between identical systems and allowing the same data to be

accessed by both systems. Now data movement can be as fast as simply transferring the file

between machines.

Security improvements



In a web application, an administrator may wish to give access to external customers,

but allowing them access only their own orders. Using Oracle8i's fine-grained access

control, this can be easily accomplished without the administrative overhead of views, by

using the context area to store the customer number and a security policy to determine

what rows of the table can be accessed. Currently, in multi-tier architectures, the middle

tier is typically insecure and can perform any action on behalf of any user. Middle-tiers,

especially web or application servers, may often sit on or outside a firewall, so limiting

their access and auditing their actions is important. Oracle8i provides the ability to

limit which users a middle tier can connect and the ability to audit the middle-tier as a

particular user.