Storing and dealing with data is only becoming more complex for developers with every passing day. On Monday, InterSystems updated its Cache database to make this task easier for Java developers. While Java has been supported by Cache for many years, the 2010 release brings with it first-class access to all of the database’s capabilities to Java, for the first time.

Robert Nagle, vice president of product development at InterSystems, said that the 2010 release of Cache contains hundreds of feature updates and fixes. He said the 2010 release includes database-mirroring capabilities for the first time. This allows multiple databases to be redundant and to communicate solely over TCP. This cuts the costs of replication and scalability, said Nagle.

But the biggest change for the 2010 release of Cache is around Java support, said Nagle. Prior to this release, he said, developers had to embrace the InterSystems programming model in order to take full advantage of Cache. But with the 2010 release, Java developers can break free of those shackles in a manner similar to the way the company introduced first-class C++ support a few years back.

“What we wanted to do is give that power and richness to other classes of developers, because we know we are excluding some people,” said Nagle. “They’re wedded to Java or to .NET. What this does is it marries the richness of the Java environments with the richness of the Cache environments.

“Java developers can now open a tunnel into the Cache kernel and have access to everything on the server-side of Cache. We’re particularly focused on problems where today Java developers are using some kind of in-memory solutions where there are high rates of data integration. Today, people can’t do that with persistent databases, so they are building the ad hoc solutions.”

While Cache did support Java previously, Nagle calls the 2010 update a major upgrade for Java developers. “We didn’t have the power of Java before. It was like a client/server model, with some overhead of connecting to it. It was focused on an object model, but didn’t give you the duality of the object and SQL model, as well as direct access to the underlying data with Java. This is like upgrading Java from stone wheels to pneumatic tires.”

Cache pricing ranges from US$220 to $1,380 per user, and the upgrade is available today.