Microsoft
New tools integrating Visual Studio with SQL Server give developers and DBAs a chance to resolve conflicting perspectives with the same tools.
DataDirect Technologies
Its connectivity and integration tools continue to set the mark for others in the industry. In 2006, the company’s new XQuery technology joined the fray and made its mark.
IBM
DB2 9 “Viper” offered its users improved compression and data management, and accessed data in Oracle and MySQL databases without special tweaking.
InterSystems
Caché 2007 introduced the Zen framework for rich platform-independent applications, and the Jalapeño component that enables object persistence without mapping, reducing development cycles.
MySQL
Although not quite a big boy yet, the open source database continues to gain acceptance as it adds industrial-strength features.
Oracle
Oracle remains the 800-pound gorilla of enterprise database management systems. Although the increased concentration on services may detract from the company’s core competency, it hasn’t yet.
