APIs for Universal Database Programming
By Ken North
The options for programming IBM's DB2 Universal Database (UDB) are numerous. In previous issues, this column has discussed the changing database scene, including the move to multitier applications and new DBMS architectures that emphasize components and server-side programming. The new universal servers, or universal databases, represent a migration by SQL vendors to object-relational database technology. The new object-relational databases support objects and SQL3 containers, serving up such things as spatial data, multimedia, images, time series, and biometric data. The new generation of servers from Oracle, Informix, IBM, and Sybase are more feature-rich and sophisticated than the SQL servers from which they evolved. Perhaps the best summary description would be: universal servers = SQL + objects + server extensions. The object-relational capabilities introduce new application programming interfaces (APIs), types, methods, and server-extension technology. Server extensions such as DB2 Extenders, Oracle Data Cartridges, and Informix DataBlades enrich the mix of solutions for creating database applications and database-enabled Web sites. Object-relational extensions introduce proprietary APIs that supplement multidatabase APIs such as ODBC, JDBC, OLE DB, and ADO. As a result, software developers continue to have a plethora of APIs for database programming. (Also see "
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