DBMS2 at IBM
I had a chat a couple of weeks ago with Bob Picciano, who runs servers (i.e., DBMS) for IBM. I came away feeling that, while they don’t use that name, they’re well down the DBMS2 path. By no means is this SAP’s level of commitment; after all, they have to cater to traditional technology strategies as well. But they definitely seem to be getting there.
Why do I say that? Well, in no particular order:
- They have a huge commitment to a data integration business, with an increasing XML focus.
- Their favorite buzzword these days is “information-intensive,” which seems to amount to semi-composite apps that may talk in part to unstructured/semi-structured data.
- They’re serious about their XML data server.
- Unprompted – well, OK, he’s clearly read my stuff, but other than that it was unprompted – Bob referred to one of the key benefits (real and perceived) of XML storage as being “schema flexibility.”
- By accident or design, IBM has a multi-server, horses-for-courses DBMS strategy: DB2 in two important flavors, XML server, Multivalue/Pick (that’s growing, by the way), and so on.
The big piece of a DBMS2 strategy that IBM seems to be lacking is a data-oriented services repository. IBM has had disasters in the past with over-grand repository plans, so they’re treading cautiously this time around. There also might be an organizational issue; DBMS and integration technology sit in separate divisions, and I doubt it’s yet appreciated throughout IBM how central data is to an SOA strategy.
But that not-so-minor detail aside, IBM definitely seems to be developing a DBMS2-like technology vision.
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