Database Development and Management Tools

Database development and management tools are used to develop, load, reload, reorganize, recover, or otherwise manage and optimize databases, and to maintain replica databases for either recovery, performance, or availability purposes. This category also includes database-specific accelerators, SQL optimization tools, and other database utilities. Tools provided by a DBMS vendor that support only that vendor's databases are excluded from this market and are included with the DBMS revenue. Types of database development and management tools include:

• Database tuning and monitoring tools. Software used by DBAs to monitor the performance of databases, detect problems in database operations, perform routine change operations to the database, and improve database operation by reallocating storage, reindexing the database, and so on (Note that when database monitoring software is incorporated in general system monitoring products, its revenue is reported under performance management software.)

• SQL authoring tools. Software used by DBAs and developers to build efficient SQL calls to access and manipulate data from within programs and reports

• SQL optimization and analysis tools. Software used by DBAs and developers to correct defects in SQL and to improve SQL performance

• Database replication software. Software used for maintaining an exact copy of a live database, typically for recoverability, high-availability, or nonstop maintenance purposes

• Database archiving software. Software used to build and maintain archives of databases, often allowing transparent access to archived data, preserving original schema information about archived data and intelligence for selecting referentially complete subsets of data for archiving (Such products also can be used to create referentially complete subsets of databases for populating subset or test databases as well.)

The following are representative vendors and products in this market:

• BMC (DATABASE INTEGRITY PLUS and CATALOG MANAGER for DB2, SmartDBA, some aspects of PATROL Knowledge Modules for databases, et al.)
• Bradmark (NORAD)
• Computer Associates (Unicenter Database Management)
• Embarcadero (Embarcadero DBA tools, DBArtisan, et al.)
• OuterBay product line
• Princeton Softech (Optim)
• Quest (SharePlex, LiveReorg, TOAD, database components of Spotlight, Foglight, Quest Central, and SQL Navigator)