Compuware Delivers Advanced EcoTOOLS Support for Managing Sybase Applications; Administrators Can Now View Executing SQL Statements to Pinpoint Bottlenecks.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1995--Compuware Corp. (NASDAQ:CPWR) today announced the availability of significant new SYBASE monitoring and automated management capabilities for EcoTOOLS 3, the newest version of the company's EcoTOOLS systems management software.

With this announcement, EcoTOOLS becomes the first systems management product to enable administrators to view executing SQL statements in order to pinpoint performance bottlenecks in SYBASE UNIX applications.

The newly announced SYBASE components include a real-time process monitoring capability called EcoPMON for SYBASE and additional advanced management "agents" that handle space, performance and administration concerns. The new SYBASE features are all scheduled to be available with EcoTOOLS 3. EcoTOOLS 3 made its debut on May 2 at the DB/Expo Conference in San Francisco and is scheduled for production availability May 31.

EcoTOOLS uses a proactive event-action mechanism to dispatch software agents to gather enterprise-wide information, and then alert system administrators to potential problems while correcting them automatically. The new EcoTOOLS 3 SYBASE agents will provide more complete monitoring and automated production application management capabilities for critical SYBASE functions, additional diagnostics for solving lock contention and managing space utilization, simplified SYBASE start-up and shut-down capabilities, and an "Auto-SQL" facility to quickly transfer customer-written SQL into custom EcoTOOLS management agents.

And with EcoPMON, the real-time process monitoring option of EcoTOOLS, administrators now have instantaneous access to detailed performance, resource and problem identification for UNIX SYBASE applications. EcoPMON can tie resource utilization to actual running SQL statements -- assistance unavailable in any other systems management product. EcoPMON is a valuable tool for zeroing in on specific application performance problems in need of correction.

The new features combine with EcoTOOLS' existing event management, performance monitoring and automated operations capabilities for relational databases, UNIX operating system and networks to ensure high levels of availability for mission-critical applications.

"The work Compuware is doing with EcoTOOLS is a boon to our customers," said John Mandile, vice president of systems management products for Sybase. "EcoTOOLS and its new advanced SYBASE support are important components in the ability to monitor and manage production SYBASE applications. Our joint efforts to offer customers a full range of systems management capabilities have had great success, and we see Compuware as a strategic partner."

"We continue to see more customers using SYBASE as the basis for their mission-critical applications," said Ron Gleason, general manager of Compuware's EcoTOOLS product line. "Compuware's continued investment in the SYBASE market illustrates our aggressive commitment to industry-leading solutions for managing production applications."

Compuware's strong development and marketing relationship with Sybase, Inc., provides joint customers with the systems management tools required for mission-critical client/server applications. Compuware is a Sybase Open Solutions partner, which entitles Compuware to receive early notification and provide feedback on technical specifications, APIs and planned Sybase development projects.

EcoTOOLS and Sybase's Enterprise SQL Server Manager, which was announced as generally available April 10, can work cooperatively to manage enterprise computing environments. While Enterprise SQL Server Manager simplifies the administration of SYBASE SQL Servers across an enterprise, EcoTOOLS provides performance and fault management across client/server applications, heterogeneous databases, UNIX systems and networks. Compuware will also be using Sybase's SQL Server Monitor API as a source of management data for EcoTOOLS.

Specific new SYBASE monitoring and management capabilities for EcoTOOLS 3 include:

EcoPMON for SYBASE

EcoPMON for SYBASE can analyze any of the UNIX servers being monitored from the EcoTOOLS graphical management console and identify problematic applications. EcoPMON provides the unique capability to "drill down" on problem application processes. For database processes, EcoPMON provides an extensive analysis, including a listing of the SQL statement currently executing and the resources it is consuming.

New SYBASE Management Capabilities

Production Automation for Mission-Critical SYBASE Systems -- The new EcoTOOLS Master Database Update agent detects any update to the SYBASE master database, and can automatically initiate a backup via an EcoTOOLS action program. The new Disk Mirror Status agent can detect an error on either side of a disk mirror and automatically restart the faulty side of the mirror.

Increased SQL Server Availability Monitoring -- From an icon, you can identify users and SYBASE process IDs that are causing locking conditions, making it possible to reduce a major source of performance problems. Several new agents will continuously monitor space utilization on specific tables and indices, and another new agent will be able to detect possible corrupt databases which are marked as "suspect" by the SQL Server.

Simplified Sybase Administration -- EcoTOOLS now provides start up or shutdown of any SQL Server from a management console icon.

"Auto-SQL" -- Customers can quickly and easily create custom EcoTOOLS management agents from their own SQL code. These custom agents will be executed with the same high efficiency of compiled EcoTOOLS agents. This feature is extremely beneficial to Sybase customers with entire libraries of SQL scripts and stored procedures. They can use these agents to query various operational aspects of their systems or to check for application exception conditions.

Pricing and Availability

EcoPMON for SYBASE is available immediately as an option of EcoTOOLS Version 2.1, the current production release. EcoPMON for SYBASE can monitor SYBASE SQL Server Version 4.9 and System 10. The other advanced SYBASE management features will become available with EcoTOOLS 3, scheduled for production availability on Sun Solaris on May 31, 1995, with support for the other major UNIX platforms to follow. EcoTOOLS pricing begins at $23,000 and is based on system configuration.

Sybase, Inc.

Sybase, Inc. is a worldwide leader in client/server software. Sybase is focused in the four major client/server categories: databases, tools, database systems management and interoperability, providing desktop to enterprise scalability. The company's mission is to provide its customers with an open, adaptable information systems architecture that enables rapid business change. Headquartered in Emeryville, CA, Sybase is the seventh largest independent software company in the world.

Compuware Corporation 

EcoTOOLS is developed, marketed and supported by Compuware Corporation's (NASDAQ:CPWR) Client/Server Systems Group. The product proactively monitors and manages client/server data centers and provides integrated systems management capabilities to ensure availability of production UNIX database applications.

Compuware is a leading worldwide provider of software solutions across the entire application life cycle, including application development, implementation, maintenance and systems management. Founded in 1973 and based in Farmington Hills, Mich., Compuware has 4,000 employees in 38 countries dedicated to client/server systems, enterprise systems and professional services. For the 1994 fiscal year, Compuware reported $394 million in revenues, making it one of the 20 largest independent software companies in the world. Compuware distributes EcoTOOLS worldwide through direct sales and distributors.

CONTACT: Compuware Corporation

Jay Fry, 510/748-6908

E-mail: [e-mail]

or

Niehaus Ryan Haller Public Relations 

Carrie Wong, 415/615-7910