PointBase 4.4 release speeds development in rapidly growing Java app. market.

PointBase, Inc. has announced the availability of version 4.4 of its complete family of relational database and synchronization products. New ease of use features, increased high transaction load capability, improved functionality and localization capabilities designed into version 4.4 now make it simple for developers to build and deploy Java applications worldwide.

With the release of version 4.4, PointBase continues to be the provider of choice for robust and scalable Java databases in the embedded database market, which according to the Gartner, will grow from $477 million in 2002 to over $600 million in 2005. A recent study by IDC confirms that the market's strong growth will be driven in part by technology such as that provided by PointBase, particularly in markets such as healthcare, government, and manufacturing.

"With forecasts calling for half of all new development projects to be done in Java, we're paying attention," said Bruce Scott, founder and CEO of PointBase. "Version 4.4 of our product family continues to reduce the time to market and cost of ownership for both developers and end users. And the same benefits that drive so many developers to choose Java will often lead them to select an all Java PointBase product."

PointBase Embedded 4.4 is a powerful, small-footprint, Java Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) ideal for embedding in Java applications requiring a multi-threaded architecture, which allows multiple connections using the same JVM (Java Virtual Machine). Noted for its transparency to end users within applications, PointBase Embedded 4.4 offers true portability across all platforms; streamlined application deployment and integration and automatic administration. New features in version 4.4 include faster, more efficient Cluster Table organization, a new "Select for Update" feature that controls the behavior of concurrent access to data, user callable temporary tables, derived tables in the FROM clause and improved localization capabilities. For high transactional loads, the PointBase Server option is offered for multi-tiered networked applications. Features include row-level locking to minimize data contention and maximize performance, SQL security, encryption, multi-user JDBC connections and distributed transaction management.

PointBase Micro 4.4 is a high performance Java RDBMS that boasts an ultra small footprint of less than 45K for the next generation of Java-based handheld devices. Specifically designed for the J2SE and J2ME platforms, PointBase Micro uses a subset of the JDBC API. The all Java platform of PointBase Micro 4.4 opens the door for a wide variety of enterprise applications to run on today's growing number of small handheld devices and with this release comes a new localization capability for international markets.

PointBase UniSync, PointBase's Java-based synchronization product, gets further speed and performance enhancements in the new 4.4 release. PointBase UniSync 4.4, tightly integrated with the PointBase RDBMS's, provides bi-directional data synchronization between PointBase's database products and other enterprise databases such as Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. Enterprises can extend the reach of critical enterprise data with the PointBase end-to-end solution that includes a comprehensive set of synchronization features for distributed applications, including filtering and conflict resolution. New functionality in PointBase UniSync 4.4 allows for dynamic modifications, the addition of users and change modifications in real time without having to bring down the system.