It's the dummy again trying to learn about database structure and
pluses and minuses. My company offers a very functional retail POS
solution that runs on a Sybase DB platform known as IAnywhere and
offers as its main virtue replication of multiple retail store
databases every ten minutes so it is what I refer to as almost
realtime. It has been very reliable to date and host information is
almost up to the minute. Now, I am competing for a sizeable order
(software mainly) against a company with a feature rich retail
applications package that is running on an object oriented db called
Progressive open edge. Here is my question, can an object oriented db
also support SQL and does this db lend itself to real time or near
real time data replication because the retail application package
keeps referring to nightly polling or a host download of an inventory
sheet. This prospective customer has 25 retail locations and a catalog
business and a quasi website business. I am promoting the concept of
a more seamless integration or convergence of the internet, his retail
stores, his catalog store, and hopefully some kiosks going forward.
There are new retail strategies emerging like stored value cards,
refund tracking by transaction number, ordering on the web and picking
up at the store, and store cross checking of inventory most of which
we can do because of the replication and near real time updating. I
know that Sybase is way more popular and it uses SQL for interrogation
but is it a better fit for any reason than Progressive object oriented
db? A nice tip is awaiting the person who can give me a compelling
argument SOON as to why iAnywhere is a better db solution than
progressive Open Edge. |
