BMC Software Releases New SQL-BackTrack, DBXray, and SQL-Explorer Applications for Oracle

"As a current user of SQL-BackTrack we are extremely excited about BMC's move to Web-enable this product," said Regina Weishuhn, Oracle DBA, VHA Incorporated. "The functionality of SQL-BackTrack is very easy to manage, whether you're a professional using it or a novice. Taking this easy to use solution to the Web will simplify our back-up and recovery process even more as it will be easier to get to, regardless of our DBAs location. Since many people have the Internet, we anticipate this to help with our overhead as it won't take much for our DBAs to get SQL-BackTrack going."

Additional highlights of today's announcement include the introduction of new built-in intelligence features to BMC Software's SmartDBA DBXray(TM) diagnostic and visualization tool for Oracle and its SQL-Explorer(TM) tuning product for Oracle.

"Today's announcement is one of many upcoming deliverables that support our Project Golden Gate vision," said Gene Austin, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Data Management, BMC Software. "The integration of the industry's leading distributed database recovery offering, SQL-BackTrack, into our SmartDBA architecture provides customers with the most comprehensive solution to manage Oracle."

Backup and Recovery Integration with SmartDBA

In this cost-conscious environment of 24x7 business, companies cannot afford the cost of downtime for dealing with manual backup and recovery of databases. The faster a database is up and running, the lower the costs absorbed by the business. With today's introduction of SQL-BackTrack for Oracle v3.4.10, BMC Software is automating the backup and recovery process for increased business availability and staff productivity.

The integration of SQL-BackTrack with SmartDBA cockpit will allow DBAs to easily perform backups and recoveries from any location that has Web access. In addition to greater management freedom, the integration will provide users with a single location to access SQL-BackTrack, regardless of the number of servers being used. This single location access increases DBA productivity by eliminating the need for multiple server log-ins, which was previously required to perform backups and recoveries.

Enriched Data Management with DBXray

With the ever-increasing growth of business critical data across a multitude of database environments, there is a greater need for reliable tools that quickly and easily identify current and impending database performance and availability problems. With the introduction of DBXray for Oracle v3.0, BMC Software is expanding the functionality of its DBA diagnostic and visualization tool with new built-in intelligence features. The new Trace User Session capability simplifies the time-consuming task of identifying and resolving user related performance problems by automating the multiple steps required with a single action. The Alarm Calibration and History feature records all activity that exceeds current performance thresholds and allows the DBA to easily analyze performance trends and then take proactive action to correct the problems immediately. Additionally, the DBA is given the option to instruct DBXray to automatically adjust the performance thresholds based on the historical activity recorded.

Intelligent SQL Rewrite and Built-in Simulation Capabilities

The performance of business critical applications often hinges on the efficiency of its SQL statements and the underlying indexes. SQL-Explorer for Oracle optimizes the performance of a database and maximizes system availability by capturing, analyzing, and fixing problematic SQL and database objects. With the introduction of SQL-Explorer for Oracle v6.2, BMC Software is introducing an extended SQL rewrite engine capable of evaluating tens of thousands of potential rewrites and recommending the most efficient SQL statement. This built-in intelligence enables overextended DBAs and developers to deliver well-tuned SQL that maximizes application performance. The addition of new simulation capabilities for safe scenario testing enhances simulation capabilities and allows DBAs and developers to test the impact of SQL, indexes, and parameter changes safely, without affecting their production systems.

Pricing and Availability

SQL-BackTrack for Oracle v3.4.10 and SQL Explorer v6.2 will be available worldwide in December. DBXray v3.0 will be available worldwide in January 2003. Pricing and additional information on BMC Software's SmartDBA(TM) family, is available at http://www.bmc.com/solutions/database/.

The complete press release is available at http://www.bmc.com/corporate/nr2002/111802_1.html.

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