Declaring war on IBM’s DB2 relational database product, Belmont, California-based Oracle Corp yesterday announced new releases of its software for MVS and VM users on IBM mainframes from the 9370 to 3090. The products include a CICS Attach feature for transaction processing, and are a first step in a campaign to enhance Oracle’s position as the superior alternative to DB2 and SQL/DS. The MVS version includes full support for MVS/XA. CICS Attach enables users to access Oracle through IBM’s CICS/VS Version 1, release 7, as well as through TSO and batch. The MVS/SP version is also enhanced with new tools and ease-of-use features and, coupled with the VM/SP implementation, provides a single portable database for users who have a mixed MVS and VM shop, as well as enabling users to migrate to XA at their own pace while enjoying the capability of an DB2 program-compatible SQL database in the meantime. Oracle is of course a portable product that is also widely used under Unix. The firm did not give prices or availability dates for the new Oracle products.
