Informix Software Inc, Menlo Park, California, has enhanced versions of its Informix-4GL, Informix-SQL and Informix-ESQL/C for Digital Equipment Corp’s VMS operating system, and has also made the C-ISAM indexed sequential access method for Unix available for VMS as well. The performance enhancements to Informix-4GL, Informix-SQL and Informix-ESQL/C under VMS enable users to update, insert and delete data up to 30% faster than before, Informix claims. C-ISAM uses B+ tree indexes for data retrieval and provides file and record level locking to protect data integrity. ISAM-style programming enhances the functionality of SQL with explicit key selection, composite keys and next and previous reading in a chosen key order. Informix believes that most programmers are accustomed to these features, which are missing from SQL. C-ISAM is also compatible with the Informix front-end database tools, including Informix-4GL, -SQL and -ESQL/C. With these new releases we’ve improved our already fast retrieval times to meet the continuing high performance requirements of our customers.
This kind of performance allows them to make more productive use of their hardware by adding users without experiencing system degradation, the company reckons adding that C-ISAM is a unique product that has always set us apart from our SQL database management system competitors. No other SQL database provides this type of subroutine interface to data in an otherwise SQL database. In addition to this lower level, alternative functionality, C-ISAM provides high speed access to database data on VMS and increased portability of Informix applications from standard operating systems such as Unix and MS-DOS to VMS. C ISAM and the new versions of Informix-4GL, -SQL and -ESQL/C are set for shipment during the current quarter. US pricing for C ISAM will start at $1,000. Pricing for the products with performance enhancements remains the same, starting at $4,300 for Informix-4GL, $2,700 for Informix-SQL and $2,100 for Informix ESQL/C. The company has also announced that its products can now be distributed across networks of MS-DOS micros and VMS machines linked by DEC’s DECnet network architecture using the DECnet-DOS facility.
