Sterling Software Inc’s Answer Systems division has joined the band of software vendors rushing out IBM Systems Application Architecture-compliant product announcements, with its Presentation/Answer communications software for PS/2 Models 50 and above. Sterling describes the product as a bridge between business analysis tools on the PS/2 and host data, and claims it facilitates access to IBM mainframe databases, enabling lay users to summarise and download data to the workstation. However, once set up, the system is primarily a local one; database administrators have to determine individual data entitlements prior to access. Sterling argues, however, that security issues render procedures of this kind routine for administrators within distributed processing environments, adding that, once authorisation has been obtained, utilities such as the DB2 Data Dictionary can be downloaded in a matter of minutes. At the workstation level, users enter specifications and conditions via Common User Access-compliant windows and dialogue boxes. Extracted data arrives as a set of on-screen files, entered via the menu. Although the product has no inbuilt automatic updating facility, a company spokesman claimed that Presentation Manager was one of a range of tools within OS/2’s Database Manager that could be used to achieve this. An availability date of the mid 1990 lies behind the company’s claims of Systems Application Architecture compliance for the software. President Don Annala also pledges migration of other products to support SAA, confident that it will bring immense benefits to customers. Prices for a complete sys-tem, supporting 10 concurrent users, and supplying PS/2 and host components for IMS/DC, CICS/OS, CICS/VSE, and TSO environments, will range from $18,000 to $56,000, depending upon the mainframe configuration.
