Sybase Inc, Emeryville, California last week unveiled Momentum, its new family of enterprise-wide application development tools for Microsoft Windows, Windows NT and Unix. The client-server Momentum model-based product development tool family, marketed under the slogan Applications from Models, offers an object-oriented development approach that uses business process models and data models to define applications, linking them to graphical user and multimedia front ends. It also offers a model repository for models to be standardised and distributed over an enterprise. Sybase is wooing software engineering vendors to contribute their own modelling tools to the repository, and so far Bachman Information Systems Inc, Interactive Development Environments Inc and Learmouth & Burchett Management Systems Plc have announced support for Enterprise Momentum. The tool set consists of three products: BuildMomentum, a graphical object-oriented application development tool; EnterpriseMomentum, an object-oriented repository and application modelling framework which complies with the CASE Data Integration Format and is based on Sybase’s contribution to the COMET database repository technology, originally developed with Lotus Development Corp but aborted in 1991 (CI No 1,593); and GainMomentum 2.0, the firm’s existing multimedia toolset from its Gain Technology Inc subsidiary.
Visual Basic-like syntax
BuildMomentum is a 32-bit graphical user interface-based application development tool for Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh and Motif systems. The product, which Sybase claims has nothing to do with Gain Technology’s object software, is based on a new object-oriented programming language, called ObjectMomentum. According to Sybase, the language has a Microsoft Visual Basic-like syntax, which will makes it easier for developers to build applications visually on screen. The software also supports Sybase’s existing range of character-based programming tools, APT WorkBench and APT SQL. Applications built in APT WorkBench can be translated into BuildMomentum automatically while working within the environment, says Phil Robinson, Sybase’s Northern European product manager. BuildMomentum is scheduled to go into beta test under Windows and NT in the fourth quarter and shipments will begin in the first quarter of 1994. Motif and Macintosh versions will follow, says Robinson. EnterpriseMomentum is Sybase’s repository-based development environment. According to Robinson, it consists of three product components: Enterprise Modeler, an integrated set of object-based modelers that graphically define application business rules, data structures and graphical user interface types; Enterprise Meta Server, a central repository which stores models, designs, data and third party tools; and Enterprise Application Builders, which automatically generate client and server application code. EnterpriseMomentum supports Motif, Macintosh, Windows and Windows NT systems. Sybase expects to deliver EnterpriseMomentum in the second half of 1994. Stewart Shuster, Sybase vice-president of marketing, denied any direct competition with IBM’s repository AD/Cycle, although he admitted there could be some overlap between the Momentum tools and third party software engineering products.
