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--- IN DATABASE BENCHMARK, db4o UP TO 44x FASTER THAN HIBERNATE ---
In newly published tests using the independent open source benchmark PolePosition, db4o outperformed a Hibernate solution running on MySQL by a factor of 3-44 in various transactional tasks.
Hibernate is a popular object-relational mapper that "wraps" relational databases to store objects directly. Such object-relational mappers are becoming increasingly popular tools for linking object-oriented programming languages like Java and C# with relational databases such as Oracle or MySQL. But the new benchmark results demonstrate that this solution is only viable if resources are abundant and performance is not critical.
PolePosition is an open source database benchmark that can be downloaded and used to evaluate any database against performance claims. Created by Joerg Plewe as an independent open source project on SourceForge, it features an open platform to build and run "racing circuits" as a representation of different transactional tasks, measuring database performance. While most closed-source databases forbid publishing benchmarks, open source products can be publicly benchmarked and compared. To include additional products in the PolePosition benchmark comparisons, or to build your own test environment, visit www.polepos.org.
--- NEW db4o ObjectManager VISUALIZES OBJECTS IN db4o DATABASE ---
Many of you have asked for it, and now it's finally here! We are happy to announce the first release of db4o's new ObjectManager, an add-on designed to "look" into a db4o database and read the object structure therein.
The ObjectManager is a great tool for software developers to monitor what's happening in their database in real-time while they write their application. Especially for developers new to OOP or ODBMS or both, the ObjectManager helps make life - and the transition to OOP-thinking - much easier. It can also used by third parties to look into a database file, and/or and build ad-hoc queries for instances of a class, because classes do not need to be present on a system to browse objects.
The ObjectManager is written in Java, but can be used to browse Java, .NET and Mono db4o databases - showing off db4o's unique cross-platform capabilities.
The db4o ObjectManager is available for immediate download from our Download Center [Screenshot].
--- INTRODUCING OBJECT-ORIENTED DATA REPLICATION IN VERSION 4.5 ---
We are proud to announce db4o's groundbreaking object replication technology in development Release 4.5, available for immediate download from our Download Center.
Data synchronization is a common headache in distributed systems, especially in hand-held systems with offline replication. The db4o solution takes advantage of object-oriented replication, which is much simpler than conventional replication out of database tables.
Objects are cohesive "capsules" with a rich structure by nature, much better suited for seamless replication than systems that require you to hand-pick a set of relations among dozens of relational tables. A conventional relational database doesn't know without the developers' code that, for instance, replicating customer #455 from database A to database B also needs to include related data from the table "customer_detail" but not from "customer_type." In an object-oriented environment, all attributes necessary for real-world matching replication can be perfectly designed into the object model, demonstrating the scope of replication without the need to write a single line of code.
Check db4o's Knowledge Base for detailed instructions on how to use replication.
--- FROM A PLUGGABLE TO A GENERIC REFLECTOR - CORE BENEFITS TO OO PROGRAMMERS ---
With V4.4 we released the pluggable reflector interface enabling OO developers to write their own reflectors. Consequently, version 4.5 brings with it a powerful new generic reflector available for immediate download from our Download Center.
With the generic reflector, you can now run a db4o server without having to deploy application classes. You can also easily start accessing objects and values where classes or fields are no longer available as source code. One implementation of this is the new ObjectManager, which allows you to "look" into databases, even when the classes with which the objects were stored are no longer available.
The generic reflector fully replaces and supersedes the current "StoredClass" and "StoredField" functionality. Now you can not only search and monitor objects of classes that are no longer present on the system, but you can also describe complex queries on them and update
them during refactorings.
There are a number of additional incremental improvements in version 4.5. Mono users, for instance, will see that the complete regression test suite now passes without a single exception. Just download your version of 4.5 to discover the benefits yourself!
--- NEW SUCCESS STORY: BOSCH GOES 10% FASTER TO MARKET ---
db4o is at the heart of BOSCH Sigpack Systems AG's new state-of-the-art packaging robot Delta XR31, a complex, high-speed robotic system used for packaging food products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer electronics.
Using db4o, the company has achieved a significant productivity jump and a time-saving effect of at least 10%.
Read story | download PDF.
--- NEW WHITEPAPER: COMPLEX OBJECT STRUCTURES, PERSISTENCE AND db4o ---
In a newly published whitepaper, renowned author Rick Grehan explores the issue of complexity in object-oriented programming and how persistence solutions cope with it. He distinguishes flat, complex, and dynamic object models.
Grehan illustrates several hypothetical programming applications, examining the classes and objects that programmers would potentially choose to tackle these. These instances demonstrate his point that the former - the class and object structures chosen for the application - can flow easily into the latter - the persistent storage. "In other words, that developers' time and efforts need not be so violently divided between designing the data structures that form the application's business logic, and data structures that satisfy the application's persistent storage requirements."
Grehan's two key findings are:
- db4o lets you work with object structures almost as though they were 'in-memory' structures. Little additional coding is required to manage object persistence.
- As the persistence requirements become more complex, db4o's unique design takes care of the added complexity, so you can continue to work as though that complexity were never introduced.
Download the full whitepaper for free!
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We appreciate your feedback, you can email us. Please let us know what you are thinking, and how we can help you. And please don't forget to share your db4o success stories with us!
With best regards
The db4objects team.
www.db4o.com
newsletter@db4o.com
Phone +1 (650) 577-2340
1900 S Norfolk Street, Suite 350
San Mateo, CA 94403 (USA)
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