Implementing Business Intelligence (BI) using the Adabas SQL Gateway

1. Implementing Business Intelligence (BI) using the Adabas SQL Gateway Patrick Gould Natural Conference 2006

2. Why we need Business Intelligence? • Business Intelligence enables organizations to make well informed business decisions and thus can be the source of competitive advantages • The ultimate objective of business intelligence is to improve the timeliness and quality of information

3. Why we need Business Intelligence? • Business intelligence reveals to you: • The position of your firm as in comparison to its competitors • Changes in customer behavior and spending patterns • The capabilities of your firm • Market conditions, future trends, demographic and economic information • The social, regulatory, and political environment • What the other firms in the market are doing • You can then deduce from the information gathered what adjustments need to be made • Businesses realize that in this very competitive, fast paced, and ever-changing business environment, a key competitive quantity is how quickly they respond and adapt to change

4. Benefits of Business Intelligence • BI provides many benefits to companies utilizing it. It can eliminate a lot of the guesswork within an organization, enhance communication among departments while coordinating activities, and enable companies to respond quickly to changes in financial conditions, customer preferences, and supply chain operations. BI improves the overall performance of the company using it

5. Benefits of Business Intelligence • Information is often regarded as the second most important resource a company has (a company's most valuable assets are its people) • When a company can make decisions based on timely and accurate information, the company can improve its performance • BI also expedites decision-making, as acting quickly and correctly on information before competing businesses do can often result in competitively superior performance • It can also improve customer experience, allowing for the timely and appropriate response to customer problems and priorities

6. Software AG’s answer to helping with Business Intelligence • This Presentation and Demo session will highlight how the Adabas SQL Gateway (ACE) can help with integrating Adabas Data into Business Intelligence Tools • Presentation will cover product overview, customer references and details on the personnel trial copy of the software • Demo will cover all the options for integrating Adabas Data into your sites client toolsets with both Java and Microsoft IDE’s, Query and Business Intelligence tools etc

7. Adabas Openness & InteroperabilityCustomer Pain and Solutions • CUSTOMER PAIN: • Have SQL-based applications that need to access data managed in Adabas • Perception that Adabas systems are closed and proprietary – but daunting cost, risk and time that would be involved in trying to replace these systems • Heterogeneous application and DBMS landscape and integration projects are typically costly and time intensive • Business analysts need access to Adabas using desktop applications • SOLUTIONS: • Adabas SQL Gateway • SQL Gateways for other DBMS

8. Adabas Openness and InteroperabilityCore Value Proposition • ADVANTAGE: • Use industry standards • Access by business analysts using desktop applications • Developers do not need to know Adabas • Direct access to Adabas data with minimal coding compared to complex integration strategies • GAIN: • Increased Productivity • Meet business demands more quickly and with lower cost • Increase the return on years of investment in Adabas • Count on the reliability, performance, ease of use and low TCO for Adabas well into the future • Reduces burden on IT

9. Why do we need ACE ? • Provides SQL access to ADABAS • Industry/ANSI standard SQL • No new programming language for programmers to learn • ACE translates SQL calls to ADABAS calls • For example: • Can access ADABAS data directly from Microsoft EXCEL • Use embedded SQL in a COBOL program

10. Adabas SQL Gateway Architecture - ODBC/JDBC Windows,Unix,LINUX z/OS, VSE, Unix, LINUX, Win O D B C Adabas SQL Gateway Client Adabas SQL Gateway Server TCP/IP Desktop Apps: Crystal Reports, Business Objects and access from ADO.NET and OLE DB environments Data Dictionary (Windows) JDBC Server J D B C Adabas Gateway Client TCP/IP Java Programs with embedded SQL statements Data Dictionary (Windows)

11. Adabas SQL Gateway Sample Configuration

12. Adabas SQL Gateway Implementation Options • Direct access to Adabas data from client applications • Use concept of virtual database like Microsoft Access to bring down specific data when needed and use virtual database as source to Business Intelligence • Use together with Event Replicator for Adabas and allow direct access to replicated Adabas data from client applications

13. Success Stories and Solution Scenarios

14. Adabas SQL Gateway Sales Stories Washington State University • Business Problem: Washington State University needed to enable newer systems written in ASP, JSP, VB, JAVA and C to issue SQL queries against Adabas data • Product: Adabas SQL Gateway • Solution: Implemented the Adabas SQL Gateway campus wide to support the following systems: Student Prospect Tracking System, Housing Reservation, On-line Transcript Order, Registrar's Office • Other Details: • Fully referenceable, happy customer since 1985 • Adabas SQL Gateway dislodged a competitor product which the customer was very unhappy with • What closed the sale? • Lower cost of ownership for SQL access to Adabas • Lower resource utilization, increased performance

15. Adabas SQL Gateway Sales Stories Baur Versand GmbH and CO. KG • Business Problem: Bauer had several home-made systems for reporting and Ad-hoc query which were inflexible • Product: Adabas SQL Gateway • Solution: By replacing their in-house system with the Adabas SQL Gateway, Bauer realized the following benefits: • More flexible and faster access to critical business data on Adabas • Standard SQL Access to Adabas via Business Intelligence tools • No more individual programming efforts for reports and ad-hoc analysis • More insight into business data and better analysis results • Other details: • Fully referenceable customer

16. Adabas SQL Gateway Sales Stories BP Marine Ltd. • Business Problem: Customers and agents had to undergo a laborious process to access data, such as oil sample analysis for cargo ships. The process involved IT running queries through Natural and then posting, scanning and fax/email to the intended recipient • Products: Adabas SQL Gateway, Natural Productivity Pack • Solution: • The Adabas SQL Gateway allows reports to be created by end users using Business Objects of 3rd party SQL apps in near real time • Natural Reporter from NPP provides a means to automatically format and email the standard reports produced from the system • Other details: • BP views the revitalized system as a springboard to providing a wider range of info services to customers

17. Product Roadmap

18. Adabas SQL Gateway v651 • General Availability Date – April 13, 2006 • Platforms: • Server on z/OS, z/VSE, HP-UX, Solaris, AIX, Linux Intel • Client on: AIX, HP-UX, Solaris, Linux (Intel) • Internationalization • Processing business data • Support Adabas UES • Unicode support for meta data • Support Arabic (LamAlef) • Supports DDL • Create/drop table/column with Adabas 5.1 for Open Systems

19. Adabas SQL Gateway v651 • Optimization • Super-Descriptors in MU/PE • End-of-query processing • Adabas SQL Server (ESQ) Migration • Data type Support – LA, MU, subfield • Information Schema • Mainframe support – 1. Step • Embedded SQL • Cobol pre-compiler on mainframe • C pre-compiler on Unix, Linux • Data Types • Long-alpha fields • W-fields

20. Adabas SQL Gateway v652 • New Platform • Support of Linux on zSeries (64-bit) • It has the following base components, as per other server platforms supported by the Adabas SQL Gateway: • JDBC Server (32-bit) • ODBC Client (unix ODBC) • Embedded SQL • ACEINT command line query tool • Customers migrating applications to Adabas on on z/Linux will have easy access to Adabas data through standard SQL based applications

21. Adabas SQL Gateway v652 • Performance Improvements • Multiple Descriptor searches • Usage of Multilple Descriptors, when descriptor columns are contained in a WHERE clause. The ‘S1’ command is now used. In previous versions it was an ‘L3’ command • Benefit: Faster and more efficient processing of SQL statements when the WHERE Clause is invoked • Changes to record update command processing • Improved processing of INSERT and UPDATE statements. • SQL statements that add or update records will run faster • Improved use of Adabas Direct calls

22. Adabas SQL Gateway v661 • Target Release Date – 4Q 2006 • Final step for ESQ Migration • Next step of internationalization • Large object support • Enhanced metadata support (Predict) • BS2000 native support • SQL Optimization

23. Adabas SQL Gateway - Demo Adabas SQL Gateway Demo using: Microsoft Excel, JAVA, Crystal Reports, .NET, Infonaut, Adabas SQL Gateway Dictionary

24. Key Takeaways: Adabas SQL Gateway Openness and interoperability with minimal resource usage • Why is it better? • No knowledge of Adabas required by programmers • Avoid costly and time-intensive integration projects • Traditional ‘mainframe class’ stability and service • Simple installation and configuration • Close integration with Adabas • What’s in it for the customer? • Increased productivity • Keeps costs down • Reduced training requirements • Agility and open access

25. New Developer Copy of theAdabas SQL Gateway

26. Adabas SQL Gateway Developer’s Edition • Why use the Adabas SQL Gateway Version 6.5.1 Developer's Edition? • See for yourself how easy it is to access Adabas Data? • Easy to install with step by step installation and configuration manual • Pick up a copy of the CD as you leave the session Thanks for listening and enjoy the rest of the conference