July 15, 1996
Issue: 619
Section: Network Applications -- Client/Server and
PBX-to-Computer Applications, Database
By Martin Marshall
Corporate developers will be able to better integrate third-party applications with their databases using a new version of Oracle Designer 2000.
Version 1.3 of Oracle's modeling tool, to be released this week, provides support for 32-bit Microsoft Windows applications and has new output generators that will transform an application model into either a Visual Basic 4.0 project file or a C++ object. It also has a new, high-level graphics generator and the ability to create real Microsoft MS-Help files, instead of using Oracle Forms to support help functions, like previous versions.
"People wanted a real MS-Help generator. That was the most common request among our users," said Jeffrey Jacobs, president of the Oracle Development Tools User Group at the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company.
Jacobs uses Designer 2000 in his consulting business to integrate databases into corporate applications for Kaiser Permanente, Nationwide Insurance and Bristol Myers/Squibb. He said that though Designer 2000 version 1.3 has moved from 16-bit to 32-bit environments, developers can expect to see an overall speed increase of about 30 percent in applications, rather than a factor of two.
Version 1.3 is available on Windows 95, NT and 3.1 platforms, priced at $3,995.
Oracle can be reached at www.oracle.com or 800-842-4425.
Copyright * 1996 CMP Media Inc.