Sybase

Timeline

• 1984: Robert Epstein, Mark Hoffman, Jane Doughty, and Tom Haggin founded Sybase (initially as System ware) in Epstein’s home in Berkeley, California.^[4] Their first commercial location was half of an office suite on Dwight Way in Berkeley. They set out to create a relational database management system (RDBMS) that would organize information and make it available to computers within a network.
• March 1986: Sybase enters into talks with Microsoft to license Data Server, a database product built to run on UNIX computers. Those talks led to a product called Ashton-Tate/Microsoft SQL Server 1.0, which shipped in May 1989.^[5]
• 1986: Sybase ships its first test programs.
• 1987: Sybase formally releases the Sybase system, the first high-performance DBMS for online applications providing the Human Genome Project with licenses for the first generation of client-server relational databases. Rather than having a vast central bank of data stored in a large mainframe computer, the Sybase System provided for a client-server computer architecture. Base called the database server "Sybase SQL Server".
• 1988: Sybase, Microsoft, and Ashton-Tate port the Sybase DBMS to the OS/2 platform. Microsoft markets the new product as SQL Server. The terms of the agreement give Microsoft a sole license to products on the Intel x86 platform. Ashton-Tate soon drops out.
• October 1989: Sybase releases additional products, introducing the Sybase Open Client-Server Interfaces—new software programs that provided generic client-server communication, allowing for greater connectivity within computer networks. Two phase commit protocols were included as part of Sybase SQL Server 3.0 as were stored procedures and triggers
• 1989: Sybase achieves sales of $56 million.
• August 1991: Sybase goes public at a split adjusted price of $4.40. Sybase SQL server 4.0, and later 4.8 (the first smp server) and 4.9.1, all outperformed competitors by significant margins in standard benchmarks.
• 1993: Sybase and Microsoft dissolve their partnership. Microsoft got a copy of the SQL Server code base. In exchange Sybase were free to deploy on the x86 platform which had now become the chip of choice for Unix. Sybase SQL Server version 4.2 and Microsoft SQL Server are identical. Their Transact-SQL (T-SQL) procedural language is the same, as is the basic process architecture. From this point there was divergence as Microsoft included more Windows features whilst Sybase added Enterprise features (performance and scaling).
• April 1993: Sybase introduced the first component of System 10, called OmniSQL Gateway. This program connected the various parts of a computer network, enabling users to access data changes made within the network.
• June 1993: Sybase announces its latest generation of software—named the System 10 product family; this consisted of the Database server, Replication Server for keeping replicate data up-to-date in near real time, and Navigation Server which had been developed in partnership with NCR to do shared nothing parallelisation across large numbers of databases. Backup Server was introduced to do high performance parallel backups and restores. SQL Monitor and SA Companion were provided to manage multiple servers.
• 1994: Sybase acquires Powersoft, the leading maker of development tools for client-server computing, with 40 percent of that market. Through the deal, Sybase acquired PowerBuilder, a rapid application development (RAD) tool and Powersoft’s leading product. The acquisition also marked the basis of Sybase’s entry into the enterprise mobility market with Watcom SQL, which Sybase renamed SQL Anywhere. When Sybase launched its mobility subsidiary, Sybase iAnywhere, in 2000, SQL Anywhere became its flagship relational database management system (RDBMS) and helped the company to become the leader of the mobile database market. Powersoft had acquired Watcom earlier that year. Sybase revenues are over $1bn.
• 1994: Sybase acquires Micro Decisionware (MDI), a middleware company. MDI was a privately held company based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Its first product was PC/SQL-link, a tool that enabled PC users to build SQL statements and send them to mainframe databases, with results returned to the PC. MDI's second product, the MDI Database Gateway, provided connectivity for PC-based applications (such as PowerBuilder) to execute SQL queries against mainframe databases.The MDI Database Gateway was in competition with the Sybase middleware solution. After the acquisition, some MDI Database Gateway features were integrated into the Sybase solution.
• 1995: Sybase’s flagship database product Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) V11.0 released. This was a major performance release giving massive scalability up to 16 processors. (100% for the first 15 and 25% for the 16th in a benchmark run for a UK government contract). This server outperformed all competitors in standard benchmarks. Sybase launches PowerDesigner, a modeling and metadata management solution, following its acquisition of PowerAMC. Sybase share price peaks at $96.
• 1996 Sybase renames the main product SQL Server to its current name Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) for version 11.5. Anywhere 5 is released. It includes SQL Remote, SQL Central, Transact SQL syntax, and support for the Sybase Replication Server.
• In 1996, Mitchell Kertzman, Powersoft CEO, was appointed CEO of Sybase. Sybase launched Sybase IQ, the first column-based analytics platform.
• January 1998: Sybase announced that it had found inconsistencies in profits reporting from its Japanese division, and would restate the financial results for the company for the last three quarters of 1997.^[6] Five executives in Sybase's Japanese subsidiary were found to have used side letters to artificially inflate the profits from their operations. Following a class-action lawsuit,^[7] the five executives involved were fired.
• November 1998: John S. Chen is appointed Chairman, CEO and President.^[8]
• 1998: SQL Anywhere 6 released, with new names Adaptive Server Anywhere as the engine and part of the SQL Anywhere Studio, which now includes SQL Modeler (later PowerDesigner), Java is introduced to the database.
• 1999: Sybase’s flagship database product Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) V12.0 released.
• 2000: Sybase returns to profitability under the management of John S. Chen. iAnywhere Solutions, Inc. is founded as a subsidiary of Sybase.
• 2001: Sybase acquires New Era of Networks, a leading application integration company that produces the e-Biz Integrator middleware, though it stops offering this product in 2004.
• 2003: Sybase launches the “Unwired Enterprise” strategy.^[9]
• 2004: Sybase acquires XcelleNet, frontline device management software based in Georgia, to enhance its Unwired Enterprise strategy.
• 2005: Sybase releases ASE 15.0.
• August 2006: iAnywhere announces release of SQL Anywhere 10.
• November 2006: Sybase acquires Mobile 365, a mobile data and messaging company, and renames it Sybase365, based in Boston, Massacheusetts.
• 2007: Sybase crossed the $1 billion mark.^[10]
• 2008: Sybase releases Adaptive Server Enterprise, Cluster Edition, with Oracle RAC-like shared-everything clusterability, but based on an open architecture and less costly. Sybase launches RAP – The Trading Edition, an analytics platform for Wall Street. In August of the same year, Sybase promoted the Sybase Unwired Platform (SUP), a platform for developing mobile applications across a heterogeneous environment. In September 2008, Sybase 365 expanded its messaging interoperability with the launch of its global Multimedia Messaging Exchange, MMX 365.
• May 2008, the Sybase IQ analytics server set a new Guinness World Record by powering the world’s largest data warehouse.^[11]
• August 2008: Sybase unveils the Sybase Unwired Platform (SUP), a platform for developing mobile applications across a heterogeneous environment.
• September 2008: Sybase 365 expands its messaging interoperability with the launch of its global Multi-media Messaging Exchange, MMX 365.
• January 2009, Sybase acquires mPayment solutions provider paybox.^[12].
• March 2009: Sybase and SAP partner to deliver the SAP Business Suite software to iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and other devices.
• May 2009: Sybase begins packaging MicroStrategy business intelligence software with its Sybase IQ server.^[13]
• September 2009: Sybase and Verizon partner to manage mobility solutions for enterprises worldwide through Verizon’s Managed Mobility Solutions, which uses Sybase’s enterprise device management platform.
• May 2010: SAP announced that it would be acquiring Sybase for $5.8 billion.^[14]
• July 2010: SAP completes tender offer for shares of Sybase and its acquisition.^[15]
• August 2010: Sybase partners with telecommunications partners to offer the world's first fully operational IPX Voice hub.^[16]
• September 2010: Sybase 365 becomes one of the largest independent (non-telco) exchanges for text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages by delivering more than 1 trillion messages – equivalent to 32,000 per second for an entire year.^[17]
• November 2010: Sybase and Verizon deliver Mobile Services Enablement Platform to reduce the complexity for enterprises to develop and deploy mobile apps, even if they have diverse back-end software and user devices (i.e. multiple brands and platforms of smartphones and tablets).^[18] The need appears to be there: 90% of IT managers plan to deploy new mobile apps and one in two believe that successfully managing mobile apps will top their priority list, according to a January survey sponsored by Sybase.^[19]
• February 2011: Sybase is positioned in Leaders quadrant in Gartner's 2011 Data Warehouse Database Management System Magic Quadrant.^[20]
• July 2011: Sybase awarded Best CEP Provider and Best Enterprise Data Management Provider at the Water Rankings Awards,.^[21]
• September 2011: Sybase Celebrates 20-Year PowerBuilder Milestone.^[22]
• November 2011: Sybase integrates statistical programming language R in Sybase RAP for Capital Markets Analytics.^[23]
• February 2012: Sybase 365 Recognized by Juniper Research among leaders in the Future of Mobile Commerce.^[24] Sybase is designated a Leader in the 2012 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Warehouse DBMS.^[25]
• October 2012: All Sybase employees are incorporated into SAP's workforce.
• November 2012: After leading Sybase for 15 years, Sybase CEO and President John S. Chen leaves Sybase following the completion of Sybase's integration into SAP.

Data management products

• Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) – Enterprise Class RDBMS, with a data analytics warehouse system.
• Advantage Database Server (ADS) – Relational Database Management System
• Sybase Replication Server – a platform for data replication and movement between database systems, including Sybase and Oracle, a vendor-neutral data-movement system

Analytics products

• Sybase IQ – an analytics data warehousing and business intelligence RDBMS
• RAP the Trading Edition- a capital markets analytics platform
• Sybase Complex Event Processing – Optimized real-time risk and trade analytics software

Mobility products

• SQL Anywhere – RDBMS with a small footprint designed for mobility
• Afaria – Mobile device management and security software
• Sybase Unwired Platform (SUP) – a framework for developing mobile applications that SAP is using both as a development platform and a device management system^[28]
• SMS Ad Exchange – an SMS mobile advertising service.
• GRX 365 – network performance and security
• mBanking 365 – a mobile banking product
• MMS 365 – a content delivery gateway
• MMX 365 – a messaging exchange
• Sybase 365 mCommerce Solution – for the mobile messaging and mobile commerce markets, an end-to-end solution for mBanking, mPayments and mRemittance

Tools

• PowerBuilder – a rapid application development (RAD) tool
• PowerDesigner – a modeling and design tool

Sybase offers products for several operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows
• Several varieties of Unix
• Linux

Boeing's Spatial Query Server (SQS)^[29]

Sybase partnered with The Boeing Company to develop and license SQS.

• SQS enables a Sybase ASE Database to optimally store and query data that represents objects defined in a geometric space. SQS is a spatial database.