SQL Anywhere

SQL Anywhere can be run on Windows, Windows CE, Mac OS X, and various UNIX platforms, including Linux, AIX, HP-UX and Solaris. Database files are independent of the operating system, allowing them to be copied between supported platforms. The product provides several standard interfaces (ODBC, JDBC, and ADO.NET) and a number of special interfaces such as PHP and Perl. The engine supports stored procedures, user functions (using Watcom SQL, T-SQL, Java, or C/C++), triggers, referential integrity, row-level locking, replication, high availability, proxy tables, and events (scheduled and system events). Strong encryption is supported for both database files and client-server communication.

SQL Anywhere is used in several contexts, including as an embedded database, particularly as an application data store. For example, it is used in Intuit QuickBooks,[1] in network management products, and in backup products. Its ability to be used with minimal administration is a distinguishing feature in this role. It can be used as a database server for work groups or for small or medium-sized businesses. It can also function as a mobile database. It includes scalable data synchronization technology that provides change-based replication between separate databases, including large server-based RDBMS systems.

SQL Anywhere Server is a high performing and embeddable relational database-management system (RDBMS) that scales from thousands of users in server environments down to desktop and mobile applications used in widely deployed, zero-administration environments.

Ultralite: UltraLite is a database-management system designed for small-footprint mobile devices such as PDAs and smart phones.

Mobilink: MobiLink is a highly-scalable, session-based synchronization technology for exchanging data among relational databases and other non-relational data sources.

QAnywhere: QAnywhere facilitates the development of robust and secure store-and-forward mobile messaging applications.

SQL Remote: SQL Remote technology is based on a store and forward architecture that allows occasionally connected users to synchronize data between SQL Anywhere databases using a file or message transfer mechanism.

[2] SQL Anywhere databases are designed for a full range of functionality including enterprise servers, embedded applications, desktop servers, remote offices, and mobile applications.  The SQL Anywhere database is designed to be self managing, requiring no DBA to constantly maintain the database system. Everything is in the box with SQL Anywhere.

SQL Anywhere is a lot cheaper: purchase price, licensing fees, AND the price you won't have to pay for all the technical support. Especially because you only have one thing to buy.

The SQL Anywhere database is light weight, but still offers full enterprise features such as:

• High Availability
• Database Clustering
• Snapshot Isolation
• Materialized Views
• Built-in Web Services Server
• Self-tuning Query Optimizer

SAP ASE is a fully featured enterprise database server designed specifically for mission-critical data management systems and ASE offers features such as:

• High Availability
• Encrypted Columns
• Advanced Security
• Distributed Transactions
• Content Management
• Data Partitioning

For example, SAP ASE is having multiple components for respective functionality and expensive compared to SQL Anywhere: if you want to replicate data between Oracle and ASE, you have to buy ASE, then you have to buy Replication Server, then you have to buy the Oracle version of something call "Replication Server Options". With SQL Anywhere, MobiLink is in the box, and so is the interface for Oracle. And the docs are all in one Help file too.

• Initially created by Watcom as Watcom SQL.
• Version 3: 1992
• Watcom acquired by Powersoft in 1993; Watcom SQL shipped with their visual programming environment PowerBuilder
• Version 4: 1994 (Stored procedures, triggers)
• PowerSoft and Sybase merged in 1995: Watcom SQL was renamed SQL Anywhere.
• Version 5: 1995 (SQL Remote data replication; graphical administration tools)
• Version 6: 1998. Renamed Adaptive Server Anywhere (ASA). (multi-processor support, Java objects in the database)
• Version 6.0.2: 1999 (MobiLink data synchronization, UltraLite mobile database for Palm OS and Windows CE)
• Version 7: 2000 (dynamic cache, task scheduling and event handling, cross-platform administration tools)
• Version 8: 2001 (Volcano query optimizer, encrypted data storage and transmission)
• Version 9: 2003 (Index consultant, embedded HTTP server)
• Version 10: 2006 – renamed SQL Anywhere (high availability, intra-query parallelism, materialized views)[3]
• Version 11: 2008 (full text search, BlackBerry support)[4]
• Version 12: 2010 released by SAP Sybase (support for spatial data)[5][6]
• Version 16: April 18, 2013 – (faster synchronization and improved security)[7]
• Version 17: July 15, 2015; released by SAP [8]

• SQL Anywhere official product page