Borland hedges on Interbase bet with SQL Server deal

Abstract

Borland International Inc. and Sybase Inc. recently announced a joint marketing and development deal that will have both companies working to optimize Borland's desktop tools, including dBase, Paradox, and the upcoming Delphi95, to work with Sybase's SQL Server database server through high-speed connections via Sybase's CTlib API.

A joint marketing and development deal announced last week will tie Borland International Inc.'s desktop tools more closely to Sybase Inc.'s SQL Server database and help both vendors plug holes in their lineups, analysts said.

But the deal may also signal that Borland is backing away from its stated intention to make its Interbase database server the cornerstone of its upsizing strategy, they added.

Both companies will work to optimize Borland's desktop tools, including dBase, Paradox, and the upcoming Delphi95, to work with Sybase's SQL Server database server through high speed connections via Sybase's CTlib API.

Updated tools will ship before the end of Borland's fiscal year next April 1, said Ken Gardner, vice president of products at Borland. Pricing has not been set.

Borland will also integrate optimized connections to Sybase SQL Server into its C++ compiler, Gardner said. Other future plans include integration with Sybase's Replication Server data replication tool and OmniSQL Gateway connectivity software.

The agreement contrasts sharply with Borland's earlier stated intention to make Interbase the key piece of its client/server product line and the integration point between desktop tools and other database servers.

Observers said Borland is hedging its bets on the Interbase database server by aligning with SQL Server and Sybase's large installed base.

"They have recognized that they are late to market with Interbase on key platforms," said John Faig, an analyst with the Meta Group, in Westport, Conn.

"You want to sell a database that goes along with your tools, but you have to go with what your customers have," Faig added.

Interbase, now in a final beta version, is on track to ship in December on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT and Novell Inc.'s NetWare, on other operating systems next year, and in a single-user version later this year. (See "Borland plans single-user version of Interbase," Oct. 17, page 8.)

"We were worried we would have to switch to Interbase," said Dana Kaufman, an application developer at Pan-Agora Asset Management, in Boston. The company has standardized on Paradox as a front-end development tool and is using Sybase SQL Server to upsize PC applications.

"A year ago when we went with Sybase, Interbase didn't have the technology they are talking about now. But Sybase did, and now Borland is exploiting that," Kaufman said.

As for Sybase, the deal gives it a set of dedicated tools to pitch in sales situations, because its tools strategy is still in disarray.

"We'll emphasize this relationship for users looking for tools," said Paul Koenig, director of server product marketing at Sybase.

Koenig said Sybase's plans to ship its Build Momentum tool in December are on track, and that that tool and Borland's lineup are not competitive. "They are more complementary," Koenig said.