Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!ll-xn!husc6!ut-sally!ut-emx!lad-shrike!monty
From: monty@AUSTIN.LOCKHEED.COM (john montgomery)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: SYBASE
Summary: Re: Sybase (long)
Keywords: SYBASE, Evaluation
Message-ID: <86@titmouse.AUSTIN.LOCKHEED.COM>
Date: 17 Feb 88 21:59:00 GMT
References: <1241@polyslo.UUCP>
Organization: Lockheed Austin Div.
Lines: 81
Posted: Wed Feb 17 15:59:00 1988

In article <1241@polyslo.UUCP>, lchirica@polyslo.UUCP (Laurian Chirica) writes:
> We are looking at the possibility of acquiring SYBASE.
> Is there anyone who has first hand experience using SYBASE? 

We have been using SYBASE for several months now.  While my opinion in
no way reflects that of my company, This is a short summary of what I think
its good and bad points are:

User Interface  (In Sybase, The Data Workbench)

GOOD:  Very nice user interface, with pop down menus, easy to use data 
       dictionary, excellent copy in/out features, a pretty versatile Report
       Writer, plus a lot more.  Also provides VQL (Visual Query Language),
       which helps the novice in building joins, selecting columns, etc.

BAD:   The window for editing sql queries has a 3072 (as I recall) character
       limit.  If you are doing some pretty fancy string matching, you can eat
       this up fast.  What this means is that you have to edit your big
       queries using some other text editor, then run them using the more
       primitive query editor which they provide. 

Performance:

GOOD:  Since the DataServer is written in C, and appears to have been optimized
       a good deal, it is very fast.  I haven't done any reliable benchmarks,
       but it certainly seems faster than RDB on a VAX, for instance.

BAD:   I haven't checked the new release yet, but in the old release certain
       types of OR's processed veerrrry slowly. 

System Administration/Data Security

This is one of the areas in which Sybase really shines.  The system provides a
multiple level hierarchical permissions system, allows you to set permissions
on a column by column basis within tables and views, and on execute permission
on triggers, stored procedures, and reports.  I have never had to use a 
"work-around" to protect data.

Backup/Recovery

GOOD:  Sybase provides a good, simple tape backup, and strongly supports
       large databases which would require multiple tapes to backup.  It also
       provides for transaction logging, so that incremental dailies can be
       performed.  The system is very flexible, and backups can be done to
       cartridge or Unix file if so desired (although Sybase suggests that
       dumps be done to tape).

BAD:   If you have multiple small databases (by the way, what C J Date calls
       schemas are called databases by Sybase), Sybases restriction of one 
       database per tape can really eat up the tape.  I would imagine this
       would be especially frustrating if you had very volatile data, so that
       backups needed to be done quite frequently.

Software Interface

GOOD:  Sybase supports interfaces to C, Fortran and Cobol, with an Ada version
       supposedly on the way.  They take the 'library approach' instead of
       embedded SQL.  The libraries are large, with a lot of functionality.

BAD:   Not much.  Perhaps a little inconsistent in parameter lists.


Form Generator

They have a form generator/4GL called APT-FORMS.  I've used this, and it's
pretty nice.  There are some licensing headaches though, esp. if you're
bundling for resale.
 


Summary:  Sybase is a good product, but only fully realizes its potential in
large, distributed applications.  If you want a database for a small 
application, Sybase might be a little like swatting flies with a baseball bat.


I hope that this was informative, and if the Sybase folks (who monitor this net,
I know) find any inaccuracies in what I have said, let me know & I'll retract.

John Montgomery