Middleware in Action: Industrial Strength Data Access, by Ken North

Ken North, renowned industry expert on databases and middleware, wrote this independent technology assessment, in which he presents his in-depth research on the role of data access middleware and its importance. The report outlines the defining characteristics of premium data access middleware such as:

• Broad connectivity and platform support
• Scalability
• Performance
• Robustness, reliability, stability, high availability
• Standards compliance, consistency
• Security
• Tools, language support

Ken's educational report is packed with information on distributed computing architectures, what comprises best-of-breed middleware (including comprehensive feature checklists), what to look for in performance-related features and scenarios, and much more. This report can help you make an informed decision when it comes to investing in data connectivity middleware for ODBC, JDBC, and ADO.NET.

Register now for the complete report.

View the Executive Summary.

View an excerpt from the report.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Architectures for Distributed Computing
   1. Leveraging Infrastructure
   2. Multi-Tier, N-Tier Architecture
   3. Persistence, Client-Server Databases, Distributed Data
   4. Data Integration
   5. Application Servers, Platforms
   6. Internet Architectures, Web Commerce
   7. Mobile and Wireless Computing
   8. Grid Computing
   9. Services-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
   10. Security, Privacy and Compliance Issues
3. Data Access Middleware
   1. Architecture
   2. Requirements of Best-of-Breed Data Access Middleware
4. Performance and Scalability Scenarios
   1. Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)
   2. Web Services and SOA
   3. Content Management, Web-Facing Applications, Portals
   4. ERP Suites, CRM Suites
   5. Integration and Data Federation
   6. Process Integration, Enterprise Information Integration, Business Process Management
   7. Analytics, Business Intelligence, OLAP
5. Findings and Outlook for the Future