Using object databases for data storage brings powerful advantages to applications that use complex C++ and Java object models, have high concurrency requirements, and large data sets.

It is difficult, time consuming, expensive in development, and expensive at run time, to map the objects into a relational database and performance can suffer. Versant Object Database 7.0 is designed to handle the navigational access, seamless data distribution, and enterprise scale often required by these applications.

Telecommunications, Finance, Defense, Government, Simulations, Medical – For Certain Types of Applications, You Need an Object Database.

For many applications, the most challenging aspect is controlling the inherent complexity of the subject matter itself. The complexity of telecommunications infrastructure, transportation networks, simulations, financial instruments and other domains must be tamed. And tamed in a way that enables continual evolution of the application as the environment and needs change. The primary focus for these applications must be on the domain and the domain logic, and complex designs should be based on an object model. Architectures that mix technical needs such as persistence (and SQL) with the domain model are an invitation to disaster.

The Versant Object Database lets you develop using objects that need only contain the domain behaviour, freeing you from persistence concerns. And it does so at the same time it enables seamless data distribution across multiple databases, high concurrency, fine-grained locking, top performance, and high availability through replication and other techniques. Modern O/R mapping tools in Java simplify many mapping problems, however they don’t provide seamless data distribution or the performance of Versant.

Feature Highlights

• Transparent object persistence from C++ and Java
• Support for standards JDO & J2EE
• Low (or no) administration
• Seamless data distribution across multiple databases
• Objects end-to-end architecture
• Fine-grained concurrency control
• Multi-threading, multi-session
• International character sets
• High-speed data capture
• Enterprise-class high availability options
• Dynamic schema evolution
• Logical object ID to reference objects seamlessly in memory

Benefits

• Fast storage, retrieval, navigation of object hierarchies and graphs
• 10X performance of relational databases
• Cut development time

Typical Industries

Telecommunications, Defense, Simulation, Medical, Transportation, Finance

New for 7.0

• Improved server-side ad hoc query
• Increased scalability and performance
• ANSI C++ compliance
• JDO 2.0 persistence

Versant Object Database Features

Dynamic Schema Evolution

Versant supports lazy schema evolution, meaning the objects are converted from an old schema to a new schema as they are touched. No mapping is required. Together these support evolution of database schema and agile development.

Seamless Data Distribution Across Multiple Databases

Clients seamlessly interact with one database… or many. The seamless federation of individual databases lets you partition data, increase read and write capacity, and increase overall database size. Distribution to these databases is transparent. They are united into one seamless database providing great scalability.

Concurrency Control

Versant uses fine-grained object-level locking to maximize concurrent user access. Support for both pessimistic and optimistic locking protocols allows the application to control access based on its needs. Object-level locking ensures conflict only occurs when two applications try to update the same object, unlike page-based locking mechanisms that can result in phantom concurrency hotspots.

Transparent C++ Object Persistence

C++ objects, STL classes, and standard C++ collections such as dictionaries, maps, maps of maps, and the like are persisted in the database as-is. State changes are automatically tracked behind the scenes. When the associated transaction commits, all the changes are automatically sent to the database. The result is a very natural, low intrusion programming style that enables fast development and the agility of easy changes to the application as requirements change.

Transparent Java Object Persistence

JDO 2.0 provides transparent persistence of POJOs, including Java 2 collection classes, interfaces, and any defined user class. State changes are automatically tracked behind the scenes. Commits automatically push all the changes to the database. You get this lightweight programming style in managed and unmanaged deployments.

Fully Embeddable

Versant can be invisibly embedded in an application, yet scales to multi-terabytes. And can be used in ways that require no administration.

OODBMS Application Architecture

Objects are managed via logical identity, allowing physical movement of objects for archiving and partitioning without any required code changes to the application.

Enterprise-Class Add-on Modules for High Availability

Versant Vitness

Using Versant Vitness for the advanced monitoring of your entire Versant Object Database environment provides you with a fundamental tool for all database administration operations and decisions.

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Versant Vorkout

The Vorkout add-on module is for applications that delete large numbers of objects. It lets you reclaim unused space in your database while it is in normal operation, increasing available free space and improving database performance.

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Fault Tolerant Server

The Fault Tolerant Server (FTS) option enables automatic fail-over and recovery in the case of hardware or software failure of the Versant database. FTS uses synchronous replication between two database instances and supports transparent re-synchronization in the event of a failure.

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Asynchronous Replication

The Asynchronous Replication option supports both master-slave and peer-to-peer asynchronous replication between multiple object servers. This can be used to replicate data to a distributed recovery site or to replicate data between multiple local object servers for increased performance and reliability.

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High Availability Backup

High Availability Backup is an option that enables Versant to use the disk mirroring features of EMC Symmetrix or other enterprise storage systems to take an online backup of very large data volumes without impacting availability.

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Why Versant?

Speed Time to Market by Reducing Development Time

Object–relational mapping code can be 40% or more of your application. With Versant, mapping code is no longer required.

Dramatically Increase Performance and Throughput

When applications have complex in-memory object models with predominantly navigational access, object databases provide higher performance than mapping to relational databases. As an example, when an application needs to retrieve an object from an object database, a single query to the datastore retrieves the object. When mapping to a relational database, if the object is an object with many-to-many associations, one or more joins will be required to access the references stored in the association table. Objects with moderate complexity are typically 3x faster in an object database, objects with high levels of complexity, such as many-to-many associations are typically 30x faster when using an object database. For collections of collections and recursive relationships, a 50x speed advantage is possible.

Quickly Evolve Your Application as Requirements Change

Today’s rate of change in business process and structure and application requirements makes the ability to change very valuable. Object-relational mapping and other methods to adapt to rigid storage structures make changes difficult. The Versant Object Database greatly facilitates the ability of your applicationto meet current and future business needs.

ROI

Object databases are the preferred solution when you have complex object models and large data sets. The main benefits are reduced code size, lower development costs, faster time to market, low or no administration requirements, and reduced cost of hardware and server software licenses. The performance advantage can lower the costs dramatically for high workload applications. Big relational databases are expensive and require expensive hardware.

Requirements

Languages		C++, Java
Operating Systems		Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista (as of 7.0.1.3, Patch#6) Sun Solaris 2.9, 2.10 IBM AIX 5.1, 5.3 HP-UX 11i Red Hat RHEL 3.0, 4.0
JDK Support		JDK 1.4, 1.5
Availability		Versant Object Database is available
		For more details please refer to Compatibility Overview

Technical Resources at the Versant Developer Center

Versant provides a variety of technical resources to help you getting into object-oriented data management and to support you become productive using the Versant Object Database:

Screencasts: First Steps

Compatibility Overview

Whitepapers

Trial Downloads