Event

On 11 October 2006, DataMirror, a provider of real-time data integration, protection and event detection solutions, announced it has added support for Java Message Service (JMS) topics and guaranteed message delivery to version 5.2.5 of its Transformation Server/ES (Event Server).

Analysis

DataMirror's product was first announced in September 2005, but its scope and adoption were limited. The new version combines support for the publish-and-subscribe model and guaranteed message delivery with complex-event processing (CEP) and database management system (DBMS) log intercept capability — in effect, amounting to a fully integrated DBMS-sourced event server. The ability to detect the basic events occurring in the database and then analyze, combine and reformat them into standard JMS publish-and-subscribe middleware makes this version a potentially potent component of an event-driven architecture (EDA) and advanced service-oriented architecture (SOA).

A fully functional EDA environment will manage events originating from event servers monitoring various outside sources, such as edge sensors, business-to-business (B2B) gateways, timers, EDA-style applications and DBMSs. DataMirror's new product contributes to this and is likely to be followed by similar initiatives from other software infrastructure vendors — especially data integration specialists, such as Informatica and GoldenGate Software, and software infrastructure generalists, such as IBM and Sybase.

But there are risks. The product is new and has a small installed base; both the product and the vendor are vulnerable to competition and acquisition. Users should also remember that much of EDA and its most important application, business activity monitoring, is based on monitoring events as they occur in applications and "on the wire" in SOA and B2B interactions. The database should not serve as the only source for business insight.

Customers and prospects:

• Examine DataMirror Transformation Server/ES as the source of DBMS-originating business events if you are planning event-driven applications, including business activity monitoring.
• Recognize the benefits and risks of dealing with a small, visionary vendor. Weigh the likelihood of dedicated support and leading-edge differentiation against a small installed base and the possibility of acquisition by a larger vendor.
• Avoid building your EDA strategy solely around DBMS-triggered events. Include a variety of event sources, such as SOA middleware, applications, edge servers, B2B gateways and CEP modules.

Additional research contributed by Ted Friedman

• "Advanced SOA for Advanced Enterprise Projects" — Advanced SOA is a natural step forward from conventional SOA, but IT practitioners, architects, managers and vendors still have much to learn. By Yefim Natis and Roy Schulte
• "StreamBase Tackles Complex-Event-Processing Requirements" — StreamBase Systems offers a complex-event-processing solution particularly suited for high-volume, extremely time-sensitive applications. By Mary Knox and Roy Schulte

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