Released: Connect for ADO.NET 32

A copy of the press release that announces this release... much more on this over the coming weeks.

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DataDirect Technologies Continues to Set the Standard for Superior Data Connectivity to the .NET Platform

Latest Release of DataDirect Connect® for ADO.NET Includes New Performance Features and First-of-its-Kind Bulk Load Functionality

BEDFORD, Mass. – Dec. 8, 2008 – DataDirect Technologies, the unparalleled leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration and an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), today announced the latest release of its DataDirect Connect® for ADO.NET data providers. With DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET, developers can securely and efficiently write and deploy .NET enterprise applications that connect to multiple databases including Oracle, DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase. The latest product release includes new provider features for each major database, new performance tuning options and introduces DataDirect Bulk Load, the most flexible, common API-based implementation of bulk-load functionality for the .NET platform that provides consistent semantics across all supported databases.

DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET has raised the bar for superior performance, security and interoperability. As the only suite of ADO.NET data providers with a 100 percent managed code architecture, DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET eliminates the need for database client libraries. Because managed code runs in the Common Language Runtime (CLR) environment it reduces risks and closes holes that unmanaged code leaves exposed, providing developers the most versatile deployment options available in both application and client-server environments.
“Database vendors offer the bare minimum in terms of data connectivity, and this just isn’t enough for large scale, complex applications,” said John Goodson, vice president and general manager at DataDirect Technologies. “With DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET developers get full support for the .NET Framework with the fastest and most functional ADO.NET managed data providers on the market.”

Building on its reputation for technical innovation and reinforcing the company’s steadfast commitment to responding quickly to the needs of software developers and system architects, DataDirect Technologies has included DataDirect Bulk Load in the latest version of its data provider. A persistent data connectivity challenge is the need to load very large amounts of data into a relational database as fast as possible. For developers working with more than one database, DataDirect Bulk Load offers a standard and consistent method for moving volume-intense data across Oracle, DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase databases, without having to deploy and load client libraries.

In addition to the new levels of efficiency brought by DataDirect Bulk Load, the latest release of DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET also offers key performance enhancements. New tuning options provide optimal performance in a wide variety of application scenarios allowing users of Oracle, DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase to reap substantial performance and efficiency gains with no changes to their applications.

Corporate IT departments at the Fortune100 and leading ISVs use the DataDirect data provider to build reliable .NET applications that can connect to multiple databases while reducing the amount of code necessary to utilize database-specific features. With its deep rooted, technical relationships with all major database and platform vendors, DataDirect Technologies ensures its data connectivity products support the latest provider features and database versions. DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET now supports Oracle 11g R1, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, DB2 iSeries V6R1 and includes many new performance and usability features. To view a complete list of database provider features, go to: http://www.datadirect.com/products/net/index.ssp
About DataDirect TechnologiesDataDirect Technologies is the software industry’s only comprehensive provider of software for connecting the world’s most critical business applications to data and services, running on any platform, using proven and emerging standards. Developers worldwide depend on DataDirect® products to connect their applications to an unparalleled range of data sources using standards-based interfaces such as ODBC, JDBC™ and ADO.NET, XQuery and SOAP. More than 300 leading independent software vendors and thousands of enterprises rely on DataDirect Technologies to simplify and streamline data connectivity for distributed systems and to reduce the complexity of mainframe integration. DataDirect Technologies is an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS). For more information, visit www.datadirect.com.

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DataDirect and DataDirect Connect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Java and all Java based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.