PRESS RELEASE Contact Information Raining
Data Corporation Investor/Financial
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IRVINE, CA.- May 14, 2003
Raining Data Corporation (Nasdaq: RDTA), a long-time provider of scalable, flexible and reliable data management software, today announced the immediate availability of its innovative TigerLogic™ XML Data Management Server (XDMS) software. Raining Data’s TigerLogic 1.1 supports Solaris, Windows 2000 and Windows XP environments and includes patent-pending technology that significantly boosts the performance and efficiency of data architectures by moving commonly requested data to the mid-tier – between front-end Web clients and back-end operational systems – where it is closer and easier for information-hungry Web and XML-enabled applications to access quickly. The TigerLogic XDMS works by decoupling data from its back-end sources, transforming it into XML, storing it in the mid-tier, and profiling and indexing it for fast retrieval. This involves two key innovations: first, the TigerLogic XDMS creates a flexible storage platform that can handle data of any type or structure persistently in the mid-tier and transform it into industry standard XML; second, its patent-pending XML indexing and profiling technology manages data so it can be rapidly accessed by XML-consuming applications, as much as 10 times faster than most other XML data management alternatives according to internal tests1. In addition, the TigerLogic XDMS uses Raining Data’s unique Pick® Universal Data Model (“Pick UDM”) to power its underlying storage engine, allowing new data sources to be connected to the TigerLogic XDMS data model with almost no programming. This creates an extensible and flexible environment enabling companies to unleash the full power of XML. Unlike data management alternatives, the TigerLogic XDMS doesn’t need to know the schema or structure of data before being able to process and store it. This ability to make XML schemas optional is a vital innovation because the structures of operational systems frequently change and mapping schemas for the purpose of linking to a new data source is both difficult and time-consuming. Enriching Enterprise Ecosystems: Mid-Tier Operational Data Servers The TigerLogic XDMS can best be described as a mid-tier operational data server, integrating and transforming data of any type or structure into XML and then storing it in the mid-tier to satisfy requests for commonly needed aggregated information, fast. It is specifically this kind of functionality that Wayne Kernochan, Aberdeen Group managing VP of research and recognized information integration and data management expert, calls for in his description of a mid-tier operational data store, found in a recent paper titled “Information Aggregation: Data without Frontiers.” (available from Aberdeen Group at http://www.aberdeen.com/ab_abstracts/2003/04/04030035.htm) “The recent shift of focus among enterprise customers towards strategic information management underscores the importance of combining unstructured and semi-structured data with relational structured data to provide a richer set of information that enables intelligent business processes, creates opportunities for smarter triggers for programmed trades, enriches dynamic value-chain planning decisions, and so on,” said Kernochan. “Effective mid-tier operational data stores, of which Raining Data’s TigerLogic XDMS is a strong example, can provide all of the functionality of an enterprise database and function as a flexible and extensible repository, as well as a secure and scalable mid-tier data engine. This allows users not only to improve the performance and scalability of mission-critical databases and applications but also to efficiently aggregate key data from databases, repositories, and shared file systems with XML-empowered flexibility.” According to interviews with members of Raining Data’s customer advisory board which includes IT architects from a number of Fortune 1000 companies, operational data servers have emerged as an important enhancement to multi-tier application architectures which adds extensibility and reusable data aggregation to the mid-tier. This innovation results in efficiently meeting the operational data needs of Web Services and composite applications that Web-enable access to enterprise back-end systems. Without this functionality present in their infrastructures, companies run the risk of creating an unmanageable demand for back-end data access, a problem that is only worsened with the use of Web Services or federated XML query engines designed to access back-end data sources directly. Handling such an increased processing load can lead to costly over-provisioning – the process of buying new hardware, software and network capacity to create many more back-up systems than are actually needed in a data center. “The innovations created by the TigerLogic XDMS are crucial because the economy doesn’t allow most information technology managers to pay the cost of over-provisioning – and yet no rational organization in the world would knowingly put its most critical data at risk,” said Boris Geller, VP of Market Development at Raining Data. “Fortunately, over-provisioning can be minimized with the right set of tools, especially important when developing Web Services and deploying composite applications. Research shows that roughly 50 percent of data requests are ‘read-only’ inquiries that don’t alter back-end operational systems in any way. Offloading that processing to the TigerLogic XDMS mid-tier operational data server is a path to better business for the thousands of organizations that might otherwise spend millions of dollars building out their data centers.” The TigerLogic XDMS alleviates the need for over-provisioning by aggregating commonly requested data from the back-end and storing it in the mid-tier, updating itself when changes are made to the sources. This means requests for relatively static data such as an account balances, product catalogues, financial research, inventory or customer records will touch back-end systems far less frequently, preserving precious processing power for the most critical data requests – those that need real-time answers or change data on the fly. Pricing and Availability Raining Data’s TigerLogic XDMS version 1.1 is currently available for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Solaris platforms. Software license fee pricing starts at $25,000 per server and varies based on selected platforms and configurations. About Raining Data Raining Data Corporation (Nasdaq: RDTA), headquartered in Irvine, California, has been providing reliable data management and rapid application deployment solutions for developers of database applications for more than two decades. Raining Data's flagship products include: 1) high-performance TigerLogic™ XML Data Management Server (XDMS), which provides flexible, scalable and extensible storage and retrieval of critical business data across a variety of structured and unstructured information sources, delivering mid-tier scalability and transactional integrity of enterprise databases as well as dynamic extensibility and ease of use, mostly found in repositories and file systems; 2) D3®, mvEnterprise® and mvBase® family of powerful Pick® based hierarchical multi-dimensional database management systems that are the choice of more than a thousand application developers worldwide; 3) the Pick Data Provider for .NETTM which allows D3, UniData® and UniVerse® database platform users to take advantage of the .NET Framework by utilizing Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET by serving as a bridge between an application and the data source; and 4) Omnis Studio®, a powerful, cross-platform, object-oriented RAD tool for developing sophisticated thick-client, Web-client or ultra thin-client database applications. The Raining Data customer installed base includes more than 500,000 active users, representing over 20,000 customer sites worldwide with a significant base of diverse vertical applications. With over 140 employees in four countries, the company has an extensive distribution channel, 24x7 customer support and a strong international presence. More information about Raining Data Corporation and its products can be found at www.rainingdata.com.
# # # Except for the historical facts contained herein, the foregoing release contains forward-looking statements regarding the use and market for mid-tier operational data servers and the ability for TigerLogic XDMS to meet certain needs. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the market acceptance of TigerLogic XDMS and other products and updates, the success of the Company’s research and development efforts to develop new products, technical risks related to the Company’s products and updates and other risks and uncertainties. Please consult the various reports and documents filed by Raining Data Corporation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company’s most recent reports on Form 10-KSB and Form 10-QSB. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking statement provided in this release. Raining Data, Pick, D3, mvEnterprise, mvDesigner, mvBase, Omnis and Omnis Studio are registered trademarks and TigerLogic is a trademark of Raining Data Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are properties of their respective owners. |
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