Last updated 2/18/04

My list of 3rd party vendors of s/w that works with Sybase
(useful when asked for example..."so, what Monitoring
software packages are there out there for sybase")

Thanks to many people who have offered additions.

I've been working primarily in Oracle recently ... so this doucment is 
slowly adding in Oracle-only products.  

=============================================
Monitoring Packages 

Built-in:
(as of 11.0)
- sp_sysmon
- Sybase Central
- sp_monitor (11.5 i believe): not really a monitoring package;
just prints out some basic stats about the server.
- monitor client
- historical server
- SQL Monitor; ?? release, being rolled into SDTC

(as of 12.5)
- Q Diagnostic Center/Q Monitor (bought from Savant by Sybase, to be 
released w/ 12.5.1).  Now called Sybase Diagnostic & Tuning Center (SDTC)
- Option-DBXray: 12.5 only.  Built in or 3rd party?  

3rd Party:

- BMC Patrol: Nice gui, lots of info, custom configurable.  v9.2 supports
Sybase 12.5
- Proactive DBA (Whitesands inc).  
- Cyrano Production (Monitoring).  Rcmd for diagnosing system problems.
Comapany in trouble..may stop development
- CA Unicenter DB performance (formerly ManageIT, formerly Platnium DBVision): 
http://www3.ca.com/Solutions/Product.asp?ID=1357

- Landmark Performance Monitor; discontinued support for Sybase?
- Teleran Tech 
- TNG Unicenter
- Compuware: Ecotools
- Tibco's "Hawk"
- Bradmark Norad: Performance Monitor.  11.9.2 supported
- DataMysterSI: http://www.effectusonline.com/
- Quest s/w: Foglight: http://www.quest.com/foglight/foglight_databases.asp 
also can monitor Rep Server processes.

- Some functionality built into primary DBA tools: DBArtisan, DBA Devel

- Tivoli; has a Sybase/Database monitoring module
- HP Openview; has a Sybase monitoring module (11.9.2)
- Big Brother has a Sybase module: nice.

- HORA: www.keeptools.com
- Embarcadero has a monitoring suite

- OEM: Oracle Enterprise Manager: Oracle monitoring, but $35K for the 
Diagnostic Pack??

Shareware
- Ed Barlow's shareware code: www.edbarlow.com
- David Owen's shareware sybmon package: ftp://ftp.midsomer.org/pub/sybmon.tgz


=============================================
DBA Tools
Built in:
- SSM: Sql Server manager: nice tool, part of Open client PC set
- Sybase Central: 
- Powerdesigner DataArchitect (bought with PowerBuilder)

3rd party:
- Embarcadero's DBArtisan: Great tool; some bugs in older 4.x version
to watch for (extract ddl converts floats to reals and converts fk 
references to constraints.  Also 4.01 sometimes "forgets" to enact some 
code when run in the isql window, and has problems w/ print and /* ... */
statements).  v5.x interfaces w/ Windows NT scheduling (at/cron emulation)
Bugs reported in v5.x (databases reported as suspect in tool when ok in
database, wrong times reported when using getdate()).

- Platinum's Enterprise DBA (eDBA): powerful, but difficult to setup,
and not very stable.

- Proactive DBA (Whitesands inc); raves from users, works on MS-Sql, very
unique features among other DBA tools.

- Cast Workbench

- Platinum technology's DesktopDBA
- LSC: ??
- Cyrano product.
- DbVisualizer: http://www.minq.se/products/dbvis/index.html: javabased DBA tool.
not sure of total features (might be visual/readonly) but is cross platform, connects
via JDBC
- CA Unicenter; difficult setup

- OEM: Oracle Enterprise Manager: add on in 8i, standard in 9i
- Toad Enterprise: now a superior program to OEM



=============================================
DDL Generators
(all the above DBA tools *should* have the capabilities of generating DDL.
As should good ERD tools below.  This section is for DBAs who need a quick solution)

Sybase products:
- ddlgen: no exp, new tool with 12.5

3rd party/shareware
- dbschema.pl: http://www.midsomer.org/: great perl program to pull out DDL
- sp_genddl.sql: older ddl stored proc; havn't found updates for it.  Doesn't
work on databases past 11.5


=============================================
Data Modelling Programs/ERD diagramming tools
Builtin: n/a

Sybase Products:
- Data Architect (was S-Designer/PowerDesigner); very good graphics mode.  Database
sync not as fluid.  Logical v Physical confusing.  Do NOT like the modelling
incapabilities of linking objects together w/o having field names transfer.
Can't just specify simple relationships.  Can't just create simple
relationships between tables w/o fields getting dragged over.  Can't define
key relationships in logical diagrams between fields that are not exactly
the same name (in the case where a FK field name isn't the same as its parent).
Product doesnt' realize when fields have been DROPPED from physical tables.

3rd Party:
- LogicWorks (Platnium) ERwin: Nice tool; great graphics.  Can compare/contrast 
model to physical, contains Metadata suite, etc.  V3.5 far better than 2.5/2.6
- Cast DB-builder: not as good of graphics mode as Erwin.  No logic to 
layout of objects when initially created.
- Embarcadero ER/Studio: clunky drawing tools, common features buried under
menus.  Difficult to manipulate drawings.  Physical and logical sections
separated; no syncing of physical objects w/ logical models.  Irritating b/c
it automatically drags keys to tables when you define a relationship (fixable
if you change the notation to "filtered IE").  Not as nice of graphics mode.
- Visio: how as a Reverse Engineer option: Surprisingly not really good
graphics post-engineer.  Nice feature to have fks and inddexed fields noted,
but no way of telling which FK line goes w/ which FK field.  Bolded fields
are non-null when printed.

- DeZign: small company in Holland; unseen.
- Silverrun's RDM; older product, no database syncing builtin.  Very nice
drawing capabilities.

- Rational Rose 2000E: Object Oriented modelling tool
- Oracle Designer 2000
- Popkin's System Architect
- Select Enterprise
- RevSQL: http://www.sqlworkshop.com/ 
- Clear Case
- DB Designer: linux tool
- QDesigner: Quest, cheaper alternative.

=============================================
SQL/Data Editors/isql replacements
Sybase products: 
- isql: the old standby
- SQL-Advantage: comes w/ Openclient set; very limited, retired w/ 11.9.2.
Has issues when working w/ Windows 2000; if screen freezes when attempting
to connect, email eganjp@compuserve.com privately; he has a Zip file w/
the correct files to install.
- jisql; comes w/ v12.0.  Replaces SQL Advantage.
- WISQL/WISQL32: comes w/ Openclient set sometimes...very limited.
- wisql/wisqllite; sample isql client that comes w/ Sybtcl.

- xisql: Sybase gui isql version; no experience
- ctisql; ct-lib implementation of isql
- ctsql-1.4; mentioned in SQSH FAQ page. same as above?


3rd party:
- sqsh: Scott Grey's excellent tool.  highly highly recommended.
- dsql: never used, mentioned in Sybase FAQ
- Microsoft's isql/w: not bad.  not terribly good either.
- Universal ISQL 2.0: Embarcadero product
- DB Visualizer: also a DBA tool.
- asql: ??
- fsql: never heard of it?
- WINSQL: http://www.indus-soft.com/winsql; also listed in conversion tools.

via ODBC (not pure ISQL editors)
- Powerbuilder: nice inline data editing feature (needs unique index
on table inorder to be able to edit data on the fly)
- MS Access: if you're familiar w/ the way it accesses data...you'll
need ODBC set up.  

Oracle Only:
- Sql*plus: built in isql tool.  Very difficult to work with
- iSql*Plus: w/ 9i, webbased version
- Toad: Tool for Oracle Application Developers: Quest.com software.
Great tool.  Toad Xpert w/ DBA module considered best DBA tool out there.
- Pl/Sql Developer: allaround automations
- Tora: Toolkit for Oracle Developers: At sourceforge, unix emulation
of Toad.  Supposed to be good.
- OraEdit Pro by DKG Advanced Solutions Inc. (www.dkgas.com)


=============================================
SQL Debuggers/SQL Capturers/Performance tuning
Built-in:
- dbcc pss: use with caution though...
- As of 12.0: ribo; tracks TDS packets between server and client.  bundled
w/ Sybase 12.0.  Freeware; sits between rep server and replicate database.
- optdiag
- As of 12.5: Transact-SQL debugger: Java client included server side (sqldbgr).

3rd Party:
- Embarcadero's Rapid-SQL (their product DB Artisan also has an isql
window that can execute SQL, but it has very little debugging features).
Good product; similar look-feel to DBartisan.  v5.6 has some strange
bugs (sometimes the database connection can't find all the databases,
or reports no stored procs avail...disconnecting and reconnecting 
fixes problems).

- Cast SQL-builder: very nice sql coding tool.
- Cyrano's Workbench (www.cyrano.com): shows inline sql.  Also analyzes 
showplan and statistics i/o output... And can show what procs are running
in memory currently (an accurate version of dbcc memusage)
- SQL Expert (www.leccotech.com); will suggest changes to bad sql
by analyzing showplan and stats.  Doesn't capture queries; analyzes
front end source/binaries
- SQL Power Tools (www.sqlpower.com): "Zero Impact SQL Monitor" and 
Desktop Showplan Monitor (graphical showplan analysis).  Captures
queries as they pass over a network (thus no additional server load)
- Power AMC
- Compuware's Xpediter/SQL; was called sp_Debugger; was owned by Sigma Six technologies
- Exact Solutions iWatch (www.exact-solutions.com): this is a SQL aware network sniffer.  cool!
- Database Architects: ??
- SQLBrowser: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/ngx/: Java based 
- SpEd: www.speditor.com
- SQL-Programmer: BMC, was Sylvian-Faust product.

Oracle only
- SQL Navigator: Quest.com software.  Gui sql development, debugging, etc.
- Hotsos Profiler: considered best 10046 interpreter
- Trace Analyzer
- tkprof
- Itfprof: www.ubtools.com; interpretes 10046 trace
- Trace File Repository: miracle.com?
- Veritas product (formerly Precise SQL)
- OraPerf: another veritas company
- PL/SQL Developer: $150, supposedly very good.
- Golden: query tool, well respected.

Old:
- SQL-Inspector: old product by Blue Lagoon s/w (now White Sands Tech.).
Part of DBProfiler product line, bought by Mercury Interactive and
taken off market in 1995.  

=============================================
SQL Beautifiers

3rd Party products

- SQLB: http://netbula.com/products/sqlb/: only does embedded sql, no t-sql
- SQL*Beautifier: http://vsbabu.org/software/lsqlb.html: complicated to
setup, requires lex and yacc.

- SQL-Programmer: BMC: T-sql specific: 
http://www.bmc.com/products/distdata/specifications.html.  only pl-sql?

- SQL Expert Pro: apparently has beautifying capabilities

- nedit: multi purpose editor for maintaining sql and shell scripts.

- HyperSQL

- dOxygen: code documentation generator for C++ code.


==================================
Backup/Restore utilities
Built-in:
- dump/load

3rd Party:
- BMC Datatools SQL Backtrack : great tool...best way to convert databases
from one plat form to another, shrinking databases, etc.
- HP OmniBackup (has a sybase Agent)
- Legato Networker (has a sybase Agent); multiple RDBMS support
- Veritas Net*backup (Database - Sybase option)
- Platnium Fast Unload: 
- EMC Timefinder: multiple RDBMS support.
- IBM's Tivoli Storage Manager; has Sybase interface, done w/ custom scripts
- CA ArcServe
- Syncsort backup
- Spectralogic Alexandria backup

- RMAN: backup/recovery utility for Oracle (builtin)
- Enterprise Manager: ms-sql built in utility (Database Maintenance plans)
- Princeton Softech: archives data directly to a CD jukebox
- Database Appliances Backup Butler.

- Backupexec
-Omniback

===================================
Database Conversion/Migration/Data Load/Connection Utilities (From on rdbms to another)
Also called ETL tools

built in: 
- bcp in/out ascii file dumps.
- bcp out, sqlloader in to convert from Sybase to Oracle.  Complicated to
script but possible.

- Pre 11.5: Gateway Server
- 11.5: DirectConnect: seperate Sybase product; allows connecting to other
databases (not really conversion per se, but connection).  You can obtain
DirectConnect for Oracle specifically, but reportedly slow.  
- 11.9.2+: CIS and Omniconnect
- sybmigrate: Sybase migration tool


- Sybase's isql will log into MS Sql Server 6.5 and below.  7.0 w/ Service Pack
2 (SP2) installed.  (SP2 allows the TDS protocol through)

3rd party:
- many ODBC clients (Powerbuilder, eg) can establish connections to two
disparate systems and allow selecting from one into another.

- FreeTDS: shareware version of TDS.  www.freetds.org.  Then can run Sqsh.

- Platnium Fast Unload: the best way to convert from Oracle to Sybase
- WinSQL Professional at http://www.indus-soft.com/wins
- Sql Programmer, Sylvain Faust: open two systems, select one and
copy database to other.  Even prompts for new devices for data/log.
Bought by BMC.

- SQL Backtrack; you can use this to convert from one VERSION of
Sybase to another for sure...not known if SQL Backtrack is ported
to other RDBMS's for conversion capabilities.

- ADBC: Automated Data Base Conversion: 
- Data Junction; Win NT: converts between PC databases (FoxPro, MS Access,
etc) via ODBC.  Can also go from legacy to current (NCR/db2 -> oracle)
- PowerTransfer, comes with Powerdesigner

- Datastage (formerly powerstage): loads data into Datawarehouses from
variety of sources

- Datadump; comes with Delphi, can load from Dbase4->Oracle

Oracle Specific:
- Oracle Transparent Gateway: access Sybase objects from Oracle
- OMWB: Oracle Migration Workbench; does database schema, tables, pk, fk
but converts all Sybase stored procs to functions (because of return call).
Thus, lots of work remains.
- Oracle Migration Wizard: same thing?
- Data Unloader DUL: oracle proprietary recovery tool: reads directly from 
the data files, not the oracle database.  
- export/import: built in loading utilities
- Sql*Loader; requires quite a bit of legwork though
- Quest Central for Oracle (QCO): has a sql*loader interface

MS Sql Server specific:
- DTS: built into MS SQL server; reportedly good features
- Linkserver: from MS Sqlserver to Sybase


===================================
Database Consistency Checking/DBCC
built-in:
- dbcc
At 11.5 and greater, Dbccdb and advanced dbcc commands

3rd Party:
- SQL Backtrack Database Verifier (offline dbcc)
- Platnium Image Analyzer: offline version of checkalloc and checkdb
- Disaster Recovery Toolset: White Sands Tech.  New product to be released
June, 2001, with dbcc-enhancing tools, data row export, data page edit,
page-chain checking.  sounds good.

===================================
Database De-fragmenting/Reorganization
built-in: n/a: though you can write your own process that moves
data around a database periodically

3rd party:
- Whitesand's Proactive DBA: has a defrag module

Old
- Platnium TSReorg: Now CA; reorgs by bulk copy.  Unsupported for Sybase
versions 11.5 and above.

==================================
Stress and Load testing
built-in n/a

3rd party
- Cyrano ?? product
- Logic Works (now Platnium/Computer Associates) TestBYTES
- Resonate: load balancing



=================================
Release Management/Configuration management/Change management
built-in n/a

3rd party

- Embarcadero Change Manager; nice, DBArtisan look and feel
- Cast DB-Analyzer: can check for impact analysis with dropping
a column, procedure, table, etc
- Cast Release-builder: compares source and target systems, creates
Delta reports.
- WinSQL Professional: help migrate data and schemas.

- Cast Repository-Manager: read in powerbuilder code and manage it
all within the Cast system.

- PVCS: interfaces w/ Cast.
- VSS: no known interface to Sybase directly.

=============================================
Schema Differences/Schema Comparing

3rd Party
- AdeptSQL Diff: www.adeptsql.com: compares schemas of two databases and
generates SQL difference.  MS Sql server tool currently

- dbschema.pl and home grown scripts: Sybase only
- Cast; has capabilitiy built in to its Release Management tool

- Embarcadero Change manager:
- Princeton Softech: has a solution
- Quest's "Schema Manager" or "Space manager"

- Oracle Enterprise Manager's Change Mangement pack: 



=============================================
ODBC/client side Drivers (Note: ODBC is strictly a Microsoft OS issue;
Unix servers must use Open Client)

Built In
- Open Client with CT-Library 
- Open Client w/ Db-Library (older client library...EOLed.  However
apparently the only way to connect to a MS-Sql Server from a Solaris
box (use port 1433 in your interfaces file...MS Sql Svr always uses 1433)
- JDBC: Java Database Client
- jconnect: http://www.sybase.com/detail/1,6904,1009796,00.html

3rd party
- Merant: (was Intersolv) ODBC: v3.11: the defacto standard Sybase 
ODBC driver
- dbExpress: http://www.visoco.com/

=============================================
Specialty Data Stores
Built in: n/a

3rd Party: http://www.sybase.com/adaptiveserver/partners/data_stores.html

- Geospatial: Autometric
- Text: Verity
- Time Series: FAME Information Services

For Oracle case-insensitive
- interMedia: 
- OmniIndex: DISC (Dynamic Information Systems Corp): mulitdimensional searches

=============================================
Security Tools

- ISS's Database Scanner; the only database security assessment tool on the
market.  Works w/ MS Sql Server 6 and 7.0.  Oracle 8i

- Protegrity; introduced at Techwave 2000; Secure data.

- OraScan: http://www.nextgenss.com/software/orascan.html: Oracle only.

=============================================
Reporting Tools
Built in: n/a

Sybase Products
- Infomaker: some good, some bad reviews

3rd Party:

- Crystal Reports: highly recommended among other reporting tools.
- Cognos's Impromptu
- PageAccess: unknown tool.

(NOTE: you'll see these tools listed both here and in OLAP section
because they're basically "lightweight OLAP" tools...some people
view them as just Reporting tools)

- Brio: a lightweight Olap tool (SQR?)
- Business Objects: lightweight...not much analysis

=============================================
OLAP/Data Warehousing Tools
Built in: n/a

3rd Party:
- Brio: lightweight; not too much setup time; useful as a data validation
tool during development
- Business Objects: lightweight...not much analysis

- Microstrategy's DSS Agent
- Cognos PowerPlay
- Oracle Express
- Hyperion ESSBase: by far the market leader in terms of market share
- Seagate's Holos: cube-based.

=============================================
Middleware

3rd Party/Commercial:
- Vitria
- Tuxedo


=============================================
Other RDBMS systems

Relational:
- Sybase 4.9.2, 10, 11, 115, 11.9.2, 12, 12.5
- Oracle; latest version 8i (8.1.x), 9i, 10g
- Informix (limited supported platforms, being phased out)
- IBM's DB/2
- Microsoft SQL Server: Windows NT only.
- Advantage Ingres

Legacy:
- IBM's DB/2
- CA's Ingres, OpenIngres
- AS/400

Mobile/Lightweight/PC:
- Sybase's Adaptive Server Anywhere, formerly SQL Anywhere (formerly Watcom SQL)
- Microsoft Access (.mdb)
- FoxPro 2.5, Visual FoxPro (.dbf)
- DBase 4,5/Clipper (.dbf)
- DataEase
- Paradox (.db)
- OS/2 Database Manager (obsolete?)

Not really Databases but can be connected to via ODBC
- Microsoft Excel (.xls)
- Text delimited files (.txt, .csv)
- Visual Basic (.mdb)

Data Warehousing
- Sybase IQ
- Red Brick

Object Oriented:
- Objectivity
- Solid FlowEngine: www.solidtech.com

Shareware/Freeware:
- MySQL
- PostGreSQL
- MiniSQL/msql: Hughes: v3.0 May 2002
- Firebird (was InterBase 4.0); formerly owned by Borland
- BerkeleyDB
- SQlite
- Simtech dbops
- Empress RDBMS: "The embedded real time database"

?? Unknown
- Adabase, Allbase, Empress, Magic II, Nonstop SQL, NS-DBR, Omnis, Progress, 
Q+E, R:Base, RDB, SQL/Data System, SQLBase, SuperBase, Supra, Teradata, Unify 2000,
Universe, XDB, Attunity, hSQL, Cloudscape

=============================================
High Availability/Replication

- DTS: built into MS SQL server; reportedly good features

- RAO: Replication Agent for Oracle
- 12.5: DRDA: replication from Sybase to DB2

- Sybase Replication server; the best replication product on the market.  
A straight Rep server can be used as a failover/hot backup server.

- Open Switch: sybase open server that can be used to organize failover
in a HA environment.

- Quest Shareplex; replication tool

=============================================
SSDs: Solid State Disks or RAM Disks

- EMC; highly recommended.
- HP XP512  (HP/UX systems only?)
- Shark?