Historical past

UniVerse was initially developed by VMark Software program and UniData was initially developed by the Unidata Company. Each Universe and Unidata are used for vertical software growth and are embedded into the vertical software program purposes. In 1997, the Unidata Company merged with VMark Methods to kind Ardent Software program.^[5] In March 2000, Ardent Software program was acquired by Informix.^[5] IBM subsequently acquired the database division of Informix in April 2001,^[6] making UniVerse and UniData a part of IBM’s DB2 product household. IBM subsequently created the Data Administration group of which Knowledge Administration is among the sub-areas beneath which the IBM U2 household comprised UniData and UniVerse together with the instruments, SystemBuilder Extensible Structure (SB/XA), U2 Net Growth Setting (U2 Net DE) and wIntegrate.

On 1 October 2009 it was introduced that Rocket Software program had bought your complete U2 portfolio from IBM.^[7][8] The U2 portfolio is grouped beneath the identify RocketU2.

System construction

Accounts

Methods are fabricated from a number of accounts. Accounts are directories saved on the host working system that originally include the set of information wanted for the system to perform correctly. This contains the system’s VOC (vocabulary) file that accommodates each command, filename, key phrase, alias, script, and different pointers. Every of those courses of VOC entries may also be created by a consumer.

Information

Information are much like tables in a relational database in that every file has a novel identify to differentiate it from different information and nil to a number of distinctive information which can be logically associated to one another.

Information are fabricated from two components: an information file and a file dictionary (DICT). The info file accommodates information that retailer the precise information. The file dictionary could include metadata to explain the contents or to output the contents of a file.

Hashed information

For hashed information, a U2 system makes use of a hashing algorithm to allocate the file’s information into teams primarily based on the file IDs. When trying to find information in a hashed file, the system solely searches the group the place the file ID is saved, making the search course of extra environment friendly and faster than looking via the entire file.

Nonhashed information

Nonhashed information are used to retailer information with little or no logical construction equivalent to program supply code, XML or plain textual content. This kind of file is saved as a subdirectory inside the account listing on the host working system and could also be learn or edited utilizing acceptable instruments.

Data

Information are fabricated from information, that are much like rows inside tables of a relational database. Every file has a novel key (referred to as a “file ID”) to differentiate it from different information within the file. These file IDs are sometimes hashed in order that information will be retrieved shortly and effectively.

Data (together with file IDs) retailer the precise information as pure ASCII strings; there isn’t any binary information saved in U2. For instance, the {hardware} illustration of a floating-point quantity can be transformed to its ASCII equal earlier than being saved. Normally these information are divided into fields (that are typically referred to as “attributes” in U2). Every subject is separated by a “subject mark” (hexadecimal character FE).

Thus this string:

123-45-6789^JOHN JONES^[email protected]^432100^...

may characterize a file within the EMPLOYEE file with 123-45-6789 because the File ID, JOHN JONES as the primary subject, [email protected] because the second subject and $4321.00 as a month-to-month wage saved within the third subject. (The up-arrow (^) above is the usual Decide notation of a subject mark; that’s, xFE).

Thus the primary three fields of this file, together with the file ID and trailing subject mark, would use 49 bytes of storage. A given worth makes use of solely as many bytes as wanted. For instance, in one other file of the identical file, JOHN JONES (10 bytes) could also be changed by MARJORIE Q. HUMPERDINK (21 bytes) but every identify makes use of solely as a lot storage because it wants, plus one for the sphere mark.

Fields could also be damaged down into values and even subvalues. Values are separated by worth marks (character xFD); subvalues are separated by subvalue marks (character xFC). Thus, if John Jones occurred to get a second e mail handle, the file could also be up to date to:

123-45-6789^JOHN JONES^[email protected]][email protected]^432100^...

the place the shut bracket (]) represents a worth mark.

Since every e mail handle will be the ID of a file in separate file (in SQL phrases, an outer be part of; in U2 phrases, a “translate”), this supplies the explanation why U2 could also be categorized as a MultiValued database.

Knowledge

Uncooked data is known as Knowledge. A file is a set of logical grouped information. e.g. an worker file could have information saved within the type of fields/attributes like his identify, handle and many others.

Programmability

Each UniVerse and UniData have a structured BASIC language (UniVerse Fundamental and UniBasic, respectively), much like Decide/BASIC which naturally operates on the buildings of the MultiValue database. In addition they have a structured database question language (RetrieVe and UniQuery) used to pick out information for additional processing and for advert hoc queries and experiences.

RocketU2 supplies a set of Shopper Instruments to permit software program builders to entry U2 databases from different software program languages.^[9]

Shopper Device interfaces embrace:

• ODBC / JDBC
• Intercall (C/C++)
• UniOLEDB – OLEDB Driver
• UniObjects (COM)
• UniObjects (.NET)
• UniObjects (Java)
• Native XML
• U2 Net Companies
• JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
• Python (obtainable as of UniVerse 11.3 and UniData 8.2)

Safety

Each UniVerse and UniData assist TLS transport stage information encryption and file and file stage encryption of information at relaxation utilizing OpenSSL. Extra API encryption performance can also be obtainable to permit customized options or meet particular regulatory necessities.

Skilled certification

RocketU2 provides three skilled certification designations associated to the U2 product household.^[10]

• Rocket U2 Utility Developer
• Rocket UniVerse Administration
• Rocket UniData Administration

Net-based purposes for U2 information

Rocket Software program Universe and Unidata have restricted means to create web-based front-ends to Universe/UniData content material. Since Rocket Software program supplies SQL entry to its database merchandise, a SQL-based product can be utilized to construct a web-based UI to the databases; no matter utilizing Information or Tables in U2. A 3rd-party software framework, can be utilized to construct such internet interfaces.

See additionally

• Decide working system
• OpenInsight
• Actuality

Notes