Couchbase open source data store goes mobile

Couchbase is launching a version of its namesake NoSQL open source data store that can run on mobile devices, called Couchbase Lite. 

It is also releasing companion products, Couchbase Sync Gateway, which synchronizes data between a mobile device and a cloud service, and Couchbase Cloud, an online sandbox for developers to try Couchbase Lite. 

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Developers could use Couchbase Lite to store data for their mobile applications, and use Couchbase Sync Gateway to synchronize the data with back-end supporting services, the company suggests.

Couchbase is a key/value document store that sends and receives data through the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), a protocol for exchanging information between two systems that is fairly easy for developers to understand and work with.

JSON is particularly useful for applications that periodically send and receive a lot of data, according to the company. 

Companies such as McGraw-Hill, Orbitz, LinkedIn, and the Amadeus travel booking service all have used Couchbase.  

Currently, there are about 2.3 million mobile application developers worldwide -- about 12.6 percent of all developers--and by 2016, that number will double to almost 5 million mobile app developers, predicted analyst firm Vision Mobile. 

Couchbase announced the new products at its annual user conference Friday in San Francisco.

Couchbase Lite and Couchbase Sync Gateway are available to download, for both Android and Apple iOS devices in beta form. 

The company has not announced when these products will be commercially available. Couchbase Cloud is available for immediate use.

Joab Jackson covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Joab on Twitter at @Joab_Jackson. Joab's e-mail address is Joab_Jackson@idg.com

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Business Objects update adds stability, data source support

IDG News Service - SAP has unveiled a new version of its Business Objects BI (business intelligence) software suite that features support for more than 140 data sources and the promise of more stable deployments.

Business Objects 4.1, which was announced Monday, follows the 2011 release of version 4.0. That product slipped well past its original release date, but even with the additional time, many users reported stability issues.

"It wasn't where we wanted it to be," said Jason Rose, vice president of BI product marketing, in an interview. But in the intervening period, SAP made "some significant changes" in the Business Objects development organization with a focus on improving quality and stability, he said.

Along with a number of feature packs, those changes have helped increase customer satisfaction, Rose said.

Now SAP is hoping that with the arrival of 4.1, customers still running version 3.1 will make the leap and upgrade. Most of Business Objects' customers remain on earlier versions, with some 6,500 on 4.0, according to Rose.

New features in 4.1 include support for more than 140 data sources, including Amazon Web Services' Elastic MapReduce and Hadoop Hive. "We're really making the platform big data-ready," Rose said.

The release also brings new SDK (software development kits) and APIs (application programming interfaces) for partners, including one that allows them to create more advanced visualizations. "It's going to be huge for the partner community," Rose said.

Adoption of 4.1 may also be helped by a feature that supports the use of Desktop Intelligence, or DeskI, a popular tool among some users, but for which SAP is no longer providing new updates. While that policy remains in effect, release 4.1 of the Business Objects suite includes a Desktop Intelligence Compatibility Pack that allows users to view DeskI documents.

The update also features a range of improvements for viewing reports and dashboards on mobile devices; connectivity with SAP's HANA in-memory database; and integration with Jam, SAP's social collaboration software.

SAP is expected to discuss the Business Objects release further during the ASUG SAP Business Objects User conference this week in Anaheim, California.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris' email address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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