Rocket U2
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Database management software |
| Predecessor | VMark Software, Unidata Corporation, Ardent Software, Informix, IBM Information Management division |
| Products | UniData, UniVerse, SB/XA (SystemBuilder), U2 Web Development Environment (WebDE), UniObjects, wIntegrate |
| Owner | Rocket Software |
| Parent | Rocket Software |
| Website | www |
Rocket U2 represents a collection of database management (DBMS) solutions and related software owned by Rocket Software. This suite comprises two MultiValue database platforms: UniData and UniVerse. Both platforms run on modern Unix, Linux, and Windows environments and trace their origins to the Pick operating system. The product line also offers developer tools and web integration technologies, including SB/XA (also known as SB+ or SystemBuilder), the U2 Web Development Environment (WebDE), the UniObjects connectivity API, and the terminal emulation application wIntegrate.
History
The UniVerse platform was initially created by VMark Software, while UniData was developed by Unidata Corporation. These systems primarily support vertical market application development and are embedded within specialized vertical software solutions. In 1997, Unidata merged with VMark to establish Ardent Software. Subsequently, Ardent was acquired by Informix in 2000. IBM then purchased Informix's database division in 2001, incorporating UniVerse and UniData into its DB2 family of products. Within IBM, these were managed under the Information Management division alongside tools such as SystemBuilder Extensible Architecture (SB/XA), U2 Web Development Environment, and wIntegrate.
On October 1, 2009, Rocket Software acquired the entire U2 product line from IBM, bringing these technologies together under the RocketU2 brand.
Accounts
A system is composed of one or multiple accounts, which are directories on the host OS containing critical system files. Included among these is the VOC (vocabulary) file, which catalogs all commands, filename, keywords, aliases, scripts, and various other references. Users may add entries to these VOC categories as needed.
Files
Files function similarly to tables in a relational database, each identified by a distinct name and consisting of numerous logically related records.
Each file contains two parts: a data file that holds the records themselves and a file dictionary (DICT) that stores metadata describing or formatting the file’s data.
Hashed files
Hashed files utilize a hashing algorithm within the U2 environment to organize records according to their unique keys (record IDs). This approach allows for rapid data access by narrowing searches to specific groups rather than scanning an entire file.
Nonhashed files
Nonhashed files accommodate unstructured content such as program source code, XML, or plain text documents. These reside as subdirectories within the account folder and can be accessed or modified using suitable editing tools.
Records
Records correspond to rows in relational databases and are uniquely identified by record IDs, which are typically hashed for efficient retrieval.
All record contents—including record IDs—are stored exclusively as ASCII strings; no binary formats are employed. Numeric values are converted into ASCII text before storage. Records consist of fields (or "attributes") separated by a "field mark" character (hexadecimal FE).
Example record:
In this example, "123-45-6789" serves as the Record ID; subsequent fields contain name, email, and salary information. Each field occupies only the bytes necessary plus one byte for the field mark separator.
Fields themselves can be further subdivided into multiple values and subvalues using value marks (xFD) and subvalue marks (xFC). For example, adding an additional email address would look like this:
(where ] represents a value mark).
Because values such as email addresses can reference records in other files—similar to SQL outer joins, known in U2 terminology as "translates"—this structure classifies U2 as a MultiValue database system.
Data
Data refers to unprocessed facts. A record represents a logically grouped data collection, such as an employee record that includes fields like name and address.
Programmability
UniVerse and UniData incorporate a structured BASIC language—UniVerse Basic and UniBasic—modeled on Pick/BASIC and tailored for MultiValue database environments. They also provide structured query tools (RetrieVe and UniQuery) designed for record retrieval and report creation.
RocketU2 supplies Client Tools that allow developers to interact with U2 databases through multiple programming languages.
Available Client Tool interfaces include:
- ODBC / JDBC
- Intercall (C/C++)
- UniOLEDB - OLEDB Driver
- UniObjects (COM, .NET, Java)
- Native XML
- U2 Web Services
- JSON
- Python (supported from UniVerse 11.3 and UniData 8.2 onward)
Security
Both UniVerse and UniData implement TLS encryption to protect data during transmission and utilize OpenSSL-based encryption for securing data at rest at the file and record levels. Furthermore, additional API encryption options allow for tailored security solutions compliant with regulatory requirements.
Professional certification
RocketU2 offers three certification paths within the U2 product suite:
- Rocket U2 Application Developer
- Rocket UniVerse Administrator
- Rocket UniData Administrator
Web-based applications for U2 data
While Universe and UniData from Rocket Software provide limited intrinsic web front-end functionality, their SQL capabilities facilitate integration with third-party SQL-compatible tools to develop web interfaces that support both Files and Tables within U2 databases.
See also
External links
- Official website
- U2UG, an international user community