UniVerse
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Database management systems, Software |
| Predecessor | UniData, UniVerse, Ardent Software, Informix, IBM Information Management |
| Fate | Acquired by Rocket Software from IBM on October 1, 2009 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | UniData, UniVerse, SB/XA (SystemBuilder), U2 Web Development Environment (WebDE), UniObjects APIs, wIntegrate |
| Owner | Rocket Software |
| Parent | Rocket Software |
| Website | www |
Rocket U2 represents a collection of database management (DBMS) solutions under the ownership of Rocket Software. This suite encompasses two MultiValue database platforms: UniData and UniVerse. Both platforms are compatible with Unix, Linux, and Windows environments and trace their origins to the Pick operating system. The product line also includes various development and web integration utilities, such as SB/XA (also referred to as SB+ or SystemBuilder), the U2 Web Development Environment (WebDE), UniObjects connectivity APIs, and the terminal emulation application wIntegrate.
History
The UniVerse platform was originally created by VMark Software, while UniData was developed by Unidata Corporation; both were designed to support vertical market application development and were embedded within industry-specific software solutions. In 1997, these two companies merged to form Ardent Software. Subsequently, Ardent was acquired by Informix in 2000. A year later, IBM purchased Informix’s database division, incorporating UniVerse and UniData into its DB2 product family. IBM organized these offerings within its Information Management division, which also included tools such as SB/XA, U2 Web DE, and wIntegrate.
On October 1, 2009, Rocket Software took ownership of the complete U2 product line from IBM, bringing these technologies under the RocketU2 brand umbrella.
Accounts
The architecture consists of one or more accounts—these are directories on the host operating system containing critical files necessary for system functionality. Among these is the system’s VOC (vocabulary) file, which stores all commands, filenames, keywords, aliases, scripts, and pointers. Users have the ability to add entries within these VOC categories.
Files
In U2 systems, files operate similarly to tables in relational databases. Each file is uniquely named and holds zero or more logically connected records.
Files are composed of two components: a data file that contains the records themselves and a file dictionary (DICT) that provides metadata used to describe or output the file’s contents.
Hashed files
In U2 environments, hashing algorithms organize records based on their unique record IDs. This approach optimizes search efficiency by restricting lookups to specific hashed groups rather than scanning an entire file.
Nonhashed files
Nonhashed files store unstructured content such as source code or XML documents. These files exist as subdirectories within the account directory and can be accessed or modified using suitable tools.
Records
Records function like rows in relational database tables, each identified by a unique key known as a "record ID." These record IDs are generally hashed to accelerate data retrieval processes.
All data is stored as pure ASCII strings without any binary encoding. For instance, numeric values are converted into ASCII before being saved. Records are segmented into fields (also called "attributes"), which are separated by field marks (hexadecimal FE).
Example record string:
In this example, 123-45-6789 serves as the record ID; the following fields represent name, email address, and salary respectively. Each field only uses the bytes necessary plus one byte for the field mark delimiter.
Fields can be further subdivided into values and subvalues using value marks (xFD) and subvalue marks (xFC). For example, multiple email addresses may be stored within a single field:
Since email addresses can act as record IDs in other files—akin to SQL outer joins (referred to as "translates" in U2)—this design categorizes U2 as a MultiValue database system.
Data
Data refers to unprocessed information. A record consists of a logically grouped data collection, such as an employee record that includes fields like name and address.
Programmability
UniVerse and UniData incorporate structured BASIC languages—UniVerse Basic and UniBasic—that resemble Pick/BASIC and are tailored for MultiValue database structures. They also provide structured query languages (RetrieVe and UniQuery) designed for selecting records, generating ad hoc queries, and creating reports.
RocketU2 supplies Client Tools that allow developers to interact with U2 databases through various programming interfaces, including:
- ODBC / JDBC
- Intercall (C/C++)
- UniOLEDB - OLEDB Driver
- UniObjects (COM, .NET, Java)
- Native XML
- U2 Web Services
- JSON
- Python (available from UniVerse 11.3 and UniData 8.2)
Security
Both UniVerse and UniData implement TLS encryption for securing data during transmission and utilize OpenSSL-based encryption to protect data at rest at both record and file levels. Furthermore, additional API encryption features facilitate adherence to specific regulatory standards.
Professional certification
RocketU2 offers three certification programs related to the U2 product suite:
- Rocket U2 Application Developer
- Rocket UniVerse Administration
- Rocket UniData Administration
Web-based applications for U2 data
While Rocket Software’s Universe and UniData provide limited native web interface capabilities, their SQL access functionality allows integration with external frameworks to build web-based user interfaces for U2 databases, supporting both Files and Tables.
See also
External links
- Official website
- U2UG, a global user community