Monday, April 22, 2002		Article

Sybase for managing data
Sumesh Raizada

AS more organisations are joining the concept of paperless operations, the task of those responsible for managing the electronic records has become rather more difficult. Large amount of data and information is generated and exchanged between different functional departments, units or organisations and therefore has to be properly managed. Each and every data has to be organised and stored in such a way that it can be retrieved immediately whenever or wherever required. Further, as organisations expand their business operations to various locations, networking through the Internet or Intranet is done to enable uninterrupted sharing of database with its customers, raw material suppliers or business associates. This is done to reduce costs of operations as well as to build customer relationship. It is, therefore, essential for an enterprise to develop efficient and effective database management system. Organising data is critical in case of banks, financial institutions or manufacturing enterprises, where immediate information has to be provided pertaining to old records or to the customer who may be situated far away.

Nowadays concepts like GSM and wireless data communication is fast gaining momentum. As a result need for developing software products that can work on wireless technology is also growing tremendously. The system for data communication, storage and analysis has to be such that it meets the growing business requirement of the company as well as the rapidly changing technological environment.

In recent years, a number of companies have come up with software as well as hardware products for the data management. However, just a few have been able to survive technologically sensitive market. One such firm which has performed extremely well in terms of product reliability and application, is Sybase, a US based firm.

Sybase is basically the enterprise infrastructure company that is involved in multifunctional operations. It develops software solutions for mobile and wireless communication, delivers enterprise portals products and offers highly efficient database management system to the clients. The company also design and implement software for e-business applications. Apart from having its presence in all major countries, Sybase has its Indian operations located at Mumbai. The professionals employed with Sybase India are required to design and implement Sybase software solutions for the client companies in various industrial and service sectors. The major customers include pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries, telecom and software firms, banks and financial institutions, ISPs etc.

Presently, Sybase products are under operation in a large number of organisations, within the USA, India and several other countries. As a result qualified and trained professionals are required to manage the existing software products and also for developing client specific solutions. Employment prospects are bright for the certified Sybase professionals as their availability is scarce.

The Sybase certified courses are conducted directly or through their authorised training partners. Most of these courses are designed to educate learners on enterprise infrastructure software, databases, development tools, enterprise portals and mobile and wireless servers. Certified Sybase Instructors provide standard or customised curriculum to the operating staff at the client premises or at the Sybase education centre. The course is designed to meet the latest technology requirement of the industry.

The Sybase training courses are conducted on Database Servers, Application Servers, Internet Applications, Development Tools, Mobile & Wireless communication, Business Process Integration and Enterprise Modelling. Few certification courses offered are Sybase Certified PowerBuilder Developer 6.0, Sybase Certified Professional - Adaptive Server Administrator, Sybase Certified Associate - SQL Developer, etc. Most of the Sybase Certified Professional Program exams are computer based and require a minimum passing score of 75 per cent for getting certification.

Sybase Corporation offers a range of database products that includes SQL Anywhere Studio, Adapative Server, etc. Sybase Adapative Server Enterprise is a highly efficient database product designed for mission critical applications. Sybase Adaptive Server IQ is a relational database designed for data warehousing and business intelligence applications. The SQL Anywhere Studio datasheet provides Sybase's official product description and feature list.

Sybase solutions have been successfully implemented in business activities, mainly e-business, vertical industry solutions and mobile & wireless applications. Sybase e-commerce solutions have enabled companies to expand their business all over the world through the Web. Sybase products helps organisations to develop reliable and faster solutions and at a lower cost than competitors. Sybase solution for vertical markets such as financial, communications, healthcare, and government are working successfully in almost every industry and as a result offers career potential for the certified and experienced Sybase professionals.

Sybase, Inc. offers excellent job opportunities throughout the world for IT and non-IT professionals. Professionals work as product sales representative for developing and implementing selling strategies within assigned sales territory involving development tools. The database sales representatives are involved in the marketing of database tools and solutions for the client, while system consultants design and implement customised database solutions for the clients. The sales representative conducts product slide presentations and product demonstrations to clients, conducts seminars, submits sales forecasts and is responsible for achieving sales targets of the Sybase products. Qualification required is degree in engineering, MCA or graduation with Sybase certification.

Wipro Technologies, a leading software company, employs Sybase Administrator at their location in Bangalore for mainly database design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of database on Unix/NT platforms. These professionals design and manage tables, log files, databases, data modelling and troubleshooting. The candidate for this position has to be engineering graduate with relevant experience of Sybase administration in a Unix/NT environment. They should have sufficient knowledge of Sybase SQL Server, PERL, Java, HTML, C, & C++ and be able to handle basic system administration requirement.

Sybase data administrator may be either employed or work as consultant with the client companies where Sybase products are installed. They are required to possess relevant experience in various aspects of software development, testing and implementation in client/server environments, Sybase adaptive server and related tools. They should have exposure to activities such as installation, configuration, optimisation, database consistency and schedule backups of databases. The candidates must also have carried out systems administration task such as installation of Solaris 2.5, etc.

iAnywhere Solutions is the latest product developed by the company for providing mobile, wireless, embedded and workgroup solutions that enable immediate access to enterprise information wherever required. iAnywhere Solutions provides a comprehensive source for m-business requirements of an organisation related to financial services, healthcare, transportation and retail business. iAnywhere Solutions m-business Platform is an integrated software platform for extending the reach of e-business applications, enterprise data, and content to mobile and wireless devices. The platform provides the core foundation necessary for m-business while managing the risk, and reducing the cost and development times.

iAnywhere Mobile Mail, a key component of iAnywhere Solutions' m-business platform, is a solution for enabling readymade access to enterprise e-mail, calendar, contact and task information from mobile and wireless devices. It securely extends e-mail and professional productivity information from enterprise e-mail systems including Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange to a variety of mobile and wireless devices including Palm, Windows CE, Pocket PC, etc.

Since market for mobile data communication is growing tremendously, employment scope for Sybase professionals in hardware as well as software companies are bright. These professionals may also be involved in building new applications for Web-based systems and to provide application server to suit the requirements of e-business and enterprise information and applications.