Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a leading independent enterprise software provider that enables companies to be operationally responsive, today announced new database drivers that will provide the ability to connect applications and off-the-shelf software to salesforce.com’s Database.com, the first enterprise database built for the cloud, announced today at Dreamforce 2010.  Developers can access Salesforce, and applications built on Force.com or the new Database.com using beta versions of the JDBC drivers that are available today from Progress Software, with a new ODBC driver becoming available in Q2, 2011.

The Progress® DataDirect Connect® drivers are unique in the market as they are the only drivers that use SQL to enable developers to access and move data between Java-based programs and Salesforce, and applications built on Force.com or the new Database.com. By providing connectivity to Java and off-the-shelf applications, these drivers will accelerate the adoption of cloud-based data sources across the enterprise.
In addition, Progress has simplified the Java community’s migration to cloud-based data sources by enabling developers to leverage existing skills from traditional on-premise databases to Salesforce, the Force.com platform and Database.com.

“Salesforce.com designed Database.com to address the growing need to support mobile, social and cloud-based applications in the enterprise,” said George Hu, executive vice president of platform and marketing, salesforce.com. “Progress gives developers full access to an open, proven and trusted database — Database.com — that is built for the cloud to power Java-based applications.”

Progress will soon add ODBC support for Database.com, which will enable open database access for cross-platform SQL-based Database.com access from Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems without the need for custom code.

“The new class of cloud-enabled Progress DataDirect Connect drivers will complement Database.com by providing open access regardless of platform or operating system,” said Jonathan Bruce, senior product manager for Progress Software. “We’re delivering JDBC Type 5 functionality to Java developers to allow them to apply their expertise to new cloud data sources such as Salesforce, Force.com and Database.com. Only DataDirect Connect drivers provide this connectivity to Java and off-the-shelf applications, which will accelerate the use of cloud-based data across the enterprise.”

The introduction of the new JDBC database drivers extends Progress Software’s push to broaden Independent Software Vendor (ISV) cloud enablement using the Progress® OpenEdge® SaaS platform. The OpenEdge SaaS platform is used by several hundred ISVs to build applications for the most demanding and diverse business environments in the world.