Always On? Not Quite Yet
Mobile database market faces evolving compute models, but a handful of best practices still hold true
By Geoff Koch
December 15, 2005 —
(Page 1 of 5)
Always-on computing is set to arrive any time now, according to tech optimists shouting from the mountaintops. Word is that, because of expanding spheres of wireless broadband availability and more powerful mobile devices, the era of cubicle-only access to applications, even big enterprise databases, is poised to pass away for good.
Yet Walt Tallman is bemused by these claims. Tallman, senior mobility integrator at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, supports a mobile database application used by the state’s bridge inspectors. Armed with tablet PCs and digital cameras, the inspectors look after thousands of structures from the remote eastern part of the state to sparsely populated coastal regions.
“North Carolina has lots of mountains where it’s impossible even to get cell phone coverage,” said Tallman.
A maturing market for mobile databases that work online or off is in many ways the bridge to the always-on future, which many less-optimistic analysts and technologists say is still many years or even decades away.
The market is crowded with the usual list of big database sellers and a slew of emerging companies focusing on specific industries, such as voice-over-IP telephony, or technical capabilities, such as embedding everyday desktop software into customized, distributed enterprise applications. Big questions hover above this fray as well, including the place of Linux and the effects of a slow turn away from client/server, toward a Web-centric, software-as-service compute model.
Despite the complexities, however, most agree on a straightforward handful of best practices associated with building and maintaining a mobile database for occasionally connected, field-based workers.
Sync’s the thing
Breck Carter, a consultant who used Sybase SQL Anywhere Studio MobiLink technology to design and implement the database synchronization feature of the North Carolina bridge inspector application, said that 100 percent automation of the synchronization process tops the list of essential mobile database features.
“It may be appropriate for a user to click on a ‘synchronize now’ button, but even that shouldn’t be necessary if a regular schedule is more appropriate,” said Carter, author of the “SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer’s Guide,” published in September 2004. “Any higher level of end-user involvement should not be required.”
Share this link: http://sdt.bz/29032
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
Top five apps to manage your workload
Web applications offer new ways to track your “to-do” lists
|
|
ComponentOne Releases a Collection of 40+ UI Widgets Powered by HTML5 and jQuery
ComponentOne has announced the 2012 release of Wijmo: a kit of UI widgets for HTML5 and jQuery development
|
|
Zeichick’s Take: Looking for the best of the best of the best
It's time once again for readers to send in nominees for the SD Times 100
|
Taking enterprise architecture to the business side
Startup Corso is bringing out a cloud-based planning platform that ties into business plans
|
|
Top five apps to manage your workload
Web applications offer new ways to track your “to-do” lists
|
|
Not so fast when it comes to testing in the cloud
Developers face outsourcing, virtual lab management and mobile devices as obstacles
|
|
Xceed releases UX-focused suite for Microsoft’s WPF
"Blendables" helps match user experiences to developer visions
|
Are you at risk for burnout?
Burnout is a severe problem and it can strike at any time. Here's how to tell if you are nearing the edge.
|
|
Agility, mom, and apple pie
If we're to evaluate the state-of-the-art in software development, we should start with the values espoused in the Agile Manifesto.
|
|
RIM woos developers with free tablet
How do you get more apps ported to the BlackBerry PlayBook? By giving every developer a free tablet, of course!
|
|
GitHire: Use Headhunters to Find Your Perfect Programmer
Are you a hiring manager tired of scouring the job boards? Check out this new service that will find 5 people interested in your jobs.
|
The Hidden Costs of Software Licensing
Moving beyond paper-based software licensing to more flexible, software-based licensing is a business decision. There is a growing trend tow...
|
|
Case Study: You May Need a Development Mechanic
As a contractor for a major financial player in Germany, SOBEGE, a German-based consultancy specializing in embedded IT and web services, wa...
|
|
Ensuring Software Quality at a Major International Bank
One of the world’s leading international banks has adopted AgitarOne technology for delivering generated unit tests for their Java software...
|
|
Load Testing Adobe Flex Applications
Adobe Flex applications may be different from applications you’ve worked with before. For classic HTML web applications, the server does all...
|