Casahl Technology introduces Replic-Action; new product integrates Lotus Notes with multiple database management systems

Business Wire, July 17, 1995

DANVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 1995--Casahl Technology, poised to become the leading provider of software that integrates groupware software such as Lotus Notes with relational database and legacy systems, announced today its flagship product Replic-Action.

Replic-Action is a client/server based data replication and migration tool which accesses, transforms, migrates and synchronizes data between Lotus Notes and relational, and legacy databases. Replic-Action is targeted at corporations who want to integrate their groupware tools such as Notes into their existing MIS environment.

Replic-Action includes two major components: Composer and Server. Composer is a Notes database in which users can easily and visually create Replic-Action applications by filling out Notes forms, without programming. The Replic-Action Server runs as an operating system process to serve the Composer applications. Replic-Action applications can be scheduled or run on an ad hoc basis. Replic-Action provides an extensive set of workflow triggers and data transformation options to be invoked during data movement.

Founded in 1992, Casahl has been a Lotus Business Partner since 1993. Lotus has licensed Casahl's first product, NotesSQL, in 1993 and has been shipping the product since 1994. NotesSQL offers an ODBC interface to Notes and allows all SQL-based products to access Notes via a relational interface. Casahl will continue to enhance NotesSQL for bundling with version 4 of Notes.

Dr. Harry Wong, president and CEO of Casahl (previously chief scientist for Ashton-Tate, publisher of 50 technical papers and books on database technology and holder of both database and workflow patents), said, "The vision of Casahl is to fuse the leading-edge database and workflow technology to deliver a practical solution that enables groupware users to incorporate core information - the operational data - into their environment. Replic-Action provides an easy, resource-efficient way to take groupware beyond the current emphasis on e-mail and bulletin board," said Wong. "People are really hungry for a high-end and affordable solution to their urgent integration problems. Customers' feedback on Replic-Action has been overwhelmingly positive."

Replic-Action's Major Features

Integration/Replication: Replic-Action provides database integration between Notes and over 45 database management systems. By extending the powerful replication facility in Notes to non-Notes databases, Replic-Action enables external databases to be replicated with Notes databases. Databases are synchronized bi-directionally on a scheduled basis. Since only the incremental database changes are transferred, Replic-Action can support the integration of very large databases with Notes. Replication conflicts are handled automatically. Data transfer requests can include tables from multiple database systems.

Extensive Data Transformation: Replic-Action allows customers to perform bi-directional data value transformation using the full power of Notes and mapping tables.

Powerful Workflow Primitives: Replic-Action contains powerful workflow primitives that can be invoked automatically by data transfer events on a record basis. Triggers are based on insert, update, or delete operations. Replic-Action events support the following operations: Mail Send, Stored Procedures execution, SQL query execution, Notes formulae execution, File Attachment, DocLink insertion, and DDE link construction.

Totally Notes Centric: Replic-Action takes full advantage of Notes in storing its metadata, event logs, and help information as Notes databases. No third-party software is needed. Furthermore, since Replic-Action Composer is a Notes application, Notes users will find it straightforward to use. Since important operations such as incremental replication, workflow triggers, data transformation, and distributed requests are built-in primitives made available in the Composer, there is no need to use a programming or scripting language.

Customer and Partner Feedback

"Replic-Action shows such potential in solving our data access and distribution problems that we are now looking to aggressively deploy Notes across AMD," said Doug Ritchie, vice president of Information Integration and Access at Advanced Micro Devices.

"This is absolutely the best high-end data integration product by far in the Lotus Notes and database market," said Tom Leach, director of Enterprise Products of Egghead Software.

"Casahl's product is exactly what our customers have been asking for over the past several years," said Randy Eckel, president of InfoImage Inc., the leading Lotus Notes Business Partner in the world.

"Replic-Action provides an elegant solution to a crucial need of bridging Notes with relational databases while taking full advantage of Notes itself," said Jeff Papows, vice president of Lotus Communications product division.

Pricing, Availability & Support

Replic-Action Servers are available in development and production versions. The Development Server is for developing data transfer applications in a test environment, without interrupting Production Servers. The Production Server runs debugged applications with production databases on a scheduled basis.