Pervasive Software Announces Pervasive.SQL 2000 Family of Database Engines for Smart Cards, Embedded Systems and Mobile Devices

Business Wire, June 9, 1999

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 1999--

Building on nearly two decades of experience in the design, production and deployment of database software for use in packaged, low-maintenance applications, Pervasive Software Inc. (NASDAQ:PVSW) today announced the Pervasive.SQL(TM) 2000 family of database engines for non-PC applications. The new family of engines extend the Pervasive.SQL 2000 offering to meet the specific footprint size and functionality requirements of three rapidly emerging market segments expected by industry analysts to top more than one billion units shipped by year 2002: smart cards, embedded systems, and mobile devices.

Pervasive.SQL 2000 for Smart Cards is a sub-8K engine designed to integrate with the Java Card environment, providing both on-card and off-card interfaces that allow data to be decentralized, secured, shared and managed between multiple stations and multiple applications. Pervasive recently announced a development relationship with Schlumberger, one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of smart cards. Applications include loyalty programs, banking and finance, healthcare and network or Internet security.

Pervasive.SQL 2000 for Embedded Systems is a sub-100K engine featuring flash-in memory and file data storage for applications built on RTOS such as Wind River's Vx Works, WinCE, QNX, emWare and Palm OS platforms. This highly-portable, full-featured small-footprint engine is well suited for use in non-PC information and Internet appliances like set-top boxes, Internet screen phones, Web-enabled PDA's and even smart refrigerators.

Pervasive.SQL 2000 for Mobile Devices is a sub-350K data storage engine for WinCE deployments that allows synchronization of data from handheld devices to the corporate server for use in nomadic applications. Configured to support hub and spoke, N-tier hierarchy, or true peer-to-peer models, this engine and its integrated replication, remote access and event management technology fully supports Pervasive.SQL, Sybase, Oracle and SQL Server databases.

Based on published research by industry analysts, over 400 million special-purpose electronic, non-PC embedded devices will be sold this year--a number expected to climb to over 1.2 billion units by the year 2001. By 2002, analysts predict shipments of smart handheld devices such as PDA's, Palm Pilots and smart phones will reach 25 million units, and 15 million information appliances such as Net TVs and screenphones will be deployed. By year 2003, analysts project that smart cards equipped with miniature databases could make their way into virtually every purse and wallet in America.

"The potential market for very powerful yet very small database engines like Pervasive's new Pervasive.SQL 2000 family is compelling," said Ron Harris, president and CEO of Pervasive Software. "We believe that our database engines offer the range of size and functionality required by this new generation of special purpose devices, and are quite simply a much better fit in this space than offerings proposed by enterprise-level competitors."

"With Pervasive's small footprint, zero-administration database and Wind River's reliable OS, the embedded device industry has a powerful yet cost effective data management solution," said Tracy Butler, director of strategic programs for Wind River Systems.

"We envision a day in the near future when a single smart card with sophisticated on-board data management capabilities is used by consumers for routine activities involving identity verification, transactions and portable data storage," said Tom Lebsack, director of Partnership Programs at Schlumberger Smart Cards & Terminals, North America. "Pervasive's pioneering work in embedded database technology represents a powerful step toward making this vision a reality."

The Pervasive.SQL 2000 family features a platform-neutral Row Set Interface (RSI) for a common API to all three database sizes for write once, deploy anywhere flexibility that saves time and money in the development and deployment cycle. RSI offers both row- and cell-based access, scheme management, insert/update/delete/select capabilities and event support. The DBMS provides remote access and desktop support including ODBC for compatibility with a broad range of desktop tools like Microsoft Excel and Access.

The Pervasive.SQL 2000 database engines for Smart Cards, Embedded Systems and Mobile Devices are slated to ship in late Q3, 1999. Pricing will be announced on product availability. A beta version of the Mobile and Embedded database engine is available now for Wind River System's Vx Works and Microsoft's WinCE(TM) platforms, and can be accessed and downloaded at: http://www.pervasive.com/developerzone/.> About Pervasive 2000

The new Pervasive 2000 family of products enables dramatically simplified development and deployment of business critical applications on the desktop, across the Web, and in embedded, mobile and handheld devices. Pervasive 2000 is the application framework of the future, delivering the power, the versatility and the development support needed to meet the challenge of creating and deploying this new breed of applications.