Cognos licenses database drivers from DataDirect Technologies

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, June 23, 2003

DataDirect Technologies, a provider of components for connecting data and applications, and Cognos (Nasdaq:COGN) (TSE:CSN), the world leader in Business Intelligence (BI) and corporate performance management, has announced that Cognos has purchased a corporate development license for DataDirect Connect for ODBC, software components for connecting applications to all major databases on all major platforms.

Cognos has purchased the corporate development license of DataDirect Connect for ODBC to test and certify DataDirect Connect drivers for use with the current and future release of the company's enterprise-class business intelligence (BI) solution. Cognos Enterprise BI Series 7 offers mission-critical performance, reliability, and scalability, as well as unique operational event detection and alerting to wireless devices. Cognos' license includes a full suite of wire-protocol ODBC drivers, including direct and efficient access to Microsoft SQL Server from UNIX platforms. This is the only ODBC SQL Server driver based on Microsoft's source code, which was ported to UNIX by DataDirect Technologies.

"Cognos offers customers scalability to tens of thousands of users, robust UNIX and Microsoft support, and excellent performance and reliability," said John Vandermay, VP of Foundation Services at Cognos. "We are working with DataDirect Technologies because their data connectivity components provide the functionality, performance and scalability our customers demand."

DataDirect Technologies is the only vendor that offers a suite of wire-protocol ODBC drivers for all major databases across all major platforms. This wire-protocol ODBC technology eliminates the need for database client software, thus simplifying installation and dramatically improving performance. A recent independent benchmark study by database expert Ken North showed DataDirect Connect for ODBC drivers to outperform applications coded in the native database languages.

"Cognos promises their customers a 'no-compromise' breadth and depth of application choice, reflective of the unique needs of enterprise user communities," said Eric Egertson, Vice President of OEM sales for DataDirect Technologies. "With the most comprehensive and best performing data connectivity availability, we can help Cognos keep that promise."