Understanding the DBMS Products

Pervasive.SQL is available in two different database engine packages. The major differences between the packages are price and multi-user features.

The Workgroup engine is least expensive, but it provides support only for small workgroup environments.

The Server engine is designed for maximum scalability in high-volume, mission critical database applications where there is a dedicated database server. The Server engine quickly becomes most economical as you increase the number of users.

Both engines are fully compatible with any Pervasive.SQL database. To upgrade or downgrade from one package to another requires no changes to your application or to your database. Simply install the new package and you are ready to go. Both engines were designed with a common architecture and offer the same features.

In addition, there are several add-on packages that you can use to expand the capabilities of your database. This section explains the different packages.

Workgroup

The Workgroup engine offers a peer-to-peer network setup designed for stand-alone single-user installations up to small workgroups. The Workgroup engine is the only engine that offers multi-user access to Pervasive.SQL data located on a computer where no database engine is installed. For example, you can share data files stored on a NetWare or Windows server where no database server is installed, using a Workgroup engine installed on a different computer.

A major difference between Workgroup and Server is the Gateway feature of Workgroup. When there is no database engine running on the computer where the data is located, normally the first database engine to connect to that data handles all requests from other engines to access that data. This feature can be configured so that the same Workgroup engine always services that data, or the Gateway designation can be allowed to "float" based on which Workgroup engine connects to the data first during any given work day.

The Workgroup engine comes with a 5-user license. Additional users may be added.

Server

The Server engine offers a full client/server architecture providing excellent performance and scalability for up to thousands of concurrent users. The Server engine can be monitored and configured remotely.

The Server engine must be located on the same computer as the data files it is intended to access.

The table below compares Server and Workgroup features.

Table 1-1 Comparison of Server and Workgroup Features
Feature	Server	Workgroup
Supports Btrieve, ODBC, OLE-DB, Java, JDBC, and ActiveX interfaces
Full-featured relational support (online backup, security, referential integrity, management tools)
Binary compatible data files across all platforms and engine editions
Easy, compatible upgrading, no application changes required
Includes complete online documentation
Can access data on a file server where no database engine is installed
Supports remote ODBC client connections
Requires a Workgroup engine on all computers expected to access remote data	N/A
Engine runs on Windows
Engine runs on NetWare
Engine runs on Linux
Multi-user for small groups
Scales to thousands of users
Extranet license available
Security

Crystal Reports for Pervasive.SQL

Another optional product, Crystal Reports provides rich capabilities for creating and formatting reports based on Pervasive.SQL databases. Reports can be customized in thousands of ways and published as HTML, Microsoft Word document, Microsoft Excel document, or other formats.

For more information about Crystal Reports, contact your sales representative or visit the Pervasive web site at:
http://www.pervasive.com.