After more than twenty years of use, our Adlib database has reached the end of its service. From now on, all new Adlib versions will be shipped with either Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle as the database management system. Although Adlib has been available for several years now in combination with the products of both major database manufacturers, Adlib's own proprietary database system - also known as 'CBF' database - continued to operate alongside it. Furthermore, the versions for SQL/Oracle had a higher price tag than their CBF counterpart.
On 1 September 2012, we decided to replace the CBF version of Adlib with a version that is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server Express. This 'bare bones' version of Microsoft SQL Server is intended for smaller scale systems. The maximum database size in SQL Server Express is 10GB, and the maximum computing capacity in the server is 2 cores. In practical terms, this means that existing Adlib customers who are currently running the CBF version will find that their system performs extremely well even with 4 -5 concurrent users.
An added bonus is that the Microsoft SQL Server Express edition is free, and that the price of Adlib software will remain unchanged. If you have a maintenance contract, you can even take advantage of our free upgrade tool to convert your database.
Adlib SQL offers a number of advantages over the CBF version. These include:
- Stability and security; SQL technology offers greater stability compared with the Adlib database. For example, database operations will not be affected if Adlib inadvertently shuts down during storage. The ‘transaction tracking' system of SQL Express negates such problems. SQL provides no direct access to the database outside of Adlib, making the system far more secure.
- Access security per record; By assigning user rights to groups or individual users for each record, you can permit access or prevent unauthorized access to these records. This enables you to create data restrictions to make records hidden or read-only for a particular group of users, or the internet.
- Maintain a history of changes for each record; The database settings can be configured to ensure that all changes are logged. That way, users can see who made each modification, and when.
- Advanced search capabilities; For instance, quick and easy date range searching.
Increased database search speed; This feature is especially useful when running many concurrent users.
- Multilingual data input In the Adlib application; This allows users to input data in multiple languages. The language field allows the user to search by language, and displays the data in the corresponding language.
As of now, all new Adlib customers will enjoy the advantages of Adlib on the SQL platform. Existing Adlib customers, meanwhile, are offered a choice of platforms. The Adlib 7 series will run with the Adlib (CBF) database, and will continue to be supported for the next five years. However, existing users can request a free update to the SQL Express platform. A licence upgrade will not be required for this.
SQL Express is recommended for up to 4 users only, so larger systems should employ MS SQL Server Standard/Enterprise editions. From Adlib version 8 and above, only the MS-SQL and Oracle database platforms will be supported. However, we will continue to offer support on Adlib version 7 for the next five years, even after the release of Adlib version 8. When you want to upgrade from CBF to SQL Express, please contact our support department.
