Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced Java™ Blend™, a development product that uses Java™ technology to greatly simplify the complex process of building business applications that can access any database.

Databases and the applications designed to access them organize data in fundamentally different ways. To date, building a database application required developers to understand the structure of databases and to write code in a database language that translated and mapped data into database records.

Java Blend automatically translates and maps data and understands database structures so that developers can write applications for any database entirely in the Java programming language. Developers no longer need to know for which database they are writing, nor must they use database code.

"Corporate developers want to write business logic, not database plumbing," said Jon Kannegaard, vice president of software products at JavaSoft, a business unit of Sun Microsystems. "Java Blend lets developers build rich Java database applications that can access the terabytes of data that exist in databases today -- all without writing a single line of database code."

Instead of writing code in a database language such as SQL (Structured Query Language), developers build applications with Java Blend. At runtime, Java Blend automatically generates Java data that corresponds to the underlying database format. Called object-relational mapping, this process ensures that no extra programming is required.

Intended for corporate developers, Java Blend includes both a development tool and the software libraries needed in order for Java Blend applications to run. To ensure that applications can run in any database, Java Blend leverages JDBC™, a database connectivity API included in the Java Platform.

"Java Blend enables developers to build flexible applications that can work with any database, extending the 'Write Once, Run Anywhere'™ proposition of the Java Platform to this critically important applications segment," continued Kannegaard.

The Java Blend product conforms to ODMG, a specification that defines the industry standard for storing Java data in databases. ODMG is published by the Object Database Management Group, a consortium of more than 20 companies.

Java Blend was co-developed with The Baan Company, a worldwide provider of enterprise-wide business software solutions and consulting services.

Availability

The initial version of the Java Blend product is scheduled to be available for purchase from Sun and other resellers early next year. Customers interested in an early access program for Java Blend can sign up now at http://java.sun.com/products/java-blend .

Java(SM) Internet Business Expo(SM)

The Java(SM) Internet Business Expo(SM) event takes place August 25-28, 1997 in New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Java industry will converge on this event to showcase the latest applications, hardware and solutions that take the Java Platform beyond the desktop -- from consumer electronic devices to enterprise-wide Java computing. For more information, or to register, visit http://www.javaexpo.sbforums.com or call 888/528-2397.

About Sun

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ:SUNW) to it position as a leading provider of hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $8 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the Worldwide Web at http://www.sun.com .