Release 10 of Server Studio™ & Sentinel™— the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for IBM Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) — is now available.

Here is a list of new features in the Release 10 of Server Studio & Sentinel:

• Data Masking is an important part of any organization's data governance solution. The most common use of data masking is to create test data for non-production environments, such as application development and QA, while protecting personally identifiable, personally sensitive or commercially sensitive data. Development and QA department personnel usually do not have required security clearance to access actual production data. However, in order to create and test robust business applications, they need to work with data sets that closely resemble real-world data. Server Studio provides a number of data masking methods, such as Random Substitution, Substitution from Database objects and Files, Shuffling, Number and Date Variance, Masking Out of text data, and more.
  
• SQL Script Substitution Variables provide an easy way to execute scripts in situations when you need to run the same SQL queries multiple times or periodically applying a different set of parameters for each script execution, for example during application tests or when running system reports. Using variables in these situations eliminates a task of modifying SQL syntax every time you need to provide a new parameter value, such as report dates or customer code. This feature is especially valuable when the same parameter is used in SQL script in multiple places and the value of this parameter must be edited every time in all places. Without usage of script variables, there is a high probability of error – not only a syntax error but also an error of getting incorrect SQL query result. Substitution variables can be used in SQL scripts in place of constant values, names of columns or tables. If a SQL script contains substitution variables, the dialog box prompting to enter their values opens automatically when a user attempts to execute this script.
  
• The Columns folder under a database node in the Object Explorer provides an integrated view of all columns for all tables in a database. This view is very useful when analyzing database structure and table dependencies. It also can be used to identify columns that require data masking during creation of test data sets based on production data. You can use the new Server Studio's Data Masking wizard to obfuscate identified data and create required test data sets. The Columns view provides table, column name and datatype filtering capabilities for easy object searches. Indexing, nulling, datatypes, default column data information is displayed in a single grid for all database columns. There are navigations to underlying table structure and data viewers and editors.
• You can schedule Sentinel's alert blackout periods for planned Informix server down time to avoid receiving false alerts from Sentinel monitors and jobs. This is useful when you know in advance that you are going to take Informix server down for maintenance or an upgrade. When an alert blackout period is activated, Sentinel will not send out any alerts for the specified servers. Sentinel administrators will be notified whenever a blackout period starts and ends via Server Studio alerts and email messages sent to administrator’s email address.
• Server Studio has been certified and bundled with Java VM 1.7, which provides enhanced application security and performance. Previous versions of Server Studio were certified only under Java VM 1.6 or 1.5, which are not currently supported by Oracle Corporation.

  February 01, 2013

AGS today announced that the brand new Release 9 of Server Studio™ & Sentinel™— the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for IBM Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) — is now available worldwide.

This new release of the industry-leading multi-platform graphical development and management environment has undergone a substantial upgrade in functionality and now provides DBAs and developers with an even richer collection of easy-to-use, proven tools to manage effectively and with ease complexities of the Informix data servers' infrastructure — from initial design and development, all the way through to production deployment and successful operational service.

Here is a list of new features and enhancements in the
Release 9 of Server Studio & Sentinel:

• New Schema Audit jobs allow monitoring for schema changes on multiple Informix servers and issue email notifications when new changes are found. Email alerts can optionally contain an HTML difference report along with a synchronization script which allows to rollback the changes. Schema audit jobs can automatically take schema snapshots of the monitored Informix servers for record keeping or for manual reviewing.
• The new User Projects feature allows creating user defined project folders, which can organize database objects, SQL scripts, ER diagrams and other Server Studio files into logically meaningful groups. Projects can significantly speed up access to groups of logically related objects because there is no need to scroll long lists in the main Object Explorer in order to find a specific object. It is more convenient to have a single access point that contains links only to the required objects of interest.
• Color-coding of document tabs in the application frame window allows to visually differentiate multiple documents, such as SQL Editors or Data Editors, when they are connected to different Informix servers.
• Enhanced document navigation significantly improves the ability to navigate between open documents in Server Studio by presenting tabs in a single row with a drop down list. The placement of tabs stays consistent and the drop down list allows reviewing of all open documents in a list form. Users can enter a specific text into any tab to make its header more meaningful. The new feature applies to both Server Studio document area and the result sets in the SQL Editor.
• New Command-line SQL Runner. You can execute SQL scripts by invoking Server Studio in a command line mode. This feature allows using Server Studio with an external scheduler and in automated application deployment tasks. SQL scripts can include special LOAD and UNLOAD SQL statements to import and export data files as part of script's logic. Another advantage of Command-line SQL Runner is an ability to execute very large SQL scripts without opening them in graphical SQL editors, which might save significant amount of system memory used by Server Studio application's process.
• Support for IDS 11.7 External Tables. External tables can be created and edited using the new Server Studio external table graphical editors.
• New Space Optimization feature allows to Compress, Repack, Shrink and De-Fragment tables or indexes using the Informix (Requires 11.5 FC4 or newer version)
• A new script generator creates OS script, which replicates all existing storage dbspaces and chunks (with correct sizes and parameters). It can be used to replicate Informix server storage on a new server instance.
• Support for Mapped Users security option. Mapped Users can be created and edited using the new Server Studio graphical editors.(Requires Informix 11.7 or newer version)
• Ability to set user credentials for a group of Informix connections. This new feature allows to specify user names and passwords for a selected group of connections, thus making it easier to manage installations with multiple Informix servers where passwords are changed on a regular basis for security reasons.
• Enhanced UI for MAC OS
• Ability to assign actions to Sentinel jobs that were successfully executed. This new feature allows creating email alerts and optionally execute a different job when Sentinel jobs succeed.

  November 02, 2010

AGS today announced that the brand new Release 8 of Server Studio™ & Sentinel™— the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for IBM Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) — is now available worldwide.

This new release of the industry-leading multi-platform graphical development and management environment fully supports newest Informix® 11.7 server, has undergone a substantial upgrade in functionality and now provides DBAs and developers with an even richer collection of easy-to-use, proven tools to manage effectively and with ease complexities of the Informix data servers' infrastructure — from initial design and development, all the way through to production deployment and successful operational service.

Here are just a few of the noteworthy new features and capabilities in the
all-new Release 8 of Server Studio & Sentinel that will take the drudgery out of your work and make you feel more plugged into your vital enterprise information than ever before:

• Server's properties views have been extended to include total and available OS memory, number of host CPUs, last backup date and expandability status for dbspaces and chunks
• New Recovery Logs focilities significantly enhance ability to view and manage logical and physical logs, checkpoints and recovery policies
• Enhanced IDS Logs Viewer eases review of Online Message Log, Administrative Commands Log and Onbar Log
• Dbspaces and chunks management, as well as termination of user sessions operations now leverage IDS 11.5 SQL API, eliminating the need for direct telnet/SSH connections to the server
• Proactive data stores dynamic resource management capabilities have been added
• Table reorganization tasks can now be scheduled for deferred execution
• Ability to actively monitor for and respond to the number of rows in table has been added
• New SQL Trace facilities enable easy configuration, analysis and reporting on SQL statements captured by the SQL Trace cache of IDS 11.x servers
• User Sessions Manager has been enhanced to provide the history of the SQL statements executed by a given user session, in addition to the last executed SQL statement and now provides the ability to terminate multiple user sessions in a single operation
• Enhanced update statistics functionality with ability to schedule deferred execution
• Automation facilities have been significantly enhanced with the addition of the ability to dynamically pass monitors' parameters values to autonomic tasks
• International characters' set data encoding has been enhanced for LOAD/UNLOAD SQL commands and Data Import/Export operations
• Configuration change management facilities have gained the ability to automate the auditing process by the addition of the system snapshot scheduling

  September 17, 2009

AGS today announced that the brand new Release 7 of Server Studio™ & Sentinel™— the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for IBM Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) — is now available worldwide.
This new version of the industry-leading multi-platform graphical development and management environment has undergone a substantial upgrade in functionality and now provides DBAs and developers with an even richer collection of easy-to-use, proven tools to manage effectively and with ease complexities of the Informix data servers' infrastructure — from initial design and development, all the way through to production deployment and successful operational service.

Here are just a few of the noteworthy new features and capabilities in the all-new Release 7 of Server Studio & Sentinel:

• Integrated query tuning: Brand new SQL Tuner is a powerful but easy-to-use tool that guides database professionals through the complex process of tuning the code by helping locate bottlenecks and automatically suggesting more optimal SQL cases to correct performance deficiencies. Integrated Index Adviser performs a thorough examination of SQL statements and presents index recommendations based on tables which are used by these statements. To assist in query optimization, the New Query Result Difference Analyzer enables comparing data sets produced by two SQL SELECT statements executed from the same or multiple SQL Editor panes.
• Enhanced SQL code management: Revamped and much improved SQL Manager has enhanced code completion function, provides the ability to graph query result sets using multiple chart types (i.e. pie, bar, XY, etc.) and features the following new components:
  — SQL Formatter improves formatting and beautifies individual SQL statements, SQL scripts, SPL stored procedures and triggers with wide ranging formatting options.
  — Describe Object function provides the ability to get 'in-place' syntax for selected object in the SQL Editor (i.e. table, view or stored procedure syntax).
  — SQL Templates Generator assists with auto creation of INSERT / UPDATE / SELECT / DELETE / CREATE code templates for the object whose name is selected in the SQL Editor (i.e. tables, views and synonyms).
  — Related Data Links analyzes query result data sets based on identifiable primary / foreign keys in the SELECT predicate and provides links to navigate directly to the related data.
• Better data stores support: New Heatmaps facilities enable innovative multi-dimensional graphical analysis of storage resources and table activities. New DBSpace Data Fragmentation Analyzer assists in visualization of data distribution in dbspaces. Enhanced Table Reorganization Wizard provides brand new algorithm that significantly improves performance and reduces resource consumption of table reorg operations.
• Robust change management: Brand new Sentinel — Change Management Option streamlines database change management by: capturing periodic database schema version control snapshots ("VCS") and retaining them in a built-in repository; providing robust facilities to detect changes from a baseline or between any two snapshots; as well as enabling easy roll-out, roll-back and recovery of lost or damaged database objects.
• Improved performance tracking and optimization: The real-time engine for collection of IDS operational parameters metrics in the Sentinel — Performance Option has been revamped and made more efficient, along with the addition of: DBSPACE IS OFFLINE, CHUNK IS OFFLINE, ACTIVE THREADS, RATIO of THREADS IN READY QUEUE to ACTIVE THREADS, etc. parameters. Enhanced Update Statistics Wizard provides a new algorithm that accounts for table structure and indexes, resulting in faster update statistics operations and improved access to tables' data.

  July 05, 2007

IBM and AGS today jointly announced that the new Server Studio™ and Sentinel™ Release 6.1 — the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) — is available through IBM and AGS worldwide.

The IDS data server is a strategic element of IBM's Information Management software portfolio and the recently announced IDS 11 — code named Cheetah — delivers increased performance, reliability and scalability, along with the ability to handle massive volumes of complex data at very high speeds. IDS 11 is also the industry's first data server to provide clustered data centers with continuous data availability and disaster recovery regardless of the geographic location or distance between backup data center sites.

Server Studio and Sentinel together form a powerful infrastructure of multi-platform tools that help both seasoned database professionals and novices alike manage IBM Informix data server environments with an unprecedented ease and productivity. Native support of IDS 11 new functionality in the Release 6.1 of Server Studio and Sentinel further enhances ability to deliver optimal performance, availability and maintainability of Informix databases throughout their entire operational life cycle. Continue >> ...

  April 18, 2007

IBM is conducting the Informix “Chat with the Lab” web conference that will address the brand new Release 6 of Sentinel™ — the industry-leading solution for automating 24 x 7 real-time monitoring and management of IBM Informix® Dynamic Server performance and availability.

Lester Knutson, President of Advanced Data Tools Corp. and a founding member of the IIUG and the DC area Informix Users Group will be demonstrating some of the new features, functionality and capabilities of Sentinel™ R.6. He will also discuss effective use of Sentinel™, together with Server Studio™ to help manage and maintain reliable enterprise database infrastructure without expensive downtime or interruption to vital business operations. A trial version of Sentinel™ is packaged by IBM with IDS data servers. Joining Lester will be Jerry Keesee, Director of the Informix Lab, who will give opening comments.

You may RSVP to this Chat

• at: https://ww4.premconf.com/webrsvp/register?conf_id=3379240; or
• via phone: by calling 800-289-0579 and referencing confirmation code 3379240

  February 14, 2007

IBM today revealed that next generation of Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS) data server, code-named "Cheetah", has now entered an open beta testing for customers and business partners. Product management, engineering and QA teams of AGS and IBM are working closely on product direction, technology development and QA testing of Server Studio™ and Sentinel™ to support the upcoming IDS Cheetah release.

Scheduled for release in 2007, IDS Cheetah is designed to offer new capabilities to help customers meet their changing data management goals by enabling users to extract more value from their business information. Continue >> ...

  February 01, 2007

IBM and AGS today jointly announced the general availability of Server Studio™ and Sentinel™ Release 6 – the premiere suite of integrated system management tools for Informix® Dynamic Server (IDS), a key element of IBM’s Information Management portfolio. These products are available through IBM and AGS worldwide.

Release 6 of Server Studio™ and Sentinel™ adds important new capabilities to the wide-ranging functionality already provided by this powerful suite of multi-platform DBMS tools that unite all development, administration, maintenance, configuration and performance management activities for an entire IBM Informix® data servers infrastructure at a centralized point of control.

  September 22, 2005

AGS and IBM will hold a joint web conference on Wednesday, October 5, 2005: Informix Chat with the Lab — Advances in DBMS Tools for Automating Administration and Performance Management of Informix® Dynamic Server. You are cordially invited to attend!

This web conference will address significant advances in the upcoming release of Server Studio™ JE with Sentinel™, the premier suite of powerful professional database management tools that IBM supplies with IDS. We will discuss new functionality, designed to help develop, deploy, manage and maintain reliable enterprise database infrastructure without expensive downtime or interruption to vital business operations. Special emphasis will be given to the wide-ranging array of sophisticated analytical and automation tools to proactively monitor, diagnose and efficiently resolve database performance degradation and availability problems. Our speakers are:

• Jerry Keesee — Director of the IBM Informix Lab; and
• Anatole Vishon — CEO of AGS Ltd.

  April 25, 2005

AGS announces general availability of Server Studio™ JE Release 5.1 with Sentinel™ — a brand new multi-platform suite of powerful tools that provide wide-ranging functionality to support IBM Informix® databases from initial design, development and testing, all the way through to production deployment and operational service. Server Studio™ JE V.5.1 with Sentinel bundle is available immediately via electronic software delivery.

  February 22, 2005

IBM announces the next major version release of its flagship Informix database server. IBM Informix® Dynamic Server V10.0 delivers a powerful, robust, enterprise database for on demand business. IDS V10.0 will be available via electronic software delivery on February 25, 2005. IBM includes in IDS V10.0 release Server Studio™ JE V.5.0 with Sentinel™ bundle. Learn more about IBM Informix® Dynamic Server V10.0...

  December 31, 2004

AGS announces retirement of the Server Studio™ JE Release 3.0. Customers who have purchased Server Studio™ JE Release 3.0 will continue to receive product support until December 31, 2005 and are strongly encouraged to upgrade to the current release of Server Studio™ JE ...

AGS announces retirement of the Server Studio™ Win32 for IBM Informix® back-end SQL application development and stored procedure debugging. This legacy product line has been superceded by Server Studio™ JE. AGS will continue to support Server Studio™ Win32 for existing customers and business partners until December 31, 2005. Current customers of Server Studio™ Win32 products are strongly encouraged to upgrade to Server Studio™ JE. Learn more about the benefits of upgrading...