Robert Adams - Pervasive

Posted September 1 1997

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It appears Pervasive Software may have found a niche. They feel there is a $10 billion market worldwide in the client/server market, with the highest growth potential being in the middle market. They substantiate this with the fact that middle market is a $1.5 billion market, growing at 26% per year, which is almost 10% faster than the enterprise segment. It is also very under- penetrated with only 22% using client/server versus 83% for the enterprise segment.

Pervasive claims their product, which uses the Btrieve structure, is aimed right at the heart of this market. It has a small footprint with high reliability, no DBA requirements and the lowest cost of ownership. Using a common data format, the product's access functions are data model dependent, using logical functions, schema (row, definitional functions) and operations (join, ..). Its core engine functions, on the other hand, are data model independent, uses physical data access, transaction processing, advanced caching and data integrity enforcement.

Data obtained from Microsoft's Web page shows the cost of ownership of a Microsoft SQL Server to be $258,555 over a three year period, compared to Pervasive's $78,800 for the same period. This includes the cost of a 50-user license, the server, support/maintenance and installation/ training. According to Karen Moser from the Aberdeen Group, " . . . Scalable SQL was designed for near-zero maintenance as an embedded database engine, Microsoft SQL Server was not."

Pervasive is driving a standard for volume client/server applications with users such as Computer Associates, Great Plains, Macola, Platinum, Real World and Solomon in the domestic market and Abacus, Exact, KHK, Milki Way, OBIC and Scala in the International markets. Their leadership in packaged applications includes markets in accounting, network services, sales force automation, document imaging, time and attendance, multidimensional data and help desk applications.

As stated earlier, Pervasive perceives its fit in the middle market, requiring no DBA and enjoying the lowest cost of ownership. In this market, the application usually drives the DBMS decision. Their marketing is focused through VARs and ISVs.

As a Clarion developer, I'm certain you'll see and hear much more about Pervasive as time evolves. Pay close attention. Your customer is going to need this technology.

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