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Progress DataDirect: NetSuite Turns to Progress DataDirect for Standards-Based Connectivity to Cloud Applications

^{Published on 2009-09-08 06:15:51 - Market Wire}
 

BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire - September 8, 2009) - [ Progress DataDirect ], the data-infrastructure division of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: [ PRGS ]), a leading software provider that enables enterprises to be operationally responsive, today announced that NetSuite Inc., a leading vendor of cloud computing business management software suites, is using the Progress® DataDirect® OpenAccess™ Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime software components to enable standards-based data connectivity to its hosted, business software suite from any application. Using the custom driver created with the DataDirect OpenAccess SDK and runtime software components, NetSuite provides ODBC connectivity to any third-party report-writer application. This allows NetSuite users to access and utilize data through advanced reporting tools such as Crystal Reports, Microsoft Access, MS Excel, Business Objects and many others.

NetSuite is the leading cloud computing business management software suite available today, delivering exceptional financial, accounting, Enterprise Resource Planning, (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and ecommerce capabilities in a single powerful business management software solution. A key driver behind the NetSuite offering is its ability to export and report on data stored in CRM and ERP systems. Keeping with its mission to provide anywhere, anytime access to business-critical information, NetSuite needed to ensure its Software as a Service (SaaS) offering adhered to international and industry standards for data connectivity, such as the ODBC and JDBC™ APIs and SQL, the ANSI database language. Moreover, the company needed to ensure its software kept current with the latest versions and features of these data connectivity standards, so users could extract data into any format desired. NetSuite selected Progress DataDirect as its preferred technology partner based on its extensive breadth of support for data access standards, proven record of success and the outstanding technical support behind the solution.

The DataDirect OpenAccess SDK and runtime software components enable software developers and architects to quickly create custom drivers for any data source within weeks, making proprietary data sources, file formats or APIs SQL accessible from ODBC or JDBC compliant applications. The DataDirect OpenAccess SDK can also be used to add standards-based connectivity on top of an existing SQL engine or to customize an existing driver. More than 100 ISVs and corporations have used the DataDirect OpenAccess SDK to achieve standards-based access to proprietary APIs and data formats quickly and cost effectively.

"As a leading provider of on-demand, integrated business management software, it is critical that we offer our customers the best solutions for data access and interoperability to support their existing applications, systems and platforms," said Malin Huffman, Principal Product Manager at NetSuite. "With the DataDirect OpenAccess SDK, data can be made SQL-accessible from ODBC and JDBC compliant applications with little development time or effort. This provides users an added level of confidence when adopting a cloud computing strategy, knowing they can easily extract data and create reports with data stored in the service cloud."

Today, many of NetSuite's largest customers make use of the ODBC capabilities deployed using the DataDirect OpenAccess SDK and runtime software components. Use-case examples include:

 -- A food process and packaging company that has written Crystal Reports to obtain information used with print shop packets and inventory pull sheets that go to the shop floor -- saving considerable time and providing access to information never seen before. -- An audio installation vendor that uses ODBC to send data to a Crystal Reports report that is used to calculate commissions owed to the sales staff. -- An anti-virus and anti-malware software vendor that uses ODBC to identify orders in a queue awaiting a license; to create and run reports in client and server-side applications; and to extract data to populate a data warehouse. 

"With the DataDirect OpenAccess SDK and software runtime components, 99 percent of the code needed to open up a database is provided -- allowing custom drivers to be implemented in just days," said Dipak Patel, senior program manager for OpenAccess at Progress DataDirect. "This simple programming helped the NetSuite product development team bring products to market faster to better meet its customers' most pressing business needs."

About Progress Software Corporation

Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: [ PRGS ]) is a global software company that enables enterprises to be operationally responsive to changing conditions and customer interactions as they occur -- to capitalize on new opportunities, drive greater efficiencies and reduce risk. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class infrastructure software spanning event-driven visibility and real-time response, open integration, data access and integration, and application development and deployment -- all supporting on-premises and SaaS/Cloud deployments. Progress maximizes the benefits of operational responsiveness while minimizing IT complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at [ www.progress.com ] or +1-781-280-4000.

Progress, OpenAccess, and DataDirect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Java and all Java-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. NetSuite is a registered service mark of NetSuite Inc. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.