Tamino™-Information Server for Electronic Business

August 19,  1999 by Frank Jung

Tamino is Software AG's information server for electronic business. It is designed to meet the needs of companies who have decided to get on the fast track of electronic business.
Here's why this product must be considered as an important development.

More than ever before, enterprises must come to grips with severe challenges imposed on them by the dynamic force of the Internet. While companies today are just learning to handle
e-commerce, we are about to be hit by the next development in the way the Internet is used.

E-commerce represents the front-end channel for Web-enabled businesses with their focus on the end customer. As a complement to e-commerce, electronic business is starting to evolve as the high-speed back-end channel for Web-enabled, worldwide business-to-business transactions.

It is expected that the current number of 150 million (Inter-) networked computers worldwide will rise to above 1 billion within the next 5-8 years, perhaps even a lot sooner. As a result of so many computers being enabled for electronic business, it is becoming evident that the number of transactions via the Internet will increase exponentially.

Today, an instant increase in traffic rates to that level would result in network congestion.

On the one hand, this is due to technological bandwidth limitations. New ADSL, ATM or cable modem technologies on the horizon will be electronic business accelerators. These technologies are bound to minimize that bandwidth problem.

On the other hand, more open transactions involving data from a variety of today's available heterogeneous database systems will generate additional traffic load on the network.

It is more than likely that the currently installed back-end systems will not be able to process queries and transactions quickly enough. This will be due to the vast number of new types of data to be moved (BLOBs, e.g. video, audio etc...) and different data formats that have to be handled within complex transactions. The result will be unacceptable waiting periods – possibly leading to a mass transaction abortion (time-outs). Electronic business would bring itself to a halt.

However, the general adoption of XML as "lingua galactica," the standardized language of business on the Internet, seems to be the solution to this problem. With data storage in XML-native format, time consuming data type conversion processes become superfluous. With XML, electronic business transactions will gain the necessary speed, and unnecessary network traffic is expected to be reduced significantly.
Considering this, preparing your company for fast access to any kind of data is certain to become a decisive factor for success and the future of electronic business.

No matter how big or small companies are, all can compete on the Internet. Since the competitors are just one mouse-click away, many previously monopolistic markets will turn into highly competitive virtual commodity marketplaces. Only companies who meet their customers‘ needs will survive. The customer is playing a more active role in setting prices, the standard for quality and delivery times.

It is very likely that the proper and early establishment of processes for electronic business transactions will help to meet these requirements. A maximum of automation reduces the cost for each and every transaction as well as inventory costs. Providing quick automated responses to solve customer problems results in maximum customer satisfaction. Companies who successfully implement this automation are likely to grow immensely.

Tamino, the information server for electronic business, is Software AG‘s answer for companies who have decided to get on the fast track of electronic business.

Tamino, a new-generation database management system providing a native XML data store for lightning fast exchange of business information, is a central component for electronic business. Furthermore, it is able to virtually integrate storage and retrieval of legacy data residing in existing, external databases. This allows companies to continue to profit from their past IT investments.

Consider Tamino as your door opener to unlimited success in electronic business over the Internet. Do not hesitate to determine your future now. Tamino will be available soon.

The official shipment release is scheduled for October 1, 1999.

Software AG and/or all Software AG products are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Software AG. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.