Oracle has announced availability of the latest release of Oracle® Database Lite, a comprehensive solution for developing, deploying and managing applications for mobile and embedded environments.

With Oracle Database Lite, mobile users gain continuous access to data unconstrained by mobile network bandwidth and coverage, allowing them to access enterprise data even in the absence of a network connection.

New in this release of Oracle Database Lite is the ability to bi-directionally synchronize data between the open source SQLite database and Oracle Database.

This release also provides centralized user and device provisioning and management of SQLite-based mobile applications, allowing disconnected users to have an experience virtually identical to users who are connected.

Easier and More Secure Mobile Synchronization

Oracle Database Lite consists of:

Oracle Database Lite Client, a small footprint SQL database that runs on many devices and platforms and can be bi-directionally synchronized with an Oracle Database server; and,

Oracle Database Lite Mobile Server, which enables mobile users and devices to operate in occasionally connected environments, periodically synchronizing with a back-end database server.

Enhancements to Oracle Database Lite include:

Synchronization and device management for the open source SQLite database: Through a new open architecture, Oracle Database Lite Mobile Server can now synchronize between Oracle Database Lite Client databases and an Oracle Database as well as between SQLite client databases and an Oracle Database. The Oracle Database Lite Mobile Server can also be used to provision SQLite-based applications, devices on which these applications run, and users of these applications.

User authentication on client devices using a Common Access Card: For applications that demand a high level of security, this enables the authentication of users by requiring them to establish their credentials via smart cards.

Easy sharing of devices among multiple users by means of device re-registration: This allows a device to be used by different users at different times, a capability particularly useful when a device is used by different employees during different shifts or on different days. An employee does not need to always retrieve the same device. As long as employees are registered with the Oracle Database Lite Mobile Server, they can retrieve any device and re-register the device for their own use.

Supporting Quotes

"As companies look to more cost effectively run global operations, workers need to be able to efficiently access data without interruption or hassle despite their physical location, which is why demand for mobile applications continues to grow across many industries,” said Marie-Anne Neimat, vice president Software Development, Oracle. “Oracle Database Lite’s support for mobile applications built on the open source SQLite database addresses this need and helps improve productivity for a large community of mobile workers who can now access their enterprise Oracle Database, no matter where their jobs take them.”

“Oracle Database Lite’s Mobile Server is a great tool for data synchronization in large scale enterprises,” said Zdravko Mandic, manager Research and Development, Infoart d.o.o. “Our implementation, which consists of more than 1500 client devices, would have hardly been possible without it. Oracle Database Lite works silently, in the background, synchronizing huge amounts of data to our central Oracle Database and vice versa. This automatic synchronization, combined with great device management, is essential to keeping such large deployments healthy and helps enable enterprises to stay up and running all the time.”