SUBJECT: OpenBase SQL 8.0.2 Ships; Auto-failover enhances zero-downtime
mirroring

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

OpenBase further simplifies database reliability with OpenBase SQL 8.0.2

Auto-failover enhances affordable zero-downtime mirroring

#1 SQL database for mid-sized businesses on Mac OS X; Available on all
leading platforms

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA – March 31, 2004 – OpenBase International, Ltd.
today released the latest version of its database software, OpenBase SQL
8.0.2 for Mac OS X, Sun Solaris, and Linux. The version for Windows
2000/2003/XP will ship in the near future along with a new OpenBase Manager
that is similar to the tools available for MacOS X.

Known for its unique combination of affordability, scalability and
fault-tolerance, OpenBase SQL is the leading SQL database for small to
medium-sized businesses on the Mac OS X platform. With version 8.0.2,
OpenBase offers improved auto-failover features, a new, even more powerful
version of their stored procedure language, and a new “safe SQL mode” for
enforcing good SQL practices and avoiding runaway queries.

Auto-failover ensures 100% availability

The latest release of OpenBase SQL comes with new auto-failover features
that further enhance its database mirroring/clustering capability. With
OpenBase SQL 8.0.2, mirrored databases automatically and seamlessly
transfer clients between servers during maintenance tasks to ensure
immediate availability of data. OpenBase clients are also diverted during
login, guaranteeing immediate access, even when the specified server is not
completely started.

“What is unique about our auto fail-over strategy is that it is completely
automatic. It happens seamlessly without writing extra code in the
application.” says Kimo Kawamoto, Director of OpenBase Japan, “The new
auto-failover system offers a level of true zero-downtime which is
unprecedented for this type of product.”

OpenScript v2.0 speeds development

The company also announced a new version of its popular stored procedure
language, OpenScript. New features include exception handling (TRY…
CATCH); new read-write database cursor control; cleaner SQL integration;
and better performance.

“Our goal with OpenScript v2.0 was to fully integrate entity-relationship
navigation of records into the language, offering a very powerful and
convenient way to process data,” says Scott Keith, CTO of OpenBase
International. “OpenScript v2.0 is the killer database development language
for building applications and specifying database logic.”

OpenScript v2.0 can currently be called by OpenBase client applications,
triggers or OpenBase’s stored procedure scheduling system. OpenScript v2.0
is also the basis of a new GUI form-builder tool that OpenBase plans to
release later this year.

Safe SQL mode guards against bad queries

OpenBase 8.0.2 also offers a “safe SQL mode” that guards production servers
against legal, but erroneous and resource-intensive queries.

When switched on, Safe SQL Mode enforces “safe SQL practices” that protect
servers from bad queries, such as those missing indexes or missing joins,
which can seriously impact database performance. Now if an ad-hoc query
tool leaves off a join, OpenBase SQL running in Safe SQL Mode will return
an error rather than returning a hundred million unintended result rows.

Compatibility with Cocoa classes for building applications (NSArrayController)

OpenBase also announced that its Espresso Objective-C API is now compatible
with the new NSArrayController classes offered by Apple. These classes
allow developers to build database applications with Interface Builder and
light Objective-C code. An example is provided in the new OpenBase
Developer Package.

New OpenBase success stories

More and more businesses of all kinds are leveraging the proven
reliability, simplicity and cost advantages of the OpenBase SQL database in
their development and production environments. Here are a few recent
success stories:

LA.com: Latest MediaNews Group partnership venture runs on OpenBase SQL
http://www.openbase.com/ladotcom

FIGG: Award-winning bridge engineering firm builds on solid OpenBase SQL
foundation
http://www.openbase.com/figg

Upgrading to OpenBase SQL 8.0.2

OpenBase 8.0.2 is available at no charge for all licensed OpenBase 8.0
users. Updates can be downloaded from http://www.openbase.com/download or
by running the OpenBase Updater application.

For more information, please visit http://www.openbase.com

About OpenBase SQL

OpenBase SQL relational database servers deliver the scalable performance
and fault-tolerant data protection e-business demands.

Proven in realworld applications since 1991, OpenBase SQL has become the
database of choice for innovative, business-critical applications on Mac OS
X and other popular computing platforms. In addition to database
performance and integrity, OpenBase SQL solutions come with
industry-leading features that are simply unavailable – or cost much more –
on other databases. These include built-in, server-based support for Java
stored procedures and e-commerce functions, such as credit card payment
processing and automated email correspondence.

OpenBase SQL databases run on all of today’s popular platforms: Mac OS X,
Sun Solaris, Linux and Microsoft Windows and support all of today’s open
standard and de facto tools and interfaces, with native support for
WebObjects 5, Java, SOAP, 4D, REALbasic, ODBC Support, PHP, Perl, Cocoa,
and more. OpenBase International also partners with other leading software
providers to deliver higher level solutions that further reduce time, cost
and risk.