SMARTsort Just Got Smarter

by Jane Shen

SMARTsort, the multiplatform, high-performance, full-function sort/merge/copy data utility just got smarter with a new release. Six months after the availability of Release 1, the SMARTsort team delivered SMARTsort Version 1 Release 2. SMARTsort 1.2 runs on AIX, OS/2, and Windows NT It utilizes advance-patented algorithms to deliver exceptional performance while offering a rich set of functions to meet all data manipulation needs.

Here is a quick summary of enhancements in SMARTsort 1.2:
 * Expands the list of supported platforms to include AIX 4.1, Windows NT 3.51, OS/2 2.1, and OS/2 Warp Version 3.0 and higher.
 * Can be called from multiple threads within a program as a result of POSIX Thread Support.
 * Significantly improves the performance of DB2 LOAD with the Index Create function. When the DB2-SMARTsort Accelerator is enabled under DB2 for AIX, a boost of more than 70 percent in sort performance and up to 39 percent in the overall LOAD performance can be achieved.
 * Is available in Japanese, Spanish, and English versions. Note: This is not to be confused with SMARTsort's ability to process data in more than 40 national languages.
 * Can be installed from CD-ROM.

A Great Product Just Got Better
SMARTsort provides a command line interface (CLI) and an application programming interface (API) to access powerful SMARTsort capabilities from application programs. SMARTsort supports user-written subroutines, providing the user with a broad range of data arrangement capabilities.

SMARTsort has its own home page on the World Wide Web. To access up-to-date information on SMARTsort, visit the home page on URL http://www.storage.ibm.com/storage/software/sort/srtshome.htm.

The SMARTsort hotline has been actively handling inquiries from around the world. To reach the SMARTsort hotline, send e-mail to smartsort@vnet.ibm.com.