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Apache Derby vs. OpenText Solutions Business Manager

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apache Derby

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AApache Derby is an embedded relational database management system, originally developed by IBM and called IBM Cloudscape.N/A

    OpenText Solutions Business Manager

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AOpenText™ Solutions Business Manager, formerly from Micro Focus is enterprise-scale business process automation software. It helps IT quickly create, adapt, deploy, and govern process-based apps and workflows for humans and systems across the organization.N/A
    Pricing
    Apache DerbyOpenText Solutions Business Manager
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apache DerbyOpenText Solutions Business Manager
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Apache DerbyOpenText Solutions Business Manager
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Process Street
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    TIBCO® BPM Enterprise
    Score8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    IBM Business Automation Workflow
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Apache DerbyOpenText Solutions Business Manager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apache DerbyOpenText Solutions Business Manager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apache
    If you need a SQL-capable database-like solution that is file-based and embeddable in your existing Java Virtual Machine processes, Apache Derby is an open-source, zero cost, robust and performant option. You can use it to store structured relational data but in small files that can be deployed right alongside with your solution, such as storing a set of relational master data or configuration settings inside your binary package that is deployed/installed on servers or client machines.
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    OpenText
    How many users will be using the system? What part of the organization will own the product? Serena is a great workflow tool. It can be tailored to fit in any scenario and so I dont believe there is any situation where it would be inappropriate.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Apache
    • Apache Derby is SMALL. Compared to an enterprise scale system such as MSSQL, it's footprint is very tiny, and it works well as a local database.
    • The SPEED. I have found that Apache Derby is very fast, given the environment I was developing in.
    • Based in JAVA (I know that's an obvious thing to say), but Java allows you to write some elegant Object Oriented structures, thus allowing for fast, Agile test cases against the database.
    • Derby is EASY to implement and can be accessed from a console with little difficulty. Making it appropriate for everything from small embedded systems (i.e. just a bash shell and a little bit of supporting libraries) to massive workstations.
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    OpenText
    • One of my favorite capabilities within the Serena user interface is the reporting. Detailed searches into the workflows allow the users to create reports containing any field that is in the workflow. Users here use the reporting during review time to pull metrics on tickets they have worked during the year. From a process perspective, the system provides a specific report with details around how long the items have been in various states. I use this information to measure my process peformance and to identify bottlenecks within the processes themselves. The reports are fairly easy to use but they can also be very complex too. Reports can be set up and shared across groups. Generic reports can also be set up so that query at run time fields can be entered.
    • Developing new processes in Serena Business Manager is relatively easy and does not necessarily need to be done by a developer. Serena has added some key features that reduces the need to add Java scripts. Serena Business Manager is a blank slate and it can be as complex or as simple as you make it. The forms are the same. I have seen some very simple designs and some very complex and beautiful form designs.
    • From a user perspective, it is fairly simple to just pick up and start using. I introduce our new hires to the systems in a thirty minute session. Most users are more confused by which process to use for what than by how to use the system.
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    Cons
    Apache
    • It may not scale as well as some more mature database products.
    • Used it primarily from the command line with openjpa and jdbc, and from third-party clients such as Squirrel.
    • May benefit by providing more sophisticated tools to optimize query performance.
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    OpenText
    • Serena's documentation for the product is well written but it can be a bit challenging because it is often missing key components, best practices or tips and tricks that you get when you call into their customer support. It is also very frustrating to have their release notes refer back to their knowledge base to have their customers figure out what they fixed in their releases.
    • Serena Business Manager manages their users in an Administrator function. Any changes made in this part of Serena is only logged in the database. It would be nice to have some reporting out of of this system. When you have multiple administrators of a system, it would be a nice feature to have some reporting here rather than having to go into the database.
    • The notification feature within Serena can be a bit challenging and time consuming. You can't copy the notifications so if you want to duplicate a notification you had previously created you have to recreate it again. The notifications have three levels to them and they can be a bit tricky to get them to work just right.
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    Alternatives Considered
    Apache
    SQLite is another open-source zero-cost file-based SQL-capable database solution and is a good alternative to Apache Derby, especially for non-Java-based solutions. We chose Apache Derby as it is Java-based, and so is the solution we embedded it in. However, SQLite has a similar feature set and is widely used in the industry to serve the same purposes for native solutions such as C or C++-based products.
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    OpenText
    We have been using Serena for eight years and I don't believe I can answer this question since it was so long ago that we made the decision to purchase Serena.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Apache
    • Being Open source, the resources spent on the purchase of the product are ZERO.
    • Contrary to popular belief, open source software CAN provide support, provided that the developers/contributors are willing to answer your emails.
    • Overall, the ROI was positive: being able to experiment with an open source technology that could perform on par with the corporate products was promising, and gave us much information about how to proceed in the future.
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    OpenText
    • We use Serena to standardize our business processes to ensure a more efficient work day experience for our employees. By having the employees use Serena for the processes we can ensure the process is completed the same way every time.
    • By having our key processes in Serena we are able to measure our processes at any time. Some of those key metrics include a 90% reduction in rework and a 47% reduction in overall process time. With the ability to measure processes at any time, we can react to process problems and correct them quickly. Serena Business Manager is flexible enough to allow quick development and rapid promotion when necessary.
    • Serena is very ingrained in our culture and the culture has taken on the "ticket" mentality unfortunately. With everyone trying to measure their work and justify their body counts through ticket counts, having a ticket opened for every act of work has become the standard.
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