As part of an effort to provide more comprehensive support and integration with .NET, Sybase has released a new development tool that works in any .NET environment. Sybase DataWindow .NET is being offered to allow developers the use of a single tool to incorporate data access, complex logic, and data presentation into .NET applications.

Sybase's new product creates point-and-click environments for easy data retrieval. DataWindow's ease of access, says the company, also ensures that future changes of business data can be quickly integrated.

"Sybase DataWindow .NET is an important adjunct to the Microsoft .NET Framework," says Rikki Kirzner, director, Application Development and Deployment, IDC, a leading provider of global IT research and advice.

".NET's holistic approach should help developers be more productive, and should allow faster and more flexible modification of enterprise applications for the .NET environment, particularly since developers can redeploy the same DataWindows to n-tier and mobile platforms," she adds. 

The company decided to bundle DataWindow with PowerBuilder 10, which itself has many features designed to enhance the .NET environment. The strong initiative by Sybase for .NET integration, has some industry analysts wondering if Sybase has given up on its Java customers.

However, Sybase dismisses this claim. Sue Dunnell, a product developer at Sybase, says, "We see the need to do more direct support for .NET as a platform because that's the platform [the applications] actually run on."