Quest Software has expanded its Toad database management tools portfolio with the addition of both free and commercial versions of Toad for Sybase. Although Sybase does not occupy the largest lily pad in the data pond, Quest has added Sybase ASE, Sybase IQ, and SQL Anywhere to Toad's list of supported relational and non-relational database platforms.

As Quest now vies for headroom among other cross-platform database management vendors such as Embarcadero (to name just one), the company is no doubt hoping for more cash from the Sybase pot in the post SAP acquisition era.

Repeatedly using the term "most comprehensive", Quest is surely now almost out of breath as it tries to hammer home its "deep" domain functionality paired with its support for diverse heterogeneous environments.

Technical Note: Toad is a SQL-based interface built to manage data query and migration tasks for database-centric software developers and administrators. Toad enables users to migrate, query, analyze, and report on data through this interface. While Toad for Oracle is written as a native Windows app in Delphi, other versions (including Toad for Sybase) are written in C# on .NET.

The company could not sound any more self-assured when it talks about its own product group: "Organizations running Sybase alongside other database platforms now have the ability to standardize on the market's leading toolset while reducing the learning curve and training costs associated with adopting new, disparate tools."

Toad for Sybase proposes to automate routine tasks and so reduce the risks associated with database vulnerability, performance bottlenecks, upgrades, and patches.

Also apparently a fan of Quest's tools is IDC research vice president Carl Olofson, who has gone on the record saying, "As demand for database management products that span multiple database brands continue to rise, organizations are looking to implement tools that offer broad multi-platform support and provide an opportunity for tool consolidation. Quest's added support for Sybase responds to the growing need for comprehensive database tools to address a fairly complete IT database portfolio."

Providing some tangibility to substantiate the excitement to support this product release is Claudia Fernandez, director of product management for Toad solutions, Quest Software. "The more than 15,000 downloads of the Toad for Sybase beta show us there is strong demand for development and administration tools for Sybase, and we want to give our customers the tools they need to manage their entire environment. We have a strong partnership with Sybase, and look forward to supporting its users with both free and commercial tools," said Fernandez.