Actian PSQL v11 Product Info

Click For Product Data Sheet

As the largest Pervasive reseller in the US, we have stocked up on this product line and still have some licenses available for our customers, as indicated below. When stock is exhausted, upgrading to PSQLv12 or newer may be the only option for some users.

In 2013, Pervasive Software was purchased by Actian Corporation, and they subsequently changed the name from Pervasive PSQL v11 to Actian PSQL v11. Like Pervasive PSQL v10, PSQL v11 is available for Windows and Linux in both 32-bit and 64-bit levels. However, PSQL v11 does offer some VERY useful new features over PSQL v10 and earlier, including the following:

What's New In PSQL v11?

Here is a list of the most important new features in this release:

• New Operating Systems: The SP3 release has been certified by Microsoft for Windows Server 2012. Further, it has been tested and is supported by Actian on Windows 8 as well (though not on Windows RT, used by the Microsoft Surface tablet.)
• Multi-Core Support: Improved multi-threading allows for much faster response on multi-core equipment with a large number of users hitting the database simultaneously. This is a huge gain for those "workhorse" servers! Why is this important? Check out the Forbes Multi-Core paper for more information.
• Full 64-bit Support: Whereas the PSQLv10 64-bit engine had only 64-bit Btrieve engine (MKDE), this release now brings the SQL engine into the x64 world, again allowing for substantial improvements in memory resource allocation and performance. No more 2GB memory space limit!
• IPv6 Support: As many organizations are evaluating a move to IPv6, the PSQLv11 database engine is already ready to support you!
• Telephone Activation: It is now possible to activate your license over the phone when you do not have Internet access from your server, instead of having to use the cumbersome "offline activation" process.
• Developer-Level Updates: Software developers can now leverage the ADO.NET Provider Support for .NET Entity Framework and PDAC for RAD Studio 2010, Delphi RAD Studio XE2, and XE3 (32-bit only) environments. There is also a new ADO.NET Data Provider v4.0 and 4.1 (and v3.2 is now deprecated).
• New Security Solutions: Updated versions of Backup Agent, AuditMaster, and DataExchange are available for PSQLv11, including a 64-bit version of DX!
• Windows 2008 R2 Certification: This release will be Microsoft-certified for Windows 2008 R2.
• Performance Monitor Counters: New performance counters are integrated into the Windows environment to provide more information about the running state of the engine, include cache accesses, latency, operation counts, and other important data not currently provided in the Monitor.
• New SQL Features: New virtual tables provide access to the system catalog (dictionary) from SELECT statements. This is in addition to the system stored procedures. SQL queries can now include ORDER BY in a subquery -- very handy for finding the TOP entry in a subquery! The CREATE INDEX statement has also been expanded to create specific index numbers, which can be useful in fixing DDF problems.
• License and Logging Enhancements: A new grace period will be implemented for when licenses get disabled, in addition to a notification tray for critical problems. Important logging issues will also be logged into the operating system Application log.
• Backup Solutions: Both the Backup Agent and VSS Writer are now included at no additional charge with the Server Engine. If your backup software uses Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS), then the VSS Writer will work automatically. Otherwise, you can install the Backup Agent and use that solution instead. If you are running a Workgroup Engine, the Backup Agent is still available for an additional cost.
• Licensing Changes: SP2 licenses are now bit- and platform-agnostic. This means that you can install either 32-bit or 64-bit with the SAME license. You can switch from Windows to Linux as well. (Users with an older , platform-specific, license key can exchange an existing key for a new one by contacting Actian.)
• Updated Tools: The Monitor utility has been updated to show session and data-in-use metrics, which is handy if you are contemplating a move to Actian PSQL Vx Server. A new Monitor is also available within the PCC, which offers some room for expansion. The Query Plan Viewer has also been improved in several areas, making it easier to use and understand.
• Licensing Changes: SP3 licenses will be afforded 30 reactivations (up from 10). Even better, licenses that are in the "Failed Validatation" state can be fixed by the end user directly, without Actian intervention! This can be done up to 5 times.
• NO Windows 10 Support: On June 15, 2015, Actian announced that they had NO plans to support PSQL v11 on Windows 10.

Want more details? Get Actian's formal Product Comparison Guide to see what features you might be missing if you are still running PSQLV8, PSQLv9, or PSQLv10. If you're not sure if you want the Workgroup Engine or the Server Engine, check out this comparison chart.

Concerned about high availability and fault tolerance? Check out Actian's white paper on business critical requirements today.

Supported Operating Systems and Hardware Requirements

Officially supported operating systems include Windows XP and newer, and Windows Server 2003 and newer only. Windows 2000 and older operating systems are not supported in this release!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you intend to upgrade to a new Windows 11 computer, please be aware that some recently-released solid state disk (SSD) modules are now shipping with sector sizes larger than 4K, which can cause problems with older versions of database systems from Microsoft, Oracle, and Pervasive/Actian. Actian will NOT be releasing updates for Zen v14 or older to address this issue. If you intend to stay on an older database engine on new hardware, you should first run the command "fsutil fsinfo sectorInfo C:", which will report a value for PhysicalBytesPerSectorForAtomicity. If this value is reported at anything over 4096, your new hardware is incompatible with Zen v14 and older, and you should plan to upgrade your database software to Zen v15 to retain functionality. Note that the sector size is an inherent property of the hardware and cannot be altered (without replacing the hardware).

There are no stated minimum hardware requirements. Essentially, if you can run the OS, you can run the database engine. However, performance will be commensurate with the resources provided, as well as the workload.

Actian PSQL v11 License Models

Actian PSQL v11 has three different license models to choose from:

• Workgroup Engine: Per-user licensing, up to a maximum of 5 concurrent users
• Server Engine: Per-user licensing, starting at 6 concurrent users
• Vx Server Engine: Concurrent Session count AND Data size licensing for Web/SaaS installations

Please see our PSQL v11 License Primer and the PSQL Vx Server 11 License Primer for more detailed information on the various license models and other factors that might help you determine the best license type for your environment.

If you have decided on per-user licensing, but you are still not sure if you want the Workgroup Engine or the Server Engine, check out our Workgroup Versus Server Comparison Chart.

Pricing for each of these license models can be found on our Actian PSQL v11 price list, or you can BUY IT NOW from our on-line store. If you want to try out different license models before you buy (a really good idea!), you can get trial downloads from here.

Actian PSQL v11 Application Support

It is up to application vendors to announce support for PSQL v11 with their products. For those that have told us if they support v11, you will find that noted on our Application Support pages. Otherwise, please contact the vendor for more information.

If you have additional questions about the product, please contact us!