Actian PSQL v12 Product Information

Click For PSQLv12 Product Data Sheet

As with previous versions like Actian PSQL v11 and older, PSQL v12 is available for Windows in both 32-bit and 64-bit levels. The Linux engine was released in April 2015 in a 64-bit version only, and the Mac OSX engine is also available only in a 64-bit release.

What's New In PSQL v12?

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

• Online Database Defragmenter: Most PSQL administrators are familiar with the venerable "Rebuild Utility", which can both reclaim deleted space and shrink index structures to their most optimal state. New with PSQLv12 is the ability to run this process on "live" files -- while the system is in use! This important new feature will allow you to maintain your database, even in 24x7 operational environments like airlines and health care! Read more about it here.
• More Unicode Support: As applications increasingly must perform correctly in the global marketplace, support for the full Unicode character space is more and more important. PSQLv12 adds even more Unicode support to the engine, including new SQL data types NCHAR, NVARCHAR, and NLONGVARCHAR, a new ODBC driver for Unicode applications, and support for Unicode in various utilities like BDU, PCC, and the Query Plan Viewer.
• Rebranding: Although the product has been called Actian PSQL for a long time now, the dialog boxes and menus finally reflect this change. Additionally, the names of the services, the installation folder, and more are changing. This may be an issue for companies who support the PSQL environment, but not an issue for new installations.
• Easier Installation: PSQLv12 brings some new capabilities to ease installation. First, the Workgroup Engine will install as a service by default, eliminating the common Status 7224 error message when applying a license. Second, there will only be ONE Client installer, and it will be smart enough to install all applicable components -- eliminating the issue caused when users install the 64-bit Client and find that their 32-bit applications do not work.
• License Changes: There are two important licensing changes in the PSQL v12 release. First, *ANY* use of multiplexing (i.e. thin client solutions) or public web services will require a switch to the PSQL Vx licensing model, which is now licensed based on the size of the database only. (Note that PSQL Vx may offer a lower cost for some sites, as well.) Second, and perhaps more importantly, all PSQL v12 and PSQL Vx Server 12 licenses will no longer be tied to the entire hardware fingerprint of the server -- but ONLY the machine name. This makes all the v12 engines hypervisor-friendly for use in virtual machines and full-server failover environments! In a third change related to licensing, the PSQL Vx Server 12 engine no longer requires constant internet access to stay activated.
• Developer-Level Updates: Software developers now have access to the ADO.NET v4.1 drivers (though 3.2 and 3.5 have been eliminated), new features through JDBC and ODBC for Unicode, and PDAC components for design-time (32-bit) and runtime (32 and 64-bit).
• High-Speed Reporting: PSQL v12 Server Engine licenses also include a license to install the Actian Analytics Platform for PSQL. This new reporting solution leverages the eye-popping speed of Actian's Vector database engine and the fast data migration capabilities of Actian Dataflow (formerly DataRush) to bring incredible, high-speed reporting and analytics to your PSQL environment. The included license provides a whopping 1TB limit and no user count restrictions, so you can use it for all of your reporting needs.
• 64-Bit Linux Engine ONLY: Actian has made a decision to release ONLY a 64-bit version of the PSQL v12 Server Engine for Linux. As such, PSQLv12 is NOT supported on 32-bit Linux installations. This new release will include all 64-bit utilities , as well. Users needing to run 32-bit applications on their Linux server can ALSO download and install the "Client Access" components, which will support running 32-bit applications on the 64-bit environment.
• Windows 10 Support: On October 22, 2015, Actian announced support for PSQL v12 on Windows 10. All editions of PSQL v12 include support for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Enterprise 2015 LTSB. The Workgroup Engine and PSQL Client are also supported on Windows 10 Home Edition.
• Mac OS X Support: In September 2015, Actian announced support for PSQL v12 Server Engines running on the Mac OS X platform. Support is currently available for v10.9 and v10.10 of OS X. Please note that Goldstar Software will be able to sell Mac licenses, but will not be able to provide any support for this platform, as we have no expertise with this OS at this time.
• Standalone Server License: In February 2016, Actian announced a new Standalone Server Engine license for PSQL v12. This 1-User Server Engine is NOT expandable like other Server Base licenses, as it does NOT accept any user count increases, so it is somewhat limited in that regard. If you think you might need to add more users in the future, then the 32-bit Workgroup Engine may be a better option for you. However, if you have a 64-bit operating system and you want the extra security and features of a true Server Engine, or if you want the performance gains to be had with access to more than 4GB of memory for the database engine and cache, this is for you! The Standalone Server Engine is ideal for developer workstations with lots of memory, and the extra performance will certainly be noticed. Still not sure? Check out our Server vs. Workgroup comparison chart.
• Windows Server 2016 Support: On November 8, 2015, Actian announced support for PSQL v12 on Windows Server 2016. All editions of PSQL v12 are now supported on this operating system!

Supported Operating Systems and Hardware Requirements

Officially supported operating systems include Windows Vista and newer, and Windows Server 2008 and newer only. Windows XP, Server 2003, and older operating systems are not supported in this release! This does not mean that they will not work (though we know that Windows 2000 will not even accept the install), but only that they have not been tested and will not be supported by Actian.

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 v12 License Models

Actian PSQL v12 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: Data size licensing with unlimited users for Web/SaaS installations

Please see our PSQL v12 License Primer for more information on the various license types 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 v12 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 Actian's Web Site.

Actian PSQL v12 Application Support

It is up to application vendors to announce support for PSQL v12 with their products. For those that have told us if they support v12, 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!