Hoping to clean up its sullied reputation as a technology innovator, Sybase (SYBS) plans to trot out a major new object relational version of its database server next month, along with new middleware and a reorganized tool lineup.
At its annual user conference next month in Orlando, the company will debut the next major version of its SQL Server database, called version 11.G internally and also known by the code name Gryphon, said Terry Stepien, vice president and general manager of database marketing at Sybase. The update is expected to enter beta this spring and ship by midyear.

Sybase, which recently slipped into the No. 3 slot among database software makers, has been in a downward spiral, losing money the past several quarters and trimming staff.

Sybase management has pegged 1997 as the year of technology and plans to turn the company around with new products to debut throughout the year.

The new version of SQL Server will be focused on Internet and intranet transaction processing and...