Originally developed as the DB engine for SAP R/3, SAP DB is now (as of version 7.2) an open source offering released for free under the GPL license. The DB is offered for multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and multiple UNIX flavors.

Developers access SAP DB data using standard ANSI SQL 92 (entry level) statements via one of several APIs; including ODBC, JDBC, and a C/C++ precompiler (Embedded SQL). Among the SQL features offered are support for stored procedures, after-statement triggers, and outer joins. A full list of DB limits can be found at the SAP DB Web site; a few of the more noticeable ones include support for databases of 32TB, 16 column indexes, an unlimited number of tables, unlimited users, and up to 255 named indexes per table.

Both online backup and expansion of the database are supported. Microsoft Clustered Server is supported directly for multiple server implementatations; other failover solutions must be scripted manually. Database management tools are provided in both Windows and browser-based implementations.

SAP DB is available now as a free download from the SAP DB Web site; commercial support options are also offered from SAP AG. Visit the SAP DB Web site for further information.