Navicat
Navicat is database management software that is also used for development. The first version of the software was released in 2002, and the latest stable version was released on June 6, 2017. The software is developed and owned by PremiumSoft CyberTech Ltd., and was started in 2001 to simplify MySQL database installation and management, a monumental task at the time. Navicat was the first product ever offered by the company, originally just for Windows. The Mac and Linux versions of the software launched in 2003. The software is a monumental piece of work today. Notable customers who use Navicat include Facebook, Google, Oracle, Apple, Warner Brothers, Samsung, Honeywell, General Electric, Amazon, JPMorgan, Volkswagon, Philips, Morgan Stanley and a whole host of other huge business names. Other software offered by the company today include Navicat Data Modeler, Navicat Monitor and Navicat Cloud.
- Amazon Web Services compatibility
- Also compatible with forks of MySQL, such as OurDelta, Percona and Drizzle
- Compatible with Navicat Monitor, Navicat Data Modeler, Navicat Report Viewer and Navicat Data Model Essentials for enhanced features, such as analytics
- Those who are really big fans of the software can by a Navicat T-shirt on the company's sales page.
- The premium edition of the software comes with a free T-shirt voucher
- Supports many languages, including Polish, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French and English
- The software is cross platform and works for Mac OS X, Linux (and Linux platforms via bundled Wine) and Microsoft Windows operating systems
- Winner of multiple awards, including the Hong Kong ICT 2008 Award of the Year, the Best Business Gold Award for a product and the Best Business Grand Award
- A version of the software is available for iOS devices for mobile connectivity
- Free trials of all the version of Navicat, including premium are available
- The software is not exactly cheap. A single machine license for the most standard version of the software (MySQL) is $300. The same package in premium will run $1,300
Database management is a continuous challenge for many businesses, especially due to advances in mobile technology that has produced a requirement for more accessible and movable data. There's always cloud solutions, but many firms choose better security by hosting the data on a controlled site. Navicat is one of the oldest and most matured solutions for this need and is used extensively around the world. The graphical user interfaces associated with database management were groundbreaking when the software was first released almost two decades ago, but even today the programming offers excellent usability when it comes to managing data. Currently, Navicat is offered in different packages for different needs depending on the database type. They are MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite and MariaDB. For businesses that use more than one type of data, there's Navicat Premium, which supports all of the types listed above. Conversely, a minimal version of the software, Navicat Essentials, is available for small database development solutions.