Advantage Database Server (ADS) is a relational database management system (RDBMS) marketed by Sybase iAnywhere. ADS has been around since 1993, when it was introduced to provide a stable solution for Clipper developers who were tired of slow performance and corrupt indexes inherent to file-server-based databases. Over the years, ADS has grown in both popularity and features. With the 8.1 release, ADS continues its legacy of providing high-end features in an exceptionally easy-to-use package.

But what exactly is ADS? In short, the Advantage Database Server is a high-performance, low-maintenance, remote database server that permits you to easily build and deploy client/server applications and Web-based applications. A lot of information is in that description, but what does it all mean? The following sections consider each of the points in this description.