The Starwinds project is part of a multi-site team from Almaden Research Center and Software Solutions Division laboratories in Toronto and Santa Teresa that developed Version 2 of the common code for IBM's DB2 product for client/server workstations (available on the OS/2, AIX, HP-UX, and SUN Solaris platforms, thus far). Under the aegis of the Data Base Technology Institute, Almaden researchers, STL, and Toronto developers were responsible for embedding the SQL compiler from the Starburst research prototype into the product code and enhancing its functionality with many object-oriented features, such as user-defined types and functions, binary large objects (BLOBs), triggers, and many other advances. This responsibility included working with our Toronto and STL partners on all aspects of development: specification, design, implementation, testing, and documentation.

In addition, Almaden researchers invented, prototyped in Starburst, and developed portions of the Visual Explain product for graphically displaying optimizer plans, which is part of the accompanying System Developer Kit and Database Administrator Tools for the the Version 2 product.

The Starburst prototype was developed at Almaden from 1984 to 1992, and the Starwinds product effort began in September 1992. DB2 Version 2 first shipped to customers on October 1, 1994, and was generally available on July 28, 1995. DB2 for NT was announced in October 1995, and recently outperformed Microsoft's SQL Server at Comdex in Las Vegas.