Is Data Links an IBM proprietary technology?
No. While IBM invented Data Links technology in the early 1990s, the specification of the DATALINK data type has been accepted by both ANSI and ISO in SQL Part 9: Management of External Data (SQL/MED). ISO has progressed SQL/MED to final committee draft (FCD) in November 1999. If things go according to schedule, it should become a standard in late 2000.
