# CHAPTER 1: Overview

Empress version 8.62 is a release which offers new features, some functional enhancements and bug fixes.

Version 8.62 provides the following new features:

1. New products/features:

- Case Insensitivity Support
- Using Empress Dynamic/Embedded SQL in Persistent Stored Modules
- Database Roles
- User Defined Lock Granularity
- Triggers On Select Statements
- Multi-Threaded Clients
- Empress JAVA Interactive SQL
- Support for ANSI SQL-99 SET Operations
- Support for ANSI SQL-99 Outer Joins

2. Enhancements:

- Empress Performance Improvement
- SQL Extension
- Data Type Conversion Improvement For SET Operation
- New Variables
- Empress Import Utility Enhancement
- Reserved Keywords
- Support for Java Data Sources and JNDI
- ODBC Local Access via ODBC Manager
- Multiple Connections in Local Access Mode
- Empress ODBC Data Source Name Setup Improvement
- Providing standard (default) labels for ODBC Drivers in Data Sources
- Empress Visual Basic ADO Demo
- Compliance to Microsoft .NET Technologies