Actian Zen v17 and Zen v17 AI Product Information
Actian Zen v17 AI was first released on August 10, 2026, and Zen v17 Classic was released on October 2, 2026, both providing a new series of enhancements.
What's New In Zen v17 and Zen v17 AI?
Here is a list of the major new features in this release:
- Zen AI with Vector Data Engine: The new Zen v17 AI engine adds the VectorAI DB functionality of gRPC access, REST API and a new web-based dashboard. For more information, see Zen AI Overview in the VectorAI DB online documentation.
- New SQL Functions for Vector Data Collections: Needed for the above, the new SQL functions support the creation and modification of vector collections.
- Btrieve 2 Improvements: Much work has been done on the Btrieve 2 API calls with the v17.02 release, including bulk navigation, better performance, file timestamp access, better extended filters, and more.
- ADO.NET SDK Updates: The ADO.NET SDK now adds Entity Framework Core 10, .NET 10, Visual Studio 2026 plugin, and Windows Server 2025 support.
- SYS$USAGE Column: The record usage count is now exposed at the SQL layer when System Data V2 is enabled, allowing you to see the number of times the record has been updated.
- Encryption Improvements: New encryption algorithms increase the encryption bit levels from 40/56/128 bit to 128, 192, and 256 bit.
- SQL Query Logging: You can now specify a folder to store SQL query log files, which can avoid filling the C: drive and crashing your server.
- License Key Resets: Two product key resets/repairs are included. Once both resets/repairs are used, an active support contract will be required for additional resets/repairs..
- CobolSchemaExec: This feature has been deprecated.
- 32-bit Linux Client: This feature has been deprecated.
- Workgroup Engine: This feature has been deprecated.
Check out the official What's New in Zen v17 document for additional information.
Check out the official What's New in Zen v17 AI document for additional information.
Supported Operating Systems and Hardware Requirements
Officially supported operating systems include Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2019 (and newer, through Server 2025), along with various Linux distributions and versions. Windows 8, 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Server 2003, Server 2016 (and older) operating systems are not formally supported by Actian with this release.
There are no stated minimum hardware requirements. Essentially, if you can run the OS, you can run the database engine. However, performance will be commensurate with the resources provided, as well as the workload.
Actian Zen v17 and Zen v17 AI License Models
Actian Zen v17 Classic has three different license models to choose from:
- Workgroup Engine: Per-user licensing, up to a maximum of 5 concurrent users
- Enterprise Server Engine: Per-user licensing, starting at 6 concurrent users
- Cloud Server Engine: Data size licensing (with unlimited users), required for web/SaaS installations
Actian Zen v17 AI has two different license models to choose from:
- Enterprise Server Engine: Per-user licensing, starting at 6 concurrent users
- Cloud Server Engine: Data size licensing (with unlimited users), required for web/SaaS installations
Please see our Zen v17 License Primer for more information on the various license types and other factors that might help you determine the best license type for your environment.
If you need per-user licensing for a small number of active users, but you are still not sure which engine you need, check out our Workgroup Versus Server Comparison Chart.
Pricing for each of these license models can be found on our Actian Zen v17 price list, or you can BUY IT NOW from our on-line store.
If you want to try out different license models before you buy (a really good idea!), you can get trial downloads from here.
If you have additional questions about the product, please contact us!
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