Enterprise database company Neo Technology unveiled Spring Data Neo4j 2.0 at the SpringOne 2GX 2011 conference this week, the latest version of its NoSQL database for the Spring framework. Neo4j is a part of the Spring Data Project, which is designed to make it easier for Spring developers to leverage emerging technologies in the enterprise, including as NoSQL databases and non-relational DBs.

Spring Data Neo4j (SDN) enables POJO (Plain Old Java Object) based development for Neo4j. It extends annotated entity classes with transparent mapping functionality and boasts a template programming model equivalent to well known Spring templates.

Neo has a history of working in the enterprise space around Java, so with the help of Spring Data, it’s trying to bridge two worlds: Java support with the agile and a scalable NoSQL database.

The latest release of Neo4j works its way further towards that goal, by adding expanded functionality in the form of for Spring-Data-Commons Mapping Abstraction and Extended Repository support.

“NoSQL’s all over the place, if you talk to any startup.  But it hasn’t made a dent in the enterprise world,” says Neo Technology founder and CEO Emil Eifrém.

“Spring Data has a huge footprint for open source within the enterprise.  And the enterprise hasn’t had easy access to NoSQL, and I think it’s because most NoSQL comes from online services.  We have an enterprise background, so we have properties that have real support for transactions and Java.  We also have great connectivity for other languages, but we’re Java first.”

After a $10.6 million initial funding and the relocation of their headquarters to Silicon Valley, Neo is working on strengthening its leadership in addition to its offerings portfolio. Rickard Öberg, Rod Johnson and Lars Nordwall  are the latest additions to the team.

Oberg, who has experience working with Java, will be working on Neo4 as well as the Qi4 jopen-source framework. Johnson in turn, the GM of VMware’s SpringSource unit (where he served as CEO prior to its acquisition), will begin serving as Neo’s chairman.

The last new executive is Nordwall, who has been appointed as the COO of Neo after serving as SVP of Worldwide Sales for Pentaho.

The NoSQL movement is still emerging, yet the advantages of the technology already managed to attract a lot of customers and providers. So much so that even Oracle launched its own NoSQL appliance, even if only as a clever marketing ploy.

Contributors: Maria Deutscher