We performed a comparison between IBM Db2 Database and SQL Server based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: IBM Db2 Database has an edge in this comparison due to the high marks it received for its performance. Reviewers are happier with the pricing of SQL Server, however.
"The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."
"The most valuable feature of the IBM Db2 Database is the ease of use, and the ability to do query writing of any SQL statement and have an output."
"Db2's best features are that it's self-maintaining and self-monitoring, which means I have to view and monitor the database far less often."
"Scales well enough for a relational database."
"Its functionality and availability are valuable. Its availability is great. It is available 99.99% of the time."
"IBM Db2 was much cheaper as a package than using other products. This is because IBM supplied a package with its product. It's an application. So it was much more efficient and a stronger competitor in that regard."
"Its robustness, scalability, availability, and performance are valuable. All these are the major attributes of a relational database for supporting a very high-volume business, and Db2 is very good in all those areas and in all those attributes."
"It's very secure."
"We have many users, between 50 and 100 using the SQL Server product."
"I have found the whole solution with all its features wonderful."
"It's much more friendly in comparison with Oracle."
"The solution can be deployed in a few minutes."
"It is integrated with Microsoft tools."
"We use it for our on-premises solutions, virtual servers and SSAS, SSRS packages. Also, our applications are .NET based, so it made to use it."
"A valuable feature of the solution is that it is comparatively simpler to manage than Oracle."
"The solution is very easy to use. It's intuitive and easy to navigate. Overall, it's a straightforward product."
"I would say that the tool has to be made more cloud-friendly and should have agreements with AWS, Microsoft, or Google to run things on hyperscalers."
"The only drawback that we see in Db2 Database is the crash recovery. When there is a crash and somebody has to do the recovery, Db2 Database first stops, and then it does any crash recovery. In Oracle Database, crash recovery happens within the database. The database is not shut down."
"Its process of building up queries could be more accessible."
"The licensing fees can be reduced."
"Db2 interface could be improved a bit. Comparing it to Oracle, Db2's interfaces could be improved."
"It would be ideal if the solution offered backup functionality. Many similar tools already do, which means Db2 is somewhat behind the curve in terms of what a customer might expect from it."
"The solution could be more modern and have updated database technology."
"The GUI interface is not particularly friendly for those who do not have experience with the product."
"There are certain shortcomings in the scalability of the product, making it an area where improvements are required."
"There is room for improvement in performance when managing a large quality of data and a high number of active users."
"I would like to have the option to use fewer processors for certain tasks, thus reducing the licensing fee."
"I would like to see the integration with other platforms improved in the future."
"Its security can be improved. When you look at the Windows environment, it isn't the most secure environment. It is exposed to so many attacks. They continuously need to improve the security of the platform on which it sits."
"We would like to have a common storage option in the SQL Server. This option is available in Oracle Database. It would be great if Microsoft could create something like a columnstore that has not only indexing but also tables for common storage."
"If SQL Server could perhaps run on Linux, that would be good. Most of us prefer Linux and I've used a lot of Linux. I understand that SQL Server is quite powerful, but I'm not sure if the functionality is there, but if it could be used in an open-source type of environment, it would be very good."
"Its support for JSON should be improved. It does support JSON, but the support is not good enough currently. They should also improve the way indexes work. Its performance can also be improved because sometimes it becomes very slow for certain table designs. It cannot have more than a certain amount of data. As compared to other databases, its capability to handle large volumes of data is not very good."
IBM Db2 Database is ranked 6th in Relational Databases Tools with 67 reviews while SQL Server is ranked 1st in Relational Databases Tools with 260 reviews. IBM Db2 Database is rated 8.2, while SQL Server is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of IBM Db2 Database writes "Very scalable with high availability and excellent technical support". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SQL Server writes "Easy to use and provides good speed and data recovery". IBM Db2 Database is most compared with Oracle Database, SAP HANA, Teradata, MySQL and IBM Informix, whereas SQL Server is most compared with MariaDB, SAP HANA, Oracle Database, LocalDB and Teradata. See our IBM Db2 Database vs. SQL Server report.
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We monitor all Relational Databases Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
