IBM solidDB vs. SQL Server

IBM solidDB is a relational database server that combines the high performance of in-memory tables with the nearly unlimited capacity of disk-based tables.

Pure in-memory databases are fast, but strictly limited by the size of memory. Pure disk-based databases allow nearly unlimited amounts of storage, but their performance is dominated by disk access. Even if the computer has enough memory to store the entire database in memory buffers, database servers that are designed for disk-based tables can be slow because the data structures that are optimal for disk-based tables are far from being optimal for in-memory tables. The solidDB solution is to provide a single hybrid database server that contains two optimized engines inside it:

• The main-memory engine (MME) is optimized for in-memory access.
• The disk-based engine (DBE) is optimized for disk-based access.

Both engines coexist inside the same server process, and a single SQL statement can access data from both engines.

SQL Server is the Microsoft-driven relational database management system. This system is used to store data as well as retrieve it when necessary; these functions can be supported by individual users or by multiple users within a larger network. The Microsoft SQL Server has warehousing options, quality and integration services, management tools that are simple to implement, as well as robust tools for development.

Looking at the more technical end of things, Microsoft SQL Server uses query languages such as T-SQL and ANSI SQL. Disaster recovery is one of the product's most prominent features, in addition to in-memory performance, scalability, and corporate business intelligence capabilities.