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Database management system choices ? 4 categories of relational

This is the second of a five-part series on database management system choices. For the first post in the series, please click here.

For the most part, relational database management systems divide into four major classes:

  • High-end OLTP (OnLine Transaction Processing) relational DBMS. Oracle is the flagship for this category, followed by DB2.
  • Specialty data warehouse DBMS. Teradata is the leader here, followed by Netezza, DATAllegro, ParAccel, Vertica, Infobright, Greenplum, Kognitio, Sybase IQ, and a host of others.
  • Mid-range relational database management systems. Most of the contenders here fall into one or more of three categories: Open-source-based relational DBMS (MySQL, PostgreSQL, EnterpriseDB); reseller-focused relational DBMS (Progress OpenEdge, Pervasive PSQL); or crippled ?editions? of high-end systems. Microsoft SQL Server was once a clear mid-range system, but now is better classified as high-end OLTP.
  • Embedded relational database management systems. The leader of this category is Sybase’s SQL Anywhere. Also significant are memory-centric products Oracle TimesTen and solidDB.

High-end OLTP relational database management systems are complex and mature products, differentiated mainly on reliability, availability, performance, scalability, security, license cost, maintenance cost, programming/administration cost, and datatype support. All except the last point can be evaluated pretty effectively on an outside-in basis. That is, is suffices to look at proven results, without worrying a whole lot about architecture or product futures. Just remember that a lot of the high-end features come through extra-cost add-ins, which need to be included in any evaluation.

That said — most evaluations of high-end OLTP RDBMS are pretty moot anyway. Large enterprises usually have one favored vendor, who provides a significant quantity discount on license and maintenance costs. Using the OLTP RDBMS you already have also usually leads to significant efficiencies in administration expense. Thus, the high-end OLTP is the one part of the DBMS market that truly is as mature as conventional wisdom would have us believe ? at least, that is, until something like H-Store comes to fruition.

Even so, high-end relational OLTP DBMS vendors face two major competitive challenges, which are taking significant share of new applications within those vendors’ installed bases. For more about those, please see the next two posts in this series.

The complete series

 

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MySQL: Planet MySQL

IBM?s mid-range OLTP offering gets strengthened

In the past, when I’ve asked Jeff Jones of IBM for permission to post one of his well-written notes, his response has pretty much been “Of course! Why did you bother asking?” So this time I’m just going ahead and skipping that step. The note is about IBM’s mid-range flavor of DB2, targeted directly at MySQL.

Today, IBM announced that its popular DB2 9 Express-C software is now available with an optional low-cost yearly support subscription. DB2 Express-C has been available without license charges for downloading, application development, deployment and redistribution since January 2006. It remains available without license charges for those that do not require support. Electronic general availability of the new support option is scheduled for June 1, 2007.

The new DB2 Express-C support option provides 24×7 product support, regular fixpacks and upgrade protection. In addition, this option provides support for high availability clustering, offsite disaster recovery, and data replication with remote data servers without additional charge.

Background

– Subscriptions are priced at $2,995 (U.S.) per server per year. This is identical to MySQL Enterprise Gold, but DB2 Express-C includes features not found in MySQL including pureXML support, high availability clustering (MySQL Cluster support costs extra), autonomic features, and no-charge administration and development tools. Unlike the free offerings from Microsoft and Oracle, DB2 Express-C does not place limits on the size or number of databases managed. With up to 4 GB of memory and up to 2 processors, DB2 Express-C can run on more powerful servers, can scale higher and can perform faster than its competitors.

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MySQL: Planet MySQL

Federation in the MySQL empire

Marten Micklos, CEO of MySQL, gave a recent speech speculating about a big federated ?database in the sky,? providing all sorts of Web 2.0 benefits. Apparently, the idea isn?t at all fleshed out yet. Even so, I have a nagging suspicion he?s pointing in somewhat the wrong direction. That?s because I think federating relational [...]

MySQL: Planet MySQL

Vendor segmentation for data warehouse DBMS

Several vendors are offering links to Gartner’s new Magic Quadrant report on data warehouse DBMS. Somewhat atypically for Gartner, there’s a strict hierarchy among most of the vendors, with Teradata > IBM > Oracle > Microsoft > Sybase > Kognitio > MySQL > Sand, in each case on both axes of the matrix. [...]

MySQL: Planet MySQL