Exasol Data Warehouse vs IBM Db2 Database comparison

Exasol and IBM are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Exasol is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.1. Exasol holds a 0.6% mindshare in SQL, compared to IBM’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Exasol users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Exasol Data Warehouse

Read 8 Exasol Data Warehouse reviews

438 Views
236 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

Read 73 IBM Db2 Database reviews

6,854 Views
4,346 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Exasol Data Warehouse

IBM Db2 Database

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

IBM Db2 Database and Exasol Data Warehouse compete in the database management market, serving different needs. IBM Db2 shows strength with its comprehensive enterprise features, making it suitable for large organizations, while Exasol prioritizes speed, appealing to those needing rapid analytics.

Features: IBM Db2 Database includes comprehensive data security, integration with other IBM services, and strong support for SQL and NoSQL. Exasol Data Warehouse offers high-performance analytics, in-memory processing, and scalability for large data volumes.

Room for Improvement: IBM Db2 could enhance its user interface and simplify deployment processes. Improving documentation accessibility and offering more out-of-the-box analytics tools would also benefit its users. Exasol may improve in providing stronger enterprise-level support, developing more robust data integration capabilities, and expanding its cloud service offerings.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Db2 Database supports traditional deployment with thorough documentation and extensive enterprise-level support services. Exasol focuses on rapid deployment with an agile process, offering effective support for smooth and simple implementations.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Db2 Database pricing aligns with its wide-ranging enterprise features and infrastructure, providing value through robust support. Exasol offers competitive pricing aimed at excellent cost-performance for businesses needing fast analytics, focusing on maximizing ROI with high-performance capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Exasol Data Warehouse vs. IBM Db2 Database Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse vs. IBM Db2 Database

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Exasol Data Warehouse

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

25th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Db2 Database

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Exasol Data Warehouse is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.1%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

Shubham-Agarwal

Manager - Projects at Cognizant

Fast query processing and easy-to-store all the data

There are very few companies that are using Exasol, but the majority of companies are using SQL Server, Cloud or IBM Db2 Database, or any other databases. Therefore, the resources are limited, which is my only concern. So if I face any issues, limited resources are available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol. From that perspective, it can be a bit of a struggle for me to find a solution. In the next release, I would like to see better compatibility issues. Currently, Exasol has limited compatibility with other software like Python and R. For example, If I talk about SQL Server, we can connect it to big data or Python, which is also compatible with different servers.

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SimonHiggins

Mainframe Technical Manager/Service Integration Lead at Saudi Business Machines

Very scalable with high availability and excellent technical support

The good thing is that there are improvements coming with later function levels for the z/OS Db2. I'd like it if, with the operating system that we've got, z/OS, on the mainframe, it would allow us to refresh the hardware to run Linux dockers on the mainframe. This means this might give us opportunities for different ways of coming into the Db2 environment in the future. We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment. Not only have we got the premium operating systems on OS. We can run LPARs on the same mainframe footprint that is also supporting Linux. This is what has improved and made the mainframe environment more competitive. We're also looking at AI for Db2 as well, and machine learning for the future. We know that AI has come out, that we're going to get that, and we're going to evaluate that product next year for Db2. That said, I haven't got any real complaints about Db2 on the mainframe. For the most part, a lot of the problems we have nowadays are to do with communication between the various teams that you would class as stakeholders.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Performance is a top priority, and it excels in this aspect."

"The speed is very good compared to other databases, like SQL Server or Oracle."

"It is easy to scale."

"The most valuable feature of Exasol is its speed."

"Its speed is great."

"We can quickly scale the solution as it works on an MPP system."

"The solution is hands-off; you set it up insert your data and it self tunes queries."

"We mainly chose Exasol for its performance reasons."

"We are dealing with millions of transactions a month and the performance is very good."

"When you submit a ticket the response time is quick."

"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."

"The most valuable features of this solution are security and stability."

"The solution helps secure the database."

"The most valuable feature of IBM Db2 Database is its ability to perform automatic self-management, reducing the need for manual tasks such as managing logs and folders."

"It has a good, stable performance."

"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."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

Cons

"It's not cloud-native so many maintenance operations require downtime."

"They don't talk very well to with other products when it comes to connectivity. Integration is lacking."

"The only area where we found it could improve was in custom role creation and security, and it was difficult to work with."

"You have to install Exasol drivers, and it's not easy to find or implement a driver into different systems."

"They should improve the security features for MPP processing."

"It would be beneficial if the updates would occur more often."

"Lacks a cloud-based platform."

"There are limited resources available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol."

"The pricing could be improved, it's expensive."

"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."

"Db2 interface could be improved a bit. Comparing it to Oracle, Db2's interfaces could be improved."

"Also, the website could be more intuitive. I didn't find it easy to find documentation on the website."

"The solution's UI hasn't been upgraded. The solution’s UI is an area to improve because the solution was developed long ago."

"The solution could be more modern and have updated database technology."

"They should simplify the management of Db2 as a relational database system. There should be the simplification of management. This is probably one of the most important asks for being successful in the future."

"The backup solution lacks flexibility."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's cost is mid-ranged."

"Db2 is less expensive than Oracle."

"There is a license for this solution and we pay every three years."

"It's very expensive for West African countries like ours."

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. It's not super expensive, but also not cheap."

"I think that everyone knows that with IBM the standard price is higher than the others."

"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."

"It's very expensive."

"If I consider the price of IBM Db2 Database, I would say there are cheaper products in the market."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Retailer

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Logistics Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Educational Organization

58%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Exasol?

The most valuable feature of Exasol is its speed.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Exasol?

You have to use upper-column names in Exasol, which is strange. You have to install Exasol drivers, and it's not easy to find or implement a driver into different systems.

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What is your primary use case for Exasol?

We implemented our data problem issues from Tableau. We inserted the data into the Exasol database in order to run 10 to 20 reports from Tableau. This was just a small but problematic report for us.

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What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?

Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?

IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?

The user interface is old and needs to be improved. It doesn't match the responsive and suggestion-rich UI of cloud solutions. New functions don't come to mind.

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 38% of the time

SAP HANA vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 36% of the time

Vertica vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 26% of the time

More Exasol Data Warehouse Competitors

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 32% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 18% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 16% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 12% of the time

MySQL vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse

April 2025

Download Exasol Data Warehouse product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

April 2025

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Also Known As

No data available

DB2

Overview

Exasol is a high-performance data warehouse solution that accelerates BI and reporting features. Its speed, stability, and self-tuning queries make it valuable, and it doesn't require a database administrator. It's a backend database for Tableau dashboards, resulting in faster report loading times and increased efficiency in querying data.

Exasol's high performance allows users to connect insights and fire queries instead of looking at cached dashboards. It has impressive aggregation capabilities that help calculate metrics on the fly based on user-selected filters.

Exasol

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.

IBM

Sample Customers

1&1 Internet SE 11880 Internet Services AG AB Svenska Spel Accarda AG Aera Technology Inc. AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH AQR Capital Management, LLC arvato distribution GmbH ARZ Allgemeines Rechenzentrum GmbH Badoo Limited Baur Versand (GmbH & Co. KG) BIScience Ltd Blocket Blue Yonder GmbH Codilink UK Ltd T/A Coniq crealytics GmbH dailyme TV GmbH Dailymotion S.A. Dataforce Verlagsgesellschaft für Business Information mbH Deutsche Postbank AG Digitales Rezept Zentrum GmbH DIKW Groep direct services Gütersloh GmbH DR Technologies Ltd. dress-for-less GmbH econda GmbH emetriq GmbH empiriecom GmbH & Co. KG Flaconi GmbH Fresenius Netcare GmbH Fyber GmbH GfK SE Grant Street Group, Inc. Gruner + Jahr GmbH Gymshark UK Hahn Air Lines GmbH Hermes Einrichtungs Service GmbH & Co. KG INNOVATIVE SCHEDULING, LLC internetstores GmbH INTERSPORT Deutschland eG IQVIA Commercial GmbH & Co. OHG IQVIA Commercial Sp. z o.o. IQVIA Incorporated iVantage Health Analytics K - Mail Order GmbH & Co. KG LIQ CORP SA Manor AG Basel Match2Lists Limited MEDION AG Midasplayer AB Monsoon Accessorize Limited m-pathy GmbH msales Ltd. MTG Modern Services AB MW Aviation GmbH & Co. KG Myntra Designs Pvt Ltd Netzeffekt GmbH New Company Services Ltd. NOVENTI HealthCare GmbH Olympus Europa SE & Co. KG Operation Fistula OpsDataStore OTTO (GmbH & Co KG) Panda Retail Co. PAPSTAR GmbH Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. Questback GmbH RatePAY GmbH Revolut Ltd. Saarland-Sporttoto GmbH Sagarmatha Ltd. SIA Damara Technologies Supermärkte Nord Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG The National Research Center for College & University Admissions, Inc. United Utilities Water Ltd. Verlag C.H. Beck oHG Vocal Planet Ltd. Vodafone Group Services GmbH Webtrekk GmbH wer liefert was? GmbH Windeln.de SE Wooga GmbH XING SE Zalando SE

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse vs. IBM Db2 Database

April 2025

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