Exasol Data Warehouse vs IBM Db2 Database comparison

Exasol and IBM are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Exasol is ranked #32, while IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2. Exasol holds a 1.4% mindshare in SQL, compared to IBM’s 6.8% 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

827 Views
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100% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

Read 75 IBM Db2 Database reviews

4,208 Views
4,082 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: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse vs. IBM Db2 Database

March 2026

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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

32nd

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

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Exasol Data Warehouse is 1.4%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.8%, up from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
IBM Db2 Database	6.8%
Exasol Data Warehouse	1.4%
Other	91.8%

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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reviewer2708292

Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Support improves setup and maintenance while pricing influences decision

If you have a similar use case and the same deal with IBM as our company, it is definitely a good option and choice. The company I work with has more than 50,000 people and more than 500 support staff. We are not locked into one database vendor. We typically work with multiple database vendors simultaneously, selecting the top choice based on the deals we make and other considerations. We do not use IBM Db2 Database related to AI at this moment because our AI project PLC is still very small scale. We may consider it in the future if we have enough scale. Overall rating for IBM Db2 Database is 8.5 out of 10.

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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

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

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

"Its speed is great."

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

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

"We mainly chose Exasol for its performance reasons."

"It is easy to scale."

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

"It's a very mature product."

"We had a crash of the backup system and the IBM DB2 was always up and consistent. It's robust, and for us, it was always up and running."

"The scalability and availability of this solution are the most valuable features."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."

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

"The solution is easy to install and simple to maintain. The most valuable aspect of the solution is its general user-friendliness for users of all kinds."

"The setup process has become much easier recently."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

Cons

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

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

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

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

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

"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."

"Lacks a cloud-based platform."

"I would like to see better support for advanced analytics."

"The initial setup could be improved."

"Performance is something that can be improved with DB2."

"The vendor should offer a free version"

"Some of the internal rearrangement in the administration is not as straightforward as it is in competing products."

"The capabilities of this solution could improve."

"The initial set up was complex."

"The user interface is not user-friendly."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"The solution costs less than other products."

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

"We don't see what the specific price of the DB2 license is because we pay for the backup license as a package."

"The solution's pricing is fine."

"I rate the product pricing a nine out of ten."

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

"We did not buy it. It came with our hardware without any complimentary maintenance. If I compare Db2 Database with Oracle Database, its price is lower than Oracle Database."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	48

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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 IBM Db2 Database is a good solution, but now there is a high maintenance charge. The IBM Db2 Database needs improved support, and there are many difficulties in using it. We tend to use the clo...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 Database?

I use the IBM Db2 Database for development applications. Many clients in our company have business applications currently working on it.

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 15% of the time

Oracle Database vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 12% of the time

Teradata vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Analytics Database (Vertica) vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 11% of the time

MySQL vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 7% of the time

More Exasol Data Warehouse Competitors

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 39% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 15% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 7% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 7% of the time

Tibero vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 1% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse

March 2026

Download Exasol Data Warehouse product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

March 2026

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

March 2026

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