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 most valuable features of this solution are security and stability."
"We are dealing with millions of transactions a month and the performance is very good."
"Reliable, robust with great features."
"The most valuable features are the simplicity of the database and the access to Db2 and Db2 information."
"It is quite a stable solution."
"Db2 Database has given us good results since we have started to use it. We predominantly use IBM hardware, and this is one of the reasons why we started to use Db2 Database. Db2 Database has a very good HADR capability. High availability resilience is also good in this solution. It also has pureScale, which allows you to upgrade one node to get very good and high-level resilience. If you are using a database on five nodes, you can take one node down, upgrade that, and let that node up. You can then bring the second node down, upgrade that, and so on."
"The solution is stable."
"The setup process has become much easier recently."
"The initial setup was straightforward."
"The solution is user-friendly, is a robust tool and is always reliable to users."
"The solution can be used for a host of applications."
"We found it to be quite scalable."
"The scalability of the product is great."
"They have improved the UI and ease of accessing the database and server which is good. You can load it up and start using it from the very minute it is implemented."
"We have found the solution to be scalable."
"It is fairly easy to work with. I like the high-availability options, like mirroring for example, and the high-availability groups."
"We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment."
"End-to-end encryption specifically is something the solution needs to have in the next release."
"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 product needs to improve its configuration and storage."
"IBM's products tend to be quite costly, especially given the availability of free, open-source alternatives."
"Microsoft SQL Server is comparatively very simple to use. I wish IBM would move towards making Db2 easy to use for both basic and advanced users. This is where I see room for advancement. Db2 is also more expensive than Microsoft SQL Server, and its price can be reduced. The replication feature needs to be there in Db2. Microsoft provides similar functionality in SQL Server. IBM also has similar functionality, but it exists in a different product. So, to have the replication ability, you have to buy a different product. It makes sense to have this functionality within Db2 instead of a different product. It will also be helpful in terms of competition. In Africa, the problem for Db2 is competition. Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server have been in this market for a very long time. These companies have built the ecosystem and the brand within this market for a very long time. So, they are very popular with users. Db2 or IBM came a little later in the game, and that's where the problem lies. They also don't do a lot of marketing for it, which is also a problem."
"There could be more user-friendly tools with features such as drag-and-drop functionality, visual basics, and low-code capabilities."
"IBM Db2 Database could improve with better security."
"Additional interfaces would be an improvement."
"The scalability could be better."
"More things in SQL Server need to be automated."
"The pricing and quality of the product could be improved."
"The scalability and the high availability feature can be expanded or improved. Currently, there is a limitation on scalability. A feature similar to the Oracle Diagnostic feature can be included to provide a better user experience."
"It would be better if it had more integration with other systems."
"Security is an issue."
"They have too many licensing options. They may want to simplify its licensing and bring it down to two, three, or four categories from ten to fifteen categories. Having so many different licensing options makes it difficult to decide which one to choose from. They can club things together. This is an area where they can make things easier for customers."
IBM Db2 Database is ranked 6th in Relational Databases Tools with 66 reviews while SQL Server is ranked 1st in Relational Databases Tools with 259 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, MySQL, Teradata 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.
