IBM Db2 Database vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions comparison

IBM and VMware are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.1, while VMware is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.9. IBM holds a 7.1% mindshare in SQL, compared to VMware’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of VMware users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 Database

Read 73 IBM Db2 Database reviews

6,854 Views
4,346 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Read 83 VMware Tanzu Data Solutions reviews

135 Views
120 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

IBM Db2 Database and VMware Tanzu Data Solutions compete in the database market, offering distinct features that cater to specific user needs. IBM Db2 holds an advantage in SQL functionality and platform versatility, while VMware Tanzu excels with its scale-out architecture suitable for cloud-native and big data environments.

Features: IBM Db2 Database boasts strong SQL capabilities, comprehensive platform support including Java, and self-tuning memory management for optimal performance. VMware Tanzu Data Solutions provides robust support for massive parallel processing, is cloud-native, and benefits from an open-source model, making it cost-effective.

Room for Improvement: IBM Db2 users face challenges with its complexity, especially in learning and administration, and express a desire for better performance monitoring and web enablement tools. VMware Tanzu users seek improved support documentation, ease of deployment in complex environments, and more stability under heavy loads.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Db2 excels in on-premises deployment with strong customer service, though response times can vary. Its hybrid cloud deployment is less common. VMware Tanzu offers flexible deployment options on hybrid and public clouds, but users cite deployment and support as needing enhancements.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Db2 is often perceived as costly, but users find value in its integration with IBM products and reliability. Licensing strategies can reduce costs, though they are sometimes seen as complicated. VMware Tanzu’s open-source nature provides a low-cost solution upfront, appealing for large-scale deployments, with significant ROI for cost-conscious buyers.

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

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

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

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

VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database Development and Management (7th), Data Warehouse (9th), Message Queue (MQ) Software (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.1%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Tanzu Data Solutions is 0.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

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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Sushma Polavarapu

Sr Data Analytics Consultant at Capgemini

Create essential reporting scripts with simplicity but has some operational challenges

We mainly create functions and scripts required for reporting The product is not complex; I do not have to create stored procedures, functions, or views. It's just simple to use. There is general room for improvement. I have been using it for five years. I have faced stability issues, mainly…

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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

"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."

"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."

"The structure is straightforward, consisting of the test file and the logical and physical files. You have one physical file and many logical files related to it."

"It's easy to search and extract data from the warehouse using queries."

"It is quite a stable solution."

"Its robustness, scalability, availability, and performance are valuable. All these are the major attributes of a relational database for supporting a very high-volume business, and Db2 is very good in all those areas and in all those attributes."

"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 most valuable feature of the IBM Db2 Database is security."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

"Helps us to achieve large-scale analytics."

"Very sophisticated routing control and priority messaging capabilities"

"Simple and straightforward admin portals: Made it easy for users and worked out excellently for our requirements"

"Very fast for query processing."

"The solution has really cool features to use. Its management console is excellent. You can utilize plugins to view the performance of the whole service on one network."

"The message routing is the most valuable feature. It is effective and flexible."

"The most valuable feature for us is horizontal scaling."

"The solution is stable."

Cons

"IBM's products tend to be quite costly, especially given the availability of free, open-source alternatives."

"IBM Db2 Database is not ACID compliant, which would improve it. Db2 lacks Isolation, so when two people are trying to update the same field at the same time it can become stuck. Other newer databases do not have this issue, such as Microsoft SQL, Oracle DB, PostgreSQL, and SAP HANA."

"The GUI interface is not particularly friendly for those who do not have experience with the product."

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

"The technical support can be faster."

"The user interface is old and needs to be improved."

"The usage of Db2 could be simplified, as it is quite complex and requires substantial knowledge of Db2 and zOS."

"IBM Db2 Database could improve in the steps it takes for upgrades. It is not an easy process. The process of upgrading the version is lengthy and requires a lot of time. To make it more efficient, I suggest implementing some automation on the solution side. This will greatly reduce the time required for the upgrade."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

"One of the disadvantages, not a disadvantage with the product itself, but overall, is the expertise in the marketplace. It's not easy to find a Greenplum administrator in the market, compared to other products such as Oracle."

"The installation is difficult and should be made easier."

"Some integration with other platforms like design tools, and ETL development tools, that will enable some advanced functionality, like fully down processing, etc."

"The next release should include some of the flexibility and features that Kafka offers."

"We would like to see Greenplum maintain a closer relationship with and parity to features implemented in PostgreSQL."

"We needed to configure additional plugins. While it was relatively easy to do this on-premises, it became more challenging in the cloud."

"The product is pretty hard to configure."

"The user interface could be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"It is expensive."

"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis."

"Compared to other databases, Db2 is relatively cheaper."

"We purchase the product's yearly license."

"Among Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Db2, Microsoft SQL Server is the cheapest one, and Oracle is the most expensive one. Db2 is in the middle. As compared to SQL Server, its price could go down. It will be good for customers."

"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."

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

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

"This is an open source solution."

"It’s an open-source solution."

"It is the best product with best fit for price/performance customer objectives."

"Since the tool is an open-source product, there is no need to pay anything."

"The product is available for free use since it is an open-source technology."

"We are using the open-source version of this solution."

"Tanzu Greenplum's pricing is really competitive and gives excellent value for money."

"It is an open-source product."

More VMware Tanzu Data Solutions pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

58%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

28%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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

How does IBM MQ compare with VMware RabbitMQ?

IBM MQ has a great reputation behind it, and this solution is very robust with great stability. It is easy to use, simple to configure and integrates well with our enterprise ecosystem and protocol...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Tanzu Greenplum?

The loading speed is very good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Tanzu Greenplum?

It’s an open-source solution. There are no expenses for using it.

See all answers

Comparisons

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

IBM MQ vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Compared 21% of the time

Oracle Exadata vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Compared 11% of the time

ActiveMQ vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Compared 9% of the time

Red Hat AMQ vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Compared 8% of the time

Nutanix Database Service vs VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Compared 8% of the time

More VMware Tanzu Data Solutions Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

April 2025

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

April 2025

Download VMware Tanzu Data Solutions product report

Also Known As

DB2

Greenplum, Pivotal Greenplum, VMware RabbitMQ, VMware Tanzu GemFire, VMware Postgres

Overview

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

VMware Tanzu is a robust platform tailored for data warehousing, complex analytics, BI applications, and predictive analytics. It excels in scalability, performance, and parallel processing, enhancing data handling efficiency. Users report significant productivity improvements and streamlined operations, making it ideal for comprehensive data solutions.

VMware

Sample Customers

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

General Electric, Conversant, China CITIC Bank, Aridhia, Purdue University

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 Database vs. VMware Tanzu Data Solutions

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Database vs. VMware Tanzu Data Solutions and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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