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IBM Db2 Warehouse vs Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Data Warehouse category. IBM is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 3.2% mindshare in Data Warehouse, compared to Microsoft’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
IBM Db2 Warehouse
Read 12 IBM Db2 Warehouse reviews
  • 1,463 Views
  • 1,141 Comparison Views
81% willing to recommend
Microsoft Parallel Data War...
Read 40 Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse reviews
  • 785 Views
  • 557 Comparison Views
87% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse and IBM Db2 Warehouse compete in the data warehousing category. IBM Db2 Warehouse gains an upper hand due to its advanced features and cloud-based deployment flexibility.

Features: Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse includes integration with Microsoft services, robust analytics, and MPP processing for large datasets. IBM Db2 Warehouse offers AI and machine learning integration, high-performance queries, and flexible deployment options.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse can improve cloud transition, modernize user interface, and reduce manual setup time. IBM Db2 Warehouse could enhance cost efficiency, lower initial setup expenses, and streamline resource allocation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Db2 Warehouse offers cloud-based scalable deployment and efficient customer service. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse provides a traditional on-premise model with enterprise-focused support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse attracts with a lower initial cost and solid ROI due to data efficiency. IBM Db2 Warehouse, while costlier initially, offers substantial ROI through enhanced processing capabilities and long-term innovation.

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To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 Warehouse vs. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse Report (Updated: January 2026).
Buyer's Guide
IBM Db2 Warehouse vs. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
January 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

IBM Db2 Warehouse
Ranking in Data Warehouse
11th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Parallel Data War...
Ranking in Data Warehouse
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Data Warehouse category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Warehouse is 3.2%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Warehouse Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Db2 Warehouse3.2%
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse1.7%
Other95.1%
Data Warehouse
 

Featured Reviews

Sherpard Muzuva - PeerSpot reviewer
Sherpard Muzuva
Senior Technical Manager- IBM Enterprise Systems at SYSTEMS INTEGRATED LTD (SYMPHONY)
Advanced features enhance business intelligence, but complex management calls for improved user guidance
While my experience with IBM Db2 Warehouse is somewhat limited, when compared to other databases such as Oracle, there are areas for improvement. They need to enhance the database to make it more user-friendly and easier to master. They should implement a more comprehensive graphical user interface with additional features. For instance, when users encounter problems, the system should provide better guidelines and troubleshooting directions, except for hardware-related issues. They need to implement tools that would help users perform basic troubleshooting rather than solely relying on support. Other databases have features where users can investigate specific issues using error codes. From my experience, many minor issues could be resolved before escalating to support.
Read full review
HassanFatemi - PeerSpot reviewer
HassanFatemi
CEO at Smart Data-Driven Solutions
Has handled large volumes of data effectively but still needs cost flexibility
There could be improvements on the cost side of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse because it is still considered to be quite expensive by a lot of users, and many companies are not interested in solutions with parallel data warehousing due to this expense. Addressing the cost would be the number one area for improvement. Additionally, I have not worked recently with it, so I don't know if this feature already exists, but if it doesn't, having an elastic feature that adjusts the service's power dynamically based on the workload would be beneficial instead of fixing the power at a specific level.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Some of the best features are stored procedures, parallelism, and different indexing strategies."
"Provides good security and reliability."
"I think it scales really well and as long as you take enough time to learn a little bit about it, it works really well."
"IBM Db2 Warehouse is more resilient when dealing with business intelligence applications."
"IBM Db2 Warehouse is more resilient when dealing with business intelligence applications."
"It can scale effectively as long as resources are available."
"The standout feature of IBM Db2 Warehouse, which is particularly valuable for large enterprises, is its ability to handle big data."
"The solution is stable."
More IBM Db2 Warehouse pros
"The most valuable feature is the business intelligence (BI) part of it."
"We have complete control over our data."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is performance."
"We are able to monitor daily jobs, so if there is anything that needs to be done then we can do it."
"The most valuable feature for me is querying."
"​It has allowed fast daily loads and analysis of millions of rows of data, which eventually moved to near real-time.​"
"The solution has been reliable."
"Data collection and reporting are valuable features of the solution."
More Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse pros
 

Cons

"It takes a long time to have a new version or release, similar to Oracle."
"Responding to support tickets takes a lot of time. It can range from two to four days, even for critical issues."
"In terms of improvement, IBM Db2 Warehouse should be more scalable."
"The biggest challenge anyone could have with Db2 Warehouse is their references or online resources and documentation. They are very, very, very limited on the web."
"IBM Db2 Warehouse needs to improve its interface."
"The areas of the solution that is needing the most improvement are separating compute from storage, elasticity, which means scaling up and then retracting."
"The primary challenges customers face with IBM Db2 Warehouse are related to its complexity in usage. It requires highly skilled professionals who understand Db2, and both training and support are challenging to obtain."
"There were some initial challenges with IBM Db2 Warehouse about eight months ago when I worked in this environment. When I coordinated with IBM support, they mentioned that the memory was insufficient for our needs. Our business environment required significantly more memory than the previous cluster could provide. Consequently, we have worked closely with on-site IBM technical personnel to address this issue."
More IBM Db2 Warehouse cons
"It needs more compatibility with common BI tools."
"The ETL designing process could be optimized for better efficiency."
"The solution is expensive and has room for improvement."
"They need to incorporate a machine learning engine."
"I think that the error messages need to be made more specific."
"The patch releases are a concern. For a customer with tons of servers, frequent patches lead to required reboots, which interrupts business."
"I would like to see better visualization features."
"The only issue with the product is that the process is very slow when we have a huge amount of data."
More Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In a traditional on-prem database, in a data warehouse, the solution is probably on the expensive side."
"The solution is cost-effective."
"They offer an annual subscription. The pricing depends on the size of the environments."
"Microsoft has an agreement with the government in our country, so our customers get their licensing costs from the Ministry. Whenever we work with any government, company, or government institute, which is mainly what we are doing, that license comes directly from the Ministry of Technology and Information."
"I think the program is well-priced compared to the other offerings that are out in the market."
"The tool could be expensive if we need to manage a lot of data."
"All the features that we use do not require any additional subscription or yearly fees."
"The solution's pricing is fairly decent for organizations with huge data sizes."
"Technical support is an additional fee and is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
30%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Insurance Company
13%
University
9%
Performing Arts
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Warehouse?
The pricing for medium and large environments is almost the same as Oracle. I rate the pricing as six out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Warehouse?
While my experience with IBM Db2 Warehouse is somewhat limited, when compared to other databases such as Oracle, there are areas for improvement. They need to enhance the database to make it more u...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 Warehouse?
The main advantages of IBM Db2 Warehouse become apparent when dealing with business intelligence applications. I worked with it when it was installed for one of our customers, a utilities company, ...
See all answers
What do you like most about Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse?
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse provides good firewall processing in terms of response time.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse?
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is very expensive.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse?
There could be improvements on the cost side of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse because it is still considered to be quite expensive by a lot of users, and many companies are not interested in so...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 9% of the time
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Compared 8% of the time
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Compared 20% of the time
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Compared 20% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Db2 Warehouse
January 2026
IBM Db2 Warehouse reportDownload IBM Db2 Warehouse product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
January 2026
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse reportDownload Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse product report
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Warehouse, IBM InfoSphere Warehouse
Microsoft PDW, SQL Server Data Warehouse, Microsoft SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse, MS Parallel Data Warehouse
 

Overview

InfoSphere Warehouse is a suite of products that combines the strength of DB2 with a data warehousing infrastructure from IBM. You can use InfoSphere Warehouse to build a complete data warehousing solution that includes a highly scalable relational database, data access capabilities, and front-end analysis tools.
IBM

The traditional structured relational data warehouse was never designed to handle the volume of exponential data growth, the variety of semi-structured and unstructured data types, or the velocity of real time data processing. Microsoft's SQL Server data warehouse solution integrates your traditional data warehouse with non-relational data and it can handle data of all sizes and types, with real-time performance.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Alameda County Social Services Agency, Sui Southern Gas Company Limited
Auckland Transport, Erste Bank Group, Urban Software Institute, NJVC, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe
Buyer's Guide
IBM Db2 Warehouse vs. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
January 2026
Free Report: IBM Db2 Warehouse vs. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Warehouse vs. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
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