Department Head of Big Data and Analytic Solutions at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
MSP
Data Warehouse for large enterprises with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "When you submit a ticket the response time is quick."
  • "The price should be lower."

What is our primary use case?

I used DB2 two years ago. It's a data warehouse project solution for a bank. I use DB2 as a warehouse and the data stacks for the APL.

My role in this project was as a database designer. I would design the database, the warehouse, and get the requirements. 

I am not detailed in the technicality of creating the table in DB2.

I am now selling this product.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is data analytics.

What needs improvement?

The price should be lower.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution for six months.

I use the DB2 BLU version.

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IBM Db2 Database
March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable. It's good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I don't' have any knowledge about scalability.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. They have presales and technical support. When you submit a ticket the response time is quick.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously we were using SQL Server.

The main difference is the pricing and implementation.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

It took four months to deploy this solution.

What about the implementation team?

I only use one server to implement the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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

What other advice do I have?

There is a lot of documentation available. I was, however, able to find what I needed through Google.

For our clients who have a large scale enterprise, we suggest DB2 and mid-scale enterprise customers we suggest SQL Server or others.

It's a better solution, it's better on the application. The purpose of DB2 is for a data warehouse or with data analytics.

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Implemenation Specialist at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10Leaderboard
Reliable, easy to expand, and recently has made the implementation process more streamlined
Pros and Cons
  • "The setup process has become much easier recently."
  • "The user interface is not user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

It's shipped with another software IBM product called Maximo. I'm using it just as an underline. It is a typical database. I use it as a database container.  

What is most valuable?

The setup process has become much easier recently. 

It is quite stable.

The solution can scale well. 

What needs improvement?

I am not heavy into developing in Db2. All my development is in the application itself, not in the Db2. Therefore, it's hard to think about areas it needs to improve in. 

The user interface is not user-friendly. There's a converter tool that is much easier for us in comparison. 

We would like the product to have tutorials and answers to questions and troubleshooting to be easier to find online. It's hard to find the answers you're looking for. 

I need data replication to be much more efficient than what is available in the current version. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for around three years now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. Even if there are a large number of records, the performance stays the same. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have found the solution to be scalable. If you want to expand it, you can. 

We don't really have individual users. It comes as part of a package and therefore it's hard to say who is using it and who isn't. 

How are customer service and support?

They need better support and better online resources. If I try to Google something to troubleshoot, I cannot find an accessible answer. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup has recently become easier and more straightforward. A lot of enhancements have happened here. Still, it is a bit complex. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am not paying the license for it individually. It's included in the package.

That said, the cost in general could be more reasonable for the package as a whole. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look at other options and found them to be more reasonably priced. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend the solution to others. However, I'd recommend other potential users try to find a cheaper option. I'd rate it overall at a seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM Db2 Database
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM Db2 Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Database Engineer at Habib Bank
Real User
Top 20
An affordable and stable solution to audit databases
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution helps secure the database."
  • "The product needs to improve its configuration and storage."

What is our primary use case?

I use the product to audit databases, SQL statements, and user activities. I am currently working on migrating the on-premise database to IBM Docker.

What is most valuable?

The solution helps secure the database. We can encrypt the data and mask the tables using the solution.

What needs improvement?

When we enable audits on our database, there is a server overload. The product needs to improve its configuration and storage.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is stable. I rate the tool's stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the product’s scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The support team didn’t give me a quick response to the issue I raised.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex. Since the database has various types of data, we must integrate it with the audit server. An expert in Linux can easily manage the integration.

What about the implementation team?

It takes three to four days to deploy the solution. We needed help from IBM to implement the solution. We need only one person to maintain the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution costs less than other products. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

Guardium can be used in confidential environments. There are many customization options available in Guardium. We purchased the solution in 2018. I will recommend the product for auditing. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
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System Administrator at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Beneficial auto-tuning, helpful support, but field updating could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is running on top of IBM I proprietary hardware/software. It shows great stability. DB2 has improved the way our organization functions because we do not have to tune it. There is an autotuning function integrated into the OS, which is useful. On other databases, there is a need to do tunning from time to time.

How has it helped my organization?

Has a very good RDBMS with high throughput, customizable security features, and a reasonable licensing price.

What is most valuable?

The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM Db2 Database for approximately thirteen years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We did not have the need to scale the solution.

We are using the solution on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

We have a good SLA contract with the vendor for support.

I rate the support from the IBM Db2 Database a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I rate the initial setup of the IBM Db2 Database a seven out of ten.

The deployment of the database took one day and the application took some time because of the testing and integration.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate the price of the IBM Db2 Database an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

If someone is looking for a robust database with a reasonable price and security measures IBM Db2 Database is a good choice.

I rate IBM Db2 Database a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
CIO at Mobica
Real User
Top 10
Tough, impenetrable security but hardware and subscription-based support are very expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's security is very tough and impenetrable."
  • "The solution no longer supports POWER8."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution as a database service for a client in the furniture manufacturing industry. 

What is most valuable?

The solution's security is very tough and impenetrable. 

What needs improvement?

Hardware and support subscriptions are very expensive. Better partnerships in the Middle East or Egypt could reduce costs. 

The solution no longer supports POWER8. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very, very stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is an issue for us because Database Hammer does not work with IBM Power and POWER9 is too expensive. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very helpful and better than competitors such as Dell, Lenovo, or HP. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used POWER5 and POWER7 so have been with the solution for some time. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is very easy and we accomplished it through self education. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive in the Middle East or Egypt. 

I rate cost a three out of ten. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Database Hammer does not work with IBM Power or POWER8. It is too expensive for us to purchase POWER9 so we are migrating to AWS and comparing that to Azure. 

Currently, our server and database are shut down and not in use. 

What other advice do I have?

Stability, mobility, and security are rated a ten out of ten but the extreme cost changes my overall rating to a five out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solution Architect at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Offers a valuable Database Partitioning Feature and has good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Very good for performance and scalability."
  • "There could be better integration with some cloud solutions."
  • "The GUI interface is not particularly friendly for those who do not have experience with the product."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use for our Db2 database is for OLAP (Online Analytical Processing). Our department is using it for data warehousing and data analysis.  

We are deploying some of our enterprise systems to Azure. We would like to migrate data there and most of the systems will be running on the infrastructure as a service, so we will have lots of servers. Migrating data from Db2 becomes an important matter.  

Our target currently is to create the infrastructure which would include the servers, the backup solutions, the databases, application servers and whatever else we need.  

How has it helped my organization?

Db2 enables us to analyze big amounts of structured data in DataWarehouse solutions.

What is most valuable?

The feature that is one of the most valuable in Db2 is the DPF, or the Database Partitioning Feature that use Massive Parallel Processing architecture. We have deployments where one database is deployed on multiple physical servers. It is not exactly like RAC from Oracle. The purpose is not the availability but the performance and scalability of the DPF.  

What needs improvement?

Integration with other services could use some improvement. Currently, we are using Informatica ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) and the data is not loading as expected between the Db2 database and Informatica. Our goal is to eventually migrate the data to Azure servers and evaluate how it will perform. Currently, we are doing a POC (Proof of Concept) on this migration, but the second step cannot be completed without a dependable data load.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Db2 for a long time. Maybe 15 years.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

DB2 is very scalable offering multichoice of possiblities - massive parallel processing and also  clustering.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have technical support from IBM. If I had to evaluate their services, the quality really depends on the person that gets the ticket. There are some very good specialists on the technical support team and some that are not so good.  

If the ticket is critical, it will go to a queue and the IBM team will help you out very quickly and efficiently. Of course, sometimes critical problems are difficult and take some time to resolve.  

If I had to rate technical support overall, then I would give them about an eight-out-of-ten.  

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are a typical enterprise with the typical array of databases. Primarily we use Db2 and MS SQL, and some others. We have reporting tools like Business Objects, Power BI and Micro Strategy. We also have data warehouses. So we have ETL tools and then we need to have the backups, scheduling, and monitoring. We are using more than one database type for different reasons, so it is not exactly that we have switched away from something else to Db2.  

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. I think that installing the Db2 is not that complex and it should not be a problem for a skilled DBA.  

What about the implementation team?

Usually, we use our own team to maintain our products and we do not require outside services from vendors.  

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As we have experience with a variety of database types any one of them could play into our architecture. I was hoping to have PaaS backup solution for the Db2 that we plan to deploy to Azure. But current plan is to back up the Db2 database to storage instead to some service in cloud. Doing it this way we would need to do a work-around and manage the backups by scripting and manage the retention and the sizes and disk drives. It is not optimal and it would be better if we could just send the backup to some kind of API or service in Azure and just configure it to back up images and files. In our testing, that is currently not working with Db2.  

I was looking for this kind of migration solution for the Db2 database, but I could not find it — which surprises me. I looked at the Tivoli Storage Manager, which supports the Db2 backups to the API, but they do not have that kind of PaaS service in Azure.

What other advice do I have?

I have experience working with both Oracle and Db2. Comparing the two products, I would recommend Db2. Both Oracle and Db2 have some unique features that separate them. Although they are different, in comparing the two databases, they are both enterprise grade databases with lots of good features. But from my point of view, Db2 is much better.  

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Db2 as an eight. It is not rated higher because I think that there are things that can be improved. It is currently not perfect. The graphical tools are not good. It is very common for GUI interfaces in IBM products to be lacking. For the first-time user who has no experience with it, the GUI will not seem very straightforward. If you had to work with it for four years, then you get used to it. But for the first-time users, it is not that user friendly.  

If some of the user-interface features can be enhanced, it could be a nine. Db2 is a good database. It is for structured data and there is always room for improvement. It requires an experienced person to handle it.  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Architect at a wellness & fitness company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Performs well, easy to manage, technical support is helpful, and responsive
Pros and Cons
  • "I believe that because the support is good, they jump in and assist us in determining the root cause."
  • "The pricing could be improved, it's expensive."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of the IBM Db2 Database is our trading platform.

We use store procedures and SQL. 

We have some tables with partitions, as well as some tables with a large amount of data. 

We use partitions, we use views, and we know who uses them.

What is most valuable?

We don't have any compatibility issues because we use all IBM products. We use every IBM product. That is why we use IBM's developer tool as well. We never encounter any product compatibility issues during development and deployment.

That is one of the good things that happened to us, in my opinion.

When we had server-related issues, such as a database outage, compatibility and support were good. I believe that because the support is good, they jump in and assist us in determining the root cause. 

The product is really reliable. 

We have seen very few instances of problems, overall IBM products are valuable.

The most valuable features are compatibility and support. 

What needs improvement?

I am currently moving away from that core application. I am not focusing on the solution. 

It is our trading application, and there are some reservations, about continuing to upgrade to the latest versions even though we are currently running on older versions. I believe the first step would be to upgrade it to the most recent versions and then see if any improvements are required while continuing to provide feedback on older versions.

The pricing could be improved, it's expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I am not working on it as closely these days, but our application began in 2001, and we have been using the IBM Db2 database since then.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

IBM products are very nice and perform very well.

IBM Db2 Database is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use a scalable WebSphere Application Server topology, but it's a monolithic application that can only be scaled vertically, not horizontally, because it's a monolithic single database, but those limitations exist. But there are times when I believe we are pleased with the product.

We have multiple production environments and various resources, as well as separate teams to manage the database and separate teams to manage the Application Server. I believe it began with a small team, but as time passed, I believe the number of environments and teams increased. Teams are popular now. I believe we have teams dedicated to each area.

I can say that there are approximately 100 developers, both offshore and onshore.

How are customer service and support?

We have support. In my opinion, they are prompt, we receive responses from IBM within two to three hours. 

There are some challenges. There may be one or two instances where it exceeds, but we are content with that.

The product is very reliable and stable, and we used to receive prompt responses from IBM on support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we were using the WebSphere Application Server. Those applications are in maintenance mode.

We also worked with the Application Developer,m which is the Rational Application Developer for WebSphere software. It is running on legacy Java version 8.

No one is currently using this software because everyone has upgraded to the latest version, but our application is still running with an older version. I don't believe anyone is currently using the older version of Java and the Application Developer that we are.

It's an older version of Java, and I don't believe any developmental improvements will be made to the tool as of now. Because we are not using the most recent version of the tool and the most recent version of the WebSphere Application Server, the feedback I could provide may be ineffective.


We are in the process of migrating to the AWS Cloud.

Our design approach is to convert our monolithic applications to microservices.

We have not used Hadoop, High-Availability Clustering, or Backup and Recovery, we only use the Application Server to host our applications.

How was the initial setup?

The monolithic application is hosted on-premises.

We installed the system in 2001 and have been using it ever since.

The maintenance and support staff is quite small. We have a dedicated database team, we can support multiple database products in addition to Db2.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am aware that IBM pricing is expensive in comparison to other products. 

However, I am not the person who dealt with pricing.

It is expensive when compared to other products.

What other advice do I have?

We are moving away from IBM products.

Everyone is now gravitating toward AWS and cloud computing. And this is a legacy monolithic platform. My advice will be ineffective. The legacy system was designed in the year 2000.

When we first launched our product, IBM hosted our client platform.

Our client insisted on using IBM products, but I believe we are now satisfied. However, the company where we started, has now been acquired by four different companies.

We are working on a different company that has Java-based products, department-based products, and many other products. It's obvious it's a trade. We will build a trading platform on which our clients and sponsors will trade.

I would rate IBM Db2 Database an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Giuseppe Innamorato - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Client Director at Alkemy digital_enabler
Real User
Top 5
Helps us manage a data warehouse for customers and has great performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance of the solution is valuable."
  • "The initial setup could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to manage a data warehouse for customers. The data warehouse is focused on marketing, commercial and sales data.

What is most valuable?

The performance of the solution is valuable.

What needs improvement?

The initial setup could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, and approximately 50 users in our organization are currently utilizing it.

How are customer service and support?

We have had a good experience with customer service and support. I rate customer service and support a ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not easy but can be completed with the assistance of the IBM technicians. It took us about four to five months to complete deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing cost is charged annually. I rate it a ten out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but the initial setup can be improved.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
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Updated: March 2024
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Download our free IBM Db2 Database Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.