The Most Popular Commercial DBMS, Ranked

Choose the commercial DBMS you think is the most popular!

Author: Gregor Krambs
Updated on Apr 27, 2024 06:34
In the business world, the ability to effectively manage vast amounts of data can make or break company success. That's why choosing the right commercial Database Management System (DBMS) is crucial. With so many options in the market, each boasting a range of features, it can be challenging to pinpoint which DBMS will best serve your organization's needs. This is why a ranked list of the most popular commercial DBMS can be incredibly valuable. By seeing which systems are favored by most users, newcomers can make informed decisions based on prevailing trends. Your vote and opinions play a critical role in shaping this list, ensuring that it accurately reflects the current market sentiments.

What Is the Most Popular Commercial DBMS?

  1. 1
    51
    votes

    Oracle Database

    Oracle Corporation
    Oracle Database is a relational database management system developed by Oracle Corporation. It is widely used in enterprise applications and is known for its reliability, security, and scalability.
    The Oracle Database is a popular commercial relational database management system (DBMS) developed by Oracle Corporation. It is widely used for enterprise-level applications and offers advanced features and capabilities for data storage, retrieval, and management.
    • ACID Compliance: Full
    • Scalability: High
    • High Availability: Built-in
    • Security: Advanced
    • Partitioning: Available
    Oracle Database in other rankings
  2. 2
    29
    votes
    Microsoft SQL Server
    Филатов Алексей · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Microsoft SQL Server

    Microsoft Corporation
    Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft Corporation. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its ease of use and integration with Microsoft products.
    Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (DBMS) developed by Microsoft. It is designed to store, retrieve, and manage large amounts of data efficiently and securely. SQL Server is primarily used for building and managing enterprise-level applications, web applications, and data-driven websites.
    • Scalability: Ability to handle large databases and high workloads.
    • Security: Robust security features to protect data against unauthorized access and ensure data integrity.
    • High Availability: Support for clustering and replication to provide continuous availability of databases.
    • Business Intelligence: Integrated tools for data analysis, reporting, and data mining.
    • Data Warehousing: Features and optimizations specifically designed for data warehousing and decision support.
  3. 3
    18
    votes
    MySQL is an open-source relational database management system developed by Oracle Corporation. It is widely used in web applications and is known for its ease of use, flexibility, and scalability.
    MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) that uses Structured Query Language (SQL) for managing and accessing databases. It provides a fast, reliable, and scalable solution for storing and retrieving data.
    • License: GNU General Public License (GPL)
    • Operating System: Cross-platform
    • Written in: C, C++
    • Compatibility: SQL-92
    • Storage Engines: InnoDB, MyISAM, etc.
  4. 4
    21
    votes

    IBM DB2

    IBM
    IBM DB2 is a relational database management system developed by IBM Corporation. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its scalability, reliability, and advanced features.
    IBM DB2 is a widely-used commercial relational database management system (DBMS). It is designed to efficiently store, manage, and query large volumes of structured and unstructured data. DB2 provides robust features for ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliance, high availability, scalability, and performance.
    • Data model: Relational
    • Compatibility: SQL-92, SQL-99, SQL:2003
    • Platform support: Windows, Linux, UNIX, IBM z/OS
    • Deployment options: On-premises, cloud-based
    • Scalability: Supports massive parallel processing
  5. 5
    21
    votes
    PostgreSQL is an open-source relational database management system developed by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group. It is widely used in web applications and is known for its robustness, reliability, and advanced features.
    PostgreSQL is an open-source, object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) known for its reliability, robustness, and scalability. It offers advanced features like full ACID compliance, multi-version concurrency control, extensibility, and strong support for relational and JSON data types. PostgreSQL also supports various programming languages and platforms, making it a versatile choice for building applications.
    • License: PostgreSQL License (Open Source)
    • Language Support: SQL (standard conforming), PL/pgSQL, PL/Python, PL/Perl, PL/Java, PL/JavaScript, and more
    • Concurrency Control: Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC)
    • Scalability: Horizontal and vertical scaling options
    • Replication: Supports various replication methods and high availability solutions
  6. 6
    19
    votes

    SAP HANA

    SAP SE
    SAP HANA is a relational database management system developed by SAP SE. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its performance, scalability, and advanced features for analytics and data processing.
    SAP HANA is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system (DBMS) developed by SAP SE. It is designed to handle high volumes of data efficiently and deliver real-time analytics and insights. SAP HANA integrates with various data processing engines, advanced analytics, and application development tools to support a wide range of business applications.
    • In-Memory Computing: Data is stored and processed in-memory for faster data access and analysis.
    • Column-Oriented Storage: Data is organized and stored in columns rather than rows for improved query performance.
    • Relational Database: Supports structured data with table-based relationships and transactions.
    • Real-time Analytics: Enables real-time processing and analysis of large volumes of data.
    • Advanced Data Compression: Efficiently compresses data to save storage space and enhance query performance.
  7. 7
    9
    votes
    Teradata is a relational database management system developed by Teradata Corporation. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its scalability, reliability, and advanced features for data warehousing and analytics.
    Teradata is a widely-used commercial database management system (DBMS) that is known for its scalability and high-performance analytics capabilities. It is designed to handle large volumes of data and complex analytical queries. Teradata supports both structured and unstructured data, allowing users to efficiently store, manage, and analyze diverse data types. The system is used by organizations across various industries, including finance, retail, telecommunications, and healthcare.
    • Scalability: Teradata can efficiently handle massive volumes of data with its parallel processing architecture.
    • Analytical Capabilities: Teradata is optimized for complex analytical queries, enabling advanced data analysis and reporting.
    • Data Types: It supports a wide range of structured and unstructured data types, including text, geospatial, and temporal data.
    • Concurrency: Teradata supports high levels of concurrent users and transactions, ensuring efficient access to data.
    • Data Compression: It provides advanced data compression techniques to reduce storage requirements and improve performance.
  8. 8
    9
    votes
    Informix is a relational database management system developed by IBM Corporation. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its scalability, reliability, and advanced features for data warehousing and analytics.
    Informix is a popular commercial database management system (DBMS) known for its reliability, scalability, and high-performance capabilities. It was initially created by Informix Corporation and is currently maintained by IBM, which acquired Informix in 2001.
    • Reliability: Informix offers built-in high availability features, such as automatic failover and data replication, ensuring minimal downtime and data loss.
    • Scalability: Informix can handle large-scale databases and supports horizontal scalability with the ability to distribute data across multiple nodes.
    • Performance: Informix is known for its impressive performance, with efficient query optimization, multi-threading, in-memory processing, and accelerated data loading capabilities.
    • Concurrency Control: Informix utilizes advanced concurrency control mechanisms to manage multiple simultaneous transactions, ensuring data integrity and preventing conflicts.
    • Security: Informix provides robust security features, including access control, data encryption, and audit trail functionality, to protect sensitive data.
  9. 9
    8
    votes

    Sybase ASE

    Sybase Inc.
    Sybase ASE is a relational database management system developed by Sybase Corporation. It is commonly used in enterprise applications and is known for its scalability, reliability, and advanced features for data warehousing and analytics.
    Sybase ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) is a popular commercial relational database management system (DBMS) that is designed to handle high transaction rates and support large amounts of data. It was initially developed by Sybase Inc., which was later acquired by SAP.
    • SQL compliance: Full SQL-92 compliance.
    • Architecture: Client-server architecture with multi-threading support.
    • Data storage: Support for various data types including numeric, string, and binary.
    • Scalability: Ability to handle large data volumes and concurrent user access.
    • High availability: Features like replication, clustering, and online backups to ensure high availability and disaster recovery.
  10. 10
    9
    votes
    SQLite is an open-source relational database management system developed by D. Richard Hipp. It is widely used in mobile and embedded applications and is known for its simplicity, compact size, and reliability.
    SQLite is a popular embedded database management system (DBMS) that is widely used for small-scale applications. It is a serverless, zero-configuration, file-based DBMS, making it easy to integrate into applications without requiring a separate server process. SQLite is known for its simplicity, reliability, and small memory footprint.
    • ACID compliance: Yes
    • Transaction support: Yes
    • Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
    • Supports standard SQL: Yes
    • Zero-configuration: Yes

Missing your favorite commercial DBMS?

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Ranking factors for popular commercial DBMS

  1. Market share and adoption
    A popular commercial DBMS should have a significant market share and a large user base. This indicates that the product is trusted and preferred by many organizations, which, in turn, can add to its credibility and popularity.
  2. Performance
    The performance of a DBMS is critical when dealing with large volumes of data. The efficiency and speed with which data can be stored, retrieved, and manipulated are essential factors to be considered.
  3. Scalability
    The ability of a DBMS to easily scale as the organization grows and data volume increases is vital. A good DBMS should be able to accommodate more users, transactions, and data without any significant impact on performance.
  4. Security and compliance
    The DBMS should provide advanced security features, such as data encryption, user authentication, and access control, to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
  5. Reliability and availability
    A popular DBMS should be stable and reliable, providing continuous data availability and minimizing downtime. High availability and fault tolerance features are crucial in enterprise environments.
  6. Ease of use and management
    A good DBMS should be easy to set up, configure, and manage, with a user-friendly interface and clear documentation. This reduces the time required to learn and manage the system, increasing productivity and reducing training costs.
  7. Integration and compatibility
    The DBMS should be able to easily integrate with other software applications and services and be compatible with a wide range of platforms and technologies.
  8. Vendor support and community
    A popular DBMS should have a strong support system from the vendor, including regular updates, patches, and adequate customer support. Additionally, an active community of users, contributors, and experts can be invaluable when it comes to learning, troubleshooting, and sharing best practices.
  9. Licensing and pricing
    The cost and licensing structure for the DBMS are essential factors to consider, especially for organizations operating on tight budgets or with specific requirements for deployment, maintenance, and support.
  10. Adaptability and extensibility
    A popular DBMS should be flexible and adaptable to evolving business needs and data requirements, supporting a wide range of data types, formats, and structures. Additionally, the ability to extend the functionality of the DBMS through plugins, add-ons, or customizations is also important.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most popular commercial DBMS. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or commercial DBMS is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

  • 2339 views
  • 195 votes
  • 10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each commercial DBMS once every 24 hours. The rank of each commercial DBMS is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

More information on most popular commercial dbms

When it comes to managing data in a business environment, a Database Management System (DBMS) is an essential tool. There are several commercial DBMS options available in the market, each with its own unique features and advantages. The popularity of a DBMS often depends on its ability to provide efficient and reliable data management solutions. Some of the most popular commercial DBMS options include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, IBM DB2, and PostgreSQL. These systems are widely used by businesses of all sizes and across various industries, making them the go-to options for managing critical data. However, each DBMS has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, which means that choosing the right one for your business requires careful consideration of your specific needs and requirements.

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