Overview

Microsoft SQL Server

Stacks21.3K

Followers15.5K

Votes540

IBM Informix

Stacks17

Followers26

Votes0

IBM Informix vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?

Key Differences between IBM Informix and Microsoft SQL Server

IBM Informix and Microsoft SQL Server are both popular relational database management systems (RDBMS) used by organizations to manage and store their data. While both databases share similarities in terms of functionality, there are several key differences that set them apart.

Data Replication and High Availability: IBM Informix offers a unique feature called High Availability Data Replication (HDR), which allows for the automatic replication of data across multiple servers to ensure high availability and minimize downtime. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server provides features like Always On Availability Groups and Database Mirroring for achieving high availability and disaster recovery.
Database Scalability: IBM Informix is known for its ability to scale horizontally, which means it can easily handle large amounts of data by distributing it across multiple servers. In contrast, while Microsoft SQL Server also supports scaling horizontally through technologies like Always On Availability Groups, it is more suitable for vertical scaling, where the database server is upgraded with more resources.
Cost: IBM Informix has a reputation for being more cost-effective compared to Microsoft SQL Server. Informix offers flexible pricing options based on the features and requirements of the organization, making it a popular choice for businesses with budget constraints. Microsoft SQL Server, on the other hand, typically has higher licensing costs, especially for large-scale deployments.
Platform Support: Microsoft SQL Server runs primarily on Windows operating systems, but it also has limited support for Linux. On the other hand, IBM Informix provides broader platform support, including Windows, Linux, and various UNIX systems, giving organizations more flexibility in choosing their preferred operating system.
Ease of Use and Administration: Microsoft SQL Server is often considered more user-friendly and easier to administer compared to IBM Informix. SQL Server's management tools, such as SQL Server Management Studio, provide a comprehensive and intuitive interface for database administration tasks. Informix, though powerful, may have a steeper learning curve and requires more expertise to set up and manage effectively.
Feature Set: Both IBM Informix and Microsoft SQL Server offer a rich set of features. However, they differ in some specific capabilities. For example, Informix includes robust features for time-series data management, making it suitable for industries like finance and manufacturing. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server provides advanced analytics and business intelligence features such as SQL Server Analysis Services and Power BI, which are well-suited for data analysis and reporting.

In summary, key differences between IBM Informix and Microsoft SQL Server include data replication and high availability capabilities, scalability options, cost, platform support, ease of use and administration, as well as specific feature sets tailored to different industry needs.

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Advice on Microsoft SQL Server, IBM Informix

Erin

IT Specialist

Mar 10, 2020

Needs adviceon

Microsoft SQL Server

MySQL

PostgreSQL

I am a Microsoft SQL Server programmer who is a bit out of practice. I have been asked to assist on a new project. The overall purpose is to organize a large number of recordings so that they can be searched. I have an enormous music library but my songs are several hours long. I need to include things like time, date and location of the recording. I don't have a problem with the general database design. I have two primary questions:

I need to use either @{MySQL}|tool:1025| or @{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| on a @{Linux}|tool:10483| based OS. Which would be better for this application?
I have not dealt with a sound based data type before. How do I store that and put it in a table? Thank you.

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Detailed Comparison

Microsoft SQL Server	IBM Informix
Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.	It is a fast and flexible database with the ability to seamlessly integrate SQL, NoSQL/JSON, and time series and spatial data. Its versatility and ease of use make Informix a preferred solution for a wide range of environments, from enterprise data warehouses to individual application development.
-	Real-time analytics; Fast, always-on transactions; Fewer data management hassles; Simple and non-disruptive
Statistics
Stacks 21.3K	Stacks 17
Followers 15.5K	Followers 26
Votes 540	Votes 0
Pros & Cons
Pros 139 Reliable and easy to use 101 High performance 95 Great with .net 65 Works well with .net 56 Easy to maintain Cons 4 Expensive Licensing 2 Microsoft 1 Replication can loose the data 1 Allwayon can loose data in asycronious mode 1 The maximum number of connections is only 14000 connect	No community feedback yet
Integrations
No integrations available	Linux macOS Windows

What are some alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server, IBM Informix?

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

RethinkDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

ArangoDB

A distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions.

InfluxDB

InfluxDB is a scalable datastore for metrics, events, and real-time analytics. It has a built-in HTTP API so you don't have to write any server side code to get up and running. InfluxDB is designed to be scalable, simple to install and manage, and fast to get data in and out.