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IBM Db2 Database vs Vertica comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
73
Ranking in other categories
Relational Databases Tools (6th)
Vertica
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Data Warehouse (5th), Cloud Data Warehouse (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

IBM Db2 Database and Vertica aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. IBM Db2 Database is designed for Relational Databases Tools and holds a mindshare of 7.0%, up 6.5% compared to last year.
Vertica, on the other hand, focuses on Data Warehouse, holds 8.5% mindshare, up 8.6% since last year.
Relational Databases Tools
Data Warehouse
 

Featured Reviews

SimonHiggins - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
T Venkatesh - PeerSpot reviewer
Processes query faster through multiple systems simultaneously, but it could support different data types
We use the solution for various tasks, including preparing data marts and generating offers. It helps extract data based on rules from the policy team and provides insights to enhance business operations. We also analyze transactions to target customers and improve business performance The…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution can scale."
"It's very secure."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The scalability and availability of this solution are the most valuable features."
"IBM Db2 was much cheaper as a package than using other products. This is because IBM supplied a package with its product. It's an application. So it was much more efficient and a stronger competitor in that regard."
"The most valuable features are with the industrial side."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the integration with other IBM products."
"Speed and resiliency are probably the best parts of this product."
"The feature of the product that is most important is the speed. I needed a columnar database, and its speed is what it's built to do, and so that's what really does differentiate Vertica from its competitors."
"We are able to integrate our Vertica data warehouse with Tableau to create numerous reports quickly and efficiently."
"Vertica is a great product because customers can compress and code data. The infrastructure that data warehouse solutions need is a commodity server so that customers don't have to invest in infrastructure."
"The solution was executed quite quickly due to its columnar storage underground, which is the most valuable feature of our company"
"Vertica gives knowledgeable users and DBAs excellent tools for tuning."
"It maximize cloud economics for mission-critical big data analytical initiatives."
"Initiate on one node, and the RPM propagates automatically to all other nodes. ​"
 

Cons

"It would be helpful to have more querying tools and more development tools for us to work easily with Microsoft."
"The initial set up was complex."
"The GUI interface is not particularly friendly for those who do not have experience with the product."
"We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment."
"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."
"The queries can be difficult for beginners because there are so many. I would like to see more use cases for flow analysis that enable us to correlate the flow with events. Adding this feature in a QI format would be good for beginners."
"They should develop its containerized version."
"The backup solution lacks flexibility."
"Pricing could be more competitive."
"The product could improve by adding support for a wider variety of data types and enhancing features to better compete with other databases."
"It's hard to make it slow for a small data volume. For large volumes, it's hard to make it work. It's also hard to make it faster, and to make it scale."
"There are a lot of limitations within this product and it makes things extremely hard for developers. It lacks Stored Procedure, packages, and triggers like other RDBMs."
"In my opinion, Vertica's documentation could be improved. Currently, there is not enough documentation available to gain a comprehensive understanding of the platform."
"Performance of management of metadata layer (database catalog) needs improvement. We still have to have smaller customers on PostgreSQL; Vertica cannot manage thousands of schemata."
"Whatever's out, the core is not always as great as the engine, especially their first version."
"In our company, we have faced difficulties in scaling the solution for certain use cases."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The total cost of the solution depends upon the PVU licensing"
"We normally handle large size businesses and as far as I am aware, the license is negotiable based on the number of users and the quantitative data."
"It is expensive."
"The solution costs less than other products."
"It is expensive when compared to other products."
"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."
"It is expensive. The price depends on the size of the machine on which you are installing the Db2 and the features you are using. It also depends on the country. IBM has different policies and different options for payment for this product."
"The solution's pricing is fine."
"The pricing for this solution is very reasonable compared to other vendors."
"The pricing could improve, it is a little expensive."
"It's free up to three nodes and 1TB, and then get in contact with their sales guys."
"The price is reasonable. We use a pay per license model. Firstly, you need to buy a license. After that, you mainly pay the annual support fee of around 20% or 25%. I think their prices are quite reasonable."
"Start with license per 1TB. Starting from hundreds of TB there is unlimited licensing to be considered. Move historical data to HDFS/S3 which are significantly cheaper or even free."
"From a cost perspective, the software is less than most of its competitors."
"Read the fine print carefully."
"It's difficult today to compete with open-source solutions. In these areas, there is a lot of competition and the price of this solution is a bit pricy."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
62%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
4%
 

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.
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.
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.
What do you like most about Vertica?
Vertica is easy to use and provides really high performance, stability, and scalability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Vertica?
The solution is relatively cost-effective. Pricing and licensing are reasonable compared to other solutions.
What needs improvement with Vertica?
The product could improve by adding support for a wider variety of data types and enhancing features to better compete with other databases.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

DB2
Micro Focus Vertica, HPE Vertica, HPE Vertica on Demand
 

Overview

 

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
Cerner, Game Show Network Game, Guess by Marciano, Supercell, Etsy, Nascar, Empirix, adMarketplace, and Cardlytics.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others in Relational Databases Tools. Updated: February 2025.
841,302 professionals have used our research since 2012.