IBM Db2 Database Reviews

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.

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. 

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.

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.

IBM products are very nice and perform very well.

IBM Db2 Database is a stable product.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

On-premises

I'm using this solution for a financial network. I make and prepare the databases for analysis.

I'm using version 11.5. There are 1,200 people using this solution in my organization. It's deployed on-premise.

It's very secure.

The command line part of this solution could be much better. Redshift is a lot better. It's easier to work with them. IBM Db2 is a little bit outdated.

I've been using this solution for two years.

It's scalable.

Technical support isn't very helpful when I've had problems.

It's not easy to set up. It takes a long time, especially compared to other solutions.

It's very expensive.

I would rate this solution 6 out of 10.

On-premises

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.

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

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

I have been using the solution for six months.

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

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

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

Neutral

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.

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.

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

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.

In terms of improvements, IBM Db2 can improve its interface and its functionality. Also, the embedded functions should be much richer than the current ones - the functions which are embedded in the engine itself.

For example, I can find more DEPTH functions in Oracle than in Db2. Also, SQL Server still has richer functions than Db2.

I'm working with Db2 for two years now, since we migrated to the Cloud and converted from the SQL Server.

I work with Db2, SQL Server, and Oracle.

I'm a specialist in the product, doing support. I received special training for it.

In terms of stability, I have some issues, but I cannot figure out if this is due to the database or the platform in the engine itself.

Additionally, sometimes I find the response is not good, meaning a reasonable response time. For a while the team was working fine in another engine. What I look for is the design and whether the syntax is different. I don't know. I'm really not certain about the holes.

Since it's on the Cloud, it's pretty much scalable with no limits.

We did get a specialist to help with the setup and deployment to the Cloud.

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.

Performance-wise, Oracle is the best solution. It is much more reliable. Regarding the end user administration and the functions available, SQL Server is much easier.

They have much more user-friendly interfaces. Regarding Db2, I'm a little bit in doubt. I don't see that it is significantly different when I went from SQL Server to Db2. I have not seen any significant improvements or changes.

The advice I would give is to have a good administrator. Have an administrator that is skilled in that field so he can tune the database's performance and understand the know-how of how to administrate that platform.

Overall, I would give IBM Db2 a 7 out of 10. 

For it to be higher, it needs a better interface. It is very important to have. I am very keen to have such an interface.

Public Cloud

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.

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

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.

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

We did not have the need to scale the solution.

We are using the solution on a daily basis.

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.

Positive

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.

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

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.

On-premises

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.  

The setup process has become much easier recently. 

It is quite stable.

The solution can scale well. 

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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

Neutral

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

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. 

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

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. 

Public Cloud

We use the on-prem deployment model of this solution. 

The scalability and availability of this solution are the most valuable features. It is a very stable product. 

I don't have a general opinion about how they can improve this product. The performance could be improved. 

I have 35 years of experience, almost 45 years of experience in ICT. From the start, I have used relational databases Db2 and Oracle, and so I am a good user of Db2 and relational database.

We have 2,000 ICT people and most of them are working on the operational part of the site. Minimum, there are 100 or 80 people working on the system database.

IBM offers very good support. They have maximum knowledge. 

We previously used Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL which is an open-source database. 

We did an installation 20 or 50 years ago. It's an old installation. The database engineer has a good level of competency in Db2 installation, it's very easy. They normally upgrade Db2 without any problem.

I would definitely recommend this solution to somebody considering it. I would advise that if you are looking to install it, you should have internal competence and internal skill, don't only use external support that is provided by IBM. You should have internal knowledge and competency for Db2 management.

The performance is very critical. The software developer needs to have good knowledge of the programming technique in order to avoid the problem on the performance side. 

The performance of Db2 depends on the system, on how you installed it. From the application part, it depends on how you developed code, how you wrote the code because if you write bad code you will have a serious performance problem. 

Db2 is a very old product, but also a very stable product. It's really difficult to imagine something different from the actual configuration from the actual functionalities of its operation.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

The only reason we are using IBM Db2 Database is that our client has an IBM setup for a data warehouse.

IBM Db2 Database could improve the user-defined functions. There are some user-defined functions that are missing, such as the spring functions. I used to have  Teradata for my projects and I was used to working in the environment. They had a good set of user-defined functions.

In a future release of the IBM Db2 Database, it could be helpful to have SQL assistance. Teradata had this feature and it was very useful to connect to warehouses.

I have been using IBM Db2 Database for approximately one year.

The stability of IBM Db2 Database is stable. We have not faced any downtime in one year. Our work is mostly during business hours and during that time, we haven't faced any downtime. However, we did see some performance issues when we are running multiple queries. The client's setup could be causing these performance issues. We are pushing that client to have the environment ready for multiple users so that they can query the database easily and faster data travel.

I have not used the support from IBM Db2 Database.

I have previously used Teradata and I started my career on it as a developer. I was doing migrations from Db2 or different databases to Teradata. The database of Teradata is very useful and is performance-based when it comes to data warehouse solutions.

We have three to four people in our DBA team for the maintenance of this solution.

I rate IBM Db2 Database a six out of ten.

On-premises