DB2 is currently the most powerful and fastest database system in the world. IBM claims that the amount of structured data stored in DB2 surpasses that of any other mechanism.
According to a 2005 survey by Winter Corporation, the largest OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing) databases are mostly found in DB2. The “award” for volume goes to the Land Registry (23.1 TB), while the record for the number of transactions belongs to UPS (89.6 billion), and both run on DB2.
DB2 also achieves a processing speed of 3.2 million transactions per minute (TPC-C benchmark). The closest competitor, Oracle, can only perform half of DB2’s capacity according to TPC standards.
However, in discussions about databases, Oracle and SQL Server are often mentioned, sometimes alongside Sybase or Informix, but DB2 rarely gets a mention.
DB2 has three main versions: DB2 for z/OS (Mainframe), DB2 for iSeries (AS400), and DB2 for LUW (Linux, UNIX, and Windows). About 90% of the source code across these versions is similar, with the remaining 10% dedicated to optimizing the platform. Technically, this is good news as the database system can operate on any platform the client is using. However, IBM seems to “forget” the need to widely promote these facts. Some believe they are too satisfied with having a powerful database and are waiting for people to discover it on their own. As a result, DB2 is often referred to as the “secret database.”
Back in 1997, Janet Perna, the Director of IBM’s Data Management division, stated that they were closely monitoring Microsoft and would not let IBM be outdone on pricing. Currently, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 has been released for free, and it is likely that in the future, a version of DB2 will also be launched at a “reasonable” price or completely free.
