IBM Informix vs Microsoft SQL Server

• Informix since its conception has a distinct multi-threading architecture no other engine has, it is unique of its kind. This is precisely how the engine is able to scale up like no other, with the lowest footprint, without killing the host and profiting each bit of the hardware. The threads are sub-proceses like any other one, but the difference is that they are are not controlled by the OS process dispatcher. This is why you will never be able to see these threads running at OS level. Informix is an OS itself, on top of the OS.
• Informix has the best replication techniques. Not many ppl know that MongoDB (the NoSQL engine) scales out because of its data sharding replication technology, and Informix is able to store Mongo BSON documents using the same data partitioning as MongoDB does. This way Informix extends the SQL or structured data with the unstructured data natively, together within the same data repository. This means that it is not only able to store JSON/BSON documents, but the engine is able to behave as it would be the MongoDB engine itself. Any application using MongoDB can be redirected to the Informix Mongo wire listener transparently. What´s more, it also improves the NoSQL (BASE) characteristic, making it ACID by allowing transactions to the CRUD operations. This last is something MongoDB is working on, promised to be delivered next year.
• As described previously, MongoDB's sharding concept relies on data partitioning, this is how it scales out, and as I also described previously Informix scales up given the described multithreading unique architecture! It implements the data sharding with one of its best replication technologies called Enterprise Replication. This is an Active-Active replication technology that allows replicating even between different platforms. This is actually how I managed to migrate the whole Informix platform from Solaris to Linux, with just a DNS change. There was almost ZERO downtime nor application change - this was really amazing!.

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• Easy to setup with the included Wizard that helps to get you up and running with the essential components covered. You won't waste a lot of time reading through documentation to just get started.
• There is a large community of support for Microsoft SQL Server that can help to troubleshoot issues and explain how to tackle a problem.
• The other components and modules to the system make is easy to setup backups and connections to other services.

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• The name of Informix is almost invisible on the market, which is very frustrating. This give the feeling that IBM is not interested in Informix without providing any reasons for why IBM makes no effort to sell Informix.
• The pricing policy is very complex

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• There isn't as much that I dislike with SQL Server. It will be good to have features where we have fine grain control over internal things. For example, it would have been a good feature to have historical tracking of the metrics as opposed to setting up custom metrics. Overall SQL Server made my life easy to manage a lot of databases and ease of use while migration projects.
• The database is the target of many attacks from it's SA account, this must come disabled by default and just after the instalation, some of 30 seconds, the attacks start, with many requests per second, it needs to improve the firewall to prevent these attacks, or put the SQL Server inside of a VPN and local network to avoid these attacks.
• It requires knowledge and in-depth technical skills to make complex processes truly performing, especially if we are in very complex infrastructures

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• As I have explained earlier, Informix has had along the past 15 years, the lowest number of vulnerability defects reported in NVD. Informix allows you to disregard the vulnerability defects, and spend your time building and growing your business instead of wasting it in patching and fixing every quarter! This to me is the best example I can empirically prove that Informix is definitely one of the best return of investment and so that any CDO or CIO should pay attention at the time to consider what platform to chose, to build on top!
• The other return of investment any CDO or CIO should pay attention to, is the number of DBAs a DB platform should be required to support it! Informix with the SELF-everything, is getting chosen by companies as the best suited engine given its low footprint and little maintenance to get it embedded in their hardware.
• Given its uptime and minimum planned outages Informix allows you to have, it is yet another reason Informix is not means an investment and not a money waste!

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• We can very quickly and easily start up a new database.
• Active Directory integration has been a huge time saver for us.
• It changed the way we did our data backup strategy by giving us a backup 4-5 times a day instead of once at night.

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