Relational Databases
Best Relational Databases
- Top Rated Relational Databases include: Sequel Pro, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database 12c, Oracle Database, Amazon RDS, SQL Developer, and DB2.
- Other Relational Databases on the TrustMap include: SAP SQL Anywhere, MySQL, and Microsoft Access.
- A complete list of Relational Databases is available here.
TrustMaps are two-dimensional charts that compare products based on satisfaction ratings and research frequency by prospective buyers. Products must have 10 or more ratings to appear on this TrustMap, and those above the median line are considered Top Rated.
Relational Database Software Overview
What is Relational Database Software?
A relational database is nothing more than a data repository that stores information in structured tables with rows and columns. Because data is stored in a structured way, it can be retrieved using a query language that understands the table structure.
Relational Database Features & Capabilities
ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliance ensuring database transactions are processed reliably
Referential integrity ensures that relationships between tables remain consistent
Fine-grained locking or synchronization mechanisms for managing simultaneous access of the same data by multiple users
Support for Unicode for multilingual capability
Ability to run database seamlessly on multiple platforms
Ability to recover data in the event of a failure
How it works
A table is referred to as a relation in the sense that each row contains data that is related to a single entity, while each column represents different keys or concepts.
When each row in a table is different, it is possible to use one or more columns to identify a particular row. There is always a “primary key” which serves as the unique identifier for each entity or record. For example, in the case of a table of company employees, the primary key might be employee number.
The SQL Query Language
Data is retrieved from the table using a specialized language called Structured Query Language or SQL. SQL allows users to query the data using SELECT statements and WHERE clauses. A group of SQL statements can be called as a mini-program or executable which is called a stored procedure.
SQL is a widely understood language with a deep bench of practitioners in the marketplace. For this reason, tools using SQL are being developed to query non-relational big data stores like Hadoop, which use less well known, and harder to use, interfaces to retrieve data.
Pricing Information
There are several robust free relational databases on the market like MySQL and PostgreSQL. Traditional highly-robust and fully-featured enterprise relational databases like Oracle start at about $45,000 for a single license for two processing cores. However, significant discounts are usually available.
Relational Databases Products
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is a database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools.
Oracle Database 12c
Oracle Database 12c is a relational database software solution offered by Oracle.
MySQL
MySQL is a popular open-source relational and embedded database, now owned by Oracle.
Oracle Database
Oracle Database, or Oracle RDBMS, is an object-relational database management system.
SQL Developer
SQL Developer is a relational database software solution offered by Oracle.
Amazon Relational Database Service
Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a database-as-a-service (DBaaS) from Amazon Web Services.
Sequel Pro
Sequel Pro is a relational database software solution offered by Sequel Pro.
SAP SQL Anywhere
SAP® SQL Anywhere® solutions aim to deliver enterprise-level data management and synchronization capabilities. The solutions are designed to run in remote and mobile environments on a wide range of small-footprint devices and in real-world conditions.
kdb+
kdb+ is a column-oriented relational database from kx headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Amazon Aurora
Amazon Aurora is a MySQL compatible relational database system from Amazon Web Services.
SAP HANA Express Edition
SAP HANA, Express Edition is a scaled down version of the HANA product that can run on laptops and other resource-constrained hosts, such as cloud-hosted virtual machines. The product is free to use for in-memory databases up to 32GB of RAM.
Presto
Presto is an open source SQL query engine supported by Teradata designed to run queries on data stored in Hadoop or in traditional databases. Teradata's development of Presto followed the acquisition of Hadapt and Revelytix.
Postgres Plus Advanced Server
Postgres Plus Advanced Server is an advanced deployment of the PostgreSQL relational database with greater features and Oracle compatibility, from EnterpriseDB headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.
MemSQL
MemSQL is a NoSQL database offering from the company of the same name in San Francisco.
MonetDB
MonetDB is an open source column-oriented relational database management system issued and supported by the Dutch MonetDB development team.
NuoDB
NuoDB is a relational database from the Cambridge, Massachusetts based company of the same name.
Zengine
Zengine is a cloud-based platform that empowers a non-technical person to quickly build custom business applications. It also allows developers to extend the application by adding integrations and complex functionality. Zengine can be used to track customers, job candidates, projects or more and ...