Offers data federation to disparate data stores while giving high performance
Updated July 07, 2021
Offers data federation to disparate data stores while giving high performance
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with IBM Db2 Big SQL
We were evaluating database platforms to replace a seven database instance of Sybase which was being used by our application. Our goal was to collapse the data and consolidate it into a single instance. IBM DB2 Big SQL was one of the platforms we did an extensive evaluation of. We were excited about this platform because it gave us the ability to have a single database connection to connect to multiple disparate data stores. Our goal was to simplify our environment, our application and improve our performance. This was just being evaluated by our department and was not in use elsewhere at the time we did the evaluation.
- SQL compatibility.
- High performance.
- Cloud readiness.
- Ease of implementation.
- Performance gains were positive.
- Finding resources on the street with knowledge at the time was hard.
MS SQL Server was ruled out given we didn't feel we could collapse environments. We thought of MS-SQL as more of a one for one replacement for Sybase ASE, i.e., server for server. SAP HANA was evaluated and given a big thumbs up but was rejected because the SQL would have to be rewritten at the time (now they have an accelerator so you don't have to). Also, there was a very low adoption rate within the enterprise. IBM DB2 Big SQL was not selected even though technically it achieved high scores, because we could not find readily available talent and low adoption rate within the enterprise (basically no adoption at the time). We ended up selecting Exadata because of the high adoption rate within the enterprise even though technically HANA and Big SQL were superior in our evaluations.
Do you think IBM Db2 Big SQL delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with IBM Db2 Big SQL's feature set?
Yes
Did IBM Db2 Big SQL live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of IBM Db2 Big SQL go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy IBM Db2 Big SQL again?
Yes
Evaluating Db2 Big SQL and Competitors
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Vendor Reputation
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
We selected this product for our evaluation and proof of concept based on our existing relationship with the vendor and their positive reputation. We have experience using other products in our environment and have good things to report out those products. So it was natural for us to want to leverage another product from their offerings.
The only change I would make would be to have hired someone from their professional services to help us get to our answer and solution sooner. Otherwise, I don't think I would change anything about the way we approached this. We had 4 products that we evaluated and created a scorecard and test suite for the evaluation. IBM Big SQL DB2 scored high.
Db2 Big SQL Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
Yes
We have extended support with our vendor. Given the size of our book of business, it just makes sense to have the highest level of support available so in the unlikely event of an outage, we can restore service as soon as possible for our customers and business partners. Saving a few dollars on support but then losing it in lost business just doesn't seem prudent.
We had an issue connecting to one of our data sources. We called support and within 5 minutes had resolved the issue that had stumped us for several hours.