One Size Doesn't Fit All Manchester NH

Posted by : Nelson King

It's generally understood that databases--and consequently, database management systems--are vital to business computing. The choice of database management product (or products) is very important no matter what the company size. However, the owner of a small-to-medium-sized business, looking at the major players in the database industry, must feel a little like a farmer with a truckload of grain looking up at grain silos 200 feet tall. Sure, they can hold what he's got, but is that what he needs?

For smaller businesses, evaluating database products isn't easy. For one thing, the industry has a strong tendency to measure database management products by their high-end features, like parallel processing or clustered server management. Such features are most likely to appeal to very large enterprises and to mean much less to smaller companies. Another problem is the tendency of database management sales representatives to answer every question with, "Sure, it can do that!" Maybe it can, but it's a little like saying that a hammer is a sufficient tool to build a house.

Many sizes fit all

The major database products try to be all things for all purposes. Of the four we'll look at here--Oracle 9i, IBM DB2 Universal Database, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and AB MySQL--the first three definitely try to do almost everything. One thing they have is editions (e.g., Enterprise, Workgroup, Developer, Personal) more or less tailored for a specific ...

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