Price comparison
One of the main Microsoft SQL Server 2000 advantage in comparison with
DB2 Universal Database v8.1 is that SQL Server is cheaper. Another SQL Server
advantage is that Microsoft includes the Online analytical processing
(OLAP) and Data Mining as standard features in SQL Server 2000
Enterprise Edition. So, you can save up to four times with SQL Server
2000 Enterprise Edition if you use OLAP and Data Mining.
The price comparisons below were based on the
IBM DB2 Version 8.1 and SQL Server 2000 Price Comparison
article from Microsoft.
Compare pricing for SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition and IBM DB2 v8.1
Workgroup Edition:
|
Number of CPUs
|
IBM DB2 v8.1 Workgroup Edition
|
SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition
|
|
1
|
$7,500
|
$4,999
|
|
2
|
$15,000
|
$9,998
|
|
4
|
$30,000
|
$19,996
|
|
8
|
$60,000
|
$39,992
|
|
16
|
$120,000
|
$79,984
|
|
32
|
$240,000
|
$159,968
|
Compare pricing for SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (which include
OLAP and Data Mining) and IBM DB2 v8.1 Enterprise Edition with OLAP
and Data Mining:
|
Number of CPUs
|
IBM DB2 v8.1 Enterprise Edition
|
IBM DB2 v8.1 Enterprise Edition With OLAP and Data Mining
|
SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition
|
|
1
|
$25,000
|
$113,000
|
$19,999
|
|
2
|
$50,000
|
$126,000
|
$39,998
|
|
4
|
$100,000
|
$252,000
|
$79,996
|
|
8
|
$200,000
|
$504,000
|
$159,992
|
|
16
|
$400,000
|
$1,008,000
|
$319,984
|
|
32
|
$800,000
|
$2,016,000
|
$639,968
|
Note. This is not a full price comparison between SQL Server 2000 and
DB2 Universal Database v8.1. It is only a brief comparison. Discounts
may apply and the prices can be increased or decreased in the
future. See Microsoft and IBM to get more information about the price
of their products.
Features comparison
Both SQL Server 2000 and IBM DB2 Universal Database v8.1 support the
ANSI SQL-92 entry level and do not support the ANSI SQL-92 intermediate
level. In the Features comparison section of this article I want
to make the brief comparison of the Transact-SQL with DB2 SQL dialect
and show some SQL Server 2000 and DB2 Universal Database v8.1 limits.
T-SQL vs DB2 SQL dialect
The dialect of SQL supported by Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is called
Transact-SQL (T-SQL). The dialect of SQL supported by IBM DB2 v8.1
is called DB2 SQL dialect. DB2 SQL dialect is a more powerful language
than T-SQL. This is the brief comparison of DB2 SQL dialect and T-SQL:
|
Feature
|
DB2 SQL dialect
|
T-SQL
|
|
Tables
|
Relational tables,
Object tables,
Temporary tables
|
Relational tables,
Temporary tables
|
|
Triggers
|
BEFORE triggers,
AFTER triggers,
INSTEAD OF triggers
|
AFTER triggers,
INSTEAD OF triggers
|
|
Procedures
|
DB2 SQL dialect statements,
Java methods,
third-generation language
(3GL) routines
|
T-SQL statements
|
|
User-defined functions
|
External Scalar functions,
External table functions,
OLE DB External table functions,
Sourced or Template functions,
SQL Scalar, Table or Row functions
|
Scalar functions,
Inline table-valued functions,
Multistatement table-valued functions
|
|
Arrays
|
Supported
|
Not Supported
|
SQL Server 2000 and DB2 v8.1 limits
Here you can find some SQL Server 2000 and DB2 version 8.1 limits:
|
Feature
|
SQL Server 2000
|
IBM DB2 v8.1
|
|
column name length
|
128
|
128
|
|
index name length
|
128
|
128
|
|
table name length
|
128
|
128
|
|
view name length
|
128
|
128
|
|
cursor name length
|
128
|
18
|
|
constraint name length
|
128
|
18
|
|
password length
|
128
|
32
|
|
SQL variable length
|
128
|
64
|
|
user name length
|
128
|
30
|
|
index length
|
900
|
1024
|
|
max char() size
|
8000
|
254
|
|
max varchar() size
|
8000
|
32672
|
|
max columns per table
|
1024
|
1012
|
|
max table row length
|
8036
|
32677
|
|
max columns per index
|
16
|
16
|
|
max indexes per table
|
250
|
32767
|
|
longest SQL statement
|
16777216
|
65535
|
|
columns per SELECT statement
|
4096
|
1012
|
|
columns per INSERT statement
|
1024
|
1012
|
|
nested stored procedure levels
|
32
|
16
|
Conclusion
It is not true that SQL Server 2000 is better than DB2 Universal Database v8.1
or vice versa. Both products can be used to build stable and efficient systems
and the stability and effectiveness of your applications and databases depend
rather from the experience of the database developers and database administrator
than from the database's provider. But SQL Server 2000 has some advantages
in comparison with DB2 Universal Database v8.1 and vice versa.
The SQL Server 2000 advantages:
- SQL Server 2000 is cheaper to buy than DB2 v8.1 Database.
- SQL Server 2000 holds the top TPC-C performance and price/performance results.
- SQL Server 2000 is generally accepted as easier to install, use and manage.
The DB2 Universal Database v8.1 advantages:
- DB2 Universal Database v8.1 supports all known platforms, not only the
Windows-based platforms.
- DB2 SQL dialect is a more powerful language than T-SQL.
- More fine-tuning can be done to the configuration via start-up parameters.
Literature
- SQL Server 2000 Books Online
- DB2 Technical Support
- IBM DB2 Version 8.1 and SQL Server 2000 Price Comparison
- DB2 Universal Database v8.1 system requirements
- Top Ten TPC-C by Performance Version 5 Results
- Top Ten TPC-C by Price/Performance Version 5 Results
»
See All Articles by Columnist Alexander Chigrik
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