Linker Systems, Inc.

The most popular database used in small businesses is Microsoft Access. Forms, queries, and reports are very easy to create with this tool. Access comes as part of Microsoft Office Professional-Developer editions and is also available separately. For simple, single-user, single-computer databases, Access is a good choice. If future expandability, performance, or multi-user capabilities are part of your current or future requirements, look elsewhere. (The Macintosh equivalents to Access are Hypercard and FileMaker1).

The next database we will consider is Microsoft SQL Server. If you are looking for a multi-user database with good performance and moderate scalability, then SQL Server is an acceptable choice. However, in high-performance situations where over several million records are being processed, SQL Server has been observed to occasionally drop a record or two.

The next class of database systems consists of IBM’s DB2 and Oracle. Both of these databases are multi-user, scalable, fast, and very robust. The downside is that both of these databases may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses. Many comparisons of these two databases are found on the Internet.

Perhaps the most overlooked databases are those in the Open Source category. The great advantage to both MySQL and PostgreSQL is that they are either free or very low cost, yet still provide most of the features of the high-end database systems.

MySQL is available for free for non-commercial use. For commercial use, MySQL costs only $200 per server. MySQL is commonly used as a database back-end for web sites. It offers excellent performance for simple database schemas. However, it should be noted that it does not offer row-level locking or fully functional foreign key support2. This means that it will slow down under heavy use on databases where there are complex relationships between tables. Support is available from the Internet community and commercially via My SQL AB. MySQL is a great choice for many applications.

Last, but not least, is the PostgreSQL database. PostgreSQL is free, feature rich, rock solid, offers good performance, and is an excellent choice for organizations with complex database needs. Like SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle, this database supports foreign keys and row-level locking. It also offers transaction support. As all Open Source packages, support is free via user groups on the Internet. However, unique to PostgreSQL, commercial support is provided by multiple vendors. PosgreSQL is considered by many to be the low-cost database of choice for complex database applications.

So, which database should you choose? It depends on your project’s specific requirements and budget. It should always be kept in mind that no database system is a “perfect fit” for all projects. The table below should help you in your choice:

Footnotes
1 FileMaker is also available on the Linux and Windows platforms. However, it is used most often on Mac OS.
2 MySQL recently added support for foreign keys and row-level locking in InnoDB format tables.
3 Oracle 10g, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and are now available on Macintosh OS X (10.3)
4 MySQL and PostgreSQL both offer web-based, graphical administration utilities, requiring custom configuration and setup.

David B. Harrison is a partner with Linker Systems, Inc., and has over fifteen years of professional programming experience for graphics, scientific and business applications on multiple platforms.

Linker Systems is a full-service computer software engineering, design and development firm with a reputation for pulling off some of the most difficult an innovative projects for business, scientific graphics and special effects applications.