IBM Db2 Database vs SAP IQ comparison

IBM and SAP are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2, while SAP is ranked #27 with an average rating of 7.0. IBM holds a 7.1% mindshare in SQL, compared to SAP’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of SAP users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 Database

Read 73 IBM Db2 Database reviews

6,202 Views
4,021 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

SAP IQ

Read 21 SAP IQ reviews

369 Views
261 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

SAP IQ

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

SAP IQ and IBM Db2 compete in the business intelligence and data warehousing domain. SAP IQ seems to have the upper hand in query performance and data compression, while IBM Db2 is superior in platform support and transaction management.

Features: SAP IQ's columnar database design enables high compression and quick query performance, optimizing storage and offering scalability. It excels in high-speed data loading. IBM Db2 is recognized for advanced SQL capabilities, broad platform support, and robust transaction management, along with autonomic features that optimize performance without manual intervention.

Room for Improvement: SAP IQ needs enhanced backup options, better integration with technologies like Hadoop, and improved support as experienced resources are limited. Its marketing efforts require strengthening. IBM Db2 could benefit from user interface updates, improved cloud readiness, and simplified licensing and performance monitoring tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP IQ is primarily an on-premises solution and lacks cloud integration flexibility, whereas IBM Db2 supports hybrid and private clouds, offering broader deployment options. SAP IQ's customer service needs improvement, in contrast to IBM Db2, which receives positive feedback for global support and efficient problem resolution.

Pricing and ROI: SAP IQ is cost-effective but has a complex pricing structure that requires careful evaluation. IBM Db2, though pricier than some competitors like Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server, offers comprehensive features that can deliver good value, especially when integrated with IBM hardware. Additionally, IBM’s pricing and support structures are perceived as complex, emphasizing the importance of negotiations.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP IQ Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP IQ

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Db2 Database

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP IQ

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

27th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Warehouse (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.1%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP IQ is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

SimonHiggins

Mainframe Technical Manager/Service Integration Lead at Saudi Business Machines

Very scalable with high availability and excellent technical support

The good thing is that there are improvements coming with later function levels for the z/OS Db2. I'd like it if, with the operating system that we've got, z/OS, on the mainframe, it would allow us to refresh the hardware to run Linux dockers on the mainframe. This means this might give us opportunities for different ways of coming into the Db2 environment in the future. We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment. Not only have we got the premium operating systems on OS. We can run LPARs on the same mainframe footprint that is also supporting Linux. This is what has improved and made the mainframe environment more competitive. We're also looking at AI for Db2 as well, and machine learning for the future. We know that AI has come out, that we're going to get that, and we're going to evaluate that product next year for Db2. That said, I haven't got any real complaints about Db2 on the mainframe. For the most part, a lot of the problems we have nowadays are to do with communication between the various teams that you would class as stakeholders.

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Tejas Raj

Manager at Capgemini

Columnar database, so pulling records is easy but there isn't enough documentation for installation

I've seen very few SAP IQ systems in recent years. So people are moving away from SAP IQ In the last three years, I've rarely encountered customers using it. Fewer systems with SAP IQ usage among our customers. Most of them have moved on to HANA. There are parallel products, and there are also viable alternatives from AWS, so many have migrated to those.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I have found the most valuable feature to be its availability."

"The most valuable features are with the industrial side."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."

"We are dealing with millions of transactions a month and the performance is very good."

"It has a good feature called pureScale, which is just for scalability. It is a perfect solution for environments where scalability is going to be an issue."

"It's very secure."

"I can easily export that to further work on it in Snowflake."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

"All data is compressed and indexed, allowing for fast execution of transactions."

"Columnar storage allows high compression, high load rates and high query performance."

"The primary benefit of SAP IQ is its ability to limit the expansion of the costly SAP HANA database, which has limited storage capacity. This necessitates a form of data management that involves moving data from SAP HANA to SAP NLS, which is essentially archiving. This allows us to retain access to the data via a link whenever it is required."

"IQ is a very high-performance and high-transaction database."

"The column-based technologies (basically all the database for ITP) are used for SAP IQ. It is used as a column-based solution."

"The product is easy to learn."

"Valuable features for us include the compression, speed, fast response time, and easy object maintenance."

"Unbeatable speed and compression with a colummn-structured relational database."

More SAP IQ pros

Cons

"It would be helpful to have a hybrid data storage facility that includes NoSQL technologies."

"In terms of improvements, IBM Db2 can improve its interface and its functionality. Also, the embedded functions should be much richer than the current ones - the functions which are embedded in the engine itself."

"The usage of Db2 could be simplified, as it is quite complex and requires substantial knowledge of Db2 and zOS."

"I would like to see better support for advanced analytics."

"IBM's products tend to be quite costly, especially given the availability of free, open-source alternatives."

"The capabilities of this solution could improve."

"They could enhance the product's cloud integration and general-purpose database capabilities."

"GUI needs improvement."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

"The primary negative aspect is the cost, which can be a challenge due to the economic conditions in Peru."

"The organization who owns the product does not support it well and appears not to be doing significant development for the future."

"Multiplex is very problematic. There are consistency problems in the metadata, meaning it is possible to lose metadata consistency. You should make sure you have healthy backups."

"The only negative aspect of IQ is the cost, which can be challenging for companies in Peru."

"Concurrency and functional error messaging."

"The room for improvement would be the marketing of the product, because this product is much better than advertised."

"I think the universe should be part of the Sybase IQ tool set."

"There is very little documentation available."

More SAP IQ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Among Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Db2, Microsoft SQL Server is the cheapest one, and Oracle is the most expensive one. Db2 is in the middle. As compared to SQL Server, its price could go down. It will be good for customers."

"The solution costs less than other products."

"Db2 is less expensive than Oracle."

"There is a license for this solution and we pay every three years."

"It is expensive when compared to other products."

"We don't see what the specific price of the DB2 license is because we pay for the backup license as a package."

"Clients are required to purchase a license."

"I rate the product pricing a nine out of ten."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

"Negotiation is very important."

"The only costs after standard licensing fees are for add-ons and upgrades."

"Evaluate all options; check to see if you need expensive add-ons."

"Negotiate based on the features required."

"The cost of implementation is about $3,000."

"It's not that costly. So, the pricing is cheap."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

55%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

46%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?

Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?

IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.

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What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?

The user interface is old and needs to be improved. It doesn't match the responsive and suggestion-rich UI of cloud solutions. New functions don't come to mind.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP IQ?

IQ implementation costs about three thousand dollars. It's less expensive compared to alternatives like Teradata Base in terms of transactional efficiency.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP IQ?

The primary negative aspect is the cost, which can be a challenge due to the economic conditions in Peru.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP IQ?

I worked on implementing new databases, migration data in production, and developer environments with SAP IQ.

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 32% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 18% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 16% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 13% of the time

Vertica vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 1% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Snowflake vs SAP IQ

Compared 29% of the time

SAP HANA vs SAP IQ

Compared 14% of the time

SQL Server vs SAP IQ

Compared 10% of the time

Apache Hadoop vs SAP IQ

Compared 8% of the time

SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise vs SAP IQ

Compared 5% of the time

More SAP IQ Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

May 2025

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP IQ

April 2025

Download SAP IQ product report

Also Known As

DB2

Sybase IQ

Overview

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.

IBM

SAP® IQ software delivers speed and power for extreme-scale enterprise data warehousing and analytics. Its column-oriented, grid-based massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture and patented data compression and indexing technologies enable companies to exploit the value of huge amounts of data at the speed of business.

SAP

Sample Customers

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto

ASR Group, Citrix, State of Indiana, PocketCard Co. Ltd.

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP IQ

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP IQ

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP IQ and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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