Database Management Systems (DBMS)

Author: Pau López Núñez

1. DBMS Market Share in 2024

• MySQL: Continues to be a market leader with a 23.94% share MySQL Datanyze.
• Microsoft SQL Server: Holds second place with a 13.44% share and is popular in enterprise environments that use Microsoft infrastructure Microsoft SQL Server Datanyze.
• PostgreSQL: Has gained popularity recently with an 8.25% share, known for its robustness and standards compliance PostgreSQL Datanyze.
• Oracle Database: Although historically dominant, it has been surpassed in popularity by others like PostgreSQL and MySQL, remaining strong in the enterprise segment Oracle Database Datanyze.
• SQLite: While it has a smaller share, it is commonly used in mobile and lightweight applications SQLite Datanyze.

2. License (Paid or Free)

• MySQL: Offers both a free open-source version and a paid commercial version through Oracle MySQL Products.
• SQL Server: Microsoft offers free options (SQL Server Express) as well as paid versions SQL Server Downloads.
• PostgreSQL: Completely free and open source PostgreSQL About.
• Oracle: A commercial system, though limited free versions are available for developers Free Oracle Databases.
• SQLite: Entirely free and open source SQLite About.

3. Compatible Platforms

• MySQL: Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux MySQL Installation.
• SQL Server: Primarily for Windows, with support for Linux in recent versions SQL Server Overview.
• PostgreSQL: Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-based systems PostgreSQL Installation.
• Oracle: Runs on multiple platforms, primarily Linux, Unix, and Windows Oracle Database Free.
• SQLite: Operates on nearly any platform, including mobile and embedded systems SQLite Platforms.

4. Stored Procedures / Programming

All these systems (MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and SQLite) support stored procedures and allow programming through SQL and other languages, depending on the implementation.

• MySQL Stored Programs
• SQL Server Database Engine
• PostgreSQL Overview
• Oracle Database
• SQLite

5. Transaction Support

• MySQL: Supports transactions, but requires the InnoDB storage engine for full support MySQL Transactions.
• SQL Server: Supports transactions SQL Server Transactions.
• PostgreSQL: Provides robust transaction support PostgreSQL Transactions.
• Oracle: Advanced transaction support Oracle Transactions.
• SQLite: Supports transactions, though with limitations compared to more robust systems SQLite Transactions.

6. DBMS Comparative Table

7. Personal Choice of DBMS

PostgreSQL

• Cost: Completely free and open source, offering economic flexibility without costs tied to usage.
• Flexibility: Highly adaptable for a range of environments, from small applications to large enterprise systems.
• Intuitive Interface: PostgreSQL offers a variety of intuitive graphical management tools, such as pgAdmin, one of the most popular interfaces for managing PostgreSQL databases.
• Fewer Restrictions: Compared to commercial systems, PostgreSQL imposes fewer constraints, allowing for scalability without additional costs, unlike solutions like Oracle or SQL Server, which have more restrictive licensing.

Note: As this is a personal opinion, it is subjective and based on a critical comparison of various DBMS options.

8. References

• MySQL: https://www.mysql.com/
• Microsoft SQL Server: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/
• PostgreSQL: https://www.postgresql.org/
• Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/
• SQLite: https://www.sqlite.org/
• LearnSQL: https://learnsql.com/
• Datanyze: https://www.datanyze.com/
• Red9: https://red9.com/