Informix is an embedded relational database offering from IBM.
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Oracle TimesTen
Score 7.8 out of 10
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Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database (TimesTen) delivers real time application performance by changing the assumptions around where data resides at runtime. By managing data in memory, and optimizing data structures and access algorithms, database operations execute achieve gains in responsiveness and throughput. With TimesTen Scaleout, a shared nothing scale-out architecture based on the existing in-memory technology, TimesTen allows databases to scale across hosts, reach hundreds of terabytes in…
Informix is very well suited for either OLTP and OLAP transaction processing. This means that it has the best technology, concentrating both business requirements: transactional and analytical processing at the same time, as well as being able to store and process structured and unstructured data at the same time as well, and able to scale up and out if needed or required. This is why Informix is able to adapt to almost any sort of environment and satisfy almost any sort of requirement, even if the requirement is to be embedded in hardware! This last is possible because it it requires zero support and maintenance, as it can be self tuned and self healed. One of the main scenarios which is nowadays getting promoted for is the IoT one. Starting from mid 90's Informix incorporated the extensibility concept through the datablades it had brought from Illustra. This is why it is pioneer in the TimeSeries and GeoSpatial (tracking moving objects) technology, with the fastest and best storing TimeSeries techniques and GeoSpatial functionalities. The Wire Listener is one of the best features Informix has introduced to its suit of functionalities, can work in three different scenarios API types: MQTT, REST and MONGO, supporting IoT, MongoDB (an application using MongoDB can be redirected as it is to Informix-Mongo without changes) and able to understand HTTP functions (POST, GET, PUT, etc).
TimesTen is well suited for applications using smaller data or smaller data stores and where transaction response times are not as business critical. TimesTen is good for applications already accessing Oracle and need to cache data for quick read/write operations. TimesTen is not appropriate for large data dependent applications or applications requiring fast response times. In these cases, using Oracle database or Exadata is better
Informix since its conception has a distinct multi-threading architecture no other engine has, it is unique of its kind. This is precisely how the engine is able to scale up like no other, with the lowest footprint, without killing the host and profiting each bit of the hardware. The threads are sub-proceses like any other one, but the difference is that they are are not controlled by the OS process dispatcher. This is why you will never be able to see these threads running at OS level. Informix is an OS itself, on top of the OS.
Informix has the best replication techniques. Not many ppl know that MongoDB (the NoSQL engine) scales out because of its data sharding replication technology, and Informix is able to store Mongo BSON documents using the same data partitioning as MongoDB does. This way Informix extends the SQL or structured data with the unstructured data natively, together within the same data repository. This means that it is not only able to store JSON/BSON documents, but the engine is able to behave as it would be the MongoDB engine itself. Any application using MongoDB can be redirected to the Informix Mongo wire listener transparently. What´s more, it also improves the NoSQL (BASE) characteristic, making it ACID by allowing transactions to the CRUD operations. This last is something MongoDB is working on, promised to be delivered next year.
As described previously, MongoDB's sharding concept relies on data partitioning, this is how it scales out, and as I also described previously Informix scales up given the described multithreading unique architecture! It implements the data sharding with one of its best replication technologies called Enterprise Replication. This is an Active-Active replication technology that allows replicating even between different platforms. This is actually how I managed to migrate the whole Informix platform from Solaris to Linux, with just a DNS change. There was almost ZERO downtime nor application change - this was really amazing!.
IBM Informix unlike the tools above creates effective solutions for big data extraction and data transportation functionalities across the entire Cloud services and the Automation ability is the best. The security that IBM Informix provides for all our business data and other project information and contacts is effective and the reports are very clean and easy to understand.
Sybase does not have an in-memory database until version 15 so TimesTen was ideal for caching data. TimesTen has reliable replication and backing up mechanisms. Oracle takes longer to set up and use for most applications where as TimesTen is a smaller DBMS that is quick and easy to set up and use. TimesTen can connect to Oracle for caching data so using Oracle as a backend makes sense
Although I do not own nor have visibility on my company's figures:
Informix generates consistent savings on DBA staffing, no need for many DBAs as other DBMS require.
The replication architecture allowed consistent savings in the infrastructure as well as developments and maintenance, the job is already done, no need to develop complex and costly solutions, it's just a matter of configuring it.
The advantages of hybrid development (i.e mixing SQL and NoSQL in the same database) is not just a marketing hype: it allowed us to solve with a brilliant solution, in one afternoon of coding, a functional problem we have been having for more than 10 years!
The biggest drawback is that IBM pricing may be constraining, it has too important gaps between the mid range and highrange in terms of pricing
TimesTen has had a positive impact from a developer's perspective because implementing TimesTen is quick and easy. The benefits of TimesTen can be seen almost instantly. For instance, the application start up time is faster, the data is easy to maintain and the performance is fast for TimesTen clients.
TimesTen has had a positive impact for the business because it can be made accessible to users via a GUI. This gives users transparency to the data at any time.
The negative impact is that once the TimesTen database has grown too large, the application should move to using Oracle database or else it suffers from performance degradation and stability issues.
