Database Alternatives Grab Attention of Users, Top Vendors

摘要

Oracle Corp., IBM and Microsoft Corp. may have controlled almost 90% of the relational database market last year, but alternative products from vendors promising software that's less costly and easier to manage are now appearing on IT radar screens. Many of the upstart vendors are aiming for niches where conventional large database servers would be too slow or pricey. For example, technologies such as handheld devices, point-of-sale systems, and networking and security gear increasingly need to gather, store and process data in real time — a task that even the fastest Oracle or IBM DB2 database isn't suited for.