The Best Database Management Software List
Here are the top 10 database management software I’d like to highlight out of the 21 I cover in this article:
- 1. ManageEngine Applications Manager — Best for health and performance issue tracking for commercial and open source databases
It would not be possible for a modern high-performance company to exist without data. As large amounts of data accumulate and become big data, QA teams and programmers begin to face a challenge: processing the data and extracting insights from it.
This article presents some of the 2023 best database management software for database administrators within QA teams.
In a software market full of database management tools for different operating systems, it can be challenging to separate the good from the bad. To help you determine whether a specific database management software solution will be suitable for your database environments, I spent some time looking for the best database management solutions available today.
Database Management Software Comparison Criteria
What do I consider when I select the best database management software? Here's a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): Will the end-users find it clean and attractive?
- Usability: Is it easy to learn and master? Does the company offer good tech support, user support, tutorials, and training? Does the software lead to process optimization? Does it work with most data types?
- Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations?
- Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use case? Is pricing clear, transparent, and flexible?
Database Management Software Key Features
Here are some of the key features I take into account when looking for the best database management software:
Whether you decide to go with an open-source or a paid version, there are certain features that the software you choose should have.
Even though I present the features in a numbered list, the reality is that only you can know the metrics and functionality that works for your team based on your needs. For instance, a specific team may need real-time reports more than it does security.
Even though teams need different features from the database management software, several features come together to create an excellent database management solution.
- Removing repetition and redundancy: In any data storage system, you’ll inevitably have duplication. Duplicate data within the data warehouse can make your system bulky and waste your database server's resources. Thus, your software should reduce any duplication of data.
- Security: Excellent database management software is designed to safeguard the integrity of both your in-memory database and your distributed database. It should ensure that only those with access to the data can see it. A secure database gives the database administrator adequate power to manage data security fully.
- Automation: A helpful feature is the ability to make things move faster by automating repetitive processes so that human resources are not spent on tasks that a machine could accomplish.
- Collaboration: Sophisticated database applications are designed in a way that facilitates collaboration. Therefore, you want to ensure that the database management system (DBMS) you select encourages communication within the application so that everyone is on the same page.
- Replication: Today's popular database technologies are based on a data model that seeks to ensure that when data from one source is lost, it can still be accessed from another. This is called data replication.
Overview Of The 21 Best Database Management Software
Here’s a brief description of each of the best database management software on my list, showing what it does best, plus screenshots to showcase some of the features.
ManageEngine Applications Manager
Best for health and performance issue tracking for commercial and open source databases
ManageEngine Applications Manager, used by over 6000 businesses worldwide, is a comprehensive server and application performance monitoring software that gives deep performance insight into business-critical applications—both within the data center and on the cloud. It helps you to isolate and resolve performance issues across your entire application stack quickly—from the URL to the line of code—with minimal overhead.
Applications Manager offers out-of-the-box health and performance monitoring for 20 popular databases including RDBMS, NoSQL, in-memory, distributed, and big data stores. It supports both commercial databases such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL, IBM DB2, and MongoDB as well as open source ones like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
With its unified console offering robust monitoring, intelligent alerting and analytics capabilities, and support for over 150 technologies, Applications Manager is an ideal and affordable application performance monitoring tool for small, medium as well as large enterprise organizations. It’s easy to install and can be set up in a few minutes. The support responds to customer complaints/need for assistance and offers aid almost immediately.
ManageEngine Applications Manager costs from $395/year for monitoring up to 10 database servers. They also offer a full-fledged free trial for 30 days.
DbVisualizer
Best SQL database for analysts and developers
In marketing its product, DbVisualizer specifically targets developers and analysts: “DbVisualizer is the ultimate database tool for developers, analysts, and DBAs.” The software also promises some of the most essential features of data management software, such as high security and workflow customization.
DbVisualizer plans start with the Free Version with a reduced function set and self-service support. The Pro Version Basic comes with up to 60 days per year of support and will set you back $197 per user in the initial year and $69 per user in subsequent renewals. The Pro Version Premium costs $229 per person in the first year and $99 for subsequent renewals and comes with unlimited support.
Percona Monitoring and Management
Best for teams that want open-source software and security
It’s easy for any software developer to call its software the “best-of-breed open-source database monitoring solution.” However, the developers of Percona Monitoring and Management don’t end there; they add that their software “helps you reduce complexity, optimize performance, and improve the security of your business-critical database environments, no matter where they are located or deployed.”
Percona says that it “provides and supports 100% free and open-source enterprise-ready platforms.” However, you can purchase support and service for MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL. Support plans range between $400 and $1500.
TIBCO Spotfire
Best for ensuring accuracy and consistency of data
TIBCO is a self service data visualization platform that provides you with a comprehensive analytics solution for your team. The platform equips your firm with AI and machine learning skills to quickly transform your data into useful insights. TIBCO has the ability to keep track of how your business is doing as well as detect any growing risks. The cost of TIBCO starts at $400/month for the Basic plan. The platform also offers a 30-day free trial.
Oracle
Best for teams looking for a cost-effective DBMS
For teams looking for a software tool that will employ machine learning to automate the system, Oracle would be the way to go. The product promises to “provision, scale, and tune, protect and patch, and repair the database—all automatically without user intervention.” It is also designed to enhance data security.
You can test-drive Oracle for free on a 30-day trial. Pricing for paid plans is available upon request.
Valentina
Best for teams that rely on graphical reports
If your team relies on graphical reports such as bar, line, and pie charts, Valentina may be the best database management software for you. Valentina’s Reports Server stores data and helps teams create reports whose content can be in text, PDF, or image format.
Valentina’s pricing model is based on a single-deployment commercial license that starts at $79.99 each. Academics, non-profits, and those who want to evaluate the software can use it for free.
Redis
Best for teams working across on-premise, hybrid, or cloud databases
According to the developers of Redis, the software delivers “Sub-millisecond data processing under any load.” Added to this, the DBMS allows users to “program any operation across data models, with … a single unified interface.”
You can start using Redis for free with the 30 MB plan. The service explains its pricing model: “Our annual subscriptions are priced according to the number of database shards required to support your dataset. A ‘database shard’ or ‘database instance’ means any Redis process provisioned by you with Redis Enterprise, including a master database process, a replica database process, or a process supporting a part of a database or clustered database.”
Database Labs
Best for teams looking for Postgres experts
For development teams, Database Labs’ advice is simple, “Focus on your app. Leave the database to us.” For those who are taking the advice, the results seem to be clear. One user says, “Database Labs has taken the burden off my developers – my ongoing battle with Postgres is finally over!” Another says, “For anyone looking for Postgres experts, I really recommend Database Labs.”
Database Labs plans start at $19 per month.
Apache Cassandra
Best for scalability in an open-source environment
Apache Cassandra is a masterless design database management solution that aims to help you control large amounts of data across an array of servers. The application provides continuous data availability and allows you to add more nodes to linearly increase your transactions. Additional features of Apache Cassandra include data compression and tunable consistency. Apache Cassandra is fully open source and free to use.
Raima Database Manager
Best for teams working on busy IoT edge devices
The main drawcard for Raima Database Manager (RDM) is that it’s optimized to run on busy IoT devices that rely on real-time response. RDM is designed to run on any software or hardware combination. It promises to meet the market standards regarding data security.
RDM supports various web applications on different operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
To evaluate this product, you can download a free trial. The developers of the software indicate that “the [free] download is licensed only for evaluation of the product. If you wish to use or distribute the product, you will need to purchase a Software Development Kit and Distribution License from Raima.”
The Best Database Management Software Summary
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ManageEngine Applications Manager Best for health and performance issue tracking for commercial and open source databases | 30 Days Free Trial | $395/year for monitoring up to 10 database servers | Visit Website |
2 | DbVisualizer Best SQL database for analysts and developers | Free plan available | From $16.42/user/month (billed annually) | Visit Website |
3 | Percona Monitoring and Management Best for teams that want open-source software and security | Not available | Support plans range between $400 and $1500 | Visit Website |
4 | TIBCO Spotfire Best for ensuring accuracy and consistency of data | 30 Days Free Trial | $400/month for the Basic plan | Visit Website |
5 | Oracle Best for teams looking for a cost-effective DBMS | 30 Days Free Trial | Visit Website | |
6 | Valentina Best for teams that rely on graphical reports | Free Trial | $79.99 each | Visit Website |
7 | Redis Best for teams working across on-premise, hybrid, or cloud databases | Not available | Visit Website | |
8 | Database Labs Best for teams looking for Postgres experts | Not available | $19/month | Visit Website |
9 | Apache Cassandra Best for scalability in an open-source environment | Free To Use | Visit Website | |
10 | Raima Database Manager Best for teams working on busy IoT edge devices | Not available | Visit Website |
Other Database Management Software Options
Here are a few more database management solutions that didn’t make the top list.
- DBeaver
Best for teams using different databases
- Sadas Engine
Best DBMS for huge data quantities
- Navicat Premium 16
Best for data visualization
- ClusterControl
Best DBMS for open-source databases
- Amazon AWS
Best solution for any macOS support
- Memento Database
Best for customization and tracking
- SingleStore
Best for real-time analytics
- Chetu
Best for drawing critical data insights
- PostgreSQL
Best for open-source relational databases
- SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor
Best for performance monitoring of both cloud and on-premise
What Is DBMS?
A data management system (DBMS) is software used for managing a database in a quick, automated, and systematic way. The DBMS helps teams dealing with data accomplish several tasks.
These include defining, organizing, storing, retrieving, and extracting insights from the data. A DBMS uses a system of instructions it receives from the database administrator.
What Are The Benefits Of Database Management Systems And Software?
The QA process requires the collection of massive amounts of data. Different people use the data in a company's databases. It would be impossible to manage the data without the assistance of a DBMS.
Database management software ensures that this data is easily shared between team members so that everyone is reading from the same page. It also ensures that insights from the data are easier to read, ensuring better decision-making.
One of the most fundamental reasons QA teams need data management software is that it enhances data security. This is accomplished through controlled user access.
Related Read: HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MONITOR SERVER PERFORMANCE
What Do You Think About These Database Management Software?
What do you think about the database testing and management tools on my list? Have you used any of them on your database engine? Have you tried others we haven't listed here like IBM Db2 or Microsoft Access? If this is the case, please use the comments section to tell us about your experience.
If you’re looking for other tools for data management, check out our list of big data analytics tools.
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