10 Best Database Management Software Of 2023 [+ Examples]

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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:

1. User Interface (UI): Will the end-users find it clean and attractive?
2. 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?
3. Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? 
4. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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. 
4. 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.
5. 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 10 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.

1

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.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.

4.3 16

30 Days Free Trial

$395/year for monitoring up to 10 database servers

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Visit Website

2

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.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.

4.9 10

Support plans range between $400 and $1500

Visit Website

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3

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.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.

4.2 236

30 Days Free Trial

$400/month for the Basic plan

Visit Website

Visit Website

4

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.

Free To Use

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5

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.”

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6

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.

$19/month

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7

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.”

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8

DBeaver

Best for teams using different databases

The developers of DBeaver call this relational database management system the “One tool for all databases.” This is a relational DBMS that supports popular relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MariaDB, Sybase, Teradata, Netezza, and many more.

DBeaver also supports NoSQL databases, including MongoDB, Apache Hive, Redis, and Cassandra.

The DBeaver software is licensed-based. You can choose between three editions: Lite ($10 for one month or $99 for a year), Enterprise ($23 for one month or $230 for one year), or Ultimate ($440 for one year).

Free Version

10.0

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9

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.

30 Days Free Trial

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10

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.

Free Trial

$79.99 each

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Need expert help selecting the right Backend / Database Software?

We’ve joined up with Crozdesk.com to give all our readers (yes, you!) access to Crozdesk’s software advisors. Just use the form below to share your needs, and they will contact you at no cost or commitment. You will then be matched and connected to a shortlist of vendors that best fit your company, and you can access exclusive software discounts!

The 10 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	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
3	TIBCO Spotfire Best for ensuring accuracy and consistency of data	30 Days Free Trial	$400/month for the Basic plan	Visit Website
4	Apache Cassandra Best for scalability in an open-source environment	Free To Use		Visit Website
5	Raima Database Manager Best for teams working on busy IoT edge devices	Not available		Visit Website
6	Database Labs Best for teams looking for Postgres experts	Not available	$19/month	Visit Website
7	Redis Best for teams working across on-premise, hybrid, or cloud databases	Not available		Visit Website
8	DBeaver Best for teams using different databases	Free Version	10.0	Visit Website
9	Oracle Best for teams looking for a cost-effective DBMS	30 Days Free Trial		Visit Website
10	Valentina Best for teams that rely on graphical reports	Free Trial	$79.99 each	Visit Website

Other Database Management Software Options

Here are a few more database management solutions that didn't make the top list.

1. Apache Cassandra - Best for scalability in an open-source environment
2. TIBCO - Best for ensuring accuracy and consistency of data 
3. Chetu - Best for drawing critical data insights  
4. SingleStore - Best for real-time analytics   
5. Memento Database - Best for customization and tracking 
6. Amazon AWS - Best solution for any macOS support  
7. ClusterControl - Best DBMS for open-source databases 
8. Navicat Premium - Best for data visualization   
9. PostgreSQL - Best for open-source relational databases 
10. SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor - Best for performance monitoring of both cloud and on-premise  
11. Snowflake - Best for teams that prioritize data security  

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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84% of TestRail customers save 2-3 hours per week per QA team member

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