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Software AG Adabas vs IDMS

Software AG Adabas: Inverted-list, multi-value mainframe database paired with Natural, run as a standalone Software AG business. IDMS: CODASYL network-model mainframe database, now Broadcom's, still running decades-old COBOL systems.

key differences

  • Software AG Adabas is primarily a multivalue (Pick) database; IDMS is network / navigational.
  • Only Software AG Adabas has change data capture, encryption at rest.
  • Only IDMS has joins.

choose adabas for

  • +Government tax and social-security systems
  • +Banking and insurance back ends on IBM Z
  • +Rehosting Adabas/Natural applications to Linux

best at · OLTP

choose idms for

  • +Government and utility billing systems on z/OS
  • +Manufacturing and distribution systems built in the 1980s
  • +Exposing legacy IDMS data via SQL and web services during migration

best at · OLTP

Software AG AdabasInverted-list, multi-value mainframe database paired with Natural, run as a standalone Software AG business.
IDMSCODASYL network-model mainframe database, now Broadcom's, still running decades-old COBOL systems.
overview
Primary model
Multivalue (Pick)
Network / Navigational
Also supports
–
Relational
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Software AG (Adabas & Natural business, owned by Silver Lake)
Broadcom (originally Cullinane, Computer Associates)
First release
1971
1973
Latest version
8.6.1 (z/OS) (Oct 2025)
–
License
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
—
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
8.4
6.2
Rank
#325
#366
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
7
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Addon
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Shared storage, Primary replica
Client server, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
—
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
—
—
Change data capture
✓
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Natural, Adabas direct call interface, SQL (via Adabas SQL Gateway)
DML (navigational), SQL (IDMS SQL option), ADS/Online
Client languages
Natural, COBOL, Java, C, Assembly
COBOL, PL/I, Assembly, Java
Best for
OLTP
OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Software AG Adabas vs IDMS: FAQ

What is the difference between Software AG Adabas and IDMS?

Software AG Adabas: Inverted-list, multi-value mainframe database paired with Natural, run as a standalone Software AG business. IDMS: CODASYL network-model mainframe database, now Broadcom's, still running decades-old COBOL systems. Software AG Adabas is primarily a multivalue (Pick) database; IDMS is network / navigational. Only Software AG Adabas has change data capture, encryption at rest. Only IDMS has joins.

When should I choose Software AG Adabas over IDMS?

Choose Software AG Adabas for government tax and social-security systems; banking and insurance back ends on IBM Z; and rehosting Adabas/Natural applications to Linux. Choose IDMS for government and utility billing systems on z/OS; manufacturing and distribution systems built in the 1980s; and exposing legacy IDMS data via SQL and web services during migration.

Is Software AG Adabas or IDMS more popular?

Software AG Adabas ranks #325 on the WhichDB Score (8.4/100) and IDMS ranks #366 (6.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Software AG Adabas and IDMS open source?

No. Software AG Adabas is proprietary, closed-source software. No. IDMS is proprietary, closed-source software.