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BASIS vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse

BASIS: Keyed-file ISAM database plus SQL engine bundled with BASIS International's BBj Business BASIC platform. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications.

key differences

  • BASIS is primarily a relational database; Rocket UniData / UniVerse is multivalue (Pick).
  • Rocket UniData / UniVerse is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than BASIS (≤ 100 GB).
  • Transactions: BASIS offers full ACID; Rocket UniData / UniVerse offers limited.
  • Only BASIS has full-text search.
  • Only Rocket UniData / UniVerse has triggers, encryption at rest.

choose basis for

  • +Back end for BBj/Business BASIC ERP and vertical business applications
  • +Exposing legacy keyed-file data to BI tools via ODBC/JDBC
  • +Modernising older BBx applications without a data migration

best at · OLTP

choose rocket-unidata-universe for

  • +Running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2
  • +Higher-education student information systems
  • +Modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET

best at · OLTP

BASISKeyed-file ISAM database plus SQL engine bundled with BASIS International's BBj Business BASIC platform.
Rocket UniData / UniVerseRocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Multivalue (Pick)
Also supports
Key-Value
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
BASIS International Ltd.
Rocket Software
First release
1985
1985
Latest version
BBj 26.02 (2026)
UniVerse 14.2.1 (Nov 5, 2025)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (BASIS licence)
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.0
11.0
Rank
#693
#289
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
121
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Client server, Single node
Client server, Primary replica
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
SQL, BBj / Business BASIC file verbs
UniVerse BASIC / UniBasic, RetrieVe / UniQuery, SQL
Client languages
BBj, Java, ODBC clients
C#, Java, Python, C
Best for
OLTP
OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

BASIS vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse: FAQ

What is the difference between BASIS and Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

BASIS: Keyed-file ISAM database plus SQL engine bundled with BASIS International's BBj Business BASIC platform. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications. BASIS is primarily a relational database; Rocket UniData / UniVerse is multivalue (Pick). Rocket UniData / UniVerse is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than BASIS (≤ 100 GB). Transactions: BASIS offers full ACID; Rocket UniData / UniVerse offers limited.

When should I choose BASIS over Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

Choose BASIS for back end for BBj/Business BASIC ERP and vertical business applications; exposing legacy keyed-file data to BI tools via ODBC/JDBC; and modernising older BBx applications without a data migration. Choose Rocket UniData / UniVerse for running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2; higher-education student information systems; and modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET.

Is BASIS or Rocket UniData / UniVerse more popular?

Rocket UniData / UniVerse ranks #289 on the WhichDB Score (11.0/100) and BASIS ranks #693 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are BASIS and Rocket UniData / UniVerse open source?

No. BASIS is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Rocket UniData / UniVerse is proprietary, closed-source software.