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DBMaker vs IBM Informix

DBMaker: SYSCOM's ODBC-native SQL database from Taiwan, known for letting COBOL programs use SQL tables. IBM Informix: Low-maintenance embeddable RDBMS with built-in TimeSeries, still quietly running retail and telco systems.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is none in DBMaker and addon in IBM Informix.
  • Only IBM Informix has full-text search, geospatial, json, change data capture, compression.

choose dbmaker for

  • +Migrating legacy COBOL indexed-file applications to a relational store
  • +ISV-bundled databases for Taiwanese enterprise and government software
  • +Departmental OLTP on Windows or Linux servers

best at · OLTP, Content

choose ibm-informix for

  • +Retail store and point-of-sale back ends
  • +Smart-meter and utility time-series data
  • +Telecom provisioning systems
  • +Embedded databases inside OEM appliances

best at · OLTP, Time-series, IoT

DBMakerSYSCOM's ODBC-native SQL database from Taiwan, known for letting COBOL programs use SQL tables.
IBM InformixLow-maintenance embeddable RDBMS with built-in TimeSeries, still quietly running retail and telco systems.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Time-Series, Document, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
SYSCOM Group (Syscom Computer Engineering Co.)
IBM (co-developed with HCLSoftware)
First release
1994
1981
Latest version
5.4.8 (Jul 28, 2026)
15.0.1.18 (Sep 30, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.0
26.0
Rank
#715
#115
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
2.3K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
None
Active active
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Single node
Client server, Primary replica, Multi primary, 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
SQL
SQL, SPL
Client languages
C, Java, COBOL, PHP, Perl
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, ESQL/C
Best for
OLTP, Content
OLTP, Time-series, IoT, Embedded
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

DBMaker vs IBM Informix: FAQ

What is the difference between DBMaker and IBM Informix?

DBMaker: SYSCOM's ODBC-native SQL database from Taiwan, known for letting COBOL programs use SQL tables. IBM Informix: Low-maintenance embeddable RDBMS with built-in TimeSeries, still quietly running retail and telco systems. Horizontal scaling is none in DBMaker and addon in IBM Informix. Only IBM Informix has full-text search, geospatial, json, change data capture, compression.

When should I choose DBMaker over IBM Informix?

Choose DBMaker for migrating legacy COBOL indexed-file applications to a relational store; ISV-bundled databases for Taiwanese enterprise and government software; and departmental OLTP on Windows or Linux servers. Choose IBM Informix for retail store and point-of-sale back ends; smart-meter and utility time-series data; and telecom provisioning systems.

Is DBMaker or IBM Informix more popular?

IBM Informix ranks #115 on the WhichDB Score (26.0/100) and DBMaker ranks #715 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are DBMaker and IBM Informix open source?

No. DBMaker is proprietary, closed-source software. No. IBM Informix is proprietary, closed-source software.