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OpenQM vs Reality

OpenQM: Compact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product. Reality: The original commercial Pick MultiValue database (1973), still sold and updated by NEC Software Solutions.

key differences

  • Reality is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than OpenQM (≤ 100 GB).
  • Transactions: OpenQM offers limited ACID; Reality offers full.
  • Only OpenQM has triggers.

choose openqm for

  • +Hosting small Pick-based business applications
  • +Migrating off ageing Pick systems to commodity servers
  • +Learning the MultiValue model

best at · OLTP

choose reality for

  • +Running established Pick-based public-sector and housing applications
  • +Line-of-business systems already written in DataBasic
  • +Migrating Pick applications between hardware platforms

best at · OLTP

OpenQMCompact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product.
RealityThe original commercial Pick MultiValue database (1973), still sold and updated by NEC Software Solutions.
overview
Primary model
Multivalue (Pick)
Multivalue (Pick)
Also supports
–
Relational
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Rocket Software (originally Ladybridge Systems)
NEC Software Solutions UK (formerly Northgate Public Services)
First release
1993
1973
Latest version
–
V15.5 (Sep 2024)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (historic GPLv2 community edition)
ProprietaryProprietary
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.2
0.0
Rank
#670
#799
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Client server, Single node
Single node, Client server
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
QMBasic, QM query language
DataBasic, ENGLISH, SQL
Client languages
C, Python, C#, Java
–
Best for
OLTP
OLTP
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OpenQM vs Reality: FAQ

What is the difference between OpenQM and Reality?

OpenQM: Compact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product. Reality: The original commercial Pick MultiValue database (1973), still sold and updated by NEC Software Solutions. Reality is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than OpenQM (≤ 100 GB). Transactions: OpenQM offers limited ACID; Reality offers full. Only OpenQM has triggers.

When should I choose OpenQM over Reality?

Choose OpenQM for hosting small Pick-based business applications, migrating off ageing Pick systems to commodity servers and learning the MultiValue model. Choose Reality for running established Pick-based public-sector and housing applications; line-of-business systems already written in DataBasic; and migrating Pick applications between hardware platforms.

Is OpenQM or Reality more popular?

OpenQM ranks #670 on the WhichDB Score (0.2/100) and Reality ranks #799 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are OpenQM and Reality open source?

No. OpenQM is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Reality is proprietary, closed-source software.