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IDMS

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by Broadcom (originally Cullinane, Computer Associates) · since 1973 · also known as CA IDMS, Broadcom IDMS, Integrated Database Management System

CODASYL network-model mainframe database, now Broadcom's, still running decades-old COBOL systems.

network / navigationalrelationaldatabase engineproprietarylegacy
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Overview

IDMS is a network-model (CODASYL) database: records are linked by owner-member 'sets' and programs navigate them with explicit FIND/OBTAIN calls, which makes known access paths very fast. Originally developed at B.F. Goodrich and commercialised by Cullinane in the 1970s, it passed to Computer Associates and then to Broadcom with the 2018 CA acquisition. It runs on z/OS with the IDMS-DC transaction monitor and also offers a SQL option, web services and modern tooling. Broadcom delivers enhancements to release 19.0 incrementally rather than shipping new major versions. Like IMS it is reliable but mainframe-only, with a shrinking skills base.

Transactional apps (OLTP)

Strengths & trade-offs

Strengths

  • +Owner-member sets make known navigation paths extremely fast
  • +Proven reliability in long-running mainframe systems
  • +SQL option and ODBC/JDBC server allow relational access to network data
  • +Broadcom continues to ship incremental features on release 19.0

Trade-offs

  • −Mainframe-only and expensive to operate
  • −Navigational programming couples applications tightly to the physical schema
  • −Very small, ageing skills pool

Great 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

Think twice for

  • −Any new application
  • −Non-mainframe environments
  • −Analytics

Capabilities

Native or official first-party support · 6 of 25 tracked

✓Transactions
✓Joins
✓Secondary indexes
✓Durable persistence
✓Compression
✓Role-based access
–Full-text search
–Vector search
–Geospatial
–JSON
–Change data capture
–Triggers
–Stored procedures
–Materialized views
–TTL / expiry
–Pub/Sub
–Columnar storage
–In-memory
–Encryption at rest
–Time travel
–Branching
–Online schema changes
–Streaming ingest
–Offline sync
–Runs in WebAssembly

Scale & consistency

Comfortable data size
Large · ≤ 1 PB
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Multi-region
Read replicas
Transactions
Full ACID
Consistency
Strong
Schema
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Shared storage
Query languages
DML (navigational), SQL (IDMS SQL option), ADS/Online

Data sharing across Parallel Sysplex members; DR via mainframe replication.

Deployment

Self-hosted Vendor-managed cloud Serverless Embedded Edge Kubernetes operator

Ecosystem

apis & protocolsIDMS DML, IDMS Server (ODBC/JDBC), Web services
client languagesCOBOL, PL/I, Assembly, Java

Alternatives to IDMS

Compare all→
IBM IMSHierarchical7.7

IBM's 1960s hierarchical database and transaction manager, still running bank and airline cores on z/OS.

idms vs ibm-ims →
Software AG AdabasMultivalue (Pick)8.4

Inverted-list, multi-value mainframe database paired with Natural, run as a standalone Software AG business.

idms vs adabas →
IBM Db2Relational45.5

IBM's enterprise RDBMS for Linux, UNIX, Windows and z/OS, with BLU columnar and pureScale clustering.

idms vs ibm-db2 →
Raima Database ManagerRelational0.0

Small-footprint embedded database with SQL and network-model APIs for RTOS, edge and safety-certified devices.

idms vs raima-database-manager →
UDS/SQLNetwork / Navigational0.0

Fujitsu BS2000 mainframe DBMS combining a CODASYL network model with SQL on the same data.

idms vs uds-sql →
Progress OpenEdgeRelational20.4

Integrated RDBMS plus ABL 4GL application platform behind thousands of ERP and vertical business apps.

idms vs progress-openedge →

IDMS FAQ

What is IDMS?

IDMS is a network / navigational database by Broadcom (originally Cullinane, Computer Associates), first released in 1973. IDMS is a network-model (CODASYL) database: records are linked by owner-member 'sets' and programs navigate them with explicit FIND/OBTAIN calls, which makes known access paths very fast. Originally developed at B.F. Goodrich and commercialised by Cullinane in the 1970s, it passed to Computer Associates and then to Broadcom with the 2018 CA acquisition. It runs on z/OS with the IDMS-DC transaction monitor and also offers a SQL option, web services and modern tooling. Broadcom delivers enhancements to release 19.0 incrementally rather than shipping new major versions. Like IMS it is reliable but mainframe-only, with a shrinking skills base.

Is IDMS open source?

No. IDMS is proprietary, closed-source software.

Does IDMS support ACID transactions?

Yes. IDMS supports full ACID transactions, with strong consistency.

Does IDMS scale horizontally?

IDMS scales horizontally through an official extension, proxy or edition rather than in the core engine. It is comfortable at large scale (≤ 1 PB). It supports cross-region read replicas.

How can I run IDMS?

You can self-host it.

What is IDMS best for?

IDMS is a strong fit 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. Think twice for any new application.

What are the best alternatives to IDMS?

Common alternatives to IDMS include IBM IMS, Software AG Adabas, IBM Db2, Raima Database Manager and UDS/SQL. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.

How popular is IDMS?

IDMS ranks #366 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (6.2/100), and #1 among network / navigational databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.