IBM picks open-source in Oracle database fight

Compatibility is a company called EnterpriseDB

By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Enterprise, 22nd April 2009 17:02 GMT

IBM is licensing technology from an open-source database company it's invested in, hoping to convince Oracle customers they should switch to its next DB2.

The giant has licensed capabilities in five-year-old EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Advanced Server, which EnterpriseDB claims will cut by 90 per cent the cost of moving off Oracle. The technology is expected to appear in the next version of DB2, version 9.7, to be announced today.

EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Advanced Server provides compatibility with Oracle's PL/SQL on Postgres, simplifying the migrations of application and customer data off of Oracle and on to the open-source database.

IBM's licensing reveals a subtle shift in tactics by the company. It is moving from competing outright for Postgres and MySQL customers, to working with EnterpriseDB to harness Postgres in a way that can help erode the market share of leader - Oracle.

Until now, IBM has used cut-down or free versions of DB2 - DB2 Express and Express-C on Windows and Linux - to woo potential Postgres customers and users of Sun Microsystems' MySQL.

The news, or course, comes as Oracle is set to ramp up the database competition on all fronts with its planned purchase of MySQL through the Sun deal.

Continue reading from the source.....