DBMS > Microsoft Access vs. Microsoft SQL Server vs. MySQL vs. OpenSearch vs. PostgreSQL
System Properties Comparison Microsoft Access vs. Microsoft SQL Server vs. MySQL vs. OpenSearch vs. PostgreSQL
| Editorial information provided by DB-Engines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Microsoft Access Xexclude from comparison | Microsoft SQL Server Xexclude from comparison | MySQL Xexclude from comparison | OpenSearch Xexclude from comparison | PostgreSQL Xexclude from comparison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Description | Microsoft Access combines a backend RDBMS (JET / ACE Engine) with a GUI frontend for data manipulation and queries.  The Access frontend is often used for accessing other datasources (DBMS, Excel, etc.) | Microsofts flagship relational DBMS | Widely used open source RDBMS | A distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine forked from Elasticsearch and based on Apache Lucene | Widely used open source RDBMS Developed as objectoriented DBMS (Postgres), gradually enhanced with 'standards' like SQL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary database model | Relational DBMS | Relational DBMS | Relational DBMS Key/Value like access via memcached API | Search engine | Relational DBMS with object oriented extensions, e.g.: user defined types/functions and inheritance. Handling of key/value pairs with hstore module. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secondary database models | Document store Graph DBMS Spatial DBMS | Document store Spatial DBMS | Vector DBMS | Document store Graph DBMS with Apache AgeSpatial DBMS Vector DBMS with pgvector extension | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/access | www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server | www.mysql.com | github.com/opensearch-project opensearch.org | www.postgresql.org | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical documentation | developer.microsoft.com/en-us/access | learn.microsoft.com/en-US/sql/sql-server | dev.mysql.com/doc | opensearch.org/docs/latest | www.postgresql.org/docs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developer | Microsoft | Microsoft | Oracle since 2010, originally MySQL AB, then Sun | Amazon Web Services | PostgreSQL Global Development Group www.postgresql.org/developer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Initial release | 1992 | 1989 | 1995 | 2021 | 1989 1989: Postgres, 1996: PostgreSQL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current release | 1902 (16.0.11328.20222), March 2019 | SQL Server 2022, November 2022 | 8.4.0, April 2024 | 2.5.0, January 2023 | 16.3, May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| License Commercial or Open Source | commercial Bundled with Microsoft Office | commercial restricted free version is available | Open Source GPL version 2. Commercial licenses with extended functionallity are available | Open Source Apache Version 2.0 | Open Source BSD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cloud-based only Only available as a cloud service | no | no | no | no | no | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DBaaS offerings (sponsored links) Database as a Service Providers of DBaaS offerings, please contact us to be listed. | Aiven for MySQL: Fully managed MySQL, deployable in the cloud of your choice, with seamless integrations and lightning-fast setup. | Aiven for OpenSearch: Fully managed open source search and analytics suite. Out-of-the-box integrations get you up and running in a couple of clicks. | Aiven for PostgreSQL: Fully managed PostgreSQL for developers with 70+ extensions and flexible orchestration tools. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Implementation language | C++ | C++ | C and C++ | Java | C | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Server operating systems | Windows Not a real database server, but making use of DLLs | Linux Windows | FreeBSD Linux OS X Solaris Windows | All OS with a Java VM | FreeBSD HP-UX Linux NetBSD OpenBSD OS X Solaris Unix Windows | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Data scheme | yes | yes | yes | schema-free Flexible type definitions. Once a type is defined, it is persistent | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Typing predefined data types such as float or date | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XML support Some form of processing data in XML format, e.g. support for XML data structures, and/or support for XPath, XQuery or XSLT. | yes | yes | yes specific XML-type available, but no XML query functionality. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secondary indexes | yes | yes | yes | yes All search fields are automatically indexed | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SQL Support of SQL | yes but not compliant to any SQL standard | yes | yes with proprietary extensions | SQL-like query language | yes standard with numerous extensions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| APIs and other access methods | ADO.NET DAO ODBC OLE DB | ADO.NET JDBC ODBC OLE DB Tabular Data Stream (TDS) | ADO.NET JDBC ODBC Proprietary native API | Java API RESTful HTTP/JSON API | ADO.NET JDBC native C library ODBC streaming API for large objects | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supported programming languages | C C# C++ Delphi Java (JDBC-ODBC) VBA Visual Basic.NET | C# C++ Delphi Go Java JavaScript (Node.js) PHP Python R Ruby Visual Basic | Ada C C# C++ D Delphi Eiffel Erlang Haskell Java JavaScript (Node.js) Objective-C OCaml Perl PHP Python Ruby Scheme Tcl | Go Java JavaScript (Node.js) PHP Python Ruby Elasticsearch client | .Net C C++ Delphi Java JDBCJavaScript (Node.js) Perl PHP Python Tcl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Server-side scripts Stored procedures | yes since Access 2010 using the ACE-engine | Transact SQL, .NET languages, R, Python and (with SQL Server 2019) Java | yes proprietary syntax | yes | user defined functions realized in proprietary language PL/pgSQL or with common languages like Perl, Python, Tcl etc. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Triggers | yes since Access 2010 using the ACE-engine | yes | yes | yes by using the 'percolation' feature | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partitioning methods Methods for storing different data on different nodes | none | tables can be distributed across several files (horizontal partitioning); sharding through federation | horizontal partitioning, sharding with MySQL Cluster or MySQL Fabric | Sharding | partitioning by range, list and (since PostgreSQL 11) by hash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Replication methods Methods for redundantly storing data on multiple nodes | none | yes, but depending on the SQL-Server Edition | Multi-source replication Source-replica replication | yes | Source-replica replication other methods possible by using 3rd party extensions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MapReduce Offers an API for user-defined Map/Reduce methods | no | no | no | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consistency concepts Methods to ensure consistency in a distributed system | Immediate Consistency | Immediate Consistency | Eventual Consistency Synchronous doc based replication. Get by ID may show delays up to 1 sec. Configurable write consistency: one, quorum, all | Immediate Consistency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign keys Referential integrity | yes | yes | yes not for MyISAM storage engine | no | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction concepts Support to ensure data integrity after non-atomic manipulations of data | ACID but no files for transaction logging | ACID | ACID not for MyISAM storage engine | no | ACID | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concurrency Support for concurrent manipulation of data | yes | yes | yes table locks or row locks depending on storage engine | yes | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Durability Support for making data persistent | yes but no files for transaction logging | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-memory capabilities Is there an option to define some or all structures to be held in-memory only. | yes | yes | no | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User concepts Access control | no a simple user-level security was built in till version Access 2003 | fine grained access rights according to SQL-standard | Users with fine-grained authorization concept no user groups or roles | fine grained access rights according to SQL-standard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| More information provided by the system vendor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Access | Microsoft SQL Server | MySQL | OpenSearch | PostgreSQL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Specific characteristics | OpenSearch is a highly scalable and extensible open-source software suite for search,... » more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competitive advantages | Distributed as fully open source under Apache License, Version 2.0 (ALv2), OpenSearch... » more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Typical application scenarios | The OpenSearch platform is used across a broad range of search , analytics, and observability... » more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Licensing and pricing models | The OpenSearch Project offers open source software licensed under Apache License... » more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We invite representatives of system vendors to contact us for updating and extending the system information, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related products and services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd parties | Navicat Monitor is a safe, simple and agentless remote server monitoring tool for SQL Server and many other database management systems. » more Navicat for SQL Server gives you a fully graphical approach to database management and development. » more | Navicat Monitor is a safe, simple and agentless remote server monitoring tool for MySQL and many other database management systems. » more Aiven for MySQL: Fully managed MySQL, deployable in the cloud of your choice, with seamless integrations and lightning-fast setup. » more Navicat for MySQL is the ideal solution for MySQL/MariaDB administration and development. » more CData: Connect to Big Data & NoSQL through standard Drivers. » more | Aiven for OpenSearch: Fully managed open source search and analytics suite. Out-of-the-box integrations get you up and running in a couple of clicks.
» more | Navicat Monitor is a safe, simple and agentless remote server monitoring tool for PostgreSQL and many other database management systems. » more Instaclustr: Fully Hosted & Managed PostgreSQL » more Navicat for PostgreSQL is an easy-to-use graphical tool for PostgreSQL database development. » more CYBERTEC is your professional partner in PostgreSQL topics for over 20 years. As our main aim is to be your single-source all-in-one IT service provider, we offer a wide range of products and services. Visit our website for more details. » more Redgate webinars: A series of key topics for new PostgreSQL users. » more pgDash: In-Depth PostgreSQL Monitoring. » more Fujitsu Enterprise Postgres: An Enterprise Grade PostgreSQL with the flexibility of a hybrid cloud solution combined with industry leading security, availability and performance. » more Aiven for PostgreSQL: Fully managed PostgreSQL for developers with 70+ extensions and flexible orchestration tools. » more SharePlex is the reliable and affordable data replication solution for PostgreSQL migrations, high availability and more. » more Timescale: Calling all PostgreSQL users – the 2023 State of PostgreSQL survey is now open! Share your favorite extensions, preferred frameworks, community experiences, and more. Take the survey today! » more | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We invite representatives of vendors of related products to contact us for presenting information about their offerings here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| More resources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Access | Microsoft SQL Server | MySQL | OpenSearch | PostgreSQL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB-Engines blog posts | MS Access drops in DB-Engines Ranking Microsoft SQL Server regained rank 2 in the DB-Engines popularity ranking New DB-Engines Ranking shows the popularity of database management systems | MySQL is the DBMS of the Year 2019 The struggle for the hegemony in Oracle's database empire Microsoft SQL Server is the DBMS of the Year | MySQL is the DBMS of the Year 2019 MariaDB strengthens its position in the open source RDBMS market The struggle for the hegemony in Oracle's database empire | PostgreSQL is the DBMS of the Year 2023 Snowflake is the DBMS of the Year 2022, defending the title from last year Snowflake is the DBMS of the Year 2021 Monitoring PostgreSQL with Redgate Monitor Abusing Microsoft Access "Linked Table" Feature to Perform NTLM Forced Authentication Attacks Hackers Exploit Microsoft Access Feature to Steal Windows User’s NTLM Tokens MS access program to increase awareness and independence of those living with MS and disability After installing Navisworks, Office 2016 (32-bit) applications stopped launching How to Connect MS Access to MySQL via ODBC Driver provided by Google News Configure change data capture parameters on Amazon RDS for SQL Server | Amazon Web Services Data Virtualization in SQL Server 2022 SQL Server 2014 end of support: Keep your customers secure How to Know When It's Time for a Microsoft SQL Server Upgrade May 2024 Patch Tuesday forecast: A reminder of recent threats and impact provided by Google News Amazon Aurora MySQL version 2 (with MySQL 5.7 compatibility) to version 3 (with MySQL 8.0 compatibility) upgrade ... Zendesk Moves from DynamoDB to MySQL and S3 to Save over 80% in Costs Ultimate MySQL Workbench Installation Guide [2024 Edition] MySQL HeatWave Lakehouse Support for Parquet and Avro file formats How to Create a MySQL 8 Database User With Remote Access provided by Google News DataStax Launches New Hyper-Converged Data Platform Giving Enterprises the Complete Modern Data Center Suite ... Amazon OpenSearch Serverless now available in Europe (Paris) region Behind the Scenes: Upgrading OpenSearch efficiency with OCI flexible vertical scaling Hybrid Search with Amazon OpenSearch Service | AWS Big Data Blog OCI Search with OpenSearch 2.11 delivers easy access to latest AI innovations provided by Google News Continuously replicate Amazon DynamoDB changes to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL using AWS Lambda | Amazon ... SolarWinds Unveils Enhanced Database Performance Analyzer with Advanced PostgreSQL Support ServiceNow trades MariaDB for RaptorDB (PostgreSQL) First Principles: Optimizing PostgreSQL for the cloud General availability: Microsoft Entra ID integration with Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL | Azure updates provided by Google News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share this page
