MySQL

 MySQL is an Oracle-backed open source relational database management system

(RDBMS) based on Structured Query Language (SQL). 
 MySQL runs on virtually all platforms, including Linux, UNIX and Windows.
 Although it can be used in a wide range of applications, MySQL is most often
associated with web applications and online publishing.
 MySQL is an important component of an open source enterprise stack called LAMP.
 LAMP is a web development platform that uses Linux as the operating
system, Apache as the web server, MySQL as the relational database management
system and PHP as the object-oriented scripting language.
 Originally conceived by the Swedish company MySQL AB, MySQL was acquired by
Sun Microsystems in 2008 and then by Oracle when it bought Sun in 2010.
  Developers can use MySQL under the GNU General Public License (GPL), but
enterprises must obtain a commercial license from Oracle.
 Today, MySQL is the RDBMS behind many of the top websites in the world and
countless corporate and consumer-facing web-based applications, including
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

How MySQL works

 MySQL is based on a client-server model. The core of MySQL is MySQL server,
which handles all of the database instructions (or commands).
 MySQL server is available as a separate program for use in a client-server networked
environment and as a library that can be embedded (or linked) into seperate
applications.
 MySQL operates along with several utility programs which support the administration
of MySQL databases. Commands are sent to MySQLServer via the MySQL client,
which is installed on a computer.
 MySQL was originally developed to handle large databases quickly.
 Although MySQL is typically installed on only one machine, it is able to send the
database to multiple locations, as users are able to access it via different MySQL
client interfaces.
 These interfaces send SQL statements to the server and then display the results.

The features of MySQL are as follows:

Ease of Management – The software very easily gets downloaded and also uses an event
scheduler to schedule the tasks automatically.
Robust Transactional Support – Holds the ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation,
Durability) property, and also allows distributed multi-version support. 
Comprehensive Application Development – MySQL has plugin libraries to embed the
database into any application. It also supports stored procedures, triggers, functions, views
and many more for application development.
High Performance – Provides fast load utilities with distinct memory caches and table index
partitioning.
Low Total Cost Of Ownership – This reduces licensing costs and hardware expenditures.
Open Source & 24 * 7 Support –  This RDBMS can be used on any platform and offers
24*7 support for open source and enterprise edition.
Secure Data Protection – MySQL supports powerful mechanisms to ensure that only
authorized users have access to the databases.
High Availability – MySQL can run high-speed master/slave replication configurations and
it offers cluster servers.
Scalability & Flexibility – With MySQL you can run deeply embedded applications and
create data warehouses holding a humongous amount of data.
DB2 
 DB2 is a database server developed by IBM. It is a Relational Database Management
Syatem which is designed to store, analyze and retrieve the data efficiently.
 DB2 database supports Object Oriented features and non relational structure with
XML.
 DB2 is a Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS) originally introduced
by IBM in 1983 to run on its MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage) mainframe platform.
 The name refers to the shift from the then prevalent hierarchical database model to the
new relational model.
 Although DB2 was initially designed to work exclusively on IBM mainframe
platforms, it was later ported to other widely used operating systems like UNIX,
Windows and presently in Linux. DB2 is an integral part of IBM’s information
management portfolio.
 It is a full-featured, high-performance database engine capable of handling large
quantities of data and concurrently serving many users.

DB2 Versions
The latest IBM DB2 version which currently running is 10.5 with the features of BLU
Acceleration and its code name as 'Kepler'.
Following is the list of all versions of IBM DB2 till date:
 Oracle
 Oracle is one of the largest vendors in the enterprise IT market and the shorthand
name of its flagship product, a relational database management system (RDBMS)
that's formally called Oracle Database.
 The database software sits at the center of many corporate IT environments,
supporting a mix of transaction processing, business intelligence and analytics
applications.
 In 1979, Oracle Corp. was the first company to commercialize an RDBMS platform,
and it's still the leading database vendor by a wide margin in terms of revenue. Driven
primarily by sales of Oracle Database, it had a 40.4% share of worldwide
database software revenues in 2016, according to Gartner; that was down two
percentage points from 2015, but still twice the share of second-place Microsoft.
 In the ensuing decades after launching the RDBMS technology, Oracle greatly
expanded its product portfolio through internal development and numerous
acquisitions.
 It now also sells several other databases, multiple line of business applications, data
analytics software, middleware, computer systems, data storage equipment,
development tools and other technologies. 
 In addition, Oracle is working to establish itself as a leading cloud computing vendor,
after initially being slow to embrace the cloud.

Oracle Database's architecture

 Like other RDBMS software, Oracle Database is built on top of SQL, a standardized
programming language that database administrators, data analysts and other IT
professionals use to manage databases and query the data stored in them.
 The Oracle software is tied to PL/SQL, an implementation developed by Oracle that
adds a set of proprietary programming extensions to standard SQL -- a common
practice among RDBMS vendors. Oracle Database also supports programming
in Java, and programs written in PL/SQL or Java can be called from the other
language
 Also, like other relational database technologies, Oracle Database utilizes a row and
column table structure that connects related data elements in different tables to one
another; as a result, users don't have to store the same data in multiple tables to meet
processing needs.
 The relational model also provides a set of integrity constraints to maintain data
accuracy; those checks are part of a broader adherence to the principles of atomicity,
consistency, isolation and durability -- known as the ACID properties -- and are
designed to guarantee that database transactions are processed reliably.
 From an architectural standpoint, an Oracle database server includes a database for
storing data and one or more database instances for managing the files contained in
the database.
 Databases have a mix of physical and logical storage structures. Physical storage
structures include data files, control files that contain metadata about the database and
online redo log files that document changes to data. Logical storage structures include
 data blocks; extents, which group together logically contiguous data blocks; segments,
which are sets of extents; and tablespaces, which serve as logical containers for
segments.
 An Oracle database instance is built around a set of caches, called the system global
area (SGA), that contain pools of shared memory; an instance also includes processes
running in the background that manage I/O functions and monitor database operations
to optimize performance and reliability.
 Separate client processes run the application code for users connected to an instance,
while server processes manage interactions between the client processes and the
database.
 Each server process is assigned a private memory region called a program global
area, separate from the SGA.

Key database features and options

 Oracle Database includes a long list of standard features, add-on options and
management packs in various functional categories, including high availability,
scalability, performance, security and analytics.
 In addition to Oracle Multitenant, Oracle Database In-Memory and RAC, some of the
notable extra-cost items available as part of Enterprise Edition include modules for
automatic workload management, database lifecycle management, performance
tuning, online analytical processing (OLAP), partitioning, data compression, and
management of spatial and graph data.
 An Oracle Advanced Analytics option supports in-database SQL querying and open
source R algorithms for a wider range of analytical processing. High availability
functions include application continuity and automatic block repair tools, plus Data
Guard and Active Data Guard, which offer a set of services for creating backup
databases to provide disaster recovery capabilities and to protect against data
corruption.
 Data stored in Oracle Database can be encrypted to ensure data security, and both the
Standard and Enterprise editions support network encryption and strong
authentication. Many other security features are available as add-on features in
Enterprise Edition.
 For example, Oracle Key Vault software keeps all the encryption keys in one place to
make it easier to decrypt data.
 With Oracle Advanced Security, data can be encrypted transparently and redacted,
making it possible to share data with other users without letting them see confidential
information that they aren't supposed to access.
 Oracle Database Enterprise Edition also has available security features to help DBAs
determine who can access data in the first place, such as Oracle Database Vault,
which prevents users from accessing data they don't have privileges to see.
 Oracle Database Vault also does privilege analysis, so users can be given the lowest
possible access level they require to do their job effectively. Oracle Audit Vault and
Database Firewall supports policy-based auditing of data access to monitor usage; it
also monitors SQL activity and prevents unauthorized SQL traffic from reaching
databases.
SQL Server
 SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by
Microsoft. It is primarily designed and developed to compete with MySQL and
Oracle database.
 SQL Server supports ANSI SQL, which is the standard SQL (Structured Query
Language) language. However, SQL Server comes with its own implementation of
the SQL language, T-SQL (Transact-SQL).
 T-SQL is a Microsoft propriety Language known as Transact-SQL. It provides
further capabilities of declaring variable, exception handling, stored procedure, etc.
History SQL Server
 Microsoft and Sybase released version 1.0 in 1989. However, the partnership between
these two ended in the early 1990s.
 Microsoft maintained ownership rights to the name SQL Server.
 Since the 1990s, subsequent versions of SQL Server have been released including
SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
SQL Server Editions
Following editions are available
SQL Server Enterprise: It is used in the high end, large scale and mission Critical business.
It provides High-end security, Advanced Analytics, Machine Learning, etc.
SQL Server Standard: It is suitable for Mid-Tier Application and Data marts. It includes
basic reporting and analytics.
SQL Server WEB: It is designed for a low total-cost-of-ownership option for Web hosters.
It provides scalability, affordability, and manageability capabilities for small to large scale
Web properties.
SQL Server Developer: It is similar to an enterprise edition for the non-production
environment. It is mainly used for build, test, and demo.
SQL Server Express: It is for small scale applications and free to use.
Key Components and Services of SQL Server
Database Engine: This component handle storage, Rapid transaction Processing, and
Securing Data.
SQL Server: This service starts, stops, pauses, and continues an instance of Microsoft SQL
Server. Executable name is sqlservr.exe.
SQL Server Agent: It performs the role of Task Scheduler. It can be triggered by any event
or as per demand. Executable name is sqlagent.exe.
SQL Server Browser: This listens to the incoming request and connects to the desired SQL
server instance. Executable name is sqlbrowser.exe.
SQL Server Full-Text Search: This lets user running full-text queries against Character data
in SQL Tables. Executable name is fdlauncher.exe.
SQL Server VSS Writer: This allows backup and restoration of data files when the SQL
server is not running. Executable name is sqlwriter.exe.
SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS): Provide Data analysis, Data mining and Machine
Learning capabilities. SQL server is integrated with R and Python language for advanced
analytics. Executable name is msmdsrv.exe.
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): Provides reporting features and decision-making
capabilities. It includes integration with Hadoop. Executable name is
ReportingServicesService.exe
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS): Provided Extract-Transform and Load capabilities
of the different type of data from one source to another. It can be view as converting raw
information into useful information. Executable name is MsDtsSrvr.exe

SQL Server Instances

SQL Server allows you to run multiple services at a go, with each service having separate
logins, ports, databases, etc. These are divided into two:
Primary instances
Named instances.
There are two ways through which we may access the primary instance. First, we can use the
server name. Secondly, we can use its IP address. Named instances are accessed by
appending a backslash and instance name.
For example, to connect to an instance named xyx on the local server, you should use
127.0.0.1\xyz. From SQL Server 2005 and above, you are allowed to run up to 50 instances
simultaneously on a server.
Note that even though you can have multiple instances on the same server, only one of them
must be the default instance while the rest must be named instances. One can run all the
instances concurrently, and each instance runs independent of the other instances.
Importance of SQL Server Instances
The following are the advantages of SQL Server instances:
1. For installation of different versions on one machine
You can have different versions of SQL Server on a single machine. Each installation works
independently from the other installations.
2. For cost reduction
Instances can help us reduce the costs of operating SQL Server, especially in purchasing the
SQL Server license. You can get different services from different instances, hence no need
for purchasing one license for all services.
3. For maintenance of development, production and test environments separately
This is the main benefit of having many SQL Server instances on a single machine. You can
use different instances for development, production and test purposes.
4. For reducing temporary database problems
When you have all services running on a single SQL Server instance, there are high chances
of having problems with the problems, especially problems that keep on recurring. When
such services are run on different instances, you can avoid having such problems.
5. For separating security privileges
When different services are running on different SQL Server instances, you can focus on
securing the instance running the most sensitive service.
6. For maintaining a standby server
A SQL Server instance can fail, leading to an outage of services. This explains the
importance of having a standby server to be brought in if the current server fails. This can
easily be achieved using SQL Server instances.
Usage of SQL Server
To create databases.
To maintain databases.
To analyze the data through SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS).
To generate reports through SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).
To carry out ETL operations through SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS).