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VistaDB vs. Microsoft SQL Server 2005, ORACLE and DB2

VistaDB is not designed to be an alternative to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, ORACLE or DB2. These high-performance enterprise level databases were designed for supporting large enterprise-wide database applications.

SQL Server is generally too expensive for most developers and small businesses. Even the entry level edition of SQL Server costs approximately. $1,500 per server, which makes it cost prohibitive for most small to midsize companies that need to deploy multiple copies of their .NET applications.

SQL Server pricing can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/default.asp

Additionally, SQL Server requires that it be run on a Server Edition of Windows since it will not work on non-server editions of Windows, whereas VistaDB Server can run on any class machine.

In summary, SQL Server is overkill in size, features and cost for most developers and companies developing small to midsize database applications. A typical installation is well over 200MB which is over 350 times larger than VistaDB! And these enterprise-level database systems are so complex that they usually need full-time Database Administrators (DBAs) to manage them.

However, for developers that need to build small applications for individuals or for departments within the organization VistaDB can be a great alternative to these enterprise level databases since VistaDB does not require a system administrator and deployment is a breeze. In these cases, consider using VistaDB as a complement to your smaller SQL Server, ORACLE or DB2 projects.