Question

What are the best database management systems ?

Answer 1

Your choice of DBMS will depend on your choice of database and needs. Best is a case by case answer.

Answer 2

The answer is it depends. If you are considering web or native applications.
In the list below I’ll talk briefly about each DBMS, give you some pros and cons each of them.

MySQL Community Server

This DBMS gets the number one nod mainly because the community version is free and is a great platform to begin learning on. There are, of course, commercial versions of MySQL for sale once you get to the point where you are developing large scale commercial applications, but getting started will cost you a big fat nothing.

Microsoft Access

Unlike MySQL, Microsoft’s Access is not free. However, as it is part of Microsoft Office, many developers already have it. Even if you don’t use Microsoft Office you can still download a trial version of Access which will get you 60 days to play around with it and see if it is for you.
Access does have some key similarities to MySQL. It lets you design a table or task visually and then see the syntax that gets created. There are also some good and not so good differences. On the good side Access doesn’t have two separate installations (one for the DBMS and one for the design tool) but rather all comes as a single application. On the down side, Access has some significant limitations. It’s not nearly as flexible on which operating systems it can be installed on. More significantly, it has a serious limitation in how many concurrent connections it can handle before performance degrades.

Microsoft SQL Server Express

With this DBMS and the next two, we step up to the big boys. Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and DB2 are the most popular of the major DBMS’s. They each have separate design tools and server applications that must be installed.
In truth, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Express and DB2 Express are all very similar in tools and functionality. Their biggest differences lie in the syntax of their SQL, therefore, they are not really listed in any particular order. The Microsoft SQL Server option does have one drawback in that the operating systems it will run on are limited.

Oracle Express Edition

Oracle Express also has tools and a separate server application. It also has more operating system options than Microsoft SQL Server Express. The download options are also much more abundant than the others in this list.

DB2 Express-C

The install options and supported OSes of DB2 Express-C are very similar to those of Oracle Express. Online tutorials, articles and examples, however, are not as abundant as the other options in this list but are still more than adequate.

So, Which One Do I Choose?

When deciding where to start I suggest you go through a simple series of common sense questions:

Are you learning SQL for work?

If you are learning SQL for work, for example, you will be best served selecting the same DBMS that you use at work. By selecting the same DBMS that you use at work you will save yourself much pain and suffering with SQL syntax confusion when you start doing actual development.

Are you learning SQL with or for a web development technology like PHP or ASP.NET?

If you are learning SQL to use with a web development technology then you will find that your life will be much easier if you select a DBMS that is either created by or made to work with your web technology of choice. For example, ASP.NET developers will usually select Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Access, PHP developers will usually choose MySQL or Oracle, and Java/WebSphere developers will usually select DB2.

Are you learning just to expand your brain?

If none of the questions above really apply to you I would suggest you choose either MySQL or Microsoft Access as they have good user interfaces and great online content.

Answer 3

There's also PostgreSQL, which is open source (free).

DBMSs are beasts. If you're looking to learn about databases and SQL, you should take a look at SQLite. It's MUCH less complicated to start with and it'll take quite a while to outgrow it.