Donald Feinberg, Vice President and Chief Research Analyst at Gartner, stated, “The decline of fully relational DBMS will continue, and more companies will adopt modern solutions.” He added, “Adopting modern DBMS offers various benefits, including reduced maintenance costs, improved system flexibility and agility, and an expanded technology base. The adoption of modern systems and databases is urgent.” "I recommend starting right now," he said.


It is slow, expensive, and has low compatibility.

The most important factor and motivation for replacing a fully relational DBMS is that the technology is outdated. Fully relational DBMSs were designed to handle database sizes in the megabyte and gigabyte range. Feinberg stated, “Not only is it insufficient to manage today’s big data systems with technology from decades ago, but the management and access tools for these large-scale systems do not support fully relational DBMSs,” adding, “To use big data systems, you must move data to a modern DBMS and secure additional latency.”

In contrast, modern relational DBMSs are designed to handle multiterabyte online transaction processing applications where thousands of users access the system simultaneously. These DBMSs provide all the features of fully relational DBMSs while offering additional scalability, flexibility, and functionality.

Feinberg emphasized, “The cloud is also a factor that must be considered,” adding, “While the cloud did not exist during the era of full-relational DBMS, various systems and applications, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), are now utilizing cloud resources. Services that extract cloud data or connect it to full-relational DBMS are hard to find, and combining cloud and full-relational technologies in an effective and cost-effective manner is also virtually impossible. Database Platform as a Service (dbPaaS) products are a valid, modern alternative.”

Companies wishing to continue using a fully relational DBMS must allocate additional budget for maintenance and consulting. If the established infrastructure shrinks, vendors must increase maintenance and support costs to compensate for the reduced base. Feinberg stated, “The weakening of the technical foundation supporting fully relational DBMS technology means that the cost burden is rising,” adding, “Universities no longer teach this technology. Personnel who previously dedicated themselves to this technology within IT departments have transitioned to external consulting roles and are providing services at higher prices.”


Alternative options

Corporate data and analytics personnel must carefully review various options to replace full relational applications and DBMS platforms and select the optimal option for migrating or replacing each system.

Data and analytics professionals must establish a migration plan based on platform options and actual estimated costs. Gartner believes that migration costs can be offset by reduced maintenance costs, mitigated downsizing of the technology base, and enhanced overall scalability and functionality of the new platform. If the necessary in-house personnel are unavailable, there are many consultants capable of supporting these migration projects, but consulting fees will apply.

Gartner's customers can view more details through a research report titled "Outdated Relational Database Management Systems Must Now Be Replaced."