Dive Brief:
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Microsoft’s SQL Server was the fastest growing database product in 2016, according to new research from Austrian consulting company Solid IT.
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Oracle remains the most popular database overall, and was the fastest growing in 2015.
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Microsoft SQL held the number three spot in the rankings for the last several years.
Dive Insight:
The rise of open source database products may soon overthrow both Oracle and Microsoft, however. SolidIT found overall, open source databases are growing faster than commercial databases. Even Oracle’s open source database, MySQL, is almost as commonplace as its proprietary solution.
Opening up to open source may have helped propel Microsoft’s popularity this year. In March, Microsoft announced that it would release a version of SQL Server that runs on the open source Linux operating system, and it appears bringing SQL Server to Linux opened up a big new market for the product.
Overall, Microsoft has successfully stage a resurgence over the last few years, and moves like becoming Linux-friendly is helping the company attract more large business customers.
