Ingres
Ingres is a relational database management system (RDBMS) originally developed as a research project at UC Berkeley in the 1970s and now owned and maintained by Actian, the data and analytics division of HCLSoftware.
Publisher review
Ingres is a relational database management system (RDBMS) originally developed as a research project at UC Berkeley in the 1970s and now owned and maintained by Actian, the data and analytics division of HCLSoftware. It is designed for enterprises that require a SQL-standard transactional database capable of handling both online transaction processing (OLTP) and analytical workloads from a single platform. The system is used by over 3,000 customers globally, including Lufthansa Systems, The Irish Office of Revenue Commission, and Capita Software Services, making it a fit for organizations with legacy applications that need modernized cloud deployment, hardened security, and predictable performance under mixed workloads.
Ingres 12.0, launched on June 4, 2024, introduces several performance and operational improvements. Analytical queries can run up to 20% faster using the X100 engine, and the system supports both row-based and columnar storage formats to optimize for transactional or analytical access patterns. Per-query parallelism distributes work across multiple CPU cores, while automated workload management (Workload Manager 2.0) ensures critical queries receive precedence over lower-priority tasks. Query result caching with automatic overflow to disk eliminates waiting for memory, and Autostats automatically updates statistics to optimize execution plans. For security, Ingres provides AES-256 encryption and hardened security controls, plus backup to cloud and disaster recovery via Virtual Machines or Docker containers in Kubernetes.
In the market, Ingres competes directly with MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and ODABA. Its strengths lie in its long-standing reliability, strong security and compliance features, and flexible deployment options (on-premises, cloud, hybrid). However, its licensing model is more restrictive than open-source alternatives: licenses can become invalid if the number of cores on a server is increased or the license.xml file is deleted, moved, or changed. High-availability/failover servers require fully paid licenses, and disaster recovery servers also need a separate license file because the server fingerprint differs from production. Temporary and extension licenses are limited to 30 days (plus a 30-day grace period), and client installs using DBMS utilities may require an evaluation license.
Honest trade-offs include a licensing model that penalizes hardware changes and requires careful planning for HA/DR setups. While the system offers low total cost of ownership compared to some commercial databases, larger commercial engine licenses can cost roughly 10x the current pricing for larger systems. The community ecosystem is smaller than PostgreSQL or MySQL, meaning fewer third-party tools and less community support. Additionally, the system has a steeper learning curve for administrators unfamiliar with its proprietary tooling, such as Actian OpenROAD 12.0 for application modernization.
How it works
-
Dual storage formats
Supports both row-based and columnar storage, allowing the same database to optimize for transactional or analytical queries.
-
Per-query parallelism
Distributes each query across multiple CPU cores to reduce response times for complex analytical and transactional workloads.
-
Automated workload management
Workload Manager 2.0 prioritizes critical queries and allocates resources dynamically to prevent contention during peak loads.
-
Query result caching
Caches query results in memory and automatically overflows to disk when memory is exhausted, eliminating waits for memory allocation.
-
Autostats optimizer
Automatically gathers and updates table statistics to help the query planner choose efficient execution paths without manual DBA intervention.
-
X100 analytical engine
Delivers up to 20% faster analytical queries compared to previous versions by leveraging vectorized processing for columnar data.
-
AES-256 encryption
Protects data at rest and in transit with AES-256 encryption, meeting enterprise compliance requirements for sensitive data.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Strong security and compliance features include AES-256 encryption and hardened security controls, meeting enterprise audit requirements.
- Flexible deployment options support on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, with backup to cloud and DR via VMs or Docker containers in Kubernetes.
- Supports transactional and analytical workloads from a single database using row-based and columnar storage formats, eliminating the need for separate systems.
- Proven track record with over 3,000 customers running billions of transactions, including Lufthansa Systems and The Irish Office of Revenue Commission.
Trade-offs
- Licensing can become invalid if the number of cores on a server is increased or the license.xml file is deleted, moved, or changed, requiring a new license within three days before the database pauses.
- High-availability and failover servers require fully paid licenses, and disaster recovery servers need separate license files because the server fingerprint differs from production.
- Temporary and extension licenses are limited to 30 days (plus a 30-day grace period), and client installs using DBMS utilities may require an evaluation license to proceed.
- Larger commercial engine licenses for bigger systems can cost roughly 10x the current pricing, making scaling expensive compared to open-source alternatives.
Pricing context
Subscription-based pricing structured by deployment option (on-premises, cloud, hybrid), user seats, and feature sets. On-premises licenses are based on core or processor counts; cloud deployments are priced on managed service consumption. Larger commercial engine licenses may cost approximately 10x standard pricing. Contact Actian sales for exact quotes.
Getting started with Ingres
-
Sign up for Ingres
Visit the Actian website and complete the registration form to obtain a trial or commercial license. Choose your deployment option: on-premises, cloud, or hybrid. After registration, download the Ingres installer and the license.xml file.
-
Install Ingres database
Run the Ingres installer on your target server. Follow the prompts to accept the license agreement and specify the installation directory. During installation, provide the license.xml file to activate the database. Complete the setup and verify the service starts.
-
Connect to the database
Open a terminal or command prompt and use the `sql` command-line tool to connect to the Ingres instance. Enter your database name, username, and password. For example: `sql mydb -u admin -p password`. Confirm the connection succeeds.
-
Create a sample table
Execute a CREATE TABLE statement to define a table with columns for your data. For instance: `CREATE TABLE employees (id INT, name VARCHAR(100), salary DECIMAL(10,2));`. Use the SQL prompt to run the command and verify the table is created.
-
Schedule automated backups
Configure a backup job using the `ingbackup` utility or a cron job. Specify the backup destination, such as a local directory or cloud storage. Set the schedule to run daily or weekly, and test the backup by restoring a copy to a test environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ingres database?
Ingres is a relational database management system originally developed at UC Berkeley in the 1970s. Now owned by Actian, it handles both transactional and analytical workloads from a single platform, used by over 3,000 customers globally including Lufthansa Systems.
What are the key features of Ingres 12.0?
Ingres 12.0 offers up to 20% faster analytical queries with the X100 engine, dual row and columnar storage, per-query parallelism, automated workload management, query result caching, Autostats optimizer, and AES-256 encryption for security.
How does Ingres licensing work?
Ingres uses subscription-based pricing for on-premises, cloud, or hybrid deployments. Licenses can become invalid if cores increase or license.xml changes. High-availability servers need full licenses, and disaster recovery servers require separate license files due to fingerprint differences.
What are Ingres deployment options?
Ingres supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployments. It offers backup to cloud and disaster recovery via virtual machines or Docker containers in Kubernetes, providing flexibility for organizations with legacy applications needing modernization.
How does Ingres compare to PostgreSQL?
Ingres competes with PostgreSQL but has a smaller community and fewer third-party tools. Its licensing is more restrictive, penalizing hardware changes. However, Ingres offers strong security, compliance features, and support for mixed workloads from a single database.
What security features does Ingres provide?
Ingres includes AES-256 encryption for data at rest and in transit, along with hardened security controls to meet enterprise compliance requirements. These features help protect sensitive data and satisfy audit needs for organizations like government agencies.
Alternatives
- Actian Ingres ↗
- Airtable ↗
- Actian X ↗
How Ingres compares
Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
Ingres
- Pricing
- Subscription-based pricing structured by deployment option (on-premises, cloud, hybrid), user seats, and feature sets. On-premises licenses are based on core or processor counts; cloud deployments are priced on managed service consumption. Larger commercial engine licenses may cost approximately 10x standard pricing. Contact Actian sales for exact quotes.
- Target
- Ingres is a relational database management system (RDBMS) originally developed as a research project at UC Berkeley in the 1970s and now owned and maintained
- Strength
- Strong security and compliance features include AES-256 encryption and hardened security controls, meeting enterprise audit requirements.
- Watch for
- Licensing can become invalid if the number of cores on a server is increased or the license.xml file is deleted, moved, or changed, requiring a new license within three days before the database pauses.
Actian Ingres
- Pricing
- Subscription-based; custom pricing per core or processor for on-prem, consumption-based for cloud.
- Target
- Organizations modernizing legacy Ingres applications with cloud and web front-ends.
- Deployment
- On-premises, cloud, hybrid.
- Strength
- Direct migration path from legacy Ingres to modern cloud platforms.
- Watch for
- Licensing divergence between on-prem and cloud versions cited by users.
Airtable
- Pricing
- Free tier; Team $20/user/month; Business $45/user/month; Enterprise Scale custom.
- Target
- Teams needing a flexible, no-code database with spreadsheet-like interface.
- Deployment
- Cloud (SaaS), mobile apps.
- Strength
- Ease of use and rapid prototyping for non-technical users.
- Watch for
- Limited relational database capabilities and row limits on lower tiers.
Actian X
- Pricing
- Custom pricing based on deployment and feature set; contact sales.
- Target
- Users needing hybrid transactional/analytical processing from legacy Ingres data.
- Deployment
- On-premises, cloud, hybrid.
- Strength
- Combines Ingres RDBMS with Vector analytics for hybrid workloads.
- Watch for
- Complexity in managing hybrid on-prem/cloud licensing.
User reviews
No user reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
Sources
Reporting on this tool draws on these publicly available sources.