Is Duckdb Ready for Primetime?

Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago

astigsen

30 points

10 comments

exasol.comTech Discussionstory

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DuckdbDatabase ComparisonData Analytics

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Duckdb

Database Comparison

Data Analytics

The debate around DuckDB's readiness for primetime heats up as a benchmark comparison with Exasol sparks intense discussion. Commenters are divided, with some praising Exasol's impressive performance, being 4× faster than DuckDB without even leveraging a cluster, while others argue that "primetime" readiness isn't just about speed, but also user experience, where DuckDB shines. As some users call for a full TPC-H comparison to validate the results, others raise eyebrows over the possibility of astroturfing, given the influx of new accounts praising Exasol. The thread remains riveting as it pits the lightweight, user-friendly DuckDB against the high-performance Exasol.

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01Story posted
Aug 27, 2025 at 6:02 AM EDT
4 months ago
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02First comment
Aug 27, 2025 at 8:39 AM EDT
3h after posting
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03Peak activity
4 comments in 0-12h
Hottest window of the conversation
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04Latest activity
Sep 2, 2025 at 9:35 AM EDT
4 months ago
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Discussion (10 comments)

Showing 10 comments

fwberlin

4 months ago

1 reply

Interesting read. Would love to see a full TPC-H comparison if the performance difference is already that obvious in the PDS benchmark.

chauhanbk1551

4 months ago

Totally agree—seeing such a gap in the PDS benchmark makes me wonder how things would look on a full TPC-H run in the future. If Exasol’s performance scales the same way, it could be eye-opening!

reverseindex

4 months ago

1 reply

Surprised to see these results given how leight-weight DuckDB is. However, I'd argue that "primetime" is not just about speed, but also UX where DuckDB definitely shines.

chauhanbk1551

4 months ago

That’s a fair point—DuckDB’s lightweight design and intuitive UX are big reasons it’s gained traction, especially for analytics on the desktop or in embedded scenarios. But when it comes to “primetime” in the sense of enterprise-grade analytics—think massive concurrency, complex workloads, and scaling across distributed environments— Exasol I see as one of the solution.

DuckDB is fantastic for local analytics and prototyping, but when your needs move into enterprise territory—where performance, reliability, and manageability at scale become critical.

fg_exa

4 months ago

1 reply

Wow, didn’t expect that! I always thought DuckDB was unbeatable on a single machine, but seeing Exasol not just keep up but actually crush it. Being 4× faster even without a cluster is really wild. The fact that its MPP DNA translates so well to a single box really shows how mature the optimizer and execution engine are. Hats off! Exasol isn’t just “good at scale,” it’s seriously impressive even in the playground DuckDB was built for.

chauhanbk1551

4 months ago

Absolutely! DuckDB’s reputation for single-machine speed is well-earned, but seeing Exasol outpace it—without even leveraging a cluster—really highlights how much thought has gone into its engine. It’s cool to see that “big league” architecture pay off, even in the kind of scenarios where DuckDB usually shines.

geab

4 months ago

I would love to see a comparison with 1 TB, 5 TB, 10 TB or even more data. This is what makes it really interesting

Lille81

4 months ago

Exasol is ready for Primetime for sure. German analytics Powerengine

hero-24

4 months ago

Is this true? Has anyone actually tested and confirmed?

parsadotsh

4 months ago

Whenever I see lots of comments from newly created accounts praising a product I think: Astroturfing?