tejus

We are wondering whether to use SQL Server 2005 or MySQL as our database. The database will store the following information (for stocks & bonds):

1. Market activity information – price, volume, open, high, low, close for various instruments. 2. Fundamental information – balance sheet line items, income statement line items, news stories etc. 3. Technical indicator values – commonly used moving averages, RSIs etc.

Typical use scenario will be that a browser will request the following information:

1. Data for an stock/bond 2. Data for a certain day/time (across a bunch of stocks).

The predominant concern here is : SPEED. The application should very quickly be able to handle requests and spit out the necessary data to a .NET client.

Do you have any idea what might be the fastest solution in this situation? Can you ask your coders for any suggestions?

I am tempted to go with MySQL since it is free vs. high licensing costs for SQL Server.

The main reason I am considering SQL Server is because of a notion in my head that if it's a .NET/Windows application, SQL Server may be faster.

Thanks!

We are a startup, deploying an application that will require a monthly & yearly license fee from users - nothing too complicated. This is our first startup, and we've seen a range of opinions online on how to process payments. I'd be interested to hear how YC'ers have tackled this question!