Every database platform has some strengths and weaknesses. Some more than others. I caught this site (NSFW) from Erik Darling, and it made my day. I was having a tough one when this site got me to smile and chuckle out loud a few times. I especially like the MySQL and SQL Lite links (again NSFW).
Every platform that you might choose to use to back an application can work in many situations. Certainly scale and load are factors to consider, but for the major relational database platforms, most will work fine for many applications. Some might work better than others, but there are always tradeoffs. There are pros and cons. This is also true for the major NoSQL platforms, though most of my experience is with relational ones, so I tend to lean in that direction.
At the same time, any platform can fail horribly.
What's the difference? Quality database design and software engineering. If you have a knowledgeable staff that works with the platform, they can likely make it work well. If they don't consider the database impact when they code, or aren't skilled with that platform, they can easily make it seem like the database doesn't work well at all. Lots of hardware can help, but it often can't outrun poor data models, poor query structures, or a lack of indexing.
Quality of code matters, as many data professionals know. We often aren't given enough time to do the job right, but we know that's the case. It doesn't do any good to complain or bemoan the fact that there is never enough time to fix things or improve them.
We need to write better code to start with, which means learning to write better code. Understand what impacts performance, where you can change your patterns and habits. Watch Erik's posts, learn from Jeff how to build test data sets to stress your queries if you don't have good test data. Learn to do a better job in the same amount of time.
Changing platforms won't magically fix things, no matter what your CTO/director/manager thinks. Especially if your team doesn't already have experience on the new platform.
