SQL Server VS Oracle
by Shah
I’ve been youtubing around (Oh, I like this word - youtubing around..hmm..I’ll use it more often) and stumbled onto the video of sqlvsoracle.
Here it is.
Well, I agree. From what I’ve seen - “people” do prefer MS. SQL Server to Oracle. However, I disagree on the statement that MS. SQL Server is better than Oracle. Why? Well, the main features of Oracle 11g speak for themselves.
- Database Replay which captures SQL statements for replay.
- Transaction Management - for archiving. LogMiner is also used.
- SQL Plan Management - ensures that the execution plan is ok before usage.
- SQL Access Advisor - provides advice on actual use of table and not just data.
- RMAN - does parallel backup of same file, create and managee virtual catalogs.
- Automatic Storage Management
- Caching and Pooling
- Secure Files (LOB encryption, compression, deduplication, and asynchronicity)
- Data Guard - query physical standby database in real time without shutting down recovery.
- Data Warehousing
- Partitioning (Referential, Internal, and Virtual Column partitioning)
- Schema Management - add columns with a default value easily and explore invisible indexes, virtual columns, and read only tables.
- SQL Performance Analyser - assess the impact of rewriting of SQL statements and get advised improvements.
- PL/SQL: Efficient Coding.
- Security (Tablespace Encryption, case-sensitive passwords, data masking, etc.)
- Manageability - Explore automatic memory management, multicolumn stats, online patchings, etc.
- SQL Operations: Pivot and Unpivot (Present information in a spreadsheet-type cross tab report for any relational table using Simple SQL, and store any data from a crosstab table to a relational table.)
- Resiliency - Includes an Automatic Diagnostic Repository.
- PL/SQL Performance - Explore in-lining of code, “real” native complilation, PLS timer, etc.
The above video featured MS. SQL Server 2005. Let’s check out the main features of the 2008 release.
- Security and Data Auditing (encryption of data, key management, data auditing with DDL (Data Definition Language) commands)
- Reliability - support multicore processors and there is paging support.
- Perfomance - compression technology, cache (the server stops and caching layer is used,) resource management incl.
- Management - Policy-Based Management Framework, operation costs management, extended events.
- Development Stuff like Entity Data Modelling, LINQ, Table Valued Parameters, MERGE statement, large UDT, support for geographical and geometrical data types.
- Service Broker
- Data Storage
- Data Warehousing - Parallelism Table Partitioning
- Reporting - IIS is not required to run Reporting Services
I believe people prefer MS. SQL Server because of VS.NET. VS.NET is more than just a suite. The IDE itself along with its ready-made controls make it compelling enough. While one will probably have code an entire portal using .NET framework with SQL Server as backend from scratch (though a smart developer will either go for component re-use or go for an open source app,) Oracle provides Oracle Portal. Oracle Portal is the only enterprise portal solution that provides the necessary breadth of functionality — content management, document authoring and publishing, portlet-based integration (Portlets are the building blocks of portal pages,) identity management, systems management, business intelligence, Web caching, and multichannel access — to develop and deploy an enterprise-scale portal solution. Oracle integrates these pieces to reduce complexity and speed up portal development and delivery.
Portlets for Oracle can be created by PDK. - that’s only 1 way. The Portal also provides the creation of portlets though interfaces.
Fine! As in the above video, One may argue that we need even more professionals to manage each part of the system if it’s Oracle. I agree it - that’s Oracle 11g.
However, Oracle Fusion will be here to cater for this problem.
Before you read about Fusion, take note that Oracle will continue providing enhancements to current JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, JD Edwards World, Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, and Siebel product lines beyond the delivery of Oracle Fusion Applications.
Oracle Fusion Architecture is a unifying model of emerging trends in grid computing architecture, service oriented architecture, and enterprise information architecture. While each trend is a study unto itself, the fact that these techniques can now be united into a single architecture is an exciting idea. It gives customers and partners a good view of the direction that Oracle is taking to make the most of our core strengths in database, middleware and business applications. —Charles Phillips, President, Oracle
Fusion Architecture:
- Flexible Applications –Develop Modular Service-Oriented Applications
- AdaptiveBusiness Processes –Design, Monitor,Optimize Flexible Business Processes
- Actionable Business Insight –Drive Performancewith Consolidated, Actionable Intelligence
- Consolidated Information Management –Consolidate Information with Unified Data Model in Clustered DBMS
- Collaborative Portals –Connect People, Information and Processes, in context
- Better Security & Ownership –Deploy andManage onGrids with Unified Identity Management
Do listen to the podcast (with Cliff Godwin and Nadia Bendjedou):
Watch out the slides - Top 10 Things to Get to Fusion.
I’m drooling @ Oracle.
Yup, I do realise that I’m biased.
And for those who believe that I’ve not considered pricing as an issue, well it’s true. Information is the central part of everything. Money should not be an issue when investing in a product. Else, there are a series of open source apps or cheap proprietary software which can be used even though maintenance may be costly in the long run and the inefficiency due to the lack of customisation leads to money being lost.
With Oracle, you get what you pay for. You are not a slave of a single platform.
I believe Oracle rules! And with Oracle Fusion coming out, MS. SQL Server seems to be on a path leading to it being extermineeren (but it is still a good product which is cheaper and offers features which are most common. So, it will live on, just like it rocks for some people.)
Read more here