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Oracle supports Microsoft

May 16, 2008

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in conversations around the topic of “Oracle vs. Microsoft”. I’ve heard both sides of the story ranging from “SQL Server for mission critical operations…are you crazy!” to “Oracle costs me my first born child…year after year!”. While these discussions are often entertaining, the line delineating the two database giants is blurring by each subsequent release.

In my years consulting for LÛCRUM, I have worked for numerous clients that have had installations of both Oracle and Microsoft running in their environments. With recent statistics estimating that Oracle controls >50% of the database market and Microsoft controlling >50% of the server operating system market, are you surprised? SQL Server only runs on Microsoft. Oracle offers more operating system versatility. While you’ll see UNIX and Linux installations, Oracle’s ability to run on Microsoft remains strong and they are improving their functionality with respect to Microsoft development. Where might an Oracle database deployed on a Microsoft server make most sense? In the small and mid-sized business market (SMB). In the SMB market, Oracle has competitively priced versions such as Oracle Database Standard Edition and Standard Edition One.

So what advantages does running Oracle on Microsoft have to offer? First, Oracle has tight integration with Active Directory and Windows Security Framework. Items such as single sign-on and security via database role and Active Directory group fall into this category. Next, Oracle offers 32-bit and 64-bit versions. In the 32-bit version, Oracle is able to utilize up to 3GB (out of a 4GB O.S. maximum) of system memory for database use. Finally, Oracle has also been working on enhancing its ability to integrate with the Windows development suite, specifically Visual Studio 2008. Oracle supports .NET in 3 ways. The Oracle Data Provider for .NET leverages ADO.NET API and allows .NET applications to access Oracle data. These APIs should be familiar to most Microsoft developers. In addition, through an add-in (free for that matter), developers can work with Oracle services via Visual Studio 2005 (and 2008 as previously mentioned). Through the development suite, developers have access to various wizards to perform various database tasks (i.e. DDL), a procedure editor (for PL/SQL procedures, packages, and functions), a Debugger for runtime error interaction, and integrated help for items such as Oracle error reference, SQL, and PL/SQL user manuals. Lastly, Oracle has integrated .NET extensions directly inside the database. This allows developers to created stored procedures and functions using C# or VB.NET within Visual Studio. This code can then be deployed to the database and referenced wherever a stored procedure or function is permitted.

Oracle has shown it is advantageous to offer solutions that fit neatly into an operating system that controls the majority of the server market, even if that vendor also happens to be a major competitor in the database market. Offer a product that is extensible and easy to use with development GUIs is sure to give you a seat at the table when it comes to choosing a solution for your organization. That is precisely why Oracle supports Microsoft (most of the time <grin>).

Dave

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Written by Dave Cordas · Filed Under Information Technology 

Comments

2 Responses to “Oracle supports Microsoft”

  1. Scott Felten on June 9th, 2008 8:52 am

    Dave,

    I have been caught in the middle of the MS V. Oracle “Jihad” often and if it truly comes down to a Jihad - then everyone looses because the business is paralyzed and can’t move forward.

    Seriously, I can’t imagine what MS would look like without Oracle spurring them on! And I can’t imagine what Oracle would look like without MS nipping at their heels! This level of competition only brings good things to us who are patient, those of us who avoid the collateral damage of the Jihad and thrive on practicality and common sense.

    I recently rolled off of an engagement where they were running not only Oracle and Microsoft, but also IBM DB2 UDB, Informix (almost 3000 installations), Sybase, RedBrick (not sure if I spelled this one correctly and guess what, even Google no longer has information on these folks), and MySql. They are very aware of the lifecycle of each product and when and how they should be used - because they did it right - they have a _real_ governance with _real_ architects making _real_ decisions in _real_ time (sorry had to go for four _real_s).

    Bottom line is what products do you have, where? What are they doing? What skills do have and how will your organization look 2,3-5 years from now? What is the TOC for each product and what’s your best swag at an ROI? Then, develop a strategy - but commit to revisiting it twice a year at least to ensure it’s still running the business!

    ~ Scott Felten

  2. Jodie Heflin on June 11th, 2008 2:32 pm

    Ah yes, the great debate.

    Since my first introduction to Oracle in 1993, I have remained a loyal “non-Oracle” devotee.

    What I find most amusing is that the choice is usually made by whomever is in charge when something new needs to be installed. Once they are gone, you see the next *great* tool get installed and so on…

    Since they all seem to support each other; at this point, does it really matter which you chose?

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