For me as a DBA, the most important features are the partitioning option, active data guard, and security options. All of these are very useful for my daily workflow.
Vice Director of IT Department at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
For me as a DBA, the most important features are the partitioning option, active data guard, and security options.
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
Oracle Database is the core of our enterprise information system, which I maintain.
What needs improvement?
I think Oracle 12c has a lot of new functionality that has never been in the previous versions I work with, 8i to 11g, for example, master-slave architecture where you can plug and run multiple databases from a single master database as well as the ability to create a container database (CDB) that contains all the Oracle-level data and data dictionary.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it since 2000, so more than 15 years.
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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
All the issues I dealt with during deployment have been related to other applications and not the Database itself. All of the issues were fixed by programmers during the deployment and test implementation phases.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
All the issues I dealt with in regards to instability have been related to other applications and not the Database itself. All of the issues were fixed by programmers during the deployment and test implementation phases.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
All the issues I dealt with in scaling it have been related to other applications and not the Database itself. All of the issues were fixed by programmers during the deployment and test implementation phases.
How are customer service and support?
Oracle has an excellent knowledge base and, using this, I fixed over 90% of issues myself.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and 2012, but my main activity is Oracle RDBMS.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup steps are very straightforward and clearly set out in the documentation.
What about the implementation team?
I have experience with implementation both through a vendor team and in-house. I would strongly recommend to have a very clear understanding of how an applied system works because the most issues you will have to deal with are with the applied logic, and not with the Database itself.
What was our ROI?
It depends on applied information system and what kind of RDBMS features and options have been used by your development team or by the vendor.
What other advice do I have?
If you want to have a high-performing, stable, secure, and scalable system, you will choose Oracle Database.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Lead Oracle / Peoplesoft DBA at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
In our experience, Oracle Database is highly stable, which is the best part of it.
Valuable Features
The key and most valuable feature of any database solution is its stability. In our experience, Oracle Database is highly stable, which is the best part of it. It's certainly much more stable than Microsoft SQL Server.
Improvements to My Organization
The biggest improvement to our organization is that with ODB's stability, it gives us back our time and attention to deal with more pressing issues. We know that we have ready access to our data with ODB, and that it can be relied on.
Room for Improvement
Although ODB is stable and reliable, to make stable and reliable it has to be carefully planned because it's complicated. You really have to know how Oracle works in order to not make mistakes that compromises the DB's functioning. You have to know what you're doing and you should make sure your entire team is familiar with the documentation.
Deployment Issues
We've had no issues deploying it. Again, you have to be careful, though, because it's complicated.
Stability Issues
Stability is a 5 out of 5. Again, ODB's stability is its best and most important feature for us.
Scalability Issues
Scalability is a 5 out of 5. We've been able to scale it for our needs.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Technical support isn't perfect. I give them a 4 out of 5.
Initial Setup
I found setup to be complicated depending on how it's to be used. For us, it was complicated but we knew what we were doing.
Other Advice
There's a lot more to Oracle, and it's not as simple as you think. It's not like anybody can go and install it because you need to know what you're doing. As a team, you have to go through all the proper documentation.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Oracle Database
November 2024
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816,562 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Project Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Serve your business confidently and help it grow with Oracle RDBMS.
What is most valuable?
From a business stand point, the ability to go to market, compliance and business enabling is what matters most. Oracle database has rich functionalities that helped us design a system that meets our business' changing needs. However I was responsible for maintaining service levels. My focus was on how to provide consistent response time and the throughput amidst changing business needs and growing data. Oracle database offers one of the industry's best diagnostic infrastructure that enables expert DBA to know exactly how system behaves under different workload, thus able to proactively prevent any performance bottlenecks or quickly respond to exceptional situation or even be able to predict future performance.
How has it helped my organization?
Databases are usually unknown to business users. The business users draw value by using the system to operate the business processes and making the decision at various stages. Businesses do not expect exceptions in their daily routine from a computerized system. Having said that, consistently performing systems enables businesses to serve the customer in consistent manner.
What needs improvement?
Today we do lots of database consolidations, which means multiple applications reside in the same physical databases using one or more schema. I would like to see some seamless feature to simply drag and drop all the objects belong to one application from one database to another database.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Oracle database releases from 8i to 11g since 2001. We used it primarily as a database component of Oracle Application 11i. Subsequently we continue to expand the usage to many new application systems including business intelligence and B2B applications.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Oracle databases are the most reliable, accompanied by good documentation and support. We never encountered an issue during the deployment which was due to a product issue.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Any system goes through a phase of stabilizing which takes a fair amount of time. Fortunately, with Oracle database, this time has reduced significantly.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Not in our line of business.
How are customer service and technical support?
Since 2001, I have enjoyed reliable service from Oracle Support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We always used Oracle Database. We also have SQL Server databases serving many small-medium scale applications. And they perform better as well. In my experience, SQL server databases offers stable database environment. It is easy to use and quick to learn for new DBAs with same windows UI.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was certainly complex, specifically from the application standpoint. We had deployed many new modules that Oracle Application 11i offered in their version 11.5.4. These products had significant impact on database performance. There were also many customizations in the application system. It took us almost 6 months to establish consistently performing system environment.
What about the implementation team?
In Singapore we implemented through Oracle Consulting. They are one of the best in the industry with a huge amount of dedication.
What other advice do I have?
Oracle database is one of the best database systems with largest population of experts around helping the global communities. Hence the knowledgebase is rich and vast. However, workout a strong business case in order to get it approved by the sponsor. As a technology expert, IT function needs clear strategy while selecting one product over another.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Systems Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
Good security and reliability, but needs better pricing and support
Pros and Cons
- "Its security and reliability are most valuable."
- "They should reduce its price and provide faster support."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for various applications. We have multiple versions, including version 19.
What is most valuable?
Its security and reliability are most valuable.
What needs improvement?
They should reduce its price and provide faster support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have more than 1,000 users, and we don't have any plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and support?
They should provide a faster response.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have different solutions for different needs.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy to install. It took less than an hour.
What about the implementation team?
We can install it ourselves. We generally have two or three admins, but it also depends on the size.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its licensing is yearly. It is expensive, and it should be cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it a seven out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Business Development Manager of Storage Systems at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Relatively stable solution that offers good support
Pros and Cons
- "A scalable solution with straightforward initial setup."
- "The licensing model is complicated and could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The most popular use case is minimizing the latency of online transactions.
What needs improvement?
In the future, they should change their licensing policy. Right now, it's quite difficult because you have to pay for cores, number of cores, and it depends— if you use some servers, it's one price, if you use another server like IBM, it's another price and it's complicated. Their licensing model could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it for over ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is fine for the time being, but it could be more stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is fine. I can't complain.
How are customer service and support?
Support is fine. I don't remember having any complaints. It's quite good.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is straightforward. One or two of our engineers handled it and it took about 15 to 30 minutes. One person would even be enough.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Oracle licensing model is quite difficult. You have to pay for everything.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
You should definitely take time for planning and always keep the backup of your data. Planning is important, you should have a plan for everything.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Senior Manager -Datacenter Planning and Operations at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable database solution with high performance levels
Pros and Cons
- "Oracle Database is very stable. In terms of stability and performance, Oracle is super. On the database side, Oracle is number one in our tests."
- "The price could be better. Oracle Database could also be easier to scale."
What is our primary use case?
We are running Oracle databases in Oracle Exadata.
What is most valuable?
Oracle Database is very stable. In terms of stability and performance, Oracle is super. On the database side, Oracle is number one in our tests.
What needs improvement?
The price could be better. Oracle Database could also be easier to scale.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Oracle Database for quite a long time, and probably since 2002.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Oracle Database is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Oracle Database could be easier to scale. As Exadata is not easily scalable, Oracle Database is also not easy to scale. We have over 10,000 applications running on Oracle Database.
How are customer service and support?
We use a local Oracle company for support, and they help us whenever someone has an issue.
How was the initial setup?
We have done a lot of Oracle Database installations, and we are pretty familiar with it. So, it's easy for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Oracle license is quite expensive, and we pay on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Oracle Database to new users if they can afford the price.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Oracle Database a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Consultant at Rpc Data
Flexible and easy to use with good performance
Pros and Cons
- "It's extremely easy to use and the performance is great."
- "The integration could be improved. If you are integrating with other Oracle products, it is fine, however, if your goal is to integrate with third-party products, Oracle isn't as good."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the storing of data.
It can also be used for other purposes. For example, at the bank, and other financial institutions, they are using the database for transacting their information.
What is most valuable?
It's quite a big database. I have seen it in companies sized from medium to large enterprise-level. It also works for government organizations that are quite sizeable.
The solution is quite stable. When you work on planning for salaries, you can notice that Oracle is extremely stable.
It's a very flexible product. You are able to accomplish a lot of things.
It's extremely easy to use and the performance is great.
Oracle support is great. They are quite helpful when you run into problems. They help you overcome any issues. If you run into a bug, you contact support, and they solve it.
If you have a stored database with the five standards that Oracle recommends, you will never experience something like, your database being down.
What needs improvement?
The integration could be improved. If you are integrating with other Oracle products, it is fine, however, if your goal is to integrate with third-party products, Oracle isn't as good. There was a time when I was working on the other project and we were trying to integrate the database with Microsoft Active Directory. It was quite difficult to find a connection. We were eventually able to connect, however, it was quite difficult.
There's a new version right now. May have managed to rectify the issues with third-party integrations in that version. However, I haven't tested it yet.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for a couple of years now. It's been since 2010.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very, very good. There aren't really bugs and glitches, however, if there are, Oracle will help resolve them quickly. It doesn't crash or freeze. You never really have to worry about your database going down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a big database. There is lots of room to scale. The solution can work well for large-scale organizations.
Depending on the number of the requirements, in terms of information, if you want to change the memory or you want to expand the storage, it has the capability to do that. So It's quite a flexible database.
Oracle has done a tremendous job of really allowing companies to scale in and out as needed.
I've worked with many clients and they've been of varying sizes. the company I am working with right now has 200 users on the solution.
We do plan to continue to use the solution and to upgrade to the new version, 19C.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've used technical support in the past and they have always been very good. If you provide the information the way it's supposed to be presented - and that means being explicit in your issue - they can help you very fast.
How was the initial setup?
On-prem deployments take quite a long time. However, depending on what you want to achieve, it could go faster. Either you are doing the direct installation, which takes time, or you are doing a cloud deployment, and on the cloud, it takes less than five minutes to deploy. It's very, very fast.
We have about five people on our technical team that can handle deployment and maintenance tasks.
What about the implementation team?
I can handle the installation myself. I've done both on-premises and cloud deployments at this point and both I am able to handle quite easily. I do not need the assistance of a consultant or integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I work with clients and they are the ones that have to pay for the license. If they are using it for production purposes, they need to pay. I can't speak to the exact costs.
What other advice do I have?
While we mostly work with on-premises deployments, I've recently also tried the cloud deployment.
We work with a variety of versions, including 11G, 12C, and 18C.
I recommend Oracle. I always do. They are an excellent company with a very good product.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Everyone should keep in mind that the way of the future is to move to the cloud. Oracle is working to support this. They're encouraging everyone to move to the cloud.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Oracle Application Database Administrator at a aerospace/defense firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Great data replication with good scalability and a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "You can scale the solution without any issues."
- "The solution is very, very expensive. This keeps it as a niche product."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for Oracle E-Business suites. It's the database for ERP.
What is most valuable?
The data replication is the most valuable aspects of the solution. We've got Oracle Data Guard set up and we've got two sites - one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town. We do data replication every 30 minutes from one site to the other.
The initial setup is straightforward.
You can scale the solution without any issues.
The great thing about the solution is that it comes with pretty much everything. SQL Developer is part of it, and you can scale databases from 20 users to 50,000 users. It's actually a very solid database.
What needs improvement?
The listener could be improved. The listener could be far more easily configurable. If you want to change ports or add a fail-over listener, it could be a little bit more seamless.
The solution is very, very expensive. This keeps it as a niche product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Oracle for 15 or 20 years. It's been well over a decade and maybe as much as two. It's been a while.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can really scale if you need it to. We've scaled it up a few times in the environment and we've never had any issue. From that point of view, everything seems to be good.
We have about 2,500 users on the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've been in touch with Oracle on a daily basis. We just moved to another version. They really helped us. They were helpful and responsive. We're satisfied with the level of support we receive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. it's very straightforward. A company shouldn't have any issues with the implementation process. It's very easy.
We have our own team that handles the maintenance as necessary.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's really expensive, however, that's what makes Oracle a niche player. It's not something every company can have its own. It's for the elite, it's for the prestige. It's for the ones who really do good business.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users.
Recently, we've upgraded EBS to a later version.
I'd recommend the solution to other organizations. That said, it all depends on what you're trying to support. I use it in conjunction with their EBS, so, for me, it's the perfect fit. You can't split it anyway. Oracle EBS only works with an Oracle Database.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten overall.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Oracle has grown with rich features year after years and that's what it makes a #1 RDBMS database today.