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Systems Administrator at Dairibord
Real User
Stable and easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable features is the stability."
  • "Oracle Database could be improved by adding more automation."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for managing our ERP solutions. We use SAP as well. Oracle Database is deployed on-prem. 

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features is the stability. 

What needs improvement?

Oracle Database could be improved by adding more automation. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Database for around 15 years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is very, very, very stable. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We didn't use another solution before Oracle. At that time, I think most of the applications that we were using weren't running on a database.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is very straightforward. I have no complaints. We did it ourselves and it didn't take much time. I think we've done it three times and you can install it in a day or two. We've also done upgrades along the way. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented through an in-house team. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay for a yearly licensing subscription. Funds permitting, we have plans to increase usage for Oracle Database in the new year. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Oracle Database a 10 out of 10. I would definitely recommend this solution to others. 

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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1562280 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead - Cloud Engineering at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
A good default database that is easy to use and offers very good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is extremely stable."
  • "The pricing of the product could be better. It's too expensive right now. They need to bring down the cost."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for multiple applications. The solution can hold a lot of applications.

What is most valuable?

It's been one of the best databases for us. We really enjoy its capabilities.

The product is very easy to use. Users have no problem navigating it and using it.

The solution is extremely stable. It's pretty much issue-free so far.

You can expand it easily. It's scalable.

The initial setup is very straightforward. The deployment is easy.

It's a good default database. Many Windows applications also work on Oracle.

Technical support is very helpful and responsive.

What needs improvement?

The pricing of the product could be better. It's too expensive right now. They need to bring down the cost.

It would be ideal with the product could introduce more security features. It would make the solution that much better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for a few years now. We have a good amount of experience at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution offers excellent stability. Its performance is very reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very good. It's basically been issue-free.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

We have about ten users on the solution currently.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've reached out to technical support in the past. They've been very helpful and knowledgeable. We've contacted them very rarely, however, when we have reached out they have been responsive. We're very satisfied with their level of service. They are quite good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex or difficult. It's very straightforward and easy to implement. A company shouldn't have too many issues with the process. 

We have a team of two that are able to handle the deployment and maintenance aspects. You don't need a lot of people to watch over it. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

If the solution was less expensive, they would get man more clients. The pricing can be an issue for many.

What other advice do I have?

We always use the on-premises deployment model. We never use cloud-based deployment models. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten overall. We are quite happy with the capabilities. It's a very, very good database.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1279539 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Analyst at a logistics company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Robust, stable, and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "We find technical support to be very responsive. They briefly describe everything on phone and we handle the operations. I'd say we've been more than satisfied with their level of service. They're quite helpful and knowledgeable."
  • "We don't really find that any features are lacking."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use the solution for database purposes. We are maintaining the standard edition version and normally not on a very big scale.

What is most valuable?

We are only really utilizing the solution for database purposes and only taking the database for backup purposes, on a daily basis. The database and getting the required data on the database have been very helpful. 

It's easy to use, it's robust, and it offers good security that we can count on. 

Most importantly, our users are familiar with the interface and the operational capability of this product. That's why we chose to use Oracle.

While we don't interact too much with the database and interact more with our front-end application, we get good reports as it simply runs in the back end.

It's a very comprehensive database, although we are using only the standard version, not the enterprise version. Even the standard version is quite good. It's very reliable. 

What needs improvement?

It all depends on the requirements we have. Right now, it's fulfilling our current ERP requirements.

We don't really find that any features are lacking.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using it for the last 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. I haven't experienced bugs or glitches. There haven't been crashes. It's quite reliable. An organization shouldn't have to worry about it's stability at all.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

However, in terms of our usage, it's quite limited. We are using only three to four modules of this application. We're a very small scale operation. It's the reason why we are using the standard edition and not the enterprise one.

We only have about 10 to 15 users that are using these applications.

It's not used on a daily basis. It's just occasional use. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We find technical support to be very responsive. They briefly describe everything on phone and we handle the operations. I'd say we've been more than satisfied with their level of service. They're quite helpful and knowledgeable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

It's my understanding that we've always used Oracle. I can't recall if there was something before that was used.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple. It's not complex at all. To deploy it only took about one hour. It's quite quick and easy.

It's a very good application. Once we installed it and it started running, we haven't needed to perform regular maintenance on it and we haven't faced any issues. We installed it four or five years ago. It's been a long time and it's been in perfect working order since we launched it. The solution is seamless.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We're just a customer and we have the licensed product. We are continuously updating the license on an annual basis.

It's a standard license, with a worldwide standard licensing cost for Oracle that we are paying. The fees are at about 22%.

What other advice do I have?

It's a very good product. I'd recommend it. It's very robust. It's scalable. On side of security, it's a very secure product. And support is available from Oracle via their local partners. We are already very satisfied with this product and I would recommend it to other users as well.

I'd rate it eight out of 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.
PeerSpot user
it_user850737 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Database Administration at Co-operative Bank of Kenya
User
High availability using real application clusters
Pros and Cons
  • "It is flexible, scalable, and a true Enterprise RDBMS."
  • "High availability using real application clusters."
  • "Auditing could be improved, especially granular auditing. The unified audit trail in 12c is great, however its extraction in a highly busy environment is quite a challenge."

What is our primary use case?

Enterprise systems for financial institutions hosting both core systems and business support systems. This includes both OLTP and data warehouse databases. 

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved my organisation with the stability of its systems. The team is well-versed with the management of Oracle more than any other database. It is flexible, scalable, and a true Enterprise RDBMS.

What is most valuable?

  • High availability using real application clusters.
  • Disaster recovery using Oracle Data Guard.
  • Scalable storage using Automatic Storage Management.
  • Security is watertight. Database Vault is my favourite.

What needs improvement?

Auditing could be improved, especially granular auditing. The unified audit trail in 12c is great, however its extraction in a highly busy environment is quite a challenge.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user521568 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Software Architect at a transportation company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
It provides accessibility and speed for retrieving data.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are it's accessibility and speed for retrieving data that I need, along with the ease of use. That's the most important thing: getting the data out. It’s logical, it makes sense, it’s intuitive.

How has it helped my organization?

I'm able to provide analytical data to end users easily, quickly, using a lot of built-in functionalities that the database provides. I don't have to export data to Excel and run a bunch of macros on it in order to get the average column or something like that. The built-ins that they have are helpful.

What needs improvement?

The biggest area for improvement for me is the error messaging. When it returns errors, it gives you a number; here's why I can't insert a character into a number field. One of the most annoying things for me is that it says, for example, "Value too large to insert column" but it doesn't tell you, "Okay you know what you're trying to do. Tell me what you're trying to do so that I can go fix it a lot easier".

So, more information in the error messaging would be nice.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Oracle database for more than 30 years.

I love it. I've been progressing with it ever since. It's nice, it does change a lot every year; there are new features. Oracle's always coming out with new stuff and so it's good; keeps you on your toes, keeps you going to OpenWorld.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is always up. If the database is down, it's more likely something to do with the hardware.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has scaled well to our needs. We have replication occurring at our office. We use Exadata, and we have clusters. It's replicated across production, dev and two QA instances, so it's nice.

How is customer service and technical support?

I really don't have much knowledge about technical support because I never have to really do that. If something did go wrong with the database, that'd be more of a database administrator's function.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the initial setup. I'm more of an end user of the database.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did not look at any other products before choosing Oracle's database.

What other advice do I have?

It's well worth the investment. It might scare you up front because, yes, there are other, less-expensive options out there for your database, but if you plan on building an enterprise application, it's what you have to do. Spend the money.
I love it; it's the best.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user431388 - PeerSpot reviewer
DBA and Database Performance Evangelist at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Video Review
Real User
I'm excited about the sharding feature that they're implementing. It seems like it's going to help companies that have data all over the world to make it more efficient and perform better.

Valuable Features:

Lately in 12c, they've actually come out with an adaptive optimizer, which I think is great strides in getting performance and doing the right things in the database and getting those queries back to the end users just as fast as they can without a DBA having to do anything about it. A lot of the times the optimizer can now adapt and actually learn from itself and store that information off, so it's kind of an interesting implementation that they've done.

Improvements to My Organization:

Definitely the quality, enterprise-wide they have all the bells and whistles if you need a stable, secure environment, Oracle's the only way to go.

Room for Improvement:

I think they're heading on to the track of automating some of the things that DBA's had to do, like again the adaptive optimizer. We don't have to worry about statistics all the time. That'll actually grow and learn itself.

Stability Issues:

Basically with the Real Application Clusters and Data Guard and all that, disaster recovery should be no problems with Oracle. I mean, if you have an outage getting across different data centers, all of that is pretty well baked in right now.

Scalability Issues:

With the Real Application Clusters, Exadata, they've just answered a lot of that. They're coming up with in 12.2 with sharding, to be able to scale it across worldwide so very, very efficient that way.

Cost and Licensing Advice:

Oracle's licensing is kind of a con. It's the expense of it depending on all of the features that you want. That would be the main consideration I think as a company when they're looking at different database vendors. Plus, just what I mentioned, the stability and the security aspects of it.

Other Solutions Considered:

Evaluation criteria: stability, security, all of that. Be able to back it up. If there is a disaster, be able to easily recover it. Data is becoming increasingly important. With so much of it in the world right now that anything you lose, or can be hacked into can be very serious. It's definitely a vendor that's selling databases, it's something that we have to be concerned about.

Security should always be on database vendors minds because as soon as they plug one hole, somebody else is going to find another hole. Apple just lately trying to open that phone up for the terrorists that was kind of a major thing, and they hacked it. There is always people trying to get into different data sets so very important especially with your credit cards and everything else that are stored in databases needs to be continually looked after and improved upon.

Other Advice:

Rating: I would say it's the leading [solution], a ten, of all the vendors that are out there and security, stability, scalability, all of that. 

I'm excited about the sharding feature that they're implementing and it seems like it's going to help huge companies that have data all over the world to make it more efficient, more perform better.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We're partners.
PeerSpot user
it_user436125 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Product Dev at a tech company
Vendor
I think that the most valuable feature of Oracle Database is the knowledge base that's available.

What is most valuable?

I think that the most valuable feature of Oracle Database is the knowledge base that's available. If there's a bug, I can find the solution in the knowledge base. If I need to know why something's happened, or whether there's a workaround, I can find the solution in the knowledge base. There's a wealth of information available there, and I live and die by it.

How has it helped my organization?

Our core business relies on its ability to work with RDBS. You could say that we make all our money by using Oracle. Since version 8i, it's been my bread and butter. I love the product and use it every day.

What needs improvement?

The features that are there, it usually works perfectly. The new features, you see that it takes some time to pick up and sometimes they break things they really shouldn't.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using it since Oracle 8i, which was 18 years ago.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We've had no issues with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Oracle has added a new optimizer option to do some very fancy stuff, but it provides the wrong results. And at this stage in the life of the product, wrong results should never happen. That's why I have Database -- to get the correct results.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales very well. With NoSQL though, there are scalability issues because it just cannot spin up. But I've found that with Hadoop and AWS, you can spin up to 2,000 new nodes and it works fine. You can't do that with Oracle, but it's legacy software nowadays.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is fine. Fortunately, we don't have any priority-one issues within our business that depend on Oracle Database. For minute-to-minute operations, I get a good enough response from technical support.

As a vendor, we support older versions and the customer will never touch them. I really don't need to ask technical support for a fix, I know that the customers will not use it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We haven't used a different RDBMS since I started with the company.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was done before I started my current position.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done before I started my current position.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partners
PeerSpot user
reviewer807690 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Reliable and highly scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Oracle Database is highly scalable."
  • "I have contacted the support from Oracle and they are sometimes slow."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Oracle Database as a database management system.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Database for many years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Oracle Database is highly scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted the support from Oracle and they are sometimes slow.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Oracle Database a nine out of 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.
PeerSpot user
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