it_user521976 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Architect at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
We meet our SLAs because of the performance and speed. I can call support anytime.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the performance and speed.

How has it helped my organization?

The key thing for us is that we can meet our customer SLAs because of the performance and the response time we get.

The second thing is, personally, being a database person, I like Oracle Database In-Memory because of the backing of the support. If something goes wrong, I can call support anytime. That's one of the key reasons.

What needs improvement?

A lot of new technologies have been coming in to the market in recent years. For example, SPARC, and other analytics languages. Most of the legacy databases don’t have that good connections or connectors to those. It's still a challenge to efficiently use them. I don't know about small data, but we have large data. Especially, if you have a large data, then it's not very efficient. We don't have the tweaks to buffer it or stream it properly. Those are the kinds of things I think could be done.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability has been pretty OK. There have been some issues. Support was able to help us out with some configuration.

Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database In-Memory
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database In-Memory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales well for our needs.

How are customer service and support?

I've been an Oracle customer with different companies. I’ve worked with them for almost 10 years now. One of the key things that stands out for Oracle is the support, because I also work with other database vendors. That's the biggest differentiator. Even if I have some issue when I get up at 1 AM, I know I can call on support and I know I'll be able to get my problem solved.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at other vendors before we started using this product, but because we were already an Oracle customer, using their database, it made sense to be in Oracle In-Memory.

What other advice do I have?

I suggest looking mostly at the interfaces; that is the key. Even if the performance is good, but the interfaces are not right, to the application or to the front end, that could be an issue.

We’re really happy with Oracle Database In-Memory.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Database Administrator at a energy/utilities company
Real User
Easy to deploy and has good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Normally, every database server uses hard disks. In-Memory has a feature, apart from their database, which is very good. When we start our server, all your data needs loading memory. We can use that. It's a very good feature. I think they added this feature in 2019. We can mount memory in the partition, create partitions in there, and create table space from that spot to share. It's a really good feature. We use it a lot."
  • "We use some partitions in In-Memory. We have a very large table and a low dose. It is very expensive in data to load all of them into In-Memory. It takes up more memory slots in the server, as well as a lot of RAM. We use last partitions on the table. We always need to create a script and make a schedule that can load a last partition in In-Memory. Oracle doesn't have features to do this automatically. I would like them to allow us to load last partitions, as well as other table partitions, in In-Memory. I think a good feature would do that automatically, letting you see a table, load a large partition, and monitor loading memory. It's quite a good feature."

What is our primary use case?

My solution has a big database with terabytes of data and we use Database In-Memory for a lot of our data. Normally, we partition it and create big tables, but we can use In-Memory for data that we use every day or every hour. We put some partitions in In-Memory from some tables and we use that. It normally has good performance.

What is most valuable?

Normally, every database server uses hard disks. In-Memory has a feature, apart from its database, which is very good. When we start our server, all your data needs loading memory. We can use that. It's a very good feature. I think they added this feature in 2019. We can mount memory in the partition, create partitions in there, and create tablespace from that spot to share. It's a really good feature. We use it a lot.

What needs improvement?

We use some partitions in In-Memory. We have a very large table and a low dose. It is very expensive in data to load all of them into In-Memory. It takes up more memory slots in the server, as well as a lot of RAM. We use the last partitions on the table. We always need to create a script and make a schedule that can load the last partition In-Memory. Oracle doesn't have features to do this automatically. I would like them to allow us to load last partitions, as well as other table partitions, in In-Memory. I think a good feature would do that automatically, letting you see a table, load a large partition, and monitor loading memory. It's quite a good feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this version for about four months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have used this feature for four months and it's stable. I used to load one terabyte of data in my memory servers each time. I think it worked okay. I don't have any problem for now.

How are customer service and technical support?

I live in Iran. Iran is sanctioned by the US government so Oracle can't provide any services to us. I study on my own. I use Oracle documentation and watch YouTube videos. I don't have any company to support us.

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy to deploy. I always work in Linux, Oracle Linux. If you want to work from the GNOME GUI, it's really simple. You must state a parameter in Linux and then use their installer. Click next, next, next, then finish. It's simple. In Oracle 80 and 90, we have an installation system in a common UI. It's very simple. You must have the prerequisites and after that, install RPM in just one comment. Check your configuration and set up the database. It's simple.

Deployment in the GUI version, if you want to use that, is I think 14 to 20 minutes. In the command line, it would take 10 to 15 minutes. I can't remember exactly, but something close to that.

What other advice do I have?

Oracle is the best database, but I love open-source software. Oracle always has the first original features for three or four years and we use them because they are stable and we can buy in a large scale and use it for our office. It has no problems. I think Oracle is ten out of ten.

About Oracle Database In-Memory, in particular, I would rate it as eight out of ten. It's a new feature. I think it's improved from the last version three years ago.

Oracle's new features and data are very useful for us for storing data, loading it, etc. Oracle features based on processes are good. In Oracle, we just have four functions based on data types, but in post-production, we have more than ten functions. That is very useful for us. We'll add more functions and features like index and categorization based on data type, output, and large data. That would be very useful.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database In-Memory
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database In-Memory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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Owner - Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Consultant
Combined with Exadata, it makes a solution that will deliver the best performance related to the volume of data.

What is most valuable?

Oracle has a lot of features embedded. In my opinion, Oracle In-Memory offers a lot of improvements in database performance specially for data warehouses and analytics workloads. Combined with Exadata, it makes a solution that will deliver the best performance related to the volume of data.

As I’m very involved in database security, I can tell say that Advanced Security Option and Database Vault are most valuable features for me because I can propose them to my customers to deliver the best security options for their databases.

How has it helped my organization?

Each time I've implemented the In-Memory option, the improvements have been on the performance side. This option offers a way to drastically reduce batch duration with a minimum of work because we only need to enable it on columns we choose, test batch performance, and that’s it. We can do this cycle of work less than 10 times and the job is completed.

What needs improvement?

They need to improve the Decision Support System with analytics workloads.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used Oracle Database since 2001, and I officially used the In-Memory option since its general availability in June 2014. But, as I’ve been a beta tester for the Oracle version that delivered this option, I can say that I've used it since the beginning of 2014.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

There have been no issues deploying it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. Of course, at this level of software, there are always some bugs. But, each time I have had to implement it, the bugs weren’t very problematic and I've always found a patch or a workaround.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales to the needs of my customers.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is useful with the My Oracle Support website. But when I have to open a service request, I have to find a solution on my own because technical support usually doesn't understand my problem or they always ask for the same logs, same questions, and I ultimately waste my time.

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

I tested the In-Memory equivalent in DB2 or SQL Server 2014, but they both have limitations in their uses. SAP HANA is one of the most concurrent of Oracle’s solution, but I have never used it.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment was very easy because we just have to set a volume of memory as the In-Memory area, and the enable In-Memory for specific columns. This part is longer, but for me, it’s more a tuning issue than a deployment issue. Deploying Oracle In-Memory is very easy and takes only a few minutes.

What other advice do I have?

Implementing Oracle In-Memory is very easy, but the tuning phase is mandatory to optimize it.

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.
PeerSpot user
Oracle ACE, DBA at Goodus,inc
Real User
User friendly with a good interface but very expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The application development is very user-friendly."
  • "The pricing could be improved. It would ideal if it was more reasonable."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as an email database.

What is most valuable?

Overall, it's a very good solution.

The application development is very user-friendly. 

The SQL is great in Oracle. If you use other databases, you often have to find another syntax and develop in other languages.

The user interface is great.

What needs improvement?

The pricing could be improved. It would ideal if it was more reasonable.

The design isn't that great. It's kind-of buggy and doesn't seem to cater to the Korean market.

There seems to be issues relating to migration. It's difficult to migrate off of it if you need to.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've probably been using the solution for about a decade. It's been about ten years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has caused us some issues. We've dealt with bugs in the past. It's not flawless.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is pretty decent. We've had clients that have scaled in the past, however, they didn't use Oracle to do so. That said, I believe it scales.

How are customer service and technical support?

We don't have contract-level technical support. In the past, we've used MOS support at oracle.com. It was just for a service request. They utilize more of an open-source system and it relies on open-source technical knowledge. It would be more helpful if Oracle could directly answer our queries. However, that's just not the case.

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

We've found another similar solution called Ignite that we are looking at implementing.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It's nearly always a cloud environment, which makes things fairly easy. Everything is already set up for the most part. Companies that want to utilize In-Memory just need to work with the existing cloud infrastructure.

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

The product is quite expensive. Organizations should be prepared for a rather high price tag. Our clients may end up moving to an open-source option to lower costs.

What other advice do I have?

We're Oracle partners. We've been partners with Oracle for a long time.

Our IT department first changed from on-premises to cloud. Our clients seem to like a hybrid deployment model. Now they are considering looking for other solutions that may not be as expensive or may even be open-source.

I'm not really a database expert. My understanding is that some customers want to make a product from the portal website using the In-Memory DB. Others tend to want to migrate from an Oracle In-Memory database to another email database. It's difficult when users want to migrate off of Oracle or simply to another Oracle solution. They tend to run into a lot of issues. Personally, this solution wouldn't be my top choice, as it makes things difficult.

There are a lot of alternative email database solutions. I'd just advise other companies to take a look at the options to see which would work best for their use case.

That said, while we migrated to another solution, it's still a pretty good tool, and issues just seem to arise if you are migrating. 

Overall, I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. If the pricing was more reasonable, and the migration was easier, I'd rate it higher. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
it_user521634 - PeerSpot reviewer
PeopleSoft Infrastructure & Operations Manager at City & County of San Francisco
Vendor
It is a stable, scalable solution that the vendor supports well if you pay for that support.

What is most valuable?

I cannot imagine IT today without Oracle databases. Oracle has basically delivered their data revolution with relational databases and their constant development and innovation going into the cloud.

What needs improvement?

They are coming up with more improvements than we actually want. If you ask most of the customers, they are happy with what they had 10 or 20 years back. The company has a need to make more money or beat the competition, so they constantly come up with these new features. They say these are cool features to have, but I don’t think they are needs. We don't need all the upgrades, practically speaking.

However, I am interested in the analytics of the data that is used for new research. Customers do need some of that information.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for 15 or 16 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable solution. You always have kinks with any solution, but they have awesome support, depending upon how much money you pay them. You need to have platinum service to get good support. Otherwise, you'll have to struggle a bit.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good, of course. Oracle is known for its scalability.

How is customer service and technical support?

We have different levels of support. What makes the difference is how persistent you are. If you demonstrate that you have a lot at stake, then you will get good support. If you are very casual, then you will get slack support. This is the case with anybody.

How was the initial setup?

The installations and upgrades are complex. It's a complicated, complex product, so you definitely need technology experts. You can’t just pick up anybody from the street, like a new graduate, to do this work. You definitely need inside help. You need expertise because this is complex technology. You're talking about Data Guard, which is a complex technology. You do need experts for help.

What other advice do I have?

We are going to be an Oracle shop for a long, long time.

When looking for a vendor, I look for expertise, how quickly they can roll out the product, and the cost of implementation.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO & Board member at Barsa Novin Ray
Real User
Top 20
Provides great security and a good environment
Pros and Cons
  • "Security is the most valuable feature."
  • "Lacks sufficient integration with other tools."

What is our primary use case?

We are developers and integrators that produce software and solutions for our customers. We have a variety of customers in different industries and we have a local platform where we develop solutions based on Oracle or SQL Server. I'm the company CEO.

What is most valuable?

Security is the most valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

The solution would be better if we could use modeling rather than coding, which is the only option currently available. I'd also like to see more integration with other tools. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We had some technical issues last year and we emailed the company with questions. We never received a response, unfortunately. We eventually found the solution online but never received a response from the company. We are based in Iran so maybe there are some limitations in that respect. 

How was the initial setup?

As with any solution, the initial stage can be complex, but after a while, it becomes easy. Relative to other solutions, the setup is not complex. 

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

The solution is very expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution provides a good environment and it's a product we trust.

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner / Integrator
PeerSpot user
it_user1209981 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Leader at European Commission
Real User
Has the ability to support large amounts of data once the architecture is in place
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of the solution is very good. It's able to support large amounts of data."
  • "Technical support is below our expectations currently. It could be improved."

What is most valuable?

The stability of the platform is the most valuable feature. The solution can support large amounts of data once the architecture is in place.

What needs improvement?

The solution could benefit from AI improvements.

Technical support could be improved.

The usability of the solution could be better. They should make it easier in terms of system administration and for getting examples of statistics from the databases. An interface or dashboard for statistics would be better. Right now, we're using cloud controls to do that, but it's not good enough.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used this solution for the past five months and was an Oracle Database administrator from 2000 to 2005.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The database is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is very good. It's able to support large amounts of data.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is below our expectations currently. It could be improved.

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

The solution was already in place when I began to work for the company. I don't know if they previously used a different solution or not.

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

We have ULA agreements with commission in place with Oracle. The pricing is okay for now.

What other advice do I have?

We use the on-premises deployment model in the virtualization environment.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. If technical support was better and usability was improved, I'd rate it higher. It's the best solution on the market right now, but it's more for big data. For us, it's the best solution we can get for our specific needs.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user522027 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Director at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
It can handle any size database, is easy to program and manage, and is secure.

What is most valuable?

The Oracle database is easier to program and manage, and is secure. It’s a stable, dependable product. It can handle any size database. Reliability is one of the key features necessary for a database product.

What needs improvement?

Oracle is a large company that is constantly purchasing other companies to add functionality. I think that if I want a new feature, Oracle will not listen to just me. They are marketing to a large market and not just myself.

Oracle occupies the main space in the database market. Additionally, once we put data into Oracle, it's very hard to move it out to another solution, so we have to stay with Oracle. Also, while Oracle is expensive and MySQL is free, MySQL is more difficult to use.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been using Oracle for over 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not had any problems with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We don’t have any issues with scalability. It will meet our needs for the future.

How is customer service and technical support?

Oracle’s technical support is good. Even if you do all the right things and the system is working well, still, sometimes something happens. Oracle is a large company and their technical support is comparable to companies of the same size.

What other advice do I have?

My advice it to realize that the cost of the product itself is not the only consideration. Cost for support of the product after purchase must be considered. A decision sometimes seems quite easy to make, but you need to consider many, many aspects. Not to just say, "This is a good one." Good products cost more. They may need more maintenance and more resources for them to work properly.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user