PeerSpot user
Manager of Oracle Technology/DevOpsManager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
You can tune it and customize it the way that you need it. I find that it is stable.

What is most valuable?

In my opinion, it's one of the strongest databases available in the world. It's very robust and you can do the tuning. You can tune it and customize it the way that you need it.

What needs improvement?

Its RMAN backups are really complex. I'm not a DBA, there should be a better way to perform those backups.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We have had no issues with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's been very stable, and that's one of the best features. It very rarely has bugginess.

Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

RAC can be simplified, basically like ASM. RAC DBAs need to really follow their processes because if one thing goes down, bringing up CRS would be a nightmare, even for a DBA who specializes in RAC. It's not a regular database and you need to learn the internals of it. Troubleshooting it is very different because it's tightly integrated with the ATC process of the Linux OS.

It would be much better if there certain values available. If those values aren't available, don't bother trying to integrate it with the OS. You should run your own shell, which is something I think would be better.

How was the initial setup?

It's not that easy to migrate and you can get stuck. It depends on the level of experience, but if it's for a fresh migration, it's fairly complex. Once you get the hang of it, though, it's not that difficult.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it ourselves with our in-house team.

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

It's expensive, that's for sure. Because if any of the other databases are compared, Oracle Database is the only expensive product out there. Open Source products like Cassandra, MongoDB, NoSQL, those are the pretty much the same job. Oracle Database, though, might be the fastest RDBMS database we've seen. That might be the reason that it's expensive. It's also the market leader and they own a large market share.

What other advice do I have?

If you are using E-Business Suite, you don't have any other option to explore another database. Depending on the nature of business, if you don't need an RDBMS, go with an open source database which would be much easier to manage and, particularly, to grow vertically instead of just horizontally.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user284961 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Product Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Video Review
Vendor
One of the new features I've been using lately is the In-Memory column store.

Valuable Features:

If you remember the old Saturday Night Live skit by the baseball player, Oracle's been very, very good to me. I chose to work with databases and specifically Oracle right out of college, the 80s. It was a right career decision. It took me this far. I'll probably get to my retirement on it. That's a pretty sound technology. Had I picked some other technology to bet on, I probably would've had to go through several different learning iterations. The Oracle Database scales well. Every time there's a new version they add the features that you are wishing they would add or finding that you need. They stay ahead of the game. A lot of times you'll talk to one of their product managers and you'll say, "Well, partitioning is great, but if it only did this," and they'll say, "Oh, well if you sign an NDA, I'll tell you." Legitimately, they've already thought of it and they're developing it, and a lot of times if you get into the beta program, you can participate in the development of those features. That's really unique. It's much better than say a community preview edition like other vendors would do.

The beta program, you sign up for and you're very proactive with it and you have direct access to people who are working on the beta itself. You can help drive the product direction and that's kind of fun.

Improvements to My Organization:

Right now, one of the things I've been using a lot of is the In-Memory column store, which is a new Oracle 12c feature and it's gotten a lot of press. It's a great feature. If you remember a few years ago, Vertica and some other column oriented databases came out and it was all the hot rage. Now, lo and behold, starting in Oracle 12, I can have column oriented data storage and it makes my memory more efficient so I can fit more In-Memory. It makes the queries faster and it makes more queries faster because of the memory being more efficient, there are more queries that can benefit from the same amount of memory. It's literally you turn on a configuration parameter and you say alter database or table and say that that table was In-Memory, and you're done. The database does everything. It's very simple to use, very powerful, and it's exactly what people were asking for a few years ago.

The same is true, I attended some of the Oracle 12c R2 sort of pre-announcement sessions and while we're not allowed to talk about what we heard, I can say for a fact that some of the stuff that they talked about was exactly the same type of things where there's a feature that was introduced late in 11 or early in 12 and you thought, "Boy, I hope this is step one and they're going to do step two and step three." They have. Now it's not public yet, but it's very reassuring to know, again, they understand the database market and well enough to develop the features just in time.

Room for Improvement:

I know that a lot of people like Oracle Enterprise Manager and it's capable and it's great, but for a lot of tasks it's overkill. They came out with this new tool in 12, the OEM Express. I would like to see that tool persist. Oracle does on occasion have a bad habit of developing a tool, I'll go back to Oracle 8 on Windows, they had a really cool little GUI for developing DBA and then it was gone a version later. I'm hoping OEM Express sticks around. I'm not saying that it competes with OEM, but a lot of times, if all I'm doing is going in and adding some space to a table space or creating a user or do something simple and easy, that flash interface local on my web browser runs 100 times faster and it's easier to find stuff because there's less features in it, so you don't have to look as far.

Stability Issues:

Oracle stability's a funny thing. I know companies who do not have any database administrators. Stability in those shops is sporadic, and it should be. You need a database administrator to oversee your databases, just like you need a manager to oversee your people. It's an asset. In fact, your data's your most important asset. You sure as heck should have a specialist.

Oracle's a very powerful, robust, capable database. However, in order to be powerful, capable, and robust, it's a little complex. You need a database administrator. I'm not saying you have to hire a six figure guy, but you've got to have somebody. I know a lot of SQL server shops where they also don't work with database administrators. They can get away with it because the database isn't quite as industrial. I'm not going to build petabyte databases in SQL server but I am going to build it in Oracle. If I've got that size, it helps to have a DBA around.

Scalability Issues:

You can start with the basic database, so the Oracle single instance. You can scale that pretty much to whatever size, symmetric, multi-processing processor you want to put it on. If that's not going to scale large enough for you, then you can do RAC clusters and you can build basically a little database mainframe. If you've got extra money to spend, I've got this wonderful solution called Exadata. I wish that Exadata was it, that that was the only thing Oracle had to offer. It's that far superior to the standard database, but it requires both hardware and software and there's special licensing. You can't build an Exadata at your own and just get the software. It is just standard Oracle with some hardware tricks. That's impressive, that you can make a database machine that outruns anything and it's still the standard database. They didn't have to really change it.

Other Advice:

Rating: I would give it a nine. The only reason I don't give it a ten is because they do keep inventing and adding more stuff. The stuff that they told me yesterday and today that'll be available in the next release, let's say next year, not only is it stuff I wanted, it's stuff I didn't even dream of. I'll be excited. If I had those features today it'd be a ten, but they're on top of 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
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Systems Engineer at Dimension Data
MSP
Top 5Leaderboard
Responsive support, simple deployment, and highly stable
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable aspects of Oracle Database is the maturity of the solution."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using Oracle Database for financial applications.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the most valuable aspects of Oracle Database is the maturity of the solution.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Oracle Database for approximately five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Oracle Database is a highly stable solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The workloads of Oracle Database are scalable.

    We have approximately 50 people using the solution. We do have plans to increase the number of users but not at the moment.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support from Oracle is fairly good. They have knowledge-based articles that you can consult before you need their direct support, we're happy with the support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of the Oracle Database is straightforward. However, it does require some skills and knowledge. The process takes approximately two hours.

    What about the implementation team?

    We used two internal engineers for the implementation of the Oracle Database.

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

    The Oracle Database licensing price could be less expensive. We pay annually for the use of the solution.

    What other advice do I have?

    We are happy with Oracle Database.

    I rate Oracle Database a right 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
    System Admin at First Capitol Bank
    Real User
    Stable, scalable, database; the heart of the environment
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's a very stable solution, especially with the hot backup."
    • "Needs educational content that would help the individual to be able to work in a real life situation and scenarios."

    What is our primary use case?

    My company is using the solution as a database warehouse. Previously, when I was a vendor, they used to work with Oracle forms. They were doing databases, and we were doing a secondary backup solution, which was backing up on the cloud.

    How has it helped my organization?

    It's quite an important part of the business. Most of the core banking servers are using Oracle Database. It's the heart of the environment. It's quite an important part of the business.

    What is most valuable?

    The database is a quite valuable feature.

    What needs improvement?

    One area where the product could improve would be to have more simplified documentation. There are things which are quite difficult to find. Also, some setup videos, like a video together with the documentation, for someone who is first implementing a solution. Watching someone else doing it would make the person more confident than just having all the notes and all the possibilities.

    In addition, for the DBA, Oracle could have a series of videos. Then it would be easier for a company to buy the educational content, to become a DBA, with the videos already there, rather than looking for an online instructor than trying to get the classes. What is lacking with Oracle is the availability of education to be able to work with Oracle. Oracle is not difficult, but there is a lot that you need to know. Even if you work with only the documentation, they won't help you that much. Bringing educational content that would help the individual to be able to work in real-life situations and scenarios.

    It would be better to have a compilation of videos as a pack to sell to the vendors with all the information to become DBA or to become someone who can implement an Oracle system.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It's a very stable solution, especially with the hot backup, archive logs, and everything.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    In terms of scalability, the solution is pretty easy to scale up and to add things and modifications. It is pretty clear.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is very good. I've learned more with support, actually, than from the documentations.

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment is kind of straightforward, but there are things that are not straightforward. For example, if you are on AIX, it's a lot to do before installing.

    Doing all the work manually, I believe it takes three to four people to maintain Oracle Database.

    I also have Oracle Cloud Backup. It took me one week to figure out how to implement it, but that was two years ago. Now the documentation is much better.

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

    I believe the solution is quite expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    My advice regarding this solution is that you need a lot of practice. It would be great if Oracle could provide a platform to practice implementations.

    I would rate the solution an 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
    Head Of Information Technology at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Stable, with good technical support, but very expensive
    Pros and Cons
    • "The scalability is quite good."
    • "They should be putting more emphasis on the Windows platform. Usually, they run very well on the Linux platform, however, their performance on Windows is a little bit lower quality."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using the solution for our online transaction system - that is debit cards - and we are using it for our loan origination system as well. There are two systems that are deployed on it and we are getting a good experience from it. 

    What is most valuable?

    The Data Guard feature is the most valuable aspect of the solution. 

    The initial setup is pretty straightforward. 

    The solution is stable.

    The scalability is quite good. 

    I have always found the technical support to be very helpful.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution is expensive. They should work at making the pricing more reasonable. 

    They should be putting more emphasis on the Windows platform. Usually, they run very well on the Linux platform, however, their performance on Windows is a little bit lower quality.

    They have to work on their flashback feature. Right now, it is a cumbersome process.

    It is actually very heavy on the storage. If Oracle could do something about it, that would be great. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for the last 23 years at this point. It's been over two decades. I've used it for a long time. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is quite good. there are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The product is quite scalable. You can add as many servers as you would like to. It's not a problem.

    The product is not deployed for the user base. It is deployed for the backend service. The amount of actual users is only one or two people. 

    We do not have plans to increase usage. The cost is too much of a factor now. I'm not sure if I will be using it anymore. 

    How are customer service and support?

    Technical support has been great. I am satisfied with the level of service we receive. 

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

    We have Oracle Database and SQL Central Server Database in our environment. We're moving to SQL based on the generally high cost of Oracle. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is very straightforward.

    I'm very comfortable with Oracle as well, so for me, it was very, very convenient. I can't speak to the end-user or a user with the lower skillset in terms of their capabilities of setting it up. However, if you have some experience with Oracle, it's not bad.

    The deployment only takes 45 minutes to an hour. It doesn't take long.

    What about the implementation team?

    I have installed it personally and it is very straightforward. However, it is possible to use an integrator or consultant to get the proper assistance. 

    What was our ROI?

    We don't really calculate the ROI on the database itself. We calculate the ROI for the system. On whichever system is deployed on a database, we calculate it on a community basis. Therefore, of course, we get the ROI from whatever technology we deploy.

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

    While I'm a fan of Oracle as a solution, I am not a fan of the cost. It is very expensive. 

    For medium to small organizations, the current cost might not be viable as compared to SQL Server, which is much cheaper than Oracle and provides approximately the same functionality that they have. 

    You can choose a core-based license or a user-based license. There are no extra costs above the standard licensing fees. Typically it is a five-year contract that can be paid monthly or yearly. 

    What other advice do I have?

    We are a customer and an end-user.

    I'd advise those considering the solution to always keep their logs on a different database. Also, they have to make sure the parameterization they do in their initial setup is very, very extensively thought out.

    I'd rate the solution at a seven 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
    Senior Database Administrator at ITGStore
    Real User
    A stable and scalable solution which is easy to install and offers great support
    Pros and Cons
    • "Optimization of databases, RAC, Data Guard Replication with Data Guard and RAC Database are the best features."
    • "There is a new version of Oracle and Database Firewall, version 20, for which I would be interested in receiving training."

    What is our primary use case?

    For the Database solution, I'm working with the 12c version. For Security Solution, I'm working with Oracle based Audit Vault and Database Firewall, versions 12 and 20.

    We use the solution in Cameroon, where I reside, for payroll purposes. 

    What is most valuable?

    Optimization of databases, RAC, Data Guard Replication with Data Guard and RAC Database are the best features. The solution offers many features. We try to tailor the deployment to the needs of the company involved. Some need replication, others optimization and still others, RAC. 

    What needs improvement?

    There is a new version of Oracle and Database Firewall, version 20, for which I would be interested in receiving training. For the moment, training is not an option. Having the time to undertake this does not pose an issue for me, as I would speak with my supervisor to allot the requisite time. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Oracle Database for nearly four or five 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?

    The version of the solution being employed today is definitely scalable. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We work as a partner company with Oracle and have a representative in our region to whom we can appeal directly for collaboratively resolving any issues which may arise with our clients.

    We are satisfied with the support. While we don't encounter issues on a daily basis, there has not been a single time that we have failed to resolve one when it has arisen. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation does not take long. They have provided a simplified edition on the hardware and database of the latest version of Oracle Database Appliance, a product I have recently installed. It is quite user friendly and makes things easier than has been the case in the last five years. With the improved installation, the solution is now easy to install.  

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

    The licensing costs are on a yearly basis, although I am a technicican and am not involved in this process. This is in someone else's purview. 

    What other advice do I have?

    In NFC Cameroon the solution is deployed on-premises. When it comes to Oracle Database, certain companies are deployed on-cloud and others on-premises. We have yet to deploy on cloud. 

    We have many clients, ranging from medium sized to very large. We have assisted more than ten clients in implementing the solution in our data center. 

    I rate Oracle Database as an eight out of ten. 

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Reliable, secure, good support, and it is easy to set up
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's a secure market leader."
    • "The consumption of memory and the client memory has been increased exorbitantly in the most recent past."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use this solution to develop applications for our clients.

    What is most valuable?

    It's a secure market leader.

    What needs improvement?

    The consumption of memory and the client memory has been increased exorbitantly in the most recent past.

    With performance devices, it requires the system to be upgraded to the newer version, which was something that was unlike before. 

    If the memory consumption can be kept low for the client, at least, then that would be great.

    We would like to see smooth reporting for the indexes, which can be easily done. If we want an entire report for each consolidation, we would have to do it manually. If the system could be smarter with artificial intelligence then it would be better.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Oracle Database for five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It's quite stable. We don't experience any downtime.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We are not a full data center environment as of now. We develop for our customers and we have not scaled it.

    We have 20 dedicated users in our company and may increase usage in the future.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is fine.

    We have some people who have been working with Oracle for a long time, so we don't usually require much support because the knowledge bases are already established.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was fine. It was not a challenge.

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

    Definitely, it's an expensive product.

    Because it's dominant in the market for database-related products, the price is a bit expensive compared with others.

    What other advice do I have?

    It's a pretty good solution. It's secure in the market for relational databases. It's been the best storage for several years.

    If your purpose is to get into the relational schema then Oracle is the best. If you are interested in structured data then Oracle is the best choice. If you are interested in unstructured data then go with something else.

    I would rate Oracle Database and 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
    Domain architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Easy to set up on their engineered systems, but the support needs improvement and they are pricing themselves out of the market
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is easy to set up on their engineered systems."
    • "It needs to be more stable, as recently we have experienced some issues."

    What is our primary use case?

    The primary use case of this solution is as part of our financial systems.

    What is most valuable?

    It is easy to set up on their engineered systems.

    What needs improvement?

    It needs to be more stable, as recently we have experienced some issues.

    The support should be more customer-friendly.

    The pricing should be reduced.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Oracle Database for a few years.

    We are using the latest version.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It used to be stable and scalable, however, we have had recent stability problems on the Exadata platform.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We have the necessary number of people using the application.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have Oracle support but we are not satisfied with it.

    It needs to be responsive, and more customer-friendly.

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

    We use different products for different requirements.

    We are switching away from Oracle.

    When it comes to storage, we are a large organization with many different databases. We haven't migrated between the databases, however, that is now starting to happen as we are moving off Oracle. We won't remove it completely, but we are moving away from it.

    How was the initial setup?

    It depends on how it is being deployed. For example, if you have multiple designs and you are deploying it on their engineered systems then it's not complex. But if you are running it on a traditional hardware system then it is slightly complex.

    I don't know how long it would take to deploy on the monitoring systems, but on the engineering systems, it would take two to three hours.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did not use a consultant, vendor, or reseller to deploy this solution. We implemented the database ourselves. The engineering system is always done by Oracle, and we don't have a choice. Oracle always deploys the physical equipment.

    We have a team of 12 to maintain this solution.

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

    They are pricing themselves out of the market.

    What other advice do I have?

    We will continue to use this solution in the future.

    I wouldn't recommend Oracle Database to others who are planning to use it.

    I would rate it a seven 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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