DBMS COMPARISON REPORT

Oracle 11i

MS SQL 2000

Price:
Appx . 1280 $

Price:
Appx .1530$ ( For The Entire SBS Suit )

Platform dependency:

Platform dependency:

The Oracle Database is the only information

management system that is proven to scale to meet all
business requirements on all hardware platforms, from
single processor and mid-range multiprocessor systems
to large-scale mainframe and clustered environments.
This proven scalability unlocks the full potential of any
hardware and operating system investment and ensures
any organization will able to meet all business
requirements in the future.

Supports Intel and Alpha Platforms. But Only Windows

2000 Operating systems is supported on Intel Platforms.

Scalability and locking:

Scalability and locking:

Oracle9is unique multi-version read consistency model

minimizes internal contention of data. By avoiding
contention, the number of users who can
simultaneously access data increases. DBMS will
dynamically re-create a read-consistent image for a
reader of any requested data that has been changed but
not yet committed. In other words, the reader will see
the data as it was before the writer began changing it
(until the writer commits).

SQL Server 2000 is capable of supporting the growth

requirements of any Web site, as well as the largest
enterprise systems. It includes Distributed Partitioned
Views and log shipping to distribute workloads and takes
full advantage of SMP hardware with new parallel
operations.

Critical Business Availability:

Critical Business Availability:

Oracle9i is the most cost-effective database to ensure

minimal downtime and zero data loss. It takes care of
most scenarios that might lead to data unavailability,
such as system failures, data failures, disasters, human
errors, system maintenance operations and database
maintenance operations. In addition, Oracle Real
Application Clusters provides high availability for
mission critical applications.

In SQL Server 2000, more operations can be performed

online so that the server can stay up and running.
Additionally, new backup features ensure that backups can
be performed with little or no impact on server
performance or availability.

System Failure Protection

System Failure Protection

Oracle database recovery allows the DBA to provide

service-level guarantees for the system, ensuring the
database availability meets the business needs. Oracle
Real Application Clusters and Oracle Failsafe provide
continuous availability to database in the event of a
system failure. Automatic application fail over masks
the failure from the users so their work continues
uninterrupted.

SQL Server 2000 includes enhanced fail over cluster

support to keep applications up and running even when
disaster strikes.
Fail over clusters are both easier to manage and more
flexible in SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. SQL
Server 2000 setup automatically detects the presence of
Microsoft Cluster Services, so no separate cluster wizard is
needed.

Online Maintenance Operations

Online Maintenance Operations

Oracle9i almost completely eliminates the need to

bring down a database while an administrator is
performing maintenance operations on the database.
The online data redefinition features improve data
availability, database performance, response time and
disk space utilization Indexes can be added, rebuilt or
de-fragmented. Tables can be relocated, de-fragmented,
reorganized or have their storage parameters changed.
Schema evolution allows table definitions to be
modified while the data table is in service.

In SQL Server 2000, more operations can be performed

online so that the server can stay up and running.
Additionally, new backup features ensure that backups can
be performed with little or no impact on server
performance or availability.

Flashback query

Flashback query

Users can make mistakes such as entering the wrong

values or deleting the wrong set of rows. Oracle9Is
flashback query allows an administrator or a user to
view the database at a point-in time in the past.
Developers can use this feature to build self-service
error correction applications, empowering end-users to
undo and correct their errors without delay.

Not Supported

Security and Protection of the Privacy of Sensitive

Business Information

Security and Protection of the Privacy of Sensitive

Business Information

Oracle9i offers all the features and functionality

required to secure and protect all important business
information. It addresses all major security hazards,
providing a wide choice of authentication and
authorization mechanisms and protecting data from
prying, even by the DBA. It supports a number of
different application architectures including two-tier,
three-tier, Internet based and hosting.

Oracle does not provide basic security features such as

integrated security for single sign-on, network packet
encryption, PKI, or Kerberos as a standard feature of the
database. These are available only as extra charge options
and only for the enterprise edition of the Oracle9i database.
SQL Server 2000 has all these options as standard features
built into the database.
SQL Server 2000 introduces significant new security
enhancements and features. SQL Server 2000 has been
certified under the U.S. government's C2-level security
certificationone of the highest levels of certification
available in the industry.

Flexible Data Partitioning

Flexible Data Partitioning

Oracle partitioning allows table and indexes to be

partitioned into smaller, more manageable units,
providing DBAs with the ability to pursue a
divide and conquer approach to data
management. For example, a typical usage of
range partitioning for manageability is to support
a rolling window load process in a data
warehouse. When, for example, a DBA loads new
data into a table on a weekly basis, that table
could be range-partitioned so that each partition
contains one week of data. The load process is
simply the addition of a new partition.

In order to attain flexible data storage and additional query

performance, developers can use the Partition Wizard to
easily scale out one logical cube into separate physical
partitions on multiple servers with complete transparency.

Complete Summary Management

Complete Summary Management

Summary management enhances query performance by

Analysis Services (formerly OLAP Services) in SQL

storing pre-aggregated data anddynamically re-writing queries to use this data, thereby
avoiding the overhead of scanning very large tables,
often several gigabytes in size, at runtime. Oracle9Is
robust summary management implementation allows
the creation of dimensions, or summary hierarchies, so
that only the most frequently used summary tables need
be physically stored while less frequently used
summary information can be derived based on stored
summary tables. This reduces the amount of storage
required for summary tables.

Server 2000 is to provide a complete, end-to-end platform

for analysis including relational storage, data extraction,
OLAP optimization and querying, data mining, and
semantic modeling, among others. Moreover, Analysis
Services is designed for database administrators and
application developers rather than an elite audience of
statistical experts.

Manageability And DBA Expertise

Manageability And DBA Expertise

Oracle9i simplifies database management and increases

database administrator productivity with smart selftuning.

Oracle is late to the game in recognizing that customers

want databases that are intelligent enough to manage
critical resources and perform routine tuning automatically.
For several releases, SQL Server had the ability to
automatically tune itself based on run-time conditions. As a
result, SQL Server requires little, if any, tuning by a
database administrator; memory, file sizes, and the I/O
subsystem are a few of the items SQL Server manages on
behalf of the administrator.
Oracle has only just begun to explore this area with the
addition of wizards in its management tools. SQL Server
first implemented wizards over six years ago and is years
ahead of other vendors with its dynamic automated
resource management and tuning capabilities. Additionally,
many management tools and utilities that come as standard
features in SQL Server are extra charge options in
Oracle9i.

Workload Management

Workload Management

Oracle9i features a significantly enhanced Database

Resource Manager with new capabilities such as
authentic prioritization and proactive governance of
any SQL statement. With its automatic prioritization
feature, an Oracle9i database can detect long running
operations and limit their resource consumption
ensuring that the online users do not experience slow
performance. Oracle9i Database Resource Manager
also provides execution of highly resource intensive
queries during certain times of the day. These
capabilities allow for prioritization of work and provide
almost unlimited system scalability without
compromising performance.

SQL Server performs several operations to keep itself

tuned. SQL Server 2000 features dynamic algorithms that
rely on adaptive feedback. SQL Profiler includes new
events for Data File Auto Grow, Data File Auto Shrink,
Log File Auto Grow and Log File Auto Shrink. These
events allow DBAs to monitor the circumstances under
which automated management tasks are occurring.
Developers can also create applications that use SQL
Profiler stored procedures to automate the adjustment of
the operational characteristics of SQL Server.

English Query

English Query

Not Supported

Microsoft English Query allows end users to pose

questions in English instead of forming a query with an
SQL statement. English Query acts as an intermediary,
turning the users question into a proper SQL query that
pulls the desired results from the database. English Query
is fully integrated into SQL Server 2000. Microsoft is
unique in the industry in offering such functionality.

Database backups

Database backups

Supports on-line and offline database and redo log

backups. Oracle supports a number of certified vendors
equipments for backup.

SQL Server 2000 includes the capability to perform

differential backups. Using this approach, backups run
relatively quickly and are smaller in size than other types
of backups. Moreover, differential backups may be
performed while users access the database.