Choosing between Oracle and SQL Server
I have to decide between using the Oracle database and WebDB vs. Microsoft SQL Server with Visual Studio.This choice will guide our future Web projects.What are the strong points of each of these combinations and what are the negatives?
Lori:Making your decision will depend on what you already have.For instance,if you want to implement a Web-based database application and you are a Windows-only shop,SQL Server and the Visual Studio package would be fine.But the Oracle solution would be better with mixed platforms.
There are other things to consider,such as what extras you get and what skills are required.WebDB is a content management and development tool that can be used by content creators,database administrators,and developers without any programming experience.WebDB is a browser-based tool that helps ease content creation and provides monitoring and maintenance tools.This is good solution for organizations already using Oracl.Oracle also scales better than SQL Server,but you will need to have a competent Oracle administrator on hand.
The SQL Server/Visual Studio approach is more difficult to use and requires an experienced object-oriented programmer or some extensive training.However,you do get a fistful of development tools with Visual Studio:visual Basic,visual C++,and Visual Interdev for only $1619.Plus,you will have to add the cost of the SQL Server,which will run you $1999 for 10 clients or $3999 for 25 clients-a less expensive solution than Oracle’s.
Oracle also has a package solution that starts at $6767,depending on the platfrom selected.The Oracle.com suite includes not only WebDB and Oracle8i but also other tools for development such as the Oracle application server,Jdeveloper,and iWorkplace Templates,and the suite runs on more platforms than the Microsoft solution does.This can be a good solution if you are a start-up or a small to midsize business.Buying these tools in package si less costly than purchasing them indvidually.
Much depends on your skill level,hardware resources,and budget.I hope this helps in your decision-making.
Brooks:Itotally agree that this dicision depends in large part on what infrastructure and expertise you already have.If the decision is close,you need to figure out who’s going to be doing the work and what your priorities are.
These two products have different approaches,and they reflect the different personalities of the two vendors.In general,Oracle products are designed for very professional develipment efforts by top-notch programmers and project leaders.The learning period is fairly long,and the solution is pricey;but if you stick it out you will ultimately have greater scalability and greater reliability.
If your project has tight deadlines and you don’t have the time an /or money to hire a team of very expensive,very experienced developers,you may find that the Oracle solution is an easy way to get yourself in trouble.There’s nothing worse than a poorly developed Oracle application.
Of course,there are trade-offs.The key problem I have with Visual Studio and SQL Server is that you will bu tied to Microsoft opreating systems and Intel hardware.If the day comes when you need to support hundreds of thousands of users,you really don’t have anywhere to go other than buying hundreds of server,which is a management nightmare.
If you go with the Microsoft approach,it sounds like you may not need more than Visual Interdev.If you already know that you’re going to be developing ActiveX components is Visual Basic or Visual C++,that’s a warning sign that maybe you should look at the Oracle solution more closerly.
I want to emphasize that,althought these platforms have their relative strengths and weaknesses,if you di it right you can build a world-class application on either one.So if you have an organizational bias to ward one of the vendors,by all means go with it,If you’re starting out form scratch,you’re going to have to ask yourself whether your organization leans more toward perfectionism or pragmatism,and realize that both “isms” have their faults.
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