Let us begin with shedding light on what sets Oracle Database apart from other relational database systems, including its features and specifics, advantages and disadvantages. Afterwards, we will take a brief look at Devart's dbForge product line designed for effective development and management of Oracle databases.
Oracle Database is the world's most popular and widely used relational database management system, trusted and applied by top companies from various industries to store, organize, and manage their data most effectively.
Developed by the Oracle Corporation in 1979, this RDBMS became the company's flagship product which propelled the company to become one of the most powerful developers of business software for different operating systems. In addition to the Oracle Database system, the same corporation owns MySQL, another highly popular RDBMS that is free and open source, as well as the Java programming language.
Oracle is known and favored for its ability to handle and process vast amounts of data. It offers support for various administrative operations and transactions as well as boasts impressive SQL querying capabilities. These features contributed to the popularity of Oracle, particularly among enterprises.
Despite the emergence and success of worthwhile competitors, Oracle has maintained its position as the leading RDBMS for over 30 years, continuing to dominate the market.
Oracle Database is renowned for its scalability and flexibility. In case of need, businesses can incorporate additional servers and hardware resources. Moreover, Oracle Database boasts compatibility with over 100 platforms and around 20 networking protocols, providing extensive flexibility. With a focus on performance optimization, Oracle continuously enhances query execution time and overall operational speed.
The data availability for real-time applications is exceptional, even with downtimes and failures. The Oracle Data Guard feature ensures that the secondary database acts as a replica of the primary database during failures. It also supports the continuity of all regular operations, including backups. Considering all that, Oracle Database is one of the most reliable options for high-performance environments.
The Oracle Advanced Security feature provides effective mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to databases. With features like role-based access control, connection and data encryption, and data masking, along with regular security updates and patches, Oracle Database ensures top-tier protection against threats. As a result, Oracle is widely regarded as one of the most secure database management systems in the market.
Backup and recovery are crucial for ensuring the availability and safeguarding of data. In that respect, Oracle Database enables automated backups on a schedule and facilitates restoration at various levels, ranging from full or partial backups to the restoration of a single table. Additionally, Oracle Database offers other useful features such as encrypted backups, online backups, and archived backups.
Oracle Database comes in five different editions that match different needs and work scenarios.
The free Oracle Database Express Edition serves as an introductory-level edition, primarily utilized for personal use or for the needs of small businesses that are related to database development, deployment, and distribution tasks. Its functionality is restricted in comparison to higher-level editions (12 GB of user data, 2 GB of RAM, and up to 2 CPU threads). Upgrade to a higher edition of Oracle is available at any time.
Oracle Database Enterprise Edition is the most powerful option that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of large enterprises and critical applications. It encompasses a comprehensive range of advanced options, such as Real Application Clusters (RAC), machine learning capabilities, advanced compression techniques, an in-memory database, partitioning functionality, and much more.
Formerly known as the Oracle Database Standard Edition One, the Standard Edition has gained popularity among teams operating at the department level and in the realm of web applications. Notably, it provides the Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), which guarantees support for clustering services (it should be noted that this service is exclusively available in Oracle Database 10g and subsequent versions).
The Personal Edition includes all the options and components offered in the Enterprise Edition for both development and deployment purposes, except for the Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature, but it is designed for individual use. Another restriction is that this particular edition of Oracle Database is solely compatible with Windows and Linux operating systems. The licensing model follows a one-user-per-server scheme.
Oracle Standard Edition 2 (SE2) is a feature-rich database management system that serves as a cost-effective solution for small and medium businesses. It is a popular choice not only among these businesses but also among many teams who prefer it over the Standard Edition. However, it's important to note that the Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature is not included in this edition.
Seamless integration with data lakes and data warehouses ensures easy data retrieval from various sources, such as relational databases, object storage, and services like Spark, Hadoop, and Elasticsearch. Convenient access eliminates the need for additional services.
Oracle enables on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud deployment options, resulting in cost savings and increased flexibility for users. Regardless of the deployment method required by the user, the capabilities of Oracle Database remain consistently flexible.
Oracle Database provides support for SQL, diverse APIs, and CLIs at various automation levels. It upholds high standards for data integration, data access, and data security, empowering software developers to design applications that involve multiple data types.
The Oracle Analytics platform is a cloud service that provides users with all the features required to carry out the entire analytics process, including data ingestion and modeling, data preparation and enrichment, as well as visualization and collaboration.
Oracle Flashback Technology is a bundle of features that allow users to view past states of database objects or return database objects to a previous state without using point-in-time media recovery. With its help, users can easily query past data or recover from logical damage.
Oracle offers a wealth of resources, including comprehensive documentation, knowledge bases, and active community forums. Additionally, it is possible to access specialized assistance and updates through Oracle Premier Support or Oracle Advanced Customer Services.
| Sector | Use of DBMS |
|---|---|
| IT services and IT consulting | Build and run IT solutions on cloud infrastructures with front and back-office modules |
| Software development | Enhance application development with CI/CD, automated deployment, cloud-native and low-code technologies |
| Finance | Optimize operations and mitigate risks effectively with data-driven applications and infrastructures |
| Banking | Employ a comprehensive solution suite for core banking operations in retail and commercial sectors |
| Technology, information, and Internet | Develop and implement solutions faster using the 5G core network and secure access |
| Healthcare | Adopt innovative technologies for clinical R&D and analysis for healthcare-related organizations |
| Government administration | Build smart and secure applications that meet government requirements |
| Business consulting and services | Launch new business solutions with cloud applications and 5G network infrastructure solutions |
| Higher education | Enhance learning experiences while improving information processing |
| Defense | Access the speed, scalability, and security required by high-profile projects in the national defense sector |
Global popularity across various fields
Compatibility with a variety of platforms and applications
Availability of various database editions with different functionality for any needs
Automation of services via Oracle Cloud
Abundance of security features
Extensive developer community
Professional support
High costs of paid licenses
High hardware requirements for on-premises versions
Extensive expertise requirements (knowledge of SQL and database management)
Focus on enterprise-level businesses with large databases
dbForge tools for Oracle help you design comprehensive database structures on diagrams. You can easily create and configure database objects and relationships between them.
The integrated coding assistance features enhance your routine SQL coding and ensure the superior quality of your output.
You can effectively manage and deploy changes in your databases, generate data for testing, and document your databases with all objects and relationships.
dbForge tools provide you with a robust selection of database administration features.
You can extract valuable insights from your data with the help of the analysis and reporting features.
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