RE: Agnostic references for Pracle v SQl Server 2000

From: Martin Kendall <mkendall_at_oracle-rescue.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 01:18:27 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.004D7834.20020924011827@fatcity.com>

Thanks Peter and indeed thanks to everyone else.

It's nice to know that ones "gut feeling" is shared by ones peers.

I had better start typing up that report :-)

Martin

-----Original Message-----

Peter.McLarty_at_mincom.com
Sent: 24 September 2002 01:23
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Maybe you need to talk with a Developer to quickly do a rough estimate of
costs involved in taking one on the more complex form/reports systems to

VB/.net platforms. make sure they don't scrimp on cost but be realistic.
I don't think a 1 page report is fair or does justice to the question so

develop a longer report and produce a 1 page executive summary to present,
but say a development cost of 1,000,000 in that report to move only one application might be a significant hindrance to the M$ is cheaper. Also beware that a lot of things run in Win2k/sqlserver, but to get the

advanced features for say clustering you then need to be running Advanced
Server along with M$ clustering software and the price point then runs up
somewhat higher.
Remember the MSDN licenses that will need to be acquired, along with NT licenses if you don't currently have them Oh and decent Intel based hardware for the DB servers.
Also consider talking to your Oracle rep and see if the issue of pricing

re Charity status cant be worked over. A lesser license to Oracle for a registered charity has to be better than no license fee in the present climate.

my 0.02c

Cheers

Peter McLarty               E-mail: Peter.Mclarty_at_mincom.com
Technical Consultant        WWW: http://www.mincom.com
APAC Technical Services     Phone: +61 (0)7 3303 3461
Brisbane,  Australia        Mobile: +61 (0)402 094 238
                            Facsimile: +61 (0)7 3303 3048
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"Martin Kendall" <mkendall_at_oracle-rescue.com> Sent by: root_at_fatcity.com
24-09-2002 08:53 AM
Please respond to ORACLE-L

To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>

        cc: 
        Subject:        RE: Agnostic references for Pracle v SQl Server

2000

Hi Dennis,

They have 5 databases, dating back to 7.1 and up to 8.1.7

They also have some very complex Oracle Forms and Reports.

What they do not realise at the moment is the amount of work they will have to put in to convert the Apps. AND retrain the 4-5 members of staff who are more scientists than DP professional types.

The data extraction and migration itself should not be a problem.

The "Oracle costs a lot of money to licence" story has worried them quite a bit.

Martin

-----Original Message-----

WILLIAMS
Sent: 23 September 2002 21:49
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Martin - Thanks for the clarification, but this prompts more questions. Is
there a single database involved that multiple clients share the use of, or
are you the vendor of a product that sits atop a database, but each client
has their own database installed at their location. If it is the latter, then the correct answer would be for them to keep ported to both Oracle and
SQL Server.

My experience has been that Microsoft tries to arrange it so that if you
have a Microsoft front-end (.NET or VB), interface to the database will be
much easier.

Dennis Williams
DBA
Lifetouch, Inc.
dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com <mailto:dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com>

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 3:27 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Hi Dennis,

Personally I would like them not to move.

Apart from all the Platform issues, they don't have ANY experience in .NET
architecture and they only think it will be easier to administer the DB because they do not have any experienced Oracle DBA's in their employ.

I am struggling to understand how they can possibly think of future-proofing their systems AND at the same time become a 100% Microsoft site.

Martin

-----Original Message-----

WILLIAMS
Sent: 23 September 2002 20:39
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Martin - If I understand your first statement, the database is now on Oracle
and you are writing a paper on why they should move it to MS SQL Server. If
this is true, and given your other statements about the client, I would think you could get plenty of reasons from the Microsoft web site. Or did
you mean to say you are trying to give them reasons not to move?

Dennis Williams
DBA
Lifetouch, Inc.
dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com <mailto:dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com>

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 1:34 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Hello all. I need to provide a one page report on why it may be

beneficial for an organisation with light usage, small DB to move

from Oracle to SQL Server. Their request is purely due to

having a recognition of their charity status by Microsoft and therefore being able to get everything

at a much reduced price.

It is bad enough that they do not have experienced Oracle DBA's on site,

now it seems that they are attracted by the apparent ease of use / setup/
Graphical everything.

They are even looking at adopting the same development technology as one of
their main benefactors as this may help them

win further funding from such a benefactor. I am talking .NET and VB.

I am also asked to phrase my paper from the point of "future proofing" their
business technology.

I am struggling with the agnostic approach when taking into account the concept of "vendor lock-in".

It seems that cost is everything. But they will need to accept that cost is
not just what you pay

for the base product.

People, I am not really interested in a "religious war" on this - no doubt
such discussion types

have appeared on this List before. All I am asking for is pointers to any
ref. material that you may know of.

Happy days !

Martin

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