Re: Oracle vs MS SQL Server

If your starting from scratch, which it looks like you are, I'd opt for MS SQL Server, you can get up and running very quickly, Oracle tends to be more complicated and for a novice a bit more difficult not to mention more expensive.

I'd also opt for version 7 of SQL Server, you can quite easily obtain the beta 3 from MS, the product ships later this year. 6.5 will still be around for a year or two, but 7 forms the next SQL Server for a long time to come.

The only other thing I would say is to keep your mind open, some RDBMS producers are starting to get nervous about version 7 of SQL Server because it offers some much in terms of functionality and interfaces to other products.

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Hope the above helps.

Tony Rogerson
Torver Computer Consultants Ltd.