Re: Advise needed: Can I use/learn Oracle quickly?

From: Hans Forbrich <hforbric_at_yahoo.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 23:20:00 GMT
Message-ID: <AqSYb.25773$n17.9601@clgrps13>

Ed prochak wrote:
> Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu> wrote in message news:<1076961822.545851_at_yasure>...
>

>>Ed prochak wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Thankfully I learned ORACLE as part of researching Databases for a
>>>client company to use. really looking into the underlying technology
>>>and the feature sets at that time made ORACLE the clear winner for
>>>their needs. But I also learned enough that ORACLE is not best for ALL
>>>needs, especially given the costs.
>>>
>>>Good luck Erwin!
>>>  Ed
>>
>>Apparently it has been a long time since you've checked the price of
>>Oracle. One can now purchase a license for a lot less than $1000 USD.

>
>
> Maybe an individual developer can get that price (for non-commercial
> use), or a company embedding ORACLE in thousands of devices MIGHT be
> able to negotiate prices like that. (that's what was done for that
> client I mentioned. They bought bulk executable lincenses for use in
> embedded systems. But that was about 10years ago.)
>
> Try getting that price for a small company web server. I'm not
> currently involved directly in these contracts, but our company has
> clients paying in the tens of thousands of dollars for their licenses.
> AND NO they are not running huge machines. In one case, I believe the
> ORACLE license is costing MORE than the server it runs on.
>
> But you missed my point. For a given application, there may be a less
> expensive alternative that provides all the needed functionality at a
> lower cost. With open source software now, the out-of-pocket cost may
> be ZERO. (Support costs are a separate issue). ORACLE is a great
> DATABASE. But it's only one of many. Pick the tool that is right for
> the job is all I'm saying.
>
> Have a great day.
> Ed

While I agree with the sentiment, I've seen one too many organzations that don't look at the TOTAL cost.

Too often they've ended up paying a small amount for the database and a huge amount for the application development just to replicate the capabilities of mod_plsql, DBMS_JOBS, intermedia, etc. The final bill, when viewed over 3 years frequently amounts to more than would have been paid for Oracle and a knowledgable professional.

Inevitably this can be attributed to unrealistic expectations as well as accounting practises that keep capital vs operational expense totally separated and therefore ignore the true cost of a project.

So yes: use the right tool for the job. But make sure you understand the job well.

/Hans Received on Wed Feb 18 2004 - 17:20:00 CST