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Re: Oracle comparison

From: Vladimir M. Zakharychev <bob_at_dpsp-yes.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 16:32:20 +0400
Message-ID: <aeptke$n0b$1@babylon.agtel.net>


> This alone makes it very good choice for web applications.
>
> Thx.
> Add to it complex

Not any more complex than any other commercial db out there once you get used to the way it works. You still can use it as a black box you stick your data into, and it will provide answers to your queries the same way any other SQL-compiant db will. But if you use Oracle (or any other db) this way, without knowing how it works, you are likely to face problems arising from the fact you are using it in the wrong way. One good example can be this:
all databases with lock-based concurrency control encourage you to commit as often as you can to release the locks held by your transaction as locks are scarce resource. This is not the case with Oracle and in fact can and will lead to infamous ora-1555 'snapshot too old' errors. In Oracle you commit when needed, not asap, because writers do not block readers and readers do not block writers in Oracle.
Actually, it is even easier to use, thanks to vast amount of utility packages, features and tools provided out of the box - you don't have to reinvent the wheel, then the bycicle to attach a couple of these to, as the bycicle is already built-in. :)

> plus server-side Java2 (if need be)
>
> Superiority of Oracle's Java? Don't other db's have Java?

Oracle's Java is in no way superior to other Java implementations, because it is Sun-controlled technology and is the same everywhere. Oracle VM is just tailored so that it provides very fast internal interface to the database itself through the use of natively compiled special JDBC driver and native compilation of most foundation classes. Java security is also tailored to database specifics. In all other aspects, it's the same Java you see anywhere else.

> just because you can keep your business logic close to your data and build
> > any interface to it (or any number of) easily.
>
> You cannot do this with other db's also? Or not as well?

You can, but not as simply as in Oracle. PL/SQL is a full-blown programming language with a lot of standard libraries, plus it is tightly coupled with SQL. I didn't see any other language for stored procedures coming anywhere close to PL/SQL in functionality. PL/SQL allows you to create applications right inside the database, close to your data. It allows for effective code reuse through the use of packages. With 9i Release 2, you get (finally) true object-oriented extensions allowing you to create custom object datatypes, with inheritance and polymorphism (though we still mostly use purely relational approach and only use object types when they are easier to use to implement some feature).

-- 
Vladimir Zakharychev (bob@dpsp-yes.com)                http://www.dpsp-yes.com
Dynamic PSP(tm) - the first true RAD toolkit for Oracle-based internet applications.
All opinions are mine and do not necessarily go in line with those of my employer.
Received on Wed Jun 19 2002 - 07:32:20 CDT

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