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Oracle: Exploring its Features, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Oracle

In the majority of companies, Oracle is the most often used database management system. The SQL language, which is pronounced “Sequel,” is used by Oracle to modify data and carry out operations on it. In this article, I’ll go over Oracle’s history. SEQUEL, which stands for “Structured English Query Language,”. It was created in 1979 by IBM Corporation with the sole purpose of using Codd’s approach. In 1979, Oracle produced the first commercially available SQL implementation.

SQL is now referred to as a standard RDBMS language. Two computer programmers, Larry Ellison, and Bob Miner founded Oracle Corporation in 1977. Both Larry and Bob had experience creating database applications for other businesses. Their initial endeavor was to create a unique database program for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).

Under the moniker Software Development Laboratories, Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates co-founded Oracle Corporation in 1977. (SDL). A Relational Model of Data for Massive Shared Data Banks, a 1970 work by Edgar F. Codd on relational database management systems (RDBMS), served as Ellison’s inspiration. Oates had given him a copy of an article from the IBM Research Journal that described the IBM System R database. Ellison attempted to make Oracle’s product System R compatible but was unsuccessful since IBM withheld the error codes for their DBMS.

Relational Software, Inc. (RSI) was the original name of SDL before it underwent a name change in 1979 to better align with its flagship product Oracle Database. The company subsequently changed it once more to Oracle Systems Corporation in 1983. Robert Miner was the organization’s senior programmer at this time. The company launched its first public offering on March 12, 1986.

Despite the site’s completion taking place in 1995, Oracle moved its worldwide headquarters to Redwood Shores in Redwood City, California, in 1989.

In 1995, Oracle Corporation formally replaced Oracle Systems Corporation as the company’s name. Oracle Corporation is the preferred name for the holding firm. As most operating systems support C, this made porting to many operating systems easier. 

Oracle purchased Siebel, a CRM business, in 2006 after purchasing PeopleSoft, an ERP company, in 2005. Oracle purchased enterprise infrastructure software provider BEA Systems in 2008, and computer hardware and software provider Sun Microsystems in 2010. (famous for its Java programming language).

Oracle moved its stock listing from the Nasdaq to the NYSE on July 15, 2013. That was the biggest U.S. market transfer ever at the time. 

Oracle stated in 2019 that it was teaming with longtime competitor Microsoft to compete with Amazon Web Services and its products. As a result of the alliance, clients of each company would be able to store data on both cloud computing platforms and execute their respective software on either Oracle Cloud or Azure. Some perceived this as an effort to compete not just with Amazon but also with Google, which had acquired Looker, and Salesforce, which had acquired Tableau Software. 

Oracle stated that it was relocating its global headquarters from Redwood Shores to Austin, Texas, on December 11, 2020.

Oracle announced the acquisition of Cerner, a provider of health information technology, on December 20, 2021. The following day, on December 21, Oracle announced the acquisition of Federos, a provider of network performance AI and automation technologies. 

On August 23, 2022, Oracle was the target of a class action lawsuit that claimed the company had been running a “surveillance machine” that had been continuously tracking and archiving the private information of millions of people.

The corporation declared in February 2023 that as part of ongoing digital investment in the nation, it would invest $1.5 billion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Oracle will establish a data center in the nation’s capital, Riyadh, as part of the investment.

Oracle is a different name for the database. Based on the features offered, it now offers five different editions of its database.

  • Standard Version One: It has fewer features and is appropriate for single-server or highly branched commercial applications.
  • Enterprise Edition: This version includes all the capabilities necessary for highly-critical applications that entail online transaction processing, such as security, performance, scalability, and availability.
  • Express Edition: This basic edition is available for free download, management, installation, deployment, and development,
  • Standard Edition: This version has all of the features of Standard Edition One. Moreover, it offers Oracle Real Application clustering service and greater machine support.
  • Personal Edition: It has all of the same features as the Enterprise edition, except Oracle Real Application Clustering.

Features of Oracle

To fulfill the needs of effective database management, an Oracle database provides the following features:

  1. Client-Server Architecture:

To fully leverage distributed systems, Oracle can enable processing to be split into client and server application applications. Hence, client/server architecture serves the function of distributed processing.

  1. High Accessibility:

It is never unavailable or out of commission. As a result, none of the routine tasks, including backups or partial failures, stop you from using the database.

  1. Distributed System:

Oracle is based on distributed systems that offer the benefits of local database management together with the same level of user transparency and data consistency as non-distributed systems.

  1. There are several concurrent database users:

The Oracle server ensures data concurrency and reduces data conflicts.

  1. High-performance transaction processing:

Oracle also keeps its total system performance at a high level. Users of the database are not negatively impacted by poor processing performance.

  1. Controllable Security:

Oracle offers fail-safe security capabilities to restrict and oversee data access to guard against unauthorized database access and use.

  1. Space Management and Large Databases:

Oracle is capable of supporting the biggest databases. It enables complete space management, allowing for the effective utilization of hardware devices.

  1. Scalability and Performance

A database is scalable following consumption thanks to features like Real Application Portability and Clustering. Oracle takes into account the need to manage data consistency and concurrency in multi-user databases.

  1. Recovery and Backup: 

Its design offers comprehensive recovery features that allow for the restoration of data from virtually all failures. The database needs to be promptly recoverable in case of failure for high availability. 

  1. Availability: 

High data availability is necessary for real-time applications. Data is still available even during planned or unforeseen outages or failures. 

  1. Security: 

Protecting data is always of utmost importance. It provides controls for restricting access to and use of data. Applying for permission and altering user actions can limit user access while preventing unauthorized access.

  1. Compatibility:

The industry standards are compatible with Oracle software. Numerous other systems can use applications created for Oracle without requiring significant adjustment.

Advantages of Oracle

There are the following advantages of Oracle:

Recovery Failure:

The Oracle DB’s RMAN (Recovery Manager) capability allows for restoring database files during downtime and outages. It allows ongoing archiving as well as online, archived backups. Users have yet another choice thanks to user-managed recovery, which is provided by SQL* PLUS. The user-managed backups are used by the export tool.

Multiple Databases:

Its database allows for the management of numerous database instances on a single server. It offers an Instance Caging technique for controlling CPU usage on a server-hosting database instance. To manage services across numerous instances, instance caging collaborates with the database resource manager.

Editions:

It is advantageous for customers to buy editions to their application requirements As we covered before the many versions Oracle provides. If their needs change in the future, they can effortlessly update the edition. You can download and install the express edition database for free if you want to learn about and practice using Oracle.

Performance: 

High performance can be attained using its approaches and guiding ideas. We can implement performance tuning in the database to speed up data retrieval and modification, hence enhancing query execution speed and subsequently application activities.

Clusters: 

To create a high data availability system, Real Application Clusters are deployed. Benefits of the database with RAC over conventional database servers include: 

  • Expanding the database across several instances.
  • Adjustable to enhance processing power.
  • Balanced load.
  • Data availability and redundancy.

Disadvantages of Oracle

Oracle Rac Must Be Installed On Shared Storage:

Your database files, OCR repository, and voting disc all need to be on shared storage if you’re using Oracle RAC. If you don’t, it won’t operate properly. The system will eventually crash due to any shared disc configuration issues you may have, which may result in an inaccurate shared disc configuration error report.

A Particular Network Configuration Is Needed For It To Function Correctly:

For Oracle RAC to function successfully, all of your SCAN IPs, VIPs, and public IP addresses must be on the same public network. The public network and the private IPs must be on different networks. Before the installation can start, both your public and private IP addresses must be pingable. To experience an inappropriate network setup error, all of these steps must be followed.

Several Requirements Need To Be Satisfied:

When setting the network for Oracle RAC and Clusterware, it is important to acknowledge the specific requirements of each node in the cluster. Every node must have at least two network interface cards, identical private interface names across all nodes, and public interface names. For high-speed network adapters with a switch that supports gigabit ethernet at the very least, your network adapter must support TCP/IP and the private interface must support UDP. In addition, the precondition and hardware requirements must be satisfied.

Scalability Restrictions May Exist:

If an Oracle RAC application cannot scale on SMP, it will also not scale with Oracle RAC. It’s also critical to be realistic about any latency disparities between communications between local-only memory cache instances and the inter-node network. When you require both high performance and great availability, this system performs well. A single instance server or a less complicated solution may be a better choice if you only have one of those needs.

It’s Not Always A Strategy To Save Money:   

Make sure to acknowledge the hardware expenditures as well if you’re considering Oracle RAC as a cost-saving measure. Many businesses only consider the software costs, which leaves them with a disappointing surprise when it comes time to make payments. For some firms, the cost over three years of a disc array with 20 TB of usable capacity for primary storage might be over $150,000.

Revenue of Oracle:

Annual revenue at Oracle is $42.4 billion. The Zippia data science team conducted extensive research and analysis before identifying the following crucial financial KPIs.

Oracle employs 132,000 people and earns $321,515 per employee.

In 2022, Oracle’s highest quarterly revenue was $11.8 billion (q4).

In 2022, Oracle’s peak revenue was $42.4 billion.

Oracle’s yearly sales in 2021 were $40.5 billion, up 3.61% from the previous year.

Oracle’s yearly revenue in 2022 increased by 4.84% from 2021 to $42.4 billion.

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