I used it on-premises to implement core solutions for sandbags. Most of the time, I use the 11g version, but of late, I'm using version 12.
Technical Delivery Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Feature-rich, very secure, robust, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The database is very secure, robust, and scalable. It has all the features that you need, such as disaster recovery, replication, backup, etc. It comes with all the features."
- "When it comes to Oracle, the only complaint that I have is their support. For business-critical cases, finding support is a little bit difficult because of the timezone difference. They should provide faster support to resolve issues on time."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The database is very secure, robust, and scalable. It has all the features that you need, such as disaster recovery, replication, backup, etc. It comes with all the features.
What needs improvement?
When it comes to Oracle, the only complaint that I have is their support. For business-critical cases, finding support is a little bit difficult because of the timezone difference. They should provide faster support to resolve issues on time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Database for nine to ten years.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. The number of users using this solution depends upon the business. For example, a bank might have 4,000 or 5,000 community users.
How are customer service and support?
They should provide faster support to resolve issues on time.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It takes a maximum of two hours, but it depends on your experience. If you know what you are doing, you can automate the entire process, and leave it to be done. From my experience, it usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
What about the implementation team?
I implement it on my own.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We are definitely going to keep using it. There is no better product than this. I would 100% recommend this solution to others as long as they can bear the cost. It is the best product, and it covers most of our needs.
I would rate Oracle Database a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
Domain architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Easy to set up on their engineered systems, but the support needs improvement and they are pricing themselves out of the market
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to set up on their engineered systems."
- "It needs to be more stable, as recently we have experienced some issues."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as part of our financial systems.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to set up on their engineered systems.
What needs improvement?
It needs to be more stable, as recently we have experienced some issues.
The support should be more customer-friendly.
The pricing should be reduced.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Database for a few years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It used to be stable and scalable, however, we have had recent stability problems on the Exadata platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have the necessary number of people using the application.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have Oracle support but we are not satisfied with it.
It needs to be responsive, and more customer-friendly.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use different products for different requirements.
We are switching away from Oracle.
When it comes to storage, we are a large organization with many different databases. We haven't migrated between the databases, however, that is now starting to happen as we are moving off Oracle. We won't remove it completely, but we are moving away from it.
How was the initial setup?
It depends on how it is being deployed. For example, if you have multiple designs and you are deploying it on their engineered systems then it's not complex. But if you are running it on a traditional hardware system then it is slightly complex.
I don't know how long it would take to deploy on the monitoring systems, but on the engineering systems, it would take two to three hours.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a consultant, vendor, or reseller to deploy this solution. We implemented the database ourselves. The engineering system is always done by Oracle, and we don't have a choice. Oracle always deploys the physical equipment.
We have a team of 12 to maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are pricing themselves out of the market.
What other advice do I have?
We will continue to use this solution in the future.
I wouldn't recommend Oracle Database to others who are planning to use it.
I would rate it a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Divisional Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
A robust solution with valuable concurrency, consistency, and security features
Pros and Cons
- "The concurrency, consistency, and security features are the most valuable. It is also a very robust solution."
- "There are plenty of options and features in this solution, but they are, somehow, not being used very well. Therefore, training and support should be increased and improved for this solution. They can make people aware of how to make proper use of their server so that people can optimize it because its cost is just too much. They can provide training on the policies and procedures to be used for archiving and all such things. There should be some kind of segregation in licensing. With a full license, all options should be available. There should also be a basic license with limited functionalities. This kind of basic license would be useful for us because we don't use most of the functionalities."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for our business purposes.
What is most valuable?
The concurrency, consistency, and security features are the most valuable. It is also a very robust solution.
What needs improvement?
There are plenty of options and features in this solution, but they are, somehow, not being used very well. Therefore, training and support should be increased and improved for this solution.
They can make people aware of how to make proper use of their server so that people can optimize it because its cost is just too much. They can provide training on the policies and procedures to be used for archiving and all such things.
There should be some kind of segregation in licensing. With a full license, all options should be available. There should also be a basic license with limited functionalities. This kind of basic license would be useful for us because we don't use most of the functionalities.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Database since 1988.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is absolutely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have around 2,000 users, and they use it daily on a 24/7 basis.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't use Oracle support. There is an administration team, and they get in touch with Oracle. I only get in touch with our administration team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are also using Microsoft SQL Server. Oracle Database has more advantages, but Microsoft SQL Server provides value for money.
How was the initial setup?
I don't set it up, but from what I know, it is not very difficult.
What about the implementation team?
We take the help of the agents from whom we buy the support. For its maintenance, we have two people. One person is from our company, and the other person is provided by Oracle.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is very expensive. We pay in dollars, so the inflation and conversion cost is also there for us. They charge on a yearly basis for the license.
What other advice do I have?
They are coming up with lots of features that will allow a lot of work to be done with respect to the database. They are going to give JSON storage, where JSON objects can be directly stored.
I would rate Oracle Database an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Reliable solution that is transparent to the end users
Pros and Cons
- "It is a reliable database warehouse solution that is transparent to the end user."
- "The pricing is the one sticking point for the solution because it is very expensive."
What is our primary use case?
I am an end-user of the Oracle database. The only use of Oracle is the repository of the data. So from the end-user side, it is transparent. A database is a good database if it does not slow down production or data processing. That the database prevents data from being exposed to any malware or any malicious scripting is a good idea. Oracle has these capabilities.
What is most valuable?
Oracle is simply a reliable data warehouse for us.
What needs improvement?
Our Oracle database is very expensive, so probably the cost is an area that can be improved. The cost of the product.
The actual features that might need to be improved is a question that is better answered by any IT person or administrator because they know specifically what are the limitations and what the challenges that they face in using the product or the brand.
On the end-user side, it is all transparent and we depend completely on the administration to care for the stability of the product. So we do not know what they experience on the administrative end as we are isolated from those issues. I don't know if the services are slowing down or if there's an issue and the product is not performing as expected.
If something happens and there is a switchover to using the back-up or something like that, we do not see any of that as end-users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for about 12 years with the same company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I do not have any idea about the specifics of the stability because that is usually taken care of by the IT department. From an end-user standpoint, the stability is very good. At least that is the case for us as the IT department is doing their job.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
But definitely as of this moment, due to the COVID crisis, we are not going into the direction of expanding any software or hardware inventory. Everything was put on hold to maximize the usage of current assets.
But of course, Oracle is a scalable solution. We are hoping to go in that direction. If you have a solution that is not scalable, then you probably will be left behind. All software seems to be taking that direction in offering scalability and flexibility.
Oracle can be deployed into whatever architecture you have right now. Whether it be on-prem, on the cloud, or a mix or hybrid. Probably that is a good point for Oracle.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not heard about any problems with technical support from Oracle and I also do not hear about any escalations regarding support from our IT department. I have not heard about any reports that the Oracle Database has been down.
So the product is good and the back-end support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have been using this Oracle solution from the time that I arrived at this company so there has not been any other product in use.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is taken care of and maintained by the IT and administration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not exactly sure of the precise cost, but I do know that the cost of the product is very expensive compared to some other solutions. Even though we are in a third world country, we do not enjoy any discount for our situation and economy.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
As far as I am aware this is the only product that was considered because of its reputation and performance.
What other advice do I have?
The advice I have for other people considering this solution is that if they have money then they should go for it. We do not experience performance issues or trouble with throughput.
It is probably a good idea to do some research for use in documentation which can be searched or located on the Internet. I think every company that is looking into creating value from their software assets, they have to do research or evaluation first on the Internet.
They should be sure, before making an investment that the product fits their requirements, probably they will contact a distributor or supplier to get the product.
The next important step would be the proof of concept. They must try to do a POC or work with a demo and see if the Oracle Database can solve the pain points that they are having right now.
One factor they can not forget is the budget. If the product fits their needs but not their budget, they will have to try to fit their budget to the product and make it work perhaps by scaling usage.
On the scale from one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best, I would rate Oracle Database as probably around and eight-out-of-ten. That is a good rating. The price is really the only thing which is holding it back from a better score.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Great performance, very easy to use, and extremely stable
Pros and Cons
- "The performance of the solution is impeccable."
- "While working with 20-30 terabytes is okay using this solution, if you have Big Data, data that's much bigger than that, you will run into issues. It's a problem I have right now. They should support much more data."
What is most valuable?
The performance of the solution is impeccable.
The simplicity and ease of use is fantastic. Compared to other databases, it's not a complex tool to manage.
What needs improvement?
While working with 20-30 terabytes is okay using this solution, if you have Big Data, data that's much bigger than that, you will run into issues. It's a problem I have right now. They should support much more data.
Aside from that, the solution isn't lacking any features that I can think of. It's an almost perfect solution, aside from the data issues we face.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for many years. It's been a long time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is extremely stable. There are no problems with it there. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or fail. It's completely reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is a problem for us. We need something that can handle Big Data. By Big Data, I mean more than 30 terabytes of data. Anything under that, and the solution might scale okay, however, for us, scalability is a problem because of the vast amounts of data we need to work with.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is excellent. They're really great. I have no complaints in regards to the level of support they provide to us. We've been satisfied with their service.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've looked at Axway Data, and it is a very good solution as well, however, it is a bit expensive and offers little support for very Big Data.
What other advice do I have?
We work closely with many integrator companies, however, we don't have a business relationship with Oracle. I'm a technical architect, so I just make some recommendations, and that's all.
I'd recommend the solution, so long as you aren't working with very very Big Data like we are. I could also recommend Axway, which I believe is also good.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Transactional data storage that can be traced and directed to an FTP server
Pros and Cons
- "The feature that I worked with and that excited me the most is one that is not available in other databases, and it involves the use of Java Runtime."
- "The integration with other vendor solutions needs improvement. It is difficult to connect to other hardware."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is in a financial institution to store our transactional data.
What is most valuable?
This product has a number of features. The feature that I worked with and that excited me the most is one that is not available in other databases, and it involves the use of Java Runtime.
There is also a feature that will trace the transaction and direct them to an FTP server. That was excellent. It is provisioned with very little additional cost.
What needs improvement?
The database has a lot and not everything is known to every user. The licensing is a bit complicated.
I am trying to configure the GoldenGate and I find that you have to connect to the classic one in big data, I should use only one instead of two to stream the data to streaming platforms.
The integration with other vendor solutions needs improvement. It is difficult to connect to other hardware.
I would like to see more focus on the features that are supporting the new technology, rather than just focus on the hardware.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Oracle Database for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable and we have not had any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have subscribed to the site, where we can ticket the problem. There is a library of issues that have been recorded worldwide. You can search the library resources to find your problem and follow that research to resolve it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. The challenge comes with performance tuning, where you need more experience.
What other advice do I have?
I do more than 70% of work on an Oracle database, which is why I would recommend it to others.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at a recruiting/HR firm with 501-1,000 employees
Good database with good processing and very good stability
Pros and Cons
- "From a database product perspective, I would say, they're good in what they provide. There's not much concern."
- "If their database encryption features could come in bytes, that would be a major improvement. They should bring the encryption model to their standard databases as well."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for auditing purposes.
What is most valuable?
The best feature of the solution is the capability of running extreme processes for database processing requirements.
From a database product perspective, I would say, they're good in what they provide. There's not much concern.
What needs improvement?
For our organization, the price is the main factor that needs improvement. They charge you exorbitantly for a license, and, I would say, they are not doing justice to today's industry requirements when it comes to a pricing model. They talk about cloud hybrid on-prem solutions, and they tell you that you have a cloud solution that will benefit your company considerably, however, it's just a lot of cut-throat pricing that they offer.
From the perspective of using the database in a legacy product, some people are usually stuck with it, and they need to continue working on that. That's a new thing they have not been able to change. The licensing model works in a different way altogether. It's not really very friendly for management to take decisions when it comes to executing licensing right for a product like this.
If their database encryption features could come in bytes, that would be a major improvement. They should bring the encryption model to their standard databases as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about seven years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, it's got a little bit more stability than it used to be. It's good. It's been quite stable, however, I believe the stability is limited to a standard model of licensing that we are provided.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been very good for us. We have no complaints. We're satisfied with the level of service we've been provided. They are very helpful.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs are very high. We feel the solution is price gouging its customers.
The solution has a standard license, which is different from an enterprise license. If you need the encryption feature, you need to go up to enterprise licensing which has a whole lot of other features that you may not even be using. Encryption is a top requirement in the industry, however, you're forced to use the enterprise edition if you need to use anything like this. That said, it is always better to go to a standard edition, which has more limited capabilities but can still fit into your product perspective.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not reselling this product. I'm using this for designing my own product, and I'm giving it as a solution to my customer. If I need to work out pricing for my customer, there may be my own raw materials that come into play.
The raw materials that come into play should be considered in order to make a better pricing model, which in turn can help me get a better solution for my clients. If the base product that you use is so expensive, like this is, it doesn't make sense. I would start looking at other products. That's what I'm doing. I need to better scale my capabilities.
I'd recommend Mongo Database over this product for that reason.
I'd rate the solution overall eight out of ten. It's very good. It's just a bit too expensive for my purposes.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Systems Analyst at a logistics company with 501-1,000 employees
Robust, stable, and easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "We find technical support to be very responsive. They briefly describe everything on phone and we handle the operations. I'd say we've been more than satisfied with their level of service. They're quite helpful and knowledgeable."
- "We don't really find that any features are lacking."
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use the solution for database purposes. We are maintaining the standard edition version and normally not on a very big scale.
What is most valuable?
We are only really utilizing the solution for database purposes and only taking the database for backup purposes, on a daily basis. The database and getting the required data on the database have been very helpful.
It's easy to use, it's robust, and it offers good security that we can count on.
Most importantly, our users are familiar with the interface and the operational capability of this product. That's why we chose to use Oracle.
While we don't interact too much with the database and interact more with our front-end application, we get good reports as it simply runs in the back end.
It's a very comprehensive database, although we are using only the standard version, not the enterprise version. Even the standard version is quite good. It's very reliable.
What needs improvement?
It all depends on the requirements we have. Right now, it's fulfilling our current ERP requirements.
We don't really find that any features are lacking.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using it for the last 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. I haven't experienced bugs or glitches. There haven't been crashes. It's quite reliable. An organization shouldn't have to worry about it's stability at all.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable.
However, in terms of our usage, it's quite limited. We are using only three to four modules of this application. We're a very small scale operation. It's the reason why we are using the standard edition and not the enterprise one.
We only have about 10 to 15 users that are using these applications.
It's not used on a daily basis. It's just occasional use.
How are customer service and technical support?
We find technical support to be very responsive. They briefly describe everything on phone and we handle the operations. I'd say we've been more than satisfied with their level of service. They're quite helpful and knowledgeable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
It's my understanding that we've always used Oracle. I can't recall if there was something before that was used.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple. It's not complex at all. To deploy it only took about one hour. It's quite quick and easy.
It's a very good application. Once we installed it and it started running, we haven't needed to perform regular maintenance on it and we haven't faced any issues. We installed it four or five years ago. It's been a long time and it's been in perfect working order since we launched it. The solution is seamless.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're just a customer and we have the licensed product. We are continuously updating the license on an annual basis.
It's a standard license, with a worldwide standard licensing cost for Oracle that we are paying. The fees are at about 22%.
What other advice do I have?
It's a very good product. I'd recommend it. It's very robust. It's scalable. On side of security, it's a very secure product. And support is available from Oracle via their local partners. We are already very satisfied with this product and I would recommend it to other users as well.
I'd rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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