SS or Oracle

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SS or Oracle

Os-984017

SSC Enthusiast

Points: 184
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August 5, 2010 at 8:59 am

#227503

Hi All,
Could someone help me out with this task (in non-technical terms)?
We are looking to buy a standard edition dB software (SS or Oracle) to 'replace' our current Access dB due to the massive volume of data we deal with.
The main purpose of the new DBMS is data storage capacity and querying.
Maximum 4 to 5 people will be hitting the dB.
Hardware: will install software on a 64-bit HP workstation running Windows XP Pro
I'd like the answer to be more focused on cost and on which's easier to transfer our current Access-based applications/queries/macros, etc to (we will continue to use Access in the middle)
Please, if possible provide answers in non-technical jargon.
Thanks.
Os

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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Henry Treftz SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4207 More actions · Answer 1

Well since both Access and SQL Server are Microsoft products it would be logical to assume the transition tools would be better.

Also the SQL Server install is more straight forward and easier to manage in general.

Os-984017 SSC Enthusiast Points: 184 More actions · Answer 2

Thanks Henry. Do you know the pricing of Oracle for 5 licenses? I think MS SS costs about $1800, but I could not find stright answer about the cost of Oracle std for 5. I need to present this to my manager side by side.

Thanks.

Henry Treftz (8/5/2010)
Well since both Access and SQL Server are Microsoft products it would be logical to assume the transition tools would be better.
Also the SQL Server install is more straight forward and easier to manage in general.

SQLDCH SSChampion Points: 11627 More actions · Answer 3

Sounds like you're either a part time or "accidental" DBA (no disrespect is intended). Based on that assumption, I would suggest using SQL Server, as the install is straightforward, the management has a GUI and there are Microsoft tools that will help get the Access databases into SQL Server (google Microsoft Migration Assistant).

All the above is also true of Oracle, but as stated by Henry, Access and SQL Server are Microsoft products, which will take a layer of complexity out of the situation.

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Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398876 More actions · Answer 4

You're going to find that Oracle is very difficult to use and maintain without quite a lot of training. SQL Server really is easier. But in the long run, you'll probably need to get training in it as well. Because it's easy, it's easy to mess up.

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Os-984017 SSC Enthusiast Points: 184 More actions · Answer 5

Thanks Dan. Actually i'm not a DBA at all. But I do model data. I'd love to know the price of Oracle std edition for 5.

Thanks.

Os-984017 SSC Enthusiast Points: 184 More actions · Answer 6

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. Are you saying the 'SSMA' tool will convert all Access queries/macros without any adjustments?

Thanks.

SQLDCH SSChampion Points: 11627 More actions · Answer 7

Yeah, the 'SSMA' is pretty slick, I converted 5 Access dbs without too much hassle. There were a few gotchas, but the reports that get generated in the process were detailed enough to get around them. The gotchas revolved around the initial database design (missing keys, relationships etc).

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AndrewSQLDBA SSC-Insane Points: 21827 More actions · Answer 8

I am a SQL DBA at a pretty large company. I just asked one of the Oracle DBA's about the cost of a single license. There is no set amount. He told me that if you ask Oracle about the cost, their reply will be "How Much money do you have"? They seem to adjust the cost of a database according to the amount of money the company has.

I would say that even the free version of SQL 2008 will do you more than fine. Since you stated that you have tons of data in an Access database. Well, access cannot hold that much. So SQL Express 2008 will be fine. I would not use XP as the OS, I would actually use a Server OS, like Windows Server 2003, or Server 2008. You can get them really cheap in cost. But the security and the way the OS handles memory, processors and drives would be much better for you.

It really all boils down to what are you going to use the data for? And what are you using the database for? SQL Express, you can also install multiple instances, so you have more databases that just one instance.

Unless you are really proficient with Unix and Oracle, I would stay far away from it. Besides that, how much data do you have if you are even remotely considering Oracle?

I believe that SQL would be a much more intelligent choice for you. And if you are going with Standard or Professional editions, you will also have SSIS. That way you can very easily pump the data from one database to the other. You will for sure want to re-design the database to take advantage of the SQL data types.

Andrew SQLDBA