INDUSTRY

In a head-to-head, comparative cost study conducted by Edison Group, Oracle Database 10g Release 2 proved to be substantially easier to manage than Microsoft SQL Server 2005, enabling increased database administrator (DBAs) productivity and cost savings. Edison Group, a technology analysis and consulting firm that provides competitive product and market intelligence, conducted rigorous testing of administration capabilities of Oracle Database 10g Release 2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005. They benchmarked the steps and time required to complete typical database administration tasks and concluded that enterprises using Oracle Database 10g Release 2 in lieu of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 derive the following advantages: -- 38 percent reduction in time required for DBAs to perform typical administration tasks -- Reduced complexity, as measured by a 30 percent decrease in the number of steps needed for the same set of administration tasks; and, -- Estimated annual savings of up to $31,664 per DBA, resulting from increased productivity. "Oracle Database 10g Release 2 raises the bar once again with advanced database manageability features that provide superior cost efficiencies," said Barry Cohen, CTO, Edison Group. "With today's IT administrators charged with maximizing resource utilization, the increased productivity gains delivered by Oracle Database 10g Release 2 significantly benefits DBAs workload." Oracle Database 10g Release 2 delivers unmatched performance diagnostics and tuning, as well as excellent backup and recovery management compared to Microsoft. In particular, Oracle's Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor and SQL Tuning Advisor stood out as performance management features that were key to Oracle's advantage. Oracle Database 10g Release 2 required 74 percent less time and decreased complexity by 38 percent over Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for the same set of database tuning tasks. In backup and recovery, Oracle Database 10g Release 2's automatic backup management and human-error recovery capabilities outclassed Microsoft in time and complexity efficiency. Prior to applying DBA workday weightings, it decreased the required time and complexity for similar backup and recovery tasks, by 62 percent and 67 percent, respectively. Additionally, researchers cited superior automation and usability of Oracle Enterprise Manager over SQL Server Management Studio as key factors behind Oracle Database 10g Release 2's improvement in managing daily administration tasks. "We continuously focus on enhancing scalability, manageability and ease-of-use to deliver the essential capabilities organizations come to expect from Oracle," said Richard Sarwal, vice president of Server Performance and Manageability, Oracle. "The availability of strong diagnostic, tuning, backup and recovery features enable DBAs to easily and proactively identify performance bottlenecks so they can focus on more complex, mission-critical procedures." The complete results of Edison Group's "Comparative Management Cost Study: Oracle 10g Release 2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005" are available at: its Web site.