[comp.unix.questions] Oracle - what sort of database system is it? Is it for Unix?

aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes) (01/29/91)

Is Oracle a Unix database, or does it run on several different systems?
Does it run on VAX VMS?  
Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?

Thanks,
   John
-- 
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drack@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Dave Rackley) (01/30/91)

In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes) writes:

>   Is Oracle a Unix database, or does it run on several different systems?
>   Does it run on VAX VMS?  
>   Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?

Oracle is a commercial relational database management system that uses, SQL
with enhancements as its primary language interface.  There are versions
for many different platforms.  I've seen it on PCs, MACs, Suns, and on
VAX VMS.

Oracle's address:      Oracle Corporation
                       500 Oracle Parkwway
                       Redwood Shores
                       California 94065

                       Telephone: 415-506-7000 

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whg@INEL.GOV (Bill Gray) (01/31/91)

In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes) writes:
>
>Does it run on VAX VMS?  
>Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?
>
It is an industrial-strength relational database management system.  It runs on just about
any combination of platforms and systems you can imagine,  from PCs to Cyber mainframes,
from DOS to UNIX to (gasp) VMS and even CDC's NOS/VE.

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mao@eden.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Olson) (01/31/91)

In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes)
asks regarding oracle:

> Does it run on VAX VMS?  
> Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?

i know that early versions of oracle did not include a query optimizer.
qualifications were evaluated left-to-right in the user's query.  this
led to some predictable problems:  the user was not insulated from changes
in data representation, and had to expend a fair amount of energy in
optimizing queries by hand by ordering qual clauses cleverly.

do later releases of oracle include a query optimizer?  at what release
level was one added?  and what (roughly) is the cost function used to
pick a plan?  the last question is intended to discover whether oracle's
query optimizer is less than, equal to, or greater than the standard
optimizer that was designed for system r in the 1970's.

any oracle implementors out there?
					mike olson
					postgres research group
					uc berkeley
					mao@postgres.berkeley.edu

gupta@cai.com (02/12/91)

In article <10607@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, mao@eden.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Olson) writes:
> In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes)
> asks regarding oracle:
> 
>> Does it run on VAX VMS?  
>> Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?
> 
> [...]
> do later releases of oracle include a query optimizer?  at what release
> level was one added?  and what (roughly) is the cost function used to
> pick a plan?  the last question is intended to discover whether oracle's
> query optimizer is less than, equal to, or greater than the standard
> optimizer that was designed for system r in the 1970's.
> 
> any oracle implementors out there?
> 					mike olson
> 					postgres research group
> 					uc berkeley
> 					mao@postgres.berkeley.edu

There is a comprehensive article in InfoDB (a magazine published by
Database Associates, Colin White - Editor) Fall 1990 (Vol 5 Num 3)
written by David McGoveran - Associate Editor, which compares the
optimizers of commercial RDBMSs  (CA-DB, DB2, Informix Online, Ingres
Oracle, Rdb/VMS, ShareBase, Sybase SQLServer, and Tandem NonStop SQL).
According to it, the Oracle optimizer doesn't even come close to the
other products on the market.  

Yogesh Gupta
Computer Associates.
(408) 922-2633

tpg@n5pph007.UUCP (Peter Graham) (02/14/91)

In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes) writes:
>
>
>Is Oracle a Unix database, or does it run on several different systems?
>Does it run on VAX VMS?  
>Can someone describe generally what Oracle is?

Oracle is a relational database system that runs on several platforms, 
including most Unix platforms and VMS.  One caveat is that not all Unix
platforms (or other platforms, for that matter) support the same revision
level of the products.  Oracle has a 'priority' list that dictates the 
order in which new versions are released on which platforms.

Depending on how much you want to spend, Oracle can range from an RDBMS 
engine with SQL access to a suite of products, such as a forms system, menu
system, compilers, network access methods, etc., that let you access this
RDBMS engine and its associated database files.

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wht@n4hgf.Mt-Park.GA.US (Warren Tucker) (02/16/91)

In article <507@n5pph007.UUCP> tpg@n5pph007.UUCP (T Peter Graham) writes:
>In article <1991Jan29.152745.9028@cs.odu.edu> aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes) writes:
>>Is Oracle a Unix database, or does it run on several different systems?
>Depending on how much you want to spend, Oracle can range from an RDBMS 

And my experience with Oracle has proven correct the statement by
some wise soul whose name I have lost:

The best platform Oracle works on is the 35mm slide projector.
 
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Warren Tucker, TuckerWare   gatech!n4hgf!wht or wht@n4hgf.Mt-Park.GA.US
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