[BLOG] First touch with Oracle, OMG
At my job i had to work with oracle for the first time this year. We do a software for the city of Montreal and it MUST be in Oracle.
I've done SQL (MySql, then SQL-SERVER since my first days in schools (~9 years) so i was happy to finaly get in touch with Oracle.
You hear a lot about Oracle, most of the banks and big compagny still work with that. Licence cost are high, just to to hear Oracle sounds "big".
Oh hell, i was wrong.
Well, it IS big, lots of people still use it... there's new version of oralce every 2 years of so like SQL-SERVER. But... still i had a hell of a deception.
I'll give you right now my conclusion, and then explain you why : If you love SQL-SERVER, all the tools that comes with it and the ease of work it procure. Stay away from Oracle if you can !
First, when the guy came to my computer to install me oracle 9i (our client still use this version so my queries must be compatible, but the 10g is no better after trying it too) , the installer "looks" crappy at first but i said to myslef "hey thats only the installer, get over it :P"
Then the guy opened sqlplus, i was hoping for an Enterprise Manager of someting like that, coming bundle with Oracle... Seems like its not the case.
All we have is sqlplus, a dos-like way of typing queries and receiving results. I hated it, from the first time it opened until i closed it for the first time
Then, the oracle-guy at my buisness told me "hey man, dont worry, i'll install you a third-party software that works like sql enterprise manager".
So he did, he installed sqldevelopper. That's a nice "free" tool (seems to me like its free, dunno if it really is tho). But i dont understand why we would have to install a third-party software to get a visual interface and some ease of work with Oracle. Even with sqldevelopper. I had so much problems with Oracle that i never had with SQL-SERVER.
First, some queries wont work in some way in sqldevelopper, but will work in sqlplus... Well in fact you need to learn how to type it in sqldevelopper like putting begin and end before calling an exec (sqldevellopper dont know the command execute, but sqlplus does) and so on.
Also, How many times did i had problems with a query that was not working in my application (using the driver) and was working with sqldevelopper. This leads me to another deception. Profiling, man how are we suppose to profile queries in Oracle ? With SQL-SERVER, we have a tool "SQL-Profiler" that does it pretty well and is simple to use. I tried for serveral hours to do it and unless i was willing to buy some other third party software, it was impossible (at least to me lol)
Last but not the least, the driver, i use VS2008 with C# 3.5 to make my application. And i first tried the System.Oracle driver from microsoft... wich lead me to some problems in some of my queries (dont remember the details, it was serveral months ago) and when i tried the ODPNET driver from oracle, the problem was solve but i had some other problems with one of my other complicated query.
Overall, Oracle look and taste like an outdated way of doing SQL qwery. Lack of tool-software. Comes alone with no software made by oracle directly.
I can't say it doesnt work, its working... i've done all i was asked to do with it... But it could have been so much easier. Soooo much easier. Oracle is old, and it looks like it is, even with newer version.
If i can, i'll stay for sure with SQL-SERVER for the years to come :P I had complaints about SQL-SERVER in the past, but they have vanish now that i have seen much worst
I hope i wont hurt anyone by posting this , Maybe there's explaination to my bad experience. but That was my personnal first (and maybe last) impression with Oracle.
I've done SQL (MySql, then SQL-SERVER since my first days in schools (~9 years) so i was happy to finaly get in touch with Oracle.
You hear a lot about Oracle, most of the banks and big compagny still work with that. Licence cost are high, just to to hear Oracle sounds "big".
Oh hell, i was wrong.
Well, it IS big, lots of people still use it... there's new version of oralce every 2 years of so like SQL-SERVER. But... still i had a hell of a deception.
I'll give you right now my conclusion, and then explain you why : If you love SQL-SERVER, all the tools that comes with it and the ease of work it procure. Stay away from Oracle if you can !
First, when the guy came to my computer to install me oracle 9i (our client still use this version so my queries must be compatible, but the 10g is no better after trying it too) , the installer "looks" crappy at first but i said to myslef "hey thats only the installer, get over it :P"
Then the guy opened sqlplus, i was hoping for an Enterprise Manager of someting like that, coming bundle with Oracle... Seems like its not the case.
All we have is sqlplus, a dos-like way of typing queries and receiving results. I hated it, from the first time it opened until i closed it for the first time
Then, the oracle-guy at my buisness told me "hey man, dont worry, i'll install you a third-party software that works like sql enterprise manager".
So he did, he installed sqldevelopper. That's a nice "free" tool (seems to me like its free, dunno if it really is tho). But i dont understand why we would have to install a third-party software to get a visual interface and some ease of work with Oracle. Even with sqldevelopper. I had so much problems with Oracle that i never had with SQL-SERVER.
First, some queries wont work in some way in sqldevelopper, but will work in sqlplus... Well in fact you need to learn how to type it in sqldevelopper like putting begin and end before calling an exec (sqldevellopper dont know the command execute, but sqlplus does) and so on.
Also, How many times did i had problems with a query that was not working in my application (using the driver) and was working with sqldevelopper. This leads me to another deception. Profiling, man how are we suppose to profile queries in Oracle ? With SQL-SERVER, we have a tool "SQL-Profiler" that does it pretty well and is simple to use. I tried for serveral hours to do it and unless i was willing to buy some other third party software, it was impossible (at least to me lol)
Last but not the least, the driver, i use VS2008 with C# 3.5 to make my application. And i first tried the System.Oracle driver from microsoft... wich lead me to some problems in some of my queries (dont remember the details, it was serveral months ago) and when i tried the ODPNET driver from oracle, the problem was solve but i had some other problems with one of my other complicated query.
Overall, Oracle look and taste like an outdated way of doing SQL qwery. Lack of tool-software. Comes alone with no software made by oracle directly.
I can't say it doesnt work, its working... i've done all i was asked to do with it... But it could have been so much easier. Soooo much easier. Oracle is old, and it looks like it is, even with newer version.
If i can, i'll stay for sure with SQL-SERVER for the years to come :P I had complaints about SQL-SERVER in the past, but they have vanish now that i have seen much worst
I hope i wont hurt anyone by posting this , Maybe there's explaination to my bad experience. but That was my personnal first (and maybe last) impression with Oracle.
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Comments
@Keeb : You resume it right it seems. It can do almost anything but in a more complicated way... It seems to be a little more performant for some kind of queries but for the ease of use i would chose SQL-SERVER all the way :P
@JRW21 : Maybe you had the chance to have a better windows application than mine to use and manage oracle. 1st tho the 'dos-like' application was not a real dos application. Its sqlplus, its a windows application that shows a blank screen with a '>' and it waits for you to type a sql query to show some results. Pretty much like a dos application would do. And i wont say Oracle is wrong, it just takes a little more of everything (time, understanding, rigid structure, not so well explicated error) to achieve a given complex goal.
If i had study Oracle in school instead of SQL-SERVER i would maybe tought about some negative things about SQL-SERVER too :P But i'm pretty damn sure the step Oracle -> SQL-SERVER would a hell lot easier than the opposite after my exprience with complex needs and goals with Query
One thing is sure i won't be able to justify and understand those "Oracle evangelist" who pray now and then that oracle is "the way to go", that's my final 2 cents :P