Oracle Vs. SQL Server: Key Differences

What is Microsoft SQL server?

MS SQL server is a database product of Microsoft. It allows users to SQL queries and execute them. It is among the most stable, secure and reliable database solutions. It supports wide variety of transaction processing, analytics, and business intelligence applications in corporate IT environments.

What is Oracle Database?

Oracle database is an RDMS system from Oracle Corporation. The software is built around the relational database framework. It allows data objects to be accessed by users using SQL language. Oracle is a completely scalable RDBMS architecture which is widely used all over the world.

Oracle is one of the biggest vendor in the IT market and the shorthand name of its flagship RDBMS product, that was formally called Oracle Database.

Early History of Microsoft SQL:

In 1987, Microsoft partnered with Sybase Solutions for developing DBMS which may compete with other IT giants like IBM and Oracle. Both these companies agreed that Sybase will have all the selling rights and profit earned from the product designed for the Non-Microsoft platform.

Microsoft, on the other hand, will have rights to the database product designed for Microsoft Platforms. In 1989 the first database server product version was released.

After that, Microsoft purchase all the rights from Sybase and they changed the name to MS SQL Server. Till date, 30 versions of MS SQL, has been released.

KEY DIFFERENCE

◉ Oracle runs on a wide variety of platforms while the SQL server can install on the Windows server only.

◉ Oracle supports star query optimization while SQL server doesn’t offer query optimization.

◉ In oracle, values do not change before commit whereas in SQL Server values are changed even before commit.

◉ Oracle allows rollback during the transaction process whereas SQL server doesn’t allow rollback in the transaction process.

◉ Oracle supports many "Schemas" with the instance whereas SQL server offers "Schemas" within each user database.

◉ Oracle allows database, full, file-level, incremental & differential backups on the other hand, SQL server allows full, partial, and incremental backups.

◉ Oracle uses both "after" and "before" triggers whereas SQL server mostly uses only "after" triggers.

Early History of Oracle:

Oracle Corporation has a distance long journey to become the multinational technology company that it has at the current time.

In 1977 the Oracle Organisation was founded by two developers, Larry Ellison and Bob Miner. Both had prior experience in developing database software for different organizations.

In the year 1978, they were able to build a first RDBMS using SQL. This software is known as Oracle Relational Database Management System.

Oracle became the first company to sell the RDBMS software and within 1982 had yearly revenue of $2.5 million.

Features of Microsoft SQL Server

1. Support tools SQL Server Profiler, BI tools, SQL Server Management Studio, and Database Tuning Advisor

2. Offers online support and documentation, and live product support

3. Provides advanced customization option for datatype mappings and delete and rename objects

4. Displays error, and warning messages about the migration in a progress window

5. A single, integrated environment for SQL Server Database Engine management and authorizing

6. Resizable dialogs allow access to multiple tools when a dialog is open.

7. An activity monitor feature with filtering and automatic refresh

8. Importing and Exporting from SQL Server Management Studio

Features of Oracle

1. Ease of data recovery when compare to databases

2. The RDMS system can easily handle large amounts of data

3. Allows you to change platforms at any time

4. Gives the option for scale-up and scale-out strategies

5. The database allows you to rerun actual production workloads, including online user and batch workloads, in test environments

6. Support for hardware- and OS-specific virtualization technologies

7. Provides VMWare support for test and productive SAP environments

8. If primary database becomes unavailable, the standby database can act as a primary database

9. It can be used for read-write, reporting, testing, or backups, reducing the load on the primary database

10. Uninterrupted processing for users which eliminates the need for manual recovery

Difference between SQL Server and Oracle

Parameters	Ms-SQL Server	Oracle
Parent Company	It is owned by Microsoft Corporation.	It is owned by Oracle Corporation.
Syntax	Simpler and easier syntaxes.	Complex and more efficient syntaxes.
Download	120 or 180 days evaluation version are available from www. Micrsoft.com/sqlserver	Opensource version can be download from otn.oracle.com
Platform support	Can install on Windows server only. But version 2017 onwards can be installed on Linux	Run on a wide variety of platforms
Language	MS-SQL uses transact SQL or T-SQL.	PL/SQL or is used by Oracle Corporation.
Job scheduling	Job Scheduling via the SQL Server Agent	Job scheduling via Oracle scheduler or OEM
Bit map indexes	No bitmap indexes base on reverse keys and functions.	Uses bitmap, indexes based on functions, and reverse keys.
Query optimization	No query optimization.	Uses Star query optimization.
Triggers	Mostly uses "after" triggers.	Uses both "after" and "before" Triggers.
Support & Trouble Shooting	Provides technical notes, bug descriptions, scripts, patches, and download at a not additional charge.	Support call which is chargeable for each support case.
Roll back	Not allowed in the transaction process.	Rollback is allowed during the transaction process.
Concurrent accesses	Concurrent accesses are not allowed when a writer is in progress which increase the wait time.	Concurrent accesses are permitted and waits time are generally less.
Change of Value	Values are changed even before commit.	Values do not change before commit.
Method	Use Row or Page blocking method. It never allows a read while the page is blocked.	Use a copy of the record so while modifying it allows reads of original data while doing the modification.
Error handling	SQL Server executes each command separately, so it will be quite difficult to make changes if any errors are encountered during the process.	Oracle treats each new database connection as a new transaction.
Human Intervention	Follows Global memory allocation so less intrusion of Database admin. Therefore, very few chances of human errors.	Follows Dynamic memory allocation. DBA has to interrupt more. So higher chances or human errors.
Parallel execution	In MS SQL server INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements are executed serially.	Oracle will execute INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and MERGE statement in parallel.
Automation support	SQL upgrade advisor is available for automation.	Database upgrade assistant available for automation.
Redo stream	Redo streams are unique to each user and database.	One redo stream at the database level.
Schemas	"Schemas" within each use database.	Many "schemas" with the instance.
Protection	Logins authenticated at the instance level and database level.	User authenticated via database credential and OS roles.
Sharability	Every database has its own, unshared disk file on the server.	All the database objects are grouped by schemas. Subset collection of database objects and all the database objects are shared between all schemas and users.
Backups	It allows full, partial and incremental backups	It allows Database, full, file level, incremental & differential backups.
Maintenance	Tables usually stored Index-organized.	Automatically update statistics and identify SQL issue