For most companies today, their computer systems form the heart of the business. Web sites, accounting, sales tracking, manufacturing, human resources and ancillary day-to-day functions all reside on various computer systems that are typically interlinked. Most people in a company give little or no consideration as to how the computer system is built except when it fails. Frequent failures can cost companies millions of dollars in lost revenues and productivity and lead to decreased employee morale. The database is the core of these computer systems, allowing users to access data in real-time and providing the foundation from which application programs are built. Choosing the right database requires understanding the needs of the business as well as the hardware and software that works best with each database engine. Oracle is one of the leaders in the database market, and continues to market products that are robust, relatively expensive, and highly reliable. This research examines the considerations that companies need to take into account when implementing an Oracle database.
Oracle is among the most costly of the databases commercially available today, but it is also among the most robust and flexible. It works on most platforms, including Windows servers as well as Unix servers, and has limited applicability in Linux environments, as well. In addition, there are few limitations to the applications that can be supported in an Oracle environment. All of these factors, plus the company's long-term reputation and financial stability, contribute to the high cost (Songini 14).
Because Oracle is highly flexible and complex, companies that are implementing an Oracle database system need to consider the types of database professionals they will need to administer the system. While Oracle is seeking ways to automate many of the functions that have traditionally been performed by database administrators, Oracle professionals...