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Oracle database
Oracle's logo
Developer:	Oracle Corporation
Latest release:	11g / 2007
OS:	Cross-platform
Genre:	RDBMS
License:	Proprietary
Website:	http://www.oracle.com/

The term Oracle database may refer either to the database management system (DBMS) software released by Oracle Corporation as Oracle RDBMS, or to any of the individual databases managed by such software. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Software development is the translation of a user need or marketing goal into a software product. ... Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is one of the major companies developing database management systems (DBMS), tools for database development, middle-tier software, enterprise resource planning software (ERP), customer relationship management software (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) software. ... A software release is the distribution, whether public or private, of an initial or new and upgraded version of a computer software product. ... It has been suggested that Maintenance OS be merged into this article or section. ... A cross-platform (or platform independent) programming language, software application or hardware device works on more than one system platform (e. ... Computer software can be organized into categories based on common function, type, or field of use. ... A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. ... A software license is a legal agreement which may take the form of a proprietary or gratuitous license as well as a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... A database management system (DBMS) is computer software designed for the purpose of managing databases. ... Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is one of the major companies developing database management systems (DBMS), tools for database development, middle-tier software, enterprise resource planning software (ERP), customer relationship management software (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) software. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Larry Ellison and his friends and former co-workers Bob Miner and Ed Oates started the consultancy Software Development Laboratories (SDL) in 1977. SDL developed the original version of the Oracle software. The name Oracle comes from the code-name of a CIA-funded project Ellison had worked on while previously employed by Ampex. Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, a major database software company. ... If Larry Ellison was the brain behind Oracle, Bob Miner was its heart. ... Ed Oates (1946-) co-founded Software Development Labs in August 1977 with Larry Ellison, and Bob Miner. ... The Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government. ... Ampex is based in Redwood City, California. ...

Many widespread computing platforms have come to use Oracle database software extensively.

Physical and logical structuring

An Oracle database comprises at least 3 instances, along with data storage. An instance is comprised of a set of operating system processes and memory structures that interact with the storage. Typical processes include PMON (the process monitor) and SMON (the system monitor). In computing, a process is an instance of a computer program that is being executed. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Users of Oracle databases refer to the server-side memory-structure as the SGA (System Global Area). The SGA typically holds cache information such as data-buffers, SQL commands and user information. In addition to storage, the database consists of online redo logs (which hold transactional history). Processes can in turn archive the online redo logs into archive logs (offline redo logs), which provide the basis (if necessary) for data recovery and for some forms of data replication. Look up cache in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... SQL (IPA: or IPA: ), commonly expanded as Structured Query Language, is a computer language designed for the retrieval and management of data in relational database management systems, database schema creation and modification, and database object access control management. ... A database transaction is a unit of interaction with a database management system or similar system that is treated in a coherent and reliable way independent of other transactions that must be either entirely completed or aborted. ... Archive of the AMVC hahahahaAn archive refers to a collection of records, and also refers to the location in which these records are kept. ... Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted or inaccessible primary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. ... Data replication refers to a data storage and backup strategy that copies data from a host computer to another computer, which may or may not be at a remote location. ...

The Oracle RDBMS stores data logically in the form of tablespaces and physically in the form of data files. Tablespaces can contain various types of segments, for example, Data Segments, Index Segments etc. Segments in turn comprise one or more extents. Extents comprise groups of contiguous data blocks. Data blocks form the basic units of data storage. At the physical level, data-files comprise one or more data blocks, where the blocksize can vary between data-files. Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... A tablespace is a location in the file system where the files representing database objects can be stored. ... A computer file is a collection of information that is stored in a computer system and can be identified by its full path name. ... On the Intel x86 architecture, a memory segment is the portion of memory which may be addressed by a single index register without changing a 16-bit segment selector. ... In computing (specifically data transmission and data storage), block size indicates a nominal size, usually expressed in bytes or bits, of a block of data. ...

Oracle database management keeps track of its data storage with the help of information stored in the SYSTEM tablespace. The SYSTEM tablespace contains the data dictionary — and often (by default) indexes and clusters. (A data dictionary consists of a special collection of tables that contains information about all user-objects in the database). Since version 8i, the Oracle RDBMS also supports "locally managed" tablespaces which can store space management information in bitmaps in their own headers rather than in the SYSTEM tablespace (as happens with the default "dictionary-managed" tablespaces). The terms storage (U.K.) or memory (U.S.) refer to the parts of a digital computer that retain physical state (data) for some interval of time, possibly even after electrical power to the computer is turned off. ... A data dictionary is a set of metadata that contains definitions and representations of data elements. ... It has been suggested that Bitmap index be merged into this article or section. ... Look up cluster in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In relational databases, SQL databases, and flat file databases, a table is a set of data elements (values) that is organized using a model of horizontal rows and vertical columns. ... In strictly mathematical branches of computer science the term object is used in a purely mathematical sense to refer to any thing. While this interpretation is useful in the discussion of abstract theory, it is not concrete enough to serve as a primitive datatype in the discussion of more concrete... Look up header in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

If the Oracle database administrator has instituted Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters), then multiple instances, usually on different servers, attach to a central storage array. This scenario offers numerous advantages, most importantly performance, scalability and redundancy. However, support becomes more complex, and many sites do not use RAC. In version 10g, grid computing has introduced shared resources where an instance can use (for example) CPU resources from another node (computer) in the grid. A database administrator (DBA) is a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database. ... In database computing, Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) — a software-option for the Oracle RDBMS produced by Oracle Corporation — provides clustering and high availability in Oracle database environments. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hewlett-Packard Disk-Arrays: HASS (top) and NIKE (OEMd Data General SCSI Clariion) EMC CLARiiON CX500 (Cover removed on one Shelf) EMC Symmetrix DMX1000 A disk array is an enterprise storage system which contains multiple disk drives. ... Grid computing is a phrase in distributed computing which can have several meanings: A local computer cluster which is like a grid because it is composed of multiple nodes. ... Die of an Intel 80486DX2 microprocessor (actual size: 12×6. ...

The Oracle DBMS can store and execute stored procedures and functions within itself. PL/SQL (Oracle Corporation's proprietary procedural extension to SQL), or the object-oriented language Java can invoke such code objects and/or provide the programming structures for writing them. A stored procedure is a subroutine available to applications accessing a relational database system. ... In computer science, a subroutine (function, procedure, or subprogram) is a sequence of code which performs a specific task, as part of a larger program, and is grouped as one, or more, statement blocks; such code is sometimes collected into software libraries. ... PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is Oracle Corporations proprietary server-based procedural extension to the SQL database language. ... SQL (IPA: or IPA: ), commonly expanded as Structured Query Language, is a computer language designed for the retrieval and management of data in relational database management systems, database schema creation and modification, and database object access control management. ... Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 1995. ...

Schemas

Oracle database conventions refer to defined groups of ownership (generally associated with a "username") as schemas.

Most Oracle database installations traditionally come with a default schema called SCOTT. After the installation process has set up the sample tables, the user can log into the database with the username scott and the password tiger. (The name of the SCOTT schema originated with Bruce Scott, one of the first employees at Oracle (then Software Development Laboratories), who had a cat named Tiger.)

Other default schemas include:

• SYS (essential core database structures and utilities)
• SYSTEM (additional core database structures and utilities, and privileged account)
• OUTLN (utilized to store metadata for stored outlines for query optimizer plan stability.
• BI, IX, HR, OE, PM, and SH (expanded sample schemas containing more data and structures than the older SCOTT schema)

Tablespaces

Default tablespaces include:

• SYSTEM (essential core database structures and utilities)
• SYSAUX (extra/extended data to supplement the SYSTEM schema)
• TEMP (temporary tablespace)
• UNDOTBS1 (undo tablespace)
• USERS (default users tablespace created by the Database Configuration Assistant - but replaceable by the DBA)
• SYSTEM

Memory architecture

System Global Area

Each Oracle instance uses a System Global Area or SGA—a shared memory area—to store its data and control information. // Diagram of a typical Shared memory system. ...

Each Oracle instance allocates itself an SGA when it starts and de-allocates it at shut-down time. The information in the SGA consists of the following elements, each of which has a fixed size, established at instance startup:

• The database buffer cache: this stores the most recently used data blocks. These blocks can contain modified data not yet written to disk (sometimes known as dirty blocks), unmodified blocks, or blocks written to disk since modification (sometimes known as clean blocks). Because the buffer cache keeps blocks based on a most-recently-used algorithm, the most active buffers stay in memory to reduce I/O and to improve performance.

• The redo log buffer: this stores redo entries — a log of changes made to the database. The instance writes redo log buffers to the redo log as quickly and efficiently as possible. The redo log aids in instance recovery in the event of a system failure.

• The shared pool: this area of the SGA stores shared-memory structures such as shared SQL areas in the library cache and internal information in the data dictionary. An insufficient amount of memory allocated to the shared pool can cause performance degradation. The shared pool consists of the library cache and the data-dictionary cache.

Library cache

The library cache stores shared SQL, caching the parse tree and the execution plan for every unique SQL statement.

If multiple applications issue the same SQL statement, each application can access the shared SQL area: this reduces the amount of memory needed and reduces the processing-time used for parsing and execution planning.

Data-dictionary cache

The data dictionary comprises a set of tables and views that map the structure of the database. A data dictionary is a set of metadata that contains definitions and representations of data elements. ...

Oracle stores information here about the logical and physical structure of the database. The data dictionary contains information such as the following:

• User-information, such as user-privileges

• Integrity constraints defined for tables in the database

• Names and data-types of all columns in database tables

• Information on space allocated and used for schema objects

The Oracle instance frequently accesses the data dictionary in order to parse SQL statements. The operation of Oracle depends on ready access to the data dictionary: performance bottlenecks in the data dictionary affect all Oracle users. Because of this, database administrators should make sure that the data-dictionary cache has sufficient capacity to cache this data. Without enough memory for the data-dictionary cache, users see a severe performance-degradation. Allocating sufficient memory to the shared pool where the data-dictionary cache resides precludes these particular performance-problems. An example of parsing a mathematical expression. ...

Program Global Area

The Program Global Area or PGA memory area contains data and control information for the Oracle server processes.

The size and content of the PGA depends on the Oracle server options installed. This area consists of the following components:

• Stack space: the memory that holds the session's variables, arrays, and so on.

• Session information: unless using the multithreaded server, the instance stores its session information in the PGA. (In a multithreaded server, the session information goes in the SGA.)

• Private SQL area: an area in the PGA holding information such as bind-variables and runtime buffers.

• Sorting area: an area in the PGA holding information of sorting, hash-join etc.

History

Corporate and technical development

Larry Ellison founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977. In 1979 SDL changed its company-name to Relational Software, Inc. (RSI) and introduced its product Oracle V2 as an early commercially-available relational database system. The version did not support transactions, but implemented the basic SQL functionality of queries and joins. (RSI never released a version 1 - instead calling the first version version 2 as a marketing gimmick.) Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, a major database software company. ... A database transaction is a unit of interaction with a database management system or similar system that is treated in a coherent and reliable way independent of other transactions that must be either entirely completed or aborted. ... SQL (IPA: or IPA: ), commonly expanded as Structured Query Language, is a computer language designed for the retrieval and management of data in relational database management systems, database schema creation and modification, and database object access control management. ... In general, a query is a form of questioning, in a line of inquiry. ... A JOIN clause in SQL combines records from two tables in a relational database and results in a new (temporary) table, also called joined table. ... Strategy serves as the foundation of a marketing plan. ...

In 1983, RSI in its turn changed its name, becoming known as Oracle Corporation to align itself more closely with its flagship product. The company released Oracle version 3, which it had re-written using the C programming language and which supported COMMIT and ROLLBACK functionality for transactions. Version 3 extended platform support from the existing Digital VAX/VMS systems to include Unix environments. Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is one of the major companies developing database management systems (DBMS), tools for database development, middle-tier software, enterprise resource planning software (ERP), customer relationship management software (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) software. ... C is a general-purpose, block structured, procedural, imperative computer programming language developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system. ... In the context of computer science and data management, commit refers to the idea of making permanent a set of tentative changes, such as at the end of a transaction. ... In database technologies, a rollback is an operation which returns the database to some previous state. ... The DEC logo Digital Equipment Corporation was a pioneering American company in the computer industry. ... OpenVMS V7. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ...

In 1984 Oracle Corporation released Oracle version 4, which supported read-consistency. In computer science, in a distributed system such as a distributed shared memory system or a distributed data store such as a database, filesystem, or web caching system, there are a number of possible data consistency models. ...

From 1985 the Oracle DBMS began supporting the client-server model, with networks becoming available in the mid-1980s. Oracle version 5.0 supported distributed queries. Client/Server is a network application architecture which separates the client (usually the graphical user interface) from the server. ... Distributed computing is a method of computer processing in which different parts of a program run simultaneously on two or more computers that are communicating with each other over a network. ...

In 1989 Oracle Corporation entered the application products market and developed its ERP product - Oracle Financials based on the Oracle relational database. Oracle RDBMS version 6 came out with support for PL/SQL, row-level locking and hot backups. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) integrate (or attempt to integrate) all data and processes of an organization into a unified system. ... Oracle Applications is a collection of business applications all based around a single database. ... PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is Oracle Corporations proprietary server-based extension to the SQL database language, and emulates the Ada programming language. ... In computer science, a lock is a synchronization mechanism for enforcing limits on access to a resource in an environment where there are many threads of execution. ... In information technology, backup refers to the copying of data so that these additional copies may be restored after a data loss event. ...

In 1992 Oracle version 7 appeared with support for referential integrity, stored procedures and triggers. An example of a database that has not enforced referential integrity. ... A stored procedure is a subroutine available to applications accessing a relational database system. ... A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain events on a particular table in a database. ...

In 1997 Oracle Corporation released version 8, which supported object-oriented development and multimedia applications. Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a computer programming paradigm in which a software system is modeled as a set of objects that interact with each other. ... ...

In 1999 Oracle8i came out, aiming to operate more in tune with the needs of the Internet (The i in the name stands for "Internet"). The Oracle 8i database incorporated a native Java virtual machine (JVM). A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a set of computer software programs and data structures which implements a specific virtual machine model. ...

In 2001 Oracle9i appeared with 400 new features, including the ability to read and write XML documents. 9i also provided an option for Oracle RAC, or Real Application Clusters, a computer cluster database, as a replacement for the Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) option. In geographic information systems, a feature comprises an item of feature data. ... The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a general-purpose markup language. ... An example of a Computer cluster A computer cluster is a group of tightly coupled computers that work together closely so that in many respects they can be viewed as though they are a single computer. ...

In 2003, Oracle Corporation released Oracle Database 10g. The g stands for "grid"; emphasizing a marketing thrust of presenting 10g as "grid-computing ready".

In 2005 Oracle Database 10.2.0.1—also known as Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10gR2)—appeared.

Version numbers

Oracle products have historically followed their own release-numbering and naming conventions. As of the Oracle RDBMS 10g release, Oracle Corporation has started standardizing all current versions of its major products using the "10g" label, although some sources often refer to Oracle Applications Release 11i as Oracle 11i. Major database-related products and some of their versions include:

• Oracle Application Server 10g (aka Oracle AS 10g)—a middleware product;
• Oracle Applications Release 11i (aka Oracle e-Business Suite, Oracle Financials or Oracle 11i)—a suite of business applications;
• Oracle Developer Suite 10g (9.0.4);
• Oracle JDeveloper 10g—a Java integrated development environment;

Since version 7, Oracle's RDBMS release numbering has used the following codes: Oracle Application Server 10g (g is for Grid), is an integrated, standards-based software platform. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Oracle Applications refers to the non-database parts of Oracle Corporations software business, mainly web-based accounting software. ... Oracle Developer Suite is a suite of development tools released by the Oracle Corporation. ... JDeveloper is a Java IDE from Oracle. ... Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 1995. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. ...

• Oracle7: 7.0.16 — 7.3.4
• Oracle8 Database: 8.0.3 — 8.0.6
• Oracle8i Database Release 1: 8.1.5.0 — 8.1.5.1
• Oracle8i Database Release 2: 8.1.6.0 — 8.1.6.3
• Oracle8i Database Release 3: 8.1.7.0 — 8.1.7.4
• Oracle9i Database Release 1: 9.0.1.0 released May 2002
  • Codenamed "the last database"
  • 9.0.1.5 (Latest current patchset as of December 2003)
• Oracle9i Database Release 2: 9.2.0.7 — 9.2.0.8 (Latest current patchset as of April 2007)
• Oracle Database 10g Release 1: 10.1.0.2 — 10.1.0.5 (Latest current patchset as of February 2006)
• Oracle Database 10g Release 2: 10.2.0.1 — 10.2.0.3 (Latest current patchset as of November 2006)

As of 2006 Oracle Corporation started to discuss the proposed next major version of its database, which it provisionally terms Oracle database 11g beta. The "launch" of Oracle 11g took place on 11 July 2007. In computing, a patch is a small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The version-numbering syntax within each release follows the pattern: major.maintenance.application-server.component-specific.platform-specific.

For example, "10.2.0.1 for 64-bit Solaris" means: 10th major version of Oracle, maintenance level 2, Oracle Application Server (OracleAS) 0, level 1 for Solaris 64-bit.

The Oracle Administrator's Guide offers further information on Oracle release numbers. Oracle Corporation provides a table showing the latest patch-set release by major release, operating-system and hardware-architecture.

List of firsts

Oracle Corporation has provided:

• the first commercially-available SQL-based database (1979)
• the first database to support symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) (1983)
• the first distributed database (1986)
• the first database product tested to comply with the ANSI SQL standard (1993)
• the first 64-bit database (1995)
• the first web database (1997)
• the first database to incorporate a native JRE (1998)
• the first commercial RDBMS to become available on Linux (August 1999)^{[citation needed]}
• the first database to support XML (1999)

Symmetric Multiprocessing, or SMP, is a multiprocessor computer architecture where two or more identical processors are connected to a single shared main memory. ... A distributed database is a database that is under the control of a central database management system (DBMS) in which storage devices are not all attached to a common CPU. It may be stored in multiple computers located in the same physical location, or may be dispersed over a network... SQL (IPA: or IPA: ), commonly expanded as Structured Query Language, is a computer language designed for the retrieval and management of data in relational database management systems, database schema creation and modification, and database object access control management. ... The Java Runtime Environment, or JRE, is a software bundle from Sun Microsystems that allows a computer system to run a Java application. ... A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system. ...

Editions

Over and above the different versions of the Oracle database, Oracle Corporation subdivides its product into varying "editions" - apparently for marketing and licence-tracking reasons.

• Standard Edition (SE) contains base database functionality. Oracle Corporation licenses this product on the basis of users or of processors, typically for servers running from one to four CPUs. If the number of CPUs exceeds 4 CPUs, the user must convert to an Enterprise license. SE has no memory limits, and can utilize clustering with Oracle RAC at no additional charge.
• Enterprise Edition (EE) includes more features than the 'Standard Edition', especially in the areas of performance and security. Oracle Corporation licenses this product on the basis of users or of processors, typically for servers running 4 or more CPUs. EE has no memory limits, and can utilize clustering using Oracle RAC software.
• Standard Edition One, introduced with Oracle 10g, has some additional feature-restrictions. Oracle Corporation markets it for use on systems with one or two CPUs. It has no memory limitations.
• Express Edition ('Oracle Database XE'), introduced in 2005, offers Oracle 10g free to distribute on Windows and Linux platforms (with a footprint of only 150 MB and restricted to the use of a single CPU, a maximum of 4 GB of user data and 1 GB of memory). Support for this version comes exclusively through on-line forums and not through Oracle support.
• Oracle Personal Edition provides the functionality of the "high end" Enterprise Edition but marketed to (and licensed for) single-user developers working on personal workstations.
• Oracle Database Lite, intended to run on mobile devices. The database, partially located on the mobile device, can synchronize with a server-based installation.
• TimesTen, a memory-resident database that has the ability to cache transactions and synchronize data with a centralized Oracle database server. It functions as a real-time infrastructure software product designed for low latency, high-volume data, event and transaction management
• BerkeleyDB, high-performance, embedded database library

In database computing, Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) — a software-option for the Oracle RDBMS produced by Oracle Corporation — provides clustering and high availability in Oracle database environments. ... In database computing, Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) — a software-option for the Oracle RDBMS produced by Oracle Corporation — provides clustering and high availability in Oracle database environments. ... Sun SPARCstation 1+, 25 MHz RISC processor from early 1990s A workstation, such as a Unix workstation, RISC workstation or engineering workstation, is a high-end desktop or deskside microcomputer designed for technical applications. ... Handheld devices (also known as handhelds) are pocket-sized computing devices that are rapidly gaining popularity as the access to information in every walk of life becomes more and more mission critical. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... TimesTen provides a family of real-time infrastructure software products designed for low latency, high-volume data, event and transaction management. ... A transaction is an agreement, communication, or movement carried out between separate entities or objects. ... Realtime redirects here. ... A transaction is an agreement, communication, or movement carried out between separate entities or objects. ... Berkeley DB (DB) is a high-performance, embedded database library with C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, Tcl and many other language bindings. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Host platforms

Prior to releasing Oracle9i, Oracle Corporation ported the database engine to a wide variety of platforms. More recently, Oracle Corporation has consolidated on a smaller range of operating-system platforms.

As of October 2006, Oracle Corporation supported the following operating systems and hardware-platforms for Oracle Database 10g: 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Apple Mac OS X Server: PowerPC
• HP HP-UX: PA-RISC, Itanium
• HP Tru64 UNIX: Alpha
• HP OpenVMS: Alpha, Itanium
• IBM AIX5L: POWER
• IBM z/OS: zSeries
• Linux: x86, x86-64, PowerPC, zSeries, Itanium
• Microsoft Windows: x86, x86-64, Itanium
• Sun Solaris: SPARC, x86, x86-64

Apple Inc. ... Mac OS X Server is the server-oriented version of Apples desktop operating system, Mac OS X. Mac OS X, in both desktop and server versions, is a Unix-like operating system based on technology that Apple acquired from NeXT Computer. ... PowerPC is a RISC microprocessor architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM. Originally intended for personal computers, PowerPC CPUs have since become popular embedded and high-performance processors as well. ... HP may refer to: Handley Page Aircraft Company Harry Potter, a series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling Hello! Project (H!P), a Japanese pop recording project Hewlett-Packard, a computer and computer peripheral company High Point, North Carolina High potency, a term used in biology, pharmacology... HP-UX (Hewlett Packard UniX) is Hewlett-Packards proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system, based on System V (initially System III). ... PA-RISC is a microprocessor architecture developed by Hewlett-Packards Systems & VLSI Technology Operation. ... Itanium is the brand name for 64-bit Intel Microprocessors that implement the Intel Itanium architecture (formerly called IA-64). ... Tru64 is HPs (formerly Compaq; formerly DEC) 64-bit UNIX for the Alpha AXP platform. ... DEC Alpha AXP 21064 Microprocessor die photo Package for DEC Alpha AXP 21064 Microprocessor Alpha AXP 21064 bare die mounted on a business card with some statistics The DEC Alpha, also known as the Alpha AXP, is a 64-bit RISC microprocessor originally developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corp... OpenVMS[1] (Open Virtual Memory System or just VMS) is the name of a high-end computer server operating system that runs on the VAX[2] and Alpha[3] family of computers developed by Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts (DIGITAL was then purchased by Compaq, and is now owned... IBM redirects here. ... AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive) is a proprietary operating system developed by IBM based on UNIX System V. Before the product was ever marketed, the acronym AIX originally stood for Advanced IBM UNIX. The scalable AIX 5L 5. ... Look up Power in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... z/OS Welcome Screen seen through a terminal emulator The title of this article begins with a capital letter due to technical limitations. ... Since December, 2001, IBM designates all its mainframes with the name eServer zSeries, with the e depicted in IBMs well-known red trademarked symbol. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system. ... x86 or 80x86 is the generic name of a microprocessor architecture first developed and manufactured by Intel. ... The AMD64 or x86-64 is a 64-bit processor architecture invented by AMD. It is a superset of the x86 architecture, which it natively supports. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Sun Microsystems, Inc. ... Solaris is a computer operating system developed by Sun Microsystems. ... Sun UltraSPARC II Microprocessor Sun UltraSPARC T1 (Niagara 8 Core) SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture) is a RISC microprocessor instruction set architecture originally designed in 1985 by Sun Microsystems. ...

Related software

For links to some of Oracle Corporation's software which integrates with Oracle databases, see the Oracle Corporation category and the Oracle software category pages.

Database options

Oracle Corporation refers to some extensions to the core functionality of the Oracle database as "database options". As of 2006 such options include: 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Advanced Security
• Content database
• Database Vault
• Data Mining (ODM)
• Label Security
• Management Packs (various)
• Oracle OLAP
• Partitioning
• Real Application Clusters (RAC)
• Records database
• Oracle Spatial
• Oracle Warehouse Builder (in various forms and sub-options)

In most cases, using these options entails extra licensing costs. In database computing, Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) — a software-option for the Oracle RDBMS produced by Oracle Corporation — provides clustering and high availability in Oracle database environments. ...

Suites

In addition to its powerful RDBMS, Oracle has released several related suites of tools and applications. A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. ...

• Oracle Application Server, a J2EE-based application server, aids in developing and deploying applications which utilise Internet technologies and a browser.

• Oracle Collaboration Suite contains messaging, groupware and collaboration applications.

• Oracle Developer Suite contains software development tools, including JDeveloper.

• Oracle E-Business Suite collects together applications for enterprise resource planning (including Oracle Financials), customer relationship management and human resources management (Oracle HR).

• Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) used by database administrators (DBAs) to manage the DBMS, and recently in version 10g, a web-based rewrite of OEM called "Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control". Oracle Corporation has dubbed the super Enterprise Manager used to manage a grid of multiple DBMS and Application Servers as "Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control".

Oracle Application Server 10g (g is for Grid), is an integrated, standards-based software platform. ... An application server is a software engine that delivers applications to client computers or devices. ... Launched in 2000, the Oracle Collaboration Suite was the first attempt by Oracle Corp to break the stranglehold of Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes on the Enterprise messaging system market. ... Oracle Developer Suite is a suite of development tools released by the Oracle Corporation. ... JDeveloper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Oracle Purchasing. ... Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) integrate (or attempt to integrate) all data and processes of an organization into a unified system. ... This article or section should be merged with Oracle Corporation The core applications which make up Oracle Financials includes Oracle General Ledger, Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Payables, Oracle Inventory, Oracle Receivables and Oracle Assets. ... Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer information. ... This article is about human resources, as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ... Oracle Enterprise Manager contains three releases. ... A database administrator (DBA) is a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database. ...

Database "features"

Apart from the clearly-defined database options, Oracle databases may include many semi-autonomous software sub-systems, which Oracle Corporation sometimes refers to as "features". Such "features" may include (for example):

• Automatic Workload Repository (AWR), providing monitoring services to Oracle database installations from Oracle version 10. Prior to the release of Oracle version 10, the Statspack facility provided similar functionality.
• Data Aggregation and Consolidation
• Data Guard for high availability
• Flashback for selective data recovery and reconstruction
• iSQL*Plus, a web-browser-based interface to Oracle database DML
• Recovery Manager (rman) for database backup, restoration and recovery
• SQL*Plus, a command-line oriented interface to Oracle database DML and DDL

See also the category "Oracle software" (linked below) A protocol and associated execution that ensures a certain relative degree of computing-system operational continuity in any downtime event. ... Data Manipulation Language (DML) is a family of computer languages used by computer programs or database users to retrieve, insert, delete and update data in a database. ... A database dump contains a record of the table structure and/or the data from a database, and is usually in the form of a list of SQL queries. ... in art, returning something to a better state, see art conservation and restoration In criminal justice, restoration is another term for restorative justice. ... Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted or inaccessible primary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. ... SQL*Plus is an Oracle command line utility which allows users to run SQL and PL/SQL commands interatively. ... A Data Definition Language (DDL) is a computer language for defining data. ...

Standalone tools

Various tools address specific environments or specific market requirements.

Development of applications commonly takes place in Java (using Oracle JDeveloper) or through PL/SQL (using, for example, Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports). Oracle Corporation has started a drive toward 'wizard'-driven environments with a view to enabling non-programmers to produce simple data-driven applications. Oracle Forms (part of the Oracle Developer Suite - formerly Developer 2000 or D2K) is an easy to use Rapid Application Development (RAD) environment for developing database applications. ... Oracle Reports is a tool to developing reports against data stored in an Oracle database. ...

Oracle SQL Developer, a free graphical tool for database development, allows developers to browse database objects, run SQL statements and SQL scripts, and edit and debug PL/SQL statements. It incorporates standard and customized reporting.

Getting started

Users new to Oracle who need to get databases up and running may check out the online documentation, the Oracle Technology Network site, and the comp.databases.oracle Usenet discussion group. The Oracle Technet site offers downloads of full-featured evaluation software. Users who have Oracle support contracts should turn to Oracle's Metalink web site (password required). Users can also check the Oracle FAQ site before posting questions to forums, mailing lists, etc. They can also log on to http://asktom.oracle.com to post questions to and get answers from Tom Kyte, the author of several Oracle books including Expert One-On-One Oracle (ISBN 1-59059-525-4). Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ... His portrait Thomas Kyte is a Vice President in Oracle Corporation. ...

The Oracle database has had a reputation among novice users as difficult to install on Linux systems. Oracle Corporation has packaged recent versions for several popular Linux distributions in an attempt to minimize installation challenges beyond the level of technical expertise required to install a database server. ^{[citation needed]} 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Oracle database in the market

Competition

In the market for relational databases, Oracle competes against commercial products such as IBM's DB2 UDB and Microsoft SQL Server. Oracle and IBM tend to battle for the mid-range market (especially on UNIX and Linux platforms), while Microsoft tends to compete in the low-end market (on Microsoft Windows platforms). However, since they share many of the same customers, Oracle and IBM tend to support each other's products in many middleware and application categories (for example, WebSphere, PeopleSoft, and Siebel Systems CRM), and IBM's hardware divisions work closely with Oracle on performance-optimizing server-technologies (for example, Linux on zSeries). The two companies have a relationship perhaps best described as "coopetition". Niche commercial competitors include Teradata (in data warehousing and business intelligence), Software AG's Adabas, Sybase, and IBM's Informix, among many others. DB2 is one of IBMs lines of relational database management system (or, as IBM now calls it, data server) software products within IBMs broader Information Management Software line. ... Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) produced by Microsoft. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... WebSphere refers to a brand of proprietary IBM software products, although the term also popularly refers to one specific product: WebSphere Application Server (WAS). ... PeopleSoft, Inc. ... Siebel is a brand name of Oracle Corporation. ... Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer information. ... Coopetition or Co-opetition is a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. ... Teradata Teradata is a software company, founded in 1979, that develps and sells a relational database management system with the same name. ... Adabas is Software AG’s advanced database management system. ... Sybase Inc. ... Informix is a family of relational database management system products from IBM, acquired in 2001 from a company (also called Informix or Informix Software) which dates its origins back to 1980. ...

Increasingly, the Oracle database products compete against open-source relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL, Firebird, and MySQL. Oracle acquired Innobase, supplier of the InnoDB codebase to MySQL, in part to compete better in the open source market. Database products developed on the basis of the open-source model generally cost significantly less to acquire than Oracle databases. EnterpriseDB, based on PostgreSQL, has recently made inroads by proclaiming that its product delivers Oracle compatibility features at a much lower price. Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ... PostgreSQL is a free software object-relational database management system (ORDBMS), released under a BSD-style license. ... Firebird (sometimes called FirebirdSQL) is a relational database management system offering many ANSI SQL-2003 features. ... MySQL (pronounced ) is a multithreaded, multi-user SQL database management system (DBMS)[1] which has, according to MySQL AB, more than 10 million installations. ... MySQL logo MySQL is a multithreaded, multi-user, SQL (Structured Query Language) Database Management System (DBMS) with an estimated six million installations. ... InnoDB is a storage engine for MySQL, included as standard in all current binaries distributed by MySQL AB. Its main enhancement over other storage engines available for use with MySQL is ACID-compliant transaction support. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Recently there has been competition with SAP AG software and litigation from Oracle. SAP AG (ISIN: DE0007164600, FWB: SAP, NYSE: SAP) is the largest European software enterprise and the third largest in the world, with headquarters in Walldorf, Germany. ...

Pricing

Oracle Corporation offers term-licensing for all Oracle products. It bases the list price for a term-license on a specific percentage of the perpetual license-price.^[1]

As of March 2006, the Enterprise Edition of the Oracle database sells at a list price of US$40,000 per machine-processor. Standard Edition comes cheaper - $15,000 per processor (it can run on up to 4 processors but has fewer features than Enterprise Edition — it lacks proper parallelization ^{[citation needed]}, etc; but remains quite suitable for running medium-sized applications). Standard ONE edition sells even more cheaply - $5000 per processor (but limited to 2 CPUs). Standard Edition ONE sells on a per-seat basis, and costs $149 per user, with a 5-user minimum. Oracle Corporation usually sells the licenses with an extra 22% cost for support and upgrades (access to MetaLink - Oracle Corporation's support site) which customers need to renew annually. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Suggested Retail Price (SRP) sometimes called Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) or Recommended retail price (RRP) of a product is the price the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell it for. ...

Oracle Express Edition (Oracle XE), an addition to the Oracle database product family (beta version released in 2005, production version released in February 2006), offers a free version of the Oracle RDBMS, but one limited to 4 GB of user data and to 1 GB of RAM. XE will use no more than one CPU and lacks an internal JVM. Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a set of computer software programs and data structures which implements a specific virtual machine model. ...

As computers running Oracle often have eight or more processors, the software price can rise into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The total cost of ownership exceeds this, as Oracle databases usually require experienced and trained database administrators to do the set-up properly. Because of the product's large installed base and available training courses, Oracle specialists in some areas have become a more abundant resource than those for more exotic databases. Oracle frequently provides special training offers for database-administrators. It has been suggested that Life cycle cost analysis be merged into this article or section. ... A database administrator (DBA) is a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database. ...

On Linux, Oracle's certified configurations include mostly commercial Linux distributions (RedHat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4, SuSE SLES8 and 9, Asianux) which can cost in a range from a few hundred to a few thousand USD per year (depending on processor-architecture and the support-package purchased). One can avoid paying for those distros by using free alternatives such as any Red Hat Enterprise Linux clones (such as CentOS or White Box Linux). Oracle can also run reliably on unsupported distributions.^[2] A Linux distribution or GNU/Linux distribution (or a distro) is a Unix-like operating system plus application software comprising the Linux kernel, the GNU operating system, assorted free software and sometimes proprietary software, all created by individuals, groups or organizations from around the world. ... SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is a Linux distribution supplied by Novell, targeted at the business market. ... Screenshot of the Asianux operating system - version 1. ... Red Hat Enterprise Linux clones are Linux distributions which are closely based on the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. ... CentOS is a freely available Linux distribution which is based on Red Hats commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux product, and with which it aims to be 100% compatible. ... White Box Enterprise Linux is a free Linux distribution that is an alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, primarily funded by the Beauregard Parish Library in Louisiana. ...

See also

• List of relational database management systems
• List of object-relational database management systems
• Comparison of relational database management systems
• Comparison of object-relational database management systems
• Oracle Rdb for OpenVMS
• List of ERP software packages
• Run Book Automation

See DBMS for a shorter list of “typical”, representative database management systems. ... The following is a list of object-relational database management systems. ... The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of relational database management systems. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Rdb/VMS is a relational database management system (RDBMS) for the Hewlett-Packard OpenVMS operating system. ... OpenVMS[1] (Open Virtual Memory System or just VMS) is the name of a high-end computer server operating system that runs on the VAX[2] and Alpha[3] family of computers developed by Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts (DIGITAL was then purchased by Compaq, and is now owned... (sorted alphabetically) Adempiere Compiere ERP5 GNU Enterprise JFire OFBiz OpenBlueLab Opentaps Tiny ERP WebERP 1C:Enterprise from 1C Company 24SevenOffice Start, Premium, Professional and Custom from 24SevenOffice Accpac from The Sage Group Agresso Business World from Unit 4 Agresso AMS Advantage from CGI Group (formerly American Management Systems) ERP LX... Run Book Automation Stemming from the world of computer operations, a run book is a written set of standard operating procedures for the operation of the systems or networks by an administrator or operator. ...

References

External links

• Oracle Database, a view provided by Oracle Corporation
• On-line documentation
• On-line demos
• Metalink, Oracle's online support site - requires a password
• Ask Tom - Oracle questions addressed by Thomas Kyte
• The OBrienportal - Oracle Consultant and Evangelists blog by Shaun O'Brien
• Dizwell Informatics - Useful Installation Guides, articles by Howard J. Rogers, tips
• OTN
• Oracle Newsletters
• Oracle Database Errors, A complete guide to Oracle-database ORA-errors