Foglight for Databases vs Oracle Essbase comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Quest Software and Oracle are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. Quest Software is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while Oracle is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.3. Quest Software holds a 3.7% mindshare in DDM, compared to Oracle’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Quest Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

Foglight for Databases

Read 28 Foglight for Databases reviews

4,899 Views
4,850 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Oracle Essbase

Read 18 Oracle Essbase reviews

3,604 Views
1,081 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Foglight for Databases

Oracle Essbase

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Oracle Essbase and Foglight for Databases are strong contenders in business analytics and database management spheres. While Oracle Essbase excels with its multidimensional database engines suited for complex analytical tasks, Foglight for Databases has the edge with its advanced monitoring tools, making it a preferred choice for organizations focusing on performance monitoring.

Features: Oracle Essbase boasts high-speed data processing and robust calculation engines, supporting intricate analytical queries with ease. Its multi-dimensionality enables complex data modeling useful for financial analyses. Additionally, aggregate storage applications facilitate swift, large-scale data handling. Foglight for Databases provides comprehensive performance monitoring across multiple database environments, allowing real-time tracking of system health. Its cross-platform flexibility supports various databases, enhancing system efficiency and minimal downtime. It also offers historical performance insights for database management improvement.

Room for Improvement: Oracle Essbase could enhance user interface design to make complex operations more intuitive and accessible to non-technical users. Increasing automation for database management tasks and refining cloud integration capabilities would improve overall usability. On the other hand, Foglight for Databases could benefit from optimizing the report generation process to streamline user interaction. Enhancing real-time data visualization features and broader custom scripting support would also help address complex user requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deploying Oracle Essbase requires comprehensive planning due to its advanced features, but is well-supported with rich documentation and dedicated support services. Foglight for Databases offers a smoother setup with efficient configuration processes and proactive customer engagement, ensuring a well-supported experience designed for quick scalability.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle Essbase has higher initial setup costs but provides considerable long-term value due to its extensive analytical features and performance metrics. Foglight for Databases offers a moderate investment level with significant ROI benefits stemming from enhanced monitoring capabilities and reduced system downtime, providing a cost-effective advantage, particularly for performance-focused organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Foglight for Databases vs. Oracle Essbase Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Foglight for Databases vs. Oracle Essbase

September 2026

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Helped 916,771 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Foglight for Databases

Ranking in Database Development and Management

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Oracle Essbase

Ranking in Database Development and Management

17th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

4.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of Foglight for Databases is 3.7%, down from 5.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Essbase is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Foglight for Databases	3.7%
Oracle Essbase	1.6%
Other	94.7%

Database Development and Management

Featured Reviews

AkshayChaudhari

Data Specialist at TCS

Centralized monitoring has reduced troubleshooting time and improves visibility across databases

I would improve the user interface of Foglight for Databases, as I feel it is somewhat complex, especially when using the specific troubleshooting view, particularly for new users. I would also appreciate more flexibility when customizing the dashboards and alerts, so better prioritization based on impact would be beneficial. Reporting could also be more straightforward with more ready-made reports and easier customization. Clearer recommendations during troubleshooting would help users move from identifying a problem to understanding the likely root cause. There is still room for improvement in the user interface, reporting, and alert customization, but overall Foglight for Databases has been valuable.

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Bhavya N

Senior System Engineer at Infosys

Ensuring efficient data analysis and reporting while identifying areas for calculation and export improvements

The features of Oracle Essbase are valuable, such as its multi-dimensional database used for dynamic calculations and reporting purposes. These features are valuable because they support multi-dimensional data views, allowing users to analyze relationships across various data categories and establish a comprehensive perspective on business operations. Moreover, dynamic calculations allow real-time data analysis, significantly improving the accuracy and depth of financial insights. I have utilized Essbase's data aggregation capabilities. The Oracle Essbase interface provides a good user experience, allowing users to easily navigate and analyze data with fast query performance, effective data visualization tools such as charts, graphs, and tables, and flexibility for customizable analysis and reporting, including the ability to create ad hoc reports. The benefits of the interface include improving productivity and enhancing decision-making.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Foglight for Databases positively impacts our organization by enabling us to identify slow-running queries and check the historical performance of any SQL Server instance, which is why we have relied on this tool for nine years without facing significant issues."

"My impressions of Foglight for Databases' ability to help me monitor a variety of aspects such as the OS, hybrid clouds, hardware, and databases across different platforms have been great so far."

"Using Foglight for Databases has been beneficial because it is a third-party tool that already has all of Dell's or Quest's experience, adding value in terms of ROI mainly through three avenues: less diagnostic time, fewer prolonged incidents, and less operational inefficiency."

"The ability to monitor multiple database platforms streamlines our database operations. The single pane of glass is what we were really after when we picked Foglight. We knew we wanted something that could monitor cross-platform because it does save a lot of time to use the same tool. The one thing that I like with Foglight is that we don't have to install anything locally, like agents, directly on the database servers. That was also a big seller because it simplifies things."

"Foglight for Databases allows us to save up to four months of data, enabling us to track performance data for at least one quarter."

"Foglight's Change Tracking capabilities are another huge feature. It is wonderful to be able to do that. People don't realize the amount of information that Foglight gathers from a given server or instance. It gets down to the version of SQL, the disk array, everything that's there. Any change that's made, any upgrade to SQL, shows up on the dashboard almost immediately. You don't know how much time you save just having a tool in your back pocket that does that for you."

"One of the hardest things to do in database management is to evaluate performance deviation across time. The adaptive baseline that Quest is using is by far the most helpful. That doesn't necessarily mean I use it on a daily basis, but it is something that I have not been able to find in any other tool, at the same level."

"The real-time activity screens are also helpful... if there is something that is running slowly, we can eliminate the database as being an issue and perhaps look at the server, network activity, or something outside of the realm of the database as being the issue."

More Foglight for Databases pros

"Essbase is extremely stable and low-maintenance."

"It's a very powerful analytical engine with Essbase as the back end. We can analyze, transform, or utilize a big chunk of data for our calculations."

"Essbase is a kind of backbone, or back end, for systems like Hyperion Planning."

"The Oracle Essbase interface provides a good user experience, allowing users to easily navigate and analyze data with fast query performance, effective data visualization tools such as charts, graphs, and tables, and flexibility for customizable analysis and reporting, including the ability to create ad hoc reports."

"It is my opinion, it is more comfortable in Oracle rather than a SQL server."

"Essbase is a powerful tool that continues to provide value for companies."

"Oracle Essbase is a web integration system that integrates with other data systems."

"The solution is scalable."

More Oracle Essbase pros

Cons

"Foglight for Databases can be improved as sometimes, when checking the current query in SQL PI, it does not show the complete large query as the text gets truncated."

"Foglight for Databases is useful for database monitoring and troubleshooting, but there are a few areas where it could be improved."

"The system is not that stable. We have been facing a lot of issues. We built a new store environment of Foglight, an environment for monitoring the Lowe's store servers, which are all Db2 servers. The objective is to monitor 800 Db2 servers in each Foglight instance. Up to 150 Db2 servers, the environment was working fine. The moment it crossed 150 or 160, we started having a lot of stability issues."

"The tool could be somewhat more user-friendly, as proper knowledge is required to set up servers and use it effectively."

"I would like the rule development code to be made available so we don't always have to be referred to professional services for custom solutions. For example, if we want to exclude certain databases from a particular rule, we shouldn't have to go to support and to professional services for that solution. If the code and syntax were available, we have resources that could quickly turn something like that around."

"Better communication and alerts regarding the transaction logs getting full would also be beneficial. What I have noticed is that if the log files on the SQL server are full, we cannot log in and have to do some cleanup on the Foglight DB. It would be good if they could monitor that and alert us when it is getting too full."

"Over this past weekend I had 400 emails from Foglight. That's a lot. And at least 395 of them were white noise."

"When holding data for two years for 20 SQL Servers, the reporting becomes sluggish and unresponsive."

More Foglight for Databases cons

"When it comes to scalability, I note that the on-premise solution of Oracle Essbase is not very scalable. In the cloud solution, I think it is easier, because that is the point; however, in the on-premise solution, there is no scalability, so if the server goes down, Oracle Essbase is not reachable."

"The reporting tool of Essbase needs improvement."

"I would like to improve calculations by optimizing performance and reducing processing time."

"There is room for improvement in terms of cost-effectiveness."

"The ability to drive external reporting out for development could be improved."

"It's not a very scalable solution."

"The solution could enhance business analytics. I delved into the data using Oracle Essbase to create a new support tool."

"I find managing the database difficult, especially regarding optimization and data storage with the huge volume of data."

More Oracle Essbase cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared to the other tools on the market, Foglight is okay in terms of pricing and licensing."

"It is cost-effective. With our EA, it is really based on the scale of our database environment. We found the Quest team to be reasonable and flexible when it comes to pricing and scaling of licenses."

"Pricing is very reasonable. We were able to construct a pretty easy contract with Quest, who were very easy to work with and very amenable to what we are trying to do. It worked out well for us."

"The price is worth it, if you have the time to go through the information."

"This is like the "Cadillac" of performance monitoring software. It's not cheap... I am currently with a company that I was able to convince that the product is worth the cost."

"The price of Foglight could be a little more competitive in Chile, and it should be lowered for long-time customers— at least by 20 percent. Sometimes the price is a limitation. We have seven instances and nearly 5 million users. If Quest Foglight could reduce its prices for the clients that have been with it for a long time, we would be able to have more instances."

"I believe the licensing is on a monthly base."

"The solution is expensive."

"Essbase is competitively priced."

"It is a costly solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

15%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest Foglight for Databases?

I have had a good experience with the licensing costs of Foglight for Databases, as we have a provider who has given us good prices, and so far we have not had any cost problems. Regarding configur...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest Foglight for Databases?

I think Foglight for Databases could improve its user interface. It can be complex to navigate sometimes, especially when you are trying to troubleshoot a specific issue. It can be overwhelming for...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Quest Foglight for Databases?

My main use case for Foglight for Databases is to monitor database performance and identify issues before they affect our applications. I mainly use it to keep track of database health, check slow ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Oracle Essbase?

A significant area for improvement in Oracle Essbase is that financial statement analysis, CAPEX and OPEX analysis, and financial consolidation must be done manually, as Oracle Essbase doesn't incl...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Oracle Essbase?

The initial setup of Oracle Essbase is dependent on whether you select BSO or ASO cubes. First, you need to set up the type of information and once the type of cubes is defined, you need to define ...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Oracle Essbase?

The pricing functionality in Oracle Essbase is handled through the model you develop, where each cube can be customized with members and dimensions for pricing and entities. You can implement any f...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Foglight for Databases

October 2026

Download Foglight for Databases product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle Essbase

September 2026

Download Oracle Essbase product report

Also Known As

No data available

Essbase

Overview

Foglight for Databases offers comprehensive monitoring with real-time activity screens and adaptive baselines. It provides a 360-degree overview and efficient UI, requiring no custom scripts, aiding in proactive issue identification and resolution before impacting end users.

Foglight for Databases is a robust tool for monitoring across multiple platforms, including SQL and Oracle. It provides features like the "Morning Coffee" dashboard and SQL Performance Investigator, enabling effective workload analysis and historical investigation. Despite some challenges with sluggish performance on large data volumes and excessive non-critical alerts, it remains a preferred choice for its ability to support proactive management and resource planning. Users appreciate its centralized view of extensive database systems, enabling swift detection and resolution of issues in real-time.

What are the key features?

Comprehensive Monitoring: Provides cross-platform real-time monitoring, ensuring effective database management.
Adaptive Baselines: Adjusts to various workloads, enhancing monitoring accuracy.
SQL Performance Investigator: Offers detailed workload analysis without server impact.
Proactive Alerts: Delivers timely notifications, aiding in immediate issue resolution.
Efficient UI: Streamlines user interaction, minimizing the need for custom scripts.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Time Saving: Reduces time in root cause analysis, enhancing productivity.
Proactive Management: Detects issues before they affect end users, minimizing downtime.
Resource Planning: Aids in effective allocation planning for enterprise and cloud platforms.

Foglight is extensively implemented in industries managing extensive database systems, handling numerous servers to ensure availability and performance. It assists businesses in resolving blocking and locking deadlocks, crucial for maintaining smooth operations in production and development environments.

Quest Software

Oracle Essbase provides robust multi-dimensional analysis with a strong calculation engine and aggregate storage, enabling fast calculations and swift response times for large data volumes.

Essbase offers scalable, stable multi-dimensional analysis capabilities, important for enterprises managing large datasets. Its flexibility and efficiency support detailed reporting, strategic decision-making, and advanced modeling. An intuitive interface allows fast data visualization and dynamic analysis, aiding strategic business operations. Continuous upgrades enhance performance and productivity.

What are the key features of Oracle Essbase?

Multi-dimensional Analysis: Enables complex data insights through powerful analysis capabilities.
Calculation Engine: Provides swift calculations essential for timely decision-making in business environments.
Aggregate Storage: Ensures efficient data handling, supporting fast response times and large data volumes.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates fast visualization and enhances productivity through easy data management.

What benefits or ROI should users focus on in reviews?

Scalability: Supports growing data needs efficiently, maintaining stability.
Performance Upgrades: Continuously improves data processing speeds and system functionality.
Flexibility: Adapts to diverse reporting and analysis needs effectively.
Enhanced Productivity: Increases organizational efficiency with dynamic data analysis capabilities.

In industries like telecommunications, banking, and healthcare, Essbase is used extensively for financial management, including planning, budgeting, and reporting. It facilitates decision-making in multinational firms by supporting enterprise performance management and generating comprehensive financial statements. Users leverage it for complex data processing and intensive queries, improving operational efficiency.

Oracle

Sample Customers

CommitDBA

CHU de Rennes, Bellco Credit Union, Akindo Sushiro Co. Ltd, Deutsche Telekom AG, Samarco MineraÊo S.A., PCCW Ltd., QDQ media S.A.U., Boiron Italia, Specialized Bicycle Components Inc., Akindo Sushiro Co. Ltd., Air Canada, Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd.

Buyer's Guide

Foglight for Databases vs. Oracle Essbase

September 2026

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