We are storing our data in Oracle. We collect data from a third-party vendor, transform it, and put it in Oracle. We use it as staging for report development.
Data engineer at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Provides excellent security features and is one of the oldest and most well-known databases
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has every security aspect that needs to be there in enterprise software."
- "The stability could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The features are similar to any other database. Our company is a financial organization. Most financial organizations are run on Oracle. Oracle's security features are up to the mark. It is being approved by a person in our organization who controls and governs data. The solution has every security aspect that needs to be there in enterprise software.
What needs improvement?
The stability could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable. I rate the stability an eight out of ten. We are still testing some of the use cases with more data. We must optimize it at the query level. We need to increase the resources if we have to get the throughput. The tool performs at a level where we get the expected results.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. We have DevOps. We have 200 users in our organization. We use it extensively.
How was the initial setup?
We have a team of 10 to 12 members to deploy and maintain the solution.
What other advice do I have?
We work as an individual contributor. I work for an enterprise. The organization makes sure that the security is intact. They ensure that every security request comes or gets approved by a stakeholder or a data steward who knows what they are approving.
Organizations that want to use the tool must see if Oracle will be helpful for their use cases. My advice depends on the use cases. The use cases are decided at an architectural level depending on the organization's technology stack. Finance companies use Oracle as a front-end solution. If we use Oracle E-Business Suite, we will use Oracle Database. If we use Oracle Database, the organization will push it to every other application.
If we need to process data for monthly or weekly reporting and do a Delta load, Oracle is sufficient. Suppose we are already using it and paying for the license. In that case, using it for other applications is better than investing it in any other database and procuring hardware. It all depends on the use cases. Oracle is one of the oldest and most well-known databases in the market. It is stable and has a good development team.
Overall, I rate the product an eight and a half out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Managing Director at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
Handles large datasets seamlessly
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Oracle Database for data management are its ability to handle large datasets seamlessly, support for writing custom PL/SQL stored procedures, and its capability to perform complex computations and statistics directly within the database."
- "Improvements in Oracle Database could focus on simplifying deployment processes and providing clearer documentation."
What is our primary use case?
We use Oracle Database to store large amounts of production data for our manufacturing industry clients. Our software analyzes this data to optimize production processes and ensure quality. We then use the insights to control production machines and fine-tune sensors for better performance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Oracle Database for data management are its ability to handle large datasets seamlessly, support for writing custom PL/SQL stored procedures, and its capability to perform complex computations and statistics directly within the database. These features allow us to manage millions of database rows efficiently and run analytical processes on the database machine itself, rather than relying heavily on front-end applications for visualization and support.
What needs improvement?
Improvements in Oracle Database could focus on simplifying deployment processes and providing clearer documentation. The installation process can be complex, especially across different architectures and operating systems, leading to manual adjustments and longer setup times, often taking around two months with multiple people involved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Oracle Database since 1990.
How are customer service and support?
Tech support from Oracle has been lacking, as they often resort to trial and error rather than providing specific knowledge-based solutions. The support process involved trying different versions and configurations without clear guidance, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction with the level of assistance provided. Oracle's support for installation, particularly in Unix environments, needs improvement. I would rate the support as a two out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
How was the initial setup?
Deploying Oracle Database initially can be a bit challenging and not as straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Oracle Database is often perceived as expensive compared to alternatives like Microsoft SQL Server. Many customers opt for mixed environments, with production data stored in Oracle Database and analytical or reporting data transferred to Microsoft SQL Server for easier access and cost efficiency. The high cost of Oracle Database licenses and support drives this decision.
What other advice do I have?
We optimize the performance of Oracle Database by monitoring logs, analyzing performance metrics, and tuning specialized tables. We can also utilize features like Database Warehousing for specific data analysis needs, ensuring efficient performance even with large datasets.
Oracle Database sometimes introduces new features that may not always be necessary or relevant to stable systems. For example, adding complex data types like datetime with nanosecond precision may not be practical for many users. This approach can lead to an increase in features without clear benefits for users.
If you need a highly available system capable of storing vast amounts of data over the long term, I would recommend Oracle Database. However, for smaller projects with less demanding data needs, other technologies might be more suitable.
Overall, I would rate Oracle Database as an eight out of ten. It is a great product.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database
January 2026
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Technology Manager at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Offers security features that are good, reliable, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "The product's initial setup phase was very easy."
- "The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution in my company for developing applications, of course, with the ERP in place, along with the different modules that are related to the financial system, HR's internal functionalities, project management, and invoicing. My company uses it more for the in-house development of IT applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is database management, which is good, along with the backup. The server-based programming, PL/SQL, is good.
What needs improvement?
The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required. In general, the product should be priced more economically for users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Database for thirty years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. You can always tune the parameters and decide on how much to scale based on the memory available. You can configure your SGA along with memory, and once you outgrow it, you can always reconfigure and re-initiate it, making it a scalable tool.
Over a long period of time, my company has been dealing with a user base of various sizes. There are times when the user base can go up to 200 people.
The product is extensively used, and my company plans to increase its use in the future.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the product's online community to get answers to the questions I post related to the tool.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Ingres. My company started to use Oracle Database because of its flexibility and the availability of more tools. The overall comprehensiveness provided by the tool was good.
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup phase was very easy. There are no real challenges in the setup phase, as it is a sophisticated product.
For the product's deployment phase, if you have your operating system ready, you can decide whether you want to put Oracle Database in Microsoft or Linux, after which you need to make the prerequisites available for JRE or Microsoft's .NET platform. Once the prerequisites are in place, you can download a suitable VM, and the deployments can be done.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
There is no need for a team to take care of the deployment and maintenance of the product since the tool is well-documented and a lot of information is available in it. In the past, the deployment and maintenance of the product used to be a bit tough. Over a period of time, the deployment and maintenance of the product have become quicker and easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is costly. You need to pay for all the product components that you use. You can go for an annual or multi-year subscription model, depending on your requirements.
What other advice do I have?
Currently, my company uses the tool for record-keeping purposes, specifically for some information. My company uses Power BI for real-time data analytics.
The critical applications our company runs on Oracle Database are attached to areas involving invoicing and financial systems.
The security features of Oracle Database are good, reliable, and stable.
The cloud-based solution available is good for those who plan to start using the tool. Instead of choosing the on-premises version, people can go with the tool's cloud-based version. Potential uses of the product should attempt to start small, and then when the need arises, they can grow the tool's usage capacity. The tool offers fallback, resilience, and redundancy features, which you can always add whenever required.
Though I have never tried to use the migration capabilities of the product, I know that there is a process for using it, which is not very difficult but sometimes time-consuming.
I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group Head, Internal Controls & Compliance at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
A efficient solution with fast processing feature
Pros and Cons
- "The tool is efficient and fast compared to other alternatives. The tool's processing speed is fast, and we've experienced minimal hang-ups. This enables us to address queries within a shorter time frame. I wouldn't say it's just one particular feature, but overall, the efficiency and speed of Oracle Database have had a significant impact. Our support systems are more efficient, allowing us to accomplish tasks quickly."
- "The tool's price gap is a major concern. It makes it hard for others to afford it and use it effectively. More people could benefit from its features if the pricing could be made more reasonable. Many companies choose cheaper options because of this affordability issue."
What is most valuable?
The tool is efficient and fast compared to other alternatives. The tool's processing speed is fast, and we've experienced minimal hang-ups. This enables us to address queries within a shorter time frame. I wouldn't say it's just one particular feature, but overall, the efficiency and speed of Oracle Database have had a significant impact. Our support systems are more efficient, allowing us to accomplish tasks quickly.
What needs improvement?
The tool's price gap is a major concern. It makes it hard for others to afford it and use it effectively. More people could benefit from its features if the pricing could be made more reasonable. Many companies choose cheaper options because of this affordability issue.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for seven to eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We face scalability issues at times due to the vendors. I rate it a seven out of ten. My company has 150 users. I don't use it often, maybe once a week. However, some people use it for about eight hours daily.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used MySQL before Oracle Database.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the tool's deployment an eight out of ten. We have deployed it on the cloud but have our backups on-prem. The setup and maintenance took around six months initially, with ongoing maintenance afterward. Since it was some time ago, I can't recall the exact details, but from initiation to finishing, it was approximately six months due to the various stages of software implementation.
What about the implementation team?
The vendors helped with the tool's implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate Oracle Database's pricing a four out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
We don't have many security challenges, but we continue to review them because it depends on how they are set up. In terms of the database itself, it performs perfectly. However, we encountered some challenges with the software we used in conjunction with the database. These challenges are separate from the performance of the database itself.
Due to affordability concerns, I can't recommend it to everyone. I have to consider their budgets. Many opt for other options because Oracle's license costs are significantly higher than alternatives like MySQL. So, I would recommend it for enterprise-level use.
I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. Tech Systems Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Good high availability, data protection, and disaster recovery
Pros and Cons
- "Oracle Database is easy to install and set up."
- "The high availability features are a little complex to set up and manage."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is a stable relational database used to manage business applications with less downtime for the business. It seems to have the ability to scale up and down depending upon business needs. We needed a database with effective backup and recovery tools to protect the database against data loss and reconstruct the database quickly in case of any loss. The database addresses information security by providing cutting-edge security features to protect corporate assets and data critical to business.
How has it helped my organization?
Oracle Database is easy to install and set up. It has provided great stability and reliability to meet business requirements. The performance of the database is very good and is able to handle extensive workloads. It can run complex queries without any issues.
Oracle Database offers great new features in every new release and these features provide more enhancements for running and developing smooth database operations. The database backup and recovery tools are easy to use to protect data from any failures.
What is most valuable?
Oracle Database offers performance, scalability, reliability, and security which are important for any business.
The Oracle Data Guard helps with high availability, data protection, and disaster recovery for enterprise data. It also helps to survive disasters and data corruption while creating, maintaining, and managing one or most synchronized standby databases important to a business.
The Recovery Manager (RMAN) is a great feature for backup and recovery which will enable to per perform cold, hot, and incremental database backups, as well as point-in-time recoveries to protect data.
What needs improvement?
The high availability features are a little complex to set up and manage. I would like to see some improvements in this feature to make it easier to manage.
I would like to see generative AI services integration to help organizations automate business processes, enhance customer experience and collaboration, and improve decision-making. I'd also like to see increased performance.
Oracle comes with great new features with every new release. These new features help to facilitate and enhance smooth database operations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for 20+ years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has great scalability solutions.
How are customer service and support?
The solution has good support. That said, it needs improvement.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not previously use a different solution.
How was the initial setup?
The product is easy to set up - except for the high availability features, which are difficult to implement.
What about the implementation team?
We did not implement the solution via a vendor.
What was our ROI?
The ROI I have witnessed has been good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's great product, however, it is a little pricy for the licensing costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did not previously evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
If you need a better product, then you need to plan the budget accordingly.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Sale and marketing at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Ensures data security with robust features but needs better cost-effectiveness
Pros and Cons
- "It is highly secure, with an architecture that prevents hacking incidents, making it the most secure database available."
- "The pricing could be more cost-effective, as the high price is driving some customers to consider migrating to open-source alternatives."
What is our primary use case?
My clients use Oracle Database for their ERP applications. Manufacturing companies use it for their ERP systems, and there are financial organizations, including banks, using the database to secure their data. They specifically use the enterprise database Oracle with licensed products.
What is most valuable?
Oracle Database is a Gartner-listed number one database, renowned for its robust and mission-critical capabilities. It is highly secure, with an architecture that prevents hacking incidents, making it the most secure database available.
The database also supports mission-critical applications and large datasets, providing high availability and reliability. It is equipped with features like autonomous functionality and memory-efficient operations, reducing the need for machine resources.
What needs improvement?
Regarding room for improvement, there is not anything specific from a feature standpoint, as Oracle is a database company always enhancing and updating its products. However, the pricing could be more cost-effective, as the high price is driving some customers to consider migrating to open-source alternatives.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been connected with Oracle Database for 15 to 16 years, starting from my career's inception.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Oracle Database is excellent, rated at ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Oracle Database is very good, which I rate between nine and ten.
How are customer service and support?
Oracle's technical support is generally rated at eight out of ten due to some delays and challenges with ticket resolution, particularly regarding different time zones. The quality of the support is top-notch and deserves a ten, but response times can be improved.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Oracle Database is straightforward, with a step-by-step guide available. The abundance of documentation and resources makes it easy to follow along and complete the setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Oracle Database is highly-priced. Although it is robust and feature-rich, the pricing can be a concern for some customers, leading them to consider alternative options.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate Oracle Database a seven out of ten. While highly functional and stable, the cost remains a significant factor for many customers. If Oracle could make it more cost-effective, it would benefit many users. I rate the overall solution on a scale of one to ten at a seven.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
NTO, Deputy Chief at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Integrates well with other solutions and has good stability
Pros and Cons
- "It meets our high availability, resilience, and large-scale data management requirements."
- "The product requires higher expertise compared to Microsoft. It could be easy to use."
What is our primary use case?
The platform supports our large-scale transaction processing needs by digitizing workflows within various governmental entities. It includes everything from applying required forms to processing payments and completing transactions automatically.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable. It meets our high availability, resilience, and large-scale data management requirements.
What needs improvement?
The product requires higher expertise compared to Microsoft. It could be easy to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have worked with Oracle Database for over seven or eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable and robust. It is more trusted and capable than other solutions like Microsoft.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is highly scalable.
We have thousands of users across multiple locations and departments, all served by a centralized data center that supports various public sector departments.
We use it in our large data centers to manage and store large volumes of data with high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.
How are customer service and support?
While I have previous experience with Oracle's global support, our local partners currently manage the support, and we haven't needed to escalate issues to the worldwide team.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process can be more challenging than that of Microsoft solutions. However, it is straightforward once you have skilled personnel handling the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
Different partners usually handle the implementation and deployment. We also have support contracts with the technology vendor covering updates, services, and other necessary support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Oracle may require higher expertise than Microsoft. While Microsoft has a larger pool of professionals and is easier to use, Oracle offers more robust and capable solutions, albeit with a higher skill requirement.
What other advice do I have?
We work with various technologies, including Microsoft, MongoDB, and others, and Oracle integrates well with all solutions.
I rate it a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Archtect - software engineering at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Offers good return on investment to users
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's most valuable feature is the row-level security that helps mask and encrypt data."
- "Oracle Cloud has a bit of a learning curve, so from an improvement perspective, we need to have a simple way to connect to computing in Oracle Cloud."
What is our primary use case?
The solution's most valuable feature is the row-level security that helps mask and encrypt data. In industries like healthcare and retail marketing, the details of patients' diseases and diagnostic reports can be masked using rollover encryption. In the financial sector, credit card numbers, user IDs, and passwords can also be masked using row-level encryption.
What needs improvement?
Oracle Cloud has a bit of a learning curve, so from an improvement perspective, we need to have a simple way to connect to computing in Oracle Cloud. Oracle Cloud should be leveraged to have structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. Oracle Cloud should be like Amazon S3 bucket and needs to come with the versioning part. If the tool can provide options for versioning the data, it would be more useful.
There is a need to have backward compatibility from version to version. If a tool has all its versions, it would be better. Sometimes, we are missing the backward compatibility function in Oracle. Some versions are deprecated and removed. Migration somewhat involves coding of data and coding of queries, along with pre-querying the data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Database for ten years. I am a user of the tool.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is always upgraded as per the user's requirements. So I don't feel any issue. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a good and scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
I have seen multiple use cases in different companies. I see that for one million or two million files, it works fine, but with twenty million files, it slows down because it lacks NoSQL properties. Around 30 to 40 developers use the tool in my company.
How was the initial setup?
I have ten years of experience with the product, so I am habituated to installing the solution all the time. I did not find any issues during the installation of the product. The product is simple to install, especially because the instructions offered by the solution are very user-friendly. The tool offers a very good User experience during the installation phase. Each installation step is very well documented for a user to be able to understand.
I rate the product's initial setup phase as a nine out of ten.
The product's deployment process can be completed in a very optimal amount of time.
What was our ROI?
The tool's ROI is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool is expensive. Compared to its stability and eligibility, the tool is expensive, but if I consider the tool's ROI to be better, the tool is affordable with its set of features.
What other advice do I have?
I use Oracle Database in our company's daily operations as we have a data pipeline which can cleanse the database. We have many connectors to ingest the data in Oracle Database. In the data lake, we do perform transformation, after which the cleansed data is moved to the warehouse.
The security features of Oracle Database match our data protection needs since it provides a particular user ID and a password while binding to the roles and privileges, like in the case of admin accounts and user accounts.
When it comes to data analysis, the tool has a very huge kind of data in it. In our company, we used to write queries, and Oracle helped us analyze the data, after which we can select a particular data set based on what we require. The queries are very fast.
The migration from Oracle Database 18c to Oracle Database 19c has affected my operations because I think that some of the features are being deprecated during each of the migration processes. I can rate the whole migration process as seven out of ten.
I started with Oracle Linux 7, and now I use Oracle Database 21c. The tool has matured and is good.
I recommend the tool to others. It is better to use Oracle's functions, whichever will improve scalability and app performance. The tool has many areas that will help us query data, code data, and perform analytics.
I rate the tool an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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