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Petr Bunka - PeerSpot reviewer
System Architect at CGI
Real User
Top 5
A stable solution which performs well and is suitable for enterprise applications
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable and has good performance."
  • "The licensing could be cheaper and clearer."

What is our primary use case?

We use version 12c, but are planning to migrate to 19c. 

The solution is suitable for enterprise applications. We use it for trade systems and a betting system. We use it with applications that need a huge amount of data, such as SQL enterprise applications.

What needs improvement?

The licensing could be cheaper and clearer. It is not clear how it applies to certain options. The licensing of the solution for only several virtual servers is a big issue which should be addressed. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Database for many years, perhaps since 2001. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

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How are customer service and support?

I have not had direct contact with tech support, although my colleagues have. 

How was the initial setup?

I cannot comment on the initial installation, as it is handled by the Database Administrator, not I. He possesses the skill to install the solution and has never mentioned any issues with this. Perhaps my colleagues would be in a position to give a more comprehensive answer. 

What about the implementation team?

In respect of the deployment and maintenance, we have two administrators, developers, an architect and a tester who are in charge of four applications. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing could be cheaper and clearer. It is not clear how it applies to certain options. The licensing of the solution for only several virtual servers is a big issue which should be addressed. 

The license is yearly. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Although I would recommend the solution for certain applications, as there are licensing issues, I would prefer to use PostgreSQL where possible. 

What other advice do I have?

There are many people making use of the solution in my organization, including developers, testers, end users and end application users. We may be talking about thousands. But when it comes to those with personal experience using the solution, we are talking about 40 or 50 people. 

We plan to continue using the solution, as there are certain applications of ours which must remain on Oracle Database. 

The solution is stable and has good performance. Licensing is the big issue we encounter. 

Were I to rate Oracle Database strictly on its technical capabilities, I would have to give it a rating of nine out ten. However, its licensing issues bring this rating down to seven. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Manjunath Bhimareddy - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Lead Performance Engineer & Automation at Allstate
Real User
Top 5
Scalable, reliable, but installation could be easier
Pros and Cons
  • "I have been satisfied with the technical support from Oracle."
  • "I have been looking for a virtualization database engine from Oracle. They have third-party vendors that can do it but if Oracle comes with its own virtual engine, it would be helpful. Additionally, the solution could be more user-friendly and improve the Transparent Data Encryption."

What is our primary use case?

I work for an insurance organization and we have been using Oracle Database for our application architecture. We store all the user-level information in the Oracle Database that our company deals in, such as policy information. Before I joined this organization, they were only using the Oracle Database but now we are migrating from Oracle to the SQL Server Database. For any new applications that are getting built or designed, we are trying to use SQL Server instead of Oracle.

What needs improvement?

I have been looking for a virtualization database engine from Oracle. They have third-party vendors that can do it but if Oracle comes with its own virtual engine, it would be helpful. Additionally, the solution could be more user-friendly and improve the Transparent Data Encryption. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Database for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Oracle Database is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

We have approximately 2,000 users using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been satisfied with the technical support from Oracle.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use SQL Server.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was not a good experience it took a lot of time.

What about the implementation team?

We have a 10 person technical team which consists of administrators and managers that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have been paying for an annual enterprise license Oracle Database.

What other advice do I have?

If I had the choice to pick between Orcale Database or SQL Server, I would choose SQL Server.

I rate Oracle Database a seven 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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Database
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
869,832 professionals have used our research since 2012.
President at Advance Consulting Enterprise
Real User
Gets the job done, doesn't fail, and suitable for massively scalable applications
Pros and Cons
  • "The thing that probably stands out the most about Oracle Database is reliability. I have been working with Oracle Databases for over 25 years, and I have never lost any data due to a machine going down or any events that were not stupid human tricks. I've never lost anybody's data using Oracle. It gets the job done and doesn't fail."
  • "It does what I want it to do. It has got a lot of features. Anytime I need a feature, I am able to find it in Oracle Database. It has never happened that I found a feature in any other database, but I was not able to find it in Oracle."
  • "There is a lot of room for improvement. Ease of use is probably the biggest complaint. They're getting somewhat better, but it is not as easy or intuitive as it could be in terms of maintaining and managing the database."
  • "Their support portal requires a person to become well-trained in how to use it. They are pretty good at handling absolute critical emergencies, but with the exception of absolute critical emergencies, getting problems solved from their support system is difficult and takes a long time."
  • "Probably about 80% of their online documentation is useless. When you go to the Oracle documentation, you have to plow through page after page of stuff to get to anything that looks anything like an example of what it is that you might actually do. There are lots of other people who have filled that gap, and there are also websites where you can easily find the answers to most of your questions."

What is our primary use case?

We use it internally for some small odds and ends. Two of our biggest clients use this solution. One client has more or less a data warehousing application. Another one has more of a transactional and pseudo accounting application.

I am currently using 12c, but I have also done some work with version 18. This July, we're going to upgrade most of our main databases from version 12 to version 18, which is fairly current. I believe they have version 20 available at this point.

What is most valuable?

The thing that probably stands out the most about Oracle Database is reliability. I have been working with Oracle Databases for over 25 years, and I have never lost any data due to a machine going down or any events that were not stupid human tricks. I've never lost anybody's data using Oracle. It gets the job done and doesn't fail. 

It does what I want it to do. It has got a lot of features. Anytime I need a feature, I am able to find it in Oracle Database. It has never happened that I found a feature in any other database, but I was not able to find it in Oracle.

What needs improvement?

There is a lot of room for improvement. It is not meant for dilettantes. It is not meant for people who don't work on it day in and day out. Ease of use is probably the biggest complaint. They're getting somewhat better, but it is not as easy or intuitive as it could be in terms of maintaining and managing the database. The day-to-day maintenance and the ability to easily do things and keep things up to date can be painful.

Their support portal requires a person to become well-trained in how to use it. I'm sure it has lots of features and capabilities but to try and get support is somewhat painful. They are pretty good at handling absolute critical emergencies, but with the exception of absolute critical emergencies, getting problems solved from their support system is difficult and takes a long time. I had to do an update, and it was not straightforward to get the right patch kit. I'm getting to the point now where I somewhat understand how to use their support website, but it is not intuitive.

Probably about 80% of their online documentation is useless. When I have a question about what to do or how to do something, the things that come up on top when I do a search, of course, are Oracle websites. I always skip right past those and go to other websites. There's an old expression from my youth, "I want to know what time it is. I don't want to know how to build the clock." When you go to the Oracle documentation, you have to plow through page after page of stuff to get to anything that looks anything like an example of what it is that you might actually do. There are lots of other people who have filled that gap, and there are also websites where you can easily find the answers to most of your questions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Oracle Databases for over 25 years. The first time I started using Oracle Database was around 1995. It was probably version 3 or 6.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is one of the robust products from a stability point of view. I have not really found bugs or glitches. However, on a test database, I had an issue the other night where Oracle decided to behave badly when I was trying to do a query. The solution was to get the latest patches and install the latest patches. Everything worked fine after that. I did all of that without contacting Oracle support. I needed to get what I was working on done. So, I had to plow through to find the answers. I had found some people making some oblique references to what the problem might be. I then took a chance on doing the update. I found the patch kit, but it was not easy to find the right patch kit on their website. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In the data warehousing database or application, we have tens of millions of rows in different tables, and we have no problems there. However, in that particular application, we're not dealing with transaction processing. So, I can't answer the scalability in terms of transaction processing. On the hardware platform that I've put together for the main database of this one customer, I am very pleased with the performance of the data warehousing aspects and being able to query data quickly and do bulk inserts and things of that nature. For data warehousing scalability, I can attest to the fact that it is great, but for transaction processing, I don't have the experience to be able to provide information.

Two of our biggest clients are quasi-governmental in the sense that their business is based on government funding. One has 60 users who use the application day in and day out, and their database is relatively small. The other application has about 20 dedicated internal users, and then there is a web interface. It has around 3,000 to 5,000 users, but typically, there are about 20 concurrent users. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support portal requires a person to become well-trained in how to use it. Getting support is somewhat painful. They are pretty good at handling absolute critical emergencies, but getting other problems solved from their support system is difficult. It takes a long time. I had to do an update, and it was not straightforward to get the right patch kit.

I am the technical resource of last resort for our clients. I work with a number of technical people. When it gets to the point that it wasn't an easy problem to solve, they come to me, and I end up getting all of the tough problems to solve. I like that, and I would rather do that than just working on the same thing day in and day out. I am always trying to solve problems, and that's why I end up having to interface with Oracle support. The ability to solve problems better by using Oracle's support tools would be beneficial for me.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial installation and setup have become better. You can set up something fairly easily these days. If you need to do anything that is not straight out of the box, figuring out how to do it is not easy. If you want to just set up your average everyday database, you can get it up and running with a few mouse clicks.

What other advice do I have?

As a consultant for the last 40 years of my life, the conversation with anyone who wants to use a product would be a lot more in-depth and detailed where I'd be asking, "What is it you want to do? How do you want to do it? Where do you want to go?" It isn't the kind of thing for which I'd say, "Yeah, Oracle's a Swiss army knife, the best thing since sliced bread."

It is one of the more robust products from a stability point of view. There is a bit of a learning curve. From a transaction point of view, if you have the right hardware, Oracle is probably as or more scalable than anybody else. If your application is going to be massively scalable, Oracle is probably your best tool. If you're just going to put together a small application for occasional users, there are easier tools to learn and use. Some of them are even by Oracle.

I would rate Oracle Database an eight out of ten. It is a great product.

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.
PeerSpot user
PeterKrall - PeerSpot reviewer
Freelance Software Engineer + Director of a company at Peter Krall Consulting
Real User
Top 5
Highly reliable, perfectly stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "It is one of the most reliable database systems."
  • "With the new version, we never came across any important limitations. There was nothing that needed improvement. However, in versions 9 and 10, we sometimes had problems, and big and complicated queries did not get through. In versions 11 and 12, I did not experience any problem. There could be some more information about load balancing and all these things. For me, it was just a part of the infrastructure maintained by other people. So, I cannot really say what they need."

What is our primary use case?

In the last project, we had a big warehouse. It was a logistics company, and we had all company data stored in this. We also had insurance use cases. We had all contracts, customer data, and all kinds of stuff.

What is most valuable?

It is one of the most reliable database systems. 

What needs improvement?

With the new version, we never came across any important limitations. There was nothing that needed improvement. However, in versions 9 and 10, we sometimes had problems, and big and complicated queries did not get through. In versions 11 and 12, I did not experience any problem.

There could be some more information about load balancing and all these things. For me, it was just a part of the infrastructure maintained by other people. So, I cannot really say what they need.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for decades. I worked for a company developing insurance software in the nineties, and we used Db2 and Oracle.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is perfectly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. The number of users differed a lot. There were not that many who used it directly. It was mainly was used by programs written by me. There might be around 100 users who used these programs.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not interacted with them recently. I don't know whether our database administration team contacted Oracle. I just know it was usable from our layout or view.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have used Oracle, SQL Server, and Db2, and all of them were okay for our purposes. In the new project, we will probably use Oracle, but we might also use SQL Server. I'm pretty neutral this way, as long as it works.

How was the initial setup?

I am not the one who does the database administration and installation.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. It is certainly a valid option.

I would rate Oracle Database a ten out of ten. It is one of the best solutions.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Exceptional features with good availability, and reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
  • "All of the features offered by Oracle, more than meet the expectations."
  • "As of now, Oracle is branded to Oracle only, the option of migrating to other databases is not available."

What is our primary use case?

We have 5 Oracle servers having 3 RAC and 2 Stand Alone servers.All using Oracle 12c R2 SE.

1 DR standalone server is also there .

How has it helped my organization?

Oracle was the first choice at the time of creating our application because of our very low load.

Now when our application has become mission-critical, Even with the SE version we are able to deal with a complete load very efficiently and effectively.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this solution are the performance and its inbuilt services.

In Oracle we can find out most services are inbuilt. scalability, high availability, split brain handling , Null handling  ,it working of execution plan . All these features have helped us many times . 

What needs improvement?

As of Now Oracle has gained an image of Customer binding database.

Once some one opted for Oracle database , it becomes very difficult in many ways to move on other database.

As of now oracle can be considered as Top of the list and many of the database are not enough close to oracle concepts and it's standards so it's kind of responsibility to Oracle to bring a fair competition in market. 

In return ,it will help Oracle itself. Take an Example of Football. Consider Oracle a high level Club who have it's own Practice and playing Area but only his own rules are implemented. Any player who is a beginner and cannot afford such a high clubs will start practice in small arenas which have some what similar rules .Once Player's practice gave him confidence to go for a big club ,he will feel comfortable in choosing a club whose rules are known to him , Not someone for whom he has to change his playing technique. 

So Oracle should consider working in this direction so that he can keep the control over the wind of Market. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

We are currently using Oracle 12c SE Release 2.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, we know that Oracles releases quarterly batches but we have still been faced with many bugs over the last year.

I cannot say that it is stable.

This is an area that needs improvement.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution.

As known to everyone, One of the best.

How are customer service and technical support?

This is one of the portion where Oracle have to be little bit loose .I have raised only around 7-8 tickets including 2 P1 , but it always looks like I am talking to a bot with pre recorded  statements when the person is not able to answer. Most of the times information is attached , but they still insist very hardly to send it in there format so that there machine can read it .

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Nope , Oracle was used from Starting.

How was the initial setup?

All is easy, given that you must know what are you using it for.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Depending on the services included, it seems little bit expensive. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In starting we didn't evaluate much, but giving the condition of ending support , we do not have any choice so we are looking for other options including upgradation as well.

What other advice do I have?

Oracle is good for large scale environments.

New startups MUST always think of other options before going to Oracle.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
ICT officer at Basaba
Real User
Top 5
Has valuable security features, but they could provide ease of data migration
Pros and Cons
  • "The platform's security features and stability are commendable."
  • "They could provide ease of migration and competitive pricing for the database."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the product to store textual data and support applications like our HR and case management systems.

What is most valuable?

The platform's security features and stability are commendable.

What needs improvement?

They could provide ease of migration and competitive pricing for the database.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Oracle Database since 2005.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product's stability a nine. We haven't encountered significant issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 500 users access Oracle Database regularly in our company. We haven't faced scalability issues; it's more than enough for our current needs. 

How was the initial setup?

Once you're familiar with the product, setup becomes easier. Single-node setups are quick, but integrated configurations can take more time.

What about the implementation team?

We get help from integrators to set up the database.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The platform is highly-priced. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the security features an eight or nine.

I would hesitate to recommend Oracle Database solely due to its high cost. If pricing were more competitive, I'd be more inclined to recommend it.

Overall, I rate the product a six 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.
PeerSpot user
Jeremy Lee - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Consultant at SandFil International
Reseller
Top 20
Enables us to support applications
Pros and Cons
  • "We use Oracle Database to run applications. We use it for our clients' databases and applications."
  • "The product is expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We use Oracle Database to run applications. We use it for our clients' databases and applications.

Whenever a client has problems or requires new implementations, they approach us. We provide training and coaching with application implementations. Currently, one such implementation is underway in the UK.

What is most valuable?

The product is very stable. We use it for supporting applications, including data warehousing.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be cheaper and adopt AI space.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Database for 25 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution’s scalability is good. It caters to small and medium enterprises with different products and ranges.

I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support could get better.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite simple. We mostly use the installation pack and code pack. Our setup includes a script center, shell scripts, and commercial Java courses.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

We use database clusters for different clients depending on the SLA. We use Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Advanced Compression. We use These specific options for various clients; however, the selection depends on the client's needs.

We have robust protection measures that are ensured using encryption technologies such as Transparent Database Encryption provided by Oracle. These features are available across all our database offerings, and we have implemented them for our clients accordingly.

We are heavily involved in AI development, and eventually, our products are tailored to fit into the AI space seamlessly.

Integrations are pretty transparent based on the type of solutions and the specific customer requirements. Customer relations between Oracle products are typically straightforward, whereas integrating with third-party products may present some challenges.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Technical Manager - Enterprise Application at Thakral One (Pvt) Ltd
Real User
The dynamic PL/SQL feature lets me generate custom and ad hoc reports
Pros and Cons
  • "The most important features of Oracle Database are ease of use and high reliability. I also love the dynamic PL/SQL feature, which I use to generate custom and ad hoc reports."
  • "Oracle support is helpful, and they resolve all our issues, but sometimes the response to our clients isn't as prompt as we'd like."

What is our primary use case?

I work as a software developer designing DevOps and implementing Oracle applications with Oracle Database. I design and develop core banking systems, so my role was to manage a team of developers for design, development, and testing. I do some implementation, too. Our customers use Oracle Database as an RDBMS store data.

What is most valuable?

The most important features of Oracle Database are ease of use and high reliability. I also love the dynamic PL/SQL feature, which I use to generate custom and ad hoc reports.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've worked with Oracle Database for more than 15 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Oracle Database is a stable product. Oracle has raised the standards for RDBMS solutions. Most banks and government organizations in Nepal use Oracle Database because they're highly reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Oracle Database is scalable. I've deployed the solution at a government tax agency with more than 500 users. The core banking system was implemented at a bank with 22 branches all over Nepal and 200-plus users. Our most recent public sector project had over 100 users. 

How are customer service and support?

Oracle support is helpful, and they resolve all our issues, but sometimes the response to our clients isn't as prompt as we'd like. 

How was the initial setup?

Deploying Oracle Database is easy for me because I have so many years of experience. The team needed for deployment depends on the project. I had a team of 10 software developers for the core banking system, but we used a six-person crew for one of the government projects, including the front-end developer and documentation experts.

We have a team of four certified Oracle Database admins providing support. What I call EMC is something that provides software upgrade solutions, security passes, and everything, but the customer also needs some local support for creating the VR side to back up the client's data and other daily maintenance. We provide this type to banking and government customers in Nepal.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

My company is an Oracle Gold Partner, so we proved licenses to the customers as well. The license price is listed globally on the Oracle site. It's basically license plus EMC.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Oracle Database nine out of 10. Oracle releases new versions every year. It's now on 21C, and they regularly provide security patches and bug fixes. The customer will have issues without them. I think Oracle is doing a good job. They are investing massive resources into development. 

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.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: September 2025
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