It is tempting to conclude that SQL Server and Oracle can be interchangeable. A relational database is a relationshipal database, right? But you would be wrong. It’s more than the label. Under the hood, SQL Server is completely different from Oracle.
Oracle’s database was designed with enterprise-class reliability and performance in mind from the beginning. Microsoft, on the other hand, placed emphasis upon easy administration. Oracle has always placed great emphasis on scalability and raw performance. Microsoft created SQL Server for the enterprise, but was quick enough to “Windowize” the software.
Both platforms are enterprise-capable, more powerful than ever, but there are still traces of a different philosophy. These differences can make or break a project if they are not understood.
1. SQL Server is now available on Linux, just as Oracle
Both SQL Server and Oracle have different views on platform support. Oracle is committed to supporting as many platforms possible. Microsoft being Microsoft, SQL Server was only ever designed to run on Windows.
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Start trainingIn 2016, Microsoft promised that SQL Server would be available on Linux. The promise was kept with Server 2017. SQL Server 2017 can now run on multiple flavors of Linux, including Azure instances and Docker containers. The possibilities are endless because Docker containers allow for platform-independent operation. Anyone can use SQL-Server on a Mac?
Although we love SQL Server’s openness, Oracle still holds a significant advantage in platform support. We mean Oracle supports more platforms than 60.
Several operating systems have been designed to run Oracle Linux as efficiently and reliably as possible. Oracle can also be run on Windows, VMware, Solaris, IBM AIS and other common enterprise OSes like HP-UX, Solaris, IBM AIS and Solaris. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, many companies still use mainframes. Oracle doesn’t require you to retire your mainframe just yet.
2. Oracle uses PL/SQL. SQL Server uses T-SQL.
The basic query syntax used on both platforms looks almost identical at first glance. As operations become more complicated, all of this changes. You can then dive into procedural programming within a database. T-SQL (Transact-SQL), from Microsoft, and Oracle’s PL/SQL are two very different things.
T-SQL’s syntax may be simpler than PL/SQL, but it sacrifices a lot in performance. The difference between T-SQL versus PL/SQL is comparable to the difference between C++ and Python development. Python is an easy-to learn high-level language. C++ is an object-oriented, low-level language that is much more robust for creating and integrating with hardware.
This is illustrated by the way PL/SQL implements tables clusters. Although PL/SQL takes longer to set up, it is much simpler than T-SQL. However, it requires far fewer database transaction. Oracle wins the rapid development award for large transaction volumes. T-SQL takes home the prize, but Oracle is the clear winner with PL/SQL.
3. It is a question of whether parallel executions are better than serial.
As with any enterprise database, Oracle is limited by its processing power. SQL Server is no different. Parallel execution is a reason Oracle may be able to edge SQL Server if they have equal cores and processors. Parallel execution allows transactions to span multiple threads, which allows the operating system to split workloads between cores and processors.
Both SQL Server and Oracle allow serial execution. However, most people would argue that parallel execution in Oracle is more robust and efficient. Oracle allows parallel processing of more SQL commands using PL/SQL.
SQL Server uses Query Optimizer in the meantime to determine whether
