Hi Mike,

On Fri, 2008-09-26 at 18:45 -0500, Mike Miller wrote:
> It's in Oracle now.

Does that include stored procedures and use of Oracle-specific features?
These are non-trivial to port to other databases such as MySQL.

> Before I even consider moving data to MySQL from Oracle, I want to
> know what Oracle can do that MySQL (or other FOSS product) cannot do.

Tons. Oracle costs much more and has many more features. Consider the
cost of Oracle DBAs versus MySQL DBAs, as well as hardware required to
run either.

I agree with Marc Skinner's comment about time spent administering
MySQL. So I suppose it would help if you frame your request a bit. How
much of an issue is price tag?

IMHO, the most important hoop the Dolphin can get through that the
Nuclear Submarine cannot is Free² Software. That in itself espouses
myriad benefits over Oracle. Furthermore, I feel like the choice between
MySQL and PostgreSQL is just a matter of preference due to features and
whatnot. Both are excellent databases. But a disclaimer, I've barely
touched PostgreSQL.

I think the size of the database (9,000 tables?) isn't really an issue.
Performance has more to do with hardware, what utilizes the database and
how. You might even get better performance with MySQL over Oracle.

As I'm sure you've found by now (and probably someone else mentioned)
MySQL does indeed do stored procedures.

> Have any of you studied this or do you know of any reasonably serious
> comparative research or reviews?

No, but I have used, lightly administered, and worked with support for
both. Oracle support will cost you a lot, and my limited experience with
them has been frustrating. Slow response times and unsatisfying answers.
MySQL support is quite a bit less expensive, and my experience with them
has been very positive. Rapid response times and laser-accurate answers.
I've even talked to developers on the phone a couple of times.

= =~=~=~=~= =

Jargon legend:
IMHO              = in my humble opinion
Dolphin           = MySQL
Nuclear Submarine = Oracle
Free² Software    = Libre and gratis. As in beer, as in speech.

-- 
Adam Monsen
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