Oracle Exadata vs. Oracle SPARC Servers

• First, get the database on Oracle. If you are in an Oracle stack, it would be much better to use the Oracle products. If you are driving a Ferrari, you wouldn’t put a Mercedes engine in it. If you are writing a query, you cannot rely on other brands. Since I'm an architect, when I look for a product, I look for performance.
• The installation is easy because it comes out-of-the-box and you just start using it.
• Previous to Oracle Exadata, we were using a normal Oracle RAC service. We were just waiting for this product to come out.
• I'm currently writing a data warehouse on Exadata. Before this solution, we were aiming for this to be completed by 8 a.m., when our ETLs would finish. With the help of Exadata's special features, this was reduced to 3 a.m. This solution allows us to bring more data within the same time period. It provides us with more subject areas that provide more reports to our users. Our ETL times reduced to 65%, then to 50%.

Incentivized

Excellent to consolidate workload using the LDom Virtualization (which is included free of charge). Good integration into Oracle Support with Automated Service Requests (ASR). Easy to migrate workloads from older servers to newer generations, such as SPARC S7 or T8. After migrating workloads from older SPARC T4 to S7, applications are approximately 2x faster.

• High speed of SQL operations due to a unique design of Exadata with offloading of SQL processing to storage cells
• Built-in High Availability of a DB server due to it's base architecture of a multi-node Oracle Real Application Cluster
• High overall sever performance due to its use of a proprietary "Smart Cache" feature utilizing a high speed flash memory
• Excellent scalability of a DB server by adding cluster nodes as well as expanding it into a network of serially connected clusters

Incentivized

• encryption
• masking
• redaction
• subsetting

Incentivized

• Integrating with different types of databases can be a challenge
• Having a hardware platform optimized to run specific database software surely comes with a price
• Single vendor to support same hardware and software will make migrating to different hardware and/or software become a hassle

Incentivized

• We didn't have any problems whatsoever with integration

Incentivized

Excellent machine for your database needs . Don’t have to think twice if you have the budget to own it

Incentivized

Extreme long lifetime (10+ years). High performance. SPARC S7 CPU has 4.2GhZ and SPARC T8 has 5GhZ. Virtualization is included for free. Very easy to use because it runs Oracle Solaris. The SPARC Servers scale very well. Oracle SPARC Servers have positively impacted our organization by improving our budget, as we can use the system for many years without having to purchase new systems.

No unplanned downtime over many years.

Very high CPU speed with 4-5 GhZ

Support requests are opened automatically.

Component replacements are very fast.

Oracle Exadata Database Machine had the best performance overall hands down. It clearly beat the competition and we were seeing 1000X improvement on SAP HANA. Oracle Exadata Database Machine beat that without us refactoring our code. To achieve that in HANA, we had to refactor the code somewhat. Now this was for our limited POC of 5 use cases. Given the large number of stored procedures we had in Sybase, we need to capture more production metrics but we are seeing incredible performance.

Incentivized

In terms of the Power ecosystem, the use cases of IBM Power System S914 is very limited. Resources required for properly working PowerVM and VIOS are very difficult. In Oracle SPARC Servers setup, it is pretty easy with very limited steps to be performed. This helped our Return of Investment become positive very quickly.

Incentivized

The servers scale very well with lots of CPU cores.

• Single support from a single vendor with both machine and database from Oracle, which is costing us less.
• With Exadata, we need less technical manpower and less technical support. A business transaction with the integrated and centralized database helps us focus on other business needs.
• We don't need to buy additional licenses and Hardware for the next 3 to 5 years.

Incentivized

• Does Not Support Domain Migration
• Migration Fails When the Target Machine Has Insufficient Free LDCs
• Limit the Maximum Number of Virtual Functions That Can Be Assigned to a Domain

Incentivized