Overview

Microsoft SQL Server

Stacks21.3K

Followers15.5K

Votes540

Oracle PL/SQL

Stacks748

Followers598

Votes8

Microsoft SQL Server vs Oracle PL/SQL: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle PL/SQL. Both are popular relational database management systems used for storing and manipulating data. While there are many similarities between the two, there are also several important differences that set them apart.

Language and Syntax: Microsoft SQL Server uses Transact-SQL (T-SQL) as its primary language, while Oracle PL/SQL uses its proprietary procedural language called PL/SQL. T-SQL is based on the SQL standard with some additional features, whereas PL/SQL is a combination of SQL and procedural programming constructs.
Platform Support: Microsoft SQL Server is primarily designed for Windows operating system and has robust support for Windows-based environments. On the other hand, Oracle PL/SQL is platform-independent and can be used on various operating systems like Windows, Linux, and UNIX.
Scalability and Performance: Microsoft SQL Server is known for its excellent performance and scalability on smaller systems. It offers various optimization techniques and features like indexing and caching to improve performance. Oracle PL/SQL, on the other hand, is designed to handle large-scale enterprise databases efficiently and is often preferred for high-performance applications.
Advanced Features: Microsoft SQL Server provides advanced features like high availability, replication, and data warehousing, making it suitable for complex enterprise solutions. Oracle PL/SQL also offers similar features but is particularly renowned for its robust support of multi-tier distributed architectures and data integration capabilities.
Development Environment: Microsoft SQL Server provides a powerful graphical user interface (GUI) tool called SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for development, administration, and management. Oracle PL/SQL relies on Oracle SQL Developer, a comprehensive IDE that includes functionality for PL/SQL development and database administration.
Licensing and Cost: Licensing for Microsoft SQL Server is usually based on the number of processor cores and can be costly for larger configurations. In contrast, Oracle PL/SQL offers various licensing options, including some free editions like Oracle Express Edition (XE), making it more feasible for smaller organizations or individual developers.

In summary, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle PL/SQL differ in terms of language and syntax, platform support, scalability and performance, advanced features, development environment, and cost. Understanding these key differences is essential for selecting the right database management system for specific requirements and use cases.

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Advice on Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle PL/SQL

Erin

IT Specialist

Mar 10, 2020

Needs adviceon

Microsoft SQL Server

MySQL

PostgreSQL

I am a Microsoft SQL Server programmer who is a bit out of practice. I have been asked to assist on a new project. The overall purpose is to organize a large number of recordings so that they can be searched. I have an enormous music library but my songs are several hours long. I need to include things like time, date and location of the recording. I don't have a problem with the general database design. I have two primary questions:

I need to use either @{MySQL}|tool:1025| or @{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| on a @{Linux}|tool:10483| based OS. Which would be better for this application?
I have not dealt with a sound based data type before. How do I store that and put it in a table? Thank you.

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Detailed Comparison

Microsoft SQL Server	Oracle PL/SQL
Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.	It is a powerful, yet straightforward database programming language. It is easy to both write and read, and comes packed with lots of out-of-the-box optimizations and security features.
Statistics
Stacks 21.3K	Stacks 748
Followers 15.5K	Followers 598
Votes 540	Votes 8
Pros & Cons
Pros 139 Reliable and easy to use 101 High performance 95 Great with .net 65 Works well with .net 56 Easy to maintain Cons 4 Expensive Licensing 2 Microsoft 1 Replication can loose the data 1 Allwayon can loose data in asycronious mode 1 Data pages is only 8k	Pros 2 Powerful 2 Multiple ways to accomplish the same end 1 Not mysql 1 Pl/sql 1 Massive, continuous investment by Oracle Corp Cons 2 High commercial license cost
Integrations
No integrations available	Python PHP .NET Node.js Oracle Hadoop Java

What are some alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle PL/SQL?

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

GraphQL

GraphQL is a data query language and runtime designed and used at Facebook to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps since 2012.

RethinkDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

ArangoDB

A distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions.