gael.le.saux@aql.fr (Gaël LE SAUX) wrote in message news:<eee0a505.0308290630.5658f8d6@posting.google. com>...
> Hi,
>
> I'm a newbie in sybase ASE and i'm trying to get some criteria to
> compare SYBASE ASE 12.5 and Oracle 9i.
> I'd like to know if there's a critical size for ASE Database and if
> there's an optimal size which would enhanced performances. I'm also
> looking for all other criteria which would help me comparing the two
> databases.
>
> If someone allready have study wich would compare this two RDBMS, it
> would be great to give the link where i can reach it.
>
> Thanks in advance.
This typically starts a huge thread. I work with both and both they
are both good databases in general but you really need to know what
you want to do and compare specific features and performance. For
example, both can handle lots of data but for large tables that can be
partitioned I like Oracle's table paritioning better -- but then for a
real data warehouse sybase has their ASE IQ product with a close
equivelent of RAC that can run on top of it.

Most of the white papers comparing them I have read are usually vague
and sometimes inaccurate and the features they discuss change every
six months anyway.

Locking is always a big issue but I think 12.5 can do everything now
that oracle only used to do like row level locking and consistent
reads. if your code is written with an understadning of how locking is
done, neither system should give you problems.

Some people like benchmarks but like statistics in general I think
they are all compiled to help the sales force and don't always reflect
reality.

Cost is usually an issue, their prices can really vary. Based on their
licensing policy one might fit better than the others depending on
number of users, CPUs, platforms, etc.

Some posters get concerned about getting good Sybase consultants since
they are not as available as Oracle consultants might be (I think
every college teaches Oracle these days).

Both products run on most common platforms so unless you have some
funky hardware that shouldn't an issue.

IMHO Sybase is easier to install and admin and do basic performance
tuning.

If your staff is already familiar with MSSQL they will find sybase
very easy to start using.

IMHO I like oracle support better than sybase and find I can get most
answers I need on their web site without having to wait on a support
person. I think this is just because Oracle user base is so big I
never find a new bug that someone hasn't documented yet. Sybase is a
close second though.

In any case, if you have specific feature questions it could make for
an interesting thread. The problem you will have is they both do
things differently so you may read that one or the other is missing a
feature when in fact they just accomplish the same thing in a
different way. I won't give a specific example, but when I was first
learning Oracle coming from a sybase background, I often wondered
about why they had certain little tuning features and found eventually
they were there to work around issues that didn't exist in Sybase
because of the architectural differences. I am sure I would have the
same thoughts going the other direction.