Introduction
Its database is also known as simply Oracle also. It is a multi-model relational database management system, mainly designed for enterprise grid computing and data warehousing. It is one of the first choices for enterprises for cost-effective solutions for their applications and data management. It supports SQL as a query language to interact with the database.
Currently, its database comes in five different editions based on the features available.
•Standard Edition One: It is suitable for single-server or highly branched business applications with limited features.
•Standard Edition: It delivers all facilities provided in Standard Edition One. In addition, it provides larger machine support and Oracle Real Application clustering service.
•Enterprise Edition: This edition is packed with features like security, performance, scalability, and availability, required for highly-critical applications in which online transaction processing is involved.
•Express Edition: It is an entry-level edition that is free to download, install, manage, develop and deploy.
•Personal Edition: It comes with the same features of Enterprise edition except Oracle Real Application Clustering.
Features of Oracle
•Scalability and Performance: Features like Real Application Clustering and Portability make an Oracle database scalable according to the usage. In a multiuser database, it is required to control data consistency and concurrency which are contemplated by Oracle.
•Availability: Real-time applications require high data availability. High performing computing environments are configured to provide all-time data availability. Data is available during the time of planned or unplanned downtimes and failures.
•Backup and Recovery: Its layout complete recovery features to recover data from almost all kinds of failures. In case of failure, the database needs to be recovered within no time for high availability. Unaffected parts of data are available while the affected ones are getting recovered.
•Security: Securing the data is always the top priority. Oracle provides mechanisms to control data access and usage. Implementing authorization and editing user actions can prevent unauthorized access and allow distinct access to the users.
Oracle Database’s architecture
Like other RDBMS software, Oracle Database is built on top of SQL, a standardized programming language that database administrators, data analysts and other IT professionals use to manage databases and query the data stored in them. The Oracle software is tied to PL/SQL, an implementation developed by Oracle that adds a set of proprietary programming extensions to standard SQL — a common practice among RDBMS vendors. Oracle Database also supports programming in Java, and programs written in PL/SQL or Java can be called from the other language.
Benefits of Oracle Database
•Highly Portable
This database can be ported on multiple platforms than any of the choices. The usage of the database can be extended to 20 networking protocols and more than 100 hardware platforms. It eases the Oracle application writing by implementing OS & hardware changes securely.
•High Performance
This database comes with specific procedures & principles to achieve high-performance levels. The optimized performance techniques can boost the query execution time and processes to retrieve and modify data faster.
•PL/SQL
Another benefit of the Oracle database is to assist PL/SQL extension for high-end procedural programming.
•Backup & Recovery
Frequent backups and recovery measures are highly evident to maintain business operations. Oracle database can offer faster recovery using RMAN (Recovery Manager) functionality. It is widely recommended for online backups, archived backups, and seamless archiving. The lost database files can be simply recovered/restored via SQL Plus for recovery (User managed recovery) during any downtime or outage.
•Flashback Technology
The recent version of Oracle offers this exclusive advantage of flashback technology. It allows the recovery of incorrectly (most probably by human error) lost or deleted data
•Multiple Database
Oracle database offers multiple database instances handled on a single server. With an instance caging approach, it can manage the CPU allocations on a reliable server hosting. The database resource management and instance caging technology work collectively for multiple instances of service management.
Conclusion
Oracle is a relational database management system (RDBMS), and it utilizes Structured Query Language (SQL) to enable communication between applications and the database. Performance tuning is the process of optimizing Oracle performance by streamlining the execution of SQL statements. In other words, performance tuning simplifies the process of accessing and altering information contained by the database with the intention of improving query response times and application operations.
