Difference Between Oracle vs MSSQL
Oracle vs MSSQL are two major database systems developed by Oracle and Microsoft respectively. In this Oracle vs MSSQL article we shall study various features of each of these two systems, talk about their merits and demerits, understand their relative advantages over each other and present our case to decide upon which of the technologies should someone pick from a software engineers perspective so that one can decide which of the two they should learn.
Oracle and SQL both are RDBMS systems. RDBMS stands for relational database management system. There are many other RDBMS systems out there as well such as MySQL, Sybase, Microsoft Access. Each RDBMS system may use a different query language. Such query language is called as structured query language (SQL). We shall understand in this article which type of SQL is used by Oracle and which is used by MSSQL.
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Oracle
Oracle database is developed by Oracle Corporations and is used as a system to collect data treated as a unit. It is used to store and retrieve data and a database server is used to manage overall functionality. But this step is common to all database systems be it MS SQL or anything else. It is used for online transactions processing, data warehousing and also mixed database workloads. All most all software systems, websites, corporates etc. use one form or other database systems to handle their data.
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SQL
MSSQL server is a database management system developed by Microsoft. Like all major database systems, it supports ANSI SQL and standard SQL language. It was developed after Oracle to compete with Oracle systems. Both MSSQL vs Oracle are propriety.
Head To Head Comparison Between Oracle vs MSSQL (Infographics)
Below is the top 22 difference between Oracle vs MSSQL
Key differences between Oracle vs MSSQL
Both Oracle vs MSSQL are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major Difference Between Oracle vs MSSQL:
Above table list key difference of each system. On a high level, there is no such distinction between the two systems meaning there is nothing that one can do and another cannot do. However, there are obvious differences in their underlying architecture and their syntax. If half of the big corporations use Oracle systems then the other half uses MSSQL as well. For use cases where an application is built on .NET, using MSSQL is obviously better as it has native integration. From a learning point of view, one should first go for MSSQL as it is easy to learn and implements and pretty much can do everything for which an RDBMS system is used. After working with SQL for 2-3 years, one can learn and use Oracle as is little difficult particularly Pl/SQL. But the other way around is also possible. A lot of people who start with Oracle also find difficult using SQL because of syntax barriers. But migrating from one domain to another should not be a challenge for someone who is working with it for a considerable amount of time.
Oracle vs MSSQL Comparison Table
The primary Comparison between Oracle vs MSSQL are discussed below:
| Oracle | MSSQL |
| It uses SQL | It uses T-SQL |
| It uses Pl/SQL | It does not Pl/SQL |
| PL/SQL in Oracle can group procedures into packages. | MSSQL cannot do so. |
| PL/SQL is more complex and powerful. | T-SQL is easy to use and simple. |
| Each statement is treated as a transaction. | A group of statements can be treated as a transaction as well. |
| Nothing is committed to memory unless explicitly mentioned. | Commit command is mentioned at the end of the statement to commit data to memory. |
| It is less prone to error and data corruption | It has a relatively high chance of error or data corruption. |
| Each has slightly different commands and syntax | Begin statement, rollback etc. are different in Oracle. |
| Access is provided on a schema level. | Access is provided on database level. |
| All databases are shared among all schemas and users but access is controlled. | There is no concept of schema. Users are given access based on the database. |
| It is a little slow to run. | It has a better optimizer which makes code faster. |
| It has a better, more documented concurrency model. | A similar feature in MSSQL is not that good. |
| It has a better and more comprehensive documentation. | It has relatively abstract documentation. |
| .NET integration is not as easy as SQL. | It has better integration with .NET |
| It uses sequences | It uses auto-increment columns. |
| Writing a Top N query, for example, is relatively complex in Oracle. | It is comparatively easy in SQL. |
| It uses MVCC. | It also uses something similar -transaction isolation level. |
| Security features are great. | Security features are modest. |
| For really large applications, Oracle is more suitable. | SQL is easier to work with unless a really large application is required. |
| Oracle is intimidating. | Most people prefer to work with SQL. |
| Toad is required as an editor. | No additional toolkit is needed. |
| Data corruption chances are low. | Data corruption chances are high. |
Conclusion – Oracle vs MSSQL
Database developers, administrators, data warehousing professionals, ETL engineers, there are many areas of work that is related to managing and working with database systems, each of these jobs are very powerful in nature and there is always a demand of such professionals who have a good command on such technologies. Oracle and SQL being the two most used database systems in the world are a great skill to have. It is so important that right from the B.Tech course curriculum for computer science graduates to even no engineers database is taught o so many different types of professionals. Acquiring such skills can land somebody with a job of developers, administrator of system engineers. Nowadays, application of SQL skills is also needed for Hadoop based roles and also for Machine learning and artificial intelligence. NoSQL systems like MongoDB etc. are also becoming more and more useful which is easier to understand for someone who knows Oracle or SQL.
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This article on Oracle vs MSSQL comparison will help students select the preferred technology to learn, will enhance their understanding, skill sets and marketing potential for job opportunities. One can pick any of MSSQL vs Oracle, to begin with. Official online documentation from Oracle as well as MSSQL can be referred for more in-depth functionality, syntax, and architecture.
Recommended Article
This has a been a guide to the top differences between Oracle vs MSSQL. Here we also discuss the Oracle vs MSSQL key differences with infographics, and comparison table. You may also have a look at the following Oracle vs MSSQL articles to learn more –
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- Oracle vs OpenJDK: Differences
- SQL Server Interview Questions: Beneficial Guide
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