Preface
Oracle is the write-once-run-anywhere database. Since the mid-1980s, Oracle has been available on almost every operating system. With the release of Oracle RDBMS Version 6, you could develop a database schema on your desktop knowing it could be implemented unchanged on multiple large-scale platforms. With the release of Oracle7, stored procedures could be written using PL/SQL, and once again, these could be ported to any supported operating system. Oracle8 brought object orientation, and Oracle8i brought internal support for Java™. These releases represent 15-plus years of demonstrated commitment by Oracle Corporation to make Oracle the write-once-run-anywhere database. But platform independence alone did not make Oracle the dominant database in the marketplace. Other factors contributed as well:
- Open-systems initiatives
Oracle grew up with Unix and therefore carries an open-systems attitude that has fostered innovation and acute customer awareness.
- Configurable resources
The Oracle RDBMS resources, such as filesystem and memory usage, are configurable and manageable by the DBA. As a result, an Oracle database can be tuned for the task at hand, whether that task is transaction processing, batch processing, or decision support.
- Leading technology
Oracle has consistently led the relational database industry technologically. From time to time, competitors have temporarily leaped ahead of Oracle in a niche, but Oracle has always retaken the lead.
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