During one of the consulting project, I was asked to prove that the SQL Server is a more economical choice than Oracle. Well, I do not want to start again the battle, which has been clearly won by SQL Server.
Summary: SQL Server is a feature-rich and economical choice compared to Oracle. The base product of Oracle is expensive and to add all the features that are offered by the SQL Server, it requires many more different add-ons. These extra add-ons further increase the price to make SQL Server much more affordable than Oracle, which is ridiculously expensive.
I suggest that instead of me taking the side of SQL Server, you should compare the prices of the products yourself. The prices that are listed here are as per the process.
SQL Server Standard: $7,171
SQL Server Enterprise: $27,495
Oracle Standard One: $5,800
Oracle Standard: $17,500
Oracle Enterprise: $47,500
Additionally, in case of Oracle, you will have to purchase many additional features which are already available at NO COST in SQL Server Enterprise Edition. For example, in the SQL Server Enterprise edition, partitioning is a part of the package, whereas in the case of Oracle, you will have to pay additional 11,500 per processor along with the enterprise edition purchase. If you have a four-socket CPU, you end up paying almost the same price as Oracle Enterprise. Again this is just one feature we talked about. There are many additional add-ons available for Oracle, which are free in the SQL Server Enterprise or Standard edition (e.g. BI Tools).
Oracle Official Pricelist in PDF
There are two other excellent post I would like others to read here which are in detail analysis them as well proves why SQL Server is better.
Mr. Denny(@mrdenny): SQL 2008 R2 is pricy, but so is that other database
Brent Ozar(@BrentO): SQL Server 2008 R2 Pricing and Feature Changes
Let me know your thoughts about the same.
Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
14 Comments. Leave new
Pinal, the value of SQL Server is exchanged. The Enterprise is cheaper than Standard. Hug
Demétrio Silva
Hi Pinal, I believe you have a type on the standard edition price per CPU socket. It should be around 7500 not 27500.
Cheers,
Bill
can you please change the standard to enterprise and enterprise to standard.
Hi Pinal,
If I am not mistaken, SQL Server pricing are for physical CPUs, not for cores whereas Oracle pricing for cores not for physical CPUs. Am I right?
Thanks
SQL Server pricing is by socket
Thank you sir for posting this article. I’m searching this for a long time
@ishtiaq,
Well, you can have standard edition if you have license for enterprise but you can’t have enterprise edition if you have license of standard edition…….
Im a Oracle developer. I thought Oracle price list is resonable. It is new to me. Good analysis. If you post more detailed article, much better.
Thanks
Hi Pinal,
I am a regular reader of your blog after starting my career as SQL SERVER DBA.I am inspired of your blog and Started a new blog where i am writing my Experiences with SQL SERVER http://www.sqlinfo.in. I too agree that SQL SERVER is Cheaper than Oracle…Nice Presentation Pinal……….Go head….!
Hi Pinal,
We went thorugh a similar excercise here, there is a cost difference especially when you start having processors in the 4×4 or 2×2 configurations, plus lot of BI tools are rolled in with the SQL Server Enterprise, these are add-ons in oracle which carry additional costs.
Thank you
Can you please elaborate more on the differences in another article??
It seems that Oracle advertises different price for standard – 180$ x 5 user minimum which is $900.
NO way but Microsoft….