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Database Concepts Term Paper

Database Concepts Compare and contrast Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle database programs

Providers: Microsoft Corporation provides Microsoft Access and SQL Server, Oracle by Oracle Corporation and DB2 is a product of IBM.

Brief about each:

MS Access: Microsoft Access is a database, which comes bundled in Microsoft Office Products. Access is fully compatible with Active Server Pages (ASP) scripting. Database programs such as Access (sometimes called Relational Database Management systems or RDBMS) are used to store information, often large amounts of information. It can be used as a flat-file database (using a single table) or a relational database (using more than one table linked together). Access database applications can be produced for a large number of database situations including financial and scientific data - with excellent results. Access comes equipped with Wizards, which help the novice to create tables, forms, queries and reports. A complicated relational database design and implementation may need the advice and help of a technical consultant. Access has a Query Wizard to help you create the following types of query: Crosstab, Duplicate, Find Unmatched and Simple

Oracle: Oracle Corporation is the largest software company whose primary business is database products. Historically, Oracle has targeted high-end workstations and minicomputers as the server platforms to run its database systems. Its relational database was the first to support the SQL language, which has since become the industry standard. The standard query language SQL is used to interact with the database. Oracle is not recommended for small databases or for users without relational database experience.

DB2: Abbreviated name for IBM DB2 Universal Database developed as a relational database by IBM. It runs on non-IBM machines as well as IBM hardware and full-featured, robust, scalable and easy to use database.

SQL Server: It is a Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS) from Sybase Corporation. SQL Server was designed for client/server use and is accessed by applications using SQL. It runs on OS/2, Windows NT, NetWare servers, VAXen, and UNIX workstations. When capitalized, the term generally refers to either of two database management products from Sybase and Microsoft. Both companies offer client-server DBMS products called SQL Server.

Comparative Study of...

Hardware requirements
Processor: Pentium 166 MHz or higher for SQL Server

Pentium 75 MHz or higher for Microsoft Access 2000

Pentium 166 MHz or higher for Oracle

Pentium or Pentium compatible CPU for DB2

B. Memory requirement:

Beside minimum 256 MB RAM, additional memory may be required for DB2 in a window-based platform.

SQL Server 2000, it varies from 32 MB to 128MB or more depending o whether it is on Desktop or some other editions.

Oracle requires minimum of 128 MB RAM (though 256 MB recommended) and it also require a virtual memory of 200MB in an Intel or compatible platforms.

For Microsoft Access it depends on the window version (Ex. 32MB RAM for Window NT)

C. Software requirements:

MS Access and SQL Server 2000 can work on any of the Window editions.

Oracle can run on SQL as well as Sun Solaris platform.

DB2 run on mainframe. It also support Java and XML

D. TPC tests:

The Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC.Org) is an independent organization that specifies the typical transactions and measures the performance and price/performance of transaction processing systems. As an OLTP system benchmark, TPC-C simulates a complete environment where a population of terminal operators executes transactions against a database. The benchmark is centered on the principal activities (transactions) of an order-entry environment.

Oracle gives TPC-C Benchmark Result. DB2 gives TPC-C Benchmark Result. In fact IBM's DB2 has topped TPC Benchmark List. Server 2000 ranks number one on Windows in both TPC-C clustered and non-clustered benchmarks.

E. Platform comparison:

Both Oracle 9i Database and DB2 Universal Database version 8.1 support all known platforms, including Windows-based platforms, AIX-Based Systems, HP-UX systems, Linux Intel, Sun Solaris and so on.

SQL Server 2000 only works on Windows-based platforms, including Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows CE.

Microsoft Access 2000 can be installed under the following operation systems: Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 (SP6),…

Sources used in this document:
The longest SQL statement in Oracle is of 16,777,216 bytes, 65,536 bytes (Network packet size 4 KB, by default) in SQL Server, approximately 64,000 bytes in MS Access whereas in DB2 it is of 65535 bytes. Microsoft Access 2000 falls into the desktop category and works best for individuals and workgroups managing megabytes of data. In comparison with SQL Server 2000, Access uses file-server architecture, rather than client-server architecture. Access 2000 has many restrictions in comparison with SQL Server 2000 and cannot be used in the case you want to build stable and efficient system with many concurrent users

Conclusion:

It is very difficult to compare all the four on a same platform. It is not true that Oracle 9i Database is better than DB2 Universal Database v8.1 or vice versa. Both products can be used to make stable and proficient systems and the stability and effectiveness of your applications and databases depend rather upon the experience of the database developers and database administrator than the database's provider. It all depends on the use and requirements. If the need is to make a scalability, security, and robustness system, you should use SQL Server instead of Access. Because Access 2000 does not support atomic transactions, it does not guarantee that all changes performed within a transaction boundary are committed or rolled back. SQL Server is integrated with Windows NT security, but Access is not. Access 2000 databases cannot be restored to the point of failure, when SQL Server databases can be. This makes administering Access 2000 databases more expensive than administering SQL Server 2000 databases. So, you should use Access 2000 database, only when you need to store a small amount of data in a single user (or few users) environment, or when you have very low resources, such as memory or disk. In other case, use MSDE or SQL Server. Similarly we can't compare SQL Server 2000 with DB2 Universal Database v8.1 or vice versa. Both products can be used to build stable and efficient system and the stability and effectiveness of your applications and databases depend rather from the experience of the database developers and database administrator than from the database's provider. But SQL Server 2000 has some advantages in comparison with DB2 Universal Database v8.1 and vice versa.
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