Informix IDS vs Oracle: A Competitive Comparison

1. Informix IDS vs Oracle:A Competitive Comparison

2. Goal of the Presentation • Present Architectural Differences between Informix and Oracle • Show Informix’s superiority in: • OLTP • Data Warehousing / Decision Support • Content Management and Web Applications • Show clear business benefits of technology differences • Performance & scalability • Extensibility • Lower cost of ownership

3. Topics • Architecture • OLTP • Data Warehousing • Complex Data / Content Management • Summary

4. At the Core: Informix Dynamic Scalable Architecture • Consistent code line across OWS, ODS, XPS, and IUS • Advanced functionality integrated at the core • Connectivity across the enterprise • Integrated Sytems Management and Replication MPP Cluster SMP Massively Parallel Workgroups/ Desktops Cluster Extended Parallel Server Dynamic Server SMP Universal Server Workgroup Server/ Workstation Workgroups

5. Informix Server Architecture • Full parallel processing • Efficient internal multithreading • Open API for user defined functions and datatypes • Configurable pool of virtual processors • No context switching overhead • Dynamic system administration • Dynamic load balancing • DB level prioritization, scheduling & locking • Database migration ... VirtualProcessors ... CPU CPU CPU CPU ... DB Buffer Cache Shared Data Shared Memory

6. Industry View of Informix Architecture • Informix RDBMS was completely rearchitected in 1991 for parallel processing and extensibility • Informix DSA sets the industry standard for simplicity, elegance and flexibility “ The general industry consensus among users and developers is that Informix has the best architecture.” Patricia Seybold Group, 12/96

7. Advantages of DSA’s Parallelism Informix OnLine DSA Oracle DBMS Application Query Application Query SQL SQL Database Server Task Database Server Task Subtask Subtask Subtask IDLE IDLE CPU CPU CPU CPU CPU CPU 30% CPU usage Near 100% CPU usage!

8. Industry View of Oracle Architecture • “Oracle has never really provided the most elegant database technology …” Hambrecht & Quist 2/97 • Oracle’s database architecture was designed and written in the early 1980s • It is widely believed that Oracle needs to rewrite its DBMS engine “Oracle will need to perform a significant redesign of its DBMS engine...” Gartner Group, 3/96

9. Oracle’s Architectural Approach Video Server Network Computing Architecture Oracle Personal Lite • Informix has one architecture: DSA • In constrast, Oracle has: • Multiple incompatible servers • User written integration code • Incomplete parallel processing • High OS overhead Oracle 8 Oracle Paralle Server Oracle 6 Oracle 7 Rdb IRI Replication Engine • No API for Database Exensibility • Unclear object strategy and distributed computing vision

10. Architectural Comparison: Performance/Scalability • Informix • Consistent high performance across all platforms and applications • Best return on hardware and application investment • Oracle • Performance dependent on servers and configuration • ROI dependent on OS, platform and application

11. Architectural Comparison: Extensibility • Informix • Adaptable API for business specific data and processing • Multiple integrated datatypes from leading vendors • Easily adjusts to new business requirements • Oracle • No user-defined datatypes or functions • Only useful for Numeric, Alpha, Date Order • New business requirements may require extensive coding or rewrite

12. Architectural Comparison: Cost of Ownership • Informix • Single, integrated server from desktop to data warehouse • Lower cost of maintenance and training • Architectural simplicity means faster deployment; better ROI • Oracle • Multiple non-integrated servers • Personal Oracle, Oracle 7.x/8.x, Oracle Express, etc... • Requires more maintenance; higher level of training • Complexity slows deployment, lessens ROI

13. Customer Testimonials: Cost of Ownership • Wells Fargo converted from Oracle databases to Informix. • Working with both vendors showed “…it takes about 60% longer to deploy a project on Oracle than on Informix.” • Total Cost of Ownership wins over Oracle • Bank of America • GTE

14. Topics • Architecture • The Dynamic Scalable Architecture provides better performance and lower cost of ownership than Oracle’s many faceted solution. • OLTP • Data Warehousing • Complex Data / Content Management

15. OLTP Success Factors • Performance • Transaction rates, scalability, multi-user access to data • Administration and Maintenance • Low labor costs, compatibility with enterprise • Replication • Availability of data, ease of recovery • Extensibility • Planning for the future of OLTP • Cost of Ownership • How all factors impact the bottom line

16. OLTP Application Comparison Informix is significantly faster than Oracle in real-world OLTP applications. • BAAN Triton 3.1 Client/Server Benchmark • Informix 1,510 users: ~2X better than Oracle on identical hardware • Informix developers and support engineers on-site at BAAN • SAP R/3 Benchmark • New world record on Windows NT: 1,116 users • Only Informix has joint development lab at SAP headquarters in Germany.

17. “[Oracle] consumes more OS resources, has a relatively weak query optimizer and was later to the game than Informix in parallelization.” Hambrecht & Quist, 2/97 Industry View of Oracle OLTP Support • Oracle has ‘bolted on’ features rather than rewriting and integrating • Many of Oracle’s ‘benchmark special’ OLTP features are largely unusable

18. Components of OLTP Performance • Cost-based optimizer • efficient queries, best utilization of hardware • Parallel Insert, Update, Delete (DML) • high transaction rates, good multi-user access • Integrated log-based replication • reliability, recovery, ease of administration

19. Informix vs. Oracle: Optimizer • Informix • Cost based, automatically chooses optimum query strategy • Oracle inferior in these areas: • Limited support for parallel processing • Incompatible with standard SQL • Requires user to define non-standard ‘hints’ based on table characteristics • Inefficient • Optimizer can not be used by standard tools and applications due to need for ‘hints’ • Most users turn it off

20. Informix vs. Oracle: Parallel DML • Informix -- best in industry • Optimal use of hardware for scalability and performance • Oracle inferior in these areas: • Data Integrity • No serializability => no recoverability • No multi-statement transactions • No referential integrity • Advanced Database functionality • No support for triggers, replication, variable arrays, nested tables, large objects • Multi-user concurrency • Row level locking must be turned off • Parallel insert locks entire table

21. Informix vs. Oracle: Replication • Informix • Log based. Fast and reliable • Open. Replicates to other vendors’ databases • Simple to implement and maintain • Oracle • Trigger based. Management nightmare. • Closed. • Can only replicate Oracle data. • High Maintenance overhead. • requires a separate server • incompatible with objects, partitions, parallel DML • triggers

22. Informix Advantages: • 3x the I/O, half the # of steps, 5-10x faster! • This means: • Higher Availability of Data • Less chance for data loss • Easier recovery Replication in Practice Five steps involved in Informix log-based replication: Step 1: Transaction updates tables Step 2: DSA will log these updates using regular (parallel) logging mechanism Step 3: Replication threads read from in-memory log buffers Step 4: Apply threads will fan-out the messages to remote servers in parallel using optimized protocol Step 5: Remote servers (targets) will apply transactions in parallel Ten steps involved in Oracle trigger-based replication: Step 1: Transaction updates tables Step 2: Oracle will log these updates using regular logging mechanism Step 3: Replication triggers are fired (one per table involved) = additional CPU processing Step 4: Replication triggers call procedures to update change queue (additional inserts occur to change queue tables) = additional I/O processing Step 5: Oracle will log these inserts using regular logging mechanism = additional I/O processing Step 6: Changes get sent via SQL*Net protocol to target DBMS = significant overhead Step 7: Target DBMS updates tables Step 8: Oracle will log these changes using regular logging mechanism = additional I/O processing Step 9: Deletes from change queue tables additional I/I Step 10: Oracle will log these deletes using regular logging mechanism = additional I/O processing

23. Informix vs. Oracle: Administration • Informix -- complete and flexible • Informix Enterprise Command Center • Automated, Scalable, Open (Java, IIOP, SNMP) • Enterprise Framework Integration • HP OpenView, CA UniCenter, DEC PolyCenter, IBM NetView/6000, Sun Solstice • Integration with Tools Partners • BMC, Platinum, Tivoli, Compuware • Oracle -- provides an “Oracle only” solution • Enterpise Manager • Closed, Proprietary Architecture

24. The Next OLTP Advantage: Extensibility • Infrastructure Integration • Move complex business from applications to central control of the database server • Add management of today’s “unmanaged data” • documents, e-mail, images • Meet highly specialized needs • user defined functions on server • pre-witten data types (DataBlades) on server • time series, text management, spatial queries • high performance indexes for complex relationships, hiearchies, business rules

25. Informix vs. Oracle: Extensibility • Informix • A single, Universal Server -- available today. • Full database support for user defined datatypes, abstract datatypes, user defined functions • Faster response to changing business requirements; re-usable code; flexible systems • Oracle • Not currently available in server • Conflicting extensibility messages • Promised in Oracle8 since 1993 • Now promised in Oracle middleware (NCA) in 1998

26. Cost of Ownership: Informix Advantages

27. Topics • Architecture • OLTP • Informix has decisive advantages for OLTP in the critical areas of Performance, Administration, Replication, and Extensibility. • Data Warehousing • Complex Data / Content Management

28. Data Warehousing Success Factors • Hardware Investment • Hardware cost for 500 GB Data Warehouse: • $3.5 million on SMP systems • $7 million on MPP systems • Performance / Processing Time • Judged in hours and days, not seconds • Ease of Use and Total Cost of Ownership • Obtain the right answer, easily customize • Avoid specialized training and tasks • Minimize hardware investment

29. “[Oracle] is notoriously poor at scaling above 2 to 4 nodes.....” Meta Group Industry View of Oracle DW Performance • Oracle parallel processing was introduced as a late response to Informix • Its capabilities are limited and incompatible with other performance oriented features

30. “Informix has beaten both Oracle and IBM for some very high visibility terabyte accounts - namely MCI, Visa International, Sears, and Fidelity Investments” Patricia Seybold Group 2/97 Result: Informix Wins in Head-to-Head Contests

31. Informix vs. Oracle TPC-D: 70% faster on 25% less hardware • Informix: 48 CPU’s, Oracle: 64 CPU’s • Informix means lowest overall hardware investment • Best price / performance • Less HW = lower admin overhead , lower labor costs

32. Data Warehousing encompasses all functions, not just queries • Informix completed entire benchmark before Oracle completed loading • Informix has complete parallel architecture: load, index, query, backup/restore, management, etc.

33. Performance: Informix Extended Parallel Server (XPS) Node N Node 1 Node 2 • Highly efficient shared nothing architecture • Each node controls its own log and data • Flexible data partitioning • Function shipping eliminates need for distributed lock manager High Speed Interconnect 1 Informix most efficient! Update requires : 1 message; no I/O

34. 1 7 5 11 3 8 10 12 4 9 Performance: Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) Node 1 Node 2 Node N • Oracle simulates shared disk • inflexible partitioning scheme • Requires huge overhead: distributed lock manager, many extra messages and I/Os DLM 2 6 same task, Oracle requires: 12 Messages 2 I/Os Oracle Virtual Shared Disk

35. Performance: Review of Key Informix Features • Shared nothing architecture • Easily locates all data; avoids locking conflicts • Data partitioning • Spreads data across multiple disks and nodes for highest performance • Six different table/index partitioning options • Advanced parallel processing • Best use of hardware Application transparent parallel everything: query, sort, scan, join, aggregates, update, delete, insert, ... • Pipelined parallelism; superior hash-based join

36. Ease of use: Informix Metacube vs. Oracle Express • Informix MetaCube: ROLAP Decision Support • Integrated tool for browsing and query of the database • Analyzes standard Informix RDBMS data • no separate server to administer • no translation code, no extra overhead • Oracle’s DW Solution requires Oracle Express • Oracle Express is a separate database server • does not use RDMBS, but a multi-dimensional DB • Must load data into Express from main Oracle DB • user must write “pass through” code • updating of data requires a re-load

37. Performance: Oracle Data Partitioning • Incomplete • Supports only simple range partitioning • No round-robin, hashing, random, direct, expression, schema , ... • No migration tools from Oracle 7.3 • Incompatible • Partitioned tables may not contain objects, triggers, constraints, data clustering, index clustering • Inefficient • Range partitioning data skew causes poor performance • Performance degraded due to inability to use existing features

38. Informix Customer Story: MCI • MCI Data Warehouse facts at a glance: • 6 TB of Data • Friends and Family lead generation program • 3500 data points on each of 190 million people • Oracle beaten in head to head competition • Oracle could not successfully complete the benchmark • Informix demonstrated DW expertise • Awarded 1996 Best Practices award by the Data Warehousing Institute. • Project established industry’s TPC-D benchmark.

39. MCI Data Warehouse Benefits • Informix DW enables better use of essential business data. • Long Distance Providers face • 50% annual customer turnover • Better analysis of leads is a strategic advantage • Reduction in lead generation cost: • 1994: $0.90 / lead • 1996: $0.07 / lead • Informix outperformed next competitor by 2X • initial hardware savings of $2-3 million • more savings over time: HW will = 4X software cost

40. The Next Data Warehousing Advantage: Extensibility • New types of queries • add spatial analysis • add unique business rules, unique data types • Better information • Compute the lowest fare route between New York and Baton Rouge and plot alternative route on a map • Faster response for complex queries • Find all high tech stocks that have a risk/reward ratio lower than current portfolio

41. Informix vs. Oracle: DW Extensibility • Informix • Numerous complex and new media datatypes • Database integration => better performance, easier administration and lower maintenance • Data Warehouse becomes central information repository • Oracle • Partial database integration of text, image and spatial data • Others promised as separate servers or middleware in Oracle 8 • Much higher overhead, harder to manage

42. Data Warehouse Cost of Ownership: Informix Advantage Result

43. Topics • Architecture • OLTP • Data Warehouse • Informix has consistently demonstrated superiority to Oracle in Data Warehousing by delivering on customers’ systems and drastically cutting their costs. • Complex Data / Content Management

44. Content Management Critical Success Factors • Integration • Connectivity to: web servers, browsers, java applets, legacy data • Management, Performance, Cost of Ownership • single server for all data • unified and industry endorsed architecture • scalable architecture • Advanced data types • audio, video, text, spatial, java, VRML, etc… • user written and pre-defined (DataBlades)

45. Informix: Integrated, Simple, Complete. • Simple interface means fast development • Optimized access means fast applications • Single data source means easy administration • No need for file, scripts, or programs outside the DB. Integrated Data Types (DataBlades): Documents HTML Images Video Time Series Corporate Data . . . Single Interface Optimized Access Single Universal Server

46. WebServer Informix Connects the Entire Enterprise to the Web Java/IIOP INFORMIX-Universal Server INFORMIX- Universal Web Connect™ Legacy Data Browser • Java • C/C++ • New Era 4GL • IIOP/CORBA • DCOM • Publish and • Subscribe • Web Site • Content • Application • Logic • Java Gateways ActiveX Development Tools Jworks, Web DataBlade, NewEra, Data Director, Partners... Management Tools Informix Enterprise Command Center, Tools Partners...

47. “For serious new media projects, Informix offers the most content-inclusive strategy.” Forrester Research, 9/97 Industry View of Informix Content Management • Analysts agree that Informix’s server integration is the most efficient architecture • Informix has numerous off-the-shelf DataBlade modules currently available

48. Video Server OLAP Engine Standard Relational Oracle’s NCA -- Not a Unified Architecture • Non-integrated servers • No extensibility • No new indexing • No cartridges CORBA Objects Third Party ORB 3rd party ORB Communications Overhead Massive Data Movement Application Server Client • No standard DML • Not parallel • No optimizer • No data integration • CORBA Client User code

49. Performance Problems of Oracle’s NCA Call Overhead Local Lightweight Thread Informix Oracle CORBA Object 1x 10x 100x 1,000x 10,000x relative time Oracle’s NCA is 1000X slower than Informix’s Universal Server in performing a function on an advanced data type.

50. Performance Problems of Oracle’s NCA Data Movement Overhead Local Lightweight Thread Informix Oracle local object CORBA Object Oracle remote object 1x 10x 100x 1,000x 10,000x relative time Oracle’s NCA is 100 to1000X slower than Informix’s Universal Server at transferring complex data types (objects) from the server.