Informix, Oracle and SQL Server

My organization is using a proprietary software called MAGIC, from MEDITECH, a US based company, specialized in Health Services softwares. We are using this since 1985. Now we have decided to switch over from this CLOSED palteform to some OPEN platform. We have three choices with us, namely INFORMIX OWS, ORACLE, 8 AND MS-SQL server. I have been given a task to assess INFORMIX. Can any one of you help me, WHY WE SHOULD SWITCH OVER TO INFORMIX OWS (any latest version)? BTW: I am a INFORMIX FAN, and working as INFORMIX DBA (OWS 7.3 on SCO-UNIX OPEN SERVER 5.0) since last one and half year. All the development we have done over here in informix is done by me or under my supervision. So INFORMIX is my first love! But my boses wants me to prove to them that INFORMIX is GOOD. CAN ANY ONE HELP ME! Shahid Mehmood Software Designer II Information Systems Department The Aga Khan University Karachi

shahid.mehmood@aku.edu wrote: > > My organization is using a proprietary software called MAGIC, from > MEDITECH, a US based company, specialized in Health Services softwares. We > are using this since 1985. > > Now we have decided to switch over from this CLOSED palteform to some OPEN > platform. We have three choices with us, namely INFORMIX OWS, ORACLE, 8 AND > MS-SQL server. > > I have been given a task to assess INFORMIX. Can any one of you help me, > WHY WE SHOULD SWITCH OVER TO INFORMIX OWS (any latest version)? > > BTW: I am a INFORMIX FAN, and working as INFORMIX DBA (OWS 7.3 on SCO-UNIX > OPEN SERVER 5.0) since last one and half year. All the development we have > done over here in informix is done by me or under my supervision. So > INFORMIX is my first love! > > But my boses wants me to prove to them that INFORMIX is GOOD. Truth is the ONLY proof that makes sense is to benchmark a representative application under simulated load for all three systems. Since you have Informix in house that part should not be too hard. Informix maintains testing centers for this purpose and also will give you a 30-90 day evaluation license for in-house testing. I am sure that Oracle will do the same but I am also sure that Microsoft will not. I agree with you. Informix has the superior product in all ways: better technology, more reliable, easier to manage and maintain, applications developed for it are more portable (partly because there are so few proprietary features to get roped into using and partly because it is so much easier to get real work done without relying on proprietary features), better performance and scaleability. One thing, eliminate MS SQL Server out of the gate. SQL Server ONLY runs on NT and so is limited in scaleability. What happens if the application outgrows a single 4CPU Intel box's performance capability? Where do you go? If you go with Oracle or Informix then the sky is the limit. Both Oracle and Informix run on Win-NT/95/98 and almost all major UNIX variants, Oracle even runs on IBM mainframe to boot. Informix will scale from a single 386 all the way to a Sun E10000 with 40 CPUs or to a cluster of DOZENS of Pentium or Sun or HP boxes. Oracle's Cluster Server cannot handle more than four cluster members! For me, since a business, or any organization, is constantly growing, scaleability is my paramount criterion followed by performance and ease of maintenance. On that last, I manage 16 Informix servers with several TB of data and over 500 programmers and 100,000 users with three DBAs, including myself. Know any Oracle shops with fewer DBAs than servers? Art S. Kagel

shahid.mehmood@aku.edu wrote: > My organization is using a proprietary software called MAGIC, from > MEDITECH, a US based company, specialized in Health Services softwares. We > are using this since 1985. > > Now we have decided to switch over from this CLOSED palteform to some OPEN > platform. We have three choices with us, namely INFORMIX OWS, ORACLE, 8 AND > MS-SQL server. [SNIP] First, switch to Linux over SCO Unix. That will save you some money and improve your support options. As to the database, I'd go with Informix , IDS.2000 on Linux. (Just now becoming available.) You can't beat the price. As to performance, you are dealing with Medical information. Lets take your system a step further. You want to implement a PACs archieve. (Digital Radiography). While you don't need to query on the image, having the ability to dynamically extend the data-types is a good thing. Thats something Oracle doesn't offer. The fact that you have internet access is another good thing. This improves your ability to get support from fellow users who may have tried similar things or faced the exact same bug. (All RDBMS products have bugs.) What you are facing is the FUD that Oracle sells so well. Do a benchmark on your data, on the exact same machines. Both companies offer eval copies. BTW, Informix is much cheaper on the Linux platform than Oracle.... -Mikey > > > I have been given a task to assess INFORMIX. Can any one of you help me, > WHY WE SHOULD SWITCH OVER TO INFORMIX OWS (any latest version)? > > BTW: I am a INFORMIX FAN, and working as INFORMIX DBA (OWS 7.3 on SCO-UNIX > OPEN SERVER 5.0) since last one and half year. All the development we have > done over here in informix is done by me or under my supervision. So > INFORMIX is my first love! > > But my boses wants me to prove to them that INFORMIX is GOOD. > > CAN ANY ONE HELP ME! > > Shahid Mehmood > Software Designer II > Information Systems Department > The Aga Khan University > Karachi