Re: Opinions on Informix

Oracle has a good rule-based optimizer, and a terrible cost-based optimizer. Informix has a new unproved rule-based optimizer, and a good cost-based optimizer. Do people agree? Basically means that Oracle can be compared to a stick-transmission car, and Informix to an automatic-transmission. If you know how to drive stick, it will beat an auto-transmission at the stop lights hands down. But if you don't, you'll stall the engine. If you know the Oracle rule-based optimizer really well, then you can tune your SQL statements like mad and it will be lightning fast, in my opinion. Of course I am only talking about the optimizer/engine performance. Don't know much about differences in support, maintenance, etc. Sort of non-technical, I know. In Korea Oracle dominates, with over 80% of the market share. Leaving aside us Koreans' tendency to follow 'trends' like there's no tomorrow, Oracle basically has the image of a "hard-core DB" while "Informix is the economy version." The trend is Oracle, and I heard people at Oracle headquarters were themselves surprised at the rate which companies here gobbled up OPS when it came out. Talk about overspending budgets... can you image a 1000-employee company purchasing a 256-user license with OPS for their quasi-ERP that they are developing in-house? Jay. Patrick J. Nolan, Jr. ''('') <370471c0.540a$1e1@news.op.net> ''''''''' 'ۼ'''''''''... >I am interested in hearing your opinions of Informix's database as compared >to others (ie, Oracle, Baan, etc). I have heard that the Informix dbms is >not as 'good' as Oracle. Is this true? Does it integrate well with ERP >packages? I would like to get just some general comments on the overall >quality of the product and how it stacks up to its competitors. > >Many thanks, >Patrick > >

I am certified DBA for Oracle(OCP), Informix(ICP) and SQL/Server(MCP). I try to give you some hints. In order to prove not prejudices, I give some example in each cases. For Unix level, I will have following comparision 1. Function & feature Oralce have enriched user function for easy development. Informix is primitive. I take a example, Informix has not UPPER() function in DML. Big Joke! If you have worked with Informix Datetime field. You will understand my words. Since Oralce has many database functions. It is slower. 2. Stability and reliability Oracle has good data protection. That is, user can not issue some DML level to corrupte data structure. At least, I have not such recovery case in past 5 yrs. How Informix does not isolate the server internal from user. Index corruption is popular in our consultancy server especially on IUS 9.X. So they have a pretty good oncheck -pt command to fix it. (but stop your database) I want mention one point, you will see people complain the Informix server crash in newsgroup. However it is not usual in Oracle newsgroup. 3. Resource Informix use less resource because of advanced db architecture. Informix use more CPU time. Oracle use more memory. 4. Security Oracle implements full set RDBMS security theory. Informix, Sybase and SQL/Server have very primitive authentication and privillege options. For example, Informix has only OS authentication. It is option in old days. 5. Platform porting Oralce and SQL/Server has good porting on NT. At least, it is stable. Informix, Sybase have illness NT porting. For example, Informix for NT has not onmonitor tools which is available in Unix version. It is nightmare. DBA should edit config by notepad. You know, I can not image a unix like command in NT product onspace -c datadbspace -p d:\\ifmxdata\\datadbspace -s 250000 ...... 6. Support You know, all database vendor can not have good profit last yrs. From rumors, Informix and Sybase has put zero capital expenditure in 1999 in some office. People say that Informix will close (shrink to 3 mans) HK office. Sybase have closed offices in South Asia. Sybase only has two men in Singapore. Hotquery Individue database consultant In article <7etuv3$cfl$1@news.kren.nm.kr>, "blacklungs" <please@refertothep.ost> wrote: > Oracle has a good rule-based optimizer, and a terrible cost-based optimizer. > Informix has a new unproved rule-based optimizer, and a good cost-based > optimizer. > > Do people agree? > > Basically means that Oracle can be compared to a stick-transmission car, and > Informix to an automatic-transmission. > > If you know how to drive stick, it will beat an auto-transmission at the > stop lights hands down. But if you don't, you'll stall the engine. > > If you know the Oracle rule-based optimizer really well, then you can tune > your SQL statements like mad and it will be lightning fast, in my opinion. > > Of course I am only talking about the optimizer/engine performance. Don't > know much about differences in support, maintenance, etc. > > Sort of non-technical, I know. > > In Korea Oracle dominates, with over 80% of the market share. Leaving aside > us Koreans' tendency to follow 'trends' like there's no tomorrow, Oracle > basically has the image of a "hard-core DB" while "Informix is the economy > version." The trend is Oracle, and I heard people at Oracle headquarters > were themselves surprised at the rate which companies here gobbled up OPS > when it came out. Talk about overspending budgets... can you image a > 1000-employee company purchasing a 256-user license with OPS for their > quasi-ERP that they are developing in-house? > > Jay. -- All post are personal idea only :-} -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own

blacklungs wrote: > > > Basically means that Oracle can be compared to a stick-transmission car, and > Informix to an automatic-transmission. No, Consider Informix an electronic shifting versus Oracle a manual clutch. Informix is a sports car that if not tuned properly, you crash and burn. Oracle? Its harder to set up initially, but less functions to tune. Informix may lack some of the "front end" tools, that Oracle OEMs, but with Java, all you need is a good JDBC and you can use any java based tool. (Of course how well Oracle/Sybase/Informix follow the JDBC interface, your milage will vary.) As to security, that's a major headache that I and a few freinds have talked about. What it forces you do to is n-tier or at least 3 tier architecture. (Client-AppServer-RDBMS) Then you only have to trust your AppServer and not the client. This has some benefits that you lose when the RDBMS tracks passwd and user_id. (But thats a bizarre side point and you definately need to discuss that over drinks.) Of course make sure you are comparing Enterprise Oracle against 7.3 and 9.2 -Mikey

blacklungs <please@refertothep.ost> wrote in message news:7etuv3$cfl$1@news.kren.nm.kr... > Oracle has a good rule-based optimizer, and a terrible cost-based optimizer. > Informix has a new unproved rule-based optimizer, and a good cost-based > optimizer. > > Do people agree? > > Basically means that Oracle can be compared to a stick-transmission car, and > Informix to an automatic-transmission. > > If you know how to drive stick, it will beat an auto-transmission at the > stop lights hands down. But if you don't, you'll stall the engine. > > If you know the Oracle rule-based optimizer really well, then you can tune > your SQL statements like mad and it will be lightning fast, in my opinion. > > Of course I am only talking about the optimizer/engine performance. Don't > know much about differences in support, maintenance, etc. > > Sort of non-technical, I know. > > In Korea Oracle dominates, with over 80% of the market share. Leaving aside > us Koreans' tendency to follow 'trends' like there's no tomorrow, Oracle > basically has the image of a "hard-core DB" while "Informix is the economy > version." The trend is Oracle, and I heard people at Oracle headquarters > were themselves surprised at the rate which companies here gobbled up OPS > when it came out. Talk about overspending budgets... can you image a > 1000-employee company purchasing a 256-user license with OPS for their > quasi-ERP that they are developing in-house? > > Jay. > > Patrick J. Nolan, Jr. ''('') <370471c0.540a$1e1@news.op.net> ''''''''' > 'ۼ'''''''''... > >I am interested in hearing your opinions of Informix's database as compared > >to others (ie, Oracle, Baan, etc). I have heard that the Informix dbms is > >not as 'good' as Oracle. Is this true? Does it integrate well with ERP > >packages? I would like to get just some general comments on the overall > >quality of the product and how it stacks up to its competitors. > > > >Many thanks, > >Patrick > > > > > > > >

blacklungs wrote: > > Oracle has a good rule-based optimizer, and a terrible cost-based optimizer. > Informix has a new unproved rule-based optimizer, and a good cost-based > optimizer. > > Do people agree? No. Oracle has a rule based optimizer which is only as good as the programmer wielding it. Informix has not ruled based optimizer, we left that in the dust in V4.10 (I still have a 30 page document of hints on how to get the rules based optimizer to do a good job). Oracle has a Cost Based Optimizer so bad that very few programmers code queries for it that do not contain hints and overrides. Informix has a Cost Based Optimizer that is so good that the product existed for six years with no hints available (yeah we complained about that but truth be told before Table Fragmentation the optimizer did a better job than we could have if we had had hints 95% of the time). Now with hints, optimization levels, OPTCOMPIND (indicated what strategy (HashJoin, NestedLoopJoin, AutomaticIndexJoin) to use when joining tables in the absence of indexes or when using join indexes would by inefficient), and optimization goal setting the Informix CBO Optimizer is MORE flexible than the Oracle CBO and much more powerful. > Basically means that Oracle can be compared to a stick-transmission car, and > Informix to an automatic-transmission. More like Oracle is a 3 speed stick and Informix is a 6 speed overdrive automatic with manual overrides. > If you know how to drive stick, it will beat an auto-transmission at the > stop lights hands down. But if you don't, you'll stall the engine. > > If you know the Oracle rule-based optimizer really well, then you can tune > your SQL statements like mad and it will be lightning fast, in my opinion. The problem is you need to know the Oracle Optimizer really well in addition to knowing your data really well to get decent performance at all. With Informix if you know nothing about your data the Optimizer will do a GREAT job 95% of the time. If you know your data well enough to know that a better query path is possible you have SEVERAL paths to choose to get there. Update table statistics to a higher level so the optimizer can make better decisions, change the OPTCOMPIND value, add or drop indexes, detach indexes and/or fragment them for efficiency, SET OPTIMIZATION (level) LOW, SET OPTIMIZATION FIRST ROWS, SET OPTIMIZATION ALL ROWS, and finally optimizer hints (ala Oracle's syntax). > Of course I am only talking about the optimizer/engine performance. Don't > know much about differences in support, maintenance, etc. In two years using Oracle support I have never had a technician answer my question without having to "Hold for a moment, I'll be right back" while the tech reads a manual or tech note. Usually I get no useful response or a FAX of a problem solution notice because the problem is so common someone had to write it up. I also have NEVER waited for a tech to talk to for less than 45 minutes! Informix support NEVER keeps me waiting over 10 minutes and rarely over 3 minutes before talking to a triage person and then on to a tech within a few seconds after giving my ids and a general problem description. > Sort of non-technical, I know. Yep. > In Korea Oracle dominates, with over 80% of the market share. Leaving aside > us Koreans' tendency to follow 'trends' like there's no tomorrow, Oracle Didn't your mother warn you about following the crowd like a lemming? > Patrick J. Nolan, Jr. ÀÌ(°¡) <370471c0.540a$1e1@news.op.net> ¸Þ½ÃÁö¿¡¼­ > ÀÛ¼ºÇÏ¿´½À´Ï´Ù... > >I am interested in hearing your opinions of Informix's database as compared > >to others (ie, Oracle, Baan, etc). I have heard that the Informix Actually Baan is not a database but runs on databases including Oracle and Informix. dbms is > >not as 'good' as Oracle. Is this true? Does it integrate well with ERP Actually Informix is FAR superior to Oracle both technologically and performance-wise. > >packages? I would like to get just some general comments on the overall > >quality of the product and how it stacks up to its competitors. I have reviewed all the available RDBMS's for my companies and for my clients many times over the almost 18 years I have been using relation databases. I have always ended up recommending Informix and the only time my clients or bosses were ever disappointed was when they ignored my recommendations and went with another database. They ALWAYS end up switching to Informix after a while. I know Sybase, Oracle, Ingres, Informix, Progress, and many other database systems (several of which actually still exist) and Informix is always my favorite. Art S. Kagel