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
Workgroups/
Massively
Parallel
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
...
Virtual Processors
...
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
...
DB Buffer Cache
Shared Data
Shared Memory

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

7. Advantages of DSA’s Parallelism
Oracle DBMS
Informix OnLine DSA
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 will need to perform a significant redesign of its DBMS engine...”
Gartner Group, 3/96
Oracle’s database architecture was designed and written in the early 1980s
It is widely believed that Oracle needs to rewrite its DBMS engine

9. Oracle’s Architectural Approach
Video
Server
Network
Computing
Architecture
Oracle
Personal
Lite
Oracle 8
Oracle
Paralle
Server
Oracle 6
Oracle 7
Rdb
IRI
Replication
Engine
Informix has one architecture: DSA
In constrast, Oracle has:
Multiple incompatible servers
User written integration code
Incomplete parallel processing
High OS overhead
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 OLTP Data Warehousing
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. Industry View of Oracle OLTP Support
“[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
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
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
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. 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
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

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

30. Result: Informix Wins in Head-to-Head Contests
“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

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
High Speed Interconnect 1
Informix most efficient!
Update requires :
1 message; no I/O
Highly efficient shared nothing architecture
Each node controls its own log and data
Flexible data partitioning
Function shipping eliminates need for distributed lock manager

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

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
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. INFORMIX-Universal Server
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
Web Server
Java
Gateways
ActiveX
Development Tools
Jworks, Web DataBlade, NewEra,
Data Director, Partners...
Management Tools
Informix Enterprise Command Center, Tools Partners...

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

48. Oracle’s NCA -- Not a Unified Architecture
Non-integrated servers
No extensibility
No new indexing
No cartridges
Third Party ORB
CORBA Objects
3rd party ORB
Standard
Relational
OLAP Engine
Video Server
Communications
Overhead
Massive Data
Movement
Application
Server
Client
CORBA Client User code
No standard DML
Not parallel
No optimizer
No data integration 13

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.

51. Cost of Ownership: Oracle ‘Do-it-Yourself’ Approach
‘Do-it-Yourself’ Custom Code
Oracle Code
Relational
Data
Object
Simulator
Complex
Geometry
Engine
Optimizer
Data
Integrator
BLOBs
Text
Without a true Universal Server, vendors are forced to resort to a clumsy multi-layered architecture that leaves much complex code to be written by the customer.
Oracle has a standard relational DBMS which also stores BLOBs, It also has a text engine that is somewhat integrated with some versions of the relational engine. It has a Spatial Data Option that manages points in 2-D space. Realistically, to use this to build applications, a customer has to write a lot of difficult and slow code.
An object simulator has to create objects from the undifferentiated BLOB storage. This is analogous to parking your car in a garage in the form of components that have to be reconstructed into a car each time you need to use it: slow and tedious.
A complex geometry engine adds clumsiness and complexity onto an already slow and primitive points engine.
Something has to integrate the data from all of these layers, and finally, each developer is responsible for writing an optimizer that understands the best sequence in which to answer unknown customer queries.
This is not an architecture: it is a mess. It is hard to build, hard to administer and slow to run. One day when and if Oracle finally delivers the object relational server they have been promising since 1993, customers can throw away all this complex custom code, and rewrite their applications to the new interface.
Spatial
Points 14

52. Cost of Ownership: Oracle NCA Integrity Issues
Transaction Boundary
Data Catridges
Separate
Oracle
Database
Servers
Oracle Application Server
Cartridges outside transaction boundary
No integrity constraints
No standard data manipulation language
No certification program 20

53. Oracle’s Competing Architectures
Oracle 7.3 with hard-wired support for 4 data types
spatial, time series, text media
separate servers employed for each
Oracle 8.0
mainly provides patches to scalability and performance issues
extremely limited object support
Network Computing Architecture (NCA)
“data catridges” as middle-ware, CORBA interface
advanced data outside the control and optimization of server
Data Cartridges as part of the server
perhaps in Oracle 8.1 or 8.2

54. Performance Appraisal: Industry View of Oracle’s NCA
“Oracle faces a significant challenge in achieving adequate performance when interfacing Data Cartridge functions with core database services.”
Patricia Seybold Group, 2/97
“Oracle 8 will (at least initially) suffer performance shortcomings compared with the IUS single database engine..”
Meta Group, 2/97

55. Informix vs. Oracle: Predefined Data Types
Oracle: Few if any Data Catridges are shipping.
Informix: A sample of available Data Blades...
Data Warehousing/Financial
DataCleanser DataBlade (EDD)
OptiLink DataBlade (CPT)
Fuzzy Search DataBlade (Expector)
TimeSeries DataBlade (Fame)
Reporting DataBlade (SLP-Statistiques)
Decision Series DataBlade (NeoVista)
Text
Text DataBlade (Verity)
Text Search/Management DataBlade (Excalibur)
NameTag DataBlade (IsoQuest)
PLS Text DataBlade (PLS)
Document Objects DataBlade (ArborText)
LiveLink DataBlade (Open Text)
Web/Electronic Commerce
Video DataBlade (VXtreme)
DesCrypt DataBlade (Prime Factors)
Internet Commerce DataBlade (Open Market)
Real-time Profiling DataBlade (Excalibur)
Content Management DataBlade (MKS)
Digital Media
PixFactory DataBlade (Kodak)
Image Search DataBlade (Excalibur)
Face Recognition DataBlade (Excalibur)
Scene Detection DataBlade (Excalibur)
Visual Info Retrieval DataBlade (Virage)
Audio Information Retrieval DataBlade (Muscle Fish)
TigerMark DataBlade (NEC)
Geospatial
GeoCoding DataBlade (MapInfo)
Global/Interval DataBlade (Telcontar)
Visualization DataBlade (ECOlogic)

56. Oracle’s Negative Campaigning Against Informix
“In one of the most vicious smear campaigns in recent software history, Oracle has been attacking the integrity of [Informix’s] database” PC Week 2/17/97
“We believe the actual exposures with Informix’s DataBlades have been miniscule.” Gartner Group, 12/96

57. Web / Conent Wins Over Oracle
SouthWestern Bell
Nike
Fidelity
IVillage

58. Topics Architecture OLTP Data Warehouse Content Management Summary
Informix’s Universal Server was designed from the start for advanced content management. Oracle 8 and the NCA are cobbled together components which will not fare well in real world applications.
Summary

59. Summary: Informix Informix
Mission: Deliver absolute best database technology
Single and extensible server arhitecture
Tight integration with best-of-breed application partners
Results for the Customer:
lower cost-to-serve
flexibility and simplicity
extended lifespan of applications
clear support for the future enterprise with Universal Server

60. Summary: Oracle Oracle
Mission: Cover as many bases as possible in the market with combinations of existing products.
Lock customers into Oracle products; partner only when necessary
Results for the Customer
higher overall costs due to non-integration
performance limitations
expensive services
questionable path to future with Oracle 8 and NCA