The Oracle Database system is an object-orientated database management system. Oracle Version 1 was written as early as 1978 in the low-level, and rather complex, assembly language. Although this version was never released, it set the precedent for future revisions of the Oracle software by separating the program's code and the user coding language. Although the Oracle code itself is not completely open source, Oracle makes available several alternative open source tools to aid users in their understanding of the system, and to spur the development and evolution of the code and new innovations in the field of database management.

What is an Oracle Database?

An Oracle database is simply a database in which separate sets of data can be treated as one discrete unit. Oracle provides server solutions so that many users can have access to the same pool of data, while the server manages the precise distribution and tightly controls access to the database itself. Oracle also aims to provide the means to make use of grid computing, a method of computing by which multiple discreet units of hardware can be linked together and operated as one. This system has several obvious benefits in terms of computing power and resource management, but also facilitates the quick and efficient expansion of your computer network as the business grows. The Oracle system aims to provide users with the quickest and most effective ways to make the switch to cloud database management, and help is available at every step of the way to make sure that you have a quick and pain-free experience when making the transfer.

What is an object-orientated database management system?

An object database is one which is able to store information about objects, e.g. multimedia files. An object-orientated database management system is designed to manage this object database and provide the facility to make the information searchable. This approach differs starkly from that of relational databases, which are based on tables of numbers and information, and are useful for databases which contain information such as names, product codes and numbers sorted into strictly defined sections and columns. The object-orientated approach allows programmers to meld the object database and object-orientated programming language in order to boost efficiency and productivity, without the need to create programs designed to bridge the gap between the layout of the database and the method of access utilised by the language itself.

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What does 'open source' mean?

Open source programs and databases are those which can be distributed royalty free and without fear of copyright infringement, as long as the information is attributed correctly, and these attributes are displayed in an easily accessible way alongside the open source information. The exact method by which the material must be attributed can be found in the license. The other tenant of the open source movement is that any user of open source material must share-alike; this means that any modifications, revisions or updates made to the data content or to the code itself must also be shared with the rest of the open data community under the same license as the original data was provided under; that means for free.

What support does Oracle offer to open source projects?

Oracle states that it is fully committed to the support of a whole host of open source projects, and have pledged their support for high-profile projects such as MySQL, GlassFish, Java, Linux, PHP, Apache, Eclipse, Berkeley DB, NetBeans, VirtualBox, and Xen. While Oracle itself is not open source, in 2010 Oracle Corporation acquired Innobase, the company which supplies the InnoDB codebase to MySQL, as well as acquiring the owner of MySQL, Sun Microsystems, in the same year, thus taking another major step in support of all things open source.

Managing a plethora of databases on a whole host of different network machines can be a nightmare, but Oracle Corporation have the solution. Their cloud database management system is just the thing to have data streaming through your business at the peak of efficiency, so why not give it a shot? For those of us who would prefer a more open source approach, while still making the most of the fantastic support Oracle provides to its customers, check out the range of open source services Oracle offers in addition to the main engine!