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http://www.oracle.com/technology/oramag/oracle/07-jan/o17field.html
COMMENT: In The Field
Listening to You
By
IOUG
surveys provide guidance for expanding databases and open source software
issues.
Whom do
you listen to? When you need insight into how to do your job better or where
the database industry is headed, what is your best source of information? Does
one particular columnist resonate with you? Is it a company's press releases or
white papers that make you go "Hmm"? Is it some coworker or colleague
who has just the right perspective on the matters that matter?
The
Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) conducts quarterly surveys of its
membership on all kinds of issues that affect your job, your enterprise, and
the industry as a whole. The monthly magazine Database
Trends and Applications and vendors looking for specific
information sponsor these surveys, but it's your opinion that makes them
valuable. These e-mail surveys go out to 20,000 IOUG members worldwide, and
what the membership says is worth listening to.
One recent
IOUG survey about database growth revealed invaluable information for
perspective and planning purposes. Databases are growing by 20 to 80 percent
per year. Just a few years ago, a 10GB database was big. Our survey revealed
that 23 percent of enterprises now have at least one terabyte-sized database.
These bigger databases aren't just found at large enterprises, although 41
percent of large enterprises do report at least one terabyte database. Fully 24
percent of medium enterprises and 10 percent of small enterprises also report
terabyte databases. Some enterprises—including heavyweights like Google,
Yahoo!, and Oracle itself—report petabyte-sized database
environments. (That's a million gigabytes.)
Such large
databases, and the yearly growth in all databases, present challenges that we
need to handle. Backup solutions need to become faster—perhaps more
selective—if our backup windows aren't to exceed operational windows.
Performance issues—how the application response scales with database
size—must be investigated, clarified, and solved. Replication to multiple
sites—for high availability, disaster recovery, and efficient
access—becomes problematic with large and growing databases. The storage
aspect is significant, with tiers of options—archives, expensive disks,
inexpensive disks—to consider and select.
Another
recent IOUG survey queried the use of Linux, an open source operating system
with both free and for-pay versions. Once regarded as a hobbyist operating
system, Linux now has a place at most enterprises, and its adoption is
increasing. The survey suggests that in the next year, Linux installations will
increase from 37 to 44 percent of enterprises in a year; Windows popularity
will fall from 60 to 48 percent, and UNIX will fall from 74 to 67 percent.
The main
attraction of Linux is cost savings: It's hard to say no to free. "You get
what you pay for" doesn't seem to apply to a solid and stable operating
system that many major enterprises accept. Even the for-pay versions of Linux
are less expensive than the more widely used commercial operating systems.
Performance and reliability equal or exceed those of commercial products,
according to many respondents. Clearly Linux is a phenomenon that we all need
to be aware of and to include in enterprise planning.
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In the
recent survey, Linux has taken the lead as the top platform for databases, but
Linux is only one example of open source software that many enterprises use. A
full 66 percent of respondents reported using open source software for at least
one mission-critical application. In fact, 9 percent use it for more than half
of their critical apps. And although price is the irresistible appeal of open
source software, other considerations are important. Maintenance and support is
one of the major concerns: 35 percent of those surveyed see open source as more
difficult than commercial software to maintain and support.
The rapid
adoption of open source in Oracle environments presents many challenges, as
well as rewards, for enterprises. Companies need to plan for integrating open
source solutions and have firm policies in place. Do the open source solutions
meet company security policies? Are current applications compatible and
certified with the open source technologies? Does staff need to be retrained
for new skills? Will the scalability and performance meet business
requirements? These and other questions need to be asked before companies can
realize the rewards of cost savings, easier maintenance, and better
performance.
The IOUG
surveys will continue in the year ahead, giving everyone the opportunity to
profit from the valuable experience and perspective that IOUG members offer.
The IOUG is listening to DBAs, IT directors, system architects, application
designers, project managers, CIOs, and presidents like you.
