Microsoft SQL Server Outperforms Oracle in Total Cost of Ownership

Strategic Insights -

A recent study by the Boston-based Aberdeen Group found that Microsoft SQL Server offers a total cost of ownership (TCO) that is 3.7 times lower than that of Oracle. The study analyzed the computer services giant ADP's decision-making criteria regarding the use of SQL Server vs. Oracle for an enterprise-wide customer-service solution. SQL Server met ADP's mission-critical needs for performance, scalability, and reliability, while also providing superior TCO savings.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Aberdeen study found that SQL Server costs ADP 27% of the cost of Oracle's offering when factoring in product licensing, ongoing support, and administration.
  • Even upgrading to SQL Server 7.0 would keep total costs at just 36% of the cost of Oracle.
  • ADP selected SQL Server for its ACCESS project after determining that the project could run on the Windows NT Server operating system and Dell hardware for less than one-third the cost of a UNIX/RISC system.
  • SQL Server met the scalability requirements for ADP's massive customer-service and management solution, providing enough horsepower to meet any need for transaction throughput.
  • The superior TCO, enterprise-class scalability, reliability, and functionality of SQL Server make it the leading database on the Windows NT platform.
  • The top 16 TPC-C price/performance benchmark results ever published are on the SQL Server Enterprise Edition platform.
  • SQL Server 7.0 has set a new price/performance world record on the industry-standard TPC-C benchmark, with a result of 22,478 transactions per minute (tpmC) at $18.84/tpmC.

Statistics:

  • SQL Server offers a TCO that is 3.7 times lower than that of Oracle (Aberdeen study).
  • SQL Server costs ADP 27% of the cost of Oracle's offering with product licensing, ongoing support, and administration (Chris Martins, Aberdeen Group Inc.).
  • Upgrading to SQL Server 7.0 would keep total costs at just 36% of the cost of Oracle (Chris Martins, Aberdeen Group Inc.).
  • SQL Server set a new price/performance world record on the TPC-C benchmark with 22,478 tpmC at $18.84/tpmC (Microsoft announcement).

Sources:

  • Microsoft Corp. (press release, March 8).
  • Aberdeen Group Inc. (press release, March 8).
  • Microsoft website (SQL Server 7.0 announcement).
  • TPC-C benchmark results.