Oracle Database In-Memory

Versus SAP HANA

Business Need Oracle Database In-Memory SAP HANA

Works transparently with
existing applications, BI,
and reporting tools.
100-percent compatible with Much less functionality. Requires
all Oracle and independent new applications or recoding of
software vendor (ISV) tools existing applications.
and applications in addition to
custom-written applications.

Compatible with cloud No database size limit; uses The entire database must fit in costly
computing, big data, and dynamic random access DRAM, and large data warehouses
data warehousing. memory (DRAM), flash, and and big data will not fit. Database
disk transparently. There is no cloud consolidation is also not feasible.
overspending on storage because SAP claims users can combine HANA
users don’t have to put their entire with other databases such as Sybase
database in expensive DRAM. to migrate data to and from HANA,
but this is a fragile, complex, and slow
architecture.

Ensures data availability Very proven Oracle Maximum Immature product and missing
and security. Availability Architecture is inherited availability features make downtime
by Oracle Database In-Memory, unavoidable. No fast recovery from
mitigating planned and unplanned node failure. Security functionality
outages. Memory duplication is basic. It takes many years of
prevents downtime on node failure. real-world experience to cover all
high-availability and security scenarios.

No hardware lock-in Oracle Database In-Memory HANA works only on SAP-certified,

or limitations. works on any platform running X86-based HANA appliances from
Oracle Database 12c. partners. Customers cannot run HANA
on existing noncertified hardware.

Leverages existing IT talent No new APIs and minimal new DBA Because HANA is a new “platform”
(DBAs, developers). commands are required, making with unique operational procedures
Oracle Database In-Memory trivial to and programming practices, a new
implement and maintain. team or retraining is required.

Scales for analytics and Oracle Database In-Memory’s HANA uses a column format for
online transaction unique dual format enables high-performance analytics, which
processing (OLTP). transparent scale-up and scale-out has severe architectural limitations for
for analytics and OLTP workloads OLTP performance and scalability. Scale-
running together. up and scale-out are very immature.

June 2014
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