Oracle Database 10g Database Server describes the most recent major version of the Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) family of products that share common source code. This family includes:
Personal Oracle, a database for single users that's often used to develop code for implementation on other Oracle multiuser databases
Oracle Standard Edition, which was named Workgroup Server in its first iteration as part of the Oracle7 family and is sometimes simply referred to as Oracle Server
Oracle Enterprise Edition, which includes all Standard Edition functionality and additional functionality
Oracle Lite, used primarily for mobile applications
Oracle8 was introduced in 1997 with larger size limitations and management features, such as partitioning, aimed at very large database implementations. In 1998, Oracle announced Oracle8i, which is sometimes referred to as Version 8.1 of the Oracle8 database. The i was added to denote added functionality supporting Internet deployment in the new version. Oracle9i followed, with Application Server available in 2000 and Database Server in 2001. Oracle Database 10g was introduced in 2003; the g denotes Oracle's focus on emerging grid deployment models. The terms Oracle, Oracle8, Oracle8i, Oracle9i and Oracle Database 10g (or Oracle10g) might appear to be used somewhat interchangeably in this book, because Oracle Database 10g includes all the features of previous versions. When we describe a new feature that was first made available specifically in certain releases, we've tried to note that fact to avoid confusion, recognizing that many of you may have old releases of Oracle. We typically use the simple term Oracle when describing features that are common to all these releases.
Oracle has focused development around a single source code model since 1983. While each database implementation includes some operating system-specific source code at very low levels in order to better leverage specific platforms, the interfaces that users, developers, and administrators deal with for each version are consistent. Because features are consistent across platforms for implementations of Oracle Standard Edition and Oracle Enterprise Edition, companies can migrate Oracle applications easily to various hardware vendors and operating systems while leveraging their investments in Oracle technology. This development strategy also enables Oracle to focus on implementing new features only once in its product set, instead of having to add functionality at different times to different implementations.
Oracle Standard Edition refers to a specific database offering, once known as Workgroup Server. From a functionality and pricing standpoint, this product intends to compete in the entry-level multiuser and small database category, supporting smaller numbers of users. These releases are available today on Windows and Unix platforms such as HP Compaq, HP/UX, IBM AIX, Linux, and Sun Solaris.
Oracle Enterprise Edition is aimed at larger-scale implementations that require additional features. Enterprise Edition is available on far more platforms than the Oracle release for workgroups and includes advanced management, networking, programming, and data warehousing features, as well as a variety of special-purpose options, such as clustering, which are available at extra cost.
Oracle Personal Edition is the single-user version of Oracle Enterprise Edition. Personal Edition is most frequently used for development on a single machine. Because the features match those of Enterprise Edition, a developer can write applications using the Personal Edition and deploy them to multi-user servers. Some companies deploy single-user applications using this product. However, Oracle Lite offers a much more lightweight means of deploying the same applications.
Oracle Lite, once known as Oracle Mobile, is intended for single users who are using wireless/mobile devices. It differs from other members of the Oracle database family in that it doesn't use the same database engine. Instead, Oracle developed a lightweight engine compatible with the limited memory and storage capacity of handheld devices. Oracle Lite is described in more detail at the end of this chapter.
Because the SQL supported by Oracle Lite is largely the same as the SQL for other Oracle databases, you can run applications developed for those database engines using Oracle Lite. Replication of data between Oracle Lite and other Oracle versions is a key part of most implementations.
Table 1-2 summarizes the situations in which you would typically use each database product. We've used the Oracle product names to refer to the different members of the Oracle database family.