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What is Holding SAP-DB Back?

Posted by Cliff on from the yet-another-RDBMS-question dept.

Derek Neighbors queries: "The current story about MySQL 4.0 has erupted into a Postgres vs. MySQL debate. We at GNU Enterprise, who have used about all Free and Propietary databases, would like to know why exactly people arent using SAP-DB? It clearly is on par with Oracle, is GPL and frankly has an awesome support team in SAP AG. There was a PG vs SAP-DB recently. Someone else mentioned that you can get CDROMs for free. So again the question is 'What exactly is hindering a wider acceptance of SAP-DB in Free/Open Software projects?'"

5 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. sapdb is too complicated - interbase/firebird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting


    sapdb needs a lot of effort to set up and create a
    database, sometimes even worse than the magic juju you need to go through with Oracle.

    What surprises me more actually is that Interbase/Firebird is not more successfull.
    It is free and as simple to set up/use as mysql in my opinion, but avoids most of the
    mysql limitations.

  2. Ease of Setup and Use are the most critical... by DigitalCH · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One thing that bothers the hell out of me is that no DB out there is easier to setup and use than MS SQL server...

    In my job I have used literally every DB out there and none of them are easier to setup than Microsoft. It also the easiet to use from the application side. With oracle and other db's you need to know all kinds of listener and config info about where you dbase is. With MS and a few others you just need the servername and dbname and it works. Thats how things should be.

    I am quite happy with the way MySQL is coming along.. they finally have a decent admin interface and the other feature they have needed for years... now if installation and usage were just a bit easier they could really compete.

  3. Why we (I) don't use it... by Thackeri · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The company I work for uses alot of open source software in it's development - both in terms off server side (linux, apache, etc) and for the application side (Tomcat, JServ, etc).

    We don't use SAP-DB because:

    1. Our clients break down into 2 camps - those who want cost-effective solutions (so we go down the open source route of Tomcat/MYSQL) and those who want brand-labelled solutions (so we use JRun/Oracle etc).
    2. We need to limit our support base. Having gained skills in maintaining MYSQL, Oracle and [shudder] MS SQL Server adding another DB to that side makes life harder for us in the short to medium term.
    3. Until this article I (and most of the developers here) hadn't heard of SAP-DB!

    I dare say that if we had a pressing business case to learn the extra skill (i.e. we required some of it's fetures on a project that hadn't got the Oracle budget) then we'd consider it.

    Then again there are other Dbs that would also cut it in that case too.

    MYSQL has a big name in terms of Open Source software and that alone may prevent people from switching from it in favour of a less well known 'brand'.

    --
    Better the pride that resides in a Citizen of the world, than the pride that divides when a colourful rag is unfurled
  4. Re:Why doesn't SAP use it? by sg_oneill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Theres an interesting parallel to that one. In Australia, there is the Fosters brand , which only tourists drink, as it's generally accepted to be shiet. There is also the much loved 'crown' brand.
    Recently the glassie at my local bar told me that they where the same beer. I didn't believe him, so he did a test. He poured me a crownie and a fosters, and got me to blind compare them. I could not tell the difference. The moral here is that taste is *socially constructed*. That is in non sociology talk, we base our likes and perceptions on the social environment that we are exposed to. It's a wierd thing.

    --
    Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
  5. Re:I never heard of SAP-DB... by WinterSolstice · · Score: 4, Interesting
    SAP really is not the kind of thing a smallish company would want. It's a huge, modular, proprietary, complex piece of work. It has its own language (ABAP), it has its own "OS" (Basis), and it is designed to own everything it touches. I have lived and breathed SAP at my company for over 2 years now (as a Basis admin), and I can tell you that unless you wanted a 1 stop ultra-integration system, it is not for you.

    SAP is sweet in that it is incredibly easy to control the flow of money and goods around a system, but everything requires customization. This is not OTS software. A typical install takes 2 years, and just handling an upgrade will be the hardest 4-5 days of your life. We did 3.1H to 4.6B in a 3 system (development, quality assurance, production) landscape in 2 weeks, and I think we darned near set a record.

    SAP is definately only for really large commodity driven companies. If I were the CTO of a medium size business, I would not use an ERP like SAP. I'd use something much lighter weight. Of course, if I were Amazon, Dell, Anheiser-Busch, Pepsico, etc. I would be using SAP. Nothing else comes close when you need to know what, where, when, and how much.

    -WS

    --
    An operating system should be like a light switch... simple, effective, easy to use, and designed for everyone.