Schemas, Databases and Instances—Defined and Discussed

What is a schema as opposed to a database as opposed to an instance? And how do schemas differ between Oracle and MSSQL? Or between Oracle and PostgreSQL? Or between PostgreSQL and MongoDB?These terms are very important when planning a database architecture, so let’s explore them.

Architecting to Maximize Recovery Options in Oracle

I recently received a frantic call from a client that believed they have been hacked and had to quickly recover data. They said that data belonging to two or more of their customers had been lost. Our customer functions essentially as an application service provider (ASP). Their customers’ data is in an Oracle database that […]

3 Oracle DBA Strategic Responsibilities to Outsource for Maximum Business Value

Many organizations have limited their Oracle DBA outsourcing to tactical/operational functions like monitoring, backup and patching. But the changing technology landscape is transforming the DBA role and requiring greater expertise. Today’s enterprise data stores are increasingly massive and architecturally complex. They must support e-commerce and other critical applications that are web-based and demand continuous availability, […]