Oracle is going after users of Microsoft's SQL
Server with a new tool for migrating data from SQL Server to its own
MySQL database, the vendor announced Wednesday.
The tool has been
built into Oracle's MySQL Workbench administration console, and with
it, applications written for SQL Server can be easily tweaked for MySQL,
Oracle said in a statement.
Oracle is also releasing an improved
version of the MySQL Installer for Windows environments, as well as a
new MySQL Notifier for Windows tool that "helps developers and DBAs to
easily monitor, start and stop their MySQL database instances, with the
Microsoft SQL Server look and feel," Oracle said.
In addition,
Oracle is offering a new plug-in that allows users with no experience on
MySQL to work with MySQL data inside Microsoft Excel.
Oracle claims that MySQL users can experience up to 90% less total cost of ownership compared to running SQL Server 2012.
However, Oracle's MySQL TCO Savings Calculator web page
notes that these numbers are based on public list pricing for SQL
Server. Therefore, they don't take into account any negotiated
discounts.
Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Database migration programs are a long-standing tradition in the software industry. EnterpriseDB, for example, offers compatibility with Oracle's flagship database.
Platform
vendors like Oracle are keen to increase their database penetration
into corporate IT shops, and not just for the license revenues, or in
open-source MySQL's case, support subscription contracts. The database's
central role in software technology stacks also gives these vendors a
greater opportunity to cross-sell compatible applications, middleware
and other tools.
One industry observer expressed a mixed opinion of Oracle's bid to court SQL Server users.
"There are many SQL Server/Windows uses for which MySQL/Linux
would do just as well," said analyst Curt Monash of Monash Research via
instant message. "However, I'm not sure in how many cases it would be
worth the trouble of migration."
For one thing, many Microsoft
users "have adopted a thick Windows-based stack," Monash added. "MySQL
migration doesn't address them. At the other extreme, if your
application is really trivial, why bother moving?"
Oracle is
expected to discuss the new MySQL tools as well as the database's
general roadmap in September at the MySQL Connect conference in San
Francisco.
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