Comment On A Software Problem, A Marketing Solution

Outlaw Programmer:

The real WTF is why people have this preconceived notion that Oracle is "The Best", even when you have a simple app that doesn't play to Oracle's strengths.

D2oris:

Outlaw Programmer:

The real WTF is why people have this preconceived notion that Oracle is "The Best", even when you have a simple app that doesn't play to Oracle's strengths.

Eclipse: now with 200% more XML!

D2oris:

Dude:

MySQL is solution

Dude:

MySQL is solution

Stilgar:

Dude:

MySQL is solution

yes but sometimes you want more power
then you go for flat file

Outlaw Programmer:

Stilgar:

Dude:

MySQL is solution

yes but sometimes you want more power
then you go for flat file

You forget that you can just store the XML IN the MySQL DB. Infinite scalability!

Markp:

Outlaw Programmer:

The real WTF is why people have this preconceived notion that Oracle is "The Best", even when you have a simple app that doesn't play to Oracle's strengths.

But nowadays even saying "XML" has the same effect, even when it's superfluous.

JimM:

Markp:

Outlaw Programmer:

The real WTF is why people have this preconceived notion that Oracle is "The Best", even when you have a simple app that doesn't play to Oracle's strengths.

But nowadays even saying "XML" has the same effect, even when it's superfluous.

Isn't it amazing how a specialised technique / format / methodology is suddenly heralded as the answer to all problem, even when it is irredeemably unsuited to addressing 95% of those problems. In the general business world Prince 2 has a similar effect. In fact, if you put together a sales pitch with the right combination of Oracle, XML and Prince 2, I suspect you could create a hypnotic effect guaranteed to win you any contract...

Outlaw Programmer:

I've worked at a company where the same thing happened. For the life of me, I could not understand why they needed an Oracle DB to persist stuff that was never queried. They could have easily used a simple text file.

I forgot about it for a while, moved on to another company, but then something strange happened. When talking to people about my new job, they would often ask what DB vendor we were using. I replied with, "just SQL Server." People basically laughed in my face and said they couldn't take any Wall Street based company seriously if they weren't using Oracle.

Then it hit me. The managers at my old company KNEW that the Oracle DB wasn't necessary. They also knew that, as a Wall Street software company, their clients were expecting an Oracle backend. It was a brilliant marketing move.

The real WTF is why people have this preconceived notion that Oracle is "The Best", even when you have a simple app that doesn't play to Oracle's strengths.

Stilgar:

Dude:

MySQL is solution

yes but sometimes you want more power
then you go for flat file

Ben4jammin:

It would be like if I chastised my mechanic over the type of oil he put in my truck or something.

OP:

the database was completely superfluous since records were processed as they came in

metrician:

Just for the record, CDR is an abbreviation for Call Detail Record not Call Data Record.

Dirk:

Can the reply button be removed for me, please? I tend to miss the quote button...

Is the fact that this company's marketing department has power and influence at least equal to the people who actually create the product that is the company's raison d'etre still unusual enough to count as a proper WTF?

SoonerMatt:

Now you could use the free oracle instance that has a 4gb limit.

Dirk:

Can the reply button be removed for me, please? I tend to miss the quote button...

DWalker59:

The SQL 2005 Express engine (without a user interface) is free (just like MySQL). There are third-party user interfaces for it.

DWalker59:

The SQL 2005 Express engine (without a user interface) is free (just like MySQL).

DWalker59:

The SQL 2005 Express engine (without a user interface) is free (just like MySQL). There are third-party user interfaces for it.

Schnapple:

Actually, SQL 2005 Express comes with a UI as well - the same one, basically, as the real product. MSDE (the "Express" analogue for SQL 2000) didn't come with one but I've actually used SQL 2005 Express for clients before. It has some technical limitations (most notably a max 2GB database size) and some usage restrictions, but it can be used for commercial purposes.

metrician:

Just for the record, CDR is an abbreviation for Call Detail Record not Call Data Record.

Mark:

SoonerMatt:

Now you could use the free oracle instance that has a 4gb limit.

Except I don't think it's allowed for commercial use in a production environment. Just for testing.

Ben4jammin:

It would be like if I chastised my mechanic over the type of oil he put in my truck or something. There is a reason why he works on trucks and I work on servers.

Toger:

IANAOE

Outlaw Programmer:

Stilgar:

Dude:

MySQL is solution

yes but sometimes you want more power
then you go for flat file

You forget that you can just store the XML IN the MySQL DB. Infinite scalability!

The CDRs were stored alongside all billing records, and were frequently accessed by mission-critical internal applications, and they weren't prepared to expose all of that to a third party. So instead, Jason's company would have to construct CDRs on their own from the signaling message flow.