Comparison of general characteristics

Prospective users must understand a few foundational details when comparing Oracle’s database with the EDB Postgres Advanced Server database. Having an understanding of these basic characteristics is especially valuable during discussions between Oracle experts and Postgres experts.

Terminology

Before looking at the compatibility issues in detail, be aware that there are differences in nomenclature used in many SQL-based products. The table shows some of these differences.

In addition, each instance of EDB Postgres Advanced Server is referred to as a cluster. A cluster is a collection of databases that is managed by a single program instance. It consists of a data directory that contains all data and configuration files. You can refer to it in two ways: by location of the data directory or by port number. A single server can have many program installations, and you can create multiple clusters.

General capabilities

Both Oracle and EDB Postgres Advanced Server are mature, enterprise-class, object-relational databases that meet the industry standards for atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability (ACID) compliance. Both were developed from the same IBM research on System R and designed to solve many of the same problems. These database programs have many similarities.

Capacities

When considering a new database, you need to understand whether a new solution has the capacity to support existing application data designs, workloads, and anticipated growth. Applying the capacity of a new solution to your workloads and future applications means understanding how it supports data across multiple structures in the database.