Of the many programming languages which are known to be useful for data scientists, the SQL programming language continues to be the go-to when it comes to the collection and storage of information and data. While there are a number of database management systems available for data scientists that are interested in SQL, some databases exist as part of an ecosystem of data science tools while other databases act as the primary product of a company.

Compared to other SQL databases, Oracle Database is an example of a product that exists within a portfolio of tools. As a commercial product, Oracle Database also includes several features which are not only useful for data scientists, but also developers, database administrators, and information technologists that are working with complex systems and the development of applications and software. Oracle Database continues to top the charts as one of many SQL databases that data scientists should know!

What is Oracle Database?

The Oracle Database, or Oracle DBMS, is a commercial relational database management system that can be run across different platforms and in conjunction with various tools, making it known as one of the most popular enterprise systems. This is because Oracle Database was developed to support large-scale data science projects and storage collections, with a focus on not only incorporating Oracle products but also programming languages and libraries from outside of the company. Depending on the business, Oracle Database also has capabilities for online transaction processing (OLTP) making it the system of choice for companies that have to handle the exchange of data, such as financial data for banking or making purchases.

In addition to Oracle Database, there is also Oracle Autonomous Database which runs on the Oracle Cloud Interface and makes it easier to create a data warehouse or database clusters. Depending on the level of investment and capabilities that you need, the Oracle Database includes several versions of the product, from the most expensive Enterprise edition to the freely available Expression edition which offers varying levels of storage capabilities and data processing power. Oracle Database allows data scientists, database administrators, and other professionals in the information industries to analyze the relationships within a dataset or multiple database systems.

Oracle Database vs. MySQL

Due to the fact that Oracle is a large company, it supports several tools and services for data science students and professionals, such as MySQL. For many data scientists, MySQL is the more well-known of Oracle’s relational databases and there are certain reasons why MySQL has predominated over many of these database management systems.

One of the major differences between Oracle Database and MySQL is that Oracle Database is a commercial product that requires a license and MySQL is an open-source platform. Oracle Database is recommended for data science professionals or industry experts that are working on big data projects or within a larger company whereas MySQL is more widely available to people of all backgrounds and data science interests. Especially if you are learning databases through a course or bootcamp, it is also much more common to see MySQL than some of the other Oracle database systems.

Top Features of Oracle Database Services

Whether you are interested in working with Oracle Database or other Oracle products, there are several features of the Oracle Database that stand out and make it one of the top databases for data scientists to know.

Automation and Machine Learning

As a company, Oracle has committed to incorporating more automation into its tools and platforms through embedding artificial intelligence into the products that have been produced. For the Oracle Database, automation and machine learning is incorporated in order to reduce the repetition of certain tasks when it comes to cleaning and organizing data, regardless of your knowledge of machine learning models and algorithms. User interfaces such as the Oracle Data Miner and Oracle Machine Learning for SQL can be used within Oracle Database to find patterns and themes as well as to prepare a dataset for further analysis.

Database Security and Recovery

Due to the fact that Oracle Database is primarily used by industry professionals, the company prides itself on a commitment to cybersecurity and ensuring that data stored in the database is less vulnerable to attack. These protocols include, but are not limited to, transparent data encryption, levels of authentication before accessing a database, as well as database auditing and other methods of tracking engagement with the database. The Oracle Database is known for its backup and recovery capabilities and the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) makes multiple checks and updates to your data, ensuring that it is regularly saved and easily retrievable. Data scientists that are working with data that is highly sensitive or crucial to a project can trust this database system.

Cloud-Based Database System

Like many SQL databases, the Oracle Database is a cloud-based database management system. While not all businesses have migrated to cloud-based systems, storing information and data in the cloud is especially useful for any individual or organization that has a large storage of data or multiple database systems. Cloud-based database systems also allow you to easily migrate data from one space to another while maintaining the security and integrity of the data, making cloud systems especially useful for data science teams or working with database administrators and information technologists. When working with the Oracle database, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) acts as the foundation for this system and other database services which can be used to store and access information and data.

Want to learn more about Relational Databases?

Oracle is known for the creation of data science tools and database systems that are used by a global audience of industry experts and data science professionals. Through reliance on the SQL programming language, Oracle Databases are a great example of the type of relational databases that are commonly used within the field. For those who are less familiar with relational database management systems, Noble Desktop’s SQL courses offer instruction for students and professionals that not only want to learn more about SQL but the relational databases which rely on this structured querying language.

Noble Desktop’s data science classes include certificate programs and bootcamps which not only discuss the SQL programming language but how to use other programming languages to work with relational databases. The SQL Bootcamp is an eighteen-hour course with hands-on instruction in the programming language as well as the foundations of working with a relational database system. Anyone that is interested in data science can benefit from learning more about SQL and relational databases.