What is Oracle Exalytics? – And how much does it cost?

Oracle Exalytics is a state-of-the-art, optimized, and ready-to-use in-memory platform designed to deliver extreme performance for Business Intelligence and Enterprise Performance Management applications.

Here’s a quick summary:

• High-Performance Analytics: Oracle Exalytics is engineered to deliver lightning-fast analytics, providing real-time insights for data-driven decision-making.
• In-Memory Technology: Leveraging in-memory technology, Oracle Exalytics enables rapid analysis and planning with large volumes of data.
• Integrated System: Oracle Exalytics combines hardware and software in a fully integrated system, simplifying deployment and management.

This article will delve into Oracle Exalytics’s details, features, benefits, pricing, and more.

Oracle Exalytics: An Overview

Oracle Exalytics is a robust platform that delivers extreme performance for both in-memory analytics and traditional BI applications.

It is designed to work seamlessly with Oracle’s business intelligence tools and Hyperion performance management applications. The system is also optimized for in-memory analytics, providing unprecedented speed and computational power.

The Technology Behind Oracle Exalytics

Intel Xeon processors power Oracle Exalytics and feature a large memory capacity, making it ideal for in-memory analytics.

It also includes Oracle’s TimesTen In-Memory Database, specifically designed for real-time analytics. Oracle Exalytics is also equipped with Oracle’s Business Intelligence Foundation Suite, which provides a wide range of analytic tools and capabilities.

How Oracle Exalytics Works

Oracle Exalytics leverages a combination of intelligent memory, processors, and software to deliver extreme performance. It uses in-memory computing to hold large amounts of data in the RAM, allowing faster retrieval and analysis. The system also uses parallelism to distribute the processing load across multiple processors, enhancing its performance.

The Benefits of Oracle Exalytics

With Oracle Exalytics, businesses can benefit from faster data analysis, improved business decisions, and better business outcomes.

The system enables real-time analysis of large volumes of data, allowing companies to gain insights faster and make data-driven decisions.

Oracle Exalytics also simplifies IT by consolidating various analytic workloads on a single machine, reducing the complexity and cost of managing multiple systems.

Oracle Exalytics Pricing Guide

Based on the Oracle Engineered Systems Price List:

Exalytics Software

1. Database In-Memory for Exalytics
   • License Price: $600 per Named User Plus
   • Software Update License & Support: $132.00 per Named User Plus
2. Exalytics In-Memory Software
   • License Price: $370 per Named User Plus or $30,000 per Processor
   • Software Update License & Support: $81.40 per Named User Plus or $6,600.00 per Processor
3. Exalytics In-Memory Software for Oracle Hyperion Financial Management Plus
   • License Price: $1,000 per Application User
   • Software Update License & Support: $220.00 per Application User

Building an Exalytics Configuration

Building an Exalytics configuration will depend on several factors, including the specific Exalytics software and services you choose and any additional hardware or maintenance costs. Here’s a basic outline of the potential costs involved:

1. Exalytics Software License Price: As outlined above, the license price for Exalytics software ranges from $370 to $30,000, depending on the specific software and licensing metric (Named User Plus or Processor).
2. Software Update License & Support: This ongoing cost provides software updates and support services. The price ranges from $81.40 to $6,600.00, depending on the specific software and licensing metric.
3. Hardware Costs: The cost of the physical Exalytics machine is not included in the software license price. You’ll need to contact Oracle or an Oracle partner for a quote on the hardware cost.
4. Yearly Maintenance: Oracle Premier Support for Systems is an additional cost that provides you with support for your Exalytics machine. The charge for this service is not listed in the price list, and you’ll need to contact Oracle for a quote.
5. Oracle Consulting Services: There will be additional costs if you require consulting services for your Exalytics implementation. The price for Oracle Consulting Advisory for Oracle Engineered Systems is listed as “Each” in the price list, indicating that the cost will depend on the specific services you require.

Remember, these are just the basic costs of building an Exalytics configuration. Depending on your specific needs and circumstances, there may be additional costs, such as training for your staff, data migration costs, and more.

Oracle Exalytics Specifications and Versions

Oracle Exalytics is a powerful engineered system for in-memory analytics that delivers extreme performance for Business Intelligence and Enterprise Performance Management applications.

The system is built using Oracle’s market-leading business intelligence software, in-memory database technology, and the most powerful and scalable mid-range server.

The Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine T5-8 is a complete system that delivers exceptionally high throughput performance and is ideal for multi-tenancy environments where real-time performance, intelligence, simplicity, and manageability are crucial.

The system can be deployed in existing IT environments independently or with Oracle Exadata, Oracle SuperCluster, Oracle Big Data Appliance, or Oracle Exalogic to enable even higher performance with an even more compelling business user experience.

Here are some key specifications of the Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine T5-8:

• Processor: Eight sixteen-core 3.6 GHz SPARC T5 processors with sixteen cryptographic units per SPARC T5 processor.
• Main Memory: One hundred twenty-eight 32 GB DDR3 ECC Registered DIMMs with a total memory capacity of 4 TB.
• Networking: Four 10 GbE (100 Mbps/1 Gbps/10 Gbps) ports on board, four QDR (40Gb/s) InfiniBand ports, and four 8Gb Dual-Port Fibre Channel PCI-Express Card.
• Internal Storage: 6.4TB of PCI Flash, 9.6TB of raw disk capacity.
• Operating Systems: Oracle Solaris 11.
• Analytics Software: Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite, Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database for Exalytics.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Oracle Exadata vs Oracle Exalytics

While Oracle Exadata and Oracle Exalytics are engineered systems designed to enhance database and application processing, they serve different purposes and are used in other contexts.

Oracle Exadata is a database machine that performs exceptionally well for data warehousing and online transaction processing (OLTP) applications. It is aimed at making it the ideal platform for consolidating legacy apps. Exadata provides the following:

• Database Servers, Storage, and Network in a Single Enclosure (336 TB+)
• High Bandwidth Network Connects Database and Storage Servers
• Intelligent Storage Filters Data and Minimizes Network traffic
• Optimized for Both Data Warehouse and OLTP Activity

On the other hand, Oracle Exalytics is an Engineered BI Machine designed for Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) applications. It is used in business intelligence to handle and analyze big data. These Big Data appliances, combining hardware and software, aim to simplify the IT infrastructure, reduce costs, and improve productivity/speed.

Here is a comparison table to highlight the differences:

Real-Life Use Cases for Oracle Exalytics

Oracle Exalytics is used in various industries and sectors to handle and analyze big data. Here are a few examples:

1. Telecom Industry: Telecom companies generate a vast amount of data every day. Oracle Exalytics can help these companies analyze this data to improve their services, understand customer behavior, and make data-driven decisions.
2. Banks: Banks also deal with a large amount of data. Oracle Exalytics can help banks analyze this data to detect fraudulent activities, understand customer behavior, and improve their services.
3. Airlines: Airlines can use Oracle Exalytics to analyze flight data, customer data, and other relevant data to improve their services, optimize their operations, and increase customer satisfaction.
4. Government: Government agencies can use Oracle Exalytics to analyze various data types to improve their services, make data-driven decisions, and increase efficiency.
5. Data Service Providers: Data service providers can use Oracle Exalytics to analyze the data they collect to provide better client services.

Implementing Oracle Exalytics

Implementing Oracle Exalytics involves several steps, including planning, installation, configuration, and testing. Here are the general steps involved:

1. Planning involves understanding the business requirements, defining the project’s scope, and planning the resources and timeline.
2. Installation: This involves installing the Oracle Exalytics machine and the necessary software.
3. Configuration: This involves configuring the Oracle Exalytics machine and the software according to the business requirements.
4. Testing: This involves testing the Oracle Exalytics machine and the software to ensure they work as expected.
5. Deployment: This involves deploying the Oracle Exalytics machine and the software in the production environment.
6. Maintenance and Support: This involves providing ongoing maintenance and support to ensure the Oracle Exalytics machine and the software continue to meet the business requirements.

It’s important to note that the implementation process can vary depending on the specific business requirements and the existing IT infrastructure. Therefore, working with a team of experts or a service provider with experience implementing Oracle Exalytics is recommended.