Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

463.0. "Market share: O .vs. Rdb" by SCAACT::NARDI (Phil Nardi, TP Consultant, 483-4474) Fri Oct 20 1989 18:32

    
    I need to confirm the ACTUAL market share on VAX computers for
    Rdb and Oracle.  Michael Booths' slides show both vendors are
    about even (16.4% .vs. Rdb's 16.3% I think, source Computer
    Intelligence, 4/89).
    
    However, Oracle is using numbers from DataPro, showing they have
    something like 34% of the VAX market.  Are these numbers bogus,
    like "intent to buy" or something?  They even claim they have
    the largest DB share on IBM!  I know that's bullstuff.
    
    Can someone help explain the discrepancy in a form that my customer
    can verify for himself?  Are there any phone numbers to call to
    verify what is being quoted and what is the exact market share?
    Or, published documents?
    
    If I can prove that Oracle is using bogus numbers, I think my customer
    would throw them out.  Then the happy hour is on me.  :^)

    The numbers I use are the ones CI gets on their surveys.
    
    The 34% is a "relational market share". That is, you take the CI
    numbers, extract what someone defines as non-relational databases, then
    use a multiplier to get what's left back up to 100%. On that basis, the
    share should be about 34% to 32% favoring Oracle.
    
    There is third set of numbers Oracle likes to use. It runs something
    like Oracle has 15.7% of the IBM market, 37% of Digital, and 10% of the
    PC market. These numbers are REVENUE SHARES. They measure how much
    revenue a vendor gobbles up in the market. At Oracle's pricing, those
    numbers are quite high, but completely irrelevant to market share.
    
    The CI numbers I use can be confirmed by anyone using CI. The user asks
    for an extract of the VAX/VMS database market. You get both site and
    license breakdowns.
    
    ---- MIchael Booth

    
    And, how do I access or call CI?