What is PostgreSQL and how does it compare to Oracle?
PostgreSQL is a object relational database system (ORDBMS) just like Oracle. There are many opinions (try google) of the differences. Be careful when reading these that the version of PostgreSQL they are using for comparison is a recent one – at least 8.1. You can read what PostgreSQL has to say about itself and its advantages on their website. Perhaps only one thing is crystal clear: PostgreSQL is open-source and free, Oracle is not. We have tested CHORD on databases up to 4 million compounds without problems, although larger database are searched more slowly, as expected. We chose PostgreSQL because it 1) is highly customizable and extensible enabling our powerful SQL extensions; 2) has all the features necessary for CHORD; and 3) it’s free and without license restrictions.
