[postgis-users] PostgreSQL/PostGIS and ArcGIS Server 9.3

[Tim Bowden]

On Fri, 2008-05-23 at 14:18 -0400, Obe, Regina wrote:
> > Yes, using SDE effectively castrates the spatial database. It still
> > walks and talks, but it's a shell of the man it was before.
> >
> 
> >> Ah, but a much cheaper shell than previously available to SDE users
> >> (with at least 87%(?) of the performance as I vaguely recall from
> some
> >> semi-relevant benchmark study)!
> It depends which shell you are talking about.  If you compare with
> Oracle then yes probably so.   Since well we know Oracle likes their
>  customers a lot.
> 

Yes, I did have Oracle in mind here.

> But honestly if you are talking about SQL Server vs. PostgreSQL, I
> think the savings you get
> 
> from running PostgreSQL would be dwarfed by the cost of SDE.
> 
> From what I recall we paying for SQL Server 2005 - Standard for Dual
> processor (they don't charge for cores and all that nonsense) --
> $10,000   (I think Enterprise is about $20,000 per processor well that
> I'm not sure but I recall about half or more of what Oracle charges)
> and the cost if you wanted to get SDE ontop of that as I recall
> checking way back was $20,000 for SDE for 2 processors alone (so
> $30,000).  Granted my memory and comparison is a bit dated.
> 
> Now if they charge per Processor as I recall they used to (and god
> forbid cores) and you are thinking I can save a pretty penny running
> PostgreSQL (with tons of processors) - hmm think again.
> 
> 

Given-
a. the quite substantial costs involved with SDE and
b. ESRI's implicit validation of PostgreSQL/PostGIS as a base platform

wouldn't it make financial sense for a number of large SDE users to pool
some resources to either make SDE - PostGIS multi-master possible (as
per my previous post which I'm sure is about to get shot down) or
re-implement the SDE API on PostGIS as an open source project?  At the
very least starting such a project would have to put significant
downward pressure on SDE license costs.  Let's face it, a spatial
database is no longer the exotic beast it once was, and it's about time
prices reflected this reality.  Spatial is being commoditized and you
can't charge a premium for a commodity item.

Regards,
Tim