Oracle Database Licensing Advisory

What does Oracle database licensing advisory cover?

It covers every lever that sets your database license count: the metric you are licensed under, the core factor applied to your processors, the edition you run, the options and management packs that may have been enabled, and the virtualization boundary Oracle asserts. We measure the estate independently, reconcile it against your signed entitlements, and build a position you can defend if an Oracle audit follows. The classic findings, processor core shortfalls against the core factor table and options enabled by accident, are exactly where we focus first.

Processor or Named User Plus, which is right?

The right metric depends on how many people and devices touch the database and how the server is sized. Named User Plus licenses countable users subject to a per processor minimum, which suits small, well defined populations. Processor licensing covers all access and is priced on cores multiplied by the core factor, which suits large or unknown user counts. Choosing wrong, or letting Oracle choose for you, is where over spend begins. We model both against your real usage and the per processor minimums so the cheaper defensible metric wins. The mechanics are set out in full in the Oracle Database Licensing Guide.

Options and management packs

This is the most common source of unexpected database liability. Enterprise Edition ships with separately licensable options, and a single click in Enterprise Manager can register usage of the Diagnostics or Tuning Pack, while many options install by default. Oracle's scripts detect that usage and turn it into a finding. We identify what is enabled, switch off cleanly what is not needed, document the change, and dispute usage that was never operationally meaningful. For the virtualization side of the same estate, see our virtualization and cloud licensing practice and the Oracle Virtualization Licensing Guide.

How do we price this work?

We work on two models only, and never publish a specific price because every estate is different. Fixed Fee is scoped and agreed up front, so you know the cost before we start. Gainshare is a share of verified savings or avoided exposure, with zero retainer and no risk to the customer, so we are paid from money we actually save you. Either way the guarantee holds: we reduce your Oracle exposure or we reimburse our service fee. To see the full comparison, visit pricing.