Contact(s):
Sally Huchingson
Oracle Corp.
650/633-8277
sally.huchingson@oracle.com
Amy Swanson
Oracle Corp.
650/506-0114
amy.swanson@oracle.com
Outdoor Retailer Uses Oracle`s Database Clustering Technology To Power Integrated, Online Shopping Environment
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Feb. 18, 2003 - (http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?1618301) Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), the world`s largest enterprise software company, today announced that Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retailer of quality outdoor gear and clothing, has implemented Oracle9i Database with Real Application Clusters to power its e-commerce Web site, www.rei.com. REI, recently named one of the top two multi-channel retailers by Forrester Research, selected Oracle9i Database with Real Application Clusters because it offered high availability and reliability. The retailer`s Web site plays a crucial role in REI`s multi-channel strategy, which includes 63 retail stores, telephone, mail order and the Internet, providing a seamless customer experience.
"By using Oracle9i Database, REI is effectively able to reduce planned and unplanned downtime, thus providing a consistent customer experience for our customers who access our site via the Web or through our in store kiosks," said Ernie Hughes, director of technical services at Recreational Equipment, Inc. "Additionally, Oracle9i Database with Real Application Clusters provides data warehousing capabilities that enable REI to analyze customer purchasing patterns or respond to customer requests more effectively, regardless of how our customer chooses to interact with us."
Integrating a Multi-Channel Shopping Experience
REI`s Web site, which coordinates most of the company`s business transactions and serves as a clearing-house for multiple sales channels, is using a single Oracle9i Database to manage mail orders, in-store special orders, gift registries and kiosk operations. In addition to finding a backpack, bicycle or tent, customers can use the site or in-store kiosks to research hiking trails, camping guides and fly-fishing techniques. The full-functioning kiosks are available onsite at REI stores to provide customers with direct online access to products, research and outdoor travel information.
The shared-disk approach to Oracle9i Real Application Clusters helps enable REI to better utilize the hardware required to run its Web site. Rather than designate processors as stagnant back-up systems that are only used if failure occurs, Oracle`s database clusters employ several low-cost hardware servers that run simultaneously helping to ensure seamless failover. In the event that one node fails, the user-transactions fail over to the other nodes of the cluster without any interruption of service, thereby enabling continuous availability for REI customers or employees accessing the Web site. By consolidating four disparate databases into a shared-disk Oracle9i Real Application Clusters configuration, the outdoor equipment and clothing outfitter can now achieve superior availability with unlimited scalability, even during peak holiday shopping periods.
About Oracle
Oracle is the world`s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.
###
Back...
