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Hekaton vs Oracle TimesTen

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Oracle TimesTen: Oracle's in-memory relational database: microsecond SQL, PL/SQL, and a cache tier for Oracle Database.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in Oracle TimesTen.
  • Only Hekaton has triggers, columnar storage, time travel.
  • Only Oracle TimesTen has materialized views, compression.
  • Oracle TimesTen can run embedded in your application process.

choose hekaton for

  • +High-throughput order, trading or betting transactions
  • +ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching
  • +IoT and sensor ingestion
  • +Replacing tempdb table variables and temp tables

best at · OLTP, Sessions, Cache

choose oracle-timesten for

  • +Telecom online charging and policy control
  • +Trading and market-data applications
  • +Real-time fraud and authorisation checks
  • +In-memory cache tier in front of Oracle Database

best at · OLTP, Cache, Real-time analytics

HekatonSQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL.
Oracle TimesTenOracle's in-memory relational database: microsecond SQL, PL/SQL, and a cache tier for Oracle Database.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
–
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Microsoft
Oracle Corporation
First release
2014
1998
Latest version
–
26.1.1 (Apr 2026)
License
ProprietaryIncluded with Microsoft SQL Server licensing
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.5
9.5
Rank
#435
#310
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
76
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
In memory, Client server
In memory, Distributed, Primary replica, Embedded
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Azure
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
—
—
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
✓
—
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
✓
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
—
In-memory
✓
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
✓
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
T-SQL
SQL, PL/SQL
Client languages
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C, PHP
C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript
Best for
OLTP, Sessions, Cache, IoT
OLTP, Cache, Real-time analytics, Tick data
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Hekaton vs Oracle TimesTen: FAQ

What is the difference between Hekaton and Oracle TimesTen?

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Oracle TimesTen: Oracle's in-memory relational database: microsecond SQL, PL/SQL, and a cache tier for Oracle Database. Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in Oracle TimesTen. Only Hekaton has triggers, columnar storage, time travel. Only Oracle TimesTen has materialized views, compression.

When should I choose Hekaton over Oracle TimesTen?

Choose Hekaton for high-throughput order, trading or betting transactions; ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching; and IoT and sensor ingestion. Choose Oracle TimesTen for telecom online charging and policy control; trading and market-data applications; and real-time fraud and authorisation checks.

Is Hekaton or Oracle TimesTen more popular?

Oracle TimesTen ranks #310 on the WhichDB Score (9.5/100) and Hekaton ranks #435 (3.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hekaton and Oracle TimesTen open source?

No. Hekaton is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Included with Microsoft SQL Server licensing. No. Oracle TimesTen is proprietary, closed-source software.