cengland0 (1/10/2012)
mtassin (1/10/2012)
Oracle supports storing timezone with dates.http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B14117_01/server.101/b10759/functions179.htm
Using the portability defense really isn't a good idea... each DB server is different enough, that queries that can run on all of them, likely run poorly on all of them.
I cannot disagree with this. However, would you rather write 3 or 4 versions of a program or just one? I sell a service and the companies I sell it to have a variety of server implementations.
If you are a software writer that has multiple targets, I can see your point. However the vast majority of us, 90+% of the developers out there write for applications that are not sold, are internal, and target one platform.
Your comment is valid, but you should qualify it with the note that your job requires this. I have almost never seen anyone port code from one RDBMS to another, outside of an ISV. Even when we've switched platforms, it was a data move, not a code move.
For ISVs, hire more people. Don't write queries that suck on all platforms. Rewrite them for different platforms.