As Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) and SAP prepare to go at each other in the courtroom, many customers are much more interested in how the vendors are faring in the marketplace.  For a side-by-side comparison of the two software makers' strategies, revenues and executive shake-ups over the last few months, take a look at an article by CIO magazine's Thomas Wailgum.

Wailgum compares the most recent quarterly earnings reports of the two companies in a neat, easy-to-read table, pointing out who's got the edge in a wide variety of categories. He looks not just at the raw numbers (revenues, income, etc.) but also at less obvious indicators, such as how often each vendor mentioned the other during its earnings call. (Spoiler: Oracle executives mentioned SAP 20 times, and SAP executives mentioned Oracle four times. The edge goes to SAP.)

Oracle has the edge in the category of "Big, Scary Number to Behold," boasting $8.8 billion in operating cash flow on a trailing 12-month basis. SAP wins out in the category of "Earnings Conference Call Quote," with this one from Co-CEO Bill McDermott: "Unlike others, we work closely with our partners. We do not alienate them."

New marketing plans, new hires and new rumors regarding the two companies are also compared.

For more:
- see Thomas Wailgum's article at CIO magazine

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