"But for currency, we actually sold more new licenses in Q3 of this year than we did in Q3 of last year," CEO Larry Ellison said during a conference call.

Given the global recession, "that is a remarkable achievement," he added.

The quarter's pace of business was typical for Oracle, with many deals closing toward the end, said Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz. "Nothing about that was different," she said.

In typical fashion, Ellison talked up Oracle's position against competitors, characterizing Oracle as an unstoppable powerhouse amid an onslaught of harsh economic headwinds.

"We're better in applications than SAP. In database, we're taking share from Microsoft and IBM," he said. "We're competing more effectively across the board in all our product areas and that's the explanation for Q3, and reason for optimism moving forward."