Oracle acknowledged that it still has a ways to go. SQL Developer's ability to manage non-Oracle databases remains rudimentary, said Hichwa. And though Migration Workbench has been around since 1998 and can cleanly import table data from non-Oracle databases, it has a far harder time debugging non-Oracle database code such as stored procedures or triggers, he said.

The integrated version due out later this year will improve upon that, and on its ability to tune SQL statements, Hichwa said. It will ship with the next version of Oracle's flagship database, 11g, which is expected to be unveiled at the company's OpenWorld show in October.