IBM wants to make an IBM-Oracle database configuration work easy from the very start and the very start is determining a sizing estimate for the Oracle implementation.

The first step is completing a sizing questionnaire for Oracle Database OLTP and BI (nonOLTP) workloads on IBM Power Systems, System z, System x or IBM mixed environments. By providing the needed information IBM experts can develop a sizing recommendation outlining the IBM server resources you’ll need to get that database installed.

In layman’s terms, a sizing is figuring out what hardware is necessary to support a software implementation.
As IBM explains, the sizing effort isn’t just an IT task. You’re going to need some insight and help from internal business experts, your Oracle support team and possibly some consultants.

And it’s often not a one-time effort as it will likely need to be refined and repeated to gain an accurate assessment, depending on whether you’ve already deployed an Oracle database or are just launching the effort. IBM’s Solutions Sizing Center experts will be there every step of the way to make sure you have the infrastructure you need and all the efficiency possible.

Too much hardware is not a good scenario given reduced IT resources and budget constraints, and too little infrastructure means you wont get the needed, and wanted, database performance or scalability to handle increasing data loads.