ORACLE DATABASE REPLICATION – GoldenGate, Replicate & SharePlex

Oracle Database Replication

“Replication is the process of copying and maintaining database objects, such as tables, in multiple databases. “

Oracle Database replication is a large topic. Companies implement database replication for different reasons and there are many different tools and implementation methods that could be used.

Database Replicaiton

Oracle Database Replication Options

With so many replication options, choosing the right solution is, in most cases, confusing and time consuming.  There are many variables that you need to consider before deciding on your migration strategy.

Replication Considerations

A big number of variables need to be taken into account before any decision is made such as:

  • Business case
    • Disaster protection
    • Offloading
    • Disaster protection and offloading
    • Low downtime migration
    • Low downtime upgrade
    • Business continuity Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
    • Business continuity Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
  • Budget/Cost
  • Distance
  • Volume of change
  • Complexity
    • Uni-directional
    • Bi-directional
    • Multi-master
  • Application readiness
    • Data types
    • Constraints
    • Triggers

Oracle Database replication can be implemented different ways such as Storage-Based Replication or Application-Based Replication to mention just some of the options. It can also be done at the logical or physical level.

Cost and complexity are major considerations as some of the solutions may be cost prohibitive. Also, some solutions are not available when running Oracle Standard Edition (SE) .

Most frequently companies use database replication to create replicas of the production database for offloading and/or disaster protection purposes. Database replication as a way of minimizing the downtime associated with upgrades and migrations is also very popular.

 

Database Replication Vendors – Oracle GoldenGate, Dbvisit Replicate, Dell SharePlex

Some of the most frequently used solutions are Oracle GoldenGate, Oracle Data Guard, Oracle Streams (now on its way out) and some very effective third-party options like Dell’s SharePlex and DBvisit’s Replicate. There are also many storage-based solutions available.

Bottom line is Oracle database replication through its many flavours is one of the most frequently implemented technology by Oracle database clients. With proper requirement gathering on your existing database topology and knowing the available capabilities of each vendor, options and tools, you should be on your way to enhance your business with benefits of your replicated database in no time.