Oracle Workloads on Azure
Workload |
Azure Target |
Guidance |
Oracle Database |
Linux or Windows VMs |
Oracle Database can be installed, on the same OS and closest equivalent VM size, on Azure as currently running on-premise. If Oracle is running on bare metal in on-premise then some overhead needs to be added as Azure is a virtualized env. Most customers use Oracle Linux which is supported on Azure. Also, Oracle Database12c image is available on marketplace. Customers can bring their existing/new Oracle Licenses with cores being calculated by Oracle Cloud Licensing policy. All features of Oracle Database are supported on Azure with the exception of Real Application Clusters (RAC). Customers can configure RAC for Dev/Test but Oracle does not certify it. RAC is useful for Horizontal scalability across servers if you have the same application workload on it. The equivalent in Azure could be to choose an appropriate VM and then scale up/down VM size as needed. This is easy to do in Cloud environments vs on-premise. RAC also provides High Availability against server failure. This can be provided in Azure by deploying Oracle Database on two VMs, in the same availability set, and using Golden Gate (Active-Active)/ Data Guard (Active-Passive) to keep the databases in synch. |
Oracle Database |
SQL Database (PaaS) |
In many cases, especially if customers don’t have DBAs, they are interested in using a PaaS environment. Customers can compare Azure SQL Database pricing with Oracle Database Cloud Service pricing to determine if the cost savings would be enough to warrant a migration exercise. SQL Server has been recognized by Gartner as a leader in Operational Database Management Systems. A partner or MCS can be engaged to help with the migration exercise. |
Oracle Database Backup |
Blob Storage |
Most third-party backup software vendors support Azure as a target. However, in many cases customers use Oracle Database native backup mechanism RMAN. In this case RMAN system backup to Tape interface can be used by Azure partners (e.g. Cloudberry, Cloudlanes) to send RMAN data to Azure Blob storage. |
Oracle WebLogic Server |
Linux or Windows VMs |
WebLogic Server, along with IBM WebSphere and RedHat JBoss, is the leading commercial Java Application Server in the marker. WebLogic Server 12c (latest release) is available as an Azure Marketplace image. Other versions of WebLogic Server can also be deployed by following installation guides and bring Your Own License policy. |
Oracle Business Intelligence |
Power BI, SQL Database |
Oracle BI is a power user tool and needs training and in most cases there is a need to create a Metadata Repository (RPD) on top of Data sources before reports can be created. Power BI is a SaaS solution and end users can get up and started more quickly. Data warehouse on which BI reports are written can be in Oracle Database or SQL Server. |
Oracle PeopleSoft |
Linux or Windows VMs |
Oracle’s PeopleSoft PeopleTools is the software layer on top of which Oracle’s PeopleSoft applications are developed. PeopleTools installation guide needs to be followed to install Database Server, Application Server, File Server, Process Scheduler Server, Web Server needed for a PeopleSoft application on Azure. It is best suited if a partner familiar with PeopleSoft is engaged in this process. Customers should first bring up their Dev/Test instance on Azure before moving production workloads. |