As we learned from our previous article, businesses must develop a database strategy to manage their data effectively and in a responsible manner. So which system to choose?
Historically, Oracle has been one of the leading providers of database software. Oracle has always been considered a solid choice. However, considering that businesses are looking to increase scalability and flexibility, it can also be a very costly solution compared to the alternatives available.
Due to many reasons many businesses are choosing the option to move their operational data to cloud platforms to create, manage and deliver data. One of the popular alternatives to Oracle to consider is Postgres. But why would you consider a database migration from Oracle to Postgres?
Advantages of Postgres
Scalability
As a business you most likely want to grow. And your database must be able to grow with your business at the same speed. Postgres has multiple technical options available to do this and is therefore highly scalable. Ideal if you are looking for scalability and flexibility from your database.
Reliable – Community-driven
Besides being supported by several SQL and NoSQL data models, the variety of extensions also make Postgres a reliable alternative. Because Postgres is a project that is community driven, bugs are fixed quickly and various companies and individuals provide continuous solutions for its development.
Security
Due to easy extensibility, Postgres security can be enhanced with many features like TDE and Data Masking, to create a secure database.
Open Source
As an open-source system, the source code of Postgres is available under an open-source license. When your business needs change, you can use it, change it, and implement it as needed. It also means there are no licensing fees and it does not cost anything. Compared to Oracle this makes it one of the most cost-effective solutions.
Why do businesses migrate from Oracle to Postgres?
Oracle has been around for nearly half a century and has a proven track record of being robust and feature rich. So why even consider migrating to Postgres? We already discussed a few advantages of Postgres. But one of the main reasons businesses have given to migrate is the cost factor. Oracle can be a great, but expensive solution. While Postgres is free to install and use without licensing fees, Oracle is expensive and charges additional fees, for instance for high availability and partitioning. Especially in challenging times when businesses want to cut costs and reduce database costs, it is definitely something to consider.
How about the database migration process?
Like with any database migration, planning and execution are key. There are several stages involved that are intrinsic for the successful process of migration. The different stages are:
1. Assessment
Before migrating at all, the first phase is assessment. There might be potential issues in your current Oracle database that need to be identified and fixed. Indexes, tables, views and the like, need to be viewed to identify any possible issues with compatibility between the two systems.
2. Schema Migration
After the assessment of your current database, we can move on to the migration phase. The existing schema needs to be converted to a Postgres schema, and views, indexes and tables that coordinate with your Oracle schema need to be created and stored.
3. Functional Testing
To make sure the schema migration has been completed successfully, it needs to be tested. For the migration this is done in the functional testing phase. All the new Postgres database features and functions need to be tested to make sure everything works as expected and needed.
4. Performance Testing
So now you have a Postgres database that has been tested for functionality. The next phase is the Performance Testing. How is the speed and scalability performing? Can it handle the workload?
5. Data Migration
So here comes the exciting part; migration your data from Oracle into Postgres by extracting your data from Oracle, matching it with the Postgres schema and loading it into Postgres.
As a side note, to make the migration process from Oracle to Progress easier, there are also third-party migration tools available.
Conclusion
Although the migration process from Oracle to Postgres requires careful planning and execution, it is a reliable, flexible, and certainly cost-effective solution that can meet your business needs. If you are currently considering migrating, contact us now on info@itexpertseurope.com and we will be happy to have a chat to discuss your current database, your future business needs and how we can help.