Migrate to Oracle Database@Azure: section overview
This section is a study companion for migrating an existing Oracle database into Oracle Database@Azure (OD@A). It condenses the Microsoft Learn and Oracle migration guidance into original notes: how to pick a method, how Oracle Zero Downtime Migration (ZDM) maps to the underlying tools, how the OCI Database Migration service runs a managed move, and how data actually lands in the target.
This is a homogeneous Oracle-to-Oracle migration into the OD@A platform (Exadata Database Service or Autonomous Database) — not the heterogeneous Oracle → SQL Server / PostgreSQL engine conversion covered in the DP-300 Oracle → Azure section. These notes are written in our own words for revision. Always confirm region availability, networking, licensing, and commercial details against the linked Microsoft Learn pages before using them with a customer.
What this section covers
The migration tools are the same proven Oracle utilities you already know — the change is where the target lives (inside an Azure datacenter) and how you connect to it (Azure networking into a delegated subnet). Two lessons break it down:
- Lesson 1 — Migration methods & ZDM. The six ways into OD@A, the physical-versus-logical and offline-versus-online distinctions, and how Oracle Zero Downtime Migration orchestrates them over an ExpressRoute or VPN path.
- Lesson 2 — OCI Database Migration & data load. The managed OCI Database Migration service (offline Data Pump, online GoldenGate), and the practical ways to stage and load data into the target.
The target shapes the method
The OD@A target you choose narrows your options before anything else:
- Exadata Database Service (ExaDB-D) accepts physical and logical migrations — you control the database and OS layer, so RMAN, Data Guard, Data Pump, and GoldenGate are all on the table.
- Autonomous Database (ADB-S) accepts logical migration only — Oracle manages the platform, so you move data with Data Pump, a database link, or GoldenGate rather than physical datafiles.
Method selector
A quick orientation to the methods (Lesson 1 expands each into a diagram and detail):
| Method | Type | Downtime | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Pump | Logical | High (offline) | Smaller or cross-version moves; the logical workhorse. |
| RMAN | Physical | Medium | Large same-version physical copies. |
| Data Guard | Physical | Low (online) | Near-zero-downtime Oracle-to-Oracle cutover (Enterprise Edition). |
| GoldenGate | Logical | Very low (online) | High-change workloads and phased cutovers (GoldenGate license). |
| Zero Downtime Migration | Orchestrator | Varies | Automates a physical or logical path with pre/post checks. |
| OCI Database Migration | Orchestrator | Varies | Managed logical (or physical) move into OD@A. |
Offline means the application is down for a one-time copy (Data Pump, RMAN, Data Box). Online means an initial copy plus change-data capture, so the application stays up until cutover (Data Guard, GoldenGate, RMAN).
Section topics
| # | Topic | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Migration methods & Zero Downtime Migration | Available |
| 2 | OCI Database Migration & data load | Available |