The focus of most organizations in today’s data-driven business environment is increased profitability to get ahead of the competition and hence cost-effectively operating the IT infrastructure is a key concern. The preference is databases that have all the necessary cutting-edge features at affordable rates. One of the ways to meet this goal is to migrate databases from Oracle to SQL Server even though the Oracle Database Management system has been the workhorse of businesses around the world for decades.
Now, let’s look at some reasons why database migration from Oracle to SQL Server is carried out by most modern businesses today.
Benefits of Oracle to SQL Server Database Migration
- The most critical reason for migration is the significantly higher licensing costs of Oracle in comparison to the SQL Server. Additionally, costs are kept under control in SQL Server through database consolidation, compression of data, and virtualizing servers. SQL Server is also user-friendly and does not require the intervention of DBAs to function. This further reduces recurring costs.
- Coming back to lower licensing costs as a reason for Oracle to SQL Server database migration, the advantage of SQL Server over Oracle is that it offers tiered editions with varying licensing costs and businesses can select one that matches their needs. The high-cost Enterprise SQL Server edition is right for large data-driven organizations whereas the lower-priced Standard SQL Server edition is ideal for small and mid-sized businesses. The Express SQL Server edition is free and good for start-ups and individuals even though the range of features available here is rather limited. Lastly, there is the Developer SQL Server edition that is exclusively for developers who want to test their applications on the SQL Server. On the other hand, Oracle has a single edition with fixed licensing costs regardless of the size of the business and the extent
- Security and enhanced database performance are the hallmarks of the SQL Server. High data safety and data security are provided by the SQL Server through a network of impenetrable, complex, and encrypted algorithms. These security features provide robust safety layers, making the SQL Server immune to any external attacks or hacking. Moreover, the performance of the database is considerably enhanced as it has built-in data compression capabilities. In addition, the SQL Server incorporates technologically advanced tools for permission management and strict user access monitoring, including dark web monitoring, ensuring that sensitive data is fully protected.
- A critical reason for Oracle to SQL Server database migration is that it does not need command-line configuration and can be easily installed with a Setup wizard with updates being downloaded automatically.
- An important capability of SQL Server is restoring lost and damaged data and if required, complete databases can be recovered. This is possible because the main module of the SQL Server database engine is enabled for data storage and running queries of users including indexes, files, and transactions. The log records are entered on the disk even before a transaction commit. In case there is a failure in an operating system, database engine instance, or server hardware, transaction logs are used by the instance after the restart to roll back incomplete and cut-off transactions to the precise point where the interruption took place.
- Another benefit of Oracle to SQL Server migration is that in comparison to the Oracle database, the running and maintenance costs of SQL Server are significantly less with data mining and partitioning being the more affordable features.
Because of these benefits, it makes sense to migrate databases from Oracle to SQL Server.
Challenges to Cross for Oracle to SQL Server Database Migration
Even though the database migration is fully automated and typically does not require any human intervention, there are certain areas that DBAs should be vigilant about.
- Before starting the migration process, it is necessary to verify the database volume, key metrics, and frequency of peak workloads and ensure that the SQL Server Distributed Replay feature replays the workload on the load harness. This helps to track the work pressure on the CPU, IO Operations, Memory, and network traffic. Check the performance of the database after the migration is completed.
- Even though there might be an index as an object in the source database, there is a great dissimilarity in how it is placed in the Oracle database and the SQL Server. Hence, it is necessary to design an optimized indexing strategy through an evaluation of the logical layout of the tables and the links. This helps to focus better on the use cases and the business needs.
- It is also critical to optimize licensing costs during Oracle to SQL Server Generally, the SQL Server Standard edition is used for migration, but in certain complex cases, the features of the higher-priced Enterprise edition like availability, manageability, workload performance evaluation, and security may be required.
- During Oracle to SQL Server migration, each schema can either be migrated to a unique database or a single database can be converted with multiple schemas. Great attention should be paid to the security aspect while isolating schemas.
The QA team must test, review, and verify the converted code from Oracle to SQL Server to ensure that the data format is compatible with what is used in the organization.
Methods for Oracle to SQL Server Database Migration
There are two ways for this form of database migration.
In the first, the full database is migrated in one shot without a break after the source database is shut down for that period. In the second, the full database is migrated first, and then the incremental data or changes at the source database after the last run are continually moved to the target database at pre-set intervals.