Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation

Oracle Database@Azure

Learn about using Oracle Database@Azure to run Oracle Databases in your existing Azure environment.

Oracle Database@Azure is an Oracle Cloud Database service that runs Oracle Database workloads in your Azure environment. All hardware for Oracle Database@Azure is colocated in Azure's data centers and uses Azure networking. The service benefits from the simplicity, security, and low latency of a single operating environment within Azure. Federated identity and access management for Oracle Database@Azure is provided by Microsoft Entra ID.

Available Database Services

Oracle Database@Azure offers the following Oracle Database services:

Both Oracle Autonomous Database and Exadata Database on OCI use the same underlying high-performance hardware optimized for database workloads, but they each offer distinct advantages to meet different customer needs.

Feature Oracle Autonomous Database Oracle Exadata Database

Usage

Fully managed, elastic, and scalable database service. Designed for variable workloads, cloud native applications, and flexible usage, automatically scaling resources up and down as needed. Minimal admin effort needed.

Dedicated infrastructure for running Oracle Databases. Suitable for mission-critical, latency-sensitive workloads requiring predictable performance.

Performance

Provides high performance with automatic scaling. Delivers low latency and high throughput, leveraging the elasticity of the cloud.

Offers consistent and predictable high performance with low latency because of optimized hardware and software integration.

Manageability

Self-driving and self-managing, automating tasks such as provisioning, scaling, tuning, patching, and backups.

Requires manual management and administration, including database configuration, tuning, and maintenance.

Operations

Reduces operational overhead, as Oracle manages most administrative tasks. Customers only need to focus on application development and data management.

Cloud automation provides the creation, maintenance updates, and basic monitoring for databases. Database administrators need to tune the database, apply maintenance updates, and configure additional database monitoring.

Cost

Uses a pay-as-you-go model, charging based on actual resource consumption. Costs scale up and down with usage, providing flexibility and potential cost savings.

Upfront subscription cost for dedicated infrastructure and pay-per-use for CPUs allocated for services resources. Provides predictable pricing.

Scaling

Offers automatic and elastic scaling. Can scale up and down based on workload demands without manual intervention, providing true serverless scalability.

Provides elastic scaling so you can vertically and horizontally scale when you need more resources for your workloads.

Security

Built-in security with automatic data encryption, user authentication, and threat detection. Oracle manages security updates and patches.

Robust security features including encryption, access controls, and security patches. Customers are responsible for security configuration and management.

Configuration

Pre-configured and instantly provisioned, requiring minimal setup and configuration.

Requires initial configuration and setup, including hardware provisioning and software installation. Full control over configuration but default values suggested in provisioning.

Patching

Automatic patching with no downtime, managed by Oracle.

Infrastructure security and maintenance updates applied automatically on configured schedule. You receive Database, Grid Infrastructure, and Guest OS patches, which you apply based on your schedule.

Isolation

Data isolation through dedicated database instances, ensuring customer data separation.

Complete isolation as customers has their own dedicated infrastructure.

Dependencies

Relies on OCI's infrastructure and automation, reducing dependencies on manual tasks.

Uses dedicated hardware. Requires manual administration, including administration of maintenance processes.

Flexibility

Provides flexibility in usage and scaling, adapting to dynamic workload demands.

Offers flexibility in customization and integration, but requires planning for capacity and maintenance.

Third-party integrations

Provides open standards and APIs for easy integration with cloud native and third-party tools.

Integrates with third-party tools and applications through Oracle's extensive partner ecosystem and APIs.

Use Cases

While both Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Exadata Database Service offer high performance and run on the same underlying Oracle optimized hardware, the choice depends on the specific needs of the enterprise. Each service has it's advantages: Autonomous Database Serverless offers flexibility, automation, and dynamic scaling, making it ideal for variable workloads and cloud native applications. Oracle Exadata Database provides dedicated infrastructure, predictable performance, and customization, making it a good choice for mission-critical, latency-sensitive applications, especially in regulated industries.

Consider the following scenarios and use cases:

Oracle Autonomous Database

Autonomous Database is an excellent choice for enterprises of all sizes, offering high performance, flexibility and economical database solutions.

Small Enterprises

Small businessess often have dynamic and unpredictable workloads. Autonomous Database is ideal for this scenario. It lets small enterprises focus on their core business without the overhead of managing database infrastructure.

Example: A small e-commerce startup uses Autonomous Database as the foundation of its online store because the database can scale automatically based on demand, ensuring the best performance during peak sales periods and lowering costs when demand is low.

Mid-Sized Enterprises

Mid-sized enterprises often have growing data needs that require a cost-effective and scalable solution. Autonomous Database Serverless lets them to pay for only what they use, making it a flexible and economical choice.

Example: A mid-sized SaaS company offering customer relationship management (CRM) solutions uses Autonomous Database for their service. As their customer base grows, the database can scale seamlessly, ensuring they only pay for the resources consumed during that period. This helps them manage costs effectively while delivering a reliable service to their clients.

Large Enterprises

Large enterprises often have diverse database requirements, including handling critical and unpredictable workloads. Autonomous Database provides the flexibility to accommodate such needs without the complexity of managing the infrastructure.

Example: A large retail chain use Autonomous Database for its inventory management system. During seasonal sales or promotional events, the database can automatically scale to handle increased transaction volumes, ensuring smooth operations. The autonomous capabilities also reduce the burden on the IT team, letting them to focus on strategic initiatives.

Oracle Exadata Database Service

Oracle Exadata Database Service offers a predictable performance, scalable, and reliable database solution for enterprises with demanding workloads and specific compliance requirements.

Small Enterprises

While Oracle Exadata Database is typically chosen by larger enterprises, small businesses with specific compliance or performance requirements can also benefit. For example, a small financial services firm dealing with sensitive data might require the dedicated infrastructure and extreme performance that Exadata offers.

Example: A boutique investment firm handling sensitive financial data uses Oracle Exadata Database because it provides them with a dedicated, highly secure, and high performance database environment, and lets them meet strict regulatory compliance standards.

Mid-Sized Enterprises

Mid-sized enterprises with high-volume, mission-critical workloads can benefit from the power and scalability of Oracle Exadata Database. It provides them with the performance, reliability, and availability needed to support their critical applications.

Example: A mid-sized online gaming company with millions of concurrent users uses Oracle Exadata Database because the platform's extreme performance and scalability can handle the high-volume transactional workload, ensuring a seamless and responsive user experience.

Large Enterprises

Large enterprises with demanding enterprise applications, data warehouses, or consolidation projects can use Oracle Exadata Database to handle massive data volumes, high concurrency, and complex queries with ease.

Example: A large telecommunications company with terabytes of data and complex analytical queries can use Exadata Database Service becayse the platform's parallel processing and in-memory capabilities speed up query performance, enabling faster decision-making and improved operational efficiency.