Active Data Guard can help maximize efficiencies in using your Oracle licenses
If your organization has replicas of various databases and is interested in identifying ways to reduce its Oracle licensing requirements and increase performance, it can take advantage of the features of Oracle Active Data Guard. It’s an option for Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (since version 11g).
The Active Data Guard program should not be confused with the (for-free, non-licensable feature) Data Guard functionality that was part of the Database Enterprise Edition program (since version 10g) and was enhanced in Database version 11g Enterprise Edition to support the Active Data Guard option.
Benefits of Oracle Active Data Guard:
- Reduces costs because the physical standby database can also provide disaster recovery and/or serve as a test database when converted to a Snapshot Standby
- Increases performance by offloading resource-intensive activities from a production database to an up-to-date replica
- Simplifies operations by eliminating management complexity that accompanies traditional replication solutions
- Eliminates compromises because the reporting replica is up-to-date and online at all times which is not possible with traditional storage mirroring technology
Active Data Guard Licensing must meet the following criteria:
- Both the primary and standby server(s) must be licensed
- The licensing of Active Data Guard must match the number of licenses of the associated Oracle Database Enterprise Edition
- A minimum of 25 Named User Plus per Processor licensing requirement must be met
- Active Data Guard’s deep integration with Oracle Database and complete focus on real-time data protection and availability avoids compromises found in storage remote mirroring or other host-based replication solutions
Example:
An organization is running three database servers; production, standby and test databases. By implementing Active Data Guard, it can support the same production server, and a dual status standby and test server. This would free up the Database Enterprise Edition licenses allocated to the test server to be used somewhere else in the Oracle environment.
Conclusion:
Oracle Active Data Guard offers many benefits, including the ability to be easily converted to a Snapshot Standby which maintains protection by continuing to receive data from the production database. It can then archive it for later use and once the tests are complete, a single command can discard changes made in testing mode, and then quickly re-synchronize the standby database with the primary. However, it is important to note that the use of it will require additional licensing cost.
Remember to discuss any potential changes with Miro Consulting prior to executing any changes through implementation or purchase. Miro can help identify the total licensing impact of any changes and work with Oracle to provide the lowest cost of ownership solution for your organization.
About Miro:
Miro is a leading global provider of software asset management and subscription management services for Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, and Salesforce. We specialize in license management, audit advisory, negotiation tactics, support management, and cloud services. Contact us for more information.