PolarDB for PostgreSQL(Compatible with Oracle) is highly compatible with the Oracle syntax for common data types, stored procedures, common system views, database links, partitioned tables, partitioned indexes, and some other key features. Enterprise users can use Advanced Database & Application Migration (ADAM) to migrate business from Oracle databases to PolarDB for Oracle in an intelligent manner. ADAM is an intelligent tool that can be used to make assessments for data migration.

Enterprise users who use Oracle databases can switch their business to PolarDB for PostgreSQL(Compatible with Oracle) without the need to modify their application code. PolarDB for Oracle has a large number of success stories within the Alibaba Group and Alibaba Cloud. PolarDB for Oracle is the fastest developed database service in Alibaba Cloud. PolarDB for Oracle is used in a wide variety of industries such as finance, public service sectors, energy, telecommunications, new retail, and education. PolarDB for PostgreSQL(Compatible with Oracle) witnesses and leads the development of Alibaba Cloud relational databases.

In addition to the benefits offered by the architecture upgrade, PolarDB for PostgreSQL(Compatible with Oracle) provides the following advantages over Oracle databases:
  • Physical logs are replicated to reduce the replication latency.

    PolarDB for Oracle uses shared storage and physical logs to reduce the latency between the primary and read-only nodes to only a few milliseconds. If you have high requirements for consistency, you can implement strong consistency. However, this compromises the write performance of this edition.

  • Transactional and analytical queries can be run on multiple nodes in parallel.

    PolarDB supports analytical queries. PolarDB uses the distributed parallel computing technology to run an SQL query on multiple read-only nodes in parallel. This increases the I/O throughput at the shared storage layer and improves the CPU utilization and memory usage of read-only nodes. Analytical queries on transaction data can be run in real time without the need to import data to an analysis platform. The read-only nodes in which analytical queries are run are physically isolated from the read-only nodes in which transactional queries are run. This way, analytical queries on read-only nodes cannot affect transaction processing services. When computing resources are insufficient, compute nodes can be added on demand. The increase of compute nodes does not require data re-allocation.

  • The next-generation cost-based optimizer is used to improve the precision of execution plans.

    The scenarios in which databases are used are diverse. If execution plans are not precise enough, slow queries occur. To handle this issue, PolarDB launches the next-generation cost-based optimizer.

  • Scenario-specific features are customized at the kernel level.

    Features can be customized at the kernel level to meet the requirements of different scenarios, such as flash sales and connection pools.

  • Enterprise-grade capabilities are improved.

    The architecture and kernel of PolarDB for PostgreSQL(Compatible with Oracle) have been deeply optimized. This increases the performance of PolarDB for Oracle by more than two times. PolarDB for Oracle provides enterprise-grade encryption for transmission links and storage encryption that can meet the security requirements of enterprises. PolarDB for Oracle uses a storage and compute separation architecture. In this architecture, you can deploy one primary node and multiple read-only nodes for each cluster. A maximum of 15 read-only nodes can be deployed for each cluster. This architecture allows PolarDB for Oracle to be dynamically scaled on demand. You pay only for the resources that you use. You can increase the storage space for each cluster to up to 100 TB.

  • Specifications can be adjusted on demand.
    • You can adjust the specifications of your PolarDB instances based on your actual business workloads.
    • If your database workloads increase and more data needs to be stored, you can upgrade the instance specifications. If your business workloads decrease, you can downgrade the instance specifications. The dynamic scaling of resources allows you to plan underlying hardware resources in a flexible manner.
  • PolarDB for Oracle is compatible with the Oracle syntax.
    • PolarDB for Oracle is developed based on the accumulated experience of Alibaba Cloud. PolarDB for Oracle is compatible with the Oracle syntax that is commonly used by database administrators and developers so that users do not need to learn new syntax.
    • ADAM can be used to migrate data from Oracle databases to PolarDB for Oracle. ADAM provides a platform for database and application migration. ADAM provides project-based and workflow-based migration services throughout the entire migration process. This includes assessments before migration, data synchronization and verification during migration, compatibility tests of SQL statements for Java programs, and performance comparison after migration.