Migrate to Exadata Database

• Source: An Oracle AI Database platform, such as Oracle Exadata Database, Oracle RAC, or a standalone Oracle AI Database instance on Linux.
• Target: Oracle Exadata Database running on Oracle AI Database@Azure.

• A container that contains the data files, such as a Data Pump dump file.

• For Oracle AI Database@Azure: The service supports internal connectivity within the same Azure region and virtual network by default, often by using private endpoints for performance and security.
• For on premises or other OCI based sources: Use internet connectivity or a private link by using Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure, if applicable.

• An Azure Storage account name and access key with permissions to access the container.
• Alternatively, use an Azure service principal for improved security in supported setups.

To grant the required roles to access data in Azure Blob Storage, see the Assign an Azure role for access to blob data documentation. For example, you can assign the roles by using the Azure CLI, as shown in the following example:

# replace the placeholder values in brackets with your own values
az role assignment create \
    --role "Storage Blob Data Contributor" \
    --assignee <email> \
    --scope "/subscriptions/<subscription>/resourceGroups/<resource-group>/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/<storage-account>/blobServices/default/containers/<container>"

1. Open your storage account page.
2. Select Access keys under Security + networking.
3. Select Show keys.
4. Copy the Storage account name and Key information. Store them in a secure location. Then, you can select the Hide button.
   Note
   
   You need these keys when you run the CREATE_CREDENTIAL command on the database.
   

To obtain the direct URL of the file stored in your Azure Blob Storage container for importing into Oracle AI Database, complete the following steps:

1. In the Azure portal, open your storage account.
2. Select Containers in the left menu.
3. Select the target container.
4. Select the specific object or file.
5. Copy the value shown as Object URL.
   Note
   
   You need this URL for the HOST parameter in the DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE command.
   

1. From the Azure portal, navigate to Storage accounts. and then select your account from the list.
2. From the left menu, expand the Security + networking section, and then select Networking.
3. Select the Private endpoints tab and select your private endpoint from the list.
4. From the left menu, expand the Settings section and then select DNS configuration.
5. From the Network interface section, obtain the FQDN and IP address information. Record these information as they are required while creating Private DNS Zone in OCI.

1. From the Azure portal, navigate to your resource. From the Overview section, select the Go to OCI link.

1. From the OCI console, select Networking and then select Virtual cloud networks.
2. From the list, select your Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) that you are using.
3. From the Details tab, select the DNS Resolver link.
4. From the Private resolvers page, select the Details tab and then select the Default private view link.
5. From the Private views page, select the Private zones tab and then select the Create zone button. For example, blob.core.windows.net.
6. After creating a private zone, select the Records tab and then add a record. For example, demoforblob. Ensure that the record points to the actual IP address of Azure Blob Storage.
7. Publish the changes.
8. Update the Network Security Group (NSG) in OCI to allow traffic from the VPC where the Azure Blob Storage resides.
9. After you complete the configuration, the fully qualified domain name from the OCI database resolves to the Azure Blob Storage endpoint.

1. Ensure that you have a successful connection from an Oracle AI Database client or tool to Oracle Exadata Database. For more information, see Connect - Exadata Database.
2. Make sure that all outbound connections to the target host comply with the private endpoint egress rules and are limited by those rules.

   ALTER DATABASE PROPERTY SET ROUTE_OUTBOUND_CONNECTIONS =  ‘ENFORCE_PRIVATE_ENDPOINT’;

3. Add the Azure Blob Storage FQDN to the Access Control List (ACL).
4. Use the DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE procedure to add an Access Control Entry (ACE) for the network host. Below is an example to replace it with your Azure Blob Storage endpoint from above (FQDN).

   
   BEGIN DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE(  
   
   host => 'demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net',  
   
   ace  =>  xs$ace_type(privilege_list => xs$name_list('connect', 'resolve'),
   
   principal_name => 'ADMIN',  
   
   principal_type => xs_acl.ptype_db));
   
   END;

5. Run the appropriate DBMS_CLOUD.CREATE_CREDENTIAL statement (or similar procedure) to register credentials for Azure Blob Storage access. Make sure to provide the Access Key from above in the credential parameters.

   
   BEGIN
       DBMS_CLOUD.CREATE_CREDENTIAL(
           credential_name => '<Credential_Name>',
           username => '<Storage_Account_Name>',
           password => '<Key>'
       );
   END;

   Replace the placeholders with your values:

   • <Credential_Name>: A name for the credential in the database.
   • <Storage_Account_Name>: Your Azure Storage account name.
   • <Key>: The access key for the Azure Storage account.

1. To verify that your Oracle AI Database can access the Azure Blob Storage container, list the objects inside it by using the LIST_OBJECTS function in the DBMS_CLOUD package.
2. Use the credential name that you created in step 1 and the container location URL that you obtained previously.
3. Make sure to omit the specific object name at the end of the URL.

   select * from dbms_cloud.list_objects('AZURECRED','https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/');

1. To import the data, use the COPY_DATA procedure of the DBMS_CLOUD package.

   create table mytab (id number, name VARCHAR2(64), city VARCHAR2(64));

2. Run the following procedure to load data from a file in Azure Blob Storage into a table in your Oracle AI Database:

   
   BEGIN
         DBMS_CLOUD.COPY_DATA(
             table_name => 'mytab',
             credential_name => 'AZURECRED',
             file_uri_list => 'https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/data.csv',
             format => json_object('delimiter' value ',')
         );
     END;

3. Run the following query to retrieve all columns and all rows from the table named MYTAB:

   select * from mytab;

4. Run the following procedure to import the data from .txt file:

   BEGIN
       DBMS_CLOUD.COPY_DATA(
           table_name => 'mydata',
           credential_name => 'AZURECRED',
           file_uri_list => 'https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/data.txt',
           format => json_object('delimiter' value ',')
       );
   END;

5. Run the following procedure to import the data using .dmp file.

   
   # data pump parameter file: impdemo.par
   directory=DATA_PUMP_DIR
   credential=AZURECRED
   schemas=demouser
   dumpfile=https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/demouser.dmp
   logfile=demoimp.log
   
   # data pump import commandimpdp userid=ADMIN@adb_high parfile=impdemo.par

1. After you import data by using Data Pump into Exadata Database, you can check the files that the import creates in DATA_PUMP_DIR on the database server:

   select object_name from DBMS_CLOUD.LIST_FILES('DATA_PUMP_DIR') order by last_modified desc;

2. Copy the log file directly to Azure Blob Storage and download it from there:

   BEGIN
       DBMS_CLOUD.PUT_OBJECT(
           'AZURECRED',
           'https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/logs/',
           'DATA_PUMP_DIR',
           'demoimp.log');
   END;

3. If you keep files in Azure Blob Storage and want to query them as tables in Oracle AI Database, use the DBMS_CLOUD.CREATE_EXTERNAL_TABLE procedure to define an external table that references the Azure Blob Storage location.

   
   BEGIN
         DBMS_CLOUD.CREATE_EXTERNAL_TABLE(
             table_name       => 'exttab',
             credential_name  => 'AZURECRED',
             file_uri_list    => 'https://demoforblob.blob.core.windows.net/demoblob/data.csv',
             column_list      => 'id NUMBER, name VARCHAR2(64)',
             format           => json_object('delimiter' value ',')
         );
     END;

4. Run the following query to retrieve all columns and all rows from the table :

   select * from exttab;

1. From the Azure portal, navigate to Storage accounts. and then select your account from the list.
2. From the left menu, expand the Security + networking section, and then select Networking.
3. Select the Private endpoints tab and select your private endpoint from the list.
4. From the left menu, expand the Settings section and then select DNS configuration.
5. From the Network interface section, obtain the FQDN and IP address information. Record these information as they are required while creating Private DNS Zone in OCI.

1. From the Azure portal, navigate to your resource. From the Overview section, select the Go to OCI link.

1. From the OCI console, select Networking and then select Virtual cloud networks.
2. From the list, select your Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) that you are using.
3. From the Details tab, select the DNS Resolver link.
4. From the Private resolvers page, select the Details tab and then select the Default private view link.
5. From the Private views page, select the Private zones tab and then select the Create zone button. For example, file.core.windows.net.
6. After creating a private zone, select the Records tab and then add a record. For example, demofornfs. Ensure that the record points to the actual IP address of Azure NFS storage.
7. Publish the changes.
8. Update the Network Security Group (NSG) in OCI to allow traffic from the VPC where the Azure NFS server resides.
9. After you complete the configuration, the fully qualified domain name from the OCI database resolves to the Azure NFS endpoint.

As a validation step, import a database dump into Exadata Database from a source environment. Mounting the NFS share on the source database is outside the scope of this article. From the source system, copy the export dump file to the NFS backed storage so Exadata Database can import it.

In this example, an export of the HR schema is placed on the NFS mount and imported into a new schema named HRNEW.

$ ./impdp admin/********@adbdemo_high directory=fss_dir dumpfile=hrexp.dmp logfile=impsh.log full=y remap_schema=HR:HRNEW

Import: Release 23.0.0.0.0 - Production on Tue Feb 25 17:48:29 2025
Version 23.4.0.24.05

Copyright (c) 1982, 2024, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

Connected to: Oracle Database 19c Enterprise Edition Release 19.0.0.0.0 - Production
Master table "ADMIN"."SYS_IMPORT_FULL_01" successfully loaded/unloaded
Starting "ADMIN"."SYS_IMPORT_FULL_01":  admin/********@adbdemo_high directory=fss_dir dumpfile=hrexp.dmp logfile=impsh.log full=y remap_schema=HR:HRNEW
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/SYSTEM_GRANT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/ROLE_GRANT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/DEFAULT_ROLE
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/PRE_SCHEMA/PROCACT_SCHEMA
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/TABLE
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/TABLE_DATA
. . imported "HRNEW"."REGIONS"                     3.20 KB   15 rows
. . imported "HRNEW"."LOCATIONS"                 6.8 KB   36 rows
. . imported "HRNEW"."DEPARTMENTS"                59.17 KB     24 rows
. . imported "HRNEW"."JOBS"                  2.3 KB       15 rows
. . imported "HRNEW"."EMPLOYEES"                 12.53 MB     122345 rows
. . imported "HRNEW"."JOB_HISTORY" 14.6 KB   4500 rows
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/GRANT/OWNER_GRANT/OBJECT_GRANT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/COMMENT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/CONSTRAINT/CONSTRAINT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/CONSTRAINT/REF_CONSTRAINT
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/TABLE/STATISTICS/TABLE_STATISTICS
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/STATISTICS/MARKER
Processing object type SCHEMA_EXPORT/POST_SCHEMA/PROCACT_SCHEMA
Job "ADMIN"."SYS_IMPORT_FULL_01" successfully completed 

1. Enable the required features as SYS:

   
   ALTER DATABASE FORCE LOGGING;
   ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG='DG_CONFIG=(<primary_unique_name>,<standby_unique_name>)' SCOPE=BOTH;
   ALTER SYSTEM SET STANDBY_FILE_MANAGEMENT=AUTO SCOPE=BOTH;

2. Add standby redo logs (for example, 3 online groups, add 4 standby groups).

   ALTER DATABASE ADD STANDBY LOGFILE THREAD 1 GROUP 4 ('/u01/oradata/standby_redo04.log') SIZE 100M;
   -- Repeat for additional groups.

3. Create a backup of the primary database using RMAN (include archivelogs for synchronization):

   CONNECT TARGET / BACKUP DATABASE FORMAT '/backup/db_%U' PLUS ARCHIVELOG FORMAT
         '/backup/arc_%U'; BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE FOR STANDBY FORMAT
         '/backup/standby_ctl.ctl';

4. Copy the backup files, password file (orapw<sid>), and parameter file (init.ora or spfile) to the target server.

1. Install Oracle software (match or higher version for upgrade).
2. Create necessary directories:

   mkdir -p /u01/oradata/<db_name>mkdir -p /u01/fra/<DB_UNIQUE_NAME_upper>mkdir -p /u01/app/oracle/admin/<db_name>/adump

3. Edit the copied parameter file on standby:
   • Set DB_UNIQUE_NAME to the standby value.
   • Set FAL_SERVER to the primary TNS name.
   • Adjust paths if needed. For example, CONTROL_FILES, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST.
4. Start the standby instance in NOMOUNT:

   CREATE SPFILE FROM PFILE='/path/to/init.ora';STARTUP NOMOUNT;

1. Use RMAN to duplicate the database from the active database :

   CONNECT TARGET sys/<password>@primary_tns CONNECT AUXILIARY sys/<password>@standby_tns
             DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE FOR STANDBY FROM ACTIVE DATABASE DORECOVER
             NOFILENAMECHECK;

   Alternative: If you use backup files, duplicate the database for standby from a backup location:

   DUPLICATE DATABASE FOR STANDBY BACKUP LOCATION '/backup'
       NOFILENAMECHECK;

2. On standby, start managed recovery:

   ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE USING CURRENT LOGFILE;

1. On primary, set remote logging:

   ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2='SERVICE=<standby_tns> ASYNC VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES,PRIMARY_ROLE) DB_UNIQUE_NAME=<standby_unique_name>' SCOPE=BOTH;ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2=ENABLE SCOPE=BOTH;ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_SERVER='<standby_tns>' SCOPE=BOTH;

2. On standby:

   ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_SERVER='<primary_tns>' SCOPE=BOTH;

3. (Optional) Enable Data Guard Broker for easier management:
   • Set DG_BROKER_START=TRUE on both.
   • Create configuration:

     DGMGRL> CREATE CONFIGURATION dg_config AS PRIMARY DATABASE IS <primary_unique_name> CONNECT IDENTIFIER IS <primary_tns>;

   • Add standby:

     DGMGRL> ADD DATABASE <standby_unique_name> AS CONNECT IDENTIFIER IS <standby_tns>;

   • Enable the configuration:

     DGMGRL> ENABLE CONFIGURATION;

1. On primary, force log switches:

   ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE;

2. On standby, check apply status:

   SELECT PROCESS, STATUS, THREAD#, SEQUENCE# FROM v$managed_standby;

   Look for 'MRP0' applying logs.

3. Check for gaps:

   SELECT * FROM v$archive_gap;

   Should return no rows.

4. Monitor lag:

   SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM v$dataguard_stats WHERE NAME = 'apply lag';

Allow time for full sync before migration.

1. Stop applications connected to primary (minimal downtime starts here).
2. Verify no gaps and stop recovery on standby:

   ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE CANCEL;

3. Using Broker (recommended):

   DGMGRL> SWITCHOVER TO <standby_unique_name>;

   • Manual alternative:
     • On primary:

       ALTER DATABASE COMMIT TO SWITCHOVER TO PHYSICAL STANDBY WITH SESSION SHUTDOWN;

     • On old primary (now standby):

       STARTUP MOUNT; ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE DISCONNECT;

     • On new primary (old standby):

       ALTER DATABASE COMMIT TO SWITCHOVER TO PHYSICAL PRIMARY WITH SESSION SHUTDOWN; ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

4. Verify roles:

   SELECT DATABASE_ROLE FROM v$database;

   New primary should be PRIMARY.

5. Redirect applications to new primary.
6. (Optional) Decommission old primary or keep as new standby.