Bidirectional Replication Using Live Standby Database

Oracle GoldenGate supports an active-passive bi-directional configuration, where Oracle GoldenGate replicates data from an active primary database to a full replica database on a live standby system that is ready for failover during planned and unplanned outages.

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In this configuration, there is an inactive Oracle GoldenGate Extract group and an inactive Distribution Path on the live standby system. Both these groups remain stopped until just before user applications are switched to the live standby system in a switchover or failover. When user activity moves to the standby, those groups begin capturing transactions to a local trail, where the data is stored on disk until the primary database can be used again.

In case of a failure of the primary system, the Oracle GoldenGate Microservices and Replicat processes work in conjunction with a database instantiation taken from the standby to restore parity between the two systems after the primary system is recovered. At the appropriate time, users are moved back to the primary system, and Oracle GoldenGate is configured in ready mode again, in preparation for future failovers.

Advantages of Using Live Standby Database

Live Standby is used for an immediate fail-over solution that can later re-synchronize with your primary source.
It helps eliminate downtime and data loss due to unplanned outages and enables continuous availability, with no geographic distance constraints. Oracle GoldenGate moves changed data from primary database to one or more live standby databases so that the applications have a reliable failover system with up-to-date data that they can immediately switchover to. There is no database recovery process required because the live standby database is already open for read and write activity. Oracle GoldenGate will isolate corrupt data during the replication process to make sure the live standby database is reliable and available when it is needed.
Oracle GoldenGate allows the standby database to be open and accessed by users, so it does not have to sit idle and can be used for reporting or testing. This feature directly boosts the ROI.