Senior Oracle Database Administrator at Computer Information Systems (CIS)
Real User
Top 5
2024-02-06T16:19:00Z
Feb 6, 2024
Implementing Oracle Data Guard properly is crucial. Transitioning applications between different operating systems may take a lot of work, but it becomes easier with the proper knowledge. Therefore, there's a need for awareness sessions to enhance people's understanding of Data Guard and its implementation. There is an issue with their application on ODG. There were a lot of edits in the logs. Sometimes, we only get a little cue from the Data Guard Broker logs if there's an issue.
For Italian medium-sized companies, the main challenge lies in the cost associated with licenses. In certain situations, we cannot utilize Data Guard swiftly for executing specific queries or statements that require temporary data manipulation. This is because opening the Data Guard system involves serving the changes and rolling back, even though snapshot features are available. In such scenarios, when customers need to test new application features or in the event of system vulnerabilities, it might be preferable to operate Data Guard without resorting to snapshot or flashback functionalities, thereby avoiding the need to recreate the system or start from a backup. These challenges were encountered within a high-traffic environment.
Vice President Of Technology at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
2024-01-04T10:08:50Z
Jan 4, 2024
The only difficult part is the cost factor, licensing. Another area of improvement is support. Morever, Oracle's partner is not also doing good. For that, they should improve. Such enterprise features need a good partner. That is where Oracle Data Guard failed. They never had a good partner. I never found a good partner in India.
A significant improvement for Oracle Data Guard would be enabling the disaster recovery site to handle read and write operations, not just data storage. Currently, the DR site is read-only. If we could make both the primary and DR sites read and write capable, it would be a game-changer. This means the DR site could actively contribute to data management, not just save it. This enhancement would make Data Guard more versatile and impactful for database operations.
DBA Team Lead at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
2023-01-25T14:00:21Z
Jan 25, 2023
I would like the ability to use the read-only format from other sites for more reporting not only for disasters but also to offload the workloads on our production site. This will require some investment.
We would like to be able to see the date time stamp when you execute DGMGRL commands. In our recovery test, we have to include the timestamp when we start and end the switchover or snapshot tests, and it is difficult to do when the timestamp is not there when you run the commands. It is a very manual process to try to include the start and end time of each along with the screenshot of the DGMGRL screens. We need to be able to run more SQL commands in DGMGRL. We need to be able to automate commands and scripts better in DGMGRL.
They may need to include the monitoring and the alerting part in Data Guard. In case there is a delay in the sync from the primary to the DR site, it is going against more than the expected RTO or the RPO, we should be able to get an alert or see it in the dashboard.
The usage of block storage devices in the cloud or migration of a type of storage from one site to another site can be improved. Currently, we have to use multi-node to single node because of the lack of storage support on the Azure side. It did not really work. Our DBA had to spend a lot of time tweaking the Data Guard tools, or the underlying Oracle VMs, to make sure that Data Guard would run on top of different types of storage. So, if it can support transporting or getting from one type of storage to another type of storage in a different site or a different technology, it would be very helpful. Its support should also be improved.
System support engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
2021-11-25T11:39:34Z
Nov 25, 2021
Oracle could be improved by the ability to manage it on the cloud. This on-premises version is secure and reliable, but I'm sure that they will soon provide a cloud solution that will be even better. In one to two years, we will probably move to the cloud—we have already moved to the cloud with Microsoft Exchange, but our databases are still on-premises. I would prefer managing a cloud version of Oracle.
One thing that can be improved is the GUI. It would be good to have a very nice GUI to easily configure and administer, providing different presentations to the database administrator. The feature that can be included is the integration with third-party monitoring systems, that is, monitoring systems from other vendors, not only from Oracle.
CTO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
2020-03-05T08:39:37Z
Mar 5, 2020
The pricing of the solution is quite high. They should do what they can to bring it down so that it is more reasonable for customers like us. The response times for technical support can be quite slow. They should work to lower these wait times so there are fewer delays in assistance.
Solution Architect, IT Consultant at Merdasco - Rayan Merdas Data Prosseccing
Real User
Top 10
2020-01-16T08:44:00Z
Jan 16, 2020
Oracle is not easy to implement, and you cannot find clear documentation on the internet or, unfortunately, on the Oracle website. You have to do a lot of research yourself and spend a lot of time seeking out all of the best documents that are related to Oracle on other websites. If they could create more documentation and improve their library of resources, it would be very helpful. The IP implementation and maintenance are a little bit hard to manage across Oracle solutions, including Oracle Data Guard.
Will only provide via email at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
2019-12-04T05:40:00Z
Dec 4, 2019
When the data replicates into the standby database there is a possibility of having a microsecond amount of data loss. The data loss occurs when there is a network disconnection between the primary and secondary standby database located in the data centers or if there is a crash in the primary database. The data is generated on the primary database which is configured to the standby database to duplicate it on a real-time basis. So if there is a system crash or disconnection and in the time it takes to get it back up, you can lose a microsecond amount of data. When I experienced a small crash, I compared the data between the primary database and the standby database and found that there was a small difference in the amount of data. Not all of it was replicated or backed up. It creates issues with synchronizing the data. Because the focus in Data Guard is in the backup and restore, there hasn't been much with the interface. In the next release, if there could be more focus on the interface to include add-on features that would be an added advantage going forward.
Once you get used to it, you get to know what to do when certain things happen. However, for a person who's just jumping into it, the management of it and how to implement it probably would be something that could be improved upon. The GUI could be better.
The database administration needs improvement. With Oracle, we have a lot of features for administrating data, but it might be too many. It needs to be simplified. It should be automated. Looking at Enterprise Manager, there are too many KPIs in place. Directly on-site, we do not need to choose all of them. Administration, generally speaking, needs to be improved. Oracle should also continue to simplify the upgrade using Data Guard. We have already seen reduced outage timing any time we are doing upgrade, so maybe they are heading in that direction, but it can always be improved.
Oracle DBA Customer Capacity Leader at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
2019-07-29T10:12:00Z
Jul 29, 2019
A disadvantage is that the available disk space must be doubled. This is because Data Guard is made of two databases, one primary and one as a standby running permanently. We must pay the Oracle license on the second server. For every standby server you have, you must pay a licensing fee, which is the main disadvantage.
Cloud Expert | DevOps | Oracle Consultant at confidential
Consultant
2019-06-06T08:18:00Z
Jun 6, 2019
There is always room for improvement. This product needs some improvement in administration. I would love to see something that makes monitoring much easier. The product needs some of the GUI tools so there is no need for all the long process.
Oracle Data Guard ensures high availability, data protection, and disaster recovery for enterprise data. Data Guard provides a comprehensive set of services that create, maintain, manage, and monitor one or more standby databases to enable production Oracle databases to survive disasters and data corruptions. Data Guard can be used with traditional backup, restoration, and cluster techniques to provide a high level of data protection and data availability.
Implementing Oracle Data Guard properly is crucial. Transitioning applications between different operating systems may take a lot of work, but it becomes easier with the proper knowledge. Therefore, there's a need for awareness sessions to enhance people's understanding of Data Guard and its implementation. There is an issue with their application on ODG. There were a lot of edits in the logs. Sometimes, we only get a little cue from the Data Guard Broker logs if there's an issue.
For Italian medium-sized companies, the main challenge lies in the cost associated with licenses. In certain situations, we cannot utilize Data Guard swiftly for executing specific queries or statements that require temporary data manipulation. This is because opening the Data Guard system involves serving the changes and rolling back, even though snapshot features are available. In such scenarios, when customers need to test new application features or in the event of system vulnerabilities, it might be preferable to operate Data Guard without resorting to snapshot or flashback functionalities, thereby avoiding the need to recreate the system or start from a backup. These challenges were encountered within a high-traffic environment.
The only difficult part is the cost factor, licensing. Another area of improvement is support. Morever, Oracle's partner is not also doing good. For that, they should improve. Such enterprise features need a good partner. That is where Oracle Data Guard failed. They never had a good partner. I never found a good partner in India.
Sometimes, the technical support team takes time to respond.
A significant improvement for Oracle Data Guard would be enabling the disaster recovery site to handle read and write operations, not just data storage. Currently, the DR site is read-only. If we could make both the primary and DR sites read and write capable, it would be a game-changer. This means the DR site could actively contribute to data management, not just save it. This enhancement would make Data Guard more versatile and impactful for database operations.
The product could improve its pricing.
I would like the ability to use the read-only format from other sites for more reporting not only for disasters but also to offload the workloads on our production site. This will require some investment.
We would like to be able to see the date time stamp when you execute DGMGRL commands. In our recovery test, we have to include the timestamp when we start and end the switchover or snapshot tests, and it is difficult to do when the timestamp is not there when you run the commands. It is a very manual process to try to include the start and end time of each along with the screenshot of the DGMGRL screens. We need to be able to run more SQL commands in DGMGRL. We need to be able to automate commands and scripts better in DGMGRL.
They may need to include the monitoring and the alerting part in Data Guard. In case there is a delay in the sync from the primary to the DR site, it is going against more than the expected RTO or the RPO, we should be able to get an alert or see it in the dashboard.
The usage of block storage devices in the cloud or migration of a type of storage from one site to another site can be improved. Currently, we have to use multi-node to single node because of the lack of storage support on the Azure side. It did not really work. Our DBA had to spend a lot of time tweaking the Data Guard tools, or the underlying Oracle VMs, to make sure that Data Guard would run on top of different types of storage. So, if it can support transporting or getting from one type of storage to another type of storage in a different site or a different technology, it would be very helpful. Its support should also be improved.
Oracle could be improved by the ability to manage it on the cloud. This on-premises version is secure and reliable, but I'm sure that they will soon provide a cloud solution that will be even better. In one to two years, we will probably move to the cloud—we have already moved to the cloud with Microsoft Exchange, but our databases are still on-premises. I would prefer managing a cloud version of Oracle.
One thing that can be improved is the GUI. It would be good to have a very nice GUI to easily configure and administer, providing different presentations to the database administrator. The feature that can be included is the integration with third-party monitoring systems, that is, monitoring systems from other vendors, not only from Oracle.
I'm not really sure about what needs improvement because we use all Data Guard's features successfully. Pricing is expensive and can use improvement.
The pricing of the solution is quite high. They should do what they can to bring it down so that it is more reasonable for customers like us. The response times for technical support can be quite slow. They should work to lower these wait times so there are fewer delays in assistance.
Oracle is not easy to implement, and you cannot find clear documentation on the internet or, unfortunately, on the Oracle website. You have to do a lot of research yourself and spend a lot of time seeking out all of the best documents that are related to Oracle on other websites. If they could create more documentation and improve their library of resources, it would be very helpful. The IP implementation and maintenance are a little bit hard to manage across Oracle solutions, including Oracle Data Guard.
When the data replicates into the standby database there is a possibility of having a microsecond amount of data loss. The data loss occurs when there is a network disconnection between the primary and secondary standby database located in the data centers or if there is a crash in the primary database. The data is generated on the primary database which is configured to the standby database to duplicate it on a real-time basis. So if there is a system crash or disconnection and in the time it takes to get it back up, you can lose a microsecond amount of data. When I experienced a small crash, I compared the data between the primary database and the standby database and found that there was a small difference in the amount of data. Not all of it was replicated or backed up. It creates issues with synchronizing the data. Because the focus in Data Guard is in the backup and restore, there hasn't been much with the interface. In the next release, if there could be more focus on the interface to include add-on features that would be an added advantage going forward.
It is a rather complex solution, so it could be more user-friendly.
Once you get used to it, you get to know what to do when certain things happen. However, for a person who's just jumping into it, the management of it and how to implement it probably would be something that could be improved upon. The GUI could be better.
The database administration needs improvement. With Oracle, we have a lot of features for administrating data, but it might be too many. It needs to be simplified. It should be automated. Looking at Enterprise Manager, there are too many KPIs in place. Directly on-site, we do not need to choose all of them. Administration, generally speaking, needs to be improved. Oracle should also continue to simplify the upgrade using Data Guard. We have already seen reduced outage timing any time we are doing upgrade, so maybe they are heading in that direction, but it can always be improved.
A disadvantage is that the available disk space must be doubled. This is because Data Guard is made of two databases, one primary and one as a standby running permanently. We must pay the Oracle license on the second server. For every standby server you have, you must pay a licensing fee, which is the main disadvantage.
There is always room for improvement. This product needs some improvement in administration. I would love to see something that makes monitoring much easier. The product needs some of the GUI tools so there is no need for all the long process.