Oracle Data Guard Reviews

We use Data Guard for online replication from data center to data center for high availability. This is the most important feature.

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. 

I have been using Oracle Data Guard for about eight years. 

Over the course of eight years, I do think this solution is very stable. 

It is scalable. 

We also use Active Data Guard. We use it to clone the production environment. We constantly use it. 

I have contacted their support. We have been using their support more. We open cases one to five times a month. We use a lot of Oracle databases and because of that, we contact their support a lot. 

The quality of support will depend on the support engineer. If we speak to an agent from the Asian department, it could be a little difficult to understand the terminology. If it's with somebody from the US, Canada, or Europe, they're easier to understand.  

We also use a real application cluster rack database. I have experience with IBM. 

The initial setup was not complex. At first, many years back it was complex, but it's getting easier to set up in the last couple of years. It's been easier in the last few years and has been easier than past versions. 

We had somebody help us with the deployment. 

It is a very useful administrative IT tool. It saves on costs.

I strongly recommend Data Guard. I've been using it for eight years and I would strongly recommend it. 

I'd rate Oracle Data Guard a seven out of ten. To make it a ten, the core base license could be cheaper. The cloud environment would also make it cheaper. 

The solution is quite complete. The entire package, and all the features that come with it, is very good.

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.

We've been using the solution for eight years.

The solution is quite stable. We haven't experienced any bugs, glitches, or crashes. We find it to be quite reliable.

The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand it they can.

We typically work with enterprise-level clients.

We've only reached out to technical support maybe one or two times. The technical support response times can be a bit long. However, overall, we've been satisfied with their level of assistance.

The initial setup is quite simple. I would describe it as straightforward. It's not complex.

We're Oracle partners. We've worked with databases 11G and 12C.

If a company is planning to implement Oracle solutions, I would suggest they also implement Data Guard.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

The primary use case of this solution is for data protection, disaster recovery, and it's used as a backup database to restore the primary databases.

It gives the client comfort in case of any incidents, disaster or any catastrophic situation because it maintains, manages, and monitors the database and keeps a backup.

The most valuable features are the backup and restore. With this in place along with the clustering, the database is safe from hacking, hardware failure, power failures, and system crashes. 

If anything were to happen you can immediately recall your data and bring your production server back to business.

It's flexible and easy to maintain because you are configuring your primary database and a standby database in one or more locations.

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.

I have been using Oracle Data Guard for almost six years.

This solution is stable. We haven't experienced any issues with it.

The initial setup is straightforward. It's not complex.

The time it takes to deploy depends on how long it takes to replicate the primary database and to configure the standby database, but on average it can take a couple of hours.

You only need one or two people to maintain the system.

We are integrators and we implement the solution for our clients.

This solution is for small to medium-sized businesses, who can't afford to have two data centers or two servers.

Oracle Data Guard has many features to ensure that the database is in place. In case the primary database goes down or is corrupt in any way, you can recall the data immediately to restore the primary database.

It's important to know that backup is in place at any given time.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

We implemented Oracle Data Guard for disaster recovery, even though one can't implement disaster recovery across multiple sites using stretch clusters, and implement a server pool at both sites. You have to build a dedicated server pool on each of the locations. 

We only use this solution from a functionality point of view to provide software coverage, so I haven't seen any special functionalities yet. It just really provides recovery in case of a disaster. It also provides a really good product forecast, like what will happen after 2023.

It is a rather complex solution, so it could be more user-friendly.

The solution has been stable so far. I would like to know what the performance impact will be when we go to the really big database of a customer. Because you have to synchronize everything to that effective location, with no data loss extracted, which means you have to go for a really hot interface. So you have to look at the experience for big databases. But so far there have been no problems with big databases.

So far we've only had to open one ticket regarding a failure with the encryption manager of defected fault and it was handled well. We've dealt with Oracle's customer service for eight years, and their service is astonishingly good. 

Oracle has a team that can help you with the setup. We have tested the solution for more than 2 months because moving our labeled, especially our big databases, because it's always an issue. With Data Guard, the main thing was for the application to switch the default recovery site in case of a disaster, and finding out how to score this site afterwards. 

It's a master of making money! If you want to have everything automated and done smoothly, you have to add additional licenses. They should have more standard licenses without us having to go for additional licenses to get full support. 

Regarding infrastructure, most of the time the additional costs for uploading systems, alarming the operations, patching the operating system, caring about the shadow data, all of this needs to be maintained as well. So we end up having additional costs and that's why I would advise others to avoid it, if possible.

I don't really have any advice for other users, because we only use the solution's basic functionality for disaster recovery. Personally, I would advise others to avoid it due to its complexity. On a scale from one to ten, I rate this solution a seven. From a functionality point of view, I can't complain about Data Guard. But I would avoid it as it adds more complexity to a configuration, which is not necessary. From a setup point of view, Oracle has experienced people that will help you with it. 

We primarily use the solution for disaster recovery.

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 solution is really very stable. One good thing about it, compared to other products, is that you can just run it and forget about it. Unless you come across some interruptions in the network, it works like a charm.

When you are using an Oracle product you get Oracle support. The support that we received has been good. There were no issues on that front.

We previously used an SQL server.

The implementation is complex for anyone who's jumping into it without any experience. It's all command-line driven implementations. For some, that's a turn-off.

Most of the time taken during deployment was for the restoration of the backup. We chose the backup methods because our DR was across the VPN and the speed for which to make the online backup was too small. Instead, we took the backup from the source and just copied over to the target and then stored it there. That particular process took time. Other than that, the deployment docs for Data Guard made everything pretty quick. It took maybe an hour, or an hour and a half.

We use the on-premises deployment model.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. I'd rate it higher if the GUI was better, but it's a very stable solution.

For disaster recovery, I think this is one of the best native Oracle products that you could use, provided you have the Enterprise edition.

The primary use of this solution is for the high availability. If the database or server crashes, the switches go over to the standby database becoming the primary database. We use Data Guard in order to have a high-availability solution and high-availability configuration in our data center.

Data Guard adds an extra layer of a high-availability platform. The database minimizes the outage of applications in case something goes wrong with the primary database, allowing us to resume activities, losing minimal time.

We chose this solution for the availability of the databases. Since we can't afford Oracle Grid, this is the best solution if you want something similar that's less expensive.

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.

The stability is quite stable and it's reliable. From time to time I have had some issues, where I get an error message saying that both databases stopped synchronizing for a while. It doesn't mean that the problem comes from Data Guard. The problem could come from other areas like the network, a slow network for example.

I don't have an opinion about scalability. I have always followed the same kind of installation.

There is no specific Data Guard support in place. You either pay for the support or for an Enterprise edition giving you support for features that are included in this edition of Oracle. If you don't pay then you don't get support.

I am satisfied with the support.

Data Guard was already in place with this company.

As far as the installation, you should have an understanding of Data Guard. I am experienced with it and didn't require the script for the whole configuration and connection. If you don't have experience with Data Guard, then you must read the installation and configuration instructions.

I implemented this solution.

This is the best solution if you want something similar that's less expensive than Oracle Grid. We pay once per year.

We use a cluster for some customers instead of Data Guard, but it is a different concept. However, it is more or less the same.

They could enhance their GUI or they should have a cloud control tool. They should have Data Guard tools in order to troubleshoot whenever there is a problem. There isn't anything in place for the configuration. Everything has to be done manually within the standard guide in Data Guard-related commands. Having a GUI with Data Guard is something that would be appreciated.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Data focus is the main issue. Most of the features of a new database still go to an Oracle administration section.

The monitor can predict if you have any issues or develop actions to find a solution for them.

We use the product for data recovery.

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 is stable, but you need to keep monitoring the system all the time. You need to keep monitoring the archives. If some of the archives have been deleted, you need to do it manually. It is a lot of work pressure and a lot of monitoring. 

You need to do the dummy work every day just to ensure that Oracle Data Guard is working at the point when you need it.

Scalability with Oracle Data Guard is not straightforward, i.e. the configuration.

We use two different kinds in that case of data guard. You cannot keep looking at the overhead of the projection servers. Oracle Data Guard should know what you are doing. This is the problem. For migrations, it can be a long time.

For Oracle tech support, you do it yourself. When you open a ticket, it can take time to solve it. Often you can find a bug that went unreported.

The initial setup is straightforward. Just follow the documentation. For our present situation, it was dependent on the project and the database files. 

Sometimes the setup took one day, sometimes only one hour. It was depending on the size of the database. It could be very fast for me.

I did the implementation of Oracle Data Guard by myself.

Oracle Data Guard is a free solution. When you apply for Enterprise Manager, it comes for free with the solution. When you apply an enterprise solution to a database, you have to pay. It depends on the connotation of the project and what you need for the protocol.

Keep monitoring. This is the problem with the product. You have to keep monitoring the system all the time, just to avoid the interruption from the archive mode.

I am going to give Oracle Data Guard a seven out of ten. It still needs improvements. When you are doing the troubleshooting there are no monitoring tools. You have to keep watching the log all the time. Also, for the configuration, if you miss one of the backlogs, you have to re-issue again. Re-issuing is not easy. It's a long process to do it.

Oracle Data Guard ensures data protection and disaster recovery. The better way to configure Data Guard is by having an Oracle production database on one site as the primary database, and an Oracle standby database on another site. This solution provides high availability.

If you have a problem with your primary site and can't access your primary database, you can continue working with the database that you have as standby on the other site, by changing its role to primary.

Another valuable feature is the possibility of backing up the database from the standby database instead of the primary database, to avoid backup process overhead in the primary system.

Active Data Guard is other feature with advanced capabilities that extend basic Data Guard functionality. Some of the functions of Active Data Guard are: 

• Real Time Query - Offloads read-only workloads to an up-to-date standby database
• Automatic Block Repair - Automatically detects a block corruption and repairs it.

I think it would be great to have a graphical interface assistant (like DBCA, ASMCA, NETCA, etc.) for initial configuration, monitoring, configuring Oracle Data Guard Broker and all the Data Guard Broker commands, without needing Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control installed.

There is no issue with primary database stability. Once Data Guard is configured, you don't have to change anything more in your primary database.

Oracle Data Guard is a feature available only in Oracle Database Enterprise Edition, and is available for extra cost.