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This post will go into the various aspects of migrating databases from Oracle to Snowflake including the benefits and the process to do so. However, to understand better the modalities of the migration, it is necessary to get an insight into each of the databases as standalone entities.
Read more to learn more about database migration from Oracle to Snowflake.
Oracle Database Management System
The Oracle Database Management System, typically referred to as the Oracle database was launched and is marketed by the Oracle Corporation. It is used for online processing of databases and is available in a multi-model database management system format. Further, the database has an operating system that is completely automated and can be run on both third-party servers or hardware designed by Oracle.
Oracle is among the earliest databases to support LINUX/GNU and can run on both these software and hardware configurations. This leads to quick and seamless retrieval and storage of data. Most importantly, Oracle databases are highly secured platforms as they are ACID-compliant and therefore have high database reliability and integrity.
Snowflake Data Warehousing Solution
Snowflake is a high-performing data warehousing solution that operates in the cloud. Offered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product, it has a flexible structure with several scalable solutions. So, what features does it have that organizations around the world want to migrate databases from Oracle to Snowflake?
The most important aspect here is that Snowflake allows users to work with data in their original format, regardless of whether it is unstructured, semi-structured, or structured. This feature is not available in Oracle DBMS where a uniform data structure must be maintained for operations.
Using Snowflake saves money too as it charges users only for the quantum of storage resources used. Users can scale up or down in storage space as per need and if required, additional storage resources can be downloaded in minutes by paying the necessary charges. Oracle, on the other hand, charges flat fees for fixed data storage resources which must be paid regardless of whether it is used or not.
Further, since Snowflake is based in the cloud, it provides unlimited computing power and speeds. There is no drop in speeds or performance in Snowflake even when multiple users simultaneously execute multiple intricate queries. The same cannot be said for the Oracle DBMS.
Benefits of Migrating Databases From Oracle to Snowflake
Now that we have gone through the different aspects of the Oracle DBMS and Snowflake, it will be easy to understand the benefits of Oracle to Snowflake database migration.
The critical factor that gives Snowflake an edge over Oracle is that it is a cloud-based platform and hence has all the cutting-edge features of the cloud. Snowflake therefore follows a data lake approach where the location of the database is of no consequence.
This is highlighted in the Database Replication feature that has been recently introduced by Snowflake. Now, various accounts that exist in different regions and cloud providers can be synced and replicated to the Snowflake database. This not only ensures business continuity but also prevents loss of data for any reason.
Take an example of an outage or crash of the primary server. Secondary servers in Snowflake are automatically triggered in this case, wherever they might be, and work is not disrupted. When the outage is resolved, the Replication feature again kicks in and any data generated in the break period is updated in the primary server.
Another benefit of operating in the cloud is quick and seamless data portability. Users can easily move databases to another cloud or region such as Oracle to Snowflake in a fully secured environment
4 Steps For Oracle to Snowflake Database Migration.
Oracle to Snowflake database migration can be completed in four steps. The whole process is automated and human intervention is not required at any stage.
Step 1
Extract data from the Oracle database: The first step is to extract data from the Oracle database that is to be migrated to Snowflake. Use the SQL Plus Query tool that is built into the Oracle Database Server and execute the “Spool” command. Data will continuously extract the data until the command is switched off. The data so extracted is placed in a CSV file.
Step 2
Format the extracted data: The extracted data that is in the CSV file cannot be directly loaded into Snowflake. It has to be formatted to match one of the data structures that is supported by Snowflake. Currently, the data structures that match with Snowflake formats are EUC-KR, UTF-8, ISO-8859-1 to 9, Big5, and UTF-16.
Formatting the extracted data is not a complex task. A customized format has to be created using the “File Format Option” and the time and date of creation of the file must be marked on it.
Step 3
Keep the formatted data in a staging area: The formatted data now must be kept in a staging area as it cannot be still loaded from Oracle to Snowflake. This cloud-based staging area can be either an internal or an external one.
An internal staging area consists of appropriate tables that are created by users with names and dates automatically applied to them. External staging areas are those supported by Snowflake which presently are Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) and Microsoft Azure.
Step 4
Load database from the staging area to Snowflake: The final step in Oracle to Snowflake database migration is to copy the data file from the temporary staging area to Snowflake. For large databases, the “copy into” command is used while for small databases, the Data Loading Overview tool may be used.
This is the process of migrating databases from Oracle Database Management System to Snowflake.
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