Oracle Data Guard Reviews

Name: Oracle Data Guard
Brand: Oracle
Rating: 4.2 (31 reviews)

4.2 out of 5

31 reviews
94% willing to recommend

575 followers

What is Oracle Data Guard?

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.

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Oracle Data Guard is the #11 ranked solution in best Backup and Recovery Software. PeerSpot users give Oracle Data Guard an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. Oracle Data Guard is most commonly compared to Veeam Data Platform: Oracle Data Guard vs Veeam Data Platform. Oracle Data Guard is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 70% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 19% of all views.

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Featured reviews

Azhagupandi Parthiban

Vice President Of Technology at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

There are various advantages. First of all, easy to deploy. The only difficult part is the cost factor, licensing. In other ways, the implementation is very, very important. Like, we have not encountered any major challenges with replication. We were able to achieve near-real-time replication. Also, with the switchover failover, we were not getting any technical issues. It's a pretty stable product. Once you configure it, it goes through the rollback, and then Data Guard introduces this snapshot thing. So once the restoration happens, we can go back to the original thing, and we make that a standard. It's a pretty decent and key function for Oracle. So, enterprise organizations go for Oracle only for features like these.

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IfeoluwaOshinowo

Senior Oracle Database Administrator at Computer Information Systems (CIS)

The initial setup is straightforward, provided you know the source, target, data version and format. You need to consider all those things. First and foremost, when deploying Oracle Data Guard, the number one priority is to ensure all parameters are correctly set. Two primary methods exist: using backups or recovering from services if the network is reliable. If the network is robust, backups from the source to the target may not be necessary. You must ensure that NIS names are correctly configured on both sides and that the failover and switchover processes are tested successfully from both production and standby environments. Once these steps are completed, the deployment process becomes straightforward. There's no need to copy the entire parameter file; only specific configurations, such as the SID or file structure, must be adjusted if necessary. Ensuring proper DNS name resolution, SID configurations, parameter settings, and understanding whether to convert the Data Guard are essential. Once these aspects are identified, the deployment process becomes more straightforward. I have implemented numerous Data Guard setups. Setting up Oracle Data Guard is performed within the Oracle CRS. Challenges may arise in establishing connectivity between the standby and production databases, necessitating troubleshooting. Apart from that, once configured within CRS, the setup is complete. The challenge with Oracle Data Guard is that it often takes some time for us to identify whether the issues stem from the disk or the network. If we report issues to the network or storage teams from the database end, we may not perceive any apparent problems, which can lead to confusion. We can convince the storage teams to investigate further until we delve into the disk I/O Guard and determine if specific disks operate at total capacity. When disks are operating at total capacity, it can significantly impact application processes. These difficulties in pinpointing the source of issues contribute to the challenges of maintaining and managing Oracle Data Guard.

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Federico Bonifazi

CEO & Technical DBA Oracle at Geko s.r.l.

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.

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Oracle Data Guard mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Oracle Data Guard in the Backup and Recovery category stands at 0.8%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Sep 11, 2024

Valuable Features

Key features of Oracle Data Guard include real-time replication, backup and restore, high availability, clustering, failover capability, scalability, and flashback standby. It ensures data protection, network management, data integrity, and security. Users appreciate the ease of deployment, stability, and ability to manage environments through Oracle Data Guard Broker. The active data guard feature is particularly useful during failover situations, and the snapshot feature facilitates testing without affecting the main database.

"Data Guard also improved because customers with an active Data Guard license want to reduce the I/O in a production environment. Some application complaints to it for Oracle reporting purposes. It has a production environment that needs to be enhanced."
"With Data Guard, Oracle guarantees zero data loss, providing peace of mind for organizations relying on their data for critical operations."
"The most valuable aspect for me is undoubtedly the failover capability and the assurance of data safety provided by Oracle Data Guard."

Room for Improvement

Oracle Data Guard exhibits complexity and demands enhanced user-friendliness and interface improvements. Data loss occurs during system crashes or network disconnections, leading to synchronization issues. Documentation and technical support require significant improvement. Pricing is considered high. Enhanced GUI with third-party integration, cloud management, improved security, bug fixes, and robust monitoring is desired. Support for block storage migration and improved synchronization alerts is essential. Enabling read and write capabilities at disaster recovery sites would be beneficial.

"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."
"The only difficult part is the cost factor, licensing.Another area of improvement is support."

ROI

Users reported significant cost savings and improved database performance using Oracle Data Guard. Unexpected downtime caused by manual backups was reduced. Feedback also highlighted streamlined disaster recovery processes and enhanced data security. Some stated the ease of setup directly contributed to faster implementation timelines, contributing to lower operational expenses. Enhanced data protection and reduced data loss in critical systems increased user confidence in maintaining business continuity.

Pricing

The pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Oracle Data Guard vary depending on negotiations with Oracle. The license is considered expensive compared to other database systems. However, considering the price, features, availability, scalability, and maturity, it is deemed a very good product. It is recommended to check with Oracle to ensure optimal product usage.

"The pricing is on the higher side."
"The licensing cost is significantly high."
"It's a cost-effective solution."

Popular Use Cases

Oracle Data Guard is primarily used for disaster recovery, data protection, high availability, and business continuity. It helps replicate databases to geographically distant sites, manages backups for quick recovery in emergencies, and provides the ability to offload tasks to standby databases. The deployment can be on-premises or in the cloud, ensuring data integrity and monitoring continuous data flow to prevent gaps. It is reliable for long distances and critical for business applications.

Service and Support

Oracle Data Guard receives mixed feedback on customer service and support. Users praise the responsiveness and knowledge of higher-level support, particularly from regions such as the US, Canada, and Europe. Some express frustration with slow response times and basic initial support levels. There are communication challenges with support from certain regions. Access to support is seen as crucial, especially for critical issues. Some appreciate the community guides, while others find Oracle documentation lacking clarity.

Deployment

Initial setup of Oracle Data Guard varies in complexity. Some find it straightforward, manageable within hours, while others encounter significant challenges needing days or weeks. Familiarity with OS, network, and Oracle concepts eases the process. Typically requiring two to three experts, deployment time depends on database size, network bandwidth, and configuration steps. Issues often arise from connectivity between standby and production databases or storage and network discrepancies.

Scalability

Oracle Data Guard is highly scalable, with capabilities to cluster with Oracle RAC, support for Active Data Guard, and seamless database replication. Users have reported smooth and efficient performance with large numbers of users and replicas. Scalability has significantly improved since version twelve, enabling configuration of multiple standby systems. Many organizations, particularly enterprise-level, utilize it extensively, reflecting its reliability and stability. Rated frequently as nine or ten out of ten.

Stability

Oracle Data Guard is widely regarded as stable. Users have noted its reliability, with many experiencing no bugs, crashes, or significant issues. Daily checks and proper OS management are essential. Though typically stable, some users faced challenges with major upgrades and performance monitoring for large databases. Security and administration ease are highlighted. Stability ratings frequently range from nine to ten out of ten.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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