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Microsoft attempts to eat Oracle's database lunch with Azure migration service

Redmond hopes move will lure more to its PostgreSQL managed service

Ignite Microsoft is launching a database migration tool to help Oracle users shift to a PostgreSQL managed service on Azure.

Coinciding with Redmond's Ignite bash, the vendor is offering Azure Data Studio, a cross-platform database assessment tool, to help switch from Big Red to a Microsoft PostgreSQL-compatible managed service.

Available in preview, the Database Migration Assessment for Oracle "includes database migration recommendations and an evaluation of database code complexity. With these changes, migration planning is simplified for Oracle customers looking to modernize their data estate to Azure managed databases," Microsoft claimed in a statement.

It said Oracle customers could get sizing recommendations for Oracle Database migration to Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure SQL, including Azure SQL Database Hyperscale, which it says works for large workloads up to 100TB.

"Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure SQL Database offer excellent value for Oracle customers looking to reduce administration overhead and optimize database license costs while maintaining performance," it said.

Earlier this year, Oracle and Microsoft announced Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure, an Oracle-managed service for Azure customers to help them provision, access, and operate Oracle Database services in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) with a familiar Azure-like experience.

Carl Olofson, IDC research vice president, said: "Microsoft has offered basic Oracle to SQL Server/Azure SQL Database migration capability for a while now. Many enterprise Oracle database deployments are very complex, and so migration is difficult and fraught with risk. This service is meant as an expert service to provide a safer and more reliable form of migration."

For some time, PostgreSQL backer EDB has offered an Oracle migration service for users looking for a future outside their traditional home.

Elsewhere at Ignite, Microsoft said it was adding distributed PostgreSQL support for Azure Cosmos DB, its distributed database service, built upon the Hyperscale (Citus) engine. It is also previewing support for statistical language R in its Synapse data warehouse. ®

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