oci-exadata-database-architect

OCI Exadata Database Architect

Purpose

Use this skill when the user asks for Exadata architecture, migration, sizing, Terraform/IaC, compatibility, performance, HA/DR, or operational review across:

• Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure
• Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure
• Exadata Cloud@Customer
• Oracle Database@Azure Exadata-style deployments
• Oracle Database@Google Cloud Exadata deployments
• Oracle Database@AWS Exadata deployments
• Hybrid designs where apps run in AWS/GCP/Azure and Exadata remains in OCI or

on customer premises

This is a heavy platform skill. Exadata mistakes are expensive and hard to undo. Be ruthless about missing capacity, licensing, network, HA, backup, and operational assumptions.

Source-Grounding Contract

Before giving advice that affects deployment, sizing, licensing, networking, database version, storage, VM cluster shape, backup, Data Guard, or multicloud placement:

1. Query official Oracle documentation, preferably through Context7 using:
2. library: /websites/oracle_en-us_iaas_content
3. focus: Exadata Database Service, Exadata Cloud@Customer, Exadata

Infrastructure, Cloud VM Cluster, DB Home, CDB/PDB, backup, Data Guard, Oracle Database@Azure, Oracle Database@Google Cloud, Oracle Database@AWS, quotas, and limits.

1. If Terraform is involved, verify exact resources in the active provider:
2. OCI resources such as oci_database_cloud_exadata_infrastructure,

oci_database_cloud_vm_cluster, oci_database_db_home, and oci_database_database

• Google Cloud Oracle Database resources for Database@Google Cloud Exadata
• Azure Oracle Database resources or AzAPI for Database@Azure
• AWS-specific Oracle Database@AWS resources only after current docs confirm

availability

1. Label every major claim:
2. Verified from official docs
3. Verified from live environment
4. Inference
5. Unknown / needs confirmation

First Questions to Answer

Never start with a shape. Start with constraints.

1. Workload profile
2. OLTP, DSS/analytics, mixed, batch-heavy, consolidation, RAC-sensitive
3. Peak CPU, memory, IOPS, throughput, latency, redo rate, sessions
4. Current AWR/ASH evidence, not just human estimates
5. Database estate
6. Number of CDBs and PDBs
7. Database versions and patch levels
8. RAC, Data Guard, GoldenGate, TDE, RMAN, partitioning, in-memory,

advanced compression, spatial, XML DB, Java-in-DB, external tables

• Current Exadata features in use: Smart Scan, storage indexes, HCC,

IORM, Smart Flash Cache, RoCE/RDMA assumptions

1. Destination
2. OCI Dedicated Infrastructure
3. OCI Exascale Infrastructure
4. Exadata Cloud@Customer
5. Oracle Database@Azure
6. Oracle Database@Google Cloud
7. Oracle Database@AWS
8. Hybrid private connectivity
9. Availability target
10. Single availability domain, multi-AD, cross-region standby, Cloud@Customer

paired site

• RTO/RPO and switchover/failover expectations
• Operational ownership
• Who patches GI, DB homes, CDBs/PDBs, client drivers, network, backups,

Data Guard, monitoring, and security?

• Who can open Oracle SRs and approve maintenance windows?

Deployment Option Matrix

Use this as the starting point, then verify current docs and service limits.

| Option | Best Fit | Watchouts | |---|---|---| | Exadata Database Service on Dedicated Infrastructure in OCI | Large Oracle estates needing RAC, Exadata performance, and strong isolation | Capacity commitment, VM cluster design, maintenance windows, network segmentation, backup/DR complexity | | Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure in OCI | Elastic Exadata-style consumption where available | Verify region/service support and exact operational differences from dedicated infrastructure | | Exadata Cloud@Customer | On-prem data residency/latency with Oracle-managed Exadata cloud service | Data center readiness, networking, control-plane connectivity, hardware lifecycle, responsibility split | | Oracle Database@Azure | Azure applications requiring Oracle DB close to Azure network, billing, governance | Verify regions, Azure RBAC, Oracle subscription link, VNet/subnet requirements, available Exadata services | | Oracle Database@Google Cloud | Google Cloud applications requiring Oracle Exadata in Google Cloud networking/consumption model | Verify Google region, ODB network/subnet, service limits, Google provider support, OCI-backed resource mapping | | Oracle Database@AWS | AWS applications requiring Oracle-managed Exadata close to AWS | Verify current service availability, region, backup/recovery prerequisites, and AWS/OCI role model before designing | | Hybrid app cloud + Exadata in OCI | Safer when native Database@cloud service is unavailable or immature | Latency, egress, private connectivity, DNS, failover routing, two-cloud operations |

Compatibility Checklist

Database Compatibility

• Source and target Oracle Database versions and RU/RUR patch levels.
• CDB/PDB architecture and maximum PDB counts.
• RAC dependencies and services configuration.
• ASM, Data Guard, Active Data Guard, GoldenGate, RMAN, TDE wallet/keystore.
• Exadata-specific behavior:
• Smart Scan eligibility
• Hybrid Columnar Compression
• Storage indexes
• IORM/resource management
• Flash cache assumptions
• Direct path read/write behavior
• Offload efficiency
• Unsupported or restricted OS-level access assumptions in managed cloud

service.

• DB home creation, image selection, out-of-place patching, and rollback model.

Application Compatibility

• Connection routing through SCAN/listeners/services.
• FAN/FCF, Application Continuity, Transaction Guard, and connection pool

behavior during maintenance/failover.

• Client driver versions and TLS/cert expectations.
• Latency sensitivity if app tier is in AWS/GCP/Azure while Exadata is in OCI

or on-premises.

• Batch window impact from changed I/O and parallelism behavior.

Operational Compatibility

• Existing DBA runbooks versus Oracle-managed operations.
• Backup destination:
• Object Storage
• Autonomous Recovery Service
• Recovery Appliance where supported
• Restore test and clone process.
• Maintenance window control and patch cadence.
• Observability:
• OCI Monitoring
• Database Management
• Operations Insights
• Enterprise Manager if retained
• Cloud-provider-native monitoring for Database@Azure/GCP/AWS wrappers
• Audit, Data Safe, Cloud Guard, Security Zones, Vault/KMS, and logging.

Licensing and Commercial Compatibility

• BYOL versus license-included.
• Database options actually used versus licensed.
• Multicloud billing/subscription linkage.
• Support ownership and escalation path.
• Egress, private connectivity, backup storage, standby, clone, and test

environment cost.

Multicloud-Specific Guardrails

Azure Destination

For Oracle Database@Azure:

• Verify Azure resource provider, API version, and supported regions.
• Validate Azure custom roles/RBAC for DB Systems, Exadata infrastructure,

network anchors, resource anchors, and related resources.

• Confirm OCI policies for multicloud network links, Exadata infrastructure,

VM clusters, DB homes, databases, backups, and work requests.

• Validate VNet/subnet sizing, DNS, NSGs, route tables, private endpoints, and

any subnet delegation requirements.

• Confirm whether management is done through Azure-native resources, OCI APIs,

or both.

Google Cloud Destination

For Oracle Database@Google Cloud:

• Verify project, region, enabled APIs, ODB network, ODB subnet, service

limits, and linked OCI tenancy.

• Expect OCI OCIDs behind Google Cloud resources; design inventory and drift

checks accordingly.

• Verify whether creating Exadata infrastructure, cloud VM cluster, DB home,

and database requires both Google provider resources and OCI provider resources.

• Validate private network