EnterpriseDB Smooths Way for Oracle App Migration

EnterpriseDB, which has commercialized the PostgreSQL open source database, announced on Tuesday the fifth version of its Postgres Plus Advanced Server.

This latest version of EnterpriseDB's relational database management system (RDBMS) is designed to let users easily migrate more Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) applications in order to cut costs.

It also provides massive scalability using commodity hardware through its Infinite Cache feature.

While several open source databases are available, demand for PostgreSQL is strong because enterprises are emphasizing analytics in database management systems (DBMSes).

About Postgres Plus AS

Postgres Plus Advanced Server is a version of PostgreSQL that was commercialized for the enterprise. It runs on Linux and JBoss, enterprise-class open source middleware from Red Hat (NYSE: RHT).

This latest version of Postgres Plus Advanced Server incorporates input from more than 300 beta customers, EnterpriseDB CEO Ed Boyajian said.

These include hi5 Networks, a San Francisco-based social entertainment Web site with members worldwide, and high-school social network myYearbook.

Moving From Oracle

The latest version of Postgres Plus Advanced Server includes features for deeper Oracle compatibility that make it easy for users to migrate to it from Oracle databases.

These include enhanced transaction control, support for advanced Oracle object types and packages, and tooling enhancements that facilitate the migration of Oracle schema and data.

Enhanced transaction control ensures that transactions pass the same way in Postgres Plus Advanced Server as they do in Oracle.

"The goal here was to let users migrate applications from Oracle without making any changes to the applications," Boyajian told LinuxInsider. "We can reduce the time required for migration by typically 80 to 90 percent and reduce the risk because now we're using the same code used in the Oracle application."

Spotlight on Scalability

This latest release of Postgres Plus Advanced Server also focuses heavily on scalability with Infinite Cache, a new feature that lets users dynamically expand their database cache to the terabyte range.

EnterpriseDB put the caching layer behind the database so developers can use the cache transparently, and the database manages error handling and other transactions, Jim Mlodgenski, chief architect at EnterpriseDB, told LinuxInsider.

"This offloads a lot of disk I/O so customers can put the cache on commodity hardware instead of having to use high-end SANs (storage area networks) to handle I/O."

This approach also plays well in the cloud or virtualized environments, Mlodgenski added.

Open Source Databases

Different open source databases on the market address different requirements.

Apart from PostgreSQL, MySQL and Ingres are two of the other leading open source databases.

Currently, PostgreSQL is very influential because the emphasis is on analytics, and PostgreSQL is being used as a base for several analytics databases, Merv Adrian, founder of consulting firm IT Market Strategy, told LinuxInsider.

In addition, "PostgreSQL combines a modern architecture -- data type extensibility, multi-version concurrency control and so on -- with reasonable industrial strength," Curt Monash, president of Monash Research, told LinuxInsider.

MySQL, Ingres vs Postgres

MySQL exists in multiple configurations depending on which storage engine is being used, but it lacks state-of-the-art architecture in any online transaction processing (OLTP) configuration, Monash said.

Ingres, which provided the core of the Sybase DBMS and Tandem's NonStop SQL RDBMS, is the best OLTP system of the three, Monash said.

"In the enterprise, MySQL and PostgreSQL have predominated," EnterpriseDB's Boyajian said. "MySQL handles Web read-oriented environments, but Postgres was architected from the beginning to be a fully ACID compliant transaction-oriented database like Oracle and DB2."

ACID -- "Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability" -- is a set of properties that guarantee database transactions are processed reliably. It is a key requirement of commercial databases.