Setting up a GoldenGate environment entails making several decisions on how to structure the environment. Choices like trail file location, naming conventions for processes, etc. are usually pretty simple. With the release of 12c, there is a decision that merits very close attention: whether to use an INTEGRATED configuration or a CLASSIC one. The INTEGRATED approach has been around since 11gR2 but there are some significant and important enhancements in the 12c implementation that make the INTEGRATED set up more desirable.

Here are some advances and improvements that comprise the new version of the INTEGRATED option.

1. INTEGRATED APPLY

Administration of the APPLY process is simplified by using a special INTEGRATEDPARMS parameter. In the past, a parallel-like APPLY process was achieved by creating parameter files that split a schema into multiple threads by only applying to a subset of the tables to be replicated. Now the APPLY takes care of this and boosts performance even more. True parallel processes that are aware of other counterpart APPLY threads can be started up every time the process is running. This provides better scalability and load balancing. The way this is setup is amazingly simple. It is well worth it to explore this capability more closely.

2. INTEGRATED CAPTURE

CAPTURE can now be closely coupled with the database. This means that CAPTURE can access the data dictionary and even use the database’s UNDO tablespace. Because of this CAPTURE can support more advanced features and data types, and is fully compatible with Oracle’s various compression and encryption algorithms.

3. DOWNSTREAM CAPTURE

This is an adaptation of the STREAMS design, which allows in-memory CAPTURE and APPLY using the Data Guard log transport. The integrated setup is an option in this configuration as well. The performance using this method is invaluable where low latency is required, even in the case of a very heavy data loads. Changes in the database are written to standby redo logs which make real-time mining possible. If the APPLY process lags too far, it will mine the archived redo logs. One of the great things about this is that, once the APPLY catches up, the real time mining process is automatically started back up again, with no manual intervention needed.

Using an integrated setup for replication has taken a big step forward in the latest versions of GoldenGate 12c. In addition to providing access to the data dictionary the parallel capabilities really make this option the most desirable way to create a modern GoldenGate environment.

For assistance in designing and deploying your new GoldenGate environment, contact Cintra today!