How to Migrate from Oracle to ParadeDB

Galaxy Glossary

How do I migrate an Oracle database to ParadeDB?

Move schema and data from Oracle to ParadeDB (a PostgreSQL-based engine) using ora2pg, FDW, and COPY.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What is the fastest way to migrate Oracle to ParadeDB?

Use the open-source tool ora2pg to export Oracle schema and data into PostgreSQL-compatible SQL, then run the script on a ParadeDB instance. ora2pg auto-converts DDL, data types, and constraints and supports parallel data unload.

Which pre-migration checks are essential?

Confirm Oracle character set, identify unsupported data types (e.g., LONG RAW), and collect row counts for tables like Customers and Orders. Resolve invalid objects and disable materialized views before export.

How do I run ora2pg for an ecommerce schema?

Place a config file with Oracle DSN, user, password, and target schema. Run ora2pg -t COPY for data and -t TABLE for DDL. The generated SQL contains CREATE TABLE Customers ... and COPY statements ready for ParadeDB.

Can I migrate incrementally?

Yes. Use Oracle change-data-capture via oracle_fdw to pull only rows where created_at > :last_sync. Schedule Cron or Airflow to copy deltas until cut-over.

How do I enable ParadeDB features after loading?

Load the extension: CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS parade;. Add full-text or vector indexes as needed: CREATE INDEX idx_products_name_search ON Products USING pgroonga (name);

What validation queries should I run?

Compare row counts: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Customers; in both systems. Spot-check totals: SELECT SUM(total_amount) FROM Orders;. Use EXCEPT queries to find mismatches.

Best practices for cut-over day?

Freeze writes on Oracle, run final incremental sync, promote ParadeDB to primary, and point applications to the new connection string. Keep Oracle in read-only mode for quick rollback.

Common pitfalls and fixes

Data type drift—NUMBER(1) becomes BOOLEAN in Postgres; cast explicitly in ora2pg config. Constraint timing—disable foreign keys during bulk load using SET session_replication_role = replica;

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ora2pg free?

Yes, it is GPL-licensed and widely used.

Does ParadeDB need special drivers?

No. ParadeDB speaks the regular PostgreSQL protocol; any Postgres client works.

How big of a database can I migrate?

ora2pg streams data in parallel; databases above 5 TB have been migrated successfully when bandwidth allows.

Why How to Migrate from Oracle to ParadeDB is important

How to Migrate from Oracle to ParadeDB Example Usage


-- Verify Orders table rows after migration
SELECT COUNT(*) AS parade_count
FROM   Orders;

-- Cross-check against Oracle using oracle_fdw
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS oracle_fdw;
CREATE SERVER orcl FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER oracle_fdw OPTIONS (dbserver '//orcl_host/ORCL');
IMPORT FOREIGN SCHEMA ecommerce FROM SERVER orcl INTO oracle_stage;

SELECT o.total_amount
FROM   Orders  p
EXCEPT
SELECT o.total_amount
FROM   oracle_stage.Orders o;

How to Migrate from Oracle to ParadeDB Syntax


# Export DDL only
ora2pg -t TABLE -o ecommerce_ddl.sql -b /tmp/ora2pg -d ORCL -u scott -p tiger

# Export data as COPY commands (fastest for ParadeDB)
ora2pg -t COPY -o ecommerce_data.sql -b /tmp/ora2pg -d ORCL -u scott -p tiger -J 8  --where "created_at < SYSDATE"

# Example snippet inside ecommerce_ddl.sql
CREATE TABLE Customers (
    id           NUMBER(10)  PRIMARY KEY,
    name         VARCHAR2(100),
    email        VARCHAR2(120),
    created_at   DATE
);

# ParadeDB side
psql -h parade_host -U admin -d ecommerce -f ecommerce_ddl.sql
psql -h parade_host -U admin -d ecommerce -f ecommerce_data.sql

# Enable ParadeDB capabilities
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS parade;

# Add search index
CREATE INDEX idx_product_name_groonga ON Products USING pgroonga (name);

Common Mistakes

Ignoring DATE/TIMESTAMP timezone differences. Fix by setting <code>CLIENT_TIMEZONE</code> in ora2pg and casting Oracle DATE to TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE in ParadeDB.
Leaving constraints and triggers enabled during bulk load, causing slow COPY. Disable with <code>ALTER TABLE ... DISABLE TRIGGER ALL;</code> and re-enable after load.