Empowering GenAI App with Oracle Database at Azure

Today, I'm particularly excited to draw attention to the expanded partnership with Oracle, culminating in the delivery of Oracle database services within Azure: Oracle Database@Azure . Here is the official post about the announcements related cloud infrastructure in the era of AI.

Yesterday was announced the General Availability (GA) of the Oracle Exadata Database Service is slated for December 2023 for some Azure regions *. This marks the inaugural release among a series of planned Oracle database services seamlessly integrated with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) within the Azure's ecosystem. The convergence of Oracle and Azure promises a dynamic synergy, offering customers from both companies unprecedented opportunities in the realm of cloud database services.

At the conference, Erin Chapple (Bourke-Dunphy) CVP of Azure Compute unveiled an extraordinary integration between Oracle Database and Azure services, empowering customers to seamlessly migrate their Exadata solutions to the cloud and unlock the full potential of Azure's robust ecosystem - including Azure OpenAI service.

As I highlighted in an article written in August 2023, the success of AI relies heavily significantly on the quality, diversity, and quantity of data available. The inclusion of Oracle in the Azure database portfolio as an OCI extension undoubtedly brings good news for the collaborative customers of Microsoft and Oracle.

The success of AI relies heavily significantly on the quality, diversity, and quantity of data available.

This strategic move promises to enhance the richness and effectiveness of data resources, laying a solid foundation for the continued success of AI initiatives.

By integrating OCI and Azure infrastructure, customers of Oracle Database@Azure now have the capability to seamlessly migrate their existing databases to OCI while deploying in Azure. This integration enhances security by consolidating applications and data on a unified network, ensuring optimal performance through the utilization of the fully managed Exadata Database Service, which operates seamlessly in OCI.

Additionally, this collaborative approach allows customers to tap into the innovative potential offered by the extensive services available in the Microsoft cloud, including Microsoft Fabric (also now in GA).

7 Key Takeaways form Microsoft Ignite

Here are my seven learnings and takeaway from the conference.

• Provisioning Excellence: Users can effortlessly provision an Exadata instance in Azure with just a few clicks. Then, we can customize compute and storage ratios to align with our organization's unique workload requirements, providing unparalleled flexibility and scalability.
• Virtual Clusters: This innovative feature enables users to securely connect their database to the Azure Vnet, ensuring seamless access to other Azure services. This integration fosters a holistic and interconnected OCI and Azure's ecosystem.
• Insights at our Fingertips: The integration of services such as Azure Monitor, allow us to craft custom dashboards and gain real-time insights into the health and performance metrics of the organization's Exadata instance and database running on Azure. This level of transparency empowers businesses to proactively manage and optimize our resources.
• AI-Driven Decision Making: For me, a true game-changer emerged when the integration of Azure AI Studio and Prompt Flow was announced. Being able to natively integrate Oracle Exadata with Azure AI Studio will, for sure, accelerate the creation of Generative AI models (or fine-tuning existing LLM). This model harnesses structured data from the Oracle database and customer information to assist end users and business leaders in making informed decisions about product choices. The fusion of Exadata with generative AI opens up a realm of possibilities.
• Unlocking Value: Thanks to the new Oracle Query Tool, with a few clicks, now we can connect data managed by Exadata on Azure with Generative AI equips businesses with the ability to enhance their applications with AI capabilities. Personalized and relevant answers to user queries are now at our fingertips, backed by insights derived from the database and customer data.

• Seamless Management thanks to the ability for Microsoft's customers to use familiar Azure tools and services to monitor and manage their Exadata solutions in the cloud. This integration doesn't compromise on performance or availability, ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud environment.
• Optimizing Costs, Planning for Growth: As businesses navigate the digital landscape, the integration also offers the strategic benefit of optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO). Organizations can seamlessly adjust compute and storage resources according to their evolving needs, thereby planning for future growth without unnecessary constraints.

During the keynote, Erin showcased the step-by-step process of leveraging Oracle Exadata Database at Azure, shedding light on how businesses can harness Azure Monitor and Azure AI to elevate their database management experience. You can learn more, I do recommend watching her demo:

In conclusion

The integration of Oracle Database at Azure unveiled at Microsoft Ignite 2023 is a testament to the continuous innovation and commitment to providing unparalleled solutions for businesses navigating the cloud landscape. As we witness this synergy between Oracle and Azure, the possibilities are limitless, and the future of cloud computing looks more promising than ever.

If you're an Oracle customer with an Unlimited License Agreement (ULA) or utilizing Oracle's BYOL (Bring Your Own License), don't hesitate to contact your Microsoft account team. They can provide you with detailed insights into Oracle Database@Azure and how this partnership can contribute to achieving more for your organization.

* It's important to note that availability may vary depending on the specific location of the datacenter region.