Optimize Oracle Core Licensing on Azure Cloud with Oracle Interconnect

1. Use Azure Hybrid Benefit: Azure offers the Azure Hybrid Benefit, which allows customers to use their existing Oracle licenses with Azure and save up to 40% on their licensing costs. This benefit applies to both Azure virtual machines and Azure Dedicated Host.

2. Use Azure Reserved Instances: Azure Reserved Instances allow customers to save up to 72% on their virtual machine usage by committing to a one- or three-year term. This can also apply to Oracle virtual machines.

3. Use Azure Spot Virtual Machines: Azure Spot Virtual Machines allow customers to take advantage of unused capacity in the Azure cloud and save up to 90% on their virtual machine usage. This can also apply to Oracle virtual machines.

4. Right-size your virtual machines: Make sure to choose the size for your virtual machines to avoid overpaying for unused resources. Azure offers a variety of virtual machine sizes to fit your specific needs. 5. Use Azure Cost Management: Azure Cost Management allows customers to monitor and optimize their spending on Azure.

Customers can save on their overall cloud costs by identifying and eliminating unnecessary resources, including Oracle licensing. 6. Consider a Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model: If you have existing Oracle licenses, you can bring them to Azure and use them with your virtual machines. This can save you on licensing costs and allow you to leverage your existing investments. 7. Work with a Microsoft partner: Microsoft partners can help you navigate the complexities of licensing and cloud migration and help you save on your overall costs. They can also help you optimize your cloud usage and identify areas for cost savings.

1. Using Workload Analysis for Sizing: DBAs should analyze Oracle databases' current and projected workload using tools like the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) or Statspack reports for Standard Edition Oracle databases. This analysis helps in accurately sizing the requirements for vCPUs in Azure, ensuring you're not over-licensing based on peak workload estimates.

2. Constrained vCPU VMs: Azure offers constrained vCPU virtual machines where you can run higher core count VMs but only pay for fewer vCPUs. This benefits licensing costs because Oracle licenses are based on the vCPUs available to the VM, not the physical cores or total capacity of the VM chassis.

3. Licensing in the Cloud: There's a clarification that Oracle's licensing for third-party clouds like Azure focuses on 'available' vCPUs rather than 'allocated' ones. This means that even if a VM type could scale up regarding vCPUs, you only need to license the vCPUs made available to your workload, particularly relevant for constrained vCPU scenarios.

4. Migration and Optimization: The post might discuss methods to migrate Oracle workloads to Azure with an eye on optimizing licensing costs. This includes using Azure's specific features like Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server, but similar principles apply where you bring your license, thus saving on costs.

5. Real Application Clusters (RAC) on Azure: While the focus is often on single-instance databases for simplicity and cost, third-party solutions like FlashGrid are mentioned on Azure for those requiring RAC for scalability or other needs. However, it's suggested that architecture for cloud-native approaches be reconsidered where possible for better cost efficiency.

6. Licensing Misconceptions: There's an emphasis on debunking myths around Oracle licensing in the cloud. For instance, the idea that you must license all possible vCPUs allocated in a VM type, even if you're not using them, is corrected. You license what you use.

If you're looking to save on Oracle core licensing:

- Analyze and Size Correctly: Use Oracle's tools to ensure you're not over-provisioning vCPUs, which will directly impact licensing costs.

- Use Constrained vCPU Options: Leverage Azure's VM options to constrain vCPU counts to match your licensing strategy.

Understand Oracle's Cloud Licensing Policies: Make sure you're licensing only for vCPUs available to your Oracle instances, not the maximum capacity of the VM.

Remember, these strategies aim to align Oracle's traditional licensing model with Azure's flexible cloud infrastructure, optimizing costs while maintaining performance and compliance with licensing terms.