Exciting news! In January 2025, Oracle launched the new Oracle GoldenGate 23ai Fundamentals training, which is a part of the GoldenGate 23ai training and certification curriculum.

As we work on the next level advance training course for you, this blog summarizes the key topics and information covered in the first 14-lesson curriculum designed to teach the fundamentals of Oracle GoldenGate 23ai. The course progresses from foundational concepts to more advanced configurations and monitoring techniques. The primary goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how GoldenGate 23ai works, how to set it up, and how to manage and optimize its performance for data replication and integration.

Key Concepts:

1.  Core Functionality & Use Cases:

Oracle GoldenGate (OGG) is introduced as a powerful tool for data replication and integration. The lessons emphasize its versatility and applicability across various use cases.

  • Lesson 1 provides a general overview of GoldenGate, its functionalities, and the latest features in version 23ai.

2.  Microservices Architecture:

A full emphasis is placed on the microservices architecture of GoldenGate 23ai. This architecture is presented as a key differentiator and a major improvement over previous version.  Classic Architecture is no longer supported in 23ai.

  • Lesson 2 dives into the architecture, highlighting the benefits of microservices.
  • Lesson 14 is entirely dedicated to the microservices architecture, the support timelines for Classic versions and the importance of migration.

3.  Practical Deployment & Configuration:

A substantial portion of the course focuses on the practical aspects of installing, deploying, and configuring GoldenGate.

  • Lessons 3 and 4 detail the necessary steps for setting up and preparing both the GoldenGate environment and the source and target databases.
  • This involves system requirements, installation procedures, database parameter settings, logging configurations and user setup.
  • The Install and Deploy lesson provide a detailed guide on setting up and using Oracle GoldenGate Microservices, covering system requirements, installation, deployment, and various methods of connecting to the system.

4.  Data Extraction, Transformation, and Delivery:

The course extensively covers the processes of extracting data from source databases, transforming data, and delivering it to target databases.

  • Lessons 5, 6, 7 and 8 dives into Extracts, Distribution Path, the Initial Load process, and Replicats, which are key components in the GoldenGate data replication.
  • Lesson 11 focuses specifically on data selection, filtering, and transformation. These lessons collectively explain how to move and manipulate data using GoldenGate.

5.  Management and Monitoring:

The curriculum covers the essential aspects of managing GoldenGate processes and monitoring their performance.

  • Lessons 9 and 10 explain managing trail files, understanding parameter settings which are crucial for the behavior of GoldenGate.
  • Lesson 13 is fully dedicated to the Observability & Performance Monitoring.
  • The Observability & Performance Monitoring lesson provides an overview of how to monitor the performance of GoldenGate deployments using the Performance Metrics Service, lag statistics, heartbeat mechanisms, and StatsD.

6.  Security:

Security is emphasized throughout the course, with specific lessons addressing security strategies and options.

  • Lesson 2 touches on security measures within the architecture and the importance of securing the GoldenGate environment.
  • Lesson 12 covers the topic in more depth, with security and encryption being discussed, along with other advanced topics.

7.  Migration from Classic Architecture:

A dedicated lesson (Lesson 14) addresses the important issue of migrating from the Classic Oracle GoldenGate architecture to the Microservices architecture.

  • The migration lesson provides an overview of the steps and considerations for migrating from Oracle GoldenGate Classic to Microservices architecture, emphasizing the importance of early planning and testing.

Key Lesson Breakdown:

  •    Lessons 1-3: Provide foundational knowledge about Oracle GoldenGate, its architecture, and installation/deployment procedures.
  •    Lessons 4-8: Cover the core processes of replication, including source database preparation, extract processes, initial load mechanisms, and replicat configurations.
  •    Lessons 9-12: Focus on process management, trail file analysis, parameter settings, data manipulation, and advanced configurations.
  •    Lessons 13-14: Address observability, performance monitoring, and migration from the classic architecture to the microservices-based architecture.

Specific Topics & Quotes:

  •     Microservices Benefits: Microservices Architecture: Benefits of Microservices (Lesson 2) highlights the architectural shift in GoldenGate 23ai.
  •     Security Focus: Security Strategies: Security (Lesson 2), and Security and Encryption (Lesson 12) indicate the importance placed on security best practices.
  •     Data Pipeline: The sequence from Extracts and the Capture Process (Lesson 5) through Distribution Service Overview (Lesson 6) and Replicat Overview (Lesson 8) emphasizes the flow of data replication.
  •     Monitoring: Performance Metrics Service, Lag, Heartbeat Mechanism, (Lesson 13) are key to managing GoldenGate effectively.
  •     Migration Imperative: Emphasizing the importance of early planning and testing due to the end of support of the classic architecture. (Lesson 14) This highlights the need to migrate off the classic architecture before end-of-support.

In Summary:

This comprehensive curriculum is designed with your learning journey in mind, providing a structured approach to mastering Oracle GoldenGate 23ai. We understand that diving into new technologies can be challenging, so this course not only covers the essential theoretical concepts but also equips you with the practical skills needed to install, configure, manage, and monitor GoldenGate deployments with confidence.

We focus on microservices architecture and real-world scenarios because we know how important it is for you to relate your learning to practical applications, especially in the realm of data replication and integration with Oracle databases. Additionally, we’ve included a migration lesson to ensure you feel fully prepared and supported as you transition from Classic to the new microservices architecture.

Start your training today, it can be accessed here: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/course/oracle-goldengate-23ai-fundamentals/145884