Selecting the best Data Integration tool – Data Transforms or Oracle Data Integrator

March 12, 2024 | 8 minute read
Jayant Mahto
Senior Principal Product Manager
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This is a guide to help you understand the evolution of Oracle Data Integrator. Data Transforms is the latest evolution of Oracle Data Integrator for data integration on OCI. It is a native service on OCI and available in Autonomous Database Serverless and OCI GoldenGate service, making it easy to start using it immediately. This guide will outline the advantages of using Data Transforms, and provide migration guidance for existing users of Data Integrator.

Various characteristics and the deployment options of these two products are explained below:

  • Data Transforms: Cloud data integration product with modern UI available in different deployment channels.
  • Oracle Data Integrator: Classic data integration product with huge install base available on on-premises as well as on cloud. Current customers also have the option to modernize and migrate to Data Transforms.

Both benefit from the performance-optimized Extract – Load – Transform (ELT) and pushdown processing approach to data integration and come with extensive heterogenous connectivity to data sources.

* Listed as ODI Web on OCI Marketplace

 

How to select which product/deployment

 

Offering

Considerations for tool selection

I want a fully managed cloud-based integration tool to load Autonomous Database Serverless and other targets. It is built-in and available to use immediately.

Data Transforms
(Autonomous Database Serverless)

I am not an Autonomous Database Serverless user but still want the same integration features in a cloud based managed offering. Existing GoldenGate customers can execute complex transformations jobs along with data replication jobs within the same service.

Data Transforms
(OCI GoldenGate)

I want the same integration features but will manage my own env on cloud*

(Restricted to loading only Oracle Cloud Databases.)

Data Transforms
(OCI Marketplace)

I want to leverage existing Oracle Data Integrator skill and assets on cloud. It uses same user experience as on-premises tool, allowing for transition to OCI easy.

Oracle Data Integrator
(OCI Marketplace)

I want to leverage existing Oracle Data Integrator skill and assets on on-premises env.

Oracle Data Integrator
(On-premises)

*For custom JDBC driver to data sources and/or manual network configuration.

 

Feature comparison

 

Features

Data Transforms *

Oracle Data Integrator

User Interface

Browser based

Thick client

Source/Target

100+ See guide

25+ See guide

Data pipeline (data flows with complex transformations, workflows, and scheduling) 

Yes

Yes

Deep integration with Oracle specific features:

  • Spatial
  • Text
  • Machine Learning

Yes

No

Delta Share support

Yes

No

Data preview and profiling

Yes

No

Life cycle management – GIT integration

 

No

Yes

Life cycle management – Dev2Prod

 

Yes

Yes

Ability to use custom code

Using SQL and PL/SQL

Customizing Knowledge Module**

* All deployment channels of Data Transforms: Autonomous Database Serverless, OCI GoldenGate, OCI Marketplace

** Knowledge Module is an ODI feature for code generation

 

Data Transforms deployment channel comparison

 

Feature

Data Transforms Autonomous DB Serverless

Data Transforms
OCI GoldenGate

Data Transforms
OCI Marketplace

Auto backup and recovery

Yes

Yes

No

High Availability

Yes

Yes

No

Auto shutdown to optimize cost

Yes

No

No

Custom JDBC

No

No

Yes

Auto patching

Yes

Assisted

No

User management

DB user

Local

Local

Target restriction

None

None

Oracle Cloud DB only

 

Licensing

 

Offering

How do you license?

Data Transforms
(Autonomous DB Serverless)

ECPU per hour. Refer to OCI Cost Estimator for estimating the cost.

Data Transforms
(OCI GoldenGate)

OCPU per hour. Refer to OCI GoldenGate pricing for details.

Data Transforms
(OCI Marketplace)

Service is free with restriction to load data only to Oracle Cloud Databases. Need to pay for compute instance and database for the repository (can reuse existing database).

Oracle Data Integrator
(OCI Marketplace)

Free listing: Restricted to load data only to Oracle Cloud Databases.

BYOL listing: No restriction on usage. Processor based (where transformation takes place) and Named User Plus pricing. Refer to technology price list.


In both cases, need to pay for compute instance and database for the repository (can reuse existing database).

Oracle Data Integrator
(On-premises)

Processor based (where transformation takes place) and Named User Plus pricing. Refer to technology price list.

Conclusion

 

Data Transforms is the next generation of ODI and provides highly effective and cost-efficient data loading and transformation capabilities. You can continue to use ODI or migrate to cloud native Data Transforms. This guide should identify the best product for you and begin your data integration journey today!

Jayant Mahto

Senior Principal Product Manager

Jayant Mahto is a Senior Principal Product Manager for Database Server Technologies at Oracle. He has been developing tools and applications for Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence for more than two decades. Currently he is involved in Database tools development of Autonomous Database as primary focus.

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