In the ever-evolving landscape of digital business, the imperative for innovation, scalability, and resilience is more pronounced than ever. Central to this challenge is the data infrastructure, which often serves as a critical yet constrained layer within the enterprise stack.
Microsoft has recognized the limitations posed by legacy systems, particularly those reliant on on-premises databases like Oracle. These systems not only incur high maintenance costs but also struggle to keep pace with the agility that modern organizations demand. Migration, however, is fraught with its own challenges, including concerns over downtime, compatibility, security, and the need for retraining personnel.
To address these issues, Microsoft has dedicated significant resources to enhancing PostgreSQL. The goal is clear: to establish PostgreSQL as the most performant, scalable, and enterprise-ready open database platform available. With offerings like Azure Database for PostgreSQL and the newly launched Azure HorizonDB, Microsoft is making strides toward this vision.
The cost of standing still
While remaining on legacy infrastructure may seem like a safe option, it often proves to be a costly one. The expenses associated with maintaining aging on-premises databases are escalating due to hardware refresh cycles, rising licensing fees, and the necessity for specialized expertise. Consequently, organizations may find themselves dedicating a significant portion of their IT budgets and resources to merely sustaining existing systems, leaving little room for innovation.
Many Oracle customers have reported rising licensing costs, performance bottlenecks, and scalability limitations as major pain points. Others have cited high support costs and the demand for advanced AI capabilities as primary motivators for considering a transition away from Oracle databases.
Yet, the migration process itself presents its own set of hurdles. Organizations often grapple with questions regarding application compatibility, team readiness to manage new systems, and the potential for performance degradation. These concerns are valid, and they are precisely the challenges that PostgreSQL on Azure aims to address.
Apollo Hospitals: A case study in transformation
A compelling example of successful migration can be found in Apollo Hospitals, one of Asia’s largest healthcare providers. With a network of over 74 hospitals and more than 10,000 beds, Apollo’s digital infrastructure is vital to its operations. However, their in-house hospital information system, originally built on Oracle, was becoming increasingly challenging to maintain. Performance bottlenecks were hindering care delivery, and the costs associated with scaling were becoming unsustainable.
In a strategic move, Apollo Hospitals opted to migrate their databases to Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Their IT and development teams collaborated closely with Microsoft and their cloud partner to ensure a smooth transition. The results were nothing short of transformative:
- 90% of transactions now complete within five seconds, significantly enhancing responsiveness for clinical systems.
- Uptime has improved to 99.95%, ensuring uninterrupted critical hospital operations.
- Deployment timelines have decreased by 40%, enabling faster rollout of new features and updates.
Most notably, Apollo has achieved a 60% reduction in operational costs and a threefold improvement in overall system performance. This case exemplifies the potential unlocked through the right technology and migration strategy.
Smarter Oracle to PostgreSQL migrations with AI-assisted tooling
A significant barrier to migration lies in the complexity of converting Oracle schemas, stored procedures, and application code. Enterprise applications often depend on numerous stored procedures, functions, and application-side code (Java, .NET, etc.) that are tailored to Oracle-specific syntax. The manual process of rewriting and validating this code can be labor-intensive, error-prone, and costly.
To mitigate these challenges, Microsoft has introduced an AI-assisted Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migration tool, currently available in preview as part of the PostgreSQL extension for Visual Studio Code. This tool leverages GitHub Copilot and a multi-agent AI system to automate the entire conversion process.
Oracle to PostgreSQL AI-assisted migration tool in action
The tool initiates the process by analyzing Oracle schemas and stored procedures, converting them into PostgreSQL-compatible formats through intelligent pattern recognition and transformation logic. Its capabilities extend beyond the database layer; it also scans application code, such as Java or .NET, updating database drivers, rewriting SQL queries, and modifying stored procedure calls to align with PostgreSQL syntax. Additionally, the tool generates automated unit tests to validate the converted logic and conducts post-conversion validation in a scratch PostgreSQL environment to ensure functional parity.
Employing a hybrid AI architecture with specialized agents for migration, validation, and documentation, the tool minimizes manual effort and reduces the risk of human error. It also produces side-by-side comparisons and detailed reports, offering teams the transparency and control necessary to trust the process. By integrating AI-assisted conversion directly into the PostgreSQL extension for Visual Studio Code, developers can seamlessly incorporate schema conversion, code refactoring, and validation into their existing workflows, streamlining the process and accelerating delivery.
Post-migration enterprise-grade performance, scale, and security
PostgreSQL on Azure transcends being merely a cost-effective alternative to legacy systems. With Azure Database for PostgreSQL and the innovative Azure HorizonDB service, migrating to Azure offers high performance, scalability, and security tailored for your most critical enterprise workloads.
Azure Database for PostgreSQL continuing innovation
The introduction of v6-series compute SKUs allows customers to scale vertically up to 192 vCores, ideal for high-throughput transactional workloads and complex analytical queries. For those requiring horizontal scaling, elastic clusters powered by the open-source Citus extension facilitate distributed PostgreSQL deployments across multiple nodes, accommodating multi-tenant SaaS applications, IoT platforms, and large-scale analytics effortlessly.
Storage performance in Azure Database for PostgreSQL has also seen significant enhancements. SSD v2 storage provides high IOPS and low latency, ensuring that even the most demanding workloads operate smoothly. Integrated monitoring and tuning tools, such as Azure Monitor, offer real-time insights and automated optimization, allowing teams to maintain peak performance without manual intervention.
Security remains a paramount concern, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL includes enterprise-grade protections such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Entra ID integration, private endpoints, confidential compute SKUs, and end-to-end encryption. These features assist organizations in meeting compliance requirements and safeguarding sensitive data.
Moreover, as PostgreSQL is open source, there are no licensing fees associated. It stands as one of the most widely used databases globally, supported by a vibrant community and robust backing from Microsoft.
Azure HorizonDB: The future of PostgreSQL at scale
For organizations with extreme performance and scalability demands, Azure HorizonDB has been introduced as a new, cloud-native PostgreSQL service designed for the most challenging workloads. Currently in private preview, Azure HorizonDB supports up to 3,072 vCores and 128 TB of auto-scaling storage, delivering sub-millisecond multi-zone commit latencies and up to three times higher throughput than self-managed PostgreSQL. Additionally, Azure HorizonDB incorporates AI and agentic capabilities from Azure Database for PostgreSQL, featuring built-in AI model management and DiskANN advanced filtering capabilities, making it suitable for next-generation applications requiring real-time analytics and intelligent data processing.
As Azure HorizonDB is PostgreSQL-compatible, organizations can begin their journey with Azure Database for PostgreSQL and transition to Azure HorizonDB as their needs evolve, ensuring a seamless migration path without the need for replatforming or extensive application rewrites.
Open source, engineered for the enterprise
Microsoft takes pride in being one of the leading corporate contributors to the PostgreSQL project. Our engineering teams have integrated key innovations into the platform, and we remain committed to enhancing PostgreSQL to ensure it remains the most capable and trusted open-source database for the cloud era.
We believe that open-source data platforms like PostgreSQL are fundamental to the next generation of intelligent applications. Our objective is to make PostgreSQL not only accessible but exceptional for enterprise workloads, focusing on performance, security, developer experience, and ecosystem integration.
The payoff: Innovation, agility, and confidence
Transitioning to PostgreSQL on Azure is not merely about rectifying existing issues; it is also about unlocking future possibilities. Apollo Hospitals, for instance, is now exploring AI-powered clinical dashboards, real-time analytics with Microsoft Fabric, and containerized workloads with Azure Kubernetes Service. Their teams have become more agile, their systems more resilient, and their foundation is primed for future advancements. As Sridhar Yadla, Apollo’s General Manager, aptly stated:
We’re no longer stuck reacting to problems. Now we’re thinking proactively and looking at how we can evolve.
This encapsulates the transformative potential of PostgreSQL on Azure.
Ready to modernize?
For those contemplating a transition from Oracle to PostgreSQL, Microsoft has developed the tools, platform, and partner network necessary for success.
Explore our latest resources, including the e-book, and delve into the Azure Database for PostgreSQL documentation to learn how to effectively plan, execute, and expedite your migration journey.
