Global Data Services
Built for the world's most demanding database environments
Oracle Global Data Services delivers automated failover, intelligent workload routing, and centralized service management across your entire replicated and distributed Oracle Database estate - without changing a single line of application code.
Highlights
$0 additional license cost
If your environment already includes Oracle Active Data Guard or GoldenGate, you likely have everything you need to deploy GDS. No new licenses. No new line items. Just more value from what you already own.
One interface. Every database.
GDSCTL gives your DBA team a single command-line interface to configure, manage, and monitor every database in your estate, across regions, clouds, and replication technologies, from one place.
Zero data loss configurations
With Active Data Guard synchronous replication, GDS-managed failover completes without losing a single committed transaction. Your applications keep running. Your data stays whole.
Cross-cloud configurations supported
One GDS configuration can span OCI, Oracle Database@Azure, Oracle Database@AWS, Oracle Database@Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud@Customer. Manage your entire multi-cloud Oracle estate as a single, unified service layer.
Runs wherever Oracle runs
On-premises, OCI, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, hybrid - if Oracle Database runs there, GDS runs there. Platform decisions never limit your ability to add intelligent service management to your estate.
Any topology
RAC, Active Data Guard, GoldenGate, True Cache, Raft Replication - GDS manages them all simultaneously within a single configuration. No separate tooling. No topology-specific exceptions.
The layer your cloud provider doesn't cover
Cloud-native HA protects your infrastructure. GDS protects your database service layer - managing connection routing, workload separation, and cross-region failover in ways your cloud provider was never designed to handle.
Works while your DBA sleeps
GDS detects failures, reroutes connections, and replays in-flight transactions automatically. Your DBA team wakes up to a resolved incident - not a 2am page and a manual recovery runbook.
No rearchitecting. Ever.
GDS deploys on top of your existing Oracle topology. No changes to your application layer. No changes to your database architecture. You extend what you have, you do not rebuild it.
Why Oracle GDS
Built for the world’s most demanding database environments
GDS solves the hardest problems in replicated and distributed database environments - not at the infrastructure layer but at the database service layer where it matters.
Eliminate manual failover
GDS detects failures and automatically reroutes connections using Fast Application Notification. No runbooks. No 2am pages to your DBA team.
Route smarter, not harder
Distributed read and write traffic intelligently across replicas and standby databases based on load, lag, region - in real-time.
One control plane, any topology
Manage services across RAC clusters, Data Guard configurations, GoldenGate replicas, and True Cache from a single and central GDS Control Utility (GDSCTL) interface.
Enforce data residency
Pin workloads and services to specific regions at the database service layer. Meet data residency regulatory requirements without custom application logic.
No application changes required
GDS operates at the connection and service layer. Your application connects to a global service name - GDS handles everything underneath.
Use your existing licenses
GDS leverages existing Active Data Guard and GoldenGate licenses at no extra cost. Extend what you already own rather than buying new infrastructure.
How GDS works
1
Application Connects
The application connects to a global service name rather than a specific service endpoint. Nothing changes in the application layer.
2
GSM Evaluates Routing
The Global Service Manager (GSM) evaluates real-time load, replication lag, database role, and region policy to select the optimal database.
3
Connection is routed
The connection is directed to the best available database instance - primary, read replica, cache - transparently and instantly.
4
Failures are handled
If a database becomes unavailable, FAN events trigger Fast Connection Failover (FCF). In flight transactions are replayed via Transparent Application Continuity.
Deployment Environments
On-premises
Deploy GDS across your existing Oracle data center estate. Manage services, routing, and failover across RAC clusters, Data Guard standbys, and GoldenGate replicas without changing your infrastructure footprint.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
GDS is natively integrated with OCI and optimized for multi-region Oracle Database deployments. Route workloads across OCI regions, enforce data residency policies, and automate failover between availability domains from a single configuration.
Oracle Database@Azure
Oracle Database@Azure Run Oracle Database on Azure infrastructure while retaining full GDS capability. Manage connection routing and failover across on-prem and Azure regions, and combine Oracle Database@Azure with on-premises or OCI deployments in one unified GDS configuration.
Oracle Database@Google
Cloud Bring GDS governance to Oracle Database workloads running on Google Cloud. Manage services and routing across Google Cloud regions alongside any other environment in your Oracle estate - all under a single GDS configuration.
Oracle Cloud@Customer
Deploy Oracle Cloud infrastructure inside your own data center for workloads that cannot move to the public cloud. GDS treats Cloud@Customer as a first-class environment, enabling the same routing, failover, and residency policies as any other supported platform.
Use Cases
HIGH AVAILABILITY
Seamless regional failover
Automatically
redirect application connections to healthy replicas during planned maintenance
or unplanned outages. Zero application changes. Near-zero recovery time.
TECHNOLOGIES:
Database Services, Active Data Guard. FAN/FCF. TAC
SCALABILITY
Global scale without rearchitecting Expand your Oracle Database estate across regions and clouds without changing application topology. GDS plus-and-play architecture supports incremental global growth. TECHNOLOGIES: OCI, Oracle@Azure. Oracle@AWS. Oracle@GCP. GoldenGate. True Cache. Active Data Guard
PERFORMANCE
Intelligent read/write workload routing
Separate
read and write traffic dynamically. Route reporting and analytics workloads to
standby replicas while protecting primary capacity for transactional
work.
TECHNOLOGIES: GoldenGate. True Cache. Active Data Guard
MANAGABILITY
Centralized and unified management across the enterprise
Manage database services across your entire Oracle estate from a single interface for every database - on-premises, cloud, or hybrid. Eliminate the operational sprawl.
TECHNOLOGIES: GDSCTL. Global Service Manager. GDS Catalog
Related Collateral
Resources
Documentation
GDS Product Documentation
Explore Oracle Global Data Services (GDS) documentation covering concepts, planning, setup, administration, and troubleshooting.
Oracle LiveLabs!
Oracle GDS LiveLabs! Workshop
Get hands-on with Oracle GDS. Install, configure, and observe how global services switchover and failover between primary and standby databases during planned and unplanned events - transparently and without data loss.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions we hear most often from architects, DBAs, and sales teams evaluating Oracle GDS.
Best Practices
GDS Best Practices
GDS best practices around the lifecycle of a deployment. Each phase addresses a specific audience at a specific moment in their journey - from initial evaluation through production optimization.