Steps to Migrate Oracle Database to Cloud: A Comprehensive Guide for 2025

Step 1: Define Your Cloud Migration Strategy

Questions to Ask #1 – What Are Our Business Objectives?

Before starting any cloud migration project, it is crucial that organizations have their business goals and expected benefits crystal clear. Typically, enterprises have one or more of the following objectives when migrating Oracle database to cloud:

• Reduced IT infrastructure costs
• Improved database performance and availability
• Better disaster recovery and security
• Increased scalability for future enterprise growth

Questions to Ask #2 – What Should be the Optimal Migration Approach for Oracle Database that Works for Our Business?

Migrating Oracle database to cloud can look different for different organizations, based on their needs. Typically, organizations choose one of the following strategies:

• Life & Shift: Also known as rehosting, in this approach the database is moved with minimal changes. This strategy works for enterprises looking for accelerated cloud migration.
• Replatforming: Slight modifications are made to the database to improve cloud performance.
• Refactoring: Applications are optimized for cloud native features. This strategy typically requires more time and effort.

Questions to Ask #3: How Do We Select the Right Cloud Provider for Our Needs?

We’re in 2025. According to industry estimates, there are over 1,000 cloud service providers across borders. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure are some of the bigger names among them.

Choosing the right service provider can be based on the enterprise’s unique needs and budgets. Typically, organizations evaluate cloud service providers on the following parameters:

• Cost and pricing models: Pay as you go Vs. Reserved instances
• Security features: Such as encryption and compliance
• Performance and scalability features: Like auto-scaling, high availability
• Integration features: Available on Oracle Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

Step 2: Assess & Prepare Your Oracle Database

Questions to Ask #1: Have We Performed a Pre-Migration Assessment?

Before you start migrating your Oracle database to cloud, you must:

• Identify database dependencies to minimize downtime
• Finalize storage and compute requirements
• Determine data size and complexity
• Analyze and address data compatibility issues, if any

Questions to Ask #2: Have We Backed Up Our Oracle Database Sufficiently?

A full Oracle database backup before migration minimizes data loss during the transition. Typically, Oracle users use tools like Oracle RMAN (Recovery Manager) to accomplish this.

Questions to Ask #3: Have We Optimized and Cleaned the Data on Legacy Database?

It is crucial to remove redundant or outdated data prior to migration. This reduces the time taken to migrate Oracle database and optimizes cloud performance.

Step 3: Execute the Oracle Database Migration

Questions to Ask #1: Which Migration Method Works Best for Our Oracle Database?

Every company has unique business needs and downtime tolerance. Typically, organizations choose their migration method based on these parameters. They apply one of the following methods in their steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud:

• Data pump export/import: Suitable for small to medium size databases with minimal downtime
• RMAN backup and restore: Suitable for large databases that need quick recovery
• Golden Gate replication: Suitable for zero downtime migrations
• Oracle Data Guard: Suitable for disaster recovery and real time synchronization

Questions to Ask #2: Have We Provisioned Our Cloud Resources?

Organizations must ensure that compute, storage and networking resources are provisioned in their cloud migration before they start the steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud.

Questions to Ask #3: Can We Start the Data Transfer Now?

Once the above steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud are completed, you can use the selected migration method to move your Oracle database to cloud. This ensures that your database, cloud, and overall organizational performance remain stable.

Questions to Ask #4: Have We Validated and Tested the Migration?

Once you have completed the above steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud, be sure to perform extensive testing. Enterprises typically test the following parameters:

• Connectivity and performance: This ensures that database queries run as required.
• Security and access controls: This testing confirms permissions and encryption testing to ensure data security.
• Application and compatibility: This step verifies that your enterprise applications integrate seamlessly with your brand-new cloud database.

Step 4: Optimize Post-Migration Database Performance and Security

Questions to Ask #1: Have We Implemented Cloud Security Best Practices?

Enterprises of all sizes, especially those in sensitive industries or consumer facing sectors, must ensure top-notch cloud security after completing the steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud. Some of these best practices typically followed by enterprises include:

• Encryption for data in transit and at rest
• Role based access for data security
• Monitoring of suspicious logins and unauthorized activity

Questions to Ask #2: Have We Automated Database Management?

Automation of database management saves precious time and resources for enterprises. They typically automate the following features:

• Auto scaling based on cloud demand
• Automated performance fine-tuning
• Scheduled backup and disaster recovery

Questions to Ask #3: Are We Monitoring and Optimizing Cloud Database Performance?

Steps to migrate Oracle database to cloud is not a one-time activity or a set-it-and-forget-it game. Savvy enterprises ensure that they are implementing real time monitoring and performance analytics to identify and address issues before they impact any business workflow, such as reporting.