Introduction: The Critical Role of Data Integrity in the Modern Digital Enterprise
Every moment of system unavailability can mean lost revenue, customer churn, and irreversible damage to brand trust. Enterprises are under enormous pressure to manage ever-growing data volumes, maintain 24/7 uptime, and meet strict compliance requirements. Yet, traditional database systems often struggle to deliver the reliability and flexibility needed in an internet-native world.
OceanBase, a next-generation distributed relational database developed originally by Ant Group, provides a robust solution to these challenges. With capabilities in ensuring zero data loss, uninterrupted high availability, and hybrid deployment support, OceanBase is reshaping the future of enterprise-grade databases. In this article, we dive into the problems enterprises face today, how OceanBase addresses them.
Legacy Database Constraints and Why They’re Failing Today
Traditional RDBMS systems were designed in the 1970s for batch processing and centralized computing environments. While they have evolved, most still fall short in supporting the complex, high-throughput demands of today’s interconnected, real-time applications.
Common issues include:
- Data Loss During Failover: Many legacy systems cannot guarantee full data consistency upon failure.
- Downtime During Scaling or Upgrades: Service disruptions are common during peak scaling operations.
- Complex Cloud Migration: On-premise systems were not built to work seamlessly with cloud infrastructure.
- Operational Silos: OLTP (transactional) and OLAP (analytical) workloads require separate infrastructures.
Case in Point: DANA Indonesia
DANA, a leading e-wallet service in Indonesia, faced significant scalability and reliability challenges when using MySQL. As their user base skyrocketed, MySQL’s limitations in guaranteeing data consistency during failure became a critical bottleneck.
What is OceanBase? A Modern Distributed RDBMS for the Internet Era
OceanBase is an enterprise-grade, cloud-native distributed relational database that offers:
- High Availability
- Zero Data Loss
- Multi-Model Data Support
- Unified OLTP and OLAP Workloads
- Cloud and On-Premise Flexibility
Originally developed to support Ant Group’s massive transactional infrastructure (e.g., Alipay), OceanBase is designed for modern internet-scale applications that require resilience, speed, and elasticity.
Core Features that Make OceanBase Unstoppable
1. Zero Data Loss Guarantee
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO) = 0
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO) < 8 seconds
- Paxos-based multi-replica consensus protocol ensures data consistency across nodes
2. Uninterrupted High Availability
- All replicas are active, eliminating single points of failure
- Supports rolling upgrades without service interruptions
- Automatically recovers from hardware and network failures
3. Transparent Scalability
- Horizontal scaling with automatic data rebalancing
- Vertical scaling without downtime
- Supports hybrid environments across cloud VPCs and on-premises
4. HTAP (Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing)
- Supports both OLTP and OLAP in a single database cluster
- Row-based (for TP) and column-based (for AP) zones
- Optimizer dynamically chooses the most efficient execution plan
5. Intelligent Compression Engine
- Real-world use case: 40 TB of data compressed down to 11 TB
- Saves 70% to 90% of storage without performance compromise
6. Multi-Model Support
- Supports relational, key-value, document, spatial, and vector data formats
- AI-ready architecture with support for future machine learning capabilities
Migrating to OceanBase: Seamless and Safe
Migrating from traditional systems like Oracle or MySQL to OceanBase is straightforward and minimally disruptive:
Step-by-Step Migration with OceanBase Tools:
- Assess migration scope using the OMA (OceanBase Migration Assistant) tool
- Migrate data using OMS (OceanBase Migration Service)
- Validate with data consistency and incremental replication
- Cutover to OceanBase with traffic redirection
OceanBase also allows mock standby replication to simulate production environments pre-cutover.
Real-World Impact: DANA Indonesia’s Success with OceanBase
After migrating to OceanBase, DANA achieved:
- Growth from 20 million to nearly 200 million users
- Zero downtime and zero data inconsistency
- Seamless scaling during peak events like Singles’ Day (11.11)
- Hybrid deployment across cloud and on-prem infrastructures
The result? A resilient, unified, and future-ready data infrastructure that supports innovation and customer satisfaction at scale.
OceanBase vs Traditional Databases: Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Traditional RDBMS | OceanBase |
| High Availability | Cold standby, manual failover | Paxos-based, active-active |
| Data Consistency | Risk during failure | RPO = 0, RTO < 8s |
| OLTP + OLAP Support | Requires separate systems | Unified in one cluster |
| Compression | Basic or absent | 70–90% reduction with no loss |
| Cloud-Native | Limited or third-party | Built-in support |
| Multi-Model | Relational only | Relational + KV + JSON + Spatial + Vector |
Future-Proofing for AI and Big Data Workloads
OceanBase is actively developing support for AI workloads and advanced analytics, including:
- Native vector database capabilities for machine learning
- Real-time analytics on large-scale hybrid workloads
- Cost-optimized processing with millisecond-level latency
Its architecture allows enterprises to future-proof their operations as AI becomes core to business competitiveness.
Why WGS is Your Ideal Partner for OceanBase in Indonesia
As an official OceanBase partner in Indonesia, WGS offers:
- Customized Consulting for implementation planning and architecture
- End-to-End Migration Services with local technical expertise
- Ongoing Support & Optimization to ensure peak performance
In a world where data is the most valuable business asset, ensuring its availability, consistency, and scalability is non-negotiable. OceanBase stands as a technology for enterprises seeking to eliminate downtime, support mixed workloads, and prepare for an AI-powered future. With WGS by your side, you’re not just adopting a better database—you’re investing in a future-ready data foundation.
Ready to transform your enterprise database infrastructure?
Connect with WGS and bring OceanBase to your organization today.