Updated October 25, 2026
· ~2 min read
For years, Oracle customers on AWS chose between RDS for Oracle, running Oracle themselves on EC2, or leaving Oracle for PostgreSQL. Exadata and RAC workloads usually stayed on-premises because neither AWS option offered them.
Oracle Database@AWS, generally available since July 2025 and in twelve AWS Regions by April 2026, runs Oracle Exadata Database Service and Autonomous Database on Exadata hardware inside AWS data centers. That removes the main reason the largest Oracle databases could not move.
AWS DMS Schema Conversion converts schemas and much of the PL/SQL automatically, with generative AI assistance for the code it cannot convert by rule. The remaining work is in Oracle-specific features (packages with complex state, autonomous transactions, hierarchical queries written the Oracle way) and in performance testing, because the optimizers behave differently. The case for conversion is the licence and support bill every year after. The case against is a large, stable database with years of PL/SQL that nobody wants to touch. For that, Oracle Database@AWS or RDS for Oracle is the honest answer.
Question 1 of 2
Does the workload use RAC or Exadata today?
**Oracle Database@AWS:** Exadata or RAC workloads, and databases too large or too dependent on Oracle features to convert. Oracle manages the database; it sits next to your AWS applications. **RDS for Oracle:** most single-instance Oracle databases. Managed backups, patching and Multi-AZ; License Included for Standard Edition Two, BYOL for Enterprise. **Oracle on EC2:** configurations RDS does not support, at the cost of running it yourself and careful licence counting. **Aurora PostgreSQL:** applications where the Oracle licence is the problem and the PL/SQL is manageable. The largest long-term saving, and the most work.
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As of October 25, 2026. Provided as is, for general information, and accurate to the best of our knowledge on the date shown. Not legal, compliance, tax, financial or other professional advice. Prices, limits and vendor services change; check current vendor documentation before relying on anything here. Terms of use.