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From legacy to leadership: How PostgreSQL on Azure powers…

by ailona•

Azure PostgreSQL modernizes legacy databases by cutting costs, improving performance and uptime, enabling AI-assisted Oracle migrations, and offering scalable compute, storage, and security with HorizonDB for extreme scale and low-latency enterprise workloads.

Microsoft announced expanded PostgreSQL offerings on Azure, including Azure Database for PostgreSQL and the new Azure HorizonDB. These services target migrations from legacy databases and aim to improve performance, scale, and cost efficiency.

Main feature/change and impact

Azure introduced Azure HorizonDB as a high-scale, cloud-native PostgreSQL service and expanded v6-series compute SKUs. HorizonDB supports up to 3,072 vCores and 128 TB auto-scaling storage. v6-series CPUs enable up to 192 vCores for high-throughput transactional workloads. These additions reduce replatforming risk and deliver multi-zone commit latencies suitable for mission-critical applications.

Practical implications

Organizations can migrate Oracle and other legacy systems with reduced downtime using AI-assisted tooling. The Visual Studio Code PostgreSQL extension with AI automates schema and code conversion. Elastic clusters with Citus provide horizontal scaling for multi-tenant SaaS and analytics. Built-in monitoring, SSD v2 storage, and security integrations lower operational overhead and speed time to value.
“Our mission is to make PostgreSQL the most performant, scalable, and enterprise-ready open database platform available.”
Azure’s migration story includes a reference customer example with measurable gains. Apollo Hospitals reported faster transactions, higher uptime, and lower costs after migrating. The AI-assisted Oracle-to-PostgreSQL tool generates unit tests and post-conversion validation to maintain functional parity. Microsoft also bundles Defender for Cloud, Entra ID, and private endpoints to meet compliance. Closing paragraph: Teams should assess workload requirements and migration complexity before choosing services. Start with Azure Database for PostgreSQL for compatibility, and plan a pathway to Azure HorizonDB for extreme scale.

Key points from the article:

  • Reduces operational and licensing costs compared to legacy on-premises databases
  • AI-assisted tools automate Oracle-to-PostgreSQL schema and code conversion
  • v6 SKUs and Citus enable vertical and horizontal scaling for large workloads
  • HorizonDB offers sub-millisecond commits and multi-thousand vCore scale
  • Built-in security: Defender, Entra ID, private endpoints, confidential compute

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    From the Microsoft Azure Blog