NDB Supported Databases: What Can You Automate with Nutanix Database Service?

Introduction to Nutanix Database Service (NDB)

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) is a powerful database-as-a-service (DBaaS) platform that simplifies database lifecycle management across hybrid multicloud environments. NDB provides extensive automation capabilities for provisioning, patching, cloning, and protecting enterprise databases.


Supported Database Engines in NDB

NDB supports a wide range of popular database platforms with varying levels of automation:

Fully Supported (Complete Lifecycle Automation)

  • PostgreSQL (All supported versions)

  • Microsoft SQL Server (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022)

  • Oracle Database (11g, 12c, 19c, 21c)

  • MySQL (5.7, 8.0)

  • MariaDB (10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6)

Limited Support (Basic Provisioning and Management)

  • SAP HANA

  • MongoDB

  • Redis

Key Automation Capabilities

1. Database Provisioning Automation

  • One-click deployment of new database instances

  • Customizable provisioning profiles

  • Automated storage and network configuration

  • Self-service portal for developers

Example workflow:

1. Select database type/version
2. Choose compute/storage profile
3. Set network/security parameters
4. Click deploy → database ready in minutes

2. Patch Management

  • Automated patch compliance scanning

  • One-click patching operations

  • Maintenance window scheduling

  • Pre-patch validation checks

  • Rollback capabilities

3. Database Cloning

  • Full database clones in minutes

  • Refreshable clones for dev/test

  • Space-efficient snapshots

  • Cross-cloud clone migration

4. Backup and Recovery

  • Policy-based automated backups

  • Point-in-time recovery (PITR)

  • Cross-region backup replication

  • One-click restore operations

5. Scaling Operations

  • Vertical scaling (CPU/RAM changes)

  • Storage expansion without downtime

  • Read replica provisioning

  • Automated failover configuration

6. Monitoring and Alerting

  • Pre-configured health dashboards

  • Custom metric thresholds

  • Integration with external monitoring tools

  • Predictive analytics for capacity planning

Advanced Automation Features

Database-as-Code

  • Terraform provider for infrastructure-as-code deployments

  • REST API for all operations

  • CLI interface for scripting

  • Webhooks for event-driven automation

Time Machine for Databases

  • Continuous data protection

  • Journaling for near-zero RPO

  • SLA-based protection policies

  • Application-consistent snapshots

Custom Workflows

  • Extend automation with custom hooks

  • Pre/post-operation scripting

  • Approval workflows for governance

  • Integration with CI/CD pipelines

What You Can't Automate (Yet)

While NDB offers extensive automation, some limitations exist:

  • Database schema changes

  • Application-level tuning

  • Some specialized DB configurations

  • Certain cross-cloud migration scenarios

Best Practices for NDB Automation

  1. Standardize Profiles: Create consistent compute/storage profiles

  2. Tag Resources: Implement proper tagging for cost tracking

  3. Scheduled Operations: Use maintenance windows for disruptive tasks

  4. Monitor Automation: Track automated operation success rates

  5. Gradual Rollout: Test new automation in non-production first

Real-World Automation Examples

Scenario 1: Automated Dev/Test Refresh

1. Nightly snapshot of production DB
2. Automated clone to dev environment
3. Data masking applied
4. Email notification sent to team

Scenario 2: Disaster Recovery Drill

1. Monthly trigger initiates DR test
2. Provisions replica in DR region
3. Runs validation queries
4. Generates compliance report
5. Tears down test environment

Conclusion

Nutanix Database Service provides enterprise-grade automation for the complete database lifecycle across multiple database technologies. By leveraging NDB's automation capabilities, organizations can achieve:

  • 90% faster database provisioning

  • 75% reduction in operational overhead

  • Near-zero RPO/RTO for critical databases

  • Consistent operations across hybrid multicloud

As NDB continues to evolve, expect even more databases and automation capabilities to be added to the platform, further simplifying enterprise database operations.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Nutanix Database Service (NDB)? A Beginner’s Guide to DBaaS Simplified

Introduction In today’s fast-paced digital world, managing databases efficiently is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Traditional database administration (DBA) tasks such as provisioning, patching, backups, and scaling can be complex and time-consuming. Enter Nutanix Database Service (NDB) , a fully managed Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) solution that simplifies database operations across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Whether you're running Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, or MongoDB , NDB automates lifecycle management, allowing DBAs and DevOps teams to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore: ✔ What Nutanix Database Service (NDB) is ✔ Key features and benefits ✔ How NDB simplifies database management ✔ Use cases and why businesses are adopting it What is Nutanix Database Service (NDB)? Nutanix Database Service (NDB) is an enterprise-grade DBaaS platform that automates the deployment, scaling, backup,...
Read more

NDB vs. AWS RDS vs. Azure SQL – DBaaS Face-Off

Choosing the right Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) solution is critical for performance, cost, and scalability. This guide compares Nutanix Database Service (NDB) , Amazon RDS , and Azure SQL Database to help you decide which one fits your needs. 1. Overview: Key Differences at a Glance Feature Nutanix NDB AWS RDS Azure SQL Database Deployment Model Hybrid/Multi-Cloud (On-Prem + Cloud) Cloud-only (AWS) Cloud-only (Azure) SQL Server Support ✅ Yes (BYOL) ✅ Yes (License-included/BYOL) ✅ Yes (License-included/BYOL) Automated Backups ✅ Yes (PITR) ✅ Yes (PITR) ✅ Yes (PITR) High Availability ✅ Active-Passive/Active-Active ✅ Multi-AZ ✅ Zone-Redundant Scaling Vertical + Horizontal Vertical only Vertical + Hyperscale Pricing Model S...
Read more