How Do Chinese Databases Stack Up? A Deep Dive into Compatibility Across Major Products

Background

Last year the author published a detailed article on database compatibility titled “Oracle Compatibility Overview”. Following renewed interest in compatibility work, this piece collects and organizes the compatibility features of various domestic database products, using a comparison table as a starting point.

Compatibility Dimensions

The article defines several key dimensions:

Compatibility Objects : Most products target Oracle, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, with some also supporting DB2, SQL Server, etc. Some products offer a MultiDB mode selectable at initialization.

Compatibility Layers : Compatibility can be provided at kernel, product, database, tenant, or feature level.

Compatibility Assessment : Vendors often supply tools or documentation to evaluate compatibility.

Data Migration : Ability to move or sync data from source to target databases is crucial.

Specific Compatibility Items include protocol, data type, character set, SQL syntax, data objects, procedural language, built‑in functions, system views, optimizer features, security features, and ecosystem tools.

Compatibility Matrix Overview

An illustrative table (shown in the image below) summarizes how each product aligns with the dimensions above.

Product‑by‑Product Compatibility

OceanBase

Provides tenant‑level compatibility for both MySQL and Oracle modes; the mode is fixed at tenant creation.

Oracle compatibility from V2.x.x onward covers most syntax, PL/SQL, data types, and advanced features.

MySQL mode is compatible with MySQL 5.7 (full) and partially with 8.0 JSON functions.

Assessment & migration tools: OceanBase Migration Assessment (OMA) for compatibility and performance evaluation, and OceanBase Migration Service (OMS) for data transfer, real‑time sync, and incremental replication.

GoldenDB

Supports Oracle and MySQL compatibility; complies with SQL‑92/99/2003 standards.

Migration tool: SLOTH enables full and incremental data migration between GoldenDB instances and heterogeneous sources.

GaussDB

Multi‑mode DBCOMPATIBILITY parameter supports Oracle (A), MySQL (B), and PostgreSQL (PG) compatibility.

Provides M‑Compatibility protocol for MySQL connections.

Assessment & migration service: UGO for automatic DDL/DML conversion, plus DRS for data replication.

TDSQL

Offers TDSQL‑MySQL (high MySQL protocol compatibility) and TDSQL‑PostgreSQL (full PostgreSQL compatibility).

Provides an Oracle‑compatible PostgreSQL variant.

PolarDB

PolarDB‑MySQL fully compatible with MySQL 5.6/5.7/8.0.

PolarDB‑PG 100% compatible with PostgreSQL 11/14 and highly compatible with Oracle.

Migration suite: ADAM for cloud migration assessment and DTS for real‑time data transmission.

TiDB

Highly compatible with MySQL protocol and MySQL 5.7/8.0 syntax.

Migration tool: TiDB Data Migration (DM) for full and incremental data migration.

GreatDB

Fully compatible with MySQL syntax and partially with Oracle.

Migration tool: GreatDTS offers one‑stop data migration, evaluation, and consistency checks.

KingBase

Provides extensive Oracle compatibility; also implements many MySQL features.

Migration tools: KDTS (offline) and KFS (online sync) for data and object migration.

DM

Supports a COMPATIBLE_MODE parameter to select compatibility with SQL‑92, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, etc.

Migration tool: DM DTS for heterogeneous database migration and object transfer.

GBase

GBase 8s offers broad Oracle compatibility across PL/SQL, data types, functions, and more.

Provides a generic database migration tool.

AntDB

Enterprise‑grade distributed database supporting SQL 2016 standard; facilitates Oracle‑to‑AntDB migration.

Migration suite: AntDB MTK for assessment, automatic syntax conversion, and high‑availability data sync.

YanshanDB

Oracle‑compatible in syntax, data types, built‑in functions, system views, and PL.

Migration platform: YanshanDB Migration Platform (YMP) for end‑to‑end assessment, migration, and verification.

Klustron

Supports both MySQL and PostgreSQL protocols and SQL syntax, enabling seamless client connections.

Provides full‑stack migration tools for both databases.

HaloDB

Multi‑mode engine allowing compatibility with PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, MySQL, SQL Server, DB2, etc., via the database_compat_mode parameter.

Overall, the analysis shows significant variation in how domestic databases implement compatibility, the depth of feature support, and the availability of assessment and migration tooling, helping users evaluate migration effort and choose the most suitable product.