Key Takeaways: Database Ecosystem & GaussDB Compatibility at Global Data Forum

Forum Context and Database Ecosystem Working Group

The Global Data Infrastructure Forum (Nov 18‑19 2019, Shenzhen) gathered industry, academia and standards bodies to discuss the rapid growth of data‑driven applications and the need for a coordinated database ecosystem in China. A closed‑door session of the “Kunpeng Intelligent Data Industry Alliance” focused on standards, talent cultivation, and the challenges of digital transformation for database products.

GaussDB Product Naming and Compatibility Certification

Huawei renamed its database line to eliminate the numeric series (100/200/300). The new names are:

GaussDB T – an OLTP‑oriented database built on Huawei’s proprietary native kernel.

GaussDB A – an OLAP‑oriented database built on the open‑source PostgreSQL kernel.

Huawei opened an ecosystem product compatibility certification program. Xinju Network (新炬网络) completed the first certification by testing its heterogeneous database management platform ZnSQL and full‑stack intelligent operations platform ZnAiops against GaussDB T/A, receiving the official technical certification.

Technical Overview of ZnSQL

ZnSQL is a cross‑platform database management and operation platform designed to improve operational efficiency and SQL quality. Its core capabilities include:

Unified monitoring of heterogeneous databases (Oracle, MySQL, DB2, SQL Server, DM, etc.).

Load analysis and automatic SQL‑tuning recommendations.

SQL audit and compliance reporting.

Extensible architecture that currently supports more than 20 different database engines and can be extended via plug‑ins.

The platform originated in 2015 as the free tool OraZ released to the dbaplus community, and has since evolved into an enterprise‑grade solution.

Technical Overview of ZnAiops

ZnAiops is a visual, automated, and intelligent operations middle‑platform built on a decade of large‑scale data‑center SRE practice. Key features:

Unified dashboard for infrastructure, middleware and database health.

Automated incident detection, root‑cause analysis and remediation workflows.

Support for both commercial stacks (e.g., Oracle, MySQL) and open‑source/domestic stacks (e.g., PostgreSQL, openGauss).

End‑to‑end support for digital‑transformation projects, from migration planning to production‑grade operation.

Huawei Data‑Infrastructure Strategy and Hetu Engine

Huawei announced a comprehensive data‑infrastructure strategy that integrates data acquisition, storage, computing, management and usage. As part of this strategy, Huawei released the data‑virtualization engine “Hetu” and scheduled the open‑source release “openHetu” for June 2020. openHetu provides:

North‑bound APIs for third‑party applications.

Core query engine based on columnar storage and vectorized execution.

South‑bound connectors for heterogeneous data sources, enabling seamless data federation.

Huawei Digital‑Transformation Methodology (Five‑Step “转” Framework)

Huawei CIO Tao Jingwen presented a five‑step methodology to guide enterprise digital transformation:

转意识 (Shift Mindset) – Move from a tool‑centric view (AI/Big Data/Cloud) to a customer‑centric V‑model that aligns business goals with technology.

转组织 (Organizational Realignment) – Establish a centralized headquarters that drives technology standards while empowering business units to execute.

转文化 (Cultural Change) – Replace individual heroism with a service‑oriented culture that creates value for others.

转方法 (Methodology) – Digitize objects, processes and rules; decompose monolithic services into micro‑services to enable fine‑grained automation.

转模式 (Model Refactoring) – Re‑architect legacy applications using cloud‑native technologies, migrate data to the new platform, and retire old systems while ensuring data continuity.

This framework was illustrated with concrete examples from Huawei’s own migration projects and from Xinju Network’s adoption of ZnSQL/ZnAiops.

GaussDB Personal Certification

Huawei also launched a personal certification track (HCIA/HCIP) for both GaussDB T (OLTP) and GaussDB A (OLAP). The HCIP‑GaussDB‑OLTP certification validates advanced skills in installation, performance tuning, monitoring, backup‑restore, and fault handling.