Oracle Global Data Services (GDS) is a feature of Oracle Database 12c that provides connect-time and run-time load balancing, region affinity, replication lag tolerance based workload routing, and enables inter-database service failover across a set of replicas.

Here are the details of how Oracle GDS is licensed.

• Databases in a GDS configuration:
  • Must be Database Enterprise Edition (EE) +  Licensed for Oracle Active Data Guard Option and/or Oracle GoldenGate
• GSM Software
  • No separate license is required
• GDS Catalog Database
  • No Database EE license is required, if this is a schema in an existing repository (e.g. Oracle Enterprise Manager) database
  • No Database EE license is required (same as Oracle RMAN/EM repository license), if hosted as a separate single instance database
  • If Oracle RAC / Data Guard is used, Oracle RAC Option and Database EE license (for the extra nodes and/or standby) is required

For more information on GDS, do visit OTN GDS portal – https://www.oracle.com/goto/gds