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Features and Licensing

The 23c information on this site pertains to Oracle Database 23c (23.3), which is available on the following offerings: Free, BaseDB EE, BaseDB EE-HP, and BaseDB EE-EP. Any 23c information for other offerings is not applicable at this time.

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Feature11.212.112.218c19c21c23c

.NET Cloud Development and Deployment

Database Overall → Windows

With ODP.NET, Managed and Unmanaged Drivers can be deployed easily to common hosted and third-party cloud environments through Web deploy. All ODP.NET specific settings no longer require any operating system level configuration. These settings can be made in the .NET configuration files. Managed and Unmanaged ODP.NET Drivers now share a unified configuration file format.

12.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

3D Visualization Framework

Application Development → Spatial

This release includes a set of metadata tables to describe themes, scenes, textures, viewpoints, light sources, non-geographic data, and other elements used to visualize three-dimensional (3D) content. It also delivers a number of performance improvements to the 3D analysis operations.

11.2 Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

4K Sectors and Metadata Enhancements for Oracle ACFS

Database Overall → ACFS

Oracle ACFS supports I/O requests in multiples of 4096-byte logical sector sizes as well as providing continued support for 512-byte logical sector size I/O requests. Oracle ACFS also adds support for creating Oracle ACFS file systems with 4096-byte (4KB) sized metadata structures. A new Oracle ACFS make file system switch enables you to format an Oracle ACFS file system with 4096-byte metadata structures composed of multiple 512-byte logical sectors on Oracle Automatic Storage Management Dynamic Volume Manager (Oracle ADVM) volumes. Oracle ACFS metadata I/O is also in 4K multiples.

12.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Auto Resize Variable Threshold

Database Overall → ACFS

ACFS auto resize now allows you to configure the threshold percentage for your file system automatic resize.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Cross Version Replication

Database Overall → ACFS

ACFS replication now allows for primary clusters to replicate to standby cluster on a previous or older release.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Encryption Migration from OCR to OKV

Database Overall → ACFS

ACFS Encryption now allows you to migrate from OCR to OKV.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Replication Switchover

Database Overall → ACFS

A new command, acfsutil repl switchover, provides a coordinated failover. However, if ACFS cannot establish contact the replication primary site, the command will fail.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Snapshots RMAN Sparse Backup and Restore

Database Overall → ACFS

You can now back up and restore PDB snapshot copies on ACFS.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS Sparse Backup and Restore of Snapshots

Database Overall → ACFS

The acfsutil snap duplicate command can now generate a backup of an entire ACFS file systems and its snapshots, while preserving its sparseness.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFS, ADVM and Snapshots on Solaris and AIX

Database Overall → ACFS

Oracle ACFS, Oracle ASM Dynamic Volume Manager (Oracle ADVM) and Snapshots were delivered in Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.1) on Windows NT and Linux platforms.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2.0.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ACFSutil plogconfig Log Files Wrapping Info

Database Overall → ACFS

ACFSutil plogconfig offers you a way to manage persistent logging configuration settings. acfsutil plogconfig -q will now offer you additional information on whether the logs have wrapped or not. You can also get this information with acfsutil plogconfig -w, which will offer only this information and not all the comprehensive information offered by acfsutil plogconfig -q.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT Statement Now Protected by Oracle Database Vault Command Rules

Security → Encryption

You now can protect the ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT statement with Oracle Database Vault command rules. 

21c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Database Vault
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

AES-XTS Encryption Mode Support for TDE Tablespace Encryption

Security → Encryption

Transparent Database Encryption (TDE) tablespace encryption now supports Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) XTS (XEX-based mode with ciphertext stealing mode) in CREATE TABLESPACE statements. Earlier versions of Oracle Database TDE used AES-CFB cipher mode.

23c Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

AL32UTF8 As the Default Database Character Set

Application Development → Globalization

The AL32UTF8 character set is now the default for the database character set in Oracle Database installs and in the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). Previously, the default database character set was based on the operating system locale setting. That is now offered as a secondary choice.

12.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

AQ Rules Engine Fast Evaluation of SYS_CONTEXT and Other Predicates

Application Development → AQ

AQ rules engine has been enhanced to provide faster evaluation of expressions such as BITAND, CEIL, FLOOR, LENGTH, POWER, CONCAT, LOWER, UPPER, INSTR, SYS_CONTEXT, and UID.

12.1 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Cluster File System (ACFS)

Database Overall → ACFS

The ASM Cluster File System (ACFS) extends Automatic Storage Management (ASM) by providing a robust, modern, general purpose file system for files beyond the Oracle database files. ACFS provides support for files such as Oracle binaries, report files, trace files, alert logs, and other application data files. With the addition of the Oracle ASM Cluster File System, ASM becomes a complete storage management solution for both Oracle database and non-database files. ACFS supports large files with 64-bit file and file system data structure sizes leading to exabyte-capable file and file system capacities. ACFS scales to hundreds of nodes and uses extent-based storage allocation for improved performance. A log-based metadata transaction engine is used for file system integrity and fast recovery. The ACFS on-disk structure supports endian neutral metadata. ACFS file systems can be exported to remote clients through industry standard protocols such as NFS and CIFS.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Data Reliability Enhancements

Database Overall → ASM

This enhancements represents two changes. The first extends the default disk failure timeout interval (DISK_REPAIR_TIME) from 3.6 hours to 12 hours. In many environments, 12 hours is better suited for safe guarding against data loss because of multiple disk failures, and at the same time, reducing unnecessary overhead from prematurely dropping a disk during a transient failure. The second enhancement provides a new Disk Group Attribute called CONTENT_HARDCHECK.ENABLED that allows optionally enabling or disabling Hardware Assisted Redundancy Data (HARD) checking in Exatadata environments.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Database Cloning

Database Overall → ASM

ASM database cloning provides cloning of Multitenant databases (PDBs). This feature works by leveraging ASM redundancy. Previously, as a protection against data loss during hardware failure, ASM provided up to two additional redundant copies of a file's extents. Flex Disk Groups now can provide up to five redundant copies, in which one or more of the copies can be split off to provide a near instantaneous replica.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Dynamic Volume Manager (DVM)

Database Overall → ASM

The ASM Dynamic Volume Manager (DVM) is a kernel-loadable device driver that provides a standard device driver interface to clients (for example, ACFS). File systems or other processes can do I/O to this device driver as they would to any other disk device driver on the system. DVM is the primary I/O interface for ACFS to perform I/O and build a file system leveraging ASM as a volume manager. DVM is loaded on ASM start up. The device driver is cluster-aware and communicates with ASM for extent map information, extent rebalancing, and I/O failures.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM FS Snapshot

Database Overall → ASM

ASM FS Snapshot is a point-in-time copy of a file system and can provide up to 64 snapshot images. ASM FS Snapshot performs fast creation of persistent ASM FS images at a specific point-in-time with low overhead leveraging the Copy on Write technology. Read-only ASM FS Snapshots can be generated on an interval basis. They may reside in existing ASM FS storage or in an additional storage device and persist following a system restart.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Intelligent Data Placement

Database Overall → ASM

Disk drives have higher transfer rates and bytes per track on the outer tracks. This makes it preferable to keep the hotter data closer to the edge of the disk; that is, the lower numbered blocks. This feature enables ASM to identify higher performance disk regions. Most frequently accessed ASM files can be marked to be moved into the hot region and take advantage of higher I/O performance (for example, hot tablespaces and indices) and able to better meet the application I/O demand. This feature is only applicable when whole physical disks are presented to ASM versus local unit numbers (LUN).

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASM Storage Management Configuration Assistant

Database Overall → ASM

ASM Storage Management Configuration Assistant was previously known as Enterprise Manager Integration with ASM Optimal Disk Placement. This release now allows the configuration, monitoring, and management of Optimal Disk Placement with Enterprise Manager which is the graphical user interface (GUI) for management.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

ASMCMD Command Extensions

Database Overall → ACFS

The ASMCMD tool is extended to include management of ASM disks, disk groups, and ASM instance in addition to managing ASM files. This is a comprehensive command-line interface that parallels the SQL*Plus command functionality and provides an easy user interface for the system and storage administrators to manage ASM.

11.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

AUTOTASK_MAX_ACTIVE_PDBS Initialization Parameter

Database Overall → Pluggable Databases

The AUTOTASK_MAX_ACTIVE_PDBS initialization parameter enables you to specify the maximum number of pluggable databases (PDBs) that can schedule automated maintenance tasks at the same time (during a maintenance window).

12.2 ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Multitenant
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

AWR_PDB_AUTOFLUSH_ENABLED Initialization Parameter

Database Overall → Pluggable Databases

The AWR_PDB_AUTOFLUSH_ENABLED initialization parameter enables you to specify whether to enable or disable Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) snapshots for all of the pluggable databases (PDBs) in a multitenant container database (CDB) or for individual PDBs in a CDB.

12.2 ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Multitenant
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Configure Transport Layer Security Connections Without Client Wallets

Security → Encryption

An Oracle Database client is no longer required to provide a wallet to hold well-known CA root certificates if they are available elsewhere in the local system. Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption requires either one-way authentication or two-way authentication. In one-way authentication (the default), which is commonly used for HTTPS connections, the server certificate is verified using well-known root CA certificates that are already available in local systems. Starting in this release, you will no longer need to install and configure a wallet to hold a well-known root certificate if it is already available in the local system.

23c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Control Heartbeats in United Mode and Isolated Mode PDBs

Security → Core Security

You now can control the size of the batch of heartbeats that use Oracle Key Vault or OCI KMS (OCI Vault) for centralized key management. The HEARTBEAT_BATCH_SIZE initialization parameter, new with this release, enables you to set the heartbeat batch size. The duration of the heartbeat period defaults to 3 seconds.

21c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Create Schema Only Accounts

Security → Core Security

You now can create schema only accounts, for object ownership without allowing clients to log in to the schema.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Create a Duplicate of an Oracle Database Using DBCA in Silent Mode

Database Overall → Install

You can now create a duplicate of an Oracle Database by using the createDuplicateDB command of Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) in silent mode.

19c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Create a Keystore for Each Pluggable Database

Database Overall → Pluggable Databases

Each pluggable database (PDB) now can have its own keystore, instead of there being only one keystore for the entire container database (CDB). Each PDB keystore can have its own password in addition to having its own master encryption key. The advantage of this feature is that it enables independent key management operations to be performed by each tenant (PDB) in a multitenant environment rather than having to share a keystore at the CDB root level. This feature benefits both multitenant and non-multitenant environments because it provides parameters to facilitate the configuration of the keystore location and the keystore type, eliminating the need for editing the sqlnet.ora file. This feature continues to support existing behavior where PDBs share a single keystore with the container database (CDB). This feature further allows some PDBs to share the keystore with the container database (CDB) and some PDBs to have their own keystores.

18c Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Create a PDB by Cloning a Remote PDB Using DBCA in Silent Mode

Database Overall → Pluggable Databases

You can now create a pluggable database (PDB) by cloning a remote PDB using the createFromRemotePDB parameter of the createPluggableDatabase command of Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) in silent mode.

19c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Multitenant
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Create a User-Defined Master Encryption Key

Security → Encryption

This release introduces the ability to create a user-defined master encryption key, also known as "bring your own key." To create the user-defined key, you supply your own master key identification value when you create the master encryption key by using the ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT SET [ENCRYPTION] KEY or ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT CREATE [ENCRYPTION] KEY statements. This enhancement applies to master encryption keys that are used in software keystores only, not hardware keystores. It can be used in non-multitenant, standalone environments and in multitenant environments.

18c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Advanced Security
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Encrypt Sensitive Credential Data in the Data Dictionary

Security → Encryption

Starting with this release, you can encrypt sensitive credential data that is stored in the data dictionary SYS.LINK$ and SYS.SCHEDULER$_CREDENTIAL system tables.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Grant or Revoke Administrative Privileges to and from Schema-Only Accounts

Security → Core Security

You can grant administrative privileges, such as SYSOPER and SYSBACKUP, to schema-only (passwordless) accounts.

19c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Prevent Local Oracle Database Vault Policies from Blocking Common Operations

Security → Database Vault

Starting with this release, a DV_OWNER common user in the CDB root can prevent local users from creating Oracle Database Vault controls on common objects in a pluggable database (PDB).

21c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Database Vault
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Relocate a PDB to Another CDB Using DBCA in Silent Mode

Database Overall → Pluggable Databases

You can now relocate a pluggable database (PDB) to another multitenant container database (CDB) by using the relocatePDB command of Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) in silent mode.

19c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Multitenant
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Set the Default Tablespace Encryption Algorithm

Security → Encryption

You now can set the TABLESPACE_ENCRYPTION_DEFAULT_ALGORITHM dynamic parameter to define the default encryption algorithm for tablespace creation operations. For example, if you set TABLESPACE_ENCRYPTION_DEFAULT_ALGORITHM to AES256, then future tablespace creation operations will use AES256 as the default encryption algorithm. TABLESPACE_ENCRYPTION_DEFAULT_ALGORITHM applies to both offline and online tablespace encryption operations. In addition, when you create a new database using Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA), you can set the default tablespace encryption algorithm by using the DBCA command line for silent installations.

21c Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Specify NFS Version in Direct NFS Client

Database Overall → Direct NFS

The NFS_VERSION parameter allows the user to specify the NFS protocol to be used by Direct NFS Client. Possible values are nfsv3, nfsv4, and nfsv4.1. If no version is specified, nfsv3 is used by default.

12.1 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Specify the Location of the CMU Wallet and dsi.ora File with a Database Property

Security → Encryption

You now can specify the location of the centrally managed users (CMU) wallet and dsi.ora files for an individual PDB by using a database property on the PDB.

21c Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Use Encrypted Passwords for Database Links with Oracle Data Pump

Security → Audit

The behavior for handling database link passwords has changed in this release. Passwords in database links are now encrypted. Oracle Data Pump handles the export and import of these passwords. Import operations from older versions and export operations to older versions can still be used.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Ability to Use Multiple Kerberos Principals with a Single Database Client

Security → Encryption

Starting with this release, when you configure Kerberos authentication for an Oracle Database client, you can specify multiple Kerberos principals with a single Oracle Database client. To enable this functionality, you will need to create a separate credential cache for each user in the client and then use the connect string to specify the user.

21c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19.10
21c
23c

Ability to Use Oracle Data Pump to Export and Import the Unified Audit Trail

Security → Audit

Starting with this release, you can export and import the unified audit trail as part of a full database export or import operation using Oracle Data Pump. There is no change to the user interface. When you perform the export or import operation of a database, the unified audit trail is automatically included in the Data Pump dump files.

18c ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Abstract Data Types Support

Database Overall → XStream

XStream data type support is extended to include tables with Abstract Data Types (user-defined types). Support is provided for both XStream outbound and inbound servers.

12.2 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Accessibility

Application Development → APEX

Improvements have been made in the area of accessibility in existing themes and HTML templates.

12.1 ReleaseAll Offerings
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard - Standby Result Cache

Availability → Data Guard

The result cache in an Active Data Guard standby database is utilized to cache results of queries that were run on the physical standby database. In the case of a role transition to primary, the standby database result cache will now be preserved ensuring performance for offloaded reporting and other queries continue without compromising the performance benefits of the standby result cache.

21c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Active Data Guard
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard DML Redirection

Availability → Data Guard

Incidental Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations can be run on Active Data Guard standby databases. This allows more applications to benefit from using an Active Data Guard standby database when some writes are required.

19c ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Active Data Guard
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard Enhanced Security

Availability → Data Guard

A new view, V$RO_USER_ACCOUNT, has been added to track dynamic user information in an in-memory table of failed login attempts. This information is used to lock access to a user and allow the DBA to reenable the account on the standby database if desired.

12.1 ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Active Data Guard
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard Far Sync

Availability → Data Guard

Far Sync is used to extend zero data loss protection to a remote standby database and avoid the impact to primary database performance of WAN network latency. A primary database ships synchronously to a light-weight instance referred to as a far sync instance (a control file and log files, no data files and no media recovery). The far sync instance then forwards the redo asynchronously to a remote standby database that is the failover target. Additional Far Sync features include the ability to directly service up to 29 remote destinations, and the ability to utilize Oracle Advanced Compression to compress redo for efficient transmission across a WAN. Far Sync is transparent to the administrator with regards to Data Guard role transitions. The same switchover or failover command used for any Data Guard configuration will transition any remote standby databases served by a far sync instance to the primary production role.

12.1 Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard Real-Time Cascade

Availability → Data Guard

A standby database that cascades redo to other standby databases can transmit redo directly from its standby redo log file as soon as it is received from the primary database. Cascaded standby databases receive redo in real-time. They no longer have to wait for standby redo log files to be archived before redo is transmitted.

12.1 Release
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c

Active Data Guard Support for DML on Global Temporary Tables

Availability → Data Guard

This feature expands the number of read-only applications that can be off-loaded from production databases to an Active Data Guard standby database. Even though an Active Data Guard standby database is open in read-only mode, reporting applications are now able to write to global temporary tables at the standby database without any modification.

12.1 ReleaseAvailable with Oracle Active Data Guard
11.2
12.1
12.2
18c
19c
21c
23c