OracleNotes

Author: biju.thomas

  • Oracle Database 19c – The best Oracle database release to be on now!

    Recently Oracle announced that the extended support fee for the Oracle database 19c will be waived for the first two years.

    I wanted to take a moment to document the best MOS notes that help customers to upgrade their older version of Oracle databases to the 19c long-term version.

    11.2.0.4 and 19c are similar releases before a major architecture change (PDB architecture was introduced in 12.1 and traditional architecture deprecated. In 23c traditional architecture is unsupported). You can see in the chart above that 11.2.0.4 had four years of waived extended support, 2 years of extended support, 2 years of market-driven support, and now has upgrade support from CSS (Customer Success Services, which used to be known as ACS). I think it is only prudent for customers to jump on 19c and stay there for a while – 19c is a good database release to be on.

    19c Database Upgrade – Self-Guided Assistance with Best Practices (Doc ID 1919.2)

    This is the best MOS note for upgrade planning and learning about the 19c upgrade.

    Oracle Database Patches to Consider for 19c (Doc ID 2781612.2)

    Primary Note for Database Proactive Patch Program (Doc ID 888.1)

    Oracle Database 19c Important Recommended One-off Patches (Doc ID 555.1)

    The RU and MRPs will include only the patches that are standby-first and RAC-rolling enabled. There are many critical patches that may need to go on your databases. This note is an absolute must for all DBAs to review and apply.

    And finally, check out the new features in Oracle Database 19c using the interactive & easy to search APEX tool – Oracle Database Features and Licensing.

    None of upgrade learning and planning is complete without reading and watching Mike Dietrich’s Blog About Oracle Database Upgrades.

    Oracle Database 19c Technical Architecture

    Oracle Real Application Clusters 19c Technical Architecture

  • Blueprint4D in Dallas!

    Blueprint4D in Dallas!

    I am very excited to be a part of Blueprint4D here in my backyard. Very much looking forward to seeing the Oracle peeps and networking. Here is a quick note of my four days at the conference.

    Monday, May 8 – 9:15 AM @ Sapphire

    The SIG meetings are happening at the same time. Anuj Mohan and I will be leading the Oracle Database 19c SIG meeting in the Sapphire room. Please join us to discuss all things Oracle Database. This is an informal meeting to get your input on how you use the database, your challenges, your cloud roadmap, and so on. Bring your questions or a story to share.

    Monday, May 8 – 3:30 PM @ Emerald

    I have two speaking sessions at the conference this year. The first one is Maximize your Oracle Database Performance and Availability on Hyperscale Cloud IaaS (OCI, Azure, AWS) at 3:30 PM, focusing on Cloud IaaS for Oracle databases. Running Oracle Database on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Cloud gives the DBA maximum flexibility, just like you have on-premises or a private cloud. AWS, OCI, and Azure have differences in how the IaaS components work. This session will help you to configure the Oracle database for the best performance by choosing the correct virtual machine shape, disk configurations, database parameters, backups, and high availability disaster recovery options.

    Monday, May 8 – 4:30 PM @ Governors Lecture Hall

    Come to this open house-style session where you’ll gain access to a selection of LiveLabs Workshops (2 of 5) to solve your complex developer requirements using the Oracle Database. Topics include Autonomous Database, APEX, Machine Learning, Database 19c, and Database 21c. Each workshop environment takes between five and 15 minutes to set up. Once set up, you’ll be able to complete this workshop outside of the session time, even after the conference is over.

    After a busy day, party and network time starts soon after the LiveLabs. The Blueprint4D welcome reception starts at 5:15. The Happy Hour with the Oracle Database product teams and Oracle ACEs will happen at the Transformation Theatre from 5:15 to 7:00 PM. From there, the Oracle ACEs will head to their dinner. The ACE dinners are always a fun event to catch up with fellow ACEs.

    Tuesday, May 9

    I do not have any sessions on Tuesday, but I plan to spend time at the ACE booth and attend sessions. There are a ton of good sessions! And hopefully, I get an opportunity to visit the vendors.

    Wednesday, May 10 – 11:15 AM @ Topaz

    I am honored to moderate a very interesting topic with cloud experts – Oracle-Based Applications Moving to Cloud. My best buddies Kellyn Gorman, Erik Benner, and Alex Zaballa are on the panel. Bring your questions, and let’s have an interactive discussion. Ask about security, technical steps, costs, gotchas, performance, patching, or availability. Let’s talk about moving complex applications like JD Edwards and Peoplesoft to the cloud (not SaaS).

    Wednesday, May 10 – 5:00 PM @ Emerald

    My second speaking session is just before the Attendee Appreciation Party. Don’t miss this session if you plan to migrate your workloads to OCI.

    OCI has several architecture options for applications that run on an Oracle database engine. The HA and DR options differ based on the database service – Oracle on IaaS, DBCS or Database System, Oracle Exa Cloud Service, Autonomous Database, and Cloud at Customer. RAC and Data Guard are the most common HA/DR solutions. Come to find out what other technologies are available in OCI and how to automate DR.

    Thursday, May 11

    Nothing planned for Thursday yet. I might attend a couple of sessions before heading home.

    See you next week in Dallas!

    ~Biju