Oracle Database 12c Licensing Trivia!

Was reading the licensing doc, and this is a note to self… [any decisions must be based on the licensing doc and not this blog].

Couple of things not changed…

  • Almost all “cool” features are available only in EE edition.
  • Almost all “cool” features outside of storing data requires some kind of “Extra Cost” option

I am not sure how to train myself in administering SE database, as the EE options and extra cost options have spoiled me!

Multitenant option is available in EE only. It is extra cost option for up to 252 pluggable databases. The multitenant architecture with one pluggable database (single tenant) is available in all editions and is included in the cost.

Similar to previous versions, the following products are available only in EE. Some are extra cost options. See licencing doc for all products.

  • Oracle RAC One Node (** extra cost)
  • Oracle Data Guard
  • Oracle Active Data Guard (** extra cost)
  • Multitenancy (12c) (** extra cost)
  • Rolling Upgrades using Active Data Guard
  • All Oline DDL Operations
  • Block Change Tracking File
  • Tablespace Point In Time Recovery
  • Flashback features
  • Fine Grained Auditing (FGA) and VPD
  • Resource Manager
  • All compression features (Advanced Compression option is extra cost)
  • All parallel features
  • In memory database cache (** extra cost)
  • Oracle Database Vault (** extra cost)
  • Real Application Security

All of the “Extra Cost Option” Manageability options are available in EE only

  • Oracle Cloud Management Pack for Oracle Database
  • Oracle Data Masking Pack for Oracle and Non-Oracle Databases
  • Oracle Database Lifecycle Management Pack for Oracle Database
  • Oracle Diagnostics Pack
  • Oracle Test Data Management Pack for Oracle and Non-Oracle Databases
  • Oracle Tuning Pack (requires Diagnostics Pack)
  • Oracle Real Application Testing

Flashback Data Archive and Oracle Streams are available in all editions.

Extra Cost Options (Available only in EE, except RAC). Under each product option, the applicable features. Wow! almost all features I tout about are extra cost options (including the privilege analysis)…

Oracle Active Data Guard

  • Physical Standby with Real-time Query
  • Fast Incremental Backup on Physical Standby
  • Automatic Block Repair
  • Active Data Guard Far Sync
  • Global Data Services
  • Real-Time Cascade
  • Application Continuity
  • Rolling Upgrade using Active Data Guard

Oracle Advanced Analytics

  • In-database data mining algorithms:
  • Oracle R Enterprise (integration with open-source R)

Oracle Advanced Compression

  • Advanced Row Compression
  • Advanced LOB Compression
  • Advanced LOB Deduplication
  • RMAN Backup Compression
  • Data Pump Data Compression
  • Heat Map
  • Automatic Data Optimization
  • Data Guard Redo Transport Compression
  • Advanced Network Compression
  • Optimization for Flashback Data Archive History Tables
  • Storage Snapshot Optimization

Oracle Advanced Security

  • Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for tablespaces and columns (including Oracle SecureFiles)
  • DataPump Export File encryption
  • RMAN backup encryption to disk
  • TDE master key storage in an Oracle Wallet or external Hardware Security Module
  • Data Redaction of sensitive data returned to applications

Oracle Database Vault

  • Realms
  • Mandatory Realms
  • Command Rules
  • Privilege Analysis

Oracle In-Memory Database Cache

  • Data access using PL/SQL, JDBC, ODBC, ttClasses, OCI, and Pro*C/C++ interfaces
  • Transaction Log API (XLA) for change notification
  • In-memory Database Cache Grid
  • Automatic data synchronization with the Oracle database
  • Transactional replication between the in-memory cache databases
  • Automated failure detection and database failovers
  • TimesTen Extension for Oracle SQL Developer
  • TimesTen Plug-in for Oracle Enterprise Manager

Oracle Label Security

  • Label based access control (LBAC)
  • Multi-level security (MLS)
  • Label factors for Database Vault (Confidential, Sensitive)
  • User label authorizations (Confidential, Sensitive: PII)
  • Data labels (Sensitive: PII)

Oracle Multitenant

Oracle On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP)

  • OLAP Cube Definition, Storage, and Querying
  • OLAP API and Metadata
  • OLAP Cube Materialized Views
  • Analytic Workspaces
  • SQL Access to OLAP Cubes

Oracle Partitioning

  • Table Partitions and Subpartitions
  • Global and Local Index Partitions and Subpartitions

Oracle RAC One Node 

Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)

  • Real Application Clusters
  • Connection Load BalancingOracle Database Options
  • Fast Connection Failover
  • Hot Cluster Failover
  • Oracle Advanced Security SSL/TLS
  • Application Continuity

Oracle Real Application Testing

  • Database Replay
  • SQL Performance Analyzer (SPA)
  • SQL Tuning Sets (STS)

Oracle Spatial and Graph

Oracle Diagnostics Pack

  • Automatic Workload Repository
  • Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM)
  • Compare Period ADDM
  • Real Time ADDM
  • Active Session History (ASH)
  • ASH analytics
  • Performance Hub
  • Exadata Cell Grid Administration
  • Exadata Cell Grid Performance
  • Exadata Cell Group Health Overview page
  • Exadata Resource Utilization
  • Blackouts
  • Notifications
  • Metric and Alert/Event history
  • User-Defined Metrics and Metric Extensions
  • Management Connectors
  • Dynamic metric baselines and Adaptive metric thresholds
  • Monitoring templates and Template Collections
  • Replay Compare Period Report

Initialization parameter CONTROL_MANAGEMENT_PACK_ACCESS, controls access to Oracle Diagnostics Pack and Oracle Tuning Pack. DIAGNOSTIC+TUNING, DIAGNOSTIC, NONE are options.
Oracle Tuning Pack

  • SQL Access Advisor
  • SQL Tuning Advisor
  • Automatic SQL Tuning
  • SQL Tuning Sets
  • SQL Profiles
  • Real-time SQL and PL/SQL Monitoring
  • Real-time Database Operations Monitoring
  • Reorganize object

Notable Items:

Infrastructure Repository Databases
A separate single instance Oracle Database can be installed and used as an infrastructure repository for RMAN, Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, Global Data Services Catalog, and Grid Infrastructure Management Repository without additional license requirements, provided that all the targets are correctly licensed. It may not be used or deployed for other uses.

Oracle Database Express Edition
Oracle Database Express Edition may be used for free, for the purposes of developing, prototyping and running applications. It can also be used for free to provide demonstrations and training. It may also be distributed for free with any applications. See doc for restrictions.

Support of Real Application Testing in Earlier Releases
The full functionality of Oracle Real Application Testing is available only on Oracle Database 11g Release 1 or higher. Partial functionality of Oracle Real Application Testing is available to customers wishing to upgrade from Oracle9i Database Release 2 or Oracle Database 10g.

XStream
XStream provides application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable client applications to receive real-time data changes from an Oracle database (using XStream Out APIs) and to send real-time data changes to an Oracle database (using XStream In APIs). These data changes can be shared between Oracle databases and other systems, such as filesystems and non-Oracle databases. XStream is licensed via the Oracle GoldenGate product. You must purchase a license for this product before using the XStream APIs.

 

MOS Docs to Review for EBS DB Upgrade to 11gR2 (Latest Patch Release)

If you are considering Oracle database upgrade from 9i/10g to 11gR2 or applying release patches (11.2.0.1 to 11.2.0.3 or 11.2.0.4), several issues can be avoided by applying the recommended patches and PSU.  And if you are not on the latest 11gR2 release (11.2.0.3 or 11.2.0.4), I strongly recommend getting there, with the latest PSU possible… The following are must-review reference documents for upgrading Oracle database to 11gR2, that supports EBS 11i or R12.1.

  • Interoperability Notes EBS 12.0 and 12.1 with Database 11gR2 (Doc ID 1058763.1)
  • Interoperability Notes Oracle EBS 11i with Oracle Database 11gR2 (11.2.0) (Doc ID 881505.1)
  • Oracle Recommended Patches — Oracle Database (Doc ID 756671.1)
  • Database Patch Set Update Overlay Patches Required for Use with PSUs and Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID 1147107.1)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite Recommended Performance Patches (Doc ID 244040.1)

Make sure the initialization parameters are setup correctly. You may unset the AQ_TM_PROCESS parameter (alter system reset aq_tm_processes scope=spfile sid=’*’;).

  • Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (Doc ID 396009.1)
  • Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle Applications Release 11i (Doc ID 216205.1)
  • bde_chk_cbo.sql – EBS initialization parameters – Healthcheck (Doc ID 174605.1)

Running this script before and after upgrade provides a good comparison.

  • Script to Collect DB Upgrade/Migrate Diagnostic Information (dbupgdiag.sql) (Doc ID 556610.1)

It is better to truncate the SYS.AUD$ table with large amount or rows, when upgrading from 10g to 11g. Also, remember to purge recycle bin before upgrade.

  • How to Pre-Process SYS.AUD$ Records Pre-Upgrade From 10.1 or later to 11gR1 or later. (Doc ID 1329590.1)

After upgrade, you might want to proactively take care of these as well…

  • 11i – 12 Gather Schema Statistics fails with Ora-20001 errors after 11G database Upgrade (Doc ID 781813.1)
  • EXECUTE DBMS_STATS.UPGRADE_STAT_TABLE(‘APPLSYS’,’FND_STATTAB’);

Apply the EBS patch to utilize the new 11gR2 statistics gathering features in EBS jobs

  • Best Practices for Gathering Statistics with Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID 1586374.1)

Good luck with the database upgrade (or patch release apply)!