Oracle Internals

This comes up more often than you'd think. You've done everything right —   STATISTICS_LEVEL   is set to   TYPICAL , you've gathered schema stats with   DBMS_STATS.GATHER_SCHEMA_STATS , and every table in the schema shows   MONITORING = YES   in   DBA_TABLES . But when you query   DBA_TAB_MODIFICATIONS , you get nothing back. The reason is simpler than most people expect. Oracle doesn't log every single DML change into that view. It only registers a table once the volume of changes clears a meaningful bar — somewhere around 10% of the table's data. One update, ten inserts, a handful of deletes — none of that is enough. The view is designed to help Oracle decide when statistics have gone stale, not to be a full audit trail. There's also a timing issue. Even when changes do cross the threshold, Oracle keeps that information in the SGA first and flushes it to the dictionary periodically — every 3 hours by default. So even if you've crossed the thresh...

Securing infrastructure remains critical aspects for everyone and for DBA that also means securing the database. This not just mean to secure your data written on disk (Encryption at rest) but also to secure your data which flows through network between client and network.  All leading Database providers comes up with TLS encryption for these in-flight transactions which secure the communication over the network. In this blog we will cover, how to enable TLS based encryption for Oracle Database.  There has been various blogs and sources of information to achieve this aspect but one may struggle to find a common place which list down all these activities at one place. I will try to consolidate them  which will includes steps for RAC and Standby as well. TLS is an incremental version of SSL version 3 and TLS1.2 is the latest one in the series. Using Oracle Database SSL provides:     1. Encrypt communication between client and server.     2. Authenticate ...

Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads are fundamentally changing infrastructure requirements across enterprises. Traditional cloud architectures optimized for web applications often struggle with the networking demands of distributed AI training, large-scale simulations, and tightly coupled compute workloads. This is where Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) differentiates itself. OCI’s RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) cluster networking architecture is specifically engineered for low-latency, high-throughput computing environments. Instead of treating HPC as a secondary cloud use case, OCI was designed with performance-sensitive workloads as a core architectural priority. In this article, we’ll explore how OCI RDMA networking works, why it matters for HPC and AI workloads, and where organizations can achieve measurable performance improvements. Understanding the HPC Networking Problem Most cloud workloads are loosely coupled. Examples include: Web appl...

Oracle Database 19c is a powerful and feature-rich relational database management system. But with power comes responsibility—especially when it comes to data security . If you're a DBA, IT administrator, or developer, securing your Oracle 19c environment should be a top priority. In this post, we’ll walk through practical steps to harden and secure your Oracle 19c database against common threats and vulnerabilities. Why Database Security Matters Databases are prime targets for attackers. A breach can expose sensitive information like personal data, credit card numbers, or business secrets. Oracle 19c includes many built-in security features, but they must be properly configured . 1. Keep Your Oracle Software Updated Always apply the latest Patch Set Updates (PSUs) and Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) from Oracle. Visit Oracle’s official patch page regularly. Use Oracle OPatch utility to apply patches.  Tip: Schedule regular patch cycles and test in a staging envi...

Oracle has raised the bar once again with the release of Oracle Database 23ai , a forward-looking evolution of its flagship database platform. Formerly referred to as Oracle 23c, the "ai" suffix underscores Oracle's pivot toward AI-integrated capabilities —bringing new levels of automation, data management, and performance enhancements. In this blog, I’ll walk you through what’s new in Oracle 23ai and how to safely upgrade your existing Oracle database to this powerful new version. What is Oracle 23ai? Oracle 23ai is the long-term support (LTS) release in Oracle’s database lineup. It introduces groundbreaking features designed for developers, data scientists, and DBAs. Key highlights include: AI Vector Search and Embedding Support : Designed for AI/ML and LLM apps. JSON Relational Duality Views : Bridge relational and document models seamlessly. SQL Domains and Property Graphs Enhancements Automatic Index Optimization Improved In-Memory Features and M...

 Tuning SQL performance has always been one of the most challenging—and time-consuming—tasks for DBAs. With growing data volumes and evolving applications, finding the right indexes can feel like a never-ending puzzle. Enter Oracle Automatic Indexing , a groundbreaking feature introduced in Oracle Database 19c and continuously improved in newer versions. It’s Oracle’s answer to the question: “Why not let the database tune itself?” In this blog post, we’ll break down what Automatic Indexing is, how it works, and why it’s changing the game for performance optimization. What Is Oracle Automatic Indexing? Automatic Indexing is an AI-driven feature that allows the Oracle Database to: Monitor SQL workloads Create indexes automatically when they improve performance Test them in the background Drop unused or ineffective indexes The goal is simple: improve query performance without manual intervention , while ensuring stability and avoiding over-indexing. Unlike stat...