Details of some of the new features to expect in Oracle Database 12c were released during a keynote address on October 1st at Oracle OpenWorld. Senior VP of Database Server Technologies, Andy Mendelsohn, described a couple of features of Oracle 12c that is scheduled for shipment in early 2013.
Multitenancy or “Pluggable” Databases
In a nutshell, Oracle 12c will provide a plug-in architecture whereby you’ll construct a single database container that holds multiple databases. This multitenancy approach allows database administrators to manage multiple databases as a single unit. For example, your DBA can patch or backup all of the databases in a container in a single step by performing the action on the primary container.
In addition to management simplification, multitenancy provides improved resource management capabilities. Since all databases within a single container share system resources (eg. Oracle background processes, memory, etc), you can more finely control resource usage due to the fact that the container will see the “big picture” of resource allocation amongst all the databases residing within it.
Multitenancy is simply a new method for database consolidation.
Database Heatmaps
The Oracle 12c Database will monitor how frequently data is being accessed through select/insert/update/delete operations. One very simple use for this information would be to provide insight on rarely accessed data that might be suitable for archiving.
Stay Tuned
Over the next couple of months, expect to learn about more features as we get closer to the official ship date. Once Oracle Database 12c begins shipping, DesTech will begin offering the official Oracle University Curriculum. Make sure you register your interest in the “Oracle Database 12c New Features for Administrators” course by clicking here!
