For the many that use a well-organized system for running things such as transactional processes online, mixed database workload, and data warehousing, the name “oracle” is not a strange one. The reason is that this is one of the best options in the market.
Many industry analysts have rated products by the Oracle Corporation highly for several reasons. One of the reasons is consistency with updates and newer products. The reason the corporation keeps updating and coming up with newer editions is the commitment to providing industry solutions.
Although there have been flaws highlighted on some of the editions, many third-party service providers are bent on offering the various editions to their clients. Some of these third-party service providers are even involved in offering only oracle products to clients and nothing else.
This proves that the products by this corporation are truly worth it. You can check out Dbvisit for more on this subject.
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How the Versions of Oracle Database can be Used
Several versions have been released by the Oracle Corporation. All of these versions are either improvements on previous versions or exclusively created to address certain needs. Whatever version you use or end up with, third-party service providers can help you make the most of it in any of the following ways:
On-Prem Software Installation
The term On-Prem software installation may seem complicated. However, it simply implies that this system of database management is about the installation of certain software on computers in the premises of the client.
You should also know that this sort of installation is called shrinkwrap or on-premises installation. The whole point is that the third-party service provider comes physically to run the software on select computers.
Cloud Installations
Frankly, cloud installation is a little bit of an ambiguous term. This is because the remote manner of running this system of database management can either be hybrid or the regular cloud management approach.
Whichever it is, the use of cloud-based technology is definitely in place. To know how this works, you need to have a basic understanding of cloud computing and technology at large. For more on this subject, you can read this.
Servers of Third-Party Service Providers
This is one of the best ways to make good use of this system of database management as far as we are concerned. The reason is that these experts have mastered how to help you benefit from the oracle versions you need.
This is why we strongly advise anyone that needs to make use of the versions to consider this option. However, you should ensure that the service provider you are dealing with is up to the task.
You need to do good enough research to make the right choice. For instance, checking out reviews from credible sources will help out.
Hardware Method
People that need any version can also do so by allowing the hardware to be run. The good thing is that this can happen via the cloud or on-prem installation.
For instance, a viable on-prem option is Exadata. We strongly advise that you make informed decisions based on the detailed explanation and recommendation of a capable third-party service provider.
Versions of Oracle Database Available
First and foremost, you should understand that discussing the versions of the oracle database available is time-sensitive. The reason is that the Oracle Corporation (possibly influenced by its leading third-party service providers), comes up with updates and newer versions from time to time.
The reason is to offer industry solutions to people and businesses that need them. This could be in the area of data warehousing, efficient running of mixed database workloads, and digital transactional processing which is simply known as OLPT.
Some of the database management versions by this corporation are outdated and so they are no longer in use. On the other hand, some options are old but still used because of their relevance. Lastly, some versions are new.
Outdated Versions
Some of the outdated versions include the following:
Oracle v2
This was initially released in 1979 and this explains why the industry solutions it was created to offer are no longer relevant. As a result, it has given way to better versions. Way back, this product did the major task of implementing joins and SQL queries that are basic.
Oracle v3
Just 4 years after the aforementioned product was released, there was the need for something that allowed ease in data distribution, scalability, and concurrency control. Well, the v3 was a lot better at offering this as far as that time was concerned. However, it still had some flaws which led to the release of the subsequent version just a year later.
Oracle v4
This is one of the first products that came with a terminal patchset. That of the v4 was 4.1.4.4. This product was initially available for MS-DOS.
Oracle v5
This one was initially released in 1985 and built to support server/client computing. Other than this, it was a better database distribution system as the first version was available for OS/2. This is unlike its predecessor which was for MS-DOS.
We can go on listing and explaining the many products of this corporation that have become outdated. However, the point is that they served their purpose in various ways but had to give way to updated and better options.
Some of the other products that have become outdated include the oracle – v6, 6.2, 7, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8 Database, 8i Database, 9i Database, Database 10g, and several others. If you are interested in finding out the other outdated products, you can visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Database
Some Older Versions that Are Still Used
As explained above, there are some products by the corporation that are still used by clients. The reason is that the industry solutions they offer are still relevant.
We have also gathered that the oldest of these products was released in the last quarter of 2009. The products in this category include the following:
Database 11g – Release 2
Although released in September 2009, the date of the terminal patchset of this product is August 2013. The marquee features of this ever-green option include the compression of hybrid columnar, offering an organized system for cluster files, replication of golden gate, redaction of data, and database appliance.
Database 12c – Release 1
Unlike its predecessor, the timeline between the date of initial release and the date of the terminal patchset is not so much. This is no more than a 1-year interval. The marquee features of this product include the matching of SQL pattern, offering service for database cloud, native JSON, column store with in-memory, and multitenant architecture.
Database 12c – Release 2
As good as 12c was, it had some shortcomings that needed to be resolved. This gave way to the emergence of the 2nd release of the 12c. This happened a little over 3 years after the 1st release.
The good news with this product is that it offered the chance for the system of database management to be installed in the premises of clients. However, you should know that this did not happen until the end of the 1st quarter of 2017.
Some of the marquee features that this product offered include native sharding, an efficient recovery appliance for data loss, and an on-prem installation option in the form of Exadata (which is a cloud service).
Database 18c
There are 2 official release dates for this product. The first is February 2018 and had to do with options that were related to cloud service. The second is July of the same year and had to do with other options that were not related to cloud service.
You should also know that this product had 2 initial released versions. The first is 18.1.0 while the second is 12.2.0.2.
Some of the marquee features of Oracle Database 18c include table functions that are polymorphic, directory integration that is active, the online fusion of sub-partitions and partitions, snapshot carousel of PDB, processing of Top-N query in an approximate manner, and application continuity that is transparent.
Database 19c
As with the last two products discussed above, this one also had 2 release dates and versions. Speaking of release date, the first was in February 2019, while the second happened 2 months after.
The first one was about the unveiling of a product that was related to cloud service. On the other hand, the second was also about cloud service options other than Exadata.
The marquee features of this product include tables that are hybrid partitioned, automatic planned management of SQL, SQL quarantine, SQL queries for object stores, effective patching for grid infrastructure, supplemental logging of finer-granularity, PDB relocation that is automated and easy, redirection of DML data guard in an active manner, guaranteed index creation, and real-time provision of maintenance statistics.
Newer Versions Before Standard Edition 2
The 21c is one of the latest options before the Standard Edition 2. Some things about it are explained below:
Database 21c
It is not out of place to say this product is very much new. This is especially if you consider something released in the last month of 2020 as new. This product came with only one version unlike many of its predecessors – 21.1.
Some of the marquee features of 21c include password rollover that is gradual, SQL macros, offering zone maps that are automatic, materialized views that are automatic, visualization studio for property graph, advisor tool for sharding, a combination of SIMD and vector that is in-memory, Blockchain tables, and engines that are multilingual. For more on this subject, you can check here.
Conclusion
The Oracle Standard Edition 2 did not come up in isolation. It is a product that is designed to offer industry solutions that many of its predecessors could not or needed to offer in a better way.
This is why we have discussed the database management products by the Oracle Corporation before the Standard Edition 2 came to be. We strongly advise that you deal with a capable and trustworthy third-party service provider to get the best of this version and others that you may need.
