Oracle 12c - Out With the Grid, In With the Cloud

So Oracle database 12c is out now.  The cloud (and hence the “c”) is hanging over us.  At least we don’t have to hear about “the grid” anymore.  New versions of Oracle are funny things – as DBAs, we’re kinda excited about the possibilities, but then reality sets in and we realize that our company isn’t going to upgrade for a long time.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing – some of us have experienced the pain of the “release 1’s” that have come out in recent years.  There are generally early adopters and then everyone else.  Over the course of my time as a DBA, I’ve swung from wanting to be on “the bleeding edge” to saying “we’re not upgrading until the terminal release!”  Reality is somewhere in the middle – every release probably has something useful to us.  Inevitably, what I see is that new versions come out and DBAs don’t get familiar with the new features.  Let’s be honest – so many features seem oriented towards selling something that we miss the good ones.  But understanding a new feature set can be extremely useful.  I’m not promising anything, but 12c could have that one new thing that could make your life so much easier that you eventually can’t live without it.  Who could really deny the importance of stuff like ASM and the AWR that came with version 10g?  Of course, reading through the actual new features documentation can be about as pleasant as giving yourself a root canal.  So, since I’ve combed through some of the docs, I wanted to spare you the pain and give you some of the good stuff.  Over the next few posts, we’ll take a look at some new features in 12c – I think they could be useful, so maybe you will too.  All of the meat and none of the fat!