What’s new with Oracle database 19.7 versus 19.6

This blogpost takes a look at the technical differences between Oracle database 19 PSU 6 (january 2020) and 7 (april 2020). This gives technical specialists an idea of the differences, and gives them the ability to assess if the PSU impacts anything.

Functions

code symbol names unique in version 19.6 versus 19.7 (top 5)

keb                                                keb                                                kernel event MMON/MMNL infrastructure                                                     4
qes                                                qes                                                query execute services                                                                    5
qos                                                qos                                                query optimizer statistics                                                                6
kpd                                                (kp)d                                              kernel programmatic interface ??                                                         10
kub                                                (ku)b                                              kernel utility ??                                                                        11

code symbol names unique in version 19.7 versus 19.6 (top 5)

ksf                                                ksf                                                kernel service  functions                                                                 9
kpd                                                (kp)d                                              kernel programmatic interface ??                                                         11
kqr                                                kqr                                                kernel query dictionary/row cache                                                        12
kzr                                                kzr                                                kernel security virtual private database                                                 20
kub                                                (ku)b                                              kernel utility ??                                                                        34

kub: most of the functions starting with kub that have been removed are starting with kubsprq: kernel utility big data sql parquet. Most functions starting with kub are actually kubscrf, so big data sql related probably, but I have no idea currently what ‘crf’ means. Suggestions are welcome. Also 4 kubsprq functions are added.
kpd: the kpd function that are gone are actually kpdb, which likely means kernel programmatic interface pluggable database. In fact, there are two ‘layers’ which are unknown to me: kpdboc and kpdbocws. The kpd functions that have been added seem to have letters added to indicate extra layers besides kpdb, but only two of them are kpdboc, the rest are quite random.
qos: the qos functions removed are actually qosd, query optimizer statistics sql plan directive. There have been no functions returned starting with ‘qosd’.
qes: most of the qes functions are actually starting with qesdpi, which according to my current insights means query execute services adaptive features internationalisation (timezones). Of course this is speculation.
keb: the keb (kernel event MMON/MMNL infrastructure) functions seem to have something to do with ‘auto tasks’. There are some keb functions returned too, but not in the top 5 of returned function groupings.
kzr: the kzr functions are actually kzra, kernel security virtual private database privileges. I don’t know what the work done here is, but it seems there has been work done.
kqr: these are quite normal dictionary cache functions, with some letters added. This looks like work done to make enhancements to the dictionary cache processing.
ksf: most of the functions with ksf are actually ksfs, kernel service OFS filesystem, and a few ksfd, kernel service functions disk IO.

Parameters

parameters unique in version 19.6 versus 19.7

NAME
--------------------------------------------------
_eighth_spare_parameter
_fifteenth_spare_parameter
_hang_bool_spare1
_ninth_spare_parameter
_one-hundred-and-fifty-ninth_spare_parameter
_one-hundred-and-sixtieth_spare_parameter
_seventh_spare_parameter
_twelfth_spare_parameter

parameters unique in version 19.7 versus 19.6

NAME
--------------------------------------------------
_asm_max_kfsg_free_heap_perc
_asm_max_kfsg_free_heap_size
_bug30186319_lm_hb_lgio_timeout
_bug30352623_asm_enable_vfreloc_on_rm
_hang_mark_some_idle_waits_terminal
_kswsas_pdb_auto_close_timeout
_link_ts_force_online
_pdb_datapatch_violation_restricted

A number of spare parameters have been used to create undocumented parameters. We see the two ASM related parameters, just like with version 18 and 12.2. Also two “bug parameters”.

Waitevents

waitevents unique in version 19.6 versus 19.7

NAME
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
first spare wait event

waitevents unique in version 19.7 versus 19.6

NAME
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRS get service attributes

It seems that with version 19.7, a spare parameter was changed for an actual wait event. It’s unknown to me what the wait event times currently.

DBA/CDB tables columns

dba tables columns unique to 19.6 versus 19.7

NAME												     COLUMN_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DBA_APP_VERSIONS										     APP_ROOT_CLONE_NAME
DBA_WORKLOAD_CAPTURES										     ENCRYPTION_VERIFIER

cdb tables column unique to 19.7 versus 19.6

NAME												     COLUMN_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDB_WORKLOAD_CAPTURES										     ENCRYPTION_VERIFIER

One column in two different DBA tables have been removed from version 19.7, and one of them came back as a CDB table column. The weird thing here is not the switch of a column going from a DBA table to its CDB counterpart, that is something that I saw between 18.9 and 18.10, but that with Oracle 19.7 this is only one column of the two gone missing from DBA tables came back in a CDB table.