Oracle Virtual Private Database (VPD) for RMAN Virtual Private Catalogs

The RMAN catalog is created and managed using VPD. This provides better performance and scalability for the recovery catalog especially with a large number of virtual private catalogs. The implementation details are transparent to users.

Support for multitenant container databases and pluggable databases

RMAN supports backup and recovery of multitenant container databases (CDBs) and pluggable databases (PDBs), which are introduced in Oracle Database 12c. The support includes backing up CDBs and PDBs and performing both complete and point-in-time recovery of entire CDBs or individual PDBs.

Cross-platform backup and restore enhancements

RMAN enables you to transport data across platforms by using full and incremental backup sets. Incremental backups can be used to reduce application downtime required when transporting tablespaces across platforms.

Recovering tables and table partitions

RMAN can recover tables and table partitions to a specified point in time from previously-created RMAN backups.

See "RECOVER".

Recovering and restoring files over a network

RMAN enables you to recover a database, data files, tablespaces, or control files by using backup sets from a physical standby database. RMAN transfers the backup sets over the network to the destination host. This is useful in a Data Guard environment when you want to synchronize the standby and primary databases.

Improved support for third-party snapshot technologies using Storage Snapshot Optimization

Storage Snapshot Optimization enables you to use storage snapshot technology to backup and recover Oracle databases without placing them in BACKUP mode. The snapshot technology must adhere to certain qualifications.

Incremental and multisection backup improvements

The multisection technology provided by RMAN, which allows very large files to be backed up and restored by multiple channels in parallel, can now be applied to both incremental backups and image copies.

SYSBACKUP Privilege

The SYSBACKUP administrative privilege encompasses the permissions required for backup and recovery, including the ability to connect to a closed database. System administrators can grant SYSBACKUP instead of SYSDBA to users who perform backup and recovery, thus reducing the proliferation of the SYSDBA privilege. In contrast to SYSDBA, SYSBACKUP does not include data access privileges such as SELECT ANY TABLE.

Active database duplication enhancements

RMAN can now use backup sets to perform active database duplication. When sufficient auxiliary channels are allocated, the auxiliary instance connects to the target instance and retrieves the backup sets over the network, thus reducing the processing load on the target instance. Unused block compression can be used during the duplication process, thus reducing the size of backups transported over the network. You can also encrypt backups and use multisection backups while performing active database duplication

See "DUPLICATE".

SQL interface enhancements

You can now issue most SQL commands in RMAN without preceding the command with the SQL keyword and enclosing the SQL command in quotes. This greatly simplifies the syntax when the SQL command itself requires quotation marks. For a few commands that exist in both RMAN and SQL, you can specify the SQL keyword to eliminate ambiguity.

The SQL ALTER command replaces the RMAN command. The new RMAN DESCRIBE command provides the functionality of the SQL*Plus DESCRIBE command.

DUPLICATE enhancements

You can use the NOOPEN clause to specify that the duplicate database must not be opened using RESETLOGS after it is created. You may prefer not to open the duplicate database if you want to change the initialization parameters of the duplicate database or if opening the duplicate database may start services in the duplicate database that will conflict with the original database.

See "DUPLICATE".