Overview of the Database Service
The Database service offers autonomous and co-managed Oracle Database cloud solutions. Autonomous databases are preconfigured, fully-managed environments that are suitable for either transaction processing or for data warehouse workloads. Co-managed solutions are bare metal, virtual machine, and Exadata DB systems that you can customize with the resources and settings that meet your needs.
You can quickly provision an autonomous database or co-managed DB system. You have full access to the features and operations available with the database, but Oracle owns and manages the infrastructure.
You can also extend co-managed database services into your data center by using Exadata Cloud@Customer, which applies the combined power of Exadata and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure while enabling you to meet your organization's data-residency requirements.
For details about each offering, start with the following overview topics:
Autonomous Databases
The Database service offers Oracle's Autonomous Database with transaction processing and data warehouse workload types.
Co-managed Systems
License Types and Bring Your Own License (BYOL) Availability
Database Service License Options
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure supports a licensing model with two license types. With License included, the cost of the cloud service includes a license for the Database service. With Bring Your Own License (BYOL), Oracle Database customers can use existing licenses with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Note that Oracle Database customers remain responsible for complying with license restrictions applicable to their BYOL licenses, as defined in their program order for those licenses.
You do not need separate on-premises licenses and cloud licenses. BYOL databases support all advanced Database service manageability functionality, including backing up and restoring a DB system, patching, and Oracle Data Guard.
You can choose BYOL when you launch a cloud-hosted Oracle Cloud Infrastructure database or DB system. Choosing BYOL impacts how the usage data for the instance is metered and subsequent billing. You can also switch license types after provisioning.
Note that on some provisioning dialogs in the Console, the BYOL option is labeled My Organization Already Owns Oracle Database Software Licenses.
For additional information about license pricing and features, see Oracle Cloud Database Services. For guidelines on using Oracle Database licenses, see Database Licensing.
Switching Database Service License Types
You can switch license type after provisioning your resource. For information about switching the license type, see the following:
Always Free Database Resources
The Database service is one of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services that provides you with Always Free resources as a part of Oracle's Free Tier. For an introduction to the Free Tier, see Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Free Tier. For details about the Always Free Autonomous Database, see Always Free Availability in the Autonomous Database overview topic. To provision an Always Free Autonomous Database, see To create an Always Free Autonomous Database.
Moving Database Resources to a Different Compartment
You can move DB systems, Autonomous Database resources, and Exadata Cloud@Customer resources from one compartment to another. When you move a Database resource to a new compartment, its dependent resources move with it. After you move the resource to the new compartment, inherent policies apply immediately and affect access to that resource and its dependent resources through the Console.
- To move resources between compartments, resource users must have sufficient access permissions on the compartment that the resource is being moved to, as well as the current compartment. For more information about permissions for Database resources, see Details for the Database Service.
- If your database resource is in a security zone compartment, the destination compartment must also be in a security zone. See the Security Zone Policies topic for a full list of policies that affect Database service resources.
Dependent Resource Details
Details about dependent resources are as follows:
- Bare metal, virtual machine, and Exadata DB systems: Dependent resources that move with these DB systems include Database Homes and databases, as well as the metadata for automatic backups. To verify the compartment of a dependent resource, check the compartment of the DB system.
- Autonomous Database: Autonomous Database dependent resources are limited to its automatic backups. Autonomous Exadata Infrastructure instances and Autonomous Container Databases have no dependent resources that move with them. Associated (non-dependent) resources remain in their current compartments.
- Exadata Cloud@Customer: Resources that can be moved are Exadata Infrastructure, VM clusters, and backup destinations. VM cluster networks are dependent resources of Exadata Infrastructure instances, so they move with them. VM clusters have the following dependent resources: Database Homes, and databases and their automatic backups. Backup destinations have no dependent resources.
For more information about moving resources to other compartments, see To move a resource to a different compartment.
Monitoring Resources
You can monitor the health, capacity, and performance of your Oracle Cloud Infrastructure resources by using metrics, alarms, and notifications. For more information, see Monitoring Overview and Notifications Overview.
For information about available Database service metrics and how to view them, see Database Metrics.
Creating Automation with Events
See Database for details about Database resources that emit events.
Resource Identifiers
Most types of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure resources have a unique, Oracle-assigned identifier called an Oracle Cloud ID (OCID). For information about the OCID format and other ways to identify your resources, see Resource Identifiers.
Ways to Access Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
You can access Oracle Cloud Infrastructure using the Console (a browser-based interface) or the REST API. Instructions for the Console and API are included in topics throughout this guide. For a list of available SDKs, see Software Development Kits and Command Line Interface.
To access the Console, you must use a supported browser. To go to the Console sign-in page, open the navigation menu at the top of this page and click Infrastructure Console. You will be prompted to enter your cloud tenant, your user name, and your password.
For more information on tenancies and compartments, see Key Concepts and Terminology in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Getting Started Guide. For general information about using the API, see REST APIs. For information on deprecated Database Service APIs, see Deprecated Database Service APIs
If you're new to policies, see Getting Started with Policies and Common Policies. If you want to write policies that provide stricter access to database resources, see Details for the Database Service.
Authentication and Authorization
Each service in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure integrates with IAM for authentication and authorization, for all interfaces (the Console, SDK or CLI, and REST API).
An administrator in your organization needs to set up groups , compartments , and policies that control which users can access which services, which resources, and the type of access. For example, the policies control who can create new users, create and manage the cloud network, launch instances, create buckets, download objects, etc. For more information, see Getting Started with Policies. For specific details about writing policies for each of the different services, see Policy Reference.
If you’re a regular user (not an administrator) who needs to use the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure resources that your company owns, contact your administrator to set up a user ID for you. The administrator can confirm which compartment or compartments you should be using.
For common policies used to authorize Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Database users, see Common Policies.
For in-depth information on granting users permissions for the Database service, see Details for the Database Service in the IAM policy reference.
Security Zone Integration
A security zone is associated with a compartments and a set of policies called a security zone recipe. When you create and update resources in a security zone, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure validates these operations against the list of policies defined in the security zone recipe. If any security zone policy is violated, then the operation is denied.
The Database service allows you to create and update your databases and associated resources in security zones. For a general overview of the security zones, see the Security Zone documentation. For an overview of the Database service's integration with the security zone feature, see Security Zone Integration.
Limits on the Database Service
See Service Limits for a list of applicable limits and instructions for requesting a limit increase. To set compartment-specific limits on a resource or resource family, administrators can use compartment quotas.
Service limits and compartment quotas do not apply to Exadata Cloud@Customer.
Many Database API operations are subject to throttling.
Work Requests Integration
The Database service is integrated with the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Work Requests API. Work requests allow you to monitor long-running operations such as the provisioning of DB systems. A work request is an activity log that enables you to track each step in the operation's progress. Each work request has an OCID that allows you to interact with it programmatically and use it for automation.
For general information on using work requests in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, see Work Requests and the Work Requests API. See Database Service Work Requests Reference for a listing of Database service operations that create work requests.
This topic lists the Database service operations generate work requests. For general information on using work requests in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, see Work Requests and the Work Requests API.
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Delete
- Start
- Restart
- Stop
- Restore
Database management operations:
- Scale
- Rename
- Reset password
- Update license type
- Update workload type
- Update open mode / permission level (read-only/read-write, and admin only/all users)
- Upgrade version
- Update tags
- Change compartment
- Rotate instance wallet
- Rotate regional wallet
Network access operations:
- Update network ACL (public endpoint only)
- Update network security group (NSG) (private endpoint only)
- Update private endpoint
Backup operations:
- Create backup
- Delete backup
Refreshable clone operations:
- Manual refresh
- Disconnect refreshable clone
- Update refreshable lag time
Autonomous Data Guard operations:
- Enable Data Guard
- Disable Data Guard
- Failover
- Switchover
Associated services operations:
- Register with Data Safe
- Deregister with Data Safe
- Enable Operations Insights
- Disable Operations Insights
Database lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Update
- Delete
- Start
- Restart
- Stop
- Restore
Backup operations:
- Create backup
- Delete backup
Container database operations:
- Create
- Delete
- Update
- Restart
- Rotate container database encryption key
- Rotate database encryption key
Infrastructure resource operations:
- Create
- Terminate
- Update
Autonomous Data Guard operations:
- Setup Data Guard
- Failover Autonomous Container Database
- Switchover Autonomous Container Database
- Reinstate Autonomous Container Database
Associated services operations:
- Register with Data Safe
- Deregister with Data Safe
DB systems (Exadata, bare metal, and virtual machine)
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Create from backup
- Update
- Terminate
DB system management operations:
- Change compartment
- Scale storage
- Scale CPU
- Add SSH key
- Update license type
- Configure IORM
- Update shape
- Apply FIPS security
Maintenance operations:
- Precheck system for patching
- Patch system
- Upgrade database
- Install DB system component
- Switch to the new exadata API and user experience
Virtual machine DB systems have a single database that is created and terminated as part of the creation or termination of the parent DB system
Cloud Exadata infrastructure operations (new resource model)
- Create
- Update
- Scale (flexible shape systems only)
- Delete
- Change compartment
Exadata Cloud VM cluster operations
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Delete
Management operations:
- Change compartment
- Scale CPU
- Add SSH key
- Update license type
- Scale compute (flexible shape systems only)
- Scale storage (flexible shape systems only)
Maintenance operations:
- Precheck for grid infrastructure (GI) patch
- Apply GI patch
- Precheck for grid infrastructure (GI) upgrade
- Upgrade grid infrastructure (GI)
- Upgrade database
- Precheck for OS update
- Apply OS update
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Delete
Maintenance operations:
- Patch
- One-off Patch
Start
Stop
Reboot
Precheck customer-managed (Vault service) database key
Migrate customer-managed (Vault service) database key
Rotate customer-managed (Vault service) database key
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Update
- Restore
- Delete
Maintenance operations:
- Upgrade database
- Rollback database upgrade
Virtual machine DB systems have a single database that is created and terminated as part of the creation or termination of the parent DB system
Create Data Guard
Delete Data Guard
Switch over Data Guard
Fail over Data Guard
Reinstate Data Guard
Cloud Exadata infrastructure operations
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Update
- Delete
Management operations:
- Scale (flexible shape systems only)
- Change compartment
Cloud VM cluster operations
Lifecycle operations:
- Create
- Delete
Management operations:
- Change compartment
- Scale CPU
- Add SSH key
- Update license type
- Scale compute (flexible shape systems only)
- Scale storage (flexible shape systems only)
Maintenance operations:
- Precheck for grid infrastructure (GI) patch
- Apply grid infrastructure (GI) Patch
- Precheck for grid infrastructure (GI) upgrade
- Upgrade grid infrastructure (GI)
- Precheck for OS update
- Apply OS update
Exadata Cloud@Customer infrastructure operations:
- Create
- Update
- Activate
- Delete
Exadata Cloud@Customer VM cluster operations:
- Create
- Update
- Delete
- Change compartment
Exadata Cloud@Customer Autonomous VM cluster operations:
- Create
- Update
- Delete
- Change compartment
Exadata Cloud@Customer VM cluster network operations:
- Create
- Update
- Validate
- Delete
Additional maintenance and management operations:
- Update VM cluster licence type
- Patch VM cluster
- Patch VM cluster database
- Update VM cluster OCPU count
- Update SSH key
- Update VM cluster memory
- Update VM cluster Exadata storage
- Update VM cluster local storage
- Update Exadata database backup configuration
- Creating a Database Software Image
- Deleting a Database Software Image
- Moving a Database Software Image to a new compartment
Getting Oracle Support Help for Your Database Resources
You can open a My Oracle Support ticket for individual Database resources while viewing them in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console. For more information, see Getting Help and Contacting Support.