Changes in Oracle Database 18c

The following are changes in Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide for Oracle Database 18c .

New Features

Performance improvements:
- Oracle Database has improved the performance of Inline LOBs to accelerate the DML operations, SQL operators used in SELECT clauses with LOB columns, and other built-in SQL functions that support LOB columns.
- Oracle Database allows LOBs and LOBs related functionality to be used with Oracle Database In-Memory and Big Data SQL.
- Oracle Database extends Exadata support for LOBs to Compressed LOBs.
- Oracle Database has addressed the overheads of temporary LOBs upto 4k.
- Oracle Database provides IMC support for LOBs that are stored inline.
Oracle Database lists the best practices to use LOBs in database applications.

Deprecated Features

Oracle Multimedia is deprecated in Oracle Database Release 18c, and may be desupported in a future release. Oracle recommends that you stop using deprecated features as soon as possible.

The following list of features is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), and may be desupported in a future release.

DBMS_LOB.LOADFROMFILE Procedure.

Use DBMS_LOB.LoadClobFromFile or DBMS_LOB.LoadBlobFromFile instead.
LOB Buffering subsystem APIs

The following functions are deprecated beginning with Oracle 12c Release 2 (12.2):
In place of using these LOB buffering functions, use the LOB prefetch feature described in Prefetching of LOB Data, Length, and Chuck Size.
DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.CLOB2FILE procedure.

Use DBMS_LOB.CLOB2FILE procedure instead.

Security Update for Native Encryption

Oracle provides a patch that you can download to address necessary security enhancements that affect native network encryption environments in Oracle Database release 11.2 and later.

This patch is available in My Oracle Support note 2118136.2.

The supported algorithms that have been improved are as follows:

Encryption algorithms: AES128, AES192 and AES256
Checksumming algorithms: SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, and SHA512

Algorithms that are deprecated and should not be used are as follows:

Encryption algorithms: DES, DES40, 3DES112, 3DES168, RC4_40, RC4_56, RC4_128, and RC4_256
Checksumming algorithm: MD5

If your site requires the use of network native encryption, then you must download the patch that is described in My Oracle Support note 2118136.2. To enable a smooth transition for your Oracle Database installation, this patch provides two parameters that enable you to disable the weaker algorithms and start using the stronger algorithms. You will need to install this patch on both servers and clients in your Oracle Database installation.

An alternative to network native encryption is Transport Layer Security (TLS), which provides protection against person-in-the-middle attacks.

Desupported Features

List of desupported features in Oracle® Database SecureFiles and Large Objects 19c

Oracle Multimedia has been desupported in its entirety. Oracle recommends that you store multimedia content in SecureFiles LOBs and use third-party products.