Before You Begin

This 15-minute tutorial shows you how to use Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to clone a remote pluggable database (PDB) into a container database (CDB).

Background

In Oracle Database 18c, cloning a remote PDB requires several commands to be executed.

What Do You Need?

• Oracle Database 19c installed
• Two CDBs: ORCL with PDB1 and CDB19, both in archivelog mode. You can use the dbca.sh shell script to create CDB19. Download the shell script to the labs directory created on your server /home/oracle/labs. Replace the password in the shell script by your own complex password. PDB relocation PDB and remote PDB clone operations with DBCA do not support Oracle Managed Files (OMF) enabled CDB. Verify that the PDB to be cloned does not use OMF.
• HR schema installed in PDB1 as an example of application tables. If you want to use the HR.EMPLOYEES table, use the hr.sql. Download the SQL script to the labs directory created on your server /home/oracle/labs. In the script, update the password of the user connected to the database.

Prepare the PDB Before Cloning

1. Log in to PDB1 in ORCL as SYSTEM.

   sqlplus system@PDB1
   Enter password: password
   

2. Use the hr.sql script to create the HR user and EMPLOYEES table in PDB1.

   @/home/oracle/labs/hr.sql
   

3. Verify that PDB1 contains the HR.EMPLOYEES table.

   SELECT count(*) FROM hr.employees;
    
     COUNT(*)
   ----------
          107
   

4. Connect to ORCL as SYSTEM.

   CONNECT system@ORCL
   Enter password: password

5. Create a common user in ORCL, used in the database link automatically created in CDB19 to connect to ORCL during the cloning operation.

   CREATE USER c##remote_user IDENTIFIED BY password CONTAINER=ALL;

6. Grant the privileges.

   GRANT create session, create pluggable database TO c##remote_user CONTAINER=ALL;

7. Quit the session.

   EXIT

Use DBCA to Clone a Remote PDB

In this section, you use DBCA in silent mode to clone PDB1 from ORCL as PDB19 in CDB19.

1. If CDB19 does not exist, launch the /home/oracle/labs/dbca.sh shell script. The script creates the CDB with no PDB. In the script, update the password of the user connected to the database.

   /home/oracle/labs/dbca.sh

2. Launch DBCA in silent mode to clone PDB1 from ORCL as PDB19 in CDB19.

   dbca -silent -createPluggableDatabase -createFromRemotePDB -remotePDBName PDB1 -remoteDBConnString ORCL -remoteDBSYSDBAUserName SYS -remoteDBSYSDBAUserPassword password -sysDBAUserName sys -sysDBAPassword password -dbLinkUsername c##remote_user -dbLinkUserPassword password -sourceDB CDB19 -pdbName PDB19
   

   Prepare for db operation 
   50% complete
   Create pluggable database using remote clone operation
   100% complete
   Pluggable database "PDB19" plugged successfully.
   Look at the log file "/u01/app/oracle/cfgtoollogs/dbca/CDB19/PDB19/CDB19.log" for further details.

Check that the PDB Is Cloned

1. Connect to CDB19 as SYS.

   sqlplus sys@CDB19 AS SYSDBA
   Enter password: password

   SHOW PDBS
   
       CON_ID CON_NAME                       OPEN MODE  RESTRICTED
   ---------- ------------------------------ ---------- ----------
            2 PDB$SEED                       READ ONLY  NO
            3 PDB19                          READ WRITE NO

2. Check that PDB19 contains the HR.EMPLOYEES table as in PDB1.

   CONNECT hr@PDB19
   Enter password: password

   SELECT count(*) FROM employees;
   
     COUNT(*)
   ----------
          107

Clean Up the PDB Cloned

1. Connect to CDB19 as SYS.

   CONNECT sys@CDB19 AS SYSDBA
   Enter password: password

2. Close PDB19.

   ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb19 CLOSE;
   

3. Drop PDB19.

   DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb19 INCLUDING DATAFILES;
   

4. Quit the session.

   EXIT