Changes in This Release for Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

This preface contains:

Changes in Oracle Database Release 21c, Version 21.1

Changes in Oracle Database Release 21c, Version 21.1

The following are changes in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for Oracle Database release 21c, version 21.1.

See Oracle Database New Features for a complete list of new features in this release.

New Features

This section lists the major new features in Oracle Database release 21c PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.

The following features are new in this release:

The DBMS_OPTIM_BUNDLE package is used to manage the installed but disabled module bug fixes which cause an execution plan change.

DBMS_OPTIM_BUNDLE
The DBMS_AUTO_MV package provides the following new PL/SQL procedures functions and procedures for automatic materialized views. This performs analysis and recommendation, verification, and maintenance of automatic materialized views.

See, DBMS_AUTO_MV.
The DBMS_ACTIVITY package provides the following new PL/SQL procedures functions and procedures for Object Activity Tracking System (OATS). This is a generic RDBMS based tracking service that provides information about various types of activities associated with different database objects.

See, DBMS_ACTIVITY.
The DBMS_FLASHBACK_ARCHIVE_MIGRATE package provides new PL/SQL functions and procedures for exporting and importing the Flashback Archive base tables along with their history to another database using the Transportable Tablespaces.

See, DBMS_FLASHBACK_ARCHIVE_MIGRATE.
The DBMS_MLE package provides new PL/SQL functions and procedures that allows users to execute JavaScript code inside the Oracle Database and exchange data seamlessly between PL/SQL and JavaScript. The JavaScript code itself can execute PL/SQL and SQL through built-in JavaScript modules. JavaScript data types are automatically mapped to Oracle Database data types and vice versa.

See, DBMS_MLE.
The DBMS_AVTUNE package provides new PL/SQL functions and procedures to analyze query access levels and aggregation workloads for each auto-cache enabled analytic view (AV) and creates or drops AV auto-caches to improve the overall performance of the SQL queries on that AV.
The following new subprograms were introduced in the DBMS_HIERARCHY package:
- CREATE_VIEW_FOR_FACT_ROWS Procedure
- CREATE_VIEW_FOR_STAR_ROWS Procedure
- GET_MV_SQL_FOR_AV_CACHE Function
- GET_MV_SQL_FOR_STAR_CACHE Function
Blockchain tables are append-only tables in which only insert operations are allowed. Deleting rows is either prohibited or restricted based on time. Rows in a blockchain table are made tamper-resistant by special sequencing & chaining algorithms. Users can verify that rows have not been tampered. A hash value that is part of the row metadata is used to chain and validate rows.
Blockchain tables enable you to implement a centralized ledger model where all participants in the blockchain network have access to the same tamper-resistant ledger. The following new packages are available in this release:
- DBMS_BLOCKCHAIN_TABLE
- DBMS_USER_CERTS
DBMS_PLSQL_CODE_COVERAGE

A new function GET_BLOCK_MAP has been added to the DBMS_PLSQL_CODE_COVERAGE package to help you calculate the total coverage number for a schema.

See "GET_BLOCK_MAP Function"
DBMS_JSON
JSON data guide supports extended JSON scalar types like double, float, timestamp, and so on.
Oracle Database Advanced Queuing Support for JSON data type

AQ now supports JSON payload type. A dedicated JSON data type allows the user to store JSON data in a post-parse binary format, which allows much faster access to nested JSON values.

See "DBMS_AQ Data Types"
Enhanced Result Cache
The DBMS_RESULT_CACHE package provides the following new PL/SQL procedures that allows users to block an object from the result cache.
- OBJECT_BLACK_LIST Function
- OBJECT_BLACK_LIST_ADD Procedure
- OBJECT_BLACK_LIST_CLEAR Procedure
- OBJECT_BLACK_LIST_REMOVE Procedure
See DBMS_RESULT_CACHE.
Support for DBMS_CRYPTO Asymmetric Key Operations
Starting with this release, the DBMS_CRYPTO PL/SQL package supports asymmetric key operations, in addition to the existing support for symmetric key operations. To implement the support for asymmetric key operations, the following procedures have been added to the DBMS_CRYPTO package:
- PKENCRYPT
- PKDECRYPT
- SIGN
- VERIFY
See DBMS_CRYPTO.
The following two new procedures are introduced in the DBMS_APP_CONT_ADMIN package to enhance the application continuity protection check:
- ACCHK_REPORT Procedure
- ACCHK_SET Procedure
New parameter, AUTO_INDEX_TABLE is added in CONFIGURE procedure in the DBMS_AUTO_INDEX package. You can use the AUTO_INDEX_TABLE configuration setting to specify tables that can use auto indexes.
DBMS_JSON:
- The following 3 parameters are added to the ADD_VIRTUAL_COLUMNS Procedure in the DBMS_JSON package to enhance view creation and adding of virtual columns: resolvenameconflicts, colnameprefix, and mixedcasecolumns.
- The following parameters are added to the CREATE_VIEW procedure in the DBMS_JSON package to enhance view creation and adding of virtual columns: resourcepath, materialize, mvrefreshmode, path, resolvenameconflicts colnameprefix, and mixedcasecolumns.

Deprecated Features

List of deprecated features in Oracle Database release 21c version 21.1 PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.

Oracle recommends that you do not use deprecated features/values in new applications. Support for deprecated features is for backward compatibility only.

Oracle Wallet Manager (OWM) is deprecated with Oracle Database 21c.

Please ensure your wallets are using the strongest protections available. Instead of using Oracle Wallet Manager, Oracle recommends that you use the command line tools orapki and mkstore.
The use of SHA-1 for SQLNET and DBMS_CRYPTO is deprecated.
The use of MD5 and MD4 algorithms are deprecated.
Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express (EM Express) is deprecated.

Desupported Features

This section lists the desupported features in Oracle Database release 21c version 21.1 PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.

The following features are desupported in this release:

Multitenant-Only Architecture

A multitenant container database is the only supported architecture in Oracle Database 21c. While the documentation is being revised, legacy terminology may persist. In most cases, "database" and "non-CDB" refer to a CDB or PDB, depending on context. In some contexts, such as upgrades, "non-CDB" refers to a non-CDB from a previous release.
The DBMS_XMLSAVE package is desupported in Oracle Database 21c.
The DBMS_XMLQUERY package is desupported in Oracle Database 21c.
DBMS_CRYPTO: Desupported algorithms include MD4, MD5 and RC4-related algorithms. Removing older, less secure cryptography algorithms prevents accidental use of these APIs. To meet your security requirements, Oracle recommends that you use more modern cryptography algorithms.
Starting with Oracle Database 21c, several XML Database features are desupported.
- Package DBMS_XDBT. There is no replacement.
- PL/SQL procedure DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.CLOB2FILE. Use DBMS_LOB.CLOB2FILE instead.
- PL/SQL function DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.READ2CLOB. Use DBMS_LOB.LOADCLOBFROMFILE instead.
Starting in Oracle Database 21c, the Large Object (LOB) features DBMS_LOB.LOADFROMFILE is desupported. Use DBMS_LOB.LoadClobFromFile or DBMS_LOB.LoadBlobFromFile instead.

LOB buffering is also desupported. Hence, the BUFFERING_ENABLED exception is no longer supported.
DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT
The DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT package was desupported in Oracle Database 10g Release 2. It is now removed in Oracle Database 21c. DBMS_CRYPTO replaces the functionality that DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT provided previously. DBMS_CRYPTO includes more modern and secure encryption technologies for your security requirements.
The ability to create flat file dictionary dumps of pluggable databases (PDBs) is desupported in Oracle Database 21c.

In previous releases, using a flat file dictionary was one means of mining the redo logs for the changes associated with a specific PDB whose data dictionary was contained within the flat file. This feature is now desupported. Starting with Oracle Database 21c, Oracle recommends that you call DBMS_LOGMNR.START_LOGMNR, and supply the system change number (SCN) or time range that you want to mine. The SCN or time range options of START_LOGMNR are enhanced to support mining of individual PDBs.
The OPTIMIZE_PROGRESS_TABLE parameter from the DBMS_APPLY_ADM.SET_PARAMETER procedure is desupported in Oracle Database 21c.