AUDIT_TRAIL

2.26 AUDIT_TRAIL

AUDIT_TRAIL enables or disables database auditing.

Property	Description
Parameter type	String
Syntax	`AUDIT_TRAIL = { none \| os \| db [, extended] \| xml [, extended] }`
Default value	`none`
Modifiable	No
Modifiable in a PDB	No
Basic	No

Note:

This parameter is effective when using traditional auditing. Traditional auditing is deprecated in Oracle Database 21c. Oracle recommends that you instead use unified auditing, which enables selective and more effective auditing inside Oracle Database.

See Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about unified auditing.
See Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information about migrating to unified auditing.

In an Oracle database that has migrated to unified auditing, the setting of this parameter has no effect.

Values

none

Disables standard auditing. This value is the default if the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter was not set in the initialization parameter file or if you created the database using a method other than Database Configuration Assistant. If you created the database using Database Configuration Assistant, then the default is db.
os

Directs all audit records to an operating system file. Oracle recommends that you use the os setting, particularly if you are using an ultra-secure database configuration.
db

Directs audit records to the database audit trail (the SYS.AUD$ table), except for records that are always written to the operating system audit trail. Use this setting for a general database for manageability.

If the database was started in read-only mode with AUDIT_TRAIL set to db, then Oracle Database internally sets AUDIT_TRAIL to os. Check the alert log for details.
db, extended

Performs all actions of AUDIT_TRAIL=db, and also populates the SQL bind and SQL text CLOB-type columns of the SYS.AUD$ table, when available. These two columns are populated only when this parameter is specified. When standard auditing is used with DB, EXTENDED, then virtual private database (VPD) predicates and policy names are also populated in the SYS.AUD$ table.

If the database was started in read-only mode with AUDIT_TRAIL set to db, extended, then Oracle Database internally sets AUDIT_TRAIL to os. Check the alert log for details.
xml

Writes to the operating system audit record file in XML format. Records all elements of the AuditRecord node except Sql_Text and Sql_Bind to the operating system XML audit file.
xml, extended

Performs all actions of AUDIT_TRAIL=xml, and includes SQL text and SQL bind information in the audit trail.

You can use the SQL AUDIT statement to set auditing options regardless of the setting of this parameter.

In a CDB, the scope of the settings for this initialization parameter is the CDB. Although the audit trail is provided per PDB in a CDB, this initialization parameter cannot be configured for individual PDBs.

Examples

The following statement sets the db, extended value for the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter. The new value takes effect after the database is restarted.

SQL> alter system set AUDIT_TRAIL=db, extended scope=spfile;

System altered.

SQL>

The following statement sets the xml, extended value for the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter. The new value takes effect after the database is restarted.

SQL> alter system set AUDIT_TRAIL=xml, extended scope=spfile;

System altered.

SQL>

The following statement sets the db value for the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter. The new value takes effect after the database is restarted.

SQL> alter system set AUDIT_TRAIL=db scope=spfile;

System altered.

SQL>