Deprecated Features in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2)

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2.0.1), the REPLACE clause of ALTER TYPE is deprecated.

As an alternative, Oracle recommends that you use the ALTER TYPE methods ADD and DROP, or use ALTER TYPE method ADD .

The postinstallation check script configToolAllCommands is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1).

The script configToolAllCommands runs in the response file mode to configure Oracle products after installation. It uses a separate password response file. Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), configToolAllCommands is deprecated. It may be desupported in a future release.

You can now obtain postinstallation checks as part of the installation process. Oracle recommends that you run the Oracle Database or Oracle Grid Infrastructure installer with the option -executeConfigTools. You can use the same response file created during installation to complete postinstallation configuration.

The DBMS_DEBUG package is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2). Oracle recommends that you use DBMS_DEBUG_JDWP.

In earlier releases, PL/SQL included the DBMS_DEBUG package to enable internal and third-party tools to debug PL/SQL programs. The DBMS_DEBUG package provides APIs to set breakpoints, obtain values of variables, and so on. This functionality has been provided by the DBMS_DEBUG_JDWP package for several releases. DBMS_DEBUG_JDWP provides the equivalent PL/SQL debugging capabilities, and it enables seamless debugging of PL/SQL routines when it calls into or is called from server-side Java (OJVM) with Java stored procedures.

The DBMS_JOB package is deprecated, and may be desupported in a future release.

Oracle recommends that developers move to DBMS_SCHEDULER, which provides a richer set of features and capabilities.

Intelligent Data Placement is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2).

Intelligent Data Placement enables you to specify disk regions on Oracle ASM disks for best performance. Using the disk region settings, you can ensure that frequently accessed data is placed on the outermost (hot) tracks which have greater speed and higher bandwidth. In addition, files with similar access patterns are located physically close, reducing latency. Intelligent Data Placement also enables the placement of primary and mirror extents into different hot or cold regions

This feature is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2).

Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2.0.1), the LogMiner CONTINUOUS_MINE option is deprecated.

The LogMiner CONTINUOUS_MINE option is still supported for backward compatibility reasons. However, Oracle recommends that you discontinue using it. There is no replacement functionality.

The non-CDB architecture was deprecated in Oracle Database 12c. It can be desupported and unavailable in a release after Oracle Database 12c Release 2.

Oracle recommends use of the CDB architecture.

Oracle Administration Assistant for Windows is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2).

Oracle Administration Assistant for Windows is a tool for creating database administrators, operators, users, and roles in Windows. It also allows database service, startup and shutdown configuration, and Windows Registry parameter management.

Instead of using Oracle Administration Assistant for Windows, use native Windows administration tools.

The Oracle Data Provider for .NET PromotableTransaction setting is deprecated, because it is no longer necessary.

Promotable transactions themselves are not being deprecated. Only this specific setting is deprecated.

The Oracle Data Provider for .NET registry setting PromotableTransaction indicates whether the application must keep transactions as local, or if it can begin all single connection transactions as local, and then promote the transaction to distributed when a second connection enlists. This is the concept of promotable transactions.

The Promotable Transaction setting is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2). There is no reason not to use promotable transactions. Oracle recommends you accept the default value promotable.

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), the Java package oracle.jdbc.OracleConnection.unwrap() is deprecated.

The Java package oracle.jdbc.OracleConnection.unwrap() is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2, and later releases. There is no replacement for this package.

Oracle recommends that you replace this JDBC method in your applications with standard Java methods.

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), the Java oracle.jdbc.rowset package is deprecated

Oracle recommends that you use the Standard JDBC RowSet package to replace this feature.

oracle.sql classes that extend oracle.sql.DatumWithConnection are deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), in favor of oracle.jdbc extension types.

In previous releases, Oracle Database included Oracle JDBC drivers that provided specific type extensions and performance extensions in both oracle.sql and oracle.jdbc Java packages. Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), the oracle.sql classes that extend oracle.sql.DatumWithConnection are deprecated. The oracle.jdbc extensions continue to be supported.

For example, here is a partial list of deprecated oracle.sql classes:

• ARRAY

• BFILE

• BLOB

• CLOB

• OPAQUE

• REF

• STRUCT

Oracle recommends that you replace oracle.sql classes that extend oracle.sql.DatumWithConnection in your applications with standard Java types, or with oracle.jdbc extensions.

The Oracle Multimedia Java APIs are deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2.

The following Java APIs are deprecated in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), and may be desupported in a future release:

• Oracle Multimedia Java API

• Oracle Multimedia Servlets and JSP Java API

• Oracle Multimedia DICOM Java API

• Oracle Multimedia Mid-Tier Java API

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), the Oracle Multimedia DICOM feature is deprecated.

There is no replacement for DICOM support in Oracle Database.

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), Oracle Multimedia SQL/MM Still Image standard support is deprecated.

For image processing operations, Oracle Multimedia developers can call the new ORD_IMAGE PL/SQL package, or call the ORDImage methods.

For image matching, Oracle Database developers can use open source packages, such as OpenCV.

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2, the Unicode Collation Algorithm (UCA) 6.1 collations are deprecated.

The Unicode Collation Algorithm (UCA) 6.1 collations (UCA0610_*) are deprecated. They can be desupported and unavailable in a future release. Oracle recommends that you use the latest supported version of UCA collations for sorting multilingual data.

Starting in Oracle Database 12c release 2, the initialization parameter UNIFIED_AUDIT_SGA_QUEUE_SIZE is deprecated.

The UNIFIED_AUDIT_SGA_QUEUE_SIZE parameter is deprecated, and the value for this parameter is no longer honored. However, the parameter is currently retained for backward compatibility.

See Oracle Database Security Guide for additional information about Unified Audit records.

The VERIFY_FUNCTION and VERIFY_FUNCTION_11G password verify functions are deprecated in this release, because they enforce the weaker password restrictions from earlier releases.

Oracle recommends that you use the functions ORA12C_VERIFY_FUNCTION and ORA12C_STRONG_VERIFY_FUNCTION. These functions enforce stronger, more up-to-date password verification restrictions.

The V$MANAGED_STANDBY view is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2.0.1). Oracle recommends that you use the new view V$DATAGUARD_PROCESS.

The V$DATAGUARD_PROCESS view includes much more information about processes used by Oracle Data Guard.

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2) the options listed in this topic are deprecated.

The following options are deprecated:

• Oracle XQuery function ora:contains. Use XQuery Full Text instead.

• Oracle SQL function XMLRoot. Use SQL/XML function XMLSerialize() with a version number instead.

• Nested tables stored as index-ordered tables (IOTs). This includes both the use of option DBMS_XMLSCHEMA.REGISTER_NT_AS_IOT, and the use of clause NESTED TABLE N STORE AS ... (ORGANIZATION INDEX) when creating a table with nested-table column N. Instead, store nested-table columns using heap storage (the default behavior for PL/SQL procedure DBMS_XMLSCHEMA.registerSchema).

• PL/SQL procedure DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.CLOB2FILE. Use DBMS_LOB.CLOB2FILE instead.

• PL/SQL function DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.READ2CLOB. Use DBMS_LOB.LOADCLOBFROMFILE instead.

• Use of XLink with Oracle XML DB.

• Oracle XML DB Content Connector.

For more information, refer to Oracle XML DB Developer’s Guide.