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Oracle 12c: Oracle XMLDB is now Mandatory!

Posted on 26 June, 2013 241 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in 12cR1, Oracle, RDBMS, XMLDB 2 Comments

Is this one of my highlights? No not really, but it is a remarkable one. Oracle XMLDB functionality is now mandatory and can not be uninstalled. As mentioned in the new feature section of the Oracle XMLDB Developers Guide for Oracle 12c:

Oracle XML DB is now a mandatory component of Oracle Database. You cannot uninstall it, and there is no option not to include it when you create Oracle Database. It is automatically installed when you create a new database or (if not existing already) when you upgrade an existing database to Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1).

…and a bit further on…

Automatic Installation of Oracle XML DB
If Oracle XML DB is not already installed in your database prior to an upgrade to Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1) or later, then it is automatically installed in tablespace SYSAUX during the upgrade.
If Oracle XML DB has thus been automatically installed, and if you want to use Oracle XML DB, then, after the upgrade operation, you must set the database compatibility to at least 12.1.0.1. If the compatibility is less than 12.1.0.1 then an error is raised when you try to use Oracle XML DB.
If Oracle XML DB was automatically installed during an upgrade and the current compatibility level is less than 12.1.0.1, then Oracle DB is automatically uninstalled during any downgrade to a prior release.

As a database administrator, I like “lean and mean”, so therefore my mixed feelings about this change. As the Oracle ACE Director for this functionality, I think it was inevitable, seen the changes over the years.

You might not realize it, but a lot of Oracle XMLDB functionality has been used and implemented over the years from Oracle 11.1 and onwards. It is used in area’s like dictionary views, packages like DBMS_METADATA, datapump utilities, APEX (PL/SQL Gateway servlet in the XDB Protocol Server environment), Data and Audit vault, enhanced security or DBFS.

Now with pluggable databases in the mix for 12c, it has become an intrinsic part of the database. The new DB Express, the replacement for DB Console in the database, is depending on some of the core XMLDB repository functions.

So database administrators alike, beware, $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catqm.sql, is probably a good thing to get acquainted with. I advised my colleagues to start installing it, during new installations and/or upgrades to 11.2.x and onwards, so they get a feeling for the wonders and quirks of this database functionality and life gets a little bit easier when upgrading in the future to the latest Oracle 12c release.

HTH.

Hotsos 2013 – Presentation “Creating Structure in Unstructured Data”

Posted on 5 March, 2013 266 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in 11gR1, 11gR2, 12cR1, Binary-, CLOB-, Object Relational Storage, Events, General, Oracle, Unstructured Data 1 Comment

Hereby, for those who want another look or for people to share, my presentation content “Creating Structure in Unstructured Data” given during the Hotsos 2013 Symposium on Monday morning.

HTH

Marco

Hotsos 2013 – Creating Structure in Unstructured Data from Marco Gralike

Basisregistraties Adressen en Gebouwen – Het importeren van Kadaster BAG data in een Oracle Database

Posted on 21 January, 2013 303 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in Binary-, CLOB-, Object Relational Storage, Howto, Oracle, XMLDB 2 Comments

Vorig jaar heb ik behoorlijk wat vragen gekregen over of er een tool was, een methodiek, om BAG data van het Nederlandse Kadaster in een Oracle database te krijgen voor allerlei doeleinden. Basisregistraties Adressen en Gebouwen (BAG) data wordt onder andere uitgeleverd door het Kadaster in XML bestanden waarin alle Kadaster gegevens zijn vastgelegd. Deze XML bestanden voldoen qua structuur aan een aan te vragen XML Schema. Het is behoorlijk wat XML data zoals je misschien zou verwachten. Het betreft dat ook alle gegevens over adressen en gebouwen in Nederland, aangeleverd aan het Nederlandse Kadaster. Eind vorig jaar was de gecomprimeerde XML data (zip) file rond de 1,25 Gigabyte.

Zoals op de pagina van het Kadaster wordt uitgelegd (in 2013):

Wat is de BAG?
De BAG (Basisregistraties adressen en gebouwen) is onderdeel van het overheidsstelsel van basisregistraties. Gemeenten zijn bronhouders van de BAG. Zij zijn verantwoordelijk voor het opnemen van de gegevens in de BAG en voor de kwaliteit ervan. Alle gemeenten stellen gegevens over adressen en gebouwen centraal beschikbaar via de Landelijke Voorziening (BAGLV). Het Kadaster beheert de BAGLV en stelt de gegevens beschikbaar aan de diverse afnemers.
Gebruik van de BAG
De BAG kent op dit moment vier producten: BAG Web, BAG Extract, BAG Bevragen en BAG Compact (BAGLV).
BAG Web is voor iedereen inzichtelijk. BAG Extract, BAG Bevragen en BAG Compact kunnen besteld worden. Via de voorlopige voorziening BAG Viewer zijn BAG gegevens nu ook te bekijken met een kaart als ondergrond.

De BAG Viewer (demo) webapplicatie geeft je een goed idee van je met de data kunt doen en/of over welke data het gaat. Probeer hem eens uit door bijvoorbeeld de raster kaart info te genereren voor je bedrijf of huis. Hieronder een BAG Viewer voorbeeld t.a.v de AMIS kantoor/adres gegevens in Nieuwegein.

Als je weet hoe, is het importeren en beschikbaar maken van de genoemde BAG data in een Oracle database, helemaal niet zo moeilijk.

Importeren van Kadaster BAG data in Oracle

De hieronder genoemde methodiek maakt gebruik van de Oracle XMLDB functionaliteit in een Oracle database. Deze functionaliteit is beschikbaar in alle database varianten: Express Edition (XE), Standard Edition (SE), Enterprise Edition (EE), Personal Edition (PE), Standard One (SO), versies 9.2.0.3 en hoger. Oracle XMLDB is een “no cost” option die gratis beschikbaar is bij de aanschaf van een Oracle database en voorziet in alle mogelijkheden die je nodig hebt om XML data in een Oracle database te genereren, consumeren, te transformeren, op te slaan, etc., etc., etc. De Oracle database XMLDB functionaliteit ondersteunt alle W3C XML standaarden zoals onder andere: XPath, XSLT, XQuery, XQuery Update en XML Repository vereisten (ACL Security, Versioning en HTTP(s), FTP & WebDAV toegang tot de database data). Voor meer info over de mogelijkheden van Oracle XMLDB kun je o.a. hier terecht.

Het toepassen van Oracle XMLDB functionaliteit als oplossing i.p.v. bijvoorbeeld ten opzichte van een Java oplossing buiten de database zijn:

Oracle XMLDB functionaliteit is geschreven in C en embedded in de Oracle Database kernel, i.p.v. een Java toepassing en zal daardoor bijna altijd beter performen.
Alle XMLDB functionaliteit wordt door Oracle onderhouden, i.p.v. de eigen gecreëerde data laad Java XML Parser toepassing, dus dat scheelt in onderhoud.
En, zoals ik hieronder probeer aan te bewijzen, is het laden van XML data ook snel en simpel te realiseren via Oracle XMLDB functionaliteit.

Een laad voorbeeld

Voordat de data geladen wordt, is het belangrijk om goed na te denken over de te gebruiken opslag methodiek. Het in Oracle XMLDB gebruikte XMLType datatype, komt in 3 smaken: CLOB (deprecated optie vanaf 11.2), Binary XML (Securefile) en Object Relational. De whitepaper “Oracle XML DB : Choosing the Best XMLType Storage Option for Your Use Case (PDF)” op de hoofdpagina van de Oracle XMLDB site, geeft een goed overzicht van de verschillende voor en nadelen van deze 3 opslag mogelijkheden. Indien noodzakelijk kan er zowel bij XMLType Object Relational als XMLType Securefile Binary XML partitionering binnen de XML data zelf worden toegepast op basis van “locally equipartitioned” (HASH, RANGE en LIST partitioning indelingen).

In het hieronder getoonde voorbeeld, wordt van partitioning geen gebruik gemaakt, om het voorbeeld niet te complex te maken (qua DDL syntax). De DDL, voornamelijk de creatie van de view op het eind, is gebaseerd op een iets verouderd XML Schema. Met wat kleine aanpassingen in de gebruikt XPath paden werkt de code ook voor de huidige BAG data XML structuur.

Het laden gebeurt in 3 stappen, voor het gemak even met een Oracle user met de DBA rol:

Het creëren van een Oracle directory
Het creëren van een tabel met een XMLType Binary XML kolom
Het laden van de data middels een INSERT statement.

De bijbehorende DDL code/statements in een SQL*Plus sessie, Oracle database versie 11.2.0.3.0.

Creatie van de Oracle directory waar zich de BAG XML data bevind (c:\temp\xml):

define XSDDIR = 'C:\temp'
create or replace directory XMLDIR as '&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;XMLDIR/XML'
/

Het creëren van de tabel waar de data in geladen wordt:

CREATE TABLE BAG_DATA
(BAG xmltype)
   NOCOMPRESS NOLOGGING
   TABLESPACE USERS
   xmltype COLUMN BAG STORE AS SECUREFILE BINARY XML
  (TABLESPACE USERS NOCOMPRESS  KEEP_DUPLICATES)
  ;

Het te gebruiken SQL statement voor de INSERT:

INSERT into BAG_DATA
(BAG)
VALUES
(XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000001.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
;

Het laden van XML kan sneller door gebruik te maken van een SQL*Loader laadactie, maar de getoonde bfilename constructie is simpel toe te passen en waar nodig ook programmeer technisch te verwerken in een PL/SQL procedure of package.

Dat het laden snel gaat tonen de hieronder genoemde tijden (1 a 2 seconden per file) van enkele BAG XML documenten van 200 MB per stuk:

SQL> INSERT into BAG_DATA
  2  (BAG)
  3  VALUES
  4  (XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000002.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
  5  ;

1 rij is aangemaakt.

Verstreken: 00:00:01.32
SQL> --
SQL> INSERT into BAG_DATA
  2  (BAG)
  3  VALUES
  4  (XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000003.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
  5  ;

1 rij is aangemaakt.

Verstreken: 00:00:01.30
SQL> --
SQL> INSERT into BAG_DATA
  2  (BAG)
  3  VALUES
  4  (XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000004.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
  5  ;

1 rij is aangemaakt.

Verstreken: 00:00:01.67
SQL> --
SQL> INSERT into BAG_DATA
  2  (BAG)
  3  VALUES
  4  (XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000005.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
  5  ;

1 rij is aangemaakt.

Verstreken: 00:00:01.30
SQL> --
SQL> INSERT into BAG_DATA
  2  (BAG)
  3  VALUES
  4  (XMLTYPE(bfilename('XMLDIR','9999OPR08092011-000006.xml'),NLS_CHARSET_ID('AL32UTF8')))
  5  ;

1 rij is aangemaakt.

SQL> select count(*) from BAG_VW;

  COUNT(*)
----------
    274237

Verstreken: 00:00:00.40

Relationeel beschikbaar maken van XML opslag in Oracle via een view

Niet iedereen is bekwaam in de XML talen zoals XPath of XQuery. Om de data te kunnen doorzoeken via, bijvoorbeeld tools zoals SQL*Developer of Toad, is het handig om een view te definiëren bovenop de XMLType kolom die deze XPath en XQuery uitvragingen al in zich heeft. Hieronder een voorbeeld waarbij alle XML Schema namespace definities al zijn opgenomen ook al worden ze niet allemaal gebruikt door de view. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van een XMLTABLE die uitermate geschikt is om XML beschikbaar te maken in relationele vorm en zolang de XML structuur niet veranderd is dit een eenmalige actie. Via de “PASSING” clausule wordt de XML kolom data aangeboden aan de XMLTABLE functie en via de COLUMNS sectie worden de XPath uitvragingen gemapped met de “identificatie”, “openbareRuimteType”, “openbareRuimteType” kolom definities van de view. De XMLTABLE functie ondersteunt XPath V2 en XQuery V1 statements.

CREATE OR REPLACE view BAG_VW
( identificatie
, openbareRuimteType
, openbareRuimteNaam
)
AS
SELECT xt1.identificatie
     , xt1.openbareRuimteType
     , xt1.openbareRuimteNaam
FROM BAG_DATA bd
   , XMLTABLE (xmlnamespaces( 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/imbag/lvc/v20090901' as "bag_LVC"
                            , 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/bag-verstrekkingen/extract-deelbestand-lvc/v20090901' as "xb"
                            , 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/imbag/imbag-types/v20090901' as "bagtype"
                            , 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/imbag/nen5825/v20090901' as "nen5825"
                            , 'http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink' as "xlink"
                            , 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/bag-verstrekkingen/extract-selecties/v20090901' as "selecties-extract"
                            , 'http://www.opengis.net/gml' as "gml"
                            , 'http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/bag-verstrekkingen/extract-producten-lvc/v20090901' as "product_LVC"
                            )
               , '/xb:BAG-Extract-Deelbestand-LVC/xb:antwoord/xb:producten/product_LVC:LVC-product/bag_LVC:OpenbareRuimte'
               PASSING bd.BAG
               COLUMNS
                 identificatie      VARCHAR2(20) PATH 'bag_LVC:identificatie'
               , openbareRuimteNaam VARCHAR2(20) PATH 'bag_LVC:openbareRuimteNaam'
               , openbareRuimteType VARCHAR2(25) PATH 'bag_LVC:openbareRuimteType'
               ) xt1
;

Hierna is het mogelijk om de in de view gedefinieerde kolommen normaal via SQL uit te vragen:

SQL> set autotrace on explain
SQL> set lines 170
 
SQL> select openbareRuimteType, count(*)
  2  from bag_vw
  3  group by openbareRuimteType
  4  /

OPENBARERUIMTETYPE          COUNT(*)
------------------------- ----------
Kunstwerk                       3728
Terrein                          875
Weg                           263046
Spoorbaan                         50
Water                           3053
Administratief gebied           2706
Landschappelijk gebied           779

7 rijen zijn geselecteerd.

Verstreken: 00:00:00.88

Uitvoeringspan
----------------------------------------------------------
Plan hash value: 122337239

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Id  | Operation           | Name     | Rows  | Bytes | Cost (%CPU)| Time     |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|   0 | SELECT STATEMENT    |          |   106K|   202M|   366   (3)| 00:00:05 |
|   1 |  HASH GROUP BY      |          |   106K|   202M|   366   (3)| 00:00:05 |
|   2 |   NESTED LOOPS      |          |   106K|   202M|   359   (1)| 00:00:05 |
|   3 |    TABLE ACCESS FULL| BAG_DATA |    13 | 26026 |     3   (0)| 00:00:01 |
|   4 |    XPATH EVALUATION |          |       |       |            |          |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note
-----
   - dynamic sampling used for this statement (level=2)

Data toegang versnelling via een XMLIndex

Door een XMLDB Domain index aan te maken, een zogenaamde Structured XMLIndex, beschikbaar vanaf versie Oracle database versie 11.2.0.3.0, kunnen de “COSTs” nog verder worden teruggebracht waar door het gebruikte SQL statement nog verder kan worden versneld.

SQL> CREATE INDEX XIDX_BAG_01
  2  ON BAG_DATA(BAG)
  3  INDEXTYPE IS XDB.XMLINDEX
  4  PARAMETERS ('GROUP BAG_VIEW_GROUP
  5  		       XMLTABLE CONTENT_BAG_SXI_TABLE
  6  		       XMLNAMESPACES( ''http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/imbag/lvc/v20090901'' as "bag_LVC"
  7  			, ''http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/bag-verstrekkingen/extract-deelbestand-lvc/v20090901'' as "xb"
  8  			, ''http://www.kadaster.nl/schemas/bag-verstrekkingen/extract-producten-lvc/v20090901'' as "product_LVC"
  9  			)
 10  		       , ''/xb:BAG-Extract-Deelbestand-LVC/xb:antwoord/xb:producten/product_LVC:LVC-product/bag_LVC:OpenbareRuimte''
 11  		       COLUMNS
 12  			   identificatie      NUMBER(20) PATH ''bag_LVC:identificatie''
 13  	     , openbareRuimteNaam VARCHAR2(60) PATH ''bag_LVC:openbareRuimteNaam''
 14  	     , openbareRuimteType VARCHAR2(38) PATH ''bag_LVC:openbareRuimteType''
 15  		     ');

Index is aangemaakt.

Verstreken: 00:00:26.92
 
SQL> select openbareRuimteType, count(*)
  2  from bag_vw
  3  group by openbareRuimteType
  4  /

OPENBARERUIMTETYPE                       COUNT(*)
-------------------------------------- ----------
Kunstwerk                                    3728
Water                                        3053
Terrein                                       875
Weg                                        263046
Administratief gebied                        2706
Spoorbaan                                      50
Landschappelijk gebied                        779

7 rijen zijn geselecteerd.

Verstreken: 00:00:00.13

Uitvoeringspan
----------------------------------------------------------
Plan hash value: 2870885695

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Id  | Operation                     | Name                   | Rows  | Bytes | Cost (%CPU)| Time     |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|   0 | SELECT STATEMENT              |                        |   247K|    10M|    18  (84)| 00:00:01 |
|   1 |  HASH GROUP BY                |                        |   247K|    10M|    18  (84)| 00:00:01 |
|   2 |   NESTED LOOPS                |                        |       |       |            |          |
|   3 |    NESTED LOOPS               |                        |   247K|    10M|     3   (0)| 00:00:01 |
|   4 |     TABLE ACCESS FULL         | BAG_DATA               |    13 |   156 |     3   (0)| 00:00:01 |
|*  5 |     INDEX RANGE SCAN          | SYS81836_81837_RID_IDX | 19069 |       |     0   (0)| 00:00:01 |
|   6 |    TABLE ACCESS BY INDEX ROWID| CONTENT_BAG_SXI_TABLE  | 19069 |   614K|     0   (0)| 00:00:01 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Predicate Information (identified by operation id):
---------------------------------------------------

   5 - access("BD".ROWID="SYS_ALIAS_0"."RID")

Note
-----
   - dynamic sampling used for this statement (level=2)

De index brengt de “COST”en terug van 266 naar 18 voor het gebruikte SQL statement (doorlooptijd 0.13 seconden).

Ik hoop dat ik heb kunnen aantonen hoe simpel het laden van XML data in een Oracle XMLDB omgeving is als het gaat om, bijvoorbeeld de Kadaster BAG data. Natuurlijk komt er uiteindelijk toch nog wel iets meer bij kijken. Er moet nagedacht worden over de juiste opslag methodiek, creaties van misschien meerdere views en de bijbehorende ondersteunende (XML)Indexen. Het investeren in een goed design is echter nooit weggegooide tijd en levert op een later tijdstip veel voordeel op. Op de Oracle XMLDB hoofdpagina vind je nog meer informatie (en voorbeelden) die je verder helpen. Op www.xmldb.nl zijn ook veelvuldige gebruikte “HOWTO”‘s aanwezig die je ondersteunen bij de leercurve van het begrijpen hoe Oracle XMLDB in elkaar zit.

UKOUG 2011: Drag, Drop and other Stuff. Using your Database as a File Server

Posted on 12 December, 2011 279 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in Binary-, CLOB-, Object Relational Storage, Events, SQL*Net, Protocol Server, XFILES, XMLDB 2 Comments

Last Thuesday, Mark Drake, Senior Product Manager and I, delivered a good presentation during UKOUG in Birmingham about how to use your database, via XMLDB functionality, as a file server. The presentation demonstrated as well how you could extent the “standaard” file server (aka your database) functionality with features like, WebDAV driven ACL Security and XDB Repository Events, which enable you to automatically trigger event driven actions based on, for example, file naming, content, creator or others.

You can find the presentation on Slideshare or enjoy it here.

UKOUG 2011 – Drag, Drop and other Stuff. Using your Database as a File Server

View more presentations from Marco Gralike

During the demonstration in the second half of the presentation, we demonstrated how you can automatically consume the EXIF and KML information embedded in pictures to use it with the Google Earth API. All the code used for this Google Earth demonstration, and more, can be found on the Oracle XMLDB Sample Code page.

Have fun trying it out and if there any questions, post them on the OTN Oracle XMLDB forum.

OOW 2011 – Oracle XML DB and Big Data

Posted on 6 October, 2011 239 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in Events, Oracle, XMLDB Leave a comment

Last day of Oracle Open World and I am currently attending the last presentations. The first presentation, “Oracle XMLDB: A noSQL Approach to Managing all your Unstructured Data”, deals with the no-SQL approach and using Oracle XML DB in the context of using it with “Big Data”, that is unstructured data. The title of the presentation is “a bit” misleading due it reference to noSQL data handling. XML is mostly used in the area’s of structured, data centric, semi-structured an unstructured, that is document centric data. Due to the flexibility of XML, it can be used for bridging those data content forms. Via the XDB repository, xmltype storage and xmlindex, that content can be moved into the XML DB part of the Oracle database, mapped and categorized. You can use repository events to shred and filter this map while the data is going in regarding interfacing via FTP or WebDAV. In all the presentation addressed a lot of already known fact of the XMLDB functionality and not really how to use it with huge amounts of unstructured data.

My last presentation of the day and of Oracle Open World was the one of the FedEx XMLDB implementation on Exadata. They try to use XML to streamline multiple different data streams with different kinds of content and ability to create hierarchy, dependency and rules on the data. Overall its much easier to parse and validate as a flat file, standard SQL operations are available, multiple programmings support and XSLT is available to handle the data. Storage in XMLDB was chosen due to the advantage to store the XML natively without writing a complex application to parse into many relational tables. In principle, applying standards instead of creating your own solution and therefore spending more development time regarding the solving the business problem instead of building the XML data processing methods themselves.

Currently the system is using XMLType Object Relational storage with sub-partitioning and hash partitioned nested table indices on Oracle 11.2.0.3.0 to store their data within a 11g 4 Node RAC linux environment.

In all they also are now on Oracle 11g more able to move to the XQuery standards instead of using propriety solutions for their system to move forward on.

The second bit of the presentation actually dealt a bit with Exadata testing in comparison to a FedEx kind of setup and its findings.

A second use case test with Exadata was setup based on XBRL data compared to a non Exadata machine. Curious point was that the setup was done on a “single-node” Exadata machine.

I liked this last presentation if not only it had some useful and, at least for me, interesting information regarding how far you can push some of the use-case requirements in the XMLDB realm of things.

Oracle XMLDB XQuery Update in Database Release 11.2.0.3.0

Posted on 22 September, 2011 264 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in 11gR1, 11gR2, Howto, Oracle, XMLDB 1 Comment

I just made use of the very cool OTN Virtual Developer Day Database site. In this environment you can follow OTN Developer Day sessions, for example, at home, while making use of all the material available on that site plus the downloadable Virtualbox OTN Developer Day Appliance. Despite you can choose for tracks like Java, .Net, APEX, there is also a database section which handles (as you might expect it from me regarding interest) Oracle XMLDB functionality.

There is a 1 hour webcast available from Mark Drake, Oracle Product Manager, that takes you along all the basics / general overview (basic due too it is too extensive to show it in only an hour) of possibilities of Oracle XMLDB functionality. For convenience there is also a PDF document that has most of the slide info of the webcast. It doesn’t contain the demo’s or extra Virtualbox OTN Developer Day Appliance first steps info, of course, and what to do to reset the training XMLDB environment in this appliance.

This PDF and the webcast starts with the Oracle safeguard (legal disclaimer), with the general product outline slide saying among others that Oracle is not responsible or obliged to actually build-in features mentioned in that release or in that form…etc…so in that context it looks like…

Sorry for the distortion, couln’t get a better screen shot of the flash based webcast.

Continue reading →

Oracle XBRL Extention – Second Release now available for Download

Posted on 7 June, 2011 264 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in XBRL, XMLDB Leave a comment

The XBRL Extention, a no cost add-on extention on XML-DB targeting the Extensible Business Reporting Language area, is now available for download. This second release ( p12388668_112020_Generic.zip ) of the Oracle XBRL Extension can be downloaded from the Oracle Support site (https://support.oracle.com). Once you have downloaded the file, please follow the instructions in the README.txt file to install the software.

Here are what�s new in the new in this release:

New routines createStarSchemaFromFact and createStarSchemaFromHC have been added to PL/SQL package DBMS_ORAXBRLV to retrieve the list of table (view) names of a generated star schema.
New routine DTS_filelist has been added to PL/SQL package DBMS_ORAXBRL to retrieve a discoverable taxonomy set (DTS).

For more info about the Oracle XBRL Extention see also “Oracle XBRL Extension Ready for Download”.

Advert: Oracle XMLDB Masterclass in Germany

Posted on 15 January, 2010 247 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in Events, XMLDB Leave a comment

Here a small advert for one of my events scheduled for this year. On the 24th of Februari I will be giving a Masterclass regarding Oracle XMLDB in Germany. To be precise in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The following will be addressed, but might you attend, then drop me a line (marco dot gralike at amis dot nl) regarding your specific topics and I will see if I can address it within the bounderies of the course setup):

Provide a holistic view of Oracle’s XML Database features
Provide an in-depth view on how XML should be handled in general and in the Oracle XML database
Provide realistic solutions, architectures, to make an XML environment work
Show how to avoid problems while working in an XML environment
Help to gain the optimum in performance and functionality from your XML database environment

The course is helpful and delivers insight for people who want to know more about Oracle XML DB and have some experience working with it, architects, dba or developers alike. I will see how good my German is during the day and if I feel very brave enough, switch to German during the course.

See for more info and or how to register the following URL:

Oracle XML Database Masterclass with Marco Gralike (ID: D70365_1188706)

CU There.

Oracle Open World 2009 – XMLDB Sessions and Presentations

Posted on 30 September, 2009 262 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in 11gR1, 11gR2, APEX, General, XMLDB 1 Comment

Its time to enlist. It really is. At least regarding the XMLDB related sessions and presentations during Oracle Open World 2009. As far as I have seen today, the hands-on workshop has almost no seats left and more than half already enlisted for my XMLDB New Features and XMLDB Performance related presentation.

Oracle Open World doesn�t have much XMLDB related sessions, until now from the 1800+ sessions,�I only counted a dozen or so. If you want to have a peak of the ones I found, have a look at the following Oracle OTN XMLDB�Forum thread.

�Oracle Open World 2009: XMLDB Presentations and Related Workshops

I enlisted�for most, as long as they�didn�t interfere with my presentation schedule,�if not only that I am very anxious about Mark Drake�s presentations about Google API�mashups etc combined with�the�XMLDB functionality in the database and the, probably extended version of how to build an APEX content management system based on the versioning and filler capabilities of the XMLDB Repository. During OOW�2008, Carl Backstrom, helped and�co-presented this APEX / XMLDB joined venture and, alas, this demo app. of the XFILES light weight XMLDB�CMS based on APEX, never had (at least yet AFAIK) the chance to be a hit on the apex.oracle.com demogrounds or the OTN XMLDB main page after the source code had been cleaned-up.

For those who might enjoy a photo�s from that presentation with Mark and Carl during Oracle Open World 2008:

APEX and XMLDB: A Match Made in the Database

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OGH Oracle Ace Cases with…(Ahum) Marco Gralike

Posted on 16 February, 2009 244 by Marco Gralike 233 Posted in Events, General Leave a comment

An advert for myself. Wow! How cool is that�

The local Oracle User Group Holland starts on the16th of April with a new series of presentations given this time by the Dutch Oracle ACE�s and Oracle ACE Directors under the compelling name “Oracle ACE Cases“. They asked me to do the kick-off of the series� A whole evening with just me and “my” Oracle XMLDB. I felt honored, so I said yes, but was also surprised�

I still notice that “people” have problems regarding the “specialism” Oracle XMLDB. Is it development, dba stuff, an architecture, an appliance�? I was very proud to be able to present in 2007, for the first time, on a big symposium called UKOUG, although under the label “Fusion Technology”. In 2008 I had the pleasure to be on the 25th anniversary of the UKOUG, this time I had to “compete” (if you make an attempt, why not grasp for the stars ) in the same time slot with a Mr. Tom Kyte and a Mr. Jonathan Lewis and this time my XMLDB topic was relabeled as “Server Technology”.

So the name of the game is changing and being a DBA, I think this correct for core functionality as Oracle XMLDB currently is, at least since the Oracle 11g database release. I also like approaching (performance, architectural, database, etc) problems via a holistic view on the world, something that appeals me in working with the Oracle XML database. A DBA perspective is not enough, you also have to grasp what the development colleagues are trying to achieve and, for example, how it hooks into the middle tier or its place in the business process.

A database never stands alone�

Anyway, if you want to hear my end off the story while trying to achieve (ahum, my attempt that is�) too present like only a Cary Millsap can, with a twist of James Morle�s humor, register yourself for this Dutch event on the 16th (presented in Dutch). Hopefully a good kick-off to a very interesting series of Dutch Oracle Ace Cases.

Register here: OGH Ace Case: XML DB with Marco Gralike

PS: �if not�and you are at this years Hotsos Symposium (Dallas), I will be the guy who is listening with awe and great respect to Mr. Chris Date�s presentation and a nickname tag with the text “XML Just Rocks�” (living up to my addictions)

Tag Archives: XMLDB