working with editions – part 2

This is the second post about working with the edition based redefinition feature of the oracle database. The first post was about useful commands that help to set up editions inside an oracle database and enable schemas to use editioned objects.

This post will concentrate on different methods for connecting and setting a session to a specific edition.
It assumes that we already have three editions in our database :

ORA$BASE->DEV$BETA->DEV$ALPHA

connect using SQL*PLUS directly

1. connect to the default edition
   Without any additional settings, the connect goes to the specified default edition of the database. E.g. ORA$BASE

   SQL> connect user/pwd@database 
   Connect done.

2. Use environment Variable ORA_EDITION
   https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/server.112/e16604/ch_two.htm
   windows:

   set ORA_EDITION=DEV$BETA

   linux:

   export ORA_EDITION=DEV\$BETA

3. CONNECT with specific edition
   https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/server.112/e16604/ch_twelve015.htm#i2697450

   SQL> connect user/pwd@database edition=DEV$ALPHA
   Connect done.

so setting the edition works with SQL*plus.
Unfortunatly only a minority of tools support editions during the connect.

connect using TNSNAMES + DB Services

This will work with all tools including connections from applications servers, e.g. Apex/ORDS.

We can create different tnsnames entries that connect to a different db service name.

The db service can be configured to connect to a defined edition.

extra DB Service for different editions

1. using servercontrol (important when Oracle Restart is used)

   srvctl add service -d db_unique_name -s service_name -t edition_name

2. using plsql package to install DB services (starting from 11.2.0.2)

   begin
   DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE(
   service_name => 'DEV_BETA',
   network_name => 'DEV_BETA',
   edition => 'DEV$BETA');
   end;
   /
   
   begin
   DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE(
   service_name => 'DEV_ALPHA',
   network_name => 'DEV_ALPHA',
   edition => 'DEV$ALPHA');
   end;
   /
   
   begin
   DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE(
   service_name => 'DEV_BASE',
   network_name => 'DEV_BASE',
   edition => 'ORA$BASE');
   end;
   /
   
   commit;
   
   select * from dba_services;
   

The name of the DB service is then used inside TNSNAMES.ORA for the service_name parameter (do not use SID!).

connect using JDBC

It is possible to set the edition for connections made via JDBC:OCI. To use that the OracleConnection class extention needs to be used.

Properties prop = new Properties();
prop.setProperty(OracleConnection.CONNECTION_PROPERTY_EDITION_NAME, "DEV$BETA");  

check the configuration (services and other relevant parameters)

select * from v$parameter
where regexp_like(name, 'edition|service|global|processes|sessions|dispatch|shared|listen')
;