The following features are new in this release:

• Oracle Sharding MAA

  Sharding is a new architecture pattern for the Oracle Database that is completely compatible with existing MAA reference architectures.

  See Oracle Sharding MAA Reference Architecture for information about this new architecture.

• Oracle Multitenant MAA

  Oracle Multitenant is fully compliant with and takes direct advantage of high availability features.

  See Oracle Multitenant for information about the latest benefits.

• Oracle In-Memory MAA

  Enhanced support for Oracle Database In-Memory contribute to its benefits in any of the MAA reference architectures. Support for Oracle Database In-Memory and its enhancements are noted throughout this document.

  Also see the MAA white paper Oracle Database In-Memory High Availability Best Practices.

• Oracle Data Guard

  Many enhancements to Oracle Data Guard contribute to its benefits in an MAA architecture.

  See Oracle Data Guard for information about the latest benefits.

• Oracle GoldenGate

  Many enhancements to Oracle GoldenGate help you create the best of breed replication solution.

  See Oracle GoldenGate for information about the latest benefits.

• Application Availability

  Enhancements to Application Continuity, Transaction Guard, Java, OCI, and JDBC for end-to-end application availability.

  See Client and Application Failover for information about the latest benefits.

• Online Operations

  New and enhanced online operations keep your databases up and running during planned maintenance.

  See Oracle Database High Availability Solutions for Planned Downtime for information about the latest benefits.

• Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN)

  Enhancements to RMAN contribute to its benefits in an MAA architecture.

  See Recovery Manager for information about the latest benefits.

• Upgrade Enhancements

  More support for rolling upgrades contribute to less downtime.

  See Oracle High Availability Solutions for System and Software Maintenance for information about the latest benefits.

The following are additional changes in the release:

• Oracle MAA Reference Architectures

  Updates to MAA Reference Architectures to reflect both Oracle Database on-premise and Oracle Cloud, and new Oracle Sharding MAA reference architecture.

  See High Availability Architectures.

The following features are new in this release:

• Global Data Services

  Global Data Services applies the Oracle Real Application Clusters service model to sets of globally distributed, heterogeneous databases, providing load balancing and failover capabilities to database clouds with global services, which are services provided by multiple databases.

  See Oracle Database with Global Data Services.

• Oracle Flex Clusters and Oracle Flex ASM

  Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters can be configured in large clusters, called an Oracle Flex Cluster. Oracle Flex ASM decouples the Oracle ASM instance from the database servers. Oracle ASM instances may be run on separate physical servers (from the database servers). Any number of Oracle ASM servers can be clustered together to support a large set of databases.

  See Oracle Real Application Clusters and Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage Management.

• Far sync

  A Data Guard far sync instance is a remote Data Guard destination that accepts redo from the primary database and then ships that redo to other members of the Data Guard configuration. A far sync instance manages a control file, receives redo into standby redo logs (SRLs), and archives those SRLs to local archived redo logs, but that is where the similarity with standbys ends. A far sync instance does not have user data files, cannot be opened for access, cannot run redo apply, and can never function in the primary role or be converted to any type of standby database.

  See Benefits of Oracle Active Data Guard.

• Consolidation and multitenant architecture

  The multitenant architecture feature enables an Oracle database to contain a portable set of schemas, objects, and related structures that appears logically to an application as a separate database.

  See High ROI Using Oracle Database Consolidation.

• Rolling upgrade using Oracle Active Data Guard

  Rolling Upgrade using Oracle Active Data Guard provides new PL/SQL packages that automate much of the process of performing a database rolling upgrade using a physical standby database.

  See Performing Database Upgrades Using Data Guard and Physical Standby Databases.

• Oracle Active Data Guard enhancements

  Support for Global Temporary Tables, replication of XMLType tables and columns, and enhanced security.

  See Benefits of Oracle Active Data Guard.

• Application failover improvements

  Application availability has been improved with the enhancement of Fast Application Notification, Oracle Service, and with the addition of Global Data Services, Application Continuity, and Transaction Guard.

  See Client and Application Failover.

The following are additional changes in the release:

• Oracle MAA Reference Architectures

  Oracle MAA reference architectures are applicable for a single database or application or for thousands of databases and applications, for DBaaS cloud or database consolidation. The entire contents of this document has been altered to highlight the MAA reference architectures.

  See High Availability Architectures.