Oracle regularly releases patch updates to maintain security and improve functionality for its Cloud services. The latest major update is the Oracle 23D release. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the key changes introduced in the 23D Patch Update. It covers new features across various Oracle Cloud services and highlights important things to know when applying the update.

1. Database Changes

The 23D Patch Includes several enhancements to Oracle Database Cloud Service. A new lightweight container database called Autonomous Transaction Processing has been added, optimized for transactional workloads. It offers all the benefits of an Autonomous Database like auto-tuning and self-repair, but with a simplified pricing model better suited for transactional apps. The 23D Release also improves database security with new capabilities like real-time database activity monitoring and advanced threat detection. It now allows setting up database firewall rules based on IP addresses, subnets or security groups for added access control. Additionally, new performance monitoring dashboards provide deeper insights into database resource usage and query optimization opportunities.

1. Infrastructure Updates

On the infrastructure side, the 23D Patch Update brings VM shape optimizations for better performance and cost savings. New bare metal shapes have been added that deliver higher CPU core counts and local SSD storage ideal for HPC and memory-intensive workloads. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s regional network has also been enhanced with additional points-of-presence and interconnection locations for lower latency connectivity. The 23D Patch Update improves load balancing capabilities with support for session persistence and custom health checks on load balancers. It also simplifies networking configuration with auto-provisioning of virtual cloud networks based on compartment access policies.

1. Developer Tools Changes

For developers, the 23D Patch Update introduces new capabilities in Oracle Application Express (APEX). APEX now supports server-side conditional formatting of reports and interactive grids for more visually appealing apps. It also allows embedding external JavaScript libraries for advanced front-end functionality. Oracle Cloud Developer Cloud Service gains improved Git integration with pull request reviews and code quality analysis on merges and commits. Additionally, the 23D patch update enhances Oracle Cloud Shell with new templates for quick provisioning of common development environments.

1. Security and Compliance Updates

Security and compliance remain a top priority for Oracle. The 23D Patch Update hardens infrastructure security with new capabilities like encryption of ephemeral volumes and transitive resource access control policies. It also introduces advanced threat detection capabilities that leverage machine learning to identify anomalous user behavior and potential cyberattacks. On the compliance front, the 23D Patch Update expands audit reporting with additional log data, role activity logs and detailed compartment access tracking. It also allows customers to specify data residency requirements at the compartment level for regulatory compliance.

1. Management Tool Enhancements

To simplify management of Oracle Cloud resources, the 23D Patch Update introduces several enhancements to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Console. It now provides centralized access to all Oracle Cloud services with a single sign-on. The console gains improved search capabilities across compartments and regions. New policy templates have been added to expedite common access and tagging configurations. Billing reports now offer customizable date ranges and the ability to filter by tags and compartments. Additionally, 23D Release improves orchestration of updates with automated and rolling deployments of patches at the compartment level.

How Can Opkey help in Oracle Update Testing?

More than 5,000 pre-built test cases are available from Opkey for Oracle Cloud modules. Each Oracle Cloud version comes with impact analysis reports that enable clients use reusable test scripts to cut maintenance efforts by 80%. The platform for end-to-end testing simplifies intricate management. Opkey makes sure that the functionality, and security, as well as performance of all new Oracle 23D features and upgrades are carefully tested. Businesses may avoid risks and cut down on human labor by implementing automated testing. Oracle 23D dramatically improves AI security, speed, and cloud integration. As a certified, top-rated Oracle partner, you can leverage these advancements by relying on Opkey’s technologies to easily validate new releases and deployments.