Time is of the essence – The Fourth Dimension in Oracle Database 12c (on Flashback and Temporal Database)

Time has always been an important dimension for data in any database with topics like when was data created, when are records valid, how did records evolve over time, can we compare with yesteryear or even travel through time and data. The Oracle Database 12c release added a number of features in this area of time and history. The powerful Flashback mechanism is enhanced in many ways, such as to allow history to be constructed, for example from existing journaling tables and to capture the transaction context as well as the data change. Now for the first time, Flashback (Query & Data Archive) will become a key element in database design and application implementation. The support for Valid Time Modeling (aka Temporal Database) makes the database aware of the fact that records have a business lifetime with start and expiry date. This awareness results in many new features that will be discussed and demonstrated. Slides from the Singapore Oracle Sessions presentation on July 13th 2015, sponsored by the Oracle ACE Program and organized by Doug Burns.