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Oracle Database Usage

The Oracle Database Usage Report offers a detailed analysis of database deployments, edition and version breakdowns, and the utilization of licensable database options and packs

Graphical Overview

This section provides a high-level summary of the Oracle database estate, including the number of devices and databases identified, along with key breakdowns by version, edition, and option usage.

The Databases by Options and Status chart highlights which optional features are in use (e.g. Diagnostics Pack, Tuning Pack, Partitioning), along with how they’re being used—whether historically, actively, cloned, or flagged for verification.

This overview helps identify:

  • Which Enterprise Edition databases are deployed
  • What usage types need review or further clarification
  • Where potential cost reduction or compliance risks exist

 

Usage Definitions

Database option usage is categorized to reflect how and whether each feature is being utilized. This classification supports accurate licensing decisions by distinguishing between actual use, historical activity, and cases requiring further validation.

The following usage types are included:

  • Used: The feature has been actively utilized within the current environment.
    Note: While usage is an important indicator, it does not automatically imply that the feature must be licensed. Platform logic takes this into account when calculating license requirements in the consolidated report.

  • Historical: The feature was not used within the past 90 days, but is not currently in use. This may indicate transient or previous usage that could still carry licensing implications.

  • Cloned: The database has a duplicated DB ID, indicating it was likely created by cloning another system. These databases may have features enabled or evidence of usage that is not required or correct. Review is recommended.

  • Verify: The feature was detected, but actual usage is unclear or ambiguous. Manual validation is required. Licensing requirements will assume the worst case scenario and that the feature was used in the specific database.

  • Not Used: The feature shows no evidence of being used.

 

Oracle Databases Installed

This section provides a detailed inventory of Oracle database instances discovered across the environment. It includes essential deployment attributes for each instance, such as:

  • Device and database names
  • Product edition and version (e.g. 11g Release 2, 12c Release 1)
  • Full version and instance status
  • GoldenGate enabled status
  • Associated application and environment (where available)
  • Data source (e.g. review_lite)

Additionally, the report includes Real Application Clusters (RAC) metadata:

  • RAC Hosts, RAC Instances, and RAC Members Count are shown per database.
  • RAC usage is only flagged as active when the number of members exceeds 1, as Oracle RAC can be technically enabled on a single node but is not arguably licensable in that state.

 

Oracle Options Matrix

This section provides a detailed view of feature usage across all Oracle database instances. For each device and database, the platform reports the usage status of every licensable Oracle database option or management pack.

Each column represents a specific Oracle feature, and each cell indicates how that feature is being used on that database. Usage types follow the definitions outlined earlier (e.g. Used, Historical, Verify, Cloned, Not used).

Tracked Oracle options and packs include:

  • Active Data Guard
  • Advanced Analytics
  • Advanced Compression
  • Advanced Security
  • Data Masking and Subsetting Pack
  • Database Lifecycle Management Pack
  • Database Vault
  • Diagnostics Pack
  • In-Memory Database
  • Label Security
  • Multitenant
  • OLAP
  • Partitioning
  • RAC One Node
  • Real Application Clusters (RAC)
  • Real Application Testing
  • Spatial and Graph
  • Tuning Pack

This matrix enables precise analysis of option usage across the environment. It is critical for identifying:

  • Which features may require licensing
  • Where usage is unclear and requires follow-up
  • Opportunities to reduce costs by disabling unused features

 

Options Analysis

This section outlines how usage results for each database option are derived. For every device, database, and option, the platform provides:

  • The final usage result (e.g. Used, Not used, Historical)
  • First and last usage dates, where applicable
  • A list of other contributing usage flags
  • Two analysis breakdowns:
    • Analysis Summary – a high-level explanation of how the result was reached
    • Detailed Analysis – a full trace of the technical steps and evidence sources used

Both the summary and detailed reasoning can be viewed in full by hovering over the respective fields. This transparency allows users to review and validate why a particular usage status was assigned.

 

Oracle Usage Evidence

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This section provides the technical evidence used to determine the usage classification of each Oracle Database option. It includes detailed feature-level insights and the specific sample data that triggered a classification of Used, Historical, Verify, or Not Used.

Each row corresponds to a detected usage event, including the database version, feature name, source file, and result. The additional details such as detected usages, total samples, usage intervals, host, instance name, and licensing notes help validate the classification with clear, auditable evidence.

The evidence is collected over a defined sample interval and includes metadata such as:

  • Feature Name & File: Identifies the specific option and the input file from which data was extracted.
  • Detected Usages and Total Samples: Quantifies how often the feature was seen in use versus the total opportunities to detect it.
  • Licensing Notes: Provides guidance on whether additional licensing is required for that feature under Oracle’s terms.
  • Sample Period & Evidence Strings: Technical data confirming the match to known Oracle usage patterns.

These results support the classifications seen in previous sections of the report and are key in driving licensing conclusions in the Consolidated Oracle Database Report, especially when differentiating between incidental and licensable usage.

 

Managed Targets

This section identifies databases and devices managed through Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM), where access to management packs may trigger license requirements. When populated, it lists:

  • Device and Database Names
  • Target Type (e.g., database, host, or service)
  • OEM Pack accessed (e.g., Diagnostics Pack, Tuning Pack)
  • Pack Label and Access Information: Including whether access was agreed, by whom, and on what date

Access to management packs via OEM—even unintentionally—can constitute licensable usage under Oracle’s licensing rules. These entries are flagged here to help validate whether the packs were enabled and if access was authorised.

This view is essential for validating OEM-based usage alongside feature usage telemetry. It complements the broader usage analysis by identifying administrative access patterns that could lead to inadvertent license consumption.

 

Database Sessions

This section provides a snapshot of active and historical sessions across Oracle databases, detailing how users and applications are connecting to the environment.

Key fields include:

  • Session ID, Username, and Schema – Identifies individual sessions and the schema being accessed.
  • OS User, Machine, and Terminal – Offers traceability to the source of the session, whether user-driven or application-based.
  • Server Type – Indicates connection method (e.g., DEDICATED vs. SHARED).
  • Last Call ET & Last Login – Tracks session activity duration and last login date for usage auditing.
  • Process & Action – Details on the process ID and any SQL actions captured at the time of reporting.

These sessions help identify which users or services are active in the environment, supporting deeper usage validation and potentially highlighting unlicensed third-party access. This data is also relevant for understanding potential indirect access scenarios and validating real-world activity versus installed features.