New Features Summary

Oracle 9.2

UTL_FILE_DIR obsolete - replaced by 'create or replace directory'
BACKUP command allows backup of server parameter file
SYSTEM tablespace can be locally managed.
Can set SYS & SYSTEM passwords on 'create database' statement.

Oracle 9i (9.0.1)

Connections (connect INTERNAL no longer possible), SVRMGR removed
Database Creation Assistant (DBCA) - databases have locked accounts, no default passwords.
07_DICTIONARY_ACCESSIBILITY defaults to TRUE now. Stopping access to SYS objects for all users bar AS SYSDBA.
Context can now be global (shared) (SYS_CONTEXT)
Oracle Label Security - replaces and is similar to Trusted Oracle
Oracle Flashback - allows you to see a consistent view of the database at a point in the past.(DBMS_FLASHBACK)
Resumable Space, suspend & resume execution of large operations (when they reach space limits) DBMS_RESUMEABLE
Log Miner enhancements -DDL support, ability store dictionary in redo logs
RMAN enhancements - restartable backup/restores, persistent configuration, automatic obsolete management, block media recovery
9i Data Guard (previously Standby Database Enhancements) Tool that sits on top
Database Resource Manager - enhancements eg. max limit on total undo generated per resource consumer group
Quiesce Database - put into partially available state (previously db shutdown and started restricted)
SPFILE instead of init.ora
Automatic segment space management - bit maps not free lists
Index monitoring feature - ALTER INDEX xx MONITORING USAGE (V$OBJECT_USAGE)
Multi Threaded Server renamed to Oracle Shared Server
9i Real Application Clusters (formerly Oracle Parallel Server)
9i Real Application Clusters Guard (formerly Oracle Failsafe)
Oracle Managed Files - good for low end disks and for high end (EMC/SAN) (raid)
- ALTER TABLESPACE INCLUDING CONTENTS AND DATAFILES
- Default temporary tablespace at DB creation time
Automatic Undo Management - replaces Rollbacks - easier to manage
Multiple block size supprt - so can transport tablespaces between databases with diff block sizes.
Enterprise Manager Enhancements - Lokks like a console
SQL now to 1999 standard - new JOIN format (in FROM) - new CASE expression.
New View V$SQL_PLAN gives actual plan being used
GLOBALIZATION (old Nation Language Support) enhancements - new time and data data types - TIMESTAMP, TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE etc.
UNICODE support expanded to include fixed character set AL16UTF16
Wider support for SORTS in other languages
Enhancements to Advanced Replication - Add masters without impacting users
Snapshots are renamed to materialized views
New Packages - DBMS_METADATA

Obsolete Features in 9i
ANALYZE statement => DBMS_STATS
CONNECT INTERNAL => CONNECT / AS SYSDBA
INCREMENTAL EXPORT/IMPORT
Oracle Names Desupport => Directory Naming
Server Manager (svrmgrl) => SQL*Plus
ESTAT/BSTAT desupport => STATSPACK

Oracle 8i (8.1.7)

Static HTTP server included (Apache)
JVM Accelerator to improve performance of Java code
Java Server Pages (JSP) engine
MemStat - A new utility for analyzing Java Memory footprints
OIS - Oracle Intergration Server introduced.
PLSQL Gateway introduced for deploying PL/SQL based solutions on the Web
Enterprise Manager Enhancements - including new HTML based reporting and Advanced Replication functionality included.
New Database Character Ser Migration utilility included.

Oracle 8i (8.1.6)

PL/SQL Server Pages (PSP's)
DBA Studio Introduced
Statspack
New SQL Functions (rank, moving average)
ALTER FREELISTS command (previously done by DROP/CREATE TABLE)
Checksums always on for SYSTEM tablespace allowing many possible corruptions to be fixed before writing to disk
XML Parser for Java
New PLSQL encrypt/decrypt package introduced
User and Schemas sepapated
Numerous Performance Enhancements

Oracle 8i (8.1.5)

Fast Start recovery - Checkpoint rate auto-adjusted to meet roll forward criteria
Reorganize indexes/index only tables which users accessing data - Online index rebuilds
Log Miner introduced - Allows on-line or archived redo logs to be viewed via SQL
OPS Cache Fusion introduced avoiding disk I/O during cross-node communication
Advanced Queueing improvements (security, performance, OO4O support
User Security Improvements - more centralisation, single enterprise user, users/roles across multiple databases.
Virtual private database
JAVA stored procedures (Oracle Java VM)
Oracle iFS
Resource Management using proirities - resource classes
Hash and Composite partitioned table types
SQL*Loader direct load API
Copy optimizer statistics across databases to ensure same access paths across different environments.
Stanby Database - Auto shipping and application of redo logs. Read Only queries on standby database allowed.
Enterprise Manager v2 delivered (3 tier architecture/shared repository)
NLS - Euro Symbol supported
Analyze tables in parallel
Temporary tables supported.
Net8 support for SSL, HTTP, HOP protocols
Transportable tablespaces between databases
Locally managed tablespaces - automatic sizing of extents, elimination of tablespace fragmentation, tablespace information managed in tablespace (i.e noved from data dictionary) improving tablespace reliability
Drop Column on table (Finally !!!!!)
DBMS_DEBUG PL/SQL package, DBMS_SQL replaced by new EXECUTE IMMEDIATE statement
Progress Monitor to track long running DML,DDL
Functional Indexes - NLS, case insensitive, descending

Oracle 8.0

Object Relational database
Object Types (not just date, character, number as in v7
SQL3 standard
Call external procedures
LOB >1 per table
Partitioned Tables and Indexes
export/import individual partitions
partitions in multiple tablespaces
online/offline, backup/recover individual partitions
merge/balance partitions
Advanced Queuing for message handling
Many performance improvements to SQL/PLSQL/OCI making more efficient use of CPU/Memory. V7 limits extended (e.g. 1000 columns/table, 4000 bytes VARCHAR2)
Parallel DML statements
Connection Pooling ( uses the physical connection for idle users and transparently re-establishes the connection when needed ) to support more concurrent users.
Improved “STAR” Query optimizer
Integrated Distributed Lock Manager in Oracle PS (as opposed to Operating system DLM in v7).
Performance improvements in OPS - global V$ views introduced across all instances, transparent failover to a new node
Data Cartridges introduced on database (e.g. image, video, context, time, spatial)
Backup/Recovery improvements - Tablespace point in time recovery, incremental backups, parallel backup/recovery. Recovery manager introduced
Security Server introduced for central user administration. User password expiry, password profiles, allow custom password scheme. Privileged database links (no need for password to be stored)
Fast Refresh for complex snapshots, parallel replication, PL/SQL replication code moved in to Oracle kernel. Replication manager introduced.
Index Organized tables
Deferred integrity constraint checking (deferred until end of transaction instead of end of statement).
SQL*Net replaced by Net8
Reverse Key indexes
Any VIEW updateable
New ROWID format

Oracle 7.3

Partitioned Views
Bitmapped Indexes
Asynchronous read ahead for table scans
Standby Database
Deferred transaction recovery on instance startup
Updatable Join Views (with restrictions)
SQLDBA no longer shipped.
Index rebuilds
db_verify introduced
Context Option
Spatial Data Option
Tablespaces changes - Coalesce, Temporary Permanent,
Trigger compilation, debug
Unlimited extents on STORAGE clause.
Some init.ora parameters modifiable - TIMED_STATISTICS
HASH Joins, Antijoins
Histograms
Dependencies
Oracle Trace
Advanced Replication Object Groups
PL/SQL - UTL_FILE

Oracle 7.2

Resizable, autoextend data files
Shrink Rollback Segments manually
Create table, index UNRECOVERABLE
Subquery in FROM clause
PL/SQL wrapper
PL/SQL Cursor variables
Checksums - DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM, LOG_BLOCK_CHECKSUM
Parallel create table
Job Queues - DBMS_JOB
DBMS_SPACE
DBMS Application Info
Sorting Improvements - SORT_DIRECT_WRITES

Oracle 7.1

ANSI/ISO SQL92 Entry Level
Advanced Replication - Symmetric Data replication
Snapshot Refresh Groups
Parallel Recovery
Dynamic SQL - DBMS_SQL
Parallel Query Options - query, index creation, data loading
Server Manager introduced
Read Only tablespaces

Oracle 7.0

Database Integrity Constraints (primary, foreign keys, check constraints, default values)
Stored procedures and functions, procedure packages
Database Triggers
View compilation
User defined SQL functions
Role based security
Multiple Redo members - mirrored online redo log files
Resource Limits - Profiles
Much enhanced Auditing
Enhanced Distributed database functionality - INSERTS, UPDATES,DELETES, 2PC
Incomplete database recovery (e.g SCN)
Cost based optimiser
TRUNCATE tables
Datatype changes (i.e VARCHAR2 CHAR, VARCHAR)
SQL*Net v2, MTS
Checkpoint process
Data replication - Snapshots