Using the Online Catalog

To direct LogMiner to use the dictionary currently in use for the database, specify the online catalog as your dictionary source when you start LogMiner, as follows:

EXECUTE DBMS_LOGMNR.START_LOGMNR(-
   OPTIONS => DBMS_LOGMNR.DICT_FROM_ONLINE_CATALOG);

In addition to using the online catalog to analyze online redo log files, you can use it to analyze archived redo log files, if you are on the same system that generated the archived redo log files.

The online catalog contains the latest information about the database and may be the fastest way to start your analysis. Because DDL operations that change important tables are somewhat rare, the online catalog generally contains the information you need for your analysis.

Remember, however, that the online catalog can only reconstruct SQL statements that are executed on the latest version of a table. As soon as a table is altered, the online catalog no longer reflects the previous version of the table. This means that LogMiner will not be able to reconstruct any SQL statements that were executed on the previous version of the table. Instead, LogMiner generates nonexecutable SQL (including hexadecimal-to-raw formatting of binary values) in the SQL_REDO column of the V$LOGMNR_CONTENTS view similar to the following example:

insert into HR.EMPLOYEES(col#1, col#2) values (hextoraw('4a6f686e20446f65'),
hextoraw('c306'));"

The online catalog option requires that the database be open.

The online catalog option is not valid with the DDL_DICT_TRACKING option of DBMS_LOGMNR.START_LOGMNR.