Changes in Oracle Database 18c

The following are changes in Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide for Oracle Database 18c .

New Features

Performance improvements:
- Oracle Database has improved the performance of Inline LOBs to accelerate the DML operations, SQL operators used in SELECT clauses with LOB columns, and other built-in SQL functions that support LOB columns.
- Oracle Database allows LOBs and LOBs related functionality to be used with Oracle Database In-Memory and Big Data SQL.
- Oracle Database extends Exadata support for LOBs to Compressed LOBs.
- Oracle Database has addressed the overheads of temporary LOBs upto 4k.
- Oracle Database provides IMC support for LOBs that are stored inline.
Oracle Database lists the best practices to use LOBs in database applications.

See Also:
Best Practices For Using LOBs

Deprecated Features

Oracle Multimedia is deprecated in Oracle Database Release 18c, and may be desupported in a future release. Oracle recommends that you stop using deprecated features as soon as possible.

The following list of features is deprecated in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), and may be desupported in a future release.

DBMS_LOB.LOADFROMFILE Procedure.

Use DBMS_LOB.LoadClobFromFile or DBMS_LOB.LoadBlobFromFile instead.
LOB Buffering subsystem APIs

The following functions are deprecated beginning with Oracle 12c Release 2 (12.2):
In place of using these LOB buffering functions, use the LOB prefetch feature described in Prefetching of LOB Data, Length, and Chuck Size.
DBMS_XSLPROCESSOR.CLOB2FILE procedure.

Use DBMS_LOB.CLOB2FILE procedure instead.

Desupported Features

The following feature is desupported in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2):

Desupport of Advanced Replication

The Oracle Database Advanced Replication feature is desupported in its entirety from Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2) release.
See Also:
- Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information.