I came across an interesting article on the web ..so thought to share with you all..
This article has various versions of Oracle Database ; with release date and features added..
** Oracle 10g Release 2 (10.2.0) – September 2005 **
Transparent Data Encryption
Async commits
CONNECT ROLE can not only connect
Passwords for DB Links are encrypted
New asmcmd utility for managing ASM storage
** Oracle 10g Release 1 (10.1.0) **
Grid computing – an extension of the clustering feature (Real Application Clusters)
Manageability improvements (self-tuning features)
Performance and scalability improvements
Automated Storage Management (ASM)
Automatic Workload Repository (AWR)
Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM)
Flashback operations available on row, transaction, table or database level
Ability to UNDROP a table from a recycle binAbility to rename tablespaces
Ability to transport tablespaces across machine types (E.g Windows to Unix)
New ‘drop database’ statement
New database scheduler – DBMS_SCHEDULER
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER Package
Support for bigfile tablespaces that is up to 8 Exabytes in size
Data Pump – faster data movement with expdp and impdp.
** Oracle 9i Release 2 (9.2.0) **
Locally Managed SYSTEM tablespaces
Oracle Streams – new data sharing/replication feature (can potentially replace Oracle Advance Replication and Standby Databases)
XML DB (Oracle is now a standards compliant XML database)
Data segment compression (compress keys in tables – only when loading data)
Cluster file system for Windows and Linux (raw devices are no longer required).
Create logical standby databases with Data Guard
Java JDK 1.3 used inside the database (JVM)
Oracle Data Guard Enhancements (SQL Apply mode – logical copy of primary database, automatic failover
Security Improvements – Default Install Accounts locked, VPD on synonyms, AES, Migrate Users to Directory
** Oracle 9i Release 1 (9.0.1) – June 2001 **
Traditional rollback segments (RBS) are still available, but can be replaced with automated System Managed Undo (SMU). Using SMU, Oracle will create it’s own “Rollback Segments” and size them automatically without any DBA involvement.
Flashback query (dbms_flashback.enable) – one can query data as it looked at some point in the past. This feature will allow users to correct wrongly committed transactions without contacting the DBA to do a database restore.
Use Oracle Ultra Search for searching databases, file systems, etc. The UltraSearch crawler fetch data and hand it to Oracle Text to be indexed.
Oracle Nameserver is still available, but deprecate in favour of LDAP Naming (using the Oracle Internet Directory Server). A nameserver proxy is provided for backwards compatibility as pre-8i client cannot resolve names from an LDAP server.
Oracle Parallel Server’s (OPS) scalability was improved – now called Real Application Clusters (RAC). Full Cache Fusion implemented. Any application can scale in a database cluster. Applications doesn’t need to be cluster aware anymore.
The Oracle Standby DB feature renamed to Oracle Data Guard. New Logical Standby databases replay SQL on standby site allowing the database to be used for normal read write operations. The Data Guard Broker allows single step fail-over when disaster strikes.
Scrolling cursor support. Oracle9i allows fetching backwards in a result set.
Dynamic Memory Management – Buffer Pools and shared pool can be resized on-the-fly. This eliminates the need to restart the database each time parameter changes were made.
On-line table and index reorganization.
VI (Virtual Interface) protocol support, an alternative to TCP/IP, available for use with Oracle Net (SQL*Net). VI provides fast communications between components in a cluster.
Build in XML Developers Kit (XDK). New data types for XML (XMLType), URI’s, etc. XML integrated with AQ.
Cost Based Optimizer now also consider memory and CPU, not only disk access cost as before.
PL/SQL programs can be natively compiled to binaries.
Deep data protection – fine grained security and auditing. Put security on DB level. SQL access do not mean unrestricted access.
Resumable backups and statements – suspend statement instead of rolling back immediately.
List Partitioning – partitioning on a list of values.
ETL (eXtract, transformation, load) Operations – with external tables and pipelining.
OLAP – Express functionality included in the DB.
Data Mining – Oracle Darwin’s features included in the DB.
** 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 Integration 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 Set Migration utility 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 separated.
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 priorities – 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.
Standby Database – Auto shipping and application of redo logs. Read Only queries on standby database allowed.
Enterprise Manager v2 delivered
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 moved 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 – June 1997 **
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 – June 1992 **
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
** Oracle 6.2 **
Oracle Parallel Server
** Oracle 6 – July 1988 **
Row-level locking
On-line database backups
PL/SQL in the database
** Oracle 5.1 **
Distributed queries
** Oracle 5.0 – 1986 **
Supporting for the Client-Server model – PC’s can access the DB on remote host
** Oracle 4 – 1984 **
Read consistency
** Oracle 3 – 1981 **
Atomic execution of SQL statements and transactions (COMMIT and ROLLBACK of transactions)
Nonblocking queries (no more read locks)
Re-written in the C Programming Language
** Oracle 2 – 1979 **
First public releaseBasic SQL functionality, queries and joins
