Oracle 23ai: The Database Just Got a Brain

Oracle 23ai: The Database Just Got a Brain

The database world is undergoing a renaissance. Fueled by the rise of Large Language Models, hybrid cloud data management, and the explosion of data-driven applications, databases are once again at the forefront of technological innovation.

Yet, this resurgence comes at a time of unprecedented challenges. The relentless onslaught of data and the ever-present threat of cyberattacks have stretched database professionals to their limits.

Oracle, a behemoth in the database landscape, has responded with a daring gambit: Oracle Database 23ai. This isn’t merely an update; it’s a full-blown integration of AI and machine learning directly within the database engine.

Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Mobile – g Release

“We’re injecting AI into the database engine to make it easier and, in some ways, more bulletproof,” declares Jenny Tsai, Oracle’s senior vice president for overall database product management. Database made simple

Redefining simplicity through convergence

Oracle 23ai, previously born as Oracle 23c, is not your grandfather’s relational database. It’s a converged database that seamlessly handles various data types — JSON documents, graph data, and spatial data — all under one data-laden roof. This unified approach streamlines data architecture, eliminating the need for a patchwork of disparate database engines and the integration headaches that follow it.

Critical features like JSON Relational Duality empower developers to retrieve and store data using JSON effortlessly. At the same time, the Operational Property Graph enables them to build applications that navigate complex data relationships quickly. The result? Unprecedented choice and simplicity.

Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Mobile

As Tsai points out, “The more different kinds of database engines you have to manage and try to integrate, the more complex your architecture is going to become.”

Vectors now have one home

GenAI has thrust vector databases into the limelight. These databases store and provide lightning-fast access to structured and unstructured data alongside vector embeddings, the numerical representations of data’s semantic meaning. They act as the external brain for many stateless LLMs, providing state, mitigating hallucinations, and underpinning Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

Oracle 23ai introduces a native VECTOR data type optimized for storing and searching vector data, which is “very easy for anybody [with a data science background] to select statements and do similarity search.”

Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition

You can even import ONNX-compatible embedding models directly into the database, generating vector embeddings on the fly using SQL, allowing you to create vector embeddings directly within the Oracle Database using SQL.

Powered and optimized by English

One of the most transformative aspects of Oracle 23ai is its natural language interface. Gone are the days of wrestling with complex SQL queries. Now, you can ask questions in plain English and get intelligent answers, thanks to the infusion of GenAI into the database engine.

But it’s not just about spitting out the right answers; it’s also about optimizing the entire database experience. AI-powered insights, automatic SQL tuning, and personalized recommendations for DBAs and developers remove the drudgery of manual tasks, freeing up time for strategic initiatives.

Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition

Tsai envisions a future where “tuning is no longer a job that the DBA has to do.” Instead, DBAs can focus on higher-value tasks like data stewardship and strategic planning.

Pssst, there’s a firewall inside

One of the most striking features of Oracle 23ai is the introduction of the In-Database SQL Firewall. SQL injection attacks have been a bane for DBAs for years, and Oracle’s response is to bring the fight directly to the data’s doorstep.

Tsai explains, “To really protect the data in the database, it’s best to have something sitting right inside the database.” This isn’t just a theoretical advantage; it’s a practical one. The in-database firewall is trained on legitimate SQL statements, allowing it to identify and block malicious queries accurately. It inspects, evaluates, and blocks database connections and SQL statements without the associated performance overhead.

This is not new. Oracle Database Firewall has been around for over a decade. But it was installed on the network to monitor SQL transactions. Now, it comes as part of the database itself (and its license), making Oracle 23ai secure once you spin it up.

Oracle 23ai is also not resting. It monitors your database, automatically flagging unusual activity that might indicate performance issues or security threats. This proactive approach means DBAs can resolve potential problems before mushrooming into full-blown catastrophes.

Embracing a thinking future

Oracle 23ai isn’t just a database; it’s Oracle’s renewed vision for the future, where AI is seamlessly integrated into the core of data management and databases become pillars of innovation.

The launch of Oracle 23ai also marks a profound shift in the database landscape. It’s a realization that the database world has changed, and it’s a resounding declaration that Oracle’s ambitions are to lead the charge into this new era. As Tsai confidently states, “It’s gonna get better.”

The new slew of features makes sense for AI-minded customers. Although Tsai notes that the migration path will be smooth and tooled up (it also has a free version), customers will still vote with their wallets. But simplicity is a powerful argument and very persuasive for resource-hungry enterprises.

The pressure is now on competitors to match Oracle’s innovation and simplicity. Whatever it is, the race to define the future intelligent database has begun. Game on, DBAs!

Image credit: iStockphoto/AntonioSolano

Oracle 23ai: The Database Just Got a Brain

The database world is undergoing a renaissance. Fueled by the rise of Large Language Models, hybrid cloud data management, and the explosion of data-driven applications, databases are once again at the forefront of technological innovation.

Yet, this resurgence comes at a time of unprecedented challenges. The relentless onslaught of data and the ever-present threat of cyberattacks have stretched database professionals to their limits.

Oracle, a behemoth in the database landscape, has responded with a daring gambit: Oracle Database 23ai. This isn’t merely an update; it’s a full-blown integration of AI and machine learning directly within the database engine.

“We’re injecting AI into the database engine to make it easier and, in some ways, more bulletproof,” declares Jenny Tsai, Oracle’s senior vice president for overall database product management. Database made simple

Redefining simplicity through convergence

Oracle 23ai, previously born as Oracle 23c, is not your grandfather’s relational database. It’s a converged database that seamlessly handles various data types — JSON documents, graph data, and spatial data — all under one data-laden roof. This unified approach streamlines data architecture, eliminating the need for a patchwork of disparate database engines and the integration headaches that follow it.

Critical features like JSON Relational Duality empower developers to retrieve and store data using JSON effortlessly. At the same time, the Operational Property Graph enables them to build applications that navigate complex data relationships quickly. The result? Unprecedented choice and simplicity.

As Tsai points out, “The more different kinds of database engines you have to manage and try to integrate, the more complex your architecture is going to become.”

Vectors now have one home

GenAI has thrust vector databases into the limelight. These databases store and provide lightning-fast access to structured and unstructured data alongside vector embeddings, the numerical representations of data’s semantic meaning. They act as the external brain for many stateless LLMs, providing state, mitigating hallucinations, and underpinning Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

Oracle 23ai introduces a native VECTOR data type optimized for storing and searching vector data, which is “very easy for anybody [with a data science background] to select statements and do similarity search.”

You can even import ONNX-compatible embedding models directly into the database, generating vector embeddings on the fly using SQL, allowing you to create vector embeddings directly within the Oracle Database using SQL.

Powered and optimized by English

One of the most transformative aspects of Oracle 23ai is its natural language interface. Gone are the days of wrestling with complex SQL queries. Now, you can ask questions in plain English and get intelligent answers, thanks to the infusion of GenAI into the database engine.

But it’s not just about spitting out the right answers; it’s also about optimizing the entire database experience. AI-powered insights, automatic SQL tuning, and personalized recommendations for DBAs and developers remove the drudgery of manual tasks, freeing up time for strategic initiatives.

Tsai envisions a future where “tuning is no longer a job that the DBA has to do.” Instead, DBAs can focus on higher-value tasks like data stewardship and strategic planning.

Pssst, there’s a firewall inside

One of the most striking features of Oracle 23ai is the introduction of the In-Database SQL Firewall. SQL injection attacks have been a bane for DBAs for years, and Oracle’s response is to bring the fight directly to the data’s doorstep.

Tsai explains, “To really protect the data in the database, it’s best to have something sitting right inside the database.” This isn’t just a theoretical advantage; it’s a practical one. The in-database firewall is trained on legitimate SQL statements, allowing it to identify and block malicious queries accurately. It inspects, evaluates, and blocks database connections and SQL statements without the associated performance overhead.

This is not new. Oracle Database Firewall has been around for over a decade. But it was installed on the network to monitor SQL transactions. Now, it comes as part of the database itself (and its license), making Oracle 23ai secure once you spin it up.

Oracle 23ai is also not resting. It monitors your database, automatically flagging unusual activity that might indicate performance issues or security threats. This proactive approach means DBAs can resolve potential problems before mushrooming into full-blown catastrophes.

Embracing a thinking future

Oracle 23ai isn’t just a database; it’s Oracle’s renewed vision for the future, where AI is seamlessly integrated into the core of data management and databases become pillars of innovation.

The launch of Oracle 23ai also marks a profound shift in the database landscape. It’s a realization that the database world has changed, and it’s a resounding declaration that Oracle’s ambitions are to lead the charge into this new era. As Tsai confidently states, “It’s gonna get better.”

The new slew of features makes sense for AI-minded customers. Although Tsai notes that the migration path will be smooth and tooled up (it also has a free version), customers will still vote with their wallets. But simplicity is a powerful argument and very persuasive for resource-hungry enterprises.

The pressure is now on competitors to match Oracle’s innovation and simplicity. Whatever it is, the race to define the future intelligent database has begun. Game on, DBAs!

Image credit: iStockphoto/AntonioSolano

Oracle taps AT&T to connect its enterprise IoT application services

Oracle is incorporating cellular IoT connectivity and network APIs from AT&T into its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP), it has said. The move means Oracle’s enterprise customers can do away with the need to manage complex integrations and network contracts when deploying fleets of IoT devices; these elements are now incorporated into Oracle’s cloud-based ECP proposition, enabling an “all-in-one platform”, it said.

The ECP offer, running on the company’s hosted Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) service, features a bunch of industry cloud applications, which can now be combined easily with data from AT&T-connected IoT devices. The service is available across OCI regions in the US. The integration extends to the US First Responder Network (FirstNet), which piggybacks on AT&T infrastructure, as the basis for Oracle’s own suite of public safety solutions.

Oracle said FirstNet and ECP are the “foundation” for this, helping to deliver “secure communications enabling critical components such as dispatch command centres and near real-time camera feeds for first responders actively engaging in incidents”. Otherwise, Oracle is pitching AT&T-connected IoT solutions on its enterprise platform for “innovation and new services” practically everywhere (“from consumer to industrial business”).

It cited examples including “turnkey, communications-enabled restaurant operation, automated utility grid management, or enriched telehealth capabilities”. It stated: “ECP is delivering IoT connectivity and near real-time comms to Oracle’s suite of industry cloud applications. With integrated capabilities such as IoT edge application management, this all-in-one offering… gives the connectivity and data intelligence to power critical new services.”

Andrew Morawski, executive vice president and general manager at Oracle Communications, said: “Our mission has always been to help improve the way the world communicates, and with ECP supported by AT&T and FirstNet, we’re taking a massive step toward that vision. Together, we can help organisations across industries benefit from the full potential of 5G, by building a new generation of vertical applications offering endless opportunities to innovate.”

Sarita Rao, senior vice president for partner solutions at AT&T, said: “AT&T is committed to… our ecosystem partners to build solutions that integrate… programmable connectivity, whether using IoT APIs or network APIs. By teaming with Oracle… we are providing a tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It is co-creation at its best.”

Oracle Incorporates AT&T IoT & Network API’s Into its Enterprise Communications Platform

Oracle announced that it is incorporating AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s into its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP).

This integration will enable Oracle’s industry cloud application customers to connect and manage their IoT devices on the AT&T network all in one platform.

Supported by AT&T, ECP is delivering IoT connectivity and near real-time communications to Oracle’s suite of industry cloud applications. With integrated capabilities such as IoT edge application management, this all-in-one offering removes the customer burden of managing complex integrations and network contracts. Built on the high performance and security of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the unified communication and edge architecture gives businesses the connectivity and real-time data intelligence they need to power critical new services and experiences. The integration with AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s is available across OCI regions in the U.S.

ECP supported by AT&T, is providing a foundation for new industry applications – from consumer to industrial business—delivering high-performing, reliable connectivity enabling innovation and new services, such as a turnkey, communications-enabled restaurant operation, automated utility grid management, or enriched telehealth capabilities.

America’s Public Safety Network—and ECP are providing the foundation for Oracle’s Public Safety suite, helping to deliver secure communications enabling critical components such as dispatch command centers and near real-time camera feeds for first responders actively engaging in incidents.

Sarita Rao, senior vice president, AT&T Partner Solutions said AT&T is committed to empowering our ecosystem partners to build solutions that integrate AT&T programmable connectivity, whether using our IoT API’s or our emerging network API’s. By teaming with Oracle to incorporate IoT connectivity and programmable API’s into Oracle industry applications, we are providing businesses and organizations a tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It’s co-creation at its best.”

Andrew Morawski, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications

Our mission has always been to help improve the way the world communicates, and with ECP supported by AT&T and FirstNet, we’re taking a massive step toward that vision. Together, we can help organizations across industries benefit from the full potential of 5G, by building a new generation of vertical applications offering endless opportunities to innovate.

Oracle Incorporates AT&T IoT & Network API’s Into its Enterprise Communications Platform

Oracle announced that it is incorporating AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s into its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP).

This integration will enable Oracle’s industry cloud application customers to connect and manage their IoT devices on the AT&T network all in one platform.

Supported by AT&T, ECP is delivering IoT connectivity and near real-time communications to Oracle’s suite of industry cloud applications. With integrated capabilities such as IoT edge application management, this all-in-one offering removes the customer burden of managing complex integrations and network contracts. Built on the high performance and security of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the unified communication and edge architecture gives businesses the connectivity and real-time data intelligence they need to power critical new services and experiences. The integration with AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s is available across OCI regions in the U.S.

ECP supported by AT&T, is providing a foundation for new industry applications – from consumer to industrial business—delivering high-performing, reliable connectivity enabling innovation and new services, such as a turnkey, communications-enabled restaurant operation, automated utility grid management, or enriched telehealth capabilities.

America’s Public Safety Network—and ECP are providing the foundation for Oracle’s Public Safety suite, helping to deliver secure communications enabling critical components such as dispatch command centers and near real-time camera feeds for first responders actively engaging in incidents.

Sarita Rao, senior vice president, AT&T Partner Solutions said AT&T is committed to empowering our ecosystem partners to build solutions that integrate AT&T programmable connectivity, whether using our IoT API’s or our emerging network API’s. By teaming with Oracle to incorporate IoT connectivity and programmable API’s into Oracle industry applications, we are providing businesses and organizations a tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It’s co-creation at its best.”

Andrew Morawski, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications

Our mission has always been to help improve the way the world communicates, and with ECP supported by AT&T and FirstNet, we’re taking a massive step toward that vision. Together, we can help organizations across industries benefit from the full potential of 5G, by building a new generation of vertical applications offering endless opportunities to innovate.

Oracle Incorporates AT&T IoT & Network API’s Into its Enterprise Communications Platform

Oracle announced that it is incorporating AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s into its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP).

This integration will enable Oracle’s industry cloud application customers to connect and manage their IoT devices on the AT&T network all in one platform.

Supported by AT&T, ECP is delivering IoT connectivity and near real-time communications to Oracle’s suite of industry cloud applications. With integrated capabilities such as IoT edge application management, this all-in-one offering removes the customer burden of managing complex integrations and network contracts. Built on the high performance and security of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the unified communication and edge architecture gives businesses the connectivity and real-time data intelligence they need to power critical new services and experiences. The integration with AT&T IoT connectivity and network API’s is available across OCI regions in the U.S.

ECP supported by AT&T, is providing a foundation for new industry applications – from consumer to industrial business—delivering high-performing, reliable connectivity enabling innovation and new services, such as a turnkey, communications-enabled restaurant operation, automated utility grid management, or enriched telehealth capabilities.

America’s Public Safety Network—and ECP are providing the foundation for Oracle’s Public Safety suite, helping to deliver secure communications enabling critical components such as dispatch command centers and near real-time camera feeds for first responders actively engaging in incidents.

Sarita Rao, senior vice president, AT&T Partner Solutions said AT&T is committed to empowering our ecosystem partners to build solutions that integrate AT&T programmable connectivity, whether using our IoT API’s or our emerging network API’s. By teaming with Oracle to incorporate IoT connectivity and programmable API’s into Oracle industry applications, we are providing businesses and organizations a tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It’s co-creation at its best.”

Andrew Morawski, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications

Our mission has always been to help improve the way the world communicates, and with ECP supported by AT&T and FirstNet, we’re taking a massive step toward that vision. Together, we can help organizations across industries benefit from the full potential of 5G, by building a new generation of vertical applications offering endless opportunities to innovate.

Oracle taps AT&T to connect its enterprise IoT application services

Oracle is incorporating cellular IoT connectivity and network APIs from AT&T into its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP), it has said. The move means Oracle’s enterprise customers can do away with the need to manage complex integrations and network contracts when deploying fleets of IoT devices; these elements are now incorporated into Oracle’s cloud-based ECP proposition, enabling an “all-in-one platform”, it said.

The ECP offer, running on the company’s hosted Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) service, features a bunch of industry cloud applications, which can now be combined easily with data from AT&T-connected IoT devices. The service is available across OCI regions in the US. The integration extends to the US First Responder Network (FirstNet), which piggybacks on AT&T infrastructure, as the basis for Oracle’s own suite of public safety solutions.

Oracle said FirstNet and ECP are the “foundation” for this, helping to deliver “secure communications enabling critical components such as dispatch command centres and near real-time camera feeds for first responders actively engaging in incidents”. Otherwise, Oracle is pitching AT&T-connected IoT solutions on its enterprise platform for “innovation and new services” practically everywhere (“from consumer to industrial business”).

It cited examples including “turnkey, communications-enabled restaurant operation, automated utility grid management, or enriched telehealth capabilities”. It stated: “ECP is delivering IoT connectivity and near real-time comms to Oracle’s suite of industry cloud applications. With integrated capabilities such as IoT edge application management, this all-in-one offering… gives the connectivity and data intelligence to power critical new services.”

Andrew Morawski, executive vice president and general manager at Oracle Communications, said: “Our mission has always been to help improve the way the world communicates, and with ECP supported by AT&T and FirstNet, we’re taking a massive step toward that vision. Together, we can help organisations across industries benefit from the full potential of 5G, by building a new generation of vertical applications offering endless opportunities to innovate.”

Sarita Rao, senior vice president for partner solutions at AT&T, said: “AT&T is committed to… our ecosystem partners to build solutions that integrate… programmable connectivity, whether using IoT APIs or network APIs. By teaming with Oracle… we are providing a tighter level of integration between the network and application, driving performance and reliability gains while also eliminating integration requirements and separate contracting events. It is co-creation at its best.”

Oracle 23ai: The Database Just Got a Brain

The database world is undergoing a renaissance. Fueled by the rise of Large Language Models, hybrid cloud data management, and the explosion of data-driven applications, databases are once again at the forefront of technological innovation.

Yet, this resurgence comes at a time of unprecedented challenges. The relentless onslaught of data and the ever-present threat of cyberattacks have stretched database professionals to their limits.

Oracle, a behemoth in the database landscape, has responded with a daring gambit: Oracle Database 23ai. This isn’t merely an update; it’s a full-blown integration of AI and machine learning directly within the database engine.

“We’re injecting AI into the database engine to make it easier and, in some ways, more bulletproof,” declares Jenny Tsai, Oracle’s senior vice president for overall database product management. Database made simple

Redefining simplicity through convergence

Oracle 23ai, previously born as Oracle 23c, is not your grandfather’s relational database. It’s a converged database that seamlessly handles various data types — JSON documents, graph data, and spatial data — all under one data-laden roof. This unified approach streamlines data architecture, eliminating the need for a patchwork of disparate database engines and the integration headaches that follow it.

Critical features like JSON Relational Duality empower developers to retrieve and store data using JSON effortlessly. At the same time, the Operational Property Graph enables them to build applications that navigate complex data relationships quickly. The result? Unprecedented choice and simplicity.

As Tsai points out, “The more different kinds of database engines you have to manage and try to integrate, the more complex your architecture is going to become.”

Vectors now have one home

GenAI has thrust vector databases into the limelight. These databases store and provide lightning-fast access to structured and unstructured data alongside vector embeddings, the numerical representations of data’s semantic meaning. They act as the external brain for many stateless LLMs, providing state, mitigating hallucinations, and underpinning Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

Oracle 23ai introduces a native VECTOR data type optimized for storing and searching vector data, which is “very easy for anybody [with a data science background] to select statements and do similarity search.”

You can even import ONNX-compatible embedding models directly into the database, generating vector embeddings on the fly using SQL, allowing you to create vector embeddings directly within the Oracle Database using SQL.

Powered and optimized by English

One of the most transformative aspects of Oracle 23ai is its natural language interface. Gone are the days of wrestling with complex SQL queries. Now, you can ask questions in plain English and get intelligent answers, thanks to the infusion of GenAI into the database engine.

But it’s not just about spitting out the right answers; it’s also about optimizing the entire database experience. AI-powered insights, automatic SQL tuning, and personalized recommendations for DBAs and developers remove the drudgery of manual tasks, freeing up time for strategic initiatives.

Tsai envisions a future where “tuning is no longer a job that the DBA has to do.” Instead, DBAs can focus on higher-value tasks like data stewardship and strategic planning.

Pssst, there’s a firewall inside

One of the most striking features of Oracle 23ai is the introduction of the In-Database SQL Firewall. SQL injection attacks have been a bane for DBAs for years, and Oracle’s response is to bring the fight directly to the data’s doorstep.

Tsai explains, “To really protect the data in the database, it’s best to have something sitting right inside the database.” This isn’t just a theoretical advantage; it’s a practical one. The in-database firewall is trained on legitimate SQL statements, allowing it to identify and block malicious queries accurately. It inspects, evaluates, and blocks database connections and SQL statements without the associated performance overhead.

This is not new. Oracle Database Firewall has been around for over a decade. But it was installed on the network to monitor SQL transactions. Now, it comes as part of the database itself (and its license), making Oracle 23ai secure once you spin it up.

Oracle 23ai is also not resting. It monitors your database, automatically flagging unusual activity that might indicate performance issues or security threats. This proactive approach means DBAs can resolve potential problems before mushrooming into full-blown catastrophes.

Embracing a thinking future

Oracle 23ai isn’t just a database; it’s Oracle’s renewed vision for the future, where AI is seamlessly integrated into the core of data management and databases become pillars of innovation.

The launch of Oracle 23ai also marks a profound shift in the database landscape. It’s a realization that the database world has changed, and it’s a resounding declaration that Oracle’s ambitions are to lead the charge into this new era. As Tsai confidently states, “It’s gonna get better.”

The new slew of features makes sense for AI-minded customers. Although Tsai notes that the migration path will be smooth and tooled up (it also has a free version), customers will still vote with their wallets. But simplicity is a powerful argument and very persuasive for resource-hungry enterprises.

The pressure is now on competitors to match Oracle’s innovation and simplicity. Whatever it is, the race to define the future intelligent database has begun. Game on, DBAs!

Image credit: iStockphoto/AntonioSolano

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