With Oracle Database 19c being available on Exadata now, and most likely soon on-prem as well, there’s a significant change you should be aware of when using image processing features inside the database: Oracle Multimedia will be removed in Oracle Database 19c.
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Oracle Multimedia will be removed in Oracle Database 19c
When you upgrade or migrate your database to Oracle 19c, then Oracle Multimedia APIs will be still exist but won’t function anymore.
Read here in the Oracle Database 19c Upgrade Guide:
Desupport of Oracle Multemedia
Oracle Multimedia is desupported in Oracle Database 19c, and the implementation is removed.
As an alternative for image processing and conversion, Oracle recommends that you store multimedia content in SecureFiles LOBs, and use third party products, such as Piction. The ORDIM component remains in the registry and still has a VALID status. Oracle Multimedia objects and packages remain in the database. However, these objects and packages no longer function, and raise exceptions if there is an attempt made to use them. Oracle Locator is not affected by the desupport of Oracle Multimedia.
Oracle Locator
In case you use the Oracle Locator: It is not affected by the desupport of Oracle Multimedia and will function as before.
Further Information
- Oracle Database 19c Upgrade Guide – Multimedia Desupport
- Oracle Database 19c Administrator Guide – Multimedia Desupport
- What does Depreacted mean? What does Desupported mean?
- Oracle Multimedia (ORDIM) clean up – removal
- MOS Note: 2347372.1 – Oracle Multimedia Statement of Direction
- MOS Note: 2375644.1 – How To Migrate Data From Oracle Multimedia Data Types to BLOB columns
–Mike
Mike,
If Multimedia is desupported, why is it still available as a database option when I run the 19c DBCA?
Thanks,
Arun
Thanks Arun – very good point 🙂
You will get the Locator. The Locator still exists and is part of the Multimedia component but not a separate component in DBA_REGISTRY yet.
Once it is, you will recognize the component “Locator”, and “multimedia” will disappear. But for now it is kept this way.
Sorry for the confusion!
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Mike…!! Your insight is really appreciated.
Hello,
Nice article, do you have any simple example how resize blob in 19c with SecureFiles LOBs?
Tnx
Johans,
no, unfortunately not.
Cheers,
Mike
Mike
In 19c, if i want to install spatial and locator functionality, is it ok to install only the spatial package, or does it still depend on intermedia for the locator part.
All this in a newly, fresh created container database.
danny
Hi Denny,
right now, SPATIAL still requires Multimedia to be present. The Locator would be part of it. This will unfolded in a later release but for 19c you will need both. I think, this is one of the reasons why Multimedia does not disappear in 19c even though the API gets removed. So yes, you will need Multimedia for SPATIAL and the LOCATOR as far as my understanding goes.
Cheers,
Mike
Mike,
Regarding you response to Denny, “right now, SPATIAL still requires Multimedia to be present”, I used DBCA to install Spatial in 19.7 (April 2020 release update), but when I look in dba_registry, I do not see components for Multimedia or JAVAVM. Are these components not longer required for Spatial?
Thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter,
a fresh install should allow it to be independent. This has mostly to do also with the availability of Spatial for SE2 which by definition does not have other options usually.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Given all that I read here, it seems like if we are upgrading our database from 11.2.0.4 to 19c and we are using Spatial in 11.2 we should not touch Multimedia prior to the installation. Is that correct?
Hi Thomas,
yes, this is correct.
Cheers,
Mike
Thank you!
Welcome 🙂
Hi Mike,
there seems to be a contradiction between the 19c upgrade guide and MOS Doc ID 2555923.1. Quote:
“Use of Oracle Locator by itself is possible if the ORDIM component is present, but it is not supported. Locator users are expected to install Oracle Spatial & Graph.”
This sounds like we should rather uninstall Multimedia after upgrade and install Spatial instead. Is that so?
I’ve raised an SR about this but I’d value your opinion as well.
Cheers, Uwe
Hi Uwe,
I’d be interested as well in the result of this SR.
My guess is that since Spatial/Graph are license free (even backwards down to 11.2), you should easily install it and have no hassle.
But this is just my guess …
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike,
the clarification was as I expected: On 19.10 (the version I filed the SR for) it is recommended to switch to Spatial:
1. Install Spatial
2. Remove Multimedia
It seems that you could also swap steps 1 and 2 but I went with the above. The Locator Type is still present in the DB, so the dependency to Multimedia is gone.
In case you want to look it up, it’s SR 3-25748989401.
Cheers,
Uwe
Thanks Uwe!
Cheers,
Mike
Moin Mike,
Upgrading from 11.2.0.4 to 19c: the application uses Oracle Locator and Oracle Multimedia ist present.
Can Oracle Multimedia be deinstalled pre-upgrade without affecting the application’s geo data using Oracle Locator?
Or should we wait with deinstalling Oracle Multimedia for post-upgrade?
Hi Christian,
yes, ORDIM should be removable without affecting the Locator.
But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE double check with Oracle Support at first. I don’t want to be accountable in case of damage. And our team did not create this mess.
thanks
Mike
Moin Christian,
do not do anything under 11.2.0.4. Just do your upgrade.
Afterwards Oracle Multimedia – with the exception of Oracle Locator funtionalities – is just an empty shell with PL/SQL-calls into Oracle Multimedia resulting in appropriate return/error/messages.
As Oracle Spatial is free-of-charge unter 19c install Oracle Spatial when you are safely on 19c as part of of your direct post-upgrade work; after that Oracle Multimedia may be safely deinstalled.
Been there, done that several times and got the cookies.
One search a bit on Metalink.