🎯

database-management

🎯Skill

from acedergren/oci-agent-skills

What it does

Manages Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Autonomous Databases by providing expert guidance on connection, configuration, cost optimization, and troubleshooting operations.

📦

Part of

acedergren/oci-agent-skills(19 items)

database-management

Installation

Quick InstallInstall with npx

npx skills add acedergren/oci-agent-skills

Add MarketplaceAdd marketplace to Claude Code

/plugin marketplace add acedergren/oci-agent-skills

Install PluginInstall plugin from marketplace

/plugin install oci-agent-skills

git cloneClone repository

git clone https://github.com/acedergren/oci-agent-skills.git ~/.claude/plugins/oci-agent-skills

npxRun with npx

npx skills

Claude Desktop ConfigurationAdd this to your claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "oci-api": {
      "disabled": true
    }
  }
}...

📖 Extracted from docs: acedergren/oci-agent-skills

Need more details? View full documentation on GitHub →

2Installs

AddedFeb 4, 2026

View on GitHub Back to Skills

Skill Details

SKILL.md

Use when creating Autonomous Databases, troubleshooting connection failures, managing PDBs, or optimizing database costs. Covers connection string confusion, password validation errors, stop/start cost traps, clone type selection, and backup retention gotchas.

Overview

# OCI Database Management - Expert Knowledge

🏗️ Use OCI Landing Zone Terraform Modules

Don't reinvent the wheel. Use [oracle-terraform-modules/landing-zone](https://github.com/oracle-terraform-modules/terraform-oci-landing-zones) for database infrastructure.

Landing Zone solves:

❌ Bad Practice #4: Poor network segmentation (Landing Zone isolates database tier)
❌ Bad Practice #9: Public database endpoints (Security Zones enforce private subnets)
❌ Bad Practice #10: No monitoring (Landing Zone auto-configures database alarms)

This skill provides: ADB operations, troubleshooting, and cost optimization for databases deployed WITHIN a Landing Zone.

---

⚠️ OCI CLI/API Knowledge Gap

You don't know OCI CLI commands or OCI API structure.

Your training data has limited and outdated knowledge of:

OCI CLI syntax and parameters (updates monthly)
OCI API endpoints and request/response formats
Database service CLI operations (oci db autonomous-database)
Wallet configuration and connection string formats
Latest ADB features (23ai, 26ai) and API changes

When OCI operations are needed:

Use exact CLI commands from skill references
Do NOT guess OCI CLI syntax or parameters
Do NOT assume API endpoint structures
Load oracle-dba skill for detailed ADB operations

What you DO know:

Oracle Database internals (SQL, PL/SQL)
General database administration principles
Connection pooling and HA concepts

This skill bridges the gap by providing current OCI-specific database operations.

---

You are an OCI Database expert. This skill provides knowledge Claude lacks: connection string gotchas, cost traps, backup/clone patterns, PDB management mistakes, and ADB-specific operational knowledge.

NEVER Do This

❌ NEVER use wrong connection service name (performance/cost impact)

```

Autonomous Database provides 3 service names:

HIGH: Dedicated CPU, highest performance, 3x cost of LOW
MEDIUM: Shared CPU, balanced
LOW: Most sharing, cheapest, sufficient for OLTP

# WRONG - using HIGH for background jobs (expensive)

connection_string = adb_connection_strings["high"] # 3x cost!

# RIGHT - match service to workload

connection_string = adb_connection_strings["low"] # Batch jobs, reporting

connection_string = adb_connection_strings["high"] # Critical transactions only

```

Cost impact: Using HIGH vs LOW for 24/7 connection pool: $220/month vs $73/month wasted (3x)

❌ NEVER assume stopped database = zero cost

```

# WRONG assumption - "stopped" database is free

Stop ADB at night to save costs

# Reality:

Stopped ADB charges:

Storage: $0.025/GB/month continues
Backups: Retention charges continue
Compute: ZERO (only part that stops)

Example: 1TB ADB stopped 16 hrs/day

Compute savings: $584/month × 67% = $391 saved
Storage cost: $25.60/month (still charged)
Net savings: $391/month (not $610 expected)

```

❌ NEVER ignore password complexity (ALWAYS fails)

```

OCI Database password requirements (strict regex):

12-30 characters
2+ uppercase, 2+ lowercase
2+ numbers, 2+ special (#-_)
NO username in password
NO repeating chars (aaa, 111)

# WRONG - fails validation

--admin-password "MyPass123" # Only 1 special char, < 12 chars

# RIGHT - meets requirements

--admin-password "MyP@ssw0rd#2024" # 2 upper, 2 lower, 2 num, 2 special, 16 chars

```

❌ NEVER confuse clone types (performance/cost consequences)

```

|------------|----------|------|---------|---------------------|

# WRONG - full clone for dev environment that needs weekly prod data

oci db autonomous-database create-from-clone-adb \

--clone-type FULL # Wastes $500/month, no refresh capability

# RIGHT - refreshable clone for test environments

oci db autonomous-database create-refreshable-clone \

# Costs $150/month storage, can refresh from prod weekly

```

Cost trap: Full clone for testing = $500/month vs $150/month for refreshable clone (70% savings)

❌ NEVER delete CDB without checking PDBs first

```

# WRONG - deletes Container Database with PDBs inside (data loss)

oci db database delete --database-id

# All pluggable databases deleted with no warning!

# RIGHT - check for PDBs first

oci db pluggable-database list --container-database-id

# If PDBs exist, decide: unplug, clone, or explicitly delete each

```

❌ NEVER use ADMIN user in application code (security risk)

```

# WRONG - application uses ADMIN credentials

app_config = {

'user': 'ADMIN',

'password': admin_password # Full database control!

}

# RIGHT - create app-specific user with least privilege

CREATE USER app_user IDENTIFIED BY ;

GRANT CONNECT, RESOURCE TO app_user;

GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON app_schema.* TO app_user;

# ADMIN only for DBA tasks, never in application code

```

❌ NEVER forget Always-Free limits (scale-up fails)

```

Always-Free Autonomous Database limits:

1 OCPU max (cannot scale beyond)
20 GB storage max
1 database per tenancy per region
NO private endpoints
NO auto-scaling

# WRONG - trying to scale always-free database

oci db autonomous-database update \

--autonomous-database-id \

--cpu-core-count 2 # FAILS: Always-free max is 1 OCPU

# RIGHT - convert to paid tier first, THEN scale

oci db autonomous-database update \

--autonomous-database-id \

--is-free-tier false # Convert to paid

# Now can scale to 2+ OCPUs

```

Connection String Gotchas

Wallet Connection Failure Decision Tree

```

"Connection refused" or "Wallet error"?

│

├─ Wallet file issues?

│ ├─ Check: TNS_ADMIN env variable set?

│ │ └─ export TNS_ADMIN=/path/to/wallet

│ ├─ Check: sqlnet.ora has correct wallet location?

│ │ └─ WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = file) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY="/path/to/wallet")))

│ └─ Check: Wallet password correct?

│

├─ Network security?

│ ├─ Private endpoint ADB?

│ │ └─ Check: Source IP in NSG/security list?

│ │ └─ Check: VPN/FastConnect for on-premises access?

│ └─ Public endpoint ADB?

│ └─ Check: Database whitelisted your IP? (Access Control List)

│

├─ Database state?

│ └─ Check: Lifecycle state = AVAILABLE (not STOPPED, UPDATING)?

│ └─ oci db autonomous-database get --autonomous-database-id --query 'data."lifecycle-state"'

│

└─ Service name wrong?

└─ Check: Using correct service name from tnsnames.ora?

└─ HIGH: _high

└─ MEDIUM: _medium

└─ LOW: _low

```

Service Name Selection (Cost vs Performance)

|---------|---------------|-------------|------|---------|

Example: 2 OCPU ADB

HIGH: 2 concurrent queries max, $584/month
MEDIUM: 4 concurrent queries, $584/month
LOW: 6 concurrent queries, $584/month (same cost, more concurrency)

Gotcha: HIGH doesn't cost more in ADB pricing, but uses more OCPU-hours if you scale based on load.

Cost Optimization with Exact Calculations

Stop vs Scale Down Decision

Scenario: Development ADB, 2 OCPUs, 1 TB storage, used 8 hrs/day weekdays only

Option 1: Stop when not in use (16 hrs/day + weekends)

```

Usage: 8 hrs/day × 5 days = 40 hrs/week (24% utilization)

Compute cost: $0.36/OCPU-hr × 2 × 40 × 4.3 weeks = $124/month

Storage cost: $0.025/GB/month × 1000 = $25/month

Total: $149/month

```

Option 2: Scale to 1 OCPU always-on

```

Compute cost: $0.36/OCPU-hr × 1 × 730 hrs = $263/month

Storage cost: $25/month

Total: $288/month

```

Winner: Stop/start saves $139/month (48% savings)

License Model Impact

| Model | Cost | Use When |

|-------|------|----------|

| License Included | $0.36/OCPU-hr | No existing licenses |

| BYOL | $0.18/OCPU-hr | Have Oracle DB licenses (50% off) |

Scenario: 4 OCPU ADB, 24/7 production

License Included: $0.36 × 4 × 730 = $1,051/month
BYOL: $0.18 × 4 × 730 = $526/month
Savings: $525/month ($6,300/year) if you have licenses

Gotcha: BYOL requires proof of licenses if audited

Auto-Scaling Cost Control

```hcl

# DANGER - unbounded auto-scaling

resource "oci_database_autonomous_database" "prod" {

cpu_core_count = 2

is_auto_scaling_enabled = true # Can scale to 3× (6 OCPUs!)

}

# Cost: 2 OCPUs × $0.36 × 730 = $526/month baseline

# If auto-scales to 6 OCPUs during peak: $1,578/month (3× surprise bill!)

# SAFER - set scaling limit

# (Not available via API, must set in console: Manage Scaling → Max OCPU count)

```

Best practice: Set max OCPU = 2× baseline to control costs (2 OCPU → max 4 OCPU)

Backup and Clone Patterns

Automatic vs Manual Backup Retention

Automatic backups (free):

Retention: 60 days default (configurable 1-60 days)
Frequency: Daily incremental
Cost: Included in ADB storage cost
Gotcha: Deleting ADB deletes automatic backups after retention period

Manual backups:

Retention: Until you delete them
Cost: $0.025/GB/month (same as storage)
Use case: Long-term retention (compliance, legal hold)

Cost trap:

```

Scenario: 1 TB ADB, keep 2 years of backups for compliance

Wrong assumption: Automatic backups are free forever

Reality: Automatic backups deleted 60 days after ADB deletion

Right approach: Manual backup before deleting ADB

Cost: $0.025/GB × 1000 GB × 24 months = $600 for 2-year retention

```

Clone vs Refreshable Clone Decision

| | Full Clone | Refreshable Clone |

|---|------------|-------------------|

| Use case | Permanent dev copy | Test env needing prod data |

| Cost | 100% of source ADB | ~30% (storage only) |

| Refresh | Cannot refresh | Manual refresh from source |

| When source deleted | Clone survives | Clone auto-deleted |

| Editable | Yes | Yes (but refresh overwrites) |

Gotcha: Refreshable clone deleted when source ADB deleted - no warning!

Best practice:

Dev environment (permanent): Full clone
QA environment (weekly prod refresh): Refreshable clone
Before prod migration: Full clone (survives source deletion)

PDB Management Gotchas

Hierarchy confusion:

```

DB System or Exadata

└─ Container Database (CDB)

└─ Pluggable Database (PDB) ← Application connects here

└─ Schemas, tables, etc.

```

Critical: PDB connection string uses CDB host but PDB service name

```bash

# WRONG - trying to connect to CDB

sqlplus admin/pass@cdb-host:1521/ORCLCDB

# RIGHT - connect to PDB inside CDB

sqlplus app_user/pass@cdb-host:1521/PDB1

```

PDB lifecycle gotcha: Unplugging PDB doesn't delete data

```bash

# Unplug PDB → creates XML metadata file

oci db pluggable-database unplug --pdb-id

# PDB still exists in storage, can re-plug elsewhere

# Charges continue until DELETE

```

Progressive Loading References

OCI Database Cloud Service CLI

WHEN TO LOAD [oci-dbcs-cli.md](references/oci-dbcs-cli.md):

Creating or managing DB Systems (VM, RAC, Exadata)
Configuring Data Guard for disaster recovery
Patching and maintenance operations
Backup and recovery procedures
ExaDB-D and ExaDB-C@C operations

Do NOT load for:

Autonomous Database operations (use oracle-dba skill)
Connection troubleshooting (decision tree above)
Cost calculations (tables above)

Official Oracle Documentation Sources

Primary References (30+ official sources scraped):

[Autonomous Database Serverless](https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/paas/autonomous-database/serverless/)
[Database Cloud Service](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Database/home.htm)
[Exadata Database Service](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/exadata/index.html)
[Data Guard Configuration](https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/19/sbydb/)

Note: Connection gotchas, password rules, and cost traps in this skill are derived from official Oracle docs

---

When to Use This Skill

Connection issues: wallet errors, service name confusion, network troubleshooting
Cost optimization: stop/start decisions, BYOL evaluation, auto-scaling limits
Backup/clone: choosing clone type, retention planning, disaster recovery
PDB management: hierarchy, connection strings, unplug/plug operations
Password errors: complexity validation, ADMIN user restrictions
Scaling: Always-Free limits, when to scale vs stop, cost calculations

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