Before running discovery or masking operations, ensure that the Oracle database is properly configured. Proper database configuration helps improve performance and prevents failures during large masking operations.

The following recommendations help prepare Oracle databases for Continuous Compliance operations.

Archive logging configuration

Oracle databases can operate in ARCHIVELOGor NOARCHIVELOG mode. In ARCHIVELOG mode, redo log files are archived for recovery purposes.

Recommendation

Masking operations update large volumes of data, which can generate significant redo logs. Running masking jobs in ARCHIVELOG mode can increase CPU usage and slow down masking performance.

If business requirements allow, consider running masking operations with archive logging disabled.

Example command

ALTER DATABASE NOARCHIVELOG;

Consult your database administrator before making this change, as disabling archive logging may affect database recovery capabilities.

Memory allocation

Oracle uses the System Global Area (SGA) to store shared memory structures required by database processes.

Masking operations can be resource intensive, especially when running multiple jobs concurrently. Insufficient memory allocation can negatively affect masking performance.

Recommendation

Ensure that the Oracle instance has sufficient memory allocation for the expected workload.

Best practices include:

  • Enabling automatic SGA memory management, or

  • Tuning SGA parameters based on performance analysis (such as AWR reports).

A database administrator should determine the appropriate memory configuration.

Undo tablespace configuration

Oracle uses undo tablespaces to store information required to roll back transactions and maintain read consistency.

Masking operations often update large tables, which can require significant undo space.

Recommendation

Increase the undo tablespace size and undo retention period when masking large tables.

If undo space or retention time is insufficient, masking operations may fail with errors such as:

ORA-01555: snapshot too old

As a general guideline:

  • Allocate undo space equal to 2–3 times the size of the largest table being masked, or

  • Size undo space based on the combined size of concurrently masked tables.

Database administrators should determine the appropriate configuration.

Redo log sizing

Redo logs store all changes made to the database and are critical for recovery operations.

If redo logs are too small, Oracle may switch logs frequently, which can degrade performance during masking operations.

Recommendation

Ensure that redo logs are appropriately sized to reduce frequent log switching during large update operations.

Database administrators should configure redo log sizing based on database workload and masking activity.

Table update performance (PCTFREE)

The PCTFREE parameter reserves space in a table block for future updates.

Masking operations often perform large numbers of updates, and insufficient free space can cause additional block splits and reduce performance.

Recommendation

Increase the PCTFREE setting to approximately 40–50% for tables that will be heavily updated during masking.

Database administrators should evaluate the appropriate value based on table structure and workload.

Logical key selection

Masking operations require an efficient way to identify rows during updates.

For Oracle databases, using ROWID as the logical key can improve update performance.

ROWID uniquely identifies the physical location of each row in a table, allowing Oracle to perform updates efficiently.

When configuring masking rulesets, consider using ROWID as the logical key where appropriate.

Masking user privileges

The database user configured in the connector must have access to certain Oracle system views required for database operations.

Grant the following privileges to the masking user:

GRANT SELECT ON v_$controlfile TO <mask_user>;
GRANT SELECT ON v_$datafile_header TO <mask_user>;
GRANT SELECT ON v_$instance TO <mask_user>;
GRANT SELECT ON v_$locked_object TO <mask_user>;

These privileges allow Continuous Compliance to retrieve database information required for masking operations.

Last updated
Oct 8, 2026