Step 1: Configure Your Oracle Source Database

To use Oracle as a source for AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS), you must first ensure that ARCHIVELOG MODE is on to provide information to LogMiner. AWS DMS uses LogMiner to read information from the archive logs so that AWS DMS can capture changes.

For AWS DMS to read this information, make sure the archive logs are retained on the database server as long as AWS DMS requires them. If you configure your task to begin capturing changes immediately, you should only need to retain archive logs for a little longer than the duration of the longest running transaction. Retaining archive logs for 24 hours is usually sufficient. If you configure your task to begin from a point in time in the past, archive logs need to be available from that time forward. For more specific instructions for enabling ARCHIVELOG MODE and ensuring log retention for your on-premises Oracle database see the Oracle documentation.

To capture change data, AWS DMS requires supplemental logging to be enabled on your source database for AWS DMS. Minimal supplemental logging must be enabled at the database level. AWS DMS also requires that identification key logging be enabled. This option causes the database to place all columns of a row’s primary key in the redo log file whenever a row containing a primary key is updated (even if no value in the primary key has changed). You can set this option at the database or table level.

To configure your Oracle source database, do the following:

1. Enable database-level supplemental logging

Run the following command to enable supplemental logging at the database level, which AWS DMS requires:

ALTER DATABASE ADD SUPPLEMENTAL LOG DATA;

2. Enable identification key supplemental logging

Use the following command to enable identification key supplemental logging at the database level. AWS DMS requires supplemental key logging at the database level unless you allow AWS DMS to automatically add supplemental logging as needed or enable key-level supplemental logging at the table level:

ALTER DATABASE ADD SUPPLEMENTAL LOG DATA (PRIMARY KEY) COLUMNS;

3. (Optional) Enable key level supplemental logging at the table level

Your source database incurs a small bit of overhead when key level supplemental logging is enabled. Therefore, if you are migrating only a subset of your tables, you might want to enable key level supplemental logging at the table level. To enable key level supplemental logging at the table level, use the following command.

alter table table_name add supplemental log data (PRIMARY KEY) columns;

If a table does not have a primary key you have two options:

To add supplemental logging on a subset of columns in a table, that is those involved in a unique index, run the following command.

ALTER TABLE table_name ADD SUPPLEMENTAL LOG GROUP example_log_group (ID,NAME)
ALWAYS;

To add supplemental logging for all columns of a table, run the following command.

alter table table_name add supplemental log data (ALL) columns;

4. Create or configure a database account to be used by AWS DMS

We recommend that you use a user with the minimal privileges required by AWS DMS for your AWS DMS connection. AWS DMS requires the following privileges.

CREATE SESSION
SELECT ANY TRANSACTION
SELECT on V_$ARCHIVED_LOG
SELECT on V_$LOG
SELECT on V_$LOGFILE
SELECT on V_$DATABASE
SELECT on V_$THREAD
SELECT on V_$PARAMETER
SELECT on V_$NLS_PARAMETERS
SELECT on V_$TIMEZONE_NAMES
SELECT on V_$TRANSACTION
SELECT on ALL_INDEXES
SELECT on ALL_OBJECTS
SELECT on ALL_TABLES
SELECT on ALL_USERS
SELECT on ALL_CATALOG
SELECT on ALL_CONSTRAINTS
SELECT on ALL_CONS_COLUMNS
SELECT on ALL_TAB_COLS
SELECT on ALL_IND_COLUMNS
SELECT on ALL_LOG_GROUPS
SELECT on SYS.DBA_REGISTRY
SELECT on SYS.OBJ$
SELECT on DBA_TABLESPACES
SELECT on ALL_TAB_PARTITIONS
SELECT on ALL_ENCRYPTED_COLUMNS
* SELECT on all tables migrated

If you want to capture and apply changes (CDC) you also need the following privileges.

EXECUTE on DBMS_LOGMNR
SELECT on V_$LOGMNR_LOGS
SELECT on V_$LOGMNR_CONTENTS
LOGMINING /* For Oracle 12c and higher. */
* ALTER for any table being replicated (if you want to add supplemental logging)

For Oracle versions before 11.2.0.3, you need the following privileges. If views are exposed, you need the following privileges.

SELECT on DBA_OBJECTS /* versions before 11.2.0.3 */
SELECT on ALL_VIEWS (required if views are exposed)