Understand the optimal use-case before you begin with Exadata Snapshots.

In addition to production database workloads, many customers use Oracle Exadata for non-production workloads, including application development, testing, quality assurance, and other uses.

Starting with Oracle Exadata System Software release 24.1.0, Oracle Exadata Exascale introduces advanced snapshot and cloning capabilities that are tightly integrated with Oracle Database and eliminate the requirement for a test master database to support snapshots and clones on Exadata. For example, Oracle Database provides native snapshot and cloning functionality for pluggable databases (PDBs) through the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE and ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL commands. When Oracle Database uses Exascale storage, the PDB snapshot and snapshot copy (cloning) functions automatically use native Exascale snapshots and clones, which are space-efficient file copies based directly on the underlying Oracle Database files.

On systems without Exascale, Exadata Snapshots are a solution for creating space-efficient read-only or read-write clones of an Oracle database that you can use for development, testing, or other non-production purposes. Exadata Snapshots are particularly useful for non-production databases that leverage Exadata performance and availability features. For example, application functionality testing that validates the use of Exadata Smart Scan features.

However, before you begin with Exadata Snapshots, be aware that some non-production database needs may be better satisfied using alternative technologies or approaches. Consider the following in conjunction with your business needs:

• If you require full end-to-end performance and high availability (HA) testing, Oracle recommends a matching test environment that mirrors the production environment. This is the only solution to fully evaluate performance gains or regressions in response to hardware, software, database, or application changes.

• If your Exadata system is limited to running without Exascale and your requirements emphasize dynamic snapshot capabilities without requiring Exadata smart storage features, then consider using Oracle Advanced Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS) snapshots on Exadata.