Search Results redef_object




Overview
Explore in AI Chat

Overview

SYS.DBMS_REDEFINITION_INTERNAL is an Oracle-supplied, SYS-owned PL/SQL package that provides the internal implementation layer beneath the publicly documented DBMS_REDEFINITION package. Its business function is to support online table reorganization operations — commonly referred to as "redefinition" — which allow a database object to be restructured (for example, converted between partitioned and non-partitioned form, reorganized to reclaim space, or moved to a different tablespace) while remaining available for query and DML activity. In Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.1 and 12.2.2, this capability is significant because large EBS transactional tables — such as interface, audit, and high-volume transaction tables in the INV, PO, GL, and AR schemas — periodically require structural change to sustain performance as data volumes grow. Because the package is owned by SYS and is not part of the documented application programming interface, it is not intended for direct invocation by application code. The ETRM metadata records the object as VALID and classifies it under "OTHER," with no documented procedures or functions exposed in the ETRM catalog. It is referenced by exactly one other package, SYS.DBMS_REDEFINITION, confirming its role as a subordinate, internal dependency rather than a supported entry point.

Key Procedures and Functions

The ETRM metadata for this object documents zero procedures or functions. Because DBMS_REDEFINITION_INTERNAL is a private implementation package, its callable units are not published in the ETRM catalog and no supported parameter lists are exposed. Functionally, the internal package supplies the low-level machinery that the public DBMS_REDEFINITION interface orchestrates. This includes routines that validate whether a candidate table can be redefined, construct and manage the interim ("int$") object, instantiate and maintain the materialized view log used to capture concurrent DML, synchronize incremental changes from the original table to the interim table, and copy dependent objects such as indexes, constraints, triggers, and grants onto the redefined table. It also performs the final dependency swap that renames the interim object into place. No parameter lists are reproduced here because none are documented; any direct call would rely on undocumented signatures and is unsupported.

Tables Accessed

The dependency list recorded in the ETRM metadata shows that this package reads extensively from the data dictionary. It queries DBA_CONSTRAINTS and DBA_CONS_COLUMNS to capture constraint definitions, DBA_INDEXES, DBA_IND_COLUMNS, DBA_IND_PARTITIONS, and DBA_IND_SUBPARTITIONS to reconstruct index and index-partition structure, and DBA_LOBS, DBA_LOB_PARTITIONS, and DBA_NESTED_TABLES to preserve LOB and nested-table attributes. DBA_TAB_PARTITIONS and DBA_TAB_SUBPARTITIONS supply partitioning metadata; DBA_LOG_GROUPS and DBA_MVIEW_LOGS support the change-capture log; and DBA_REDEFINITION_OBJECTS tracks the current redefinition session. It also references OBJ$, USER$, TRIGGER$, TRIGGERDEP$, and REDEF_OBJECT$ to manage object identity and trigger dependencies, plus KU$_DDLS and KU$_SUBMITRESULTS for DDL generation and execution. These accesses are read-oriented metadata lookups performed to describe, build, and validate the redefinition target.

Usage Notes

In EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2, DBMS_REDEFINITION_INTERNAL is never invoked directly by forms, concurrent programs, or custom code. It is called only by SYS.DBMS_REDEFINITION, which is the supported interface used by DBAs performing online redefinition during maintenance windows or patching activities. Custom developers who need to reorganize an EBS table should call DBMS_REDEFINITION and treat the internal package as an opaque dependency. Because the package is proprietary and undocumented, its behavior is not guaranteed across patch levels or upgrades, and direct calls risk invalidating objects or corrupting redefinition state. Any references found in EBS code to dbms_redefinition_internal should be reviewed as a signal that a non-standard or unsupported modification is present.