Amazon Oracle RDS

Amazon Oracle RDS feature snapshot

A high-level look at Stitch's Amazon Oracle RDS integration, including release status, useful links, and the features supported in Stitch.

Connecting Amazon Oracle RDS

Amazon Oracle RDS setup requirements

To set up Amazon Oracle RDS in Stitch, you need:

• An Enterprise Stitch plan. Amazon Oracle RDS integrations can be added on as part of an Enterprise plan. Reach out to Stitch support for more info.

• Privileges in Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allow you to:

  • Create/manage Security Groups. This is required to whitelist Stitch’s IP addresses.
  • Modify database instances. This is required to enable settings required for incremental replication.
  • View database details. This is required to retrieve the database’s connection details.

• Privileges in the Amazon Oracle RDS database that allow you to:

  • Access the V$DATABASE and V_$THREAD performance views. These are required to verify setting configuration while setting up your Amazon Oracle RDS database and to retrieve the database’s Oracle System ID. Refer to Amazon Oracle RDS’s documentation for more info on performance views.

  • Create users and grant privileges. The CREATE USER and GRANT privileges are required to create a database user for Stitch and grant the necessary privileges to the user.

  • GRANT access to the objects you want to replicate. This is necessary to grant the privileges necessary for selecting data to the Stitch database user. Refer to Amazon Oracle RDS’s documentation for more info.

Step 1: Configure database connection settings

In this step, you’ll configure the database server to allow traffic from Stitch to access it. There are two ways to connect your database:

• A direct connection will work if your database is publicly accessible.
• An SSH tunnel is required if your database isn’t publicly accessible. This method uses a publicly accessible instance, or an SSH server, to act as an intermediary between Stitch and your database. The SSH server will forward traffic from Stitch through an encrypted tunnel to the private database.

Click the option you’re using below and follow the instructions.

Step 2: Enable Log-based Incremental Replication with LogMiner

Log-based Incremental Replication is the most efficient way to replicate Amazon Oracle RDS data. Stitch uses Oracle’s LogMiner package to query Oracle’s archive logs and retrieve all inserts, updates, and deletes to your database.

• Step 2.1: Enable AWS automated backups

• Step 2.2: Define ARCHIVELOG retention hours

• Step 2.3: Enable supplemental logging

Step 2.1: Enable AWS automated backups

The backup retention period setting defines the number of days for which automated backups are retained. This ensures that data can still be replicated even if a job is interrupted, there’s database or Stitch downtime, etc.

1. Sign into your AWS account.
2. Once you’re signed into the AWS console, click the Services menu located in the top-left corner of the page.
3. Locate the RDS option. This should be in the Database section.

4. From the RDS Dashboard, click Databases on the left side of the page.

5. Select the instance you’re connecting to Stitch.
6. Click the Modify button.

7. On the Modify DB Instance page, scroll down to the Backup section.

8. Set Backup retention period to anything greater than 1 day:

   

9. Scroll to the bottom of the Databases page and click Continue.
10. The next page will display a summary of the modifications made to the database. In the Scheduling of Modifications section, select the Apply Immediately option.
11. Click Modify DB Instance to apply the changes.

12. Navigate to the Instance Details page and locate the Parameter group. Initially, the Parameter group should say applying.

    When it changes to pending-reboot, you can reboot the database and apply the changes.

13. Scroll up to the top of the page and locate the Instance actions menu.
14. In this menu, click Reboot.
15. On the next page, click Reboot to confirm you want to reboot the instance.

Rebooting the instance will take a few minutes. When the status of the parameter group changes to in-sync and the DB instance status (located at the top of the Instance Details page) changes to available, the reboot will be complete:

Step 2.2: Define ARCHIVELOG retention hours

In addition to the backup retention period, you also need to define the archivelog retention hours setting. This parameter specifies the number of hours the database server should retain archive logs.

To specify the number of hours, use the rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.set_configuration procedure when logged into the Amazon Oracle RDS master instance.

In this example, archive logs will be retained for seven days (24 hours x 7 days = 168 hours):

exec rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.set_configuration('archivelog retention hours',168);

Stitch recommends a minimum of three days for the retention period, but strongly recommends seven.

Step 2.3: Enable supplemental logging

In this step, you’ll enable supplemental logging for the database. This ensures that columns are logged in redo log files when changes are made to the database, which is required by Amazon Oracle RDS to use LogMiner. Refer to Amazon Oracle RDS’s documentation for more info about supplemental logging.

To enable supplemental logging, run:

exec rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.alter_supplemental_logging('ADD','ALL');

The result should be PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Next, verify that supplemental logging was successfully enabled by running the following query:

SELECT SUPPLEMENTAL_LOG_DATA_MIN FROM V$DATABASE

If the result is YES, supplemental logging was successfully enabled.

Step 3: Create a Stitch Amazon Oracle RDS database user

Next, you’ll create a dedicated database user for Stitch. This will ensure Stitch is visible in any logs or audits and allow you to maintain your privilege hierarchy.

• Instructions
• Privileges list

GRANT EXECUTE_CATALOG_ROLE TO STITCH
GRANT SELECT ANY TRANSACTION TO STITCH
GRANT SELECT ANY DICTIONARY TO STITCH
GRANT EXECUTE ON DBMS_LOGMNR TO STITCH
GRANT EXECUTE ON DBMS_LOGMNR_D TO STITCH
GRANT SELECT ON SYS.V_$DATABASE TO STITCH
GRANT SELECT ON SYS.V_$ARCHIVED_LOG TO STITCH
GRANT SELECT ON SYS.V_$LOGMNR_CONTENTS TO STITCH

GRANT LOGMINING TO STITCH

Step 4: Retrieve the database's Oracle System ID

An Oracle System ID (SID) is used to uniquely identify a specific database in your system. When you connect an Amazon Oracle RDS database to Stitch, you’ll enter the SID of the database you want Stitch to extract data from into the Integration Settings page.

To retrieve your database’s SID, log into your database as a user with access to the SYS.V_$THREAD performance view and run the following:

SELECT INSTANCE FROM SYS.V_$THREAD

The value returned by the query will be the database’s SID. Keep this handy - you’ll need it to complete the setup.

Step 5: Connect Stitch

In this step, you’ll complete the setup by entering the database’s connection details and defining replication settings in Stitch.

• Step 5.1: Locate the database connection details in AWS

• Step 5.2: Define the database connection details in Stitch

• Step 5.3: Define the SSH connection details

• Step 5.4: Define the SSL connection details

• Step 5.5: Define the default replication method

• Step 5.6: Create a replication schedule

Step 5.1: Locate the database connection details in AWS

1. Sign into the AWS Console, if needed.
2. Navigate to the RDS option.

3. On the RDS Dashboard page, click the Databases option on the left side of the page. This will open the RDS Databases page.

4. In the list of databases, locate and click on the instance you want to connect to Stitch. This will open the Database Details page.

5. On the Database Details page, scroll down to the Connectivity & security section.

6. Locate the following fields:
   • Endpoint

   • DB Name: This field contains the name of the database used to launch the instance. You’ll only need this info if you want to connect this specific database to Stitch.

     You can connect this database to Stitch, or another database within Amazon Oracle RDS.

   • Port: This is the port used by the database.

Leave this page open for now - you’ll need it to complete the setup.

Step 5.2: Define the database connection details in Stitch

1. If you aren’t signed into your Stitch account, sign in now.

2. On the Stitch Dashboard page, click the Add Integration button.

3. Locate and click the Oracle icon.

4. Fill in the fields as follows:

   • Integration Name: Enter a name for the integration. This is the name that will display on the Stitch Dashboard for the integration; it’ll also be used to create the schema in your destination.

     For example, the name “Stitch Amazon Oracle RDS” would create a schema called stitch_amazon_oracle_rds in the destination. Note: The schema name cannot be changed after the integration is saved.

   • Host (Endpoint): Paste the Endpoint address from the Amazon Oracle RDS Details page in AWS into this field. Don’t include the port number, if it’s appended to the end of the endpoint string - this will cause errors.

   • Port: Enter the port used by the instance. The default is 1521.

   • Username: Enter the Stitch Amazon Oracle RDS database user’s username.

   • Password: Enter the password for the Stitch Amazon Oracle RDS database user.

   • Oracle System ID (SID): Enter the Oracle System ID (SID) of the database you retrieved in Step 4.

Step 5.3: Define the SSH connection details

If you’re using an SSH tunnel to connect your Amazon Oracle RDS database to Stitch, you’ll also need to define the SSH settings. Refer to the Setting up an SSH Tunnel for a database in Amazon Web Services guide for assistance with completing these fields.

1. Click the SSH Tunnel checkbox.

2. Fill in the fields as follows:

   • SSH Host: Paste the Public DNS of the SSH sever (EC2 instance) into this field. Refer to the Amazon SSH guide for instructions on retrieving this info.

   • SSH Port: Enter the SSH port of the SSH server (EC2 instance) into this field. This will usually be 22.

   • SSH User: Enter the Stitch Linux (SSH) user’s username.

Step 5.4: Define the SSL connection details

Click the Connect using SSL checkbox if you’re using an SSL connection. Note: The database must support and allow SSL connections for this setting to work correctly.

Step 5.5: Define the default replication method

In the Default Replication Method section, you’ll select a default Replication Method for the integration.

The method you select will be the default Replication Method for any table you set to replicate. You can change the Replication Method for individual tables in the Table Settings page for that table.

Select a default Replication Method:

• Log-based Incremental Replication - Stitch will use Log-based Incremental Replication. Refer to the Log-based Incremental documentation for more info, examples, and limitations for this method.

• Full Table Replication - Stitch will use Full Table Replication. Refer to the Full Table documentation for more info, examples, and limitations for this method.

Note: Key-based Incremental documentation is also available for this integration, but it must be set manually. This is due to Stitch requiring a Replication Key to be selected for every table set to replicate.

Step 5.6: Create a replication schedule

In the Replication Frequency section, you’ll create the integration’s replication schedule. An integration’s replication schedule determines how often Stitch runs a replication job, and the time that job begins.

Amazon Oracle RDS integrations support the following replication scheduling methods:

• Replication Frequency

• Anchor Scheduling

To keep your row usage low, consider setting the integration to replicate less frequently. See the Understanding and Reducing Your Row Usage guide for tips on reducing your usage.

Step 6: Select data to replicate

The last step is to select select the tables and columns you want to replicate.

When you track a table, Stitch will use the default Replication Method selected in the Integration Settings page. You can choose a different Replication Method for individual tables during this process.

You can select tables and columns by:

1. In the Integration Details page, click the Tables to Replicate tab.
2. Locate a table you want to replicate.
3. Click the checkbox next to the object’s name. A green checkmark means the object is set to replicate.
4. If there are child objects, they’ll automatically display and you’ll be prompted to select some.

5. After you set a table to replicate, the Settings page will display. Note: When you track a table, by default all columns will also be tracked.

6. In the Settings page, define the table’s Replication Method and, if using Key-based Incremental Replication, its Replication Key.

7. Repeat this process for every table you want to replicate.

8. Click the Finalize Your Selections button to save your data selections.

Initial and historical replication jobs

After you finish setting up Amazon Oracle RDS, its Sync Status may show as Pending on either the Stitch Dashboard or in the Integration Details page.

For a new integration, a Pending status indicates that Stitch is in the process of scheduling the initial replication job for the integration. This may take some time to complete.

Free historical data loads

The first seven days of replication, beginning when data is first replicated, are free. Rows replicated from the new integration during this time won’t count towards your quota. Stitch offers this as a way of testing new integrations, measuring usage, and ensuring historical data volumes don’t quickly consume your quota.

Amazon Oracle RDS Replication

• Overview of Log-based Incremental Replication using LogMiner

• Data typing and LogMiner (Log-based Incremental Replication)

Overview of Log-based Incremental Replication using LogMiner

Stitch uses Amazon Oracle RDS’s LogMiner package to replicate data incrementally. This means that when Log-based Incremental is selected as the Replication Method for a table, Stitch will only replicate new or updated data for the table during each replication job.

To identify new and updated data, Stitch uses Amazon Oracle RDS’s Approximate Commit System Change Numbers, or SCNs, as Replication Keys. When reading from the database’s logs, records with an SCN value greater than the maximum SCN from the previous job will be replicated.

Refer to the Log-based Incremental Replication documentation for a more detailed explanation, examples, and the limitations associated with this replication method.

Data typing and LogMiner (Log-based Incremental Replication)

Amazon Oracle RDS’s LogMiner packages supports the data types listed in the table below. Refer to Amazon Oracle RDS’s documentation for more info.

Only columns with the data types listed below are able to be selected and replicated through Stitch. Columns with data types not in this list will show as UNSUPPORTED in Stitch. For reference, you can view the code for data typing in Stitch’s Amazon Oracle RDS integrations in the Singer Amazon Oracle RDS GitHub repository.

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