Rewinding a Database Using Oracle Flashback Database

Unlike the other flashback features, Oracle Flashback Database operates at a physical level. When you use Flashback Database, your current data files revert to their contents at a previous time. The result is similar to database point-in-time recovery, but Flashback Database can be much faster because it does not require you to restore and recover data files. Also, Flashback Database requires limited application of redo data as compared to media recovery.

Flashback Database uses flashback logs to access previous versions of data blocks and also uses some data in the archived redo log files. To have the option of using Flashback Database to repair your database, you must have configured the database to generate flashback logs as explained in "Configuring Recovery Settings".

To perform a Flashback Database operation:

1. On the Database Home page, click Availability to display the Availability subpage.

2. Click Perform Recovery.

   The Perform Recovery page appears.

3. Complete the following steps:

   1. In the User-Directed Recovery section, select Whole Database.

   2. Select Recover to the current time or a previous point-in-time.

   3. If necessary, provide the host computer credentials.

   4. Click Recover.

   A Confirmation page appears.

4. Click Yes to confirm the shutdown of the database.

   The Recovery Wizard page appears. At this point, the shutdown begins.

   When the database is shut down and brought to the mounted state, Database Control is also shut down briefly and restarted. During this process, there is a period during which Database Control cannot respond to your browser. Refresh the page until Database Control responds again.

   When Database Control has restarted and the database is being started and mounted, Database Control may also briefly report that the database is in the NOMOUNT state. You are given the choices Refresh, Startup, and Perform Recovery. Refresh the page periodically until the Database Instance page reports that the database instance is mounted before you proceed.

5. Click Perform Recovery to resume your recovery session.

6. If you are prompted for host computer and database credentials, then connect with the SYSDBA privilege, or provide host computer credentials for a user in the DBA group.

   See "Specifying Credentials for Backup and Recovery Using Database Control" for information about credentials.

   When the Perform Recovery page is displayed again, it shows that the database is mounted, which is required to restore and recover the entire database.

7. Complete the following steps:

   1. In the User-Directed Recovery section, select Whole Database.

   2. Select Recover to the current time or a previous point-in-time.

   3. If necessary, provide the host credentials.

   4. Click Recover.

   A Confirmation page appears.

8. Complete the following steps:

   1. Select Recover to a prior point-in-time.

   2. In the Date field, select a time 5 minutes before now.

   3. Click Next.

   The Perform Whole Database Recovery: Flashback page appears.

9. Select Yes to use Flashback Database and then click Next.

   The Perform Whole Database Recovery: Review page appears.

10. Review the options that you selected and click Submit.

    When the flashback operation completes, the Perform Recovery: Result page appears.

11. Click Open Database.

    After the database has opened successfully, click OK.