{ Abhilash Kumar Bhattaram : Follow on LinkedIn }
We have talked about how to automated OCI Patching in our Week 5 Blog (here) , lets now talk about automating Prechecks / Post checks , not all of them can be automated but significant portion of it can be done if attention is paid to Multiple use cases of Prechecks / Post checks
In a surgery, a doctor doesn’t walk into the OT and “figure it out.” Vitals are checked. Instruments are counted. Anesthesia readiness is confirmed. Post-procedure monitoring is predefined.
That level of discipline is expected in medicine. It should be expected in database operations too.
Prechecks and postchecks are are what separate controlled change from accidental impact. Not everything can be automated —
but a significant portion can, if designed intentionally.
1. Ground Zero: Where Challenges Start
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| 1. Ground Zero: Where Challenges Start |
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| - Prechecks live in emails, Word documents, or tribal knowledge |
| - Postchecks depend on individual DBA experience |
| - No standardized validation across environments |
| - Evidence not captured consistently for audits |
| - Change windows consumed by manual verification |
| |
| Common Use Cases for Prechecks / Postchecks |
| |
| • Patching Activities |
| - RMAN backup validation |
| - Invalid object count comparison |
| - Tablespace & diskgroup free space |
| - Cluster / CRS health |
| - AWR snapshot before & after |
| |
| • Deployment Activities |
| - Schema version validation |
| - Dependency verification |
| - Rollback script availability |
| - Session spike monitoring post deployment |
| |
| • Maintenance Activities |
| - DR sync status |
| - Archive log growth monitoring |
| - ASM rebalance status |
| - Blocking session check |
| |
| • Upgrade / Migration Activities |
| - COMPATIBLE parameter review |
| - Deprecated parameter scan |
| - Feature usage analysis |
| |
| • Security & Compliance Pre/Post Checks |
| - Account lockout & password complexity profile validation |
| - Excessive privilege grants (DBA/SYS role review) |
| - Sensitive table / column access audit review |
| - Oracle Unified Auditing enabled & policy validation |
| - Audit retention policy enforcement |
| - TDE key rotation status verification |
| - Database Vault realm & rule validation |
| - Fine-Grained Auditing (FGA) policy verification |
| |
| • Organizational / Process Validation |
| - Change approval confirmation |
| - Business window validation |
| - Stakeholder communication confirmation |
| |
| >> Managed services often execute changes. |
| Mature services validate readiness before and after execution. |
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2. Underneath Ground Zero:
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| 2. Underneath Ground Zero: Finding the Real Problem |
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| - Knowledge lives in people, not systems |
| - Checklists are not version-controlled |
| - No measurable readiness score |
| - Validation steps skipped during “urgent” changes |
| - DIY scripts automate execution — but not validation |
| |
| Hidden Risks |
| - Patch applied on unstable baseline |
| - Deployment approved without rollback validation |
| - DR drift unnoticed |
| - Security misconfigurations discovered during audits |
| - RCA becomes subjective (“we thought it was fine”) |
| |
| Core Issue |
| Execution gets automated. |
| Validation does not. |
| |
| And without structured validation, predictability becomes fragile. |
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3. Working Upwards:
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| 3. Working Upwards: From Understanding to Solution |
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| - Convert recurring manual checks into structured automation modules |
| - Standardize precheck/postcheck templates across environments |
| - Integrate validation into patching, deployment, and maintenance workflows |
| - Capture before/after state snapshots automatically |
| - Produce readiness scorecards for every change |
| - Maintain auditable evidence logs |
| - Keep expert judgment manual — automate repeatable validation |
| |
| Managed Services Advantage |
| • Institutional memory embedded into process |
| • Consistent validation across teams |
| • Faster, safer execution windows |
| • Audit-ready change documentation |
| |
| DIY Limitation |
| • Automation focuses on “doing” |
| • Mature services focus on “verifying” |
| |
| >> In surgery, the checklist prevents avoidable mistakes. |
| In database operations, automated prechecks and postchecks prevent avoidable outages. |
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How Nabhaas helps you
If you’ve made it this far, you already sense there’s a better way — in fact, you have a way ahead.
If you’d like Nabhaas to assist in your journey, remember — TAB is just one piece. Our Managed Delivery Service ensures your Oracle operations run smoothly between patch cycles, maintaining predictability and control across your environments.
TAB - Whitepaper ,
download here
Managed Delivery Services - Whitepaper ,
download here
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