Installing and configuring Oracle 12c database

Use the following instructions to install and configure Oracle 12c for use with WebSphere Commerce.

Before you begin

  • If you are using a remote database, install the appropriate Oracle client to access the remote Oracle database. For more information, see the Oracle documentation.
  • You should have advanced knowledge of Oracle database (at the DBA level) before you change the database settings as recommended in this documentation.
  • For more information about Oracle database, go to the Oracle Web page. You can obtain copies of the Oracle database documentation and software from the Oracle Technology Network. The Oracle database information in this documentation is provided only as a guideline.
  • You can access Oracle database patches and patch sets at the Oracle Metalink Web page.
  • For more information about Oracle database terminology and concepts, see the Oracle Concepts document that is provided with your purchase of Oracle.
  • AIXThe Oracle might require other file sets or components that are not installed by a default installation of the operating system. Ensure that you review the Oracle database documentation carefully and install any file sets or components that are required by Oracle.

Procedure

  1. Install Oracle 12c Database Standard or Enterprise Edition Version 12.1.0.1.0, or higher Version 12.1 fix pack. For more information about installing Oracle, see Oracle Database Online Documentation 12c Release 1 (12.1).
  2. Create and configure a database for use with WebSphere Commerce before you install WebSphere Commerce.
    When you create and configure Oracle database, take note of the following information:
    • LinuxAIXUser account to own Oracle software
    • LinuxAIXOracle database home directory
    • Oracle WebSphere Commerce database name
    • Oracle SID for WebSphere Commerce database
    • Oracle ID and password for database administrator
    • Oracle ID and password for WebSphere Commerce database user
    • Oracle TCP/IP listener port number
    This information is needed when you create the WebSphere Commerce instance.

    For security reasons, ensure that an Oracle DBA account is not used as the WebSphere Commerce database user.

    Also, do not use SYSTEM or SYS as user IDs for the WebSphere Commerce schema.

    Note: It is recommended that you use the Oracle automatic memory management feature to manage the Oracle database memory on your system. For details on the Oracle automatic memory management feature, see your Oracle documentation.
    Ensure that the following settings are applied when you create your Oracle database through the Oracle Database configuration assistant:
    • The following settings are recommended.
      Recommended database parameter settings for Oracle 12c Database Standard or Enterprise Edition Version 12.1.0.1.0, or higher Version 12.1 fix pack
      Parameter Value
      block size 8 KB
      open_cursors 1000
      MEMORY_TARGET 700 MB
      MEMORY_MAX_TARGET 700 MB
    • Ensure that the database uses the following character sets:
      Required database parameter settings for Oracle 12c Database Standard or Enterprise Edition Version 12.1.0.1.0, or higher Version 12.1 fix pack
      Parameter Value
      Database character set AL32UTF8
      National character set UTF8
      Important: Refer to the Oracle database documentation for instructions on setting or changing database parameters. Ensure that you set these values correctly because you cannot change the character sets after the WebSphere Commerce database is created.
    • If you intend to support multi-byte languages, for example, German (de_DE), ensure that NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS is set to CHAR. For more information, see Oracle: Choosing a Character Set: Length Semantics.
  3. Complete the creation of your database. For information about creating your database, see the Oracle documentation.