Oracle Database 26ai: New Features DBAs Should Test First in 2026

Oracle Database 26ai: New Features DBAs Should Test First

AI-Powered Automation, Vector Search, and Production-Critical Features

📅 February 26, 2026

👤 Chetan Yadav - Senior Oracle & Cloud DBA

⏱️ 12-13 min read

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 12–13 minutes

🤖 Oracle 26ai - The Database That Tunes Itself While You Sleep

The Oracle Database 26ai beta went live last week. My manager sent the email: "Download it. Test it. Report back on Monday with what breaks."

I spent 72 hours testing every major feature Oracle advertised. Some lived up to the hype. Others... didn't. Here's what you actually need to test first, based on what will impact production databases most.

Oracle 26ai isn't just another version bump with minor bug fixes. This release introduces AI-driven query optimization, native vector search for machine learning workloads, property graph enhancements, and automated schema evolution. If your organization is considering adopting any of these features, this guide shows you exactly what to test and what production gotchas to watch for.

This isn't marketing hype—it's a DBA's practical testing roadmap based on early access to 26ai. If you're evaluating whether to upgrade, these are the features that matter most and the tests that separate real value from vendor promises.

⏱️ Reading Time: 10–12 minutes

Top-10 Wait Events Query (Universal Database Performance Tuning)

It’s a peak business hour. Users complain the application is “slow,” dashboards look normal, CPU is not maxed out, and storage graphs look fine. Someone asks the classic question:

“The database is up… so why is everything waiting?”

This is the exact moment where strong DBAs look at wait events instead of guessing. Understanding the top-10 wait events is not just a tuning skill —it’s a career-defining mindset.

GitHub Actions for DBAs: Automating Oracle Database Scripts and Deployments

CI/CD Pipelines for Database Professionals - Real Production Workflows

📅 February 23, 2026

👤 Chetan Yadav - Senior Oracle & Cloud DBA

⏱️ 13-14 min read

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 13–14 minutes

🔄 From Manual SQL Scripts to Automated CI/CD - GitHub Actions for Database Teams

The schema deployment failed at 2 AM. Again. The junior DBA forgot to run the prerequisite script before the main DDL. The application team was furious. Rollback took three hours because we had to manually trace which changes had been applied.

That's when I realized: developers have been using CI/CD for years. Why are DBAs still running scripts manually?

GitHub Actions isn't just for application developers. DBAs can automate schema deployments, backup validation, monitoring scripts, and database testing using the same CI/CD principles—with workflows triggered automatically on git push, pull request, or schedule.

This guide covers production-tested GitHub Actions workflows for Oracle DBAs. If you're tired of manual script execution, inconsistent deployments, and "it worked on my machine" problems, these patterns will transform your database operations.