Introduction
Blockchain technology has had a transformative impact across multiple industries by offering a secure and transparent method for recording transactions. Recognizing the value of this innovation, Oracle has integrated Blockchain Tables into its Database 21c.
This advancement brings the advantages of blockchain, such as enhanced security and transparency, into the realm of database management. By doing so, Oracle enables businesses to leverage blockchain’s decentralized ledger system while maintaining the familiarity and structure of traditional database systems. This integration marks a significant step forward in the evolution of database technology.
What are Blockchain Tables?
Blockchain Tables are a new specialized table type in Oracle Database, offering a highly tamper-resistant persistence option. This ensures that once data is recorded, it can’t be altered, providing an extra layer of security and integrity.
The rows are linked in chains. Every row in the chain, except for the initial row, is linked to the previous one using a cryptographic hash. The row’s hash value is computed from the row data and the previous row’s hash value, making any alteration detectable through a special verification procedure. Additionally, the option to store user signatures enhances security against tampering.
This structure guarantees that once data is inserted, it cannot be altered or deleted, ensuring strong data integrity and security.
The use of hashing and chaining makes the data verifiable and highly resistant to tampering, offering a robust solution for secure data management.
Scenarios & Use Cases
Blockchain Tables can be used in various scenarios where data integrity and security are paramount, such as:
- Applications that need to store immutable data, such as IoT device readings and compliance records.
- In another scenario, when an existing application requires a tamper-resistant audit trail of changes to regular database tables, you can introduce a Blockchain Table. You can either modify the application to insert a record for each update to the current tables or create a triggered stored procedure on the current table to capture and log updates into an audit trail maintained within the Blockchain Table.
- Another scenario involves decentralized applications operating on a distributed blockchain network. Blockchain Tables can facilitate secure, tamper-proof records within such networks, ensuring data integrity across multiple, independent nodes. This setup leverages the distributed nature of blockchain for robust, trustworthy applications in following fields –
- Financial transactions
- Supply chain management
- Healthcare records
- Voting systems
Syntax
To create a Blockchain Table in Oracle, you use the CREATE TABLE statement with the BLOCKCHAIN clause. Here’s a simplified example:
This example creates a blockchain table named my_blockchain_table with an id column that auto-increments and a data column for storing your information. The NO DROP UNTIL 31 DAYS IDLE clause ensures that the table cannot be dropped until 31 days after the last row insertion. The NO DELETE LOCKED clause prevents the row retention period from being changed for deletion, and HASHING USING “sha2_512” specifies the hashing algorithm used. Read more from Oracle docs…
Advantages
- Data Integrity: Blockchain Tables ensure that data cannot be altered once it is written, providing a high level of data integrity
- Security: The cryptographic hashing and chaining of rows make it extremely difficult to tamper with the data
- Auditability: The immutable nature of Blockchain Tables allows for easy auditing and verification of data
- Compliance: They are ideal for applications that require strict compliance with regulatory requirements.
Limitations
- Insert-Only: Only insert operations are allowed, and updates or deletions are restricted based on the retention period set.
- Performance: The cryptographic operations required for blockchain tables can impact performance, especially for large datasets.
- Complexity: Implementing and managing Blockchain Tables can be more complex compared to traditional tables.
Supported Versions
Availale in Oracle Database release 21c and are backported to 19c. It is available free of charge.
Conclusion
Oracle’s Blockchain Tables offer a powerful way to leverage blockchain technology within a database environment, providing enhanced security, data integrity, and compliance capabilities. A Blockchain Table can facilitate blockchain applications where participants trust Oracle Database but need a mechanism to verify that their data remains untampered. While they come with certain limitations, their benefits make them a valuable addition to Oracle’s database offerings.
Read new blog on Oracle’s Immutable Tables – An alternate of blockchain tables.
