Configure Flashback for alerts on Oracle - Precisely Data Integrity Suite

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For data assets fetched via agent, freshness alerts rely on the Last Modified timestamp. Configure Oracle Flashback on your database to accurately track table modifications and enable precise freshness alert monitoring.

Note: You need the following privileges on your Oracle database:
  • FLASHBACK to run flashback queries such as VERSIONS
  • SELECT on the table to read from the table (access to the base table is required)
  • FLASHBACK ARCHIVE or FLASHBACK ARCHIVE ADMINISTER to enable or manage Flashback Data Archive (FDA). This privilege is required only if you are setting up FDA.
Configure Oracle Flashback to track table modifications and enable freshness alert monitoring.
Check if Flashback is enabled on your database. 
SELECT flashback_on FROM v$database;

An output of YES means Flashback is enabled. NO means it is not.

To check the log mode, run:

SELECT LOG_MODE FROM V$DATABASE;

Output:

  • NOARCHIVELOG: Flashback is not enabled
  • ARCHIVELOG: Flashback is enabled

Enable Flashback on Oracle

Enable Oracle Flashback Data Archive (FDA) to track historical changes to your tables. Flashback must not already be enabled on your database. If Flashback is already enabled, proceed to the next task to enable it on specific tables.
If Flashback is not enabled, follow these steps to set it up.
Create a Flashback Data Archive. 
create flashback archive fda1 tablespace users retention 1 month;

The retention period can be adjusted based on your business requirements.

Expected output:

Flashback archive created
Flashback Data Archive is now created. Proceed to enable Flashback on your tables.

Enable Flashback on Oracle tables

You must have created a Flashback Data Archive before enabling Flashback on tables.
  1. Enable Flashback on your target table. 
    ALTER TABLE <tableName> FLASHBACK ARCHIVE <flashback_Archive_Name>;

    Example:

    alter table ATM.TEST flashback archive fda1;

    Expected output:

    Flashback archive altered
  2. Verify that Flashback is enabled on the table. 
    SELECT * FROM dba_flashback_archive_tables WHERE table_name = '<TABLE_NAME>';

    Example:

    SELECT * FROM dba_flashback_archive_tables WHERE table_name = 'TEST_MOD';

    Example output (Flashback enabled):

    TABLE_NAME | OWNER_NAME | FLASHBACK_ARCHIVE_NAME | ARCHIVE_TABLE_NAME | STATUS
TEST_MOD | ATM | FLASHBACKDATAARCHIVE | SYS_FBA_HIST_136146 | ENABLED

    If no result is returned, Flashback is not enabled on this table.

Flashback is now enabled on your table and tracking modifications. The system can now capture freshness metrics.

Capture freshness metrics from Oracle

Query historical data to capture the freshness metric for your monitored tables. Flashback must be enabled on your table before you can capture freshness metrics.

Use this query to extract the Last Modified timestamp for freshness alert monitoring.
Execute the freshness metric query. 
SELECT CASE WHEN NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM dba_flashback_archive_tables WHERE table_name = '<table_name>') THEN NULL WHEN (SELECT MAX(versions_startscn) FROM "<schema_name>"."<table_name>" VERSIONS BETWEEN TIMESTAMP MINVALUE AND MAXVALUE) IS NULL THEN NULL ELSE TO_CHAR(FROM_TZ(CAST(SCN_TO_TIMESTAMP((SELECT MAX(versions_startscn) FROM "<schema_name>"."<table_name>" VERSIONS BETWEEN TIMESTAMP MINVALUE AND MAXVALUE)) AS TIMESTAMP), SESSIONTIMEZONE) AT TIME ZONE 'UTC', 'YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS.FF3TZH:TZM') END AS PRECISELY_VALUE, CASE WHEN NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM all_tables WHERE table_name = '<table_name>' AND owner = '<schema_name>') THEN 'TABLE NOT FOUND' WHEN (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM dba_flashback_archive_tables WHERE table_name = '<table_name>') = 0 THEN 'FLASHBACK FEATURE NOT ENABLED' WHEN (SELECT MAX(versions_startscn) FROM "<schema_name>"."<table_name>" VERSIONS BETWEEN TIMESTAMP MINVALUE AND MAXVALUE) IS NULL THEN 'NO VERSIONED SCN DATA FOUND' ELSE NULL END AS PRECISELY_COMMENT FROM dual;

Example output:

PRECISELY_VALUE | PRECISELY_COMMENT
2025-06-16 23:06:00 |
The freshness metric is now captured. The system uses this Last Modified timestamp to generate accurate freshness alerts for your data assets.