ORA-38824 error resolution: Avoid Editionable Property Conflicts in Oracle

Introduction

Oracle databases provide a powerful editioning feature that allows version control of database objects. However, developers sometimes encounter the ORA-38824 error when attempting to modify an object’s editionable property using a CREATE OR REPLACE command. This article “ORA-38824 error resolution” will guide you through the causes and solutions for resolving this issue efficiently.

Understanding ORA-38824

The ORA-38824 error message appears when a CREATE OR REPLACE statement attempts to change the editionable property of an existing object. The error message typically looks like this: “ORA-38824: A CREATE OR REPLACE Command May not Change the EDITIONABLE Property of an Existing Object.”

On the development environment, we are using a database without a container, while on the deployment side, there is a container database, which has a different structure. The error message “ORA-38824: A CREATE OR REPLACE Command May not Change the EDITIONABLE Property of an Existing Object” indicates that the editionable parameter for objects needs to be set at the database level.

Causes of ORA-38824

The most common reasons for encountering ORA-38824 include:

Attempting to change an object’s editionable status using CREATE OR REPLACE.
Database objects conflicting with editioning views.
Incorrect assumptions about object properties.
Inconsistent database editioning settings.

Resolution Methods

1- Alter Packages permission or Error-38824:

We tried to Alter packages permissions on container database with below query.

ALTER USER edition_test1 ENABLE EDITIONS;

Where User edition_test1 can be any package/procedure. We were facing issue while executing package over container database But we resolved the same issue as following query.

ALTER package Name? noneditionable;

As we applied above command then issue was resolved ORA-38824. Hope this can be very helpful for all of you. Enjoy

2- Dropping and Recreating the Object

A simple way to resolve this error is by dropping the object and recreating it with the desired editionable property:

DROP PROCEDURE my_procedure;

CREATE OR REPLACE EDITIONABLE PROCEDURE my_procedure AS
BEGIN
   NULL;
END;

3- Checking Database Editioning Settings

Ensure that editioning is enabled for your schema:

SELECT * FROM ALL_EDITIONS;

If necessary, enable editioning for specific objects:

ALTER TABLE my_table ENABLE EDITIONING;

4- Using PL/SQL to Change Editionable Property

If you need to retain an object’s functionality while changing its editionable property, you can use PL/SQL:

BEGIN
  EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'DROP PROCEDURE my_procedure';
  EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'CREATE OR REPLACE EDITIONABLE PROCEDURE my_procedure AS BEGIN NULL; END;';
END;

1. What does ORA-38824 mean?

This error occurs when a CREATE OR REPLACE command tries to change an object’s editionable property.

2. Can I disable editioning for all objects?

No, but you can modify individual objects or schemas to be non-editionable if necessary.

3. What is an editionable object in Oracle?

An editionable object supports multiple versions within different editions of the database.

4. Is there a way to avoid ORA-38824 entirely?

Yes, by using ALTER statements or dropping and recreating objects properly.

5. Can I change the editionable property without dropping the object?

No, Oracle does not allow direct modification of the editionable property.

6. How can I check if my schema supports editioning?

Run SELECT * FROM ALL_EDITIONS; to verify the available editions.

The ORA-38824 error occurs when attempting to modify the editionable property of an existing object using CREATE OR REPLACE. By understanding the causes and implementing the ORA-38824 error resolution provided in this guide, you can efficiently resolve this issue and maintain a well-structured Oracle database.