A new, major Python cx_Oracle driver release is available
<https://cjones-oracle.medium.com/open-source-python-thin-driver-for-oracle-database-e82aac7ecf5a>
and it comes with a brand new name: *python-oracledb*
<https://oracle.github.io/python-oracledb/>. At run time, the module name
of the package is now '*oracledb*'.
With the aid of a shim to map the name space back to cx_Oracle, we
(Oracle) have run Django's tests successfully:
import sys
import oracledb
oracledb.version = "8.3.0"
sys.modules["cx_Oracle"] = oracledb
import cx_Oracle
But the new name space could do with some love to add Django support so the
shim isn't needed.
The ideas below are from the developers who worked on the python-oracledb
project and tested Django.
For background, python-oracledb is now a Thin driver by default - it
connects directly to Oracle Database without always needing Oracle Client
libraries. A “Thick” mode can be optionally enabled by an application call
to init_oracle_client(). This mode has similar functionality to cx_Oracle
and supports Oracle Database features that extend the Python DB API. To
use this mode, the Oracle Client libraries such as from Oracle Instant
Client must be installed separately - same as with cx_Oracle.
There are three main topics for python-oracledb support in Django.
*1. Supporting the new name space*
There are a couple of options:
1a. What about completely replacing cx_Oracle with python-oracledb
(oracledb)? Python-oracledb is just a major release of cx_Oracle with a new
name. We have run Django tests. The new driver is 'thin' by default so
it's easier for almost everyone to use.
1b. Alternatively a configuration option needs to allow either cx_Oracle or
python oracledb to be used. Perhaps this could be done by creating
separate sub-modules, one for each name space, inside
django.db.backends.oracle? If so, then the ‘ENGINE’ values could be:
django.db.backends.oracle.oracledb
or
django.db.backends.oracle.cx_Oracle
*2. Letting users choose whether to use python-oracledb Thin or Thick modes*
The default in python-oracledb is Thin mode, which will suit almost all
users. But other people may want features available only in Thick mode.
Thick mode can only be enabled with an explicit call to init_oracle_client()
before any connection is created. Some users will need to pass a lib_dir
argument to it.
Some options:
2a. It could be documented that users need to explicitly call
init_oracle_client() in their own code. This may be easiest.
2b. Or how about adding a new parameter, say ‘DRIVER_MODE’ or simply
‘MODE’, in settings.dict to allow users to use the ‘Thick’ mode of
python-oracledb? Django would need to make a call to init_oracle_client()
internally. This would need to take an optional parameter to be passed as
the lib_dir argument to init_oracle_client()
*3. Supporting some new connection parameters and using service names
instead of SIDs*
One new feature of the python-oracledb driver are additional connect()
keyword arguments like hostname, port, service_name, tcp_connect_timeout.
(The makedsn() function is now deprecated in python-oracle because of this
change.) How can new parameters best be passed to python-oracledb?
It may also be time to modernize some existing connection code in Django
for Oracle. For example, to more obviously connect using database 'service
names' instead of SIDs (which were obsoleted decades ago). We recommend
using service names instead of SIDs so that various database properties
like Oracle's Application Continuity feature can be enabled.
It would be nice if apps could do something like:
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.oracle',
'USER': 'scott',
'PASSWORD': 'XXXX',
'OPTIONS': {
'host': 'example.com',
'port': 1521,
'service_name': 'orclpdb',
'tcp_connect_timeout': 10,
},
}
}
We have tossed around various ideas about all these but know it's best to
get Django community involvement early about the design.
Chris
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