Log files and historical archival.

I am working on a project that creates large historical logs which we so far have stored in files that have been cycled every 24 hours and archived using traditional backup methods. I am currenlty moving this into an Oracle DB for future potential customer requirements. It's been a while since I did much in Oracle, so I am looking for some (probably basic) advice.

These logs are vital for historical information, but are not required for the operation of the app. If all is normal, the logs will be put on tape, the records removed from the DB, the tapes stored for 12 months or whatever the user chooses, and then discarded. Incorporating the logging of these into the normal backup/restore procedure would therefore not be entirely logical, since restore would not normally be needed, and if it is needed it would be for inspection of historical information only, and would possibly happen in another DB installation than the archival operation happened.

Ideally the export of data should be stored in a DB independent manner, so that it is somewhat future proof. There could be requirements to store the data for such a long period of time that the original software may be gone.

Which tools (exp, RMAN, hopefull others) would be used for this type of archival? Any information appreciated.

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Terje Bergesen
terje_at_bivrost.com