Understanding Oracle Unified Auditing: Quick Checks for DBAs

Oracle Unified Auditing consolidates all audit records into a single, unified framework, simplifying how auditing is configured, managed, and reviewed. As more environments move toward stricter compliance and security standards, DBAs increasingly rely on Unified Auditing to track database activity efficiently.

This short guide highlights how to quickly check whether Unified Auditing is enabled and how to review the audit policies configured in your database.

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✅ How to Check if Unified Auditing Is Enabled

Unified Auditing can run in two modes:

• Mixed Mode (default)

• Pure Unified Auditing Mode

To verify the status, check the database options:

SELECT VALUE FROM V$OPTION WHERE PARAMETER = 'Unified Auditing';

• TRUE → Unified Auditing is enabled

• FALSE → Unified Auditing is disabled

If the database is running in pure mode, it was enabled during installation or via relinking.

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View Enabled Unified Audit Policies

To see which audit policies are currently active:

SELECT DISTINCT policy_name 
FROM audit_unified_enabled_policies;

This lists all enabled policies, including Oracle-supplied and user-defined ones.

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View All Available Unified Audit Policies

To list every policy defined in the system:

SELECT DISTINCT policy_name 
FROM audit_unified_policies;

This helps you understand what policies exist, even if they’re not currently enabled.

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Check Audit Options Associated with Each Policy

To see which audit options belong to each policy:

SELECT audit_option, policy_name 
FROM audit_unified_policies 
GROUP BY policy_name, audit_option;

This provides insight into what actions are being audited under each policy.

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Summary

Oracle Unified Auditing centralizes and simplifies auditing. With just a few queries, DBAs can quickly validate:

• Whether Unified Auditing is active

• Which policies are enabled

• What audit actions are tied to each policy

These checks are essential for maintaining security, ensuring compliance, and understanding the audit footprint of your Oracle environment.