Oracle Database versioning, what the dots in 10.2.0.4 mean

Have you ever wondered what each number in Oracle Databases' release stands for.  Here's what I found out:

Before Oracle 9.2.0 this was the release number format

Release Number Format

An Oracle7 Server distribution tape might be labeled "Release 7.0.4.1." The following sections translate this number.

7	.	0	.	4	.	1
Version Number		Maintenance Release Number		Patch Release Number		Port-Specific Patch Release Number

Starting with release 9.2, maintenance releases of Oracle Database are denoted by a change to the second digit of a release number. In previous releases, the third digit indicated a particular maintenance release.

Major Database Release Number

The first digit is the most general identifier. It represents a major new version of the software that contains significant new functionality.

Database Maintenance Release Number

The second digit represents a maintenance release level. Some new features may also be included.

Application Server Release Number

The third digit reflects the release level of the Oracle Application Server (OracleAS).

Component-Specific Release Number

The fourth digit identifies a release level specific to a component. Different components can have different numbers in this position depending upon, for example, component patch sets or interim releases.

Platform-Specific Release Number

The fifth digit identifies a platform-specific release. Usually this is a patch set. When different platforms require the equivalent patch set, this digit will be the same across the affected platforms.

Checking Your Current Release Number

To identify the release of Oracle Database that is currently installed and to see the release levels of other database components you are using, query the data dictionary view PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION. A sample query follows. (You can also query the V$VERSION view to see component-level information.) Other product release levels may increment independent of the database server.

COL PRODUCT FORMAT A35 COL VERSION FORMAT A15 COL STATUS FORMAT A15  SELECT * FROM PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION;  PRODUCT                                  VERSION     STATUS ---------------------------------------- ----------- ----------- NLSRTL                                   10.2.0.1.0  Production Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition   10.2.0.1.0  Prod PL/SQL                                   10.2.0.1.0  Production ...