I'm THAT Jeff Smith, a guy @ Oracle who helps you with Data.
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Latest posts
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Ingest, vectorize, chunk, and load VecDB Tables with SQLcl Model command
Recently I demonstrated how you could use our SQLcl MCP context-retrieval tool to enable a RAG workflow for your agents with EXISTING vectorized data ( blog ). In that demo I setup my VecDB table, and had my agent generate some strings, which were vectorized. Via an annotation,…
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ORDS MCP 26.3 – A look at SQL Reports!
In my previous post I set up a local Keycloak, ORDS, and an Oracle AI Database so I could chat with my database from Claude Code. No local SQLcl connections, no database credentials on my machine. Just my Keycloak identity, and my roles deciding which ORDS pools I get to use.…
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RAG for your agents: use existing Oracle vectors via SQLcl MCP
The SQLcl MCP server has a tool called context_retrieve that lets an agent such as Claude, Copilot, or Codex ask your database for relevant background text before it answers. The agent sends a short keyword query. SQLcl embeds it with the model you configured, runs a vector…
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Using SQLcl MCP to generate and consume annotations for better NL2SQL
The features demonstrated in this post require the latest copy of Oracle SQLcl. Download 26.3 Read the changeLog One of the reasons I enjoy Claude Code is the CLI makes it really easy to inspect MCP servers, their tools, and said tools’ descriptions. I can simply /mcp, and then…
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Oracle SQL Developer for VS Code 26.3 now available
The marketplace and Oracle.com download pages have been updated for version 26.3 of SQL Developer for VS Code. Just last week we reached 1,000,000 installs – thanks everyone for your continued support! Read the changeLog for a detailed listing of new features and bug fixes. If…
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Using your Agent to update your AI Skills for Oracle via MCP
SQLcl MCP has a new (ish) tool for dealing with our AI Skills. So if I’m ok to burn some tokens and chat my way into updating my skills, it’s as easy as asking your digital assistant to do so. Bash i want to start a new task, use the SQLcl mcp tool to refresh the AI skills for…
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Config SQLcl MCP with Codex and FreeSQL
I’ve mentioned FreeSQL.com and the support for standard SQL*Net connectivity before, but never in a standalone post. Here is that post. I’ll also demonstrate how to configure and use SQLcl MCP for Codex. FreeSQL is a free, Oracle-hosted platform to learn SQL. It’s an Oracle…
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Slides and Q&A from our AI/MCP Webinar
Beyond the Hype: Practical AI for Your Oracle Database with MCP with Jeff & Kris, 02 September 2026 Yesterday we spent an hour or so sharing the latest and greatest from our MCP Servers and practical tips from using AI with our Oracle AI Database. The actual description is … The…
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Setting up local Keycloak to test ORDS for Oracle Database HTTPS MCP
In a previous post I showed how to setup ORDS MCP with a Auth0 identity management store, and debug everything via MCPJam . Today I want to do a similar post, but with Keycloak and a a popular agent, Claude Code. To follow along, you need an Oracle Database, and at least Oracle…
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Oracle’s MCP Servers for the Oracle AI Database: the Movie
I’ve been presenting a version of this content since last June when we launched SQLcl as a local, STDIO MCP Server. Not sure what that means? Watch the video! And then we added support for Cloud, and we run everything for you, for free! Interested in learning more? Watch the…
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2 ORDS REST API options for 26ai Database Vectors
Method 1: Traditional, relational tables with VECTOR columns – ORDS AutoREST + 26ai makes vectorSearch EASY I have… Oracle AI Database 23.26.x ORDS 26.2 An existing REST Enabled Table with a VECTOR column, describing all the comments from my blog A local web app allowing me to…
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Your Old SQL Reports Deserve a Second Life — as Agent Tools
With AI, ‘context is everything.’ To get the best results, you need to provide AI Skills, the right MCP Servers, Agent Memory, the world’s best prompt, and whatever else the context engineering prophets bring down next. What if you could shortcut a whole bunch of that, and use…
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SQLDev for VS Code: DBA features & Color Coded connections
I would hope the changeLog speaks for itself, but sometimes folks need an extra prod. Here is that poke! 26.2.0 July 2026 New Features Connection color coding for worksheets and notebooks DBA user account management and auditing DBA role management and assignment workflows DBA…
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ORDS: now a streaming HTTP MCP Server for Oracle Database
Oracle REST Data Services version 26.2 is now available. Download changeLog Docs Let me quickly share the highlights. Completing the Trifecta of Oracle AI Database MCP Servers I’m going to be answering this question, a lot: “which MCP Server should we choose?” And my answer will…
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OCI Database Tools Recommended Reading
Using an Oracle AI Database in OCI (that’ Oracle’s cloud, or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure) ? Then these post from my teammates are right up your alley! Connections, Database Tools, Reports, MCP Servers, oh my! If you enjoyed any of the posts, please drop the author a comment on…
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Executing long running SQL over HTTPS, Asynchronously
No one likes to wait on a web page to load. Seconds feels like hours. And if you wait too long, your customer will walk away and buy their widget from another vendor. But what if your customer is a database user, and your web page is a SQL query worksheet? And you’re not…
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How to connect to your OCI Oracle Database via SQLcl
Your Oracle database connections are usually defined on your local machine, in files setup for your tools like SQL Developer (VS code or Classic), SQLcl, etc. But in ‘the cloud’ – you can also define Connection resources in our Database Tools developer service in OCI. These…
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How to compare two Oracle Database schemas with SQLcl
I have two environments: HR123 – I started a bare bones schema with just two tables, and no comments, indexes, constraints, etc HR456 – I had Codex help me generate what a real HR system should look like What I want I would like to point my Oracle tools to the two environments…
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Is a "Skeleton key” the right MCP tool for a DBA?
Our MCP Servers ship (SQLcl) or optionally offer (OCI) a run_sql tool. It’s great! We built it, we use it, and it works exactly as intended — give the agent a way to execute SQL (generated or otherwise) against your Oracle database. Be careful WHO gets the keys to your house!…
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Who is using your Oracle data (AI!), and how to secure it!
A look at OAuth Identity, SYS_CONTEXT, and Row-Level Security via OCI AI Database MCP Servers The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has defined a very simple way to allow AI Agents to interact with external resources. HTTPS streaming MCP Servers are implemented via OAuth2, and this…