After you enable database auditing and specify the auditing options (login events, exercise of system and object privileges, or the use of SQL statements), the database begins collecting audit information.
If AUDIT_TRAIL is set to OS, the audit records are stored in the operating system’s audit system. In a Windows environment, this is the event log. In a UNIX or Linux environment, audit records are stored in a file that is specified with the AUDIT_FILE_DEST parameter.
If the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter is set to DB, you can review audit records in the DBA_AUDIT_TRAIL view, which is part of the SYS schema.
If AUDIT_TRAIL is set to XML or to XML,EXTENDED, the audit records are written to XML files in the directory to which the AUDIT_FILE_DEST parameter points. The V$XML_AUDIT_TRAIL view allows you to view all the XML files in this directory.
Maintaining the audit trail is an important administrative task. Depending on the focus of the audit options, the audit trail can grow very large very quickly. If not properly maintained, the audit trail can create so many records that it affects the performance of the system. Audit overhead is directly related to the number of records that are produced.
If AUDIT_TRAIL is set to OS, the audit records are stored in the operating system’s audit system. In a Windows environment, this is the event log. In a UNIX or Linux environment, audit records are stored in a file that is specified with the AUDIT_FILE_DEST parameter.
If the AUDIT_TRAIL parameter is set to DB, you can review audit records in the DBA_AUDIT_TRAIL view, which is part of the SYS schema.
If AUDIT_TRAIL is set to XML or to XML,EXTENDED, the audit records are written to XML files in the directory to which the AUDIT_FILE_DEST parameter points. The V$XML_AUDIT_TRAIL view allows you to view all the XML files in this directory.
Maintaining the audit trail is an important administrative task. Depending on the focus of the audit options, the audit trail can grow very large very quickly. If not properly maintained, the audit trail can create so many records that it affects the performance of the system. Audit overhead is directly related to the number of records that are produced.
