Bug ORA-38881 during “drop tablespace” even though there is NO Guaranteed Restore Point (GRP) – Fixed in version 19.17

I just upgraded one Oracle Database system from 12.2 to 19.10. I was happy with the result until one database procedure started to fail with the message “ORA-38881: Kan inte radera tabellutrymmet TECH_29102_9292 i den primära databasen pga. garanterade återställningspunkter.” . For those unfamiliar with the Swedish language, this is the same error message as “Oracle Error ORA-38881: Cannot drop tablespace string on primary database due to guaranteed restore points.”. I started doing some investigation until I found that there is a BUG:14163359 fixed on version 19.17 of the Oracle databases. And the solution to it would be, of course, upgrading the database to version 19.17 but also using the hidden parameter “_allow_drop_ts_with_grp” or dropping all the existing guarantee restore points. I opted to drop all the restore guarantee points that I found that I created before the upgrade. Therefore, follow below the error message, as well as the deletion of the restore point:

— Error message:

ORA-38881: Kan inte radera tabellutrymmet TECH_2827374_29822 i den primära databasen pga. garanterade återställningspunkter.
2022-10-20 02:33:45  CRITICAL_ERROR

— Checking the existence of a created guarantee restore point via v$restore_point followed by the deletion:

SQL> set pages 2000
SQL> set lines 2000
SQL> select * from v$restore_point;

       SCN DATABASE_INCARNATION# GUA STORAGE_SIZE TIME                                                                        RESTORE_POINT_TIME                                                          PRE NAME                                 PDB CLE PDB_INCARNATION# REP      CON_ID
---------- --------------------- --- ------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- --- ---------------- --- ----------
9,0120E+10                     2 YES   1,7784E+10 2022-10-19 06:53:50,000000000                                                                                                                           YES GRP_1666155230080                    NO  NO                  0 NO           0

SQL> drop restore point GRP_1666155230080;

Restore point dropped.

SQL>  select * from v$restore_point;


no rows selected

brunors

*The views expressed here are my own and do not represent those of my employer.*

Hello, I’m Bruno — a dual citizen of Brazil and Sweden. I bring a global perspective shaped by experiences in both South America and Europe, with a strong focus on collaboration and innovation across cultures. I am a Computer Scientist, PhD Candidate in Information and Communication Technologies, focusing on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and hold dual Master’s degrees in Data Science and Cybersecurity. With over fifteen years of international experience spanning Brazil, Hungary, and Sweden, I have collaborated with global organizations such as IBM, Playtech, and Oracle, as well as contributed remotely to projects across multiple regions. My professional interests include Databases, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Data Engineering, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Programming, and Software Engineering,  all driven by a deep passion for transforming data into strategic business value.