The CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter specifies the minimum number of days a reusable record in the control file is retained before the record can be overwritten. The RMAN metadata are stored in the reusable section of the control file and therefore are eventually overwritten.
If you’re using a recovery catalog, then you don’t need to worry about this parameter because RMAN metadata are stored in the recovery catalog indefinitely. Therefore, when you use a recovery catalog, you can access any historical RMAN metadata.
If you’re using only the control file as the RMAN metadata repository, then the information stored there will eventually be overwritten. The default value for CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME is 7 days:
SQL> show parameter control_file_record_keep_time
NAME TYPE VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- ---------
control_file_record_keep_time integer 7
You can set the value to anything from 0 to 365 days. Setting the value to 0 means that the RMAN metadata information can be overwritten at any time.
The CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME parameter was more critical in older versions of Oracle, in which it wasn’t easy to repopulate the control file with RMAN information, in the event that metadata were overwritten. Starting with Oracle 10g, you can use the CATALOG command to quickly make the control file aware of RMAN backup files.
If you run daily backups, then I recommend that you leave this parameter at 7 days. However, if you only back up your database once a month, or if, for some reason, you have a retention policy greater than 7 days, and you’re not using a recovery catalog, then you may want to consider increasing the value. The downside to increasing this parameter is that if you have a significant amount of RMAN backup activity, this can increase the size of your control file.
