A buyer side guide to Oracle license compliance scripts in 2026. What the LMS measurement script collects, why feature usage history drives the cost, and how to run and read the output before Oracle ever asks.
Oracle license compliance scripts are the data collection programs Oracle uses to measure your database usage during an audit. The most important is the LMS measurement script, and it reports far more than installation. It captures options and management packs that may have been used once, by accident, and never disabled.
This guide is for DBAs and procurement leaders facing an Oracle measurement request in 2026. Read it with the LMS audit script analysis guide, the script output interpretation guide, and the audit triggers guide.
They are SQL collection programs that read internal data dictionary views and produce a usage report. Oracle's License Management Services team provides them during a formal review. The output becomes the basis of the compliance position.
The script captures the database version and edition, installed options, management pack usage, and feature history. It reads views the application layer never touches. The detail surprises most teams the first time.
Oracle counts a feature as used if it was ever activated, even briefly. The DBA_FEATURE_USAGE_STATISTICS view records this history and drives most options findings.
Yes. The collection scripts can be run by your own DBA team against your databases. Doing so before Oracle asks gives you time to read the output, disable unused options, and prepare context.
The raw output is a list of findings, not a bill. Each line needs context: was the feature used in production, was it a one time accident, is it covered by the contract. That context changes the number.
Common script findings and the buyer side response
| Finding | Where it comes from | Often accidental? | Buyer side response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostics Pack used | AWR or ADDM reports | Yes | Disable, document date. |
| Tuning Pack used | SQL Tuning Advisor | Yes | Restrict access, evidence. |
| Partitioning used | Partitioned objects | Sometimes | Confirm need, repartition. |
| Advanced Compression | Compressed segments | Sometimes | Uncompress if not needed. |
Run them early, read them honestly, and remediate what you can. A clean position you built yourself is far stronger than a reaction to Oracle's version of the same data.
Disable options you do not use and stop the usage at the source. Document the date you disabled each one. Future collections then show the option as no longer in use.
No. Never hand over raw collection output without review. Provide a reconciled position with context. Raw data invites the highest possible interpretation of every line.
Before you respond to a formal measurement request. The interpretation of the output, not the collection of it, decides the cost. That is where experienced review pays for itself.
The script does not produce a bill. It produces a list of claims. Whoever reads those claims first, with context, controls the number, and that should be you, not the auditor.
The Oracle LMS measurement script is a SQL collection program that reads internal database views to report version, edition, installed options, and feature usage history. Its output forms the basis of an Oracle compliance review.
Yes. Your own DBA team can run the collection scripts. Running them before Oracle requests data lets you read the findings and remediate unused options first.
It is the data dictionary view that records which database features have been used and when. It drives most Oracle options findings because it captures even brief or accidental usage.
Yes. Oracle generally treats any activation as usage. A single AWR report or one partitioned table can flag a chargeable option as used.
No. Provide a reconciled position with context instead. Raw output invites the highest interpretation of every line and removes your chance to explain accidental usage.
Often yes. Disable the unused option, stop the activity at the source, and document the date. Later collections then show the option as no longer in use.
In our reviews, context and remediation commonly reduced raw exposure by 25 to 50 percent, depending on how much of the usage was accidental and how clean the contract terms were.
Before responding to a formal measurement request. The interpretation of the data, not its collection, determines the cost, so independent review pays off at that stage.
Oracle ULA exit moves, Java audit defense posture, certification framework, and the buyer side moves across the Oracle Database, Java, middleware, and EBS estate.
Used across more than five hundred enterprise engagements. Independent. Buyer side. Built for procurement leaders running the next renewal cycle.
The standard advice is to wait for Oracle to run the scripts and then respond. We disagree. In the measurement reviews we have run, the teams that collected and read the output first cut their exposure by a quarter to a half. The buyer side move is to never let the auditor read your data before you do.
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