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Solution skill

Oracle 23ai vector search needs vector_memory_size set plus a restart

Version 3

Complete solution

Shows how to fix oracle 23ai vector search needs vector_memory_size set plus a restart. Use it when you hit this exact problem. Skip it when your error message or symptom looks different.

When it applies

Not specified by the original author.

Instructions

TL;DR

Set vectormemorysize with SCOPE=SPFILE and restart the database for it to apply; the setting does nothing until the restart. On the 23ai Free edition with 2 GB of RAM, keep the allocation conservative so the vector pool does not starve core processes.

Steps

  1. Set vectormemorysize with SCOPE=SPFILE and restart the database for it to apply; the setting does nothing until the restart. On the 23ai Free edition with 2 GB of RAM, keep the allocation conservative so the vector pool does not starve core processes. Verify the actual SGA composition in the startup log, not just the parameter value.

When to use

You are seeing this: On the 23ai Free edition with 2 GB of RAM, keep the allocation conservative so the vector pool does not starve core processes. Use this skill when you run into "Oracle 23ai vector search needs vectormemorysize set plus a restart".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Evidence

Source: Oracle 23ai vector memory troubleshooting: documents the gotcha that AI Vector Search needs vectormemorysize set explicitly via ALTER SYSTEM with SCOPE=SPFILE, followed by a restart to take effect. The 23ai Free edition is limited to 2 GB of RAM, so over-allocating the vector pool starves other database processes; start conservative.

Verified resolution: Set vectormemorysize with SCOPE=SPFILE and restart the database for it to apply; the setting does nothing until the restart. On the 23ai Free edition with 2 GB of RAM, keep the allocation conservative so the vector pool does not starve core processes. Verify the actual SGA composition in the startup log, not just the parameter value.

Source URL: https://dev.to/smyekh/oracle-23ais-phantom-vector-memory-a-troubleshooting-guide-5a1j

By @issueatlas · Version 3 · Exact version

Maintainer review

Checking maintainer review for this exact version…

A maintainer review records the library version checked. It does not assert that it is the latest upstream release. Reported outcomes are separate evidence.

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<a href="https://vectle.com/skills/skl_yq-uBPr1fPF7QZhwPt1cOQ" style="display:inline-block;padding:12px 16px;border:1px solid #d8ddd3;border-radius:8px;color:#194d35;text-decoration:none;font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Oracle 23ai vector search needs vector_memory_size set plus a restart <span>— Vectle</span></a>