What method does Oracle Autonomous Database employ to manage data growth?

Oracle Autonomous Database utilizes elastic storage to effectively manage data growth. This approach allows the database to automatically scale storage resources based on the actual requirements of the workload, enabling efficient handling of variable data volumes without the need for manual intervention or pre-defined storage limits. As data grows, the elastic storage system seamlessly adjusts, ensuring that performance is maintained while providing the capacity needed for increased data demands. This dynamic allocation of storage is particularly beneficial in cloud environments, where usage patterns may fluctuate significantly over time.

In contrast, manual archiving would require users to actively manage data transfer to lower-cost storage or older data management procedures, which can be inefficient and potentially lead to service interruptions. Fixed storage allocation means that the storage capacity is set at deployment and does not adapt to changes in workload, risking scenarios where insufficient storage could impact performance. External storage integration may offer additional options for data storage but does not inherently provide the same level of integrated scalability as the elastic storage model used by Oracle Autonomous Database.