Oracle SQL Developer and the Proxy Users

I upgraded my Oracle SQL Developer to version 21.4.3, and when started it asked me to import previous connections from the previous version.
I clearly answered Yes (of course!).
No connection was working thought!
There were two problems, that took me a while to understand:

• proxy users have a dedicated configuration now;
• for some reason the SQL Developer defaults to use SID instead of Service Name even when the latter was defined in the previous configuration definition.

The problem with the proxy users

A proxy user is, in short, a way to let Oracle connect you in a database that is different from your own username. Usually, proxy users use a syntax liek username[schema], that is well accepted by the instant client.
With newer versions of Oracle SQL Developer the proxy user configuration has been split into a different panel of the configuration setting. Therefore you have to:

• define your own username in the authentication panel, within the Username textbox;
• insert you own password, if you want it to be stored;
• swith to the Proxy User panel and check the checkbox Use DB Proxy Authentication, then insert the schema name into the Proxy Client text field.

otherwise using the same syntax allowed by the InstantClient, you will not be able to connect!.

The problem with the SID

Ensure to use the service name in the connection information, because even if I think the SID is less and less used every day, the connection dialog defaults to using the SID.
Even when importing existing connections that already use the Service Name!

The problem with Java

There is a little strange fact: Oracle SQL Developers claims to work with a JVM no greater than 11!
Wait a minute, aren’t you the same Java company?
So far, for me, the application is working with Java 17, but it clearly states that there could be problems.

Conclusions

Oracle SQL Developer is the less flexible database client I know, so far.