Local package won't compile when remote package recompiles. (Oracle)

Question

We have a package on a 10.2.0.4 database(A) and a package on an 11.2.0.2 database(B) that references A's package. When something on A changes that requires the package on A to do an implicit re-compile, sometimes the package on B that should also implicitly re-compile goes invalid. The error it shows is PLS-00907:

 Cause: PL/SQL is unable to find and load a library unit that was
        previously available.  This typically happens when you try to
        load a unit which references another library unit that is
        non-existent or invalid.
Action: Provide the needed library unit.

The strange thing is that the package on A is valid and can be recompiled successfully, yet recompiling the package on B is still unsuccessful. It is only when we make an inconsequential change to the package on A that the package on B will then compile successfully. This problem has been occurring every few weeks for the past several months. It may have started when we upgraded B from 11.1 to 11.2.

The database link on B is a private database link using a specific username/password to connect to A. The remote_dependencies_mode parameter is set to SIGNATURE on both databases.

This problem is similar, but not the same as MOS Bug 9719541, and Doc ID 166680.1. Anyone have any idea what could be wrong?

Answer 1

It is obviously a bug, so should go to Oracle support. As a workaround, are you able to switch that call on the 11gR2 to dynamic SQL to avoid the hard-coded dependency.

You might be able to do that through a wrapper package on the 11g side. Rather than

11g package calls 10g package

it goes

11g package calls 11g wrapper and 11g wrapper (dynamically) calls 10g package.