Bug 30324180 SQL Macro should be backported to 19.5

When Oracle released 19.6 release update, I went to the usual My Oracle Support (MOS) note: Database 19 Release Updates and Revisions Bugs Fixed Lists (Doc ID 2523220.1) to find out what exactly was included there that might be of interest for me. Surprisingly, the note was not updated in several days, so that I decided to download the release update and take a look at it myself.
Oracle patches follow a well-defined structure that was described by Martin Berger: Oracle patches - a patchfiles anatomy.

One bug drew my eye:

<bug description="SQM MACRO SHOULD BE BACKPORTED TO 19.5" number="30324180"/>

The relevant note contains some important information, albeit without any examples:
Bug 30324180 - SQL Macro should be backported to 19.5 (Doc ID 30324180.8)
Thankfully, there is a clue that the table semantics macro should be supported, so that I decided to skim through an excellent Keith Laker's presentation on that subject: A New Approach to Simplifying Complex SQL-Using SQL Macros in Database 20c.

After a bit of toing and froing, I constructed the following example that demonstrates this new functionality (as it seems).

SQL> create table t1
  2  as
  3  select n,
  4         'val_'||to_char(n, 'fm00') val
  5    from xmltable('1 to 10'
  6           columns
  7             n int path '.');

Table created.

SQL>
SQL> create table t2
  2  as
  3  select 'val_'||to_char(n, 'fm00') s
  4    from xmltable('1 to 10'
  5           columns
  6             n int path '.');

Table created.

SQL>
SQL> select * from t1;

         N VAL
---------- -------
         1 val_01
         2 val_02
         3 val_03
         4 val_04
         5 val_05
         6 val_06
         7 val_07
         8 val_08
         9 val_09
        10 val_10

SQL> select * from t2;

S
-------
val_01
val_02
val_03
val_04
val_05
val_06
val_07
val_08
val_09
val_10

I created two tables with a different structure. The MOS note says about the table semantics macro, which is supposedly demonstrated on 22nd slide of Keith's presentation.
I was not able to get SQL_MACRO(TABLE) work, so that I ended up with the following example:

SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION sample(t DBMS_TF.Table_t, how_many number DEFAULT 5)
  2  RETURN VARCHAR2 SQL_MACRO
  3  AS
  4  BEGIN
  5    RETURN q'[SELECT *
  6                FROM t
  7               WHERE rownum <= how_many]';
  8  END sample;
  9  /

Function created.

SQL> select *
  2    from sample(t1, 3);

         N VAL
---------- -------
         1 val_01
         2 val_02
         3 val_03

SQL>
SQL> select *
  2    from sample(t1);

         N VAL
---------- -------
         1 val_01
         2 val_02
         3 val_03
         4 val_04
         5 val_05

SQL>
SQL> select *
  2    from sample(t2);

S
-------
val_01
val_02
val_03
val_04
val_05

I traced the last two statements through Intel Pin debugtrace and grepped the resulted file for the SQM string (which are presumably Oracle functions corresponding to the SQL Macro functionality):

<> qksptfSQM_Describe(0x7ff400bc6050, 0x6b76cbd8, ...)
| > qksptfSQM_Init(0x7ff400bc6050, 0x6b76cbd8, ...)
| | > qksptfSQM_Check_Errors(0x6b76cdf8, 0x7ff400b2c7a8, ...)
| | < qksptfSQM_Check_Errors+0x000000000090 returns: 0x7ff400b2c770
| < qksptfSQM_Init+0x0000000005d5 returns: 0x7ff400b2c7a8
| > qksptfSQM_GetTxt(0x7ff400b2c7a8, 0x1, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_GetTxt+0x000000001d51 returns: 0x6b76cdf8
| | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Template(0x7ff400b2c7a8, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Template+0x0000000009ca returns: 0x6b76cdf8
| | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Parse(0x7ff400b2c7a8, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Parse_errors(0x7ff400b2c448, 0xc0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Parse_errors+0x00000000069a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Model_Check(0x7ff400bba928, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Model_Check+0x000000000040 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Model_Check(0x7ff405adf108, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Model_Check+0x000000000040 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Model_Check(0x7ff405adde48, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Model_Check+0x000000000040 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Model_Check(0x7ff405ade8a8, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Model_Check+0x000000000040 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_Model_Check(0x7ff400bc4260, 0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Model_Check+0x000000000040 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_rm_vqb(0x7ff400bc4260, 0x7ff400bba928, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_rm_vqb+0x00000000003d returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_SetSQM_(0x7ff405adf108, 0x7ff400b2c7a8, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_SetSQM_(0x7ff400b2c110, 0x7ff400b2c7a8, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_SetSQM_+0x00000000007e returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_SetSQM_+0x00000000007e returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_SetSQM_(0x7ff405adde48, 0x7ff400b2c7a8, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_SetSQM_+0x00000000007e returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_SetSQM_(0x7ff405ade8a8, 0x7ff400b2c7a8, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_SetSQM_+0x00000000007e returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_Parse+0x000000000851 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_CleanupTDOs(0x3, 0x872027e0, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_CleanupTDOs+0x0000000001cd returns: 0x7ff400a5d73c
| | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_PstPrc(0x7ff400bba928, 0x98b7af08, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_(0x7ff400bba928, 0x7ff400bba928, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_+0x000000000032 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_(0x7ff405adf108, 0x7ff400bba928, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_QbcRelExp_(0x7ff405adde48, 0x7ff405aded30, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405ad8818, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405addf10, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405add890, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405add850, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405adda28, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc52e0, 0x7ff405add858, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_QbcRelExp_+0x000000000079 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_QbcRelExp_(0x7ff400b2c110, 0x7ff405aded30, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_(0x7ffef8fc5270, 0x7ff405add1c8, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_ExpRepl_+0x00000000005a returns: 0
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_QbcRelExp_+0x000000000079 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_+0x000000000181 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_(0x7ff405adde48, 0x7ff400bba928, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_+0x000000000032 returns: 0x1
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_(0x7ff400b2c110, 0x7ff400bba928, ...)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | < qksptfSQM_PstPrc1_+0x000000000032 returns: 0x1

As Fritz Hoogland identified them, those are new functions introduced in Oracle 19.6: What’s new with Oracle database 19.6 versus 19.5. I will wait till Oracle officially announces SQL Macros. For those who cannot wait, they can play around with them even in 19.6. Judging by the bug description, the relevant functionality should be available for 19.5 (introduced without much fuss), but I have not found a one-off patch. It might have been set unpublished.