DBAzine.com - Chris Foot's Oracle10g Blog

Oracle9I and 10G Virtual Indexes

cfoot — 2007-05-31T20:18+00:00

Let’s take a look at an Oracle feature that I used quite regularly in 9i OEM to perform “what if” index scenarios during optimization testing. Although 10G Grid Control doesn’t provide the same graphical interface as 9i OEM, we can still utilize this hidden feature in 10G to simplify and accelerate the SQL tuning process

10 Things I Like About 10G - Part 3

cfoot — 2007-04-30T09:56+00:00

This series covers a few of the features that you may often overlook when using 10G. There are so many features in each new release of Oracle's flagship database that the challenge is to leverage as many features as possible to make your day-to-day life easier.

10 Things I like about Oracle 10G Part 2 (and other stuff)

cfoot — 2007-04-16T14:36+00:00

I thought I would combine two different topics of conversation. We'll review of some of the 10G features that we take for granted or are easily overlooked. The discussion also continues its lighthearted review of day-to-day DBA life and provides a few helpful hints and tips to make that life easier. Weird combination but it may make for an interesting and informative read.

10 Things I like about Oracle 10G Part 1

cfoot — 2007-04-09T05:44+00:00

I review some of the 10G features that we take for granted or often overlook. The discussion, although somewhat whimsical at times, does provide some very useful information.

My Top 10G Tuning Tools

cfoot — 2007-04-02T14:56+00:00

This blog contains a listing of my top 10G Tuning Tools. These are the tools that I most often turn to when I am faced with a “database performance challenge.” In upcoming blogs, we’ll discuss tools that are available in Oracle 9i as well as review some generic tuning utilities.

Access Path Scientific Analysis

cfoot — 2007-03-20T12:13+00:00

We combine all of the knowledge we learned in previous blogs of this series to begin our scientific analysis on Oracle optimization. We’ll review some of tools we can use to display access path information and look at some graphical displays that will assist us during the analysis process. I’ll also provide you with some examples to jump-start your testing.

Acces Path Scientific Analysis Part IV

cfoot — 2007-03-12T06:18+00:00

We continue our series on Oracle access path scientific analysis. In this latest installment, we’ll do a quick review of some of the blogs that led us to this point. We’ll also learn how to select a set of SQL statements that we will use in our test cases.

DST Deadline - One Week and Counting

cfoot — 2007-03-05T07:02+00:00

Although I didn’t want to break the flow of our series on access path scientific analysis, it is important for us to review the upcoming DST changes one last time. We’ll return to our original discussion on access paths in my next blog.

Access Path Scientific Analysis Part III

cfoot — 2007-02-26T10:04+00:00

Now that we have an understanding of how we can influence access paths using hints and session parameter changes, let’s continue our discussion by reviewing the various types of indexes as well as indexing strategies that affect Oracle access path selection. We’ll complete this series next week when we use all of the information we have learned to perform our own scientific analysis on Oracle optimization.

Access Path Scientific Analysis Part II

cfoot — 2007-02-19T07:30+00:00

We continue to analyze the affects that initialization parameters, statistics and hints have on SQL statement access paths. In this blog, we'll take a look at the hints we will be using to influence the optimizer to select an access path that is different from the one it would normally choose. We'll also review a few of the tools that we will be using to monitor and compare SQL statement access paths and performance for our upcoming tests.

Access Path Scientific Analysis Part I

cfoot — 2007-02-15T11:32+00:00

If you want to become an access path guru, you’ll need to spend some time learning how optimization parameters, statistics and hints affect SQL access paths and statement performance. This blog will provide you with a few hints and tips to help you begin your scientific analysis of the Oracle optimization process. In upcoming blogs, I’ll provide you with some sample test cases.

2007 Daylight Saving Time Changes Update

cfoot — 2007-02-05T05:48+00:00

A quick follow up on the 2007 Daylight Saving Time changes. Since my last blog, I have found some important new information. I’ll also challenge you in this blog with one question – “Are you ready for DST?”.

2007 Daylight Saving Time Changes

cfoot — 2007-01-29T06:53+00:00

We are breaking in to our regularly scheduled blog with the following emergency message: “Are you ready for the impact that the 2007 Daylight Saving Time Changes will have on your Oracle Ecosystems?” I think that after reading this blog, you’ll agree that much work needs to be done to ensure that our systems are able to handle the new Daylight Saving Time dates for 2007.

Access Paths VII – Access Path Education

cfoot — 2007-01-22T06:13+00:00

A few recommendations from your friendly ex-Oracle instructor on resources that will help you learn more about Oracle access paths. These resources will benefit beginners and tuning gurus alike.

Access Paths VI – 10G Grid Control SQL Details Panels

cfoot — 2007-01-15T05:33+00:00

We continue our discussion on Oracle access path identification. This blog takes an in-depth look at 10G Grid Control’s SQL Details Panels.

Access Path Identification - Part V

cfoot — 2007-01-08T06:27+00:00

The series on access path identification continues. We’ll review a couple of 9I Oracle Enterprise Manager tools that we can use to identify Oracle access paths. I’ll also show you a couple of beneficial utilities that will help you better understand access paths, monitor database performance and tune statements running in an Oracle 9I database environment.

Happy Holidays

cfoot — 2006-12-27T09:23+00:00

Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy holiday and a great New Year. My next blog entry will be January 8th! We'll continue our discussion on access path identification.

Access Path Identification - Part IV

cfoot — 2006-12-18T20:51+00:00

We continue our discussion on Oracle access paths. In this blog, we’ll learn about the SQL*PLUS Autotrace utility and everyone’s favorite tracing tool SQL Trace. Since there is an abundance of information available, we’ll cover these tools briefly and I’ll provide you with some great links to learn more.

Access Path Identification - Part III

cfoot — 2006-12-11T05:46+00:00

Now that we have a firm understanding of Oracle's plan table and V$SQL_PLAN, let's continue our education by learning how to format the raw data contained in these two objects. In addition, we'll also learn how to create graphical access path displays using the raw data as input.

System Triage V - Access Path Identification Part II

cfoot — 2006-12-04T07:05+00:00

We continue our series on system triage by learning how to find the access paths our poorly performing queries are taking during execution. In this blog, we’ll review the two data objects that contain the access path raw data - plan_table and v$sql_plan. In addition will review a few of the V$ dynamic performance views that provide information pertaining to SQL statements executing in our Oracle database environment.

System Triage IV - Access Path Identification Part I

cfoot — 2006-11-20T05:55+00:00

Now that we have used 10G DBConsole's toolsets to identify the top resource consumers, our next step is to determine the access paths our poorly performing queries are taking. This series of blogs begins with a high-level overview of Oracle query optimization. We'll also learn the difference between estimated and runtime access paths. Subsequent blogs will provide details on the various tools we can use to retrieve access path information.

System Triage Part III - Finding the Top Resource Consumers

cfoot — 2006-11-13T05:43+00:00

In part three of this series, we'll use 10G Grid Standalone to identify the top resource consumers for a given instance. We'll learn that 10G's DBConsole is able to provide us with all of the information we need to identify the top resource consumers, what resources they are consuming and the SQL they are executing.

System Triage Part II – Host Performance Analysis Using Grid Control and Host Commands

cfoot — 2006-11-06T06:18+00:00

In my previous blog, we discussed the investigative process used to determine exactly what application component is causing the performance problem. This blog will cover the various Grid Control and Host Monitoring Tools we can use to further drill down into the database ecosystem (database, O/S, hardware server) to provide us with additional diagnostic information. In future blogs, we’ll continue our investigation using Grid Control’s database performance monitoring and analysis tools.

Let’s Get Technical! – Using Deductive Reasoning and Communication Skills to Identify and Solve Performance Problems

cfoot — 2006-10-30T05:47+00:00

Those that excel at tuning understand that the tuning process starts with an understanding of the problem and continues with the DBA collecting statistical information. Information collection begins at a global level and then narrows in scope until the problem is pinpointed. Part 1 of this series provides hints and tips that can be used to determine what architectural component is causing the problem. In subsequent blogs, we’ll learn how to use the toolsets provided in Oracle9I and Oracle10G to continue the investigation.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA - Excelling at Verbal and Written Communications

cfoot — 2006-10-23T05:42+00:00

I thought I would spend one of the last few blogs in this series by discussing the importance of soft skills. If you want to remain competitive in this profession, you must be able to communicate effectively. I'll provide you with a few helpful hints and tips to improve your verbal and written communication skills.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA – Obtaining the Most Benefit From Oracle Training

cfoot — 2006-10-16T05:54+00:00

This blog will provide you with some hints and tips that will help you obtain the most benefit when you attend “Old OU” (Oracle University). I’ll also provide some recommendations to help you pass the Oracle Certification Exams.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA - Third Party Product Evaluations

cfoot — 2006-10-09T05:35+00:00

Database administrators are much more than just “table jockeys.” Because of our well-rounded expertise, we are often asked to help evaluate third-party business applications, application development tools and database administration and monitoring products. Over the years, I have developed a Product Evaluation Methodology that you may find helpful.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA – A Preview of Future Blogs

cfoot — 2006-09-25T05:20+00:00

I’ll provide you with a quick preview of the last few remaining blogs on this topic. I’ll be taking a one-week vacation and I’ll see you back here in two weeks!

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA – Paranoid DBA Best Practices

cfoot — 2006-09-18T06:14+00:00

Ever look at a screen’s output and get that puckered feeling in the pit of your stomach? If you have been working in this profession for any amount of time, you know the feeling I’m talking about. The feeling that makes you think you would rather be living in Montana making woodcarvings at a roadside stand than being a DBA. I’ll be taking a somewhat lighthearted look at the perils of our profession and discuss ways to reduce problem occurrences.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA Continues

cfoot — 2006-09-11T16:44+00:00

The next few blogs in this series provide readers with miscellaneous hints and tips to enhance their skill sets and improve their ability to provide quality support to their customers. In my next blog, we’ll look at “Paranoid DBA” best practices.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA - Naming Conventions

cfoot — 2006-09-05T06:17+00:00

Ever fumble around at 2 AM looking for that SQL statement you wrote a while back? You know, that one special script that will give you just the information you need to solve the problem and go back to bed? I must admit, I have done my fair share of moonlight script hunting. This blog will provide you with a few recommendations on naming convention best practices.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA - Application Change Management Best Practices

cfoot — 2006-08-29T05:40+00:00

Database administrators are ultimately responsible for guaranteeing the quality of their organization’s database environments. From protecting against unauthorized access to providing 24x7 availability – “the buck stops at the DBA Unit.” Although the database infrastructure (DB binaries, O/S, hardware) doesn’t change much, there is one component that usually changes a lot – the application. This blog provides readers with helpful hints and tips on application change management best practices.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA – Database Recovery Best Practices

cfoot — 2006-08-21T05:07+00:00

We are going to cover a lot of different topics in the next few blogs. The information will range the spectrum, from keeping our environments organized and uncluttered to backup and recovery best practices.

This blog will focus on the most important responsibility we are charged with as DBAs - ensuring that our organization’s databases can be quickly and easily recovered.

Application Design Review Meetings

cfoot — 2006-08-14T06:46+00:00

Let's continue our discussion on the Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA. The intent of this blog is to help administrators design and standardize on a formalized design review process. The goal of the design review process is to identify and address application design, process flow, program logic and SQL statement problems early in the development lifecycle. Identifying these issues early in the development lifecycle allows them to be more easily addressed than if they were to be identified during later stages.

Data Administration - Laying the Foundation for High Quality Applications

cfoot — 2006-08-07T06:19+00:00

I absolutely and firmly believe that Data Administrators are the unsung heroes of the Information Technology profession. This blog will be shorter than most. The reason is that I don't consider myself qualified to instruct others in the Data Administration function. I will state that after twenty years of working as DBA, I can perform the basic functions fairly well when I need to. The intent of this blog is to provide readers with a launching point to start their education and stress the importance of effective data resource management.

Good Documentation is Essential

cfoot — 2006-07-31T15:22+00:00

Let’s start our series on the Non Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA by covering the art of good documentation. Although the importance of a well thought out and detailed documentation library is blatantly obvious, creating documentation is the task most often postponed by an overworked DBA unit.

The Non-Technical Art of Being a Successful DBA

cfoot — 2006-07-24T16:48+00:00

One of the benefits of my 20-year career (I think) is that most of the jobs I have held can be described as somewhat “unforgiving”, shall we say… What these jobs taught me is that I needed more than just technical expertise to become successful in my chosen profession. I quickly learned that becoming proficient at the various disciplines I will be discussing in upcoming blogs was just as challenging to me as honing my technical skill sets.

I’ve been able to learn from my mistakes and make changes in my technical and non-technical approach to database administration to overcome my shortcomings. I’d like to cover some of my personal best practices that have made my life as a DBA more productive and my customers and co-workers happier.

10G Bigfile Tablespaces

cfoot — 2006-07-17T03:31+00:00

Oracle 10G introduced a new type of tablespace called a Bigfile Tablespace. When I read the 10G New Features manual and found out that you could create a terabyte sized datafile using the Bigfile option, I wanted to immediately find an environment that had enough free disk to allow me to create my first terabyte datafile. That was over a year ago and I still haven't found a server with a free terabyte of disk that I can use for testing. Even though I haven't made it into the terabyte datafile club yet, I thought I would discuss Bigfile tablespaces in this blog.

Finding Information Quickly - The Key to Success

cfoot — 2006-07-03T05:31+00:00

I have taught hundreds of people how to administer Oracle during my career as an Oracle instructor. For those of you just entering this profession, here is my most sage piece of advice:

"The hallmark of a good DBA is not knowing everything, it's knowing where to look when you don't."

I thought it might be beneficial for us to review some of the various technical resources currently available to us. You'll find a listing of my favorite authors, bloggers and websites in this blog. The list will also include my favorite educational website of all time, the Oracle Knowledge Center. I'll be off on vacation next week, so I'll see you in two weeks!

SQL*PLUS Tips and Tricks

cfoot — 2006-06-27T09:41+00:00

I thought I’d provide you with a couple of quick SQL*PLUS tips and tricks this week. Some of the features are new in 10G, while others are available in earlier releases. I think you’ll find them all to be very helpful.

The Importance of Soft Skills

cfoot — 2006-06-19T05:37+00:00

I thought I would deviate from my usual discussion on 10G technical topics for one blog. I’d like to talk about non-technical skill sets and the important role they play in our careers.

It used to be that you could get by with a total lack of interpersonal skills in our profession. Well those days are long gone. If you want to succeed, you’ll need to learn how to communicate effectively and play well with others. This blog contains a few pearls of wisdom, and a story or two, to help you become a well-rounded technician that is on the fast track to a successful career.

Data Pump Import

cfoot — 2006-06-12T05:54+00:00

Let’s finish this series on 10G Data Pump by investigating the Data Pump Import utility. In this blog, we'll learn how to execute 10G Data Pump Import and take advantage of some of its more popular features.

Data Pump Export

cfoot — 2006-06-05T05:33+00:00

This is part three of a series on 10G Data Pump. In part one, we reviewed a few of the new features that make Data Pump Export and Import attractive alternatives to their ancestors, Export and Import. Part two focused on the 10G Data Pump architecture. We continue the discussion in this blog by learning how to use 10G Data Pump Export to "pump" data out of an Oracle database.

Data Pump Design and Architecture

cfoot — 2006-05-30T05:38+00:00

Now that we have a general understanding of some of the features that 10G Data Pump provides, let’s peel back a few of the layers and see how this utility works. In this blog, we’ll take an in-depth look at the Data Pump architecture.

10G Data Pump Part 1 - Features and Benefits

cfoot — 2006-05-22T06:05+00:00

Describing the Oracle Export and Import utilities as slow is like saying the Titanic sprung a small leak. Stories of Export and Import executions running for hours (and sometime days) are commonplace. Oracle 10G provides a new data movement utility, called Data Pump, to increase the performance of data transfers.

Now that I've used Data Pump, I found out that the improvements go far beyond mere performance enhancements. In part 1 of this multi-part series on the Data Pump toolsets, I'll cover some of the new features and functionalities the utility provides. In upcoming blogs, we'll take a look at the data pump architecture and compare the toolset to its ancestors Export and Import.

Redo Log File Sizing Advisor

cfoot — 2006-05-15T05:10+00:00

Correctly sizing online redo log files is critical if you want to achieve ‘maximus database performis’. 10G Grid Control provides a redo log file sizing advisor that provides administrators with an initial sizing recommendation. I’ll begin this blog by showing you how to use the automatic sizing advisor and continue our discussion by explaining the manual process of determining the size of your online redo logs.

SQL Access Advisor Revisited

cfoot — 2006-05-08T06:09+00:00

Although I provided a quick demo on how to use 10G Grid Control’s SQL Access Advisor in an earlier blog, I think it may be beneficial for us to take a more in-depth look at this powerful utility. We’ll peel back the covers to find out what the SQL Access Advisor actually does when you activate it as well as the benefits it provides. I think you will find that the SQL Access Advisor is a strong analysis tool that deserves your consideration.

10G Automatic Tuning Optimizer

cfoot — 2006-05-01T05:27+00:00

In a few of my previous blogs, I provided instructions on how to use 10G Grid Control to run the SQL Tuning Advisor and the SQL Access Advisor. In this next couple of blogs, we’ll peel back the layers and find out exactly what happens when these utilities are executed.

In part one of this multi-part blog on the advisors, we take a look at how the SQL Tuning Advisor uses the optimizer to generate its tuning recommendations. We’ll also cover the types of recommendations it provides and how it comes to those conclusions.

A Few More of Oracle 10G's Automatic Features

cfoot — 2006-04-24T05:43+00:00

10G provides so many automatic features that it should have been called 10A for Automatic. Over the course of this blog, I have covered many of the automated features that were introduced in Oracle's latest and greatest release. There are a couple of automatic features that I haven't covered yet that warrant further investigation. We'll discuss automatic undo retention tuning, automatic checkpoint tuning and automatically tuned multi-block reads.

10G Temporary Tablespace Groups

cfoot — 2006-04-17T05:33+00:00

Temporary tablespaces are used to store transient data, which Oracle defines as data that is only available for the duration of the session. The two main types of transient data is data stored in temporary tables and data that is generated by sort operations. Oracle provides temporary tablespaces that are optimized for storage of transient data.

Oracle10G allows administrators to group multiple temporary tablespaces together and assign them to users as a single unit. We'll begin our discussion on temporary tablespace groups by reviewing sort operations and temporary tablespaces, then continue with a discussion on 10G temporary tablespace groups.

Using 10G’s V$SESS_TIME_MODEL and V$SYS_TIME_MODEL Performance Views to Evaluate Database Performance

cfoot — 2006-04-10T06:00+00:00

We all know that the desired result of any tuning exercise is to reduce the amount of time that users spend performing database activities. Good tuners understand that the tuning process starts with an understanding of the problem then continues with the DBA collecting statistical information. Information collection begins at a global level and then narrows in scope until the problem is pinpointed.

Experienced DBAs often start their tuning efforts by selecting data from the V$ dynamic performance tables to view system-wide performance indicators. Thanks to Oracle 10G, we have two new views to add to our tuning arsenal. We’ll take a look at these two time model views in this blog and learn how we can use them to determine where the user processes are spending their time.

10G DB Console Administration Toolset

cfoot — 2006-04-03T05:18+00:00

Readers of this blog know how important I think 10G Grid Control is to the future of Oracle database administration. DBAs must learn to leverage the intelligence built into the Grid Control product set to reduce the amount of time they spend administering, monitoring and troubleshooting Oracle databases.

That being said, there are times when you don't have access to a full blown, enterprise-wide Grid Control environment. Not to worry, Oracle also provides the 10G Database Control administration toolset. 10G Database Control can be used to effectively administer a single Oracle database. Although 10G Database Control might not have the enterprise-wide scope that Grid Control does, it does provide a very robust set of features and functions that are guaranteed to make database administrators more productive. This blog will provide you with a brief overview of the 10G Database Control product set. We'll also compare and contrast Database Control to its big brother, Grid Control.

Administering RAC Environments - An Interview with RAC expert Scott Rupnik

cfoot — 2006-03-27T05:30+00:00

I thought it might be interesting for those of us that don’t administer RAC environments on a daily basis to talk to someone that does. Scott Rupnik is one of our senior-level RAC administrators. Since we administer RAC implementations for many different customers, Scott has experience administering RAC ecosystems that use many different hardware, operating system and disk storage combinations.

This provides Scott with a unique skill set this is pretty rare in our profession. In addition, since Scott has a strong background in both database and operating system administration, he is able to provide us with insight on both of these two tightly coupled RAC components.

New Job Leads to Exciting New Topics. A Preview of Upcoming Blogs.

cfoot — 2006-03-20T05:40+00:00

One of the benefits of working for a remote database services provider is the caliber of people you get to work with. We have some very talented people here at Contemporary Technologies (CTi) and I fully intend to leverage their expertise to improve the quality of this blog.

In addition, I now have access to a wide range of technologies and Oracle features. Since we provide services to many different companies, I will be able to expand the scope of this blog to cover a much wider spectrum of topics.

I’ll provide you with a quick preview of what is coming in the future. In my next blog, I’ll interview Scott Rupnik. Scott is our resident 10G RAC expert. We’ll discuss the benefits of 10G RAC and Scott will provide some helpful hints and tips on 10G RAC installation and administration.

New Challenges

cfoot — 2006-03-13T12:25+00:00

Readers of this blog know that I rarely stray off topic. The intent of this blog to provide technical information to readers that is hopefully both informative and interesting.

That being said, I thought I would write one blog on my personal career path. A career path that will be different by the time my next blog is released. Rest assured that I intend to get back on topic as soon as ppssible.

10G R2 Grid Control Hang Analyis Feature

cfoot — 2006-03-06T08:00+00:00

I was going to show you how to schedule statistics gathering jobs manually in 10G Grid Control, but I just used a neat feature that I'd like to show you. 10G Grid Control R2 provides a Hang Analysis tool that helps administrators easily identify contention problems.

We recently used the Hang Analysis feature to quickly identify an application transaction that was blocking other transactions from successfully executing. I thought it might be beneficial for us to deviate from our intended topic of discussion to review 10G R2 Grid Control's Hang Analysis tool. This is one feature that I think you'll find to be VERY worthwhile!

Configuring 10G R2 Grid Control Statistics Gathering Job Default Options

cfoot — 2006-02-27T07:04+00:00

Now that we understand how to set up maintenance windows, let’s take a look at 10G Grid Control’s (Enterprise Manager), default statistics gathering options. It is important that we understand what the options are and how to configure them. Only then can we determine if the automatic and manually executed statistics gathering jobs are configured to meet the needs of our individual database applications.

Configuring 10G OEM Grid Control Maintenance Windows

cfoot — 2006-02-20T07:06+00:00

Now that we have a general understanding of the important role that statistics play in query optimization, let's forge ahead with our discussion on statistics administration best practices. In this blog, we'll learn how to configure 10G Grid Control R2's maintenance windows to tailor them to meet our application's business processing requirements. In the next blog, we'll examine the optimizer statistics gathering default options page and discuss what some of the recommended settings should be.

In the last blog of this series, we’ll complete our discussion on 10G Grid Control R2 optimizer statistics administration by learning how to schedule optimizer statistics gathering jobs manually.

10G Optimizer Statistics Gathering

cfoot — 2006-02-13T07:23+00:00

10G Grid Control provides an optimizer statistics administration panel that allows administrators to gather, restore, delete, lock and unlock object statistics. Before we learn how to use 10G Grid Control R2’s object statistics administrations panels, let's take a quick look at object statistics and find out why they are so important to effective query optimization.

Part 1 of this three part series will provide a high-level overview of optimizer statistics. Part 2 will focus on maintenance windows that control when automatic statistics gathering jobs run. In part 3, we’ll learn how to use 10G Grid Control R2 to ensure that the optimizer has the correct statistical information it needs to generate optimal access paths.

Our ASM Test Plan

cfoot — 2006-02-08T13:54+00:00

We are moving forward with our ASM evaluation. We recently held a facilitated brainstorming session that was led by Giant Eagle’s ace data administrator Jim McQuade. Jim has extensive training and experience in meeting management and did an excellent job leading the meeting. I thought I would spend a few minutes on effective meeting management and show you the rough draft of our high-level ASM test plan.

The Passing of Lex de Haan

cfoot — 2006-02-05T08:36+00:00

The Oracle community lost a valued contributor. Oracle author, presenter and educator Lex de Haan passed away after a battle with cancer. I intended to write about our Giant Eagle ASM test plan but it is important for me to take a few minutes to talk about Lex first. Look for my blog on our test plan in a day or two.

Oracle ASM Kickoff

cfoot — 2006-01-30T06:50+00:00

Let’s deviate from 10G EM R2 for a blog or two. As I mentioned in an earlier discussion, we are in the beginning stages of testing Oracle ASM here at Giant Eagle. I thought I would provide you with some general information on ASM and why we are interested in it. In my next blog, I’ll show you our ASM test plan.

My Podcast Interview!

cfoot — 2006-01-24T12:09+00:00

I made the big-time! Tom Parrish recently interviewed me for a DBAZine Podcast. I think streaming audio Podcast’s are an exciting addition to the web experience. Tom and I talk about my newly received Oracle Ace title, technology advancements in the retail industry, blogging, outsourcing and the changing role of the DBA. Oh, and we also talk about what to do, and what NOT to do, when giving presentations.

10G OEM Grid Control R2 Reporting Capabilities

cfoot — 2006-01-23T07:23+00:00

One of the features that was missing in 10G R1 was a tool that allowed administrators to generate reports on system related information. 9I OEM's reporting feature could be described as somewhat rudimentary but it got the job done. That job was to quickly generate pre-created and AD-HOC reports using one, or more, database targets as input. Although 10G R1 is far superior to its 9I OEM counterpart, its reporting functionalities were limited.

10G Grid Control R2 comes to the rescue with a new reporting capability that makes 9I OEM's reporting capabilities pale in comparison. Let's face it, DBAs have too much to do. The less time we have to spend retrieving information we need to make decisions, the more time we have to make them.

Executing SQL Scripts Against Multiple Database Targets Using 10G OEM Grid Control R2

cfoot — 2006-01-16T06:27+00:00

Last week, we discussed 10G Grid Control R2’s feature that allows us to run host commands against multiple targets at the same time. 10G Grid Control R2 also provides an easy-to-use panel that allows administrators to run SQL scripts against multiple database targets simultaneously. Just like its host command counterpart, all we need to do is code up a SQL statement, choose a set of database targets, run the SQL against the multiple targets and review the output. Simple as can be.

10G R2 Multi-Host Script Execution and Oracle ASM Intro

cfoot — 2006-01-09T08:00+00:00

A weird combination of topics to start the New Year on but I think it is important for us to cover a few interesting enhancements contained in 10G R2 Enterprise Manager.

In addition, we are starting our official ASM (Automatic Storage Management) evaluation project . The end result of the project would be the conversion of 10.2 Terabytes of disk to Oracle ASM. Could make for a very interesting set of blogs, don't you think?

What's Coming in 2006

cfoot — 2005-12-19T07:05+00:00

This will be my last blog of 2005. I have been blogging on DBAZine for over a year now. I thought I would take one blog to quickly review where we have been and where we'll be going in 2006.

I intend to broaden our range of discussion topics in the upcoming year. But I also intend to dedicate numerous blogs to previously discussed topics including data warehouse administration, 10G Enterprise Manager and Oracle database 10G R2.

10G OEM Grid Control R2 New Features and Oracle’s Newest Ace

cfoot — 2005-12-12T07:24+00:00

This is a weird combination of topics. We are currently installing and configuring the latest and greatest release of Oracle’s enterprise-wide monitoring and administration toolset, 10G Grid Control R2. I am very excited about the new features and functionality that this new release provides. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details about the release’s new feature set, I thought I would take one blog to discuss some of the features we are interested in.

The other topic is a quick announcement to let you know that I am Oracle’s newest Ace. A title that I am very proud to have.

You Can’t Improve What You Can’t Compare

cfoot — 2005-12-05T12:13+00:00

I have always thought that a graphical display utility that compared performance statistics would be a worthwhile tool. You could compare the statistics captured from two sets of timelines and quickly identify the differences.

10G Grid Control provides a comparison utility that allows administrators to compare two sets of ADDM snapshots. Although it provides a very simple comparison at this time, it is certainly a step in the right direction. This blog will show you how to select the timelines and perform the comparison.

The Future of Database Tuning - Using ADDM Tasks and Intelligent Advisors to Solve Database Performance Problems

cfoot — 2005-11-28T07:31+00:00

Now that we have learned how to create Statspack-Style performance reports from Automatic Workload Repository snapshots, let’s run an ADDM task and an intelligent advisor or two and let 10G Grid Control do the diagnostic grunt work for us. As I ranted in my previous blog, ADDM and the intelligent advisors are the future of database performance analysis. The era of relying totally on DBA experience and expertise to tune Oracle is rapidly drawing to a close.

We'll create a not-so mythical performance problem and use the output from an ADDM task to provide us with the diagnostic information and recommendations we need to solve the issue. Along the way we'll look at some of the different features and functionality that ADDM offers.

Generating Workload Repository Performance Reports and the Future of Database Tuning

cfoot — 2005-11-21T06:38+00:00

This blog should be a quick and easy read. I will admit that this is a weird combination of topics. We are going to learn how to generate traditional, Statspack-style performance reports from the Automatic Workload Repository. This blog also contains my thoughts on the future of database tuning. And the future does NOT include administrators poring over reams of database statistics to tune Oracle databases.

I absolutely and firmly believe that ADDM and the intelligent advisors are the future of database performance analysis. In my next blog, we let Oracle do all of the tuning work for us when we generate an ADDM task from the same set of beginning and ending snapshot IDs.

Oracle Database 10G Express Edition

cfoot — 2005-11-14T07:25+00:00

It looks like I am going to have to deviate from my intended topic of discussion for one blog. Oracle has recently announced 10G Express Edition with great fanfare. I thought that I would provide you with a quick overview of the product. We’ll then get back on track next week when I discuss 10G EM performance snapshot reports.

Configuring and Administering Automatic Workload Repository Performance Snapshots

cfoot — 2005-11-07T11:19+00:00

Now that we have a good overview of 10G AWR snapshots, let’s continue our discussion by learning how to tailor the 10G AWR snapshot environment to meet our specific needs.

If you are like me, I’m sure you would rather learn how to use the performance statistics captured in the snapshots to monitor and tune your databases. But we must spend one blog learning how to configure 10G Grid Control to ensure that we have the information we need. We can’t tune if we don’t have adequate performance measurements!

Working with Automatic Workload Repository Performance Snapshots

cfoot — 2005-10-31T06:29+00:00

Now that we have completed our discussion on the 10G EM Advisors, let’s take an in-depth look at the performance statistics capturing and reporting capabilities provided by 10G EM. Oracle 10G captures performance statistics on a periodic basis and stores the data in the Automatic Workload Repository. The individual statistic capture executions are called AWR Snapshots.

We’ll begin our discussion with a review of the 10G AWR snapshot environment. In a series of upcoming blogs will learn how to use AWR Snapshots to generate performance reports, compare two sets of performance statistics to one another, compare a captured set of statistics to a baseline and finally, how to preserve snapshot sets for future diagnostic use. When we are done with this series, you’ll be saying “Statspack, who needs THAT tired old tool anymore?"

10G Undo Advisor

cfoot — 2005-10-24T07:00+00:00

We continue our discussion on the 10G Grid Control advisors. In this blog, I’ll provide you with a brief review of Automatic Undo Management in Oracle 10G. I’ll continue the discussion by showing you how to use the 10G Grid Control Automatic Undo Advisor to determine how much space you will need in your undo tablespace for a specified undo retention time period.

10G Enterprise Manager Standalone Java Console

cfoot — 2005-10-17T07:47+00:00

Before we return to our series of blogs on 10G EM features and functionality, I think it is important for us to discuss the 10G Enterprise Manager Standalone Java Console. Previous blogs have contained information on troubleshooting 10G EM management server to agent communications. But what happens if the entire environment goes down and you still want to use a GUI version of the tool? In addition, the management server version of 10G EM currently does not provide the capability of administering some of Oracle’s advanced features such as streams, advanced queuing, etc..

This blog will show you how to install and configure the 10G Enterprise Manager Standalone Java Console. We’ll also compare and contrast the Java Console to its big brother that uses the management server and repository.

Book Review - Expert Oracle Database Architecture 9i and 10g Programming Techniques and Solutions by Thomas Kyte

cfoot — 2005-10-10T06:08+00:00

Before we return to our regularly scheduled 10G EM topics, I'd like to provide you with my opinions on Tom Kyte's latest book.

Completing the Puzzle - Analyzing Agent to Management Server Communications

cfoot — 2005-10-03T09:37+00:00

This is the final blog of a three part series on troubleshooting 10G Grid Control agent to management server communication issues. I’ll start the discussion by summarizing a few key points from the previous two blogs.

I’ll also provide a few hints that will help you determine where to start the debugging process (management server or agent). I’ll complete this series by showing you how to activate detailed tracing on the agent and management server components. If you can’t identify the problem by analyzing error messages normally generated by the agents and management server, you’ll have to activate more detailed traces to gather additional diagnostic data.

Troubleshooting 10G OEM Grid Control's Management Server Components

cfoot — 2005-09-26T04:53+00:00

Let's continue our discussion on debugging 10G Enterprise Manager agent to management server communications. My last blog covered some of Giant Eagle's experiences with agent administration and troubleshooting. But the management agents are only one piece of the puzzle; the problem could also be on the management server. As a result, when debugging communication failures we must also spend some time reviewing diagnostic information generated by the 10G Grid Control management server environment.

Administering and Troubleshooting 10G OEM Grid Control Management Agents

cfoot — 2005-09-19T05:09+00:00

As we continue down our path of 10G Grid Control enlightenment, I thought it might be advantageous to deviate from our discussions on the advisors for yet another blog. Keeping the communications flowing between the agents and the management console can be somewhat tricky at times. I will admit that most of our issues were "self inflicted". If you are like us, you'll have to learn how to troubleshoot a problem or two until you gain experience.

We have been installing and administering the 10G agents for some time now and we think we have crested the top of the learning curve. Once you gain experience, the environment pretty works as advertised. I thought I would give you a few helpful facts on how to administer the agents and also provide you with some information on how we solved some of the problems we have encountered. In an upcoming blog I'll describe how to troubleshoot the management server.

10G Shrink Command

cfoot — 2005-09-12T04:34+00:00

We were in the process of discussing 10G Grid Control’s Segment Analyzer before being interrupted by a one terabyte table that I discussed in the last blog. In this blog, I’ll get back on track by reviewing the different alternatives we can use to reclaim wasted space in Oracle10G.

Since the Segment Analyzer and online shrink command were introduced in Oracle10G, I’ll spend a few minutes discussing how you can identify and shrink objects in pre-10G releases.

Administering Terabyte Tables - An Interview with Data Warehouse DBA Jim Dojonovic

cfoot — 2005-09-06T08:14+00:00

Consider this to be yet another "Stop the Presses Blog". I originally intended to discuss the different toolsets that DBAs can use to reclaim unused space allocated to Oracle objects. This installment was to be the follow-up to my previous blog on the Segment Analyzer. But we have hit an important milestone here at Giant Eagle, so I thought I would deviate from my intended topic for one blog.

If you have been following this series, you'll know that my unit is responsible for administering several large data warehouses. The warehouse that we most recently converted to 10G has a single, partitoned table that has just grown to one terabyte in size. The entire database is multiple terabytes and rapidly growing at hundreds (and hundreds) of MEGs per month. We estimate that within 2 years, the database will be close to 10 terabytes in size. I thought it might be interesting to interview our "big data" DBA, Jim Dojonovic. Jim is responsible for administering our data warehouses.

10G Segment Advisor

cfoot — 2005-08-29T04:45+00:00

The 10G segment advisor identifies segments that have become fragmented as a result of update and delete operations. Oracle describes these objects as being sparsely populated. Not only do sparsely populated objects waste space but they can also contribute to SQL performance problems.

This blog will show you how to use the 10G segment advisor to identify sparsely populated segments. In my next blog, we'll discuss the different alternatives we can use to reclaim the wasted space.

10G Automatic Shared Memory Management and Memory Advisors

cfoot — 2005-08-22T05:29+00:00

The memory advisors can only be activated when 10G's automatic shared memory management feature is turned off. Since the memory advisors are pretty simple, I thought I would include a discussion on 10G's automatic shared memory management feature. So consider this blog to be your first "two for one special" from your friendly ex-Oracle instructor.

SQL Tuning Advisor

cfoot — 2005-08-15T04:45+00:00

SQL tuning can be a real pain. I have been doing it for 15 years and it is still one of the most challenging parts of my job. I have always described SQL tuning as more of an art than a science. Hopefully, as the SQL Tuning Advisor matures, it will help transform a once time-consuming and arduous burden into just one more line item on a DBA’s “TODO” list. This blog presents an overview of 10G Grid Control’s SQL Tuning Advisor.

SQL Tuning Sets

cfoot — 2005-08-08T05:35+00:00

SQL Tuning Sets are stored groupings of SQL statemtents that can be used as input to the SQL Access Advisor and the SQL Tuning Advisor (next blog). If you intend to use 10G Grid Control to tune SQL, you'll be using SQL Tuning Sets. So, I’d like to spend a few minutes discussing them before we discuss the SQL Tuning Advisor.

Oracle 10G R2 New Features Part 3

cfoot — 2005-08-01T05:10+00:00

We have reached the final blog on 10G R2 New Features. I think that after reading the last blog of this series, you'll agree that 10G R2 (like all new Oracle releases) contains a LOT of interesting and beneficial enhancements.

I'll get back on track in the next blog by discussing how to use 10G Enterprise Manager SQL Tuning Sets.

Oracle 10G R2 New Features Part 2

cfoot — 2005-07-22T05:32+00:00

Oracle has recently announced that 10GR2 for Linux is available for download from their technical website. If you read my last blog, you will probably agree that this release has some pretty interesting and beneficial features. But there are a few more enhancements that we need to cover before we can call ourselves 10G R2 new features experts. So, let's forge ahead and continue our discussion on 10G Release 2.

Oracle 10G R2 New Features

cfoot — 2005-07-16T06:33+00:00

OK, here comes another "Stop the Presses" blog. I intended to discuss the SQL Tuning Advisor, but Oracle 10G R2 intervened. Since Oracle is currently publicizing all of the features contained in the latest and greatest release of its flagship product, I thought it would be appropriate to spend a few blogs discussing them.

Rest assured, we will continue our discussion on the10G EM advisors once we have completed our review of 10G R2.

10G SQL Access Advisor

cfoot — 2005-07-07T05:18+00:00

OK, let's continue our review of 10G Enterprise Manager's Advisors. In this blog, we turn our attention to the SQL Access Advisor (not to be confused with the SQL Tuning Advisor which is a totally different tool). We'll begin by reviewing the benefits that the SQL Access Advisor provides and finish with a quick demo of the tool.

10G Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM)

cfoot — 2005-06-30T19:01+00:00

OK, now that I’ve given you a “brief” overview of the 10G Grid Control advisor toolsets, let’s start our in-depth discussions of them by reviewing Oracle’s Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (affectionately known as ADDM).

Once I cover all of the advisors, we’ll review what we have learned and then apply our newfound knowledge by running through a couple of performance tuning scenarios.

A Quick Blog about the Author

cfoot — 2005-06-20T06:31+00:00

I’ve been writing this blog for a while now. I have received a fair number of questions about my background. So I thought I would spend a few minutes in one blog discussing my “body of work” to date. Rest assured I won’t make this a habit. Mainly because I’m not that interesting. We’ll then get back on topic and continue our discussion on the 10G EM advisors.

An Overview of 10G Advisors

cfoot — 2005-06-10T17:00+00:00

In my last blog, I presented a quick overview of 10G Enterprise Manager’s database performance monitoring capabilities. Oracle’s latest release also contains numerous enhancements to Enterprise Manager’s advisor utilities. This blog contains a high level overview of the various advisors available in 10G Grid Control. In subsequent blogs, we’ll take an in-depth look at each one of them to see exactly what benefits they offer.

Advisory Framework - 10G Common Manageability Infrastructure

cfoot — 2005-06-02T19:17+00:00

Before we begin our discussion on the intelligent advisors contained in Oracle10G, it is important that we review the entire architecture from a higher level. I want to make sure that we all have a firm understanding of 10G's Common Manageability Infrastructure before we begin reviewing the individual advisors.

To ensure that we have this firm foundation, we must learn more about the Automatic Workload Repository and Active Session History which capture the data that many of the advisors use as input. Although, the Automatic Workload Repository and Active Session History may not be as exciting as the advice provided by the advisors and the automatic tuning recommendations provided by ADDM, it is important for us to understand the information used as input by these new components.

Database Performance Monitoring Using 10G OEM Grid Control

cfoot — 2005-05-23T07:06+00:00

Let's forge ahead with our discussion on 10G Grid Control's performance monitoring capablities by turning our attention to database performance. Like the blogs on 10G host performance, I’ll break this information up into two blogs. This first blog will provide you with a quick tour of EM's database performance monitoring component. In my next blog, I'll provide you with a brief overview on how to use the information it generates to monitor database performance.

We’ll then take a look at 10G Grid Control’s performance advisors that are grouped together in Advisor Central. Once we have a firm understanding of Enterprise Manager’s performance and tuning capabilities, we’ll put our newfound knowledge to use when we use EM to solve some real-world performance problems.

Configuring 10G OEM Grid Control's Automatic Alert Notification System

cfoot — 2005-05-14T11:24+00:00

Before we begin our discussion on 10G Grid Control's database monitoring and tuning features, I thought I would show you how to configure the 10G Grid Control environment to provide automatic notifications. Creating automatic notifications allows database administrators to identify (and correct) performance and availability issues before they negatively impact the database environment.

In many of my blogs, I have been promising to cover this topic. In addition, I'm getting a little tired of writing "We'll learn more about creating and modifying performance alerts in upcoming blogs." So consider this "the upcoming blog."

Using 10G OEM Grid Control's Host Performance Monitoring and Tuning Features

cfoot — 2005-05-04T11:24+00:00

We took a quick detour from 10G in my last blog. In this blog, we get back on topic by discussing 10G Enterprise Manager's host performance monitoring and tuning features. In the final installment of this two-part series, I'll show you how to use 10G Grid Control's drilldown capabilities to identify performance problems.

Optimizer Plan Stability in Oracle9i

cfoot — 2005-04-28T09:21+00:00

What? A 9I article in a 10G blog? What happened? And its not on host monitoring like you promised? Blashpemy! Well, I thought I'd deviate from 10G for one blog to show you something neat that we have been using to tune vendor queries that are not coded for "optimal performance".

So here's what I'll do to make up for it. Because Stored Outline administration has changed somehwat much from 9I to 10G, I'll make sure I cover how Stored Outlines are created and administered in a 10G environment in a future blog.

Host Performance Monitoring Using 10G Enterprise Manager Grid Control

cfoot — 2005-04-20T19:15+00:00

No matter how expertly you tune an Oracle database, if the server it runs on is overloaded, underpowered or configured incorrectly, you will never obtain "maximus database performis".

So, let's start our discussion on 10G Enterprise Manager's performance monitoring features by investigating the tool's new host monitoring capabilities. This first blog will provide you with a quick tour of EM's hot new host monitoring component. In my next blog, I'll show you how you use the information it generates to monitor operating system and hardware performance.

A Preview of Upcoming Blogs

2005-04-12T14:01+00:00

Ok, I just got notification that the administrators need to "freeze" this blogsite for a few days. The freeze starts on Wednesday (4/13/05) and may last until this coming Friday or Monday. We are converting to a new content management system called Plone. Plone is an open-source content management system that provides the capability for blogs, RSS feeds, and other fun stuff.

I wanted to try and squeeze a blog in that discusses 10G Grid Control's new host monitoring features. These new tools will allow us to monitor and tune the hardware and operating system environment that Oracle runs on. But it looks like I'm not going to make the deadline. I started to rush through the article (or blog or whatever you want to call it) and decided that I would prefer to postpone it until next week. There is just too much information to cover and rushing through it would be a disservice to you and to the host monitoring features that 10G Enterprise Manager provides. I want to cover each new feature as thoroughly as I can. I have numerous screen prints, hints and tips I want to include in this next blog.

So we'll switch topics for a minute and I'll provide you with a quick preview of what's to come in future blogs.

10G OEM Grid Control Performance Overview

2005-04-04T08:31+00:00

Consider this to be the first of many blogs on the art of performance monitoring and tuning using 10G Enterprise Manager. I'll start the series by discussing how the latest release of Oracle's SGT (Sissy GUI Tool) will force us to change the way administer, monitor and tune Oracle databases.

In upcoming blogs, I'll break 10G Grid Control's monitoring infrastructure into individual components and discuss each one in-depth. By the time I'm done, we'll all be 10G Enterprise Manager experts.

Database Upgrade Tips

2005-03-31T09:07+00:00

In my last blog, I discussed the various testing strategies we implemented at Giant Eagle to make sure we had a trouble-free migration to Oracle's latest and greatest release. In this blog, I'll discuss some general techniques you can use to make any database upgrade easier and less error-prone.

In upcoming blogs, I'll cover how we have configured 10G Enterprise Manager to monitor and administer our 10G test and production databases. In addition, I'll also describe how we use the tool to perform performance monitoring and tuning. Performance monitoring and tuning using 10G EM is so drastically different than 9I OEM, that it is definitely worthwhile for me to spend some time telling you how we use it. With SQL joining billion row tables on a regular basis, we quickly become experts on all new tools we use here.

10G Data Warehouses

2005-03-25T13:42+00:00

It has been a long process, but we have successfully converted our first production warehouse to Oracle10G. The database has been running for over a week now with no problems and is performing better than we thought it would. In this first post-turnover blog, I'll cover some of the testing strategies we used to ensure a successful migration to Oracle10G. In part 2, I'll provide you with a laundry list of helpful tips and techniques you can use to make any database upgrade easier and less error-prone.

RMAN 10G Registration Problems

2005-03-16T08:55+00:00

Consider this to be my first "stop the presses" blog. We ran into an issue with RMAN that I think everyone needs to know about. Although the problem's impact was significant enough to stop our 10G conversions, we have identified an easily implemented preventative measure, a fix and an explanation.

If you intend to upgrade any 9I databases to 10G and use RMAN to back them up, it would be worthwhile for you to spend a few minutes reading this blog. If you don't, you may be recreating all of your database's controlfiles to fix a problem that is EASILY prevented.

An Interview with Expert Warehouse Developer Bob George on 10G Application Performance

2005-03-09T07:20+00:00

Giant Eagle's warehouse development team has also been busy putting Oracle10G through its paces. We have spent a lot of time learning how to administer Oracle's latest and greatest release, so let's now turn our attention to what Giant Eagle's application developers have been up to. In this blog, we'll review the results of our application testing and compare some batch and on-line execution times from our 9I data warehouse to its 10G counterpart.

10G RMAN Testing Part 2 - Just call me "The Recovery Kid"

2005-03-04T14:33+00:00

I'll begin part 2 of my series on RMAN by discussing a few of the 10G enhancements that we are interested in. I'll finish this series with our 10G RMAN test plan. Considering that we will be using this new release of RMAN to back up and recover our multiple terabyte data warehouses, I won't rest easy until I know I have tested every command that we use here at Giant Eagle.

Call me paranoid but I will never, ever, ever trust any tool with my career. The test plan included in this blog may seem like overkill to you, but if it reduces my personal anxiety and lowers my (and my unit's) stress during our next recovery, the time spent testing RMAN will be well worth it. The more stressed you are during a recovery, the greater the chance you will have of making mistakes. Recoveries are stressful enough. I don't want to be wondering if the tool is going to work.

10G RMAN Testing Part 1

2005-02-28T18:14+00:00

Recovering an Oracle database is a wonderfully complex task. Data files, log files, control files, full backups, hot backups and point-in-time recoveries all combine to make many administrators lie awake nights wondering if their databases can be easily recovered. Oracle10G contains numerous enhancments to the RMAN backup utility. As a result, a thorough testing of 10G RMAN is warranted.

In part 1 of this 2 part series, I'll provide you with a few backup and recovery tips, tricks and techniques that I think will help both beginners and experts alike. Since we are RMAN aficionados here at Giant Eagle, I'll finish the blog with an introduction to RMAN. In part 2, I'll highlight a few of the 10G RMAN new features we are interested in and provide you with Giant Eagle's detailed 10G RMAN test plan.

Oracle 10G OEM Grid Control Tips, Tricks and Techniques

2005-02-17T06:32+00:00

After spending 20 hours testing Enterprise Manager, I'm happy to report that everything works as advertised. The tool is rock-solid. I thought for sure the product would have at least a few problems that I could report on. So instead of a bug discussion, this blog contains some of the tips and tricks I learned during the execution of my Enterprise Manager test plan.

Oracle 10G OEM Grid Control Testing Results

2005-02-13T08:57+00:00

This is the first release of Oracle that has forced me to spend more time learning how to use the tool to administer the database than I have spent testing the new features the database provides. Now that our 10G OEM testing is finally complete, I'll provide you with two blogs in quick succession. In this first blog, I'll provide you with a high-level over of what we found during our installation and in-depth testing. In the second I'll finish my discussion on OEM with a bulleted list of notes that I compiled during my 20 hours of putting 10G OEM through its paces.

10G Features I Hope I'll Like

2005-02-03T19:35+00:00

We have been testing Oracle10G for some time now. So, I thought I'd spend 5 minutes giving you a quick update on a few new features we are interested in.

Oracle Enterprise Manager 10G Grid Control - Lessons I've Learned the Hard Way

2005-02-01T17:49+00:00

We now have several 10G analysis projects underway. I thought I’d give you a quick update on our accomplishments (or lack thereof) on one of them. This will hopefully prevent others from experiencing the same issues that we just have.

Oracle10G OEM Grid Control Overview and Test Plan

2005-01-28T11:40+00:00

Even with all of the high-tech bells and whistles that 10G offers, the database is useless to us if we can't administer it effectively. For years now, Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) has been the sissy GUI administrative tool of choice for Oracle databases. Oracle10G's OEM is radically different than previous versions. In this blog, I'll provide you with a high level overview of Oracle10G OEM and Giant Eagle's OEM testing plan.

Devising a 10G Testing Strategy and the Anatomy of a 10G Data Warehouse.

2005-01-22T16:40+00:00

Let's take a quick look at our first 10G data warehouse database. Well begin by reviewing some basic reports that describe the general database environment and database structures. As a gift from your friendly ex-Oracle instructor, I'll also provide you with the scripts that generated them. I'll finish the blog with an overview of our Oracle10G testing strategies.

Migrating Data to Oracle10G Part 2 - A Comparison of Upgrade Tools and Procedures.

2005-01-15T16:47+00:00

In Part 2 of our series on upgrading databases to 10G, we review the different upgrade mechanisms available to us: Export/Import, manual upgrade, data copy and the Database Upgrade Assistant (DBUA). I'll finish by providing you with some hints and tips that will help you choose the most appropriate upgrade method for your environment.

Migrating Data to Oracle10G Part 1 - a Review of Database Upgrade Best Practices and an Introduction to the Database Upgrade Assistant SGT (Sissy GUI Tool)

2005-01-10T11:06+00:00

Oracle10G, like all previous releases, allows administrators to choose their conversion toolsets. Let's take a couple of minutes to investigate, compare and contrast the primary Oracle10g upgrade mechanisms that are available. I'll start our discussion by providing you with some upgrade hints and tips that will help you create a successful Oracle10G upgrade strategy.

An Interview with Linux Advocate Jason Heese on Oracle10G and Linux

2005-01-04T10:58+00:00

Before we continue with our discussion on Oracle 10G, I'd like to take a quick literary detour into the world of 10G on Linux. One of our warehouse developers, Jason Heese, has been testing and benchmarking Oracle10G on Linux for some time now. Since I respect Jason's opinion, I thought I'd reserve this blog for Jason's thoughts on the Oracle10G/Linux combination.

Creating an Oracle10G Multi-Terabyte Data Warehouse Database

2004-12-28T12:57+00:00

In my last blog, I reviewed some of of the Oracle10G parameter changes uncovered by our resident 10G researcher, Jim Dojonovic. In this next installment of our epic 10G testing saga, Jim reviews the CREATE DATABASE DDL statement, double checks the operating system environment to ensure the statement will run successfully and finally executes the DDL to create our data warehouse test database.

A Discussion of Obsolete parameters in 10G or "Hey - Where Did LOG_ARCHIVE_START Go?"

2004-12-14T20:56+00:00

Before creating their first data warehouse test database, the DBAs at Giant Eagle review the parameter changes contained in Oracle's latest release.

Oracle10G Binary Installation

2004-12-08T19:46+00:00

Our intrepid DBAs at Giant Eagle continue their exploration of Oracle10G by installing the database binaries on HP, IBM and LINUX.

Oracle10G - Let the Installation Begin!

2004-12-05T12:33+00:00

Now that we have a pretty firm understanding of Oracle10G's new features, lets continue our discussion on 10G by laying the groundwork for our first production conversion. In this blog, we'll talk about how to obtain the Oracle10G product set, Oracle10G's documentation and the Oracle10G media.

Oracle 10G Hidden Features Part II

2004-12-02T13:00+00:00

With all of new features contained in this release, Oracle10G promises to be the most exciting Oracle release to date. This is part two of a series highlighting some of the hidden features that Oracle customers can look forward to when using the "latest and greatest" version of Oracle’s flagship database product, Oracle10G.

Oracle10G Hidden Features Part I

2004-12-02T12:44+00:00

The first in a series of blogs that provides information on the little-known features, the "Hidden Secrets of 10G", that are rarely discussed but are designed to improve the overall quality of the Oracle database environment.

Oracle10G New Features Part II

2004-12-02T12:14+00:00

Part two of a two-part blog series that describes the new features contained in Oracle10G. In this blog, we'll review the following 10G new features: Automatic SGA Managment, Automatic Workload Repository, Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor, SQL Access Advisor, Transportble Tablesace and Data Pump. Maybe 10G should have been named 10A for automatic!

Oracle 10G New Features Part I

2004-11-18T12:35+00:00

Oracle claims that Oracle10G raises the competitive bar by which all future database servers will be judged. Oracle's latest release contains enhancements in virtually all areas of the database server, resulting in an Oracle database with improvements in scalability, availability, performance, manageability, multimedia datatype support and functionality. This blog is part one of a two part blog series that provide a high level overview of some of the more important (and hopefully, interesting) changes contained in Oracle’s latest release.