Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide Administrator 12c Release 1(12.1)

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Oracle®
Database

Administrator's Guide
12c Release 1 (12.1)
E41484-10

August 2014

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide, 12c Release 1 (12.1)
E41484-10
Copyright © 2001, 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Primary Author:

Randy Urbano

Contributor: The Oracle Database 12c documentation is dedicated to Mark Townsend, who was an
inspiration to all who worked on this release.
Contributing Author:

Leo Cloutier, Steve Fogel, Pradeep Gopal, Janis Greenberg

Contributors: A. Agrawal, L. Ashdown, P. Avril, D. Austin, B. Baddepudi, H. Baer, C. Baird, R. Balwada, S.
Battula, M. Bauer, T. Bednar, E. Belden, J. Byun, D. Chatterjee, A. Chaudhry, B. Cheng, H. Chien, T. Chien, G.
Christman, C. C. Chui, G. Claborn, C. Colrain, K. Cook, J. Creighton, A. Dadhich, S. Datta, S. Davidson, M.
Dilman, J. Draaijer, M. Fallen, D. Gagne, A. Ganesh, GP Gongloor, F. Gonzales, J. Gonzalez, V. Goorah, S.
Gopalan, S. Gupta, B. Habeck, S. Hase, M. Hayasaka, W. Hodak, W. Hu, P. Huey, C. Iyer, K. Itikarlapalli, S.
Jain, K. Jernigan, S. Joshi, B. Khaladkar, B. Krishnan, V. Krishnaswamy, A. Kruglikov, B. Kuchibhotla, S.
Kumar, V. Kumar, H. Lakshmanan, P. Lane, A. Lee, B. Lee, J. Lee, S. K. Lee, C. Lei, B. Leung, Y. Li, I.
Listvinsky, B. Llewellyn, B. Lundhild, S. Lynn, R. Mani, V. Marwah, C. McGregor, B. McGuirk, K. Mensah, E.
Miner, M. Minhas, K. Mohan, P. Murguia, A. Mylavarapu, V. Moore, N. Mukherjee, S. Muthulingam, G.
Ngai, L. Nim, S. Panchumarthy, R. Pang, V. Panteleenko, R. Pfau, R. Pingte, K. Rajamani, A. Raghavan, M.
Ramacher, R. Ramkissoon, S. Ravindhran, A. Ray, W. Ren, K. Rich, S. Sonawane, Y. Sarig, M. Savanur, S.
Shankar, D. Sharma, A. Shen, B. Sinha, J. Spiller, V. Srihari, D. Steiner, J. Stern, M. Stewart, R. Swonger, M.
Subramaniam, M. Susairaj, A. Tran, A. Tsukerman, T. Ueda, K. Umamageswaran, D. Utzig, E. Voss, X. Wang,
M. Wei, S. Wertheimer, P. Wheeler, D. Williams, A. Witkowski, D. M. Wong, Z. Yang, P. Youn, T. F. Yu, W.
Zhang
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Contents
Preface ................................................................................................................................................................ xli
Audience...................................................................................................................................................... xli
Documentation Accessibility .................................................................................................................... xli
Related Documents ................................................................................................................................... xlii
Conventions ............................................................................................................................................... xlii

Changes in This Release for Oracle Database Administrator's Guide ..................... xliii
Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)........................................................................... xliii
Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1)............................................................................ xlv

Part I
1

Basic Database Administration

Getting Started with Database Administration
Types of Oracle Database Users ............................................................................................................
Database Administrators ..................................................................................................................
Security Officers .................................................................................................................................
Network Administrators...................................................................................................................
Application Developers.....................................................................................................................
Application Administrators..............................................................................................................
Database Users ...................................................................................................................................
Tasks of a Database Administrator.......................................................................................................
Task 1: Evaluate the Database Server Hardware ..........................................................................
Task 2: Install the Oracle Database Software .................................................................................
Task 3: Plan the Database..................................................................................................................
Task 4: Create and Open the Database ...........................................................................................
Task 5: Back Up the Database...........................................................................................................
Task 6: Enroll System Users..............................................................................................................
Task 7: Implement the Database Design.........................................................................................
Task 8: Back Up the Fully Functional Database ............................................................................
Task 9: Tune Database Performance ...............................................................................................
Task 10: Download and Install Patches ..........................................................................................
Task 11: Roll Out to Additional Hosts ............................................................................................
Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database.............................................................................
About SQL*Plus..................................................................................................................................
Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus ...................................................................................

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iii

Identifying Your Oracle Database Software Release.....................................................................
Release Number Format.................................................................................................................
Checking Your Current Release Number....................................................................................
About Database Administrator Security and Privileges ...............................................................
The Database Administrator's Operating System Account ......................................................
Administrative User Accounts......................................................................................................
Database Administrator Authentication ..........................................................................................
Administrative Privileges ..............................................................................................................
Selecting an Authentication Method for Database Administrators ........................................
Using Operating System Authentication.....................................................................................
Using Password File Authentication............................................................................................
Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File ....................................................................
Creating a Database Password File with ORAPWD..................................................................
Sharing and Disabling the Database Password File...................................................................
Adding Users to a Database Password File ................................................................................
Maintaining a Database Password File........................................................................................
Data Utilities ..........................................................................................................................................

2

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Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database
About Creating an Oracle Database ..................................................................................................... 2-1
Considerations Before Creating the Database ............................................................................... 2-2
Creating a Database with DBCA........................................................................................................... 2-5
Creating a Database with Interactive DBCA.................................................................................. 2-5
Creating a Database with Noninteractive/Silent DBCA.............................................................. 2-5
Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement .................................................... 2-6
Step 1: Specify an Instance Identifier (SID) .................................................................................... 2-7
Step 2: Ensure That the Required Environment Variables Are Set............................................. 2-7
Step 3: Choose a Database Administrator Authentication Method............................................ 2-8
Step 4: Create the Initialization Parameter File.............................................................................. 2-8
Step 5: (Windows Only) Create an Instance................................................................................... 2-9
Step 6: Connect to the Instance......................................................................................................... 2-9
Step 7: Create a Server Parameter File ......................................................................................... 2-10
Step 8: Start the Instance ............................................................................................................... 2-11
Step 9: Issue the CREATE DATABASE Statement..................................................................... 2-11
Step 10: Create Additional Tablespaces....................................................................................... 2-15
Step 11: Run Scripts to Build Data Dictionary Views ............................................................... 2-15
Step 12: (Optional) Run Scripts to Install Additional Options ................................................. 2-16
Step 13: Back Up the Database. ..................................................................................................... 2-16
Step 14: (Optional) Enable Automatic Instance Startup ............................................................ 2-16
Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses ................................................................... 2-16
Protecting Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM .................... 2-17
Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace..................................................................... 2-17
About the SYSAUX Tablespace..................................................................................................... 2-18
Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace.................................... 2-19
Creating a Default Permanent Tablespace .................................................................................. 2-19
Creating a Default Temporary Tablespace.................................................................................. 2-19
Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation............................................................ 2-20

iv

Supporting Bigfile Tablespaces During Database Creation......................................................
Specifying the Database Time Zone and Time Zone File..........................................................
Specifying FORCE LOGGING Mode ...........................................................................................
Specifying Initialization Parameters.................................................................................................
About Initialization Parameters and Initialization Parameter Files ........................................
Determining the Global Database Name.....................................................................................
Specifying a Fast Recovery Area...................................................................................................
Specifying Control Files ................................................................................................................
Specifying Database Block Sizes ...................................................................................................
Specifying the Maximum Number of Processes.........................................................................
Specifying the DDL Lock Timeout ...............................................................................................
Specifying the Method of Undo Space Management ................................................................
About The COMPATIBLE Initialization Parameter ..................................................................
Setting the License Parameter .......................................................................................................
Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File ...........................................
What Is a Server Parameter File? ..................................................................................................
Migrating to a Server Parameter File ...........................................................................................
Creating a Server Parameter File ..................................................................................................
The SPFILE Initialization Parameter ............................................................................................
Changing Initialization Parameter Values ..................................................................................
Clearing Initialization Parameter Values.....................................................................................
Exporting the Server Parameter File ............................................................................................
Backing Up the Server Parameter File .........................................................................................
Recovering a Lost or Damaged Server Parameter File ..............................................................
Viewing Parameter Settings ..........................................................................................................
Managing Application Workloads with Database Services ........................................................
Database Services ............................................................................................................................
Global Data Services .......................................................................................................................
Database Service Data Dictionary Views.....................................................................................
Considerations After Creating a Database.......................................................................................
Some Security Considerations.......................................................................................................
Enabling Transparent Data Encryption .......................................................................................
Creating a Secure External Password Store ................................................................................
Using Transaction Guard and Application Continuity.............................................................
Installing the Oracle Database Sample Schemas ........................................................................
Cloning a Database with CloneDB....................................................................................................
About Cloning a Database with CloneDB...................................................................................
Cloning a Database with CloneDB ...............................................................................................
After Cloning a Database with CloneDB.....................................................................................
Dropping a Database ............................................................................................................................
Database Data Dictionary Views .......................................................................................................
Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode ................................
createDatabase .................................................................................................................................
configureDatabase...........................................................................................................................
createTemplateFromDB .................................................................................................................
createCloneTemplate ......................................................................................................................
generateScripts ................................................................................................................................

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deleteDatabase.................................................................................................................................
createPluggableDatabase ...............................................................................................................
unplugDatabase...............................................................................................................................
deletePluggableDatabase ...............................................................................................................
configurePluggableDatabase.........................................................................................................

3

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Starting Up and Shutting Down
Starting Up a Database............................................................................................................................ 3-1
About Database Startup Options ..................................................................................................... 3-1
Specifying Initialization Parameters at Startup ............................................................................. 3-2
About Automatic Startup of Database Services ............................................................................ 3-4
Preparing to Start Up an Instance.................................................................................................... 3-5
Starting Up an Instance ..................................................................................................................... 3-6
Altering Database Availability.............................................................................................................. 3-9
Mounting a Database to an Instance ............................................................................................... 3-9
Opening a Closed Database........................................................................................................... 3-10
Opening a Database in Read-Only Mode .................................................................................... 3-10
Restricting Access to an Open Database...................................................................................... 3-11
Shutting Down a Database.................................................................................................................. 3-11
Shutting Down with the Normal Mode....................................................................................... 3-12
Shutting Down with the Immediate Mode ................................................................................. 3-12
Shutting Down with the Transactional Mode............................................................................. 3-13
Shutting Down with the Abort Mode .......................................................................................... 3-13
Shutdown Timeout ......................................................................................................................... 3-14
Quiescing a Database ........................................................................................................................... 3-14
Placing a Database into a Quiesced State .................................................................................... 3-15
Restoring the System to Normal Operation ................................................................................ 3-16
Viewing the Quiesce State of an Instance .................................................................................... 3-16
Suspending and Resuming a Database ............................................................................................ 3-16

4

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database
About Oracle Restart ............................................................................................................................... 4-1
Oracle Restart Overview ................................................................................................................... 4-2
About Startup Dependencies ........................................................................................................... 4-2
About Starting and Stopping Components with Oracle Restart................................................. 4-3
About Starting and Stopping Oracle Restart.................................................................................. 4-3
Oracle Restart Configuration............................................................................................................ 4-4
Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard ..................................................................... 4-5
Fast Application Notification with Oracle Restart ........................................................................ 4-6
Configuring Oracle Restart .................................................................................................................... 4-9
Preparing to Run SRVCTL............................................................................................................. 4-10
Obtaining Help for SRVCTL.......................................................................................................... 4-11
Adding Components to the Oracle Restart Configuration ....................................................... 4-12
Removing Components from the Oracle Restart Configuration ............................................. 4-13
Disabling and Enabling Oracle Restart Management for a Component ................................ 4-14
Viewing Component Status........................................................................................................... 4-15
Viewing the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component ................................................... 4-15

vi

Modifying the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component ...............................................
Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart Configuration ................................
Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL ..........................................................
Enabling FAN Events in an Oracle Restart Environment .........................................................
Automating the Failover of Connections Between Primary and Standby Databases...........
Enabling Clients for Fast Connection Failover ...........................................................................
Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart ...............................................
Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations.......................................
SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart..........................................................................
add.....................................................................................................................................................
config.................................................................................................................................................
disable ...............................................................................................................................................
downgrade .......................................................................................................................................
enable ................................................................................................................................................
getenv................................................................................................................................................
modify...............................................................................................................................................
remove ..............................................................................................................................................
setenv ................................................................................................................................................
start....................................................................................................................................................
status .................................................................................................................................................
stop ....................................................................................................................................................
unsetenv............................................................................................................................................
update ...............................................................................................................................................
upgrade.............................................................................................................................................
CRSCTL Command Reference ...........................................................................................................
check..................................................................................................................................................
config.................................................................................................................................................
disable ...............................................................................................................................................
enable ................................................................................................................................................
start....................................................................................................................................................
stop ....................................................................................................................................................

5

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Managing Processes
About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes.................................................................................. 5-1
Dedicated Server Processes .............................................................................................................. 5-1
Shared Server Processes .................................................................................................................... 5-2
About Database Resident Connection Pooling .................................................................................. 5-4
Comparing DRCP to Dedicated Server and Shared Server ......................................................... 5-5
Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server ............................................................................... 5-6
Initialization Parameters for Shared Server ................................................................................... 5-6
Memory Management for Shared Server ....................................................................................... 5-7
Enabling Shared Server ..................................................................................................................... 5-7
Configuring Dispatchers ................................................................................................................... 5-9
Disabling Shared Server ................................................................................................................. 5-14
Shared Server Data Dictionary Views.......................................................................................... 5-14
Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling.................................................................... 5-15
Enabling Database Resident Connection Pooling ...................................................................... 5-15

vii

Configuring the Connection Pool for Database Resident Connection Pooling .....................
Data Dictionary Views for Database Resident Connection Pooling........................................
About Oracle Database Background Processes...............................................................................
Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution ............................................................................
About Parallel Execution Servers .................................................................................................
Altering Parallel Execution for a Session.....................................................................................
Managing Processes for External Procedures ..................................................................................
About External Procedures............................................................................................................
DBA Tasks to Enable External Procedure Calls..........................................................................
Terminating Sessions ...........................................................................................................................
Identifying Which Session to Terminate......................................................................................
Terminating an Active Session......................................................................................................
Terminating an Inactive Session ...................................................................................................
Process and Session Data Dictionary Views....................................................................................

6

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Managing Memory
About Memory Management................................................................................................................. 6-1
Memory Architecture Overview............................................................................................................ 6-2
Using Automatic Memory Management ............................................................................................. 6-4
About Automatic Memory Management ....................................................................................... 6-4
Enabling Automatic Memory Management .................................................................................. 6-5
Monitoring and Tuning Automatic Memory Management ........................................................ 6-7
Configuring Memory Manually............................................................................................................ 6-8
Using Automatic Shared Memory Management .......................................................................... 6-8
Using Manual Shared Memory Management............................................................................. 6-15
Using Automatic PGA Memory Management ........................................................................... 6-20
Using Manual PGA Memory Management ................................................................................ 6-22
Using Force Full Database Caching Mode ....................................................................................... 6-22
About Force Full Database Caching Mode.................................................................................. 6-22
Before Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode................................................................. 6-23
Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode ............................................................................. 6-24
Disabling Force Full Database Caching Mode............................................................................ 6-24
Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache........................................................................................ 6-24
When to Configure Database Smart Flash Cache....................................................................... 6-25
Sizing Database Smart Flash Cache.............................................................................................. 6-25
Tuning Memory for Database Smart Flash Cache ..................................................................... 6-25
Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters ............................................................. 6-26
Database Smart Flash Cache in an Oracle Real Applications Clusters Environment........... 6-27
Using the In-Memory Column Store ................................................................................................. 6-27
About the IM Column Store .......................................................................................................... 6-27
Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store ....................................................... 6-31
Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database ........................................................................... 6-33
Enabling and Disabling Tables for the IM Column Store ......................................................... 6-34
Enabling and Disabling Tablespaces for the IM Column Store ............................................... 6-36
Enabling and Disabling Materialized Views for the IM Column Store .................................. 6-37
Data Pump and the IM Column Store.......................................................................................... 6-38
Using IM Column Store In Enterprise Manager......................................................................... 6-38

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Memory Management Reference ....................................................................................................... 6-42
Platforms That Support Automatic Memory Management...................................................... 6-42
Memory Management Data Dictionary Views ........................................................................... 6-42

7

Managing Users and Securing the Database
The Importance of Establishing a Security Policy for Your Database...........................................
Managing Users and Resources.............................................................................................................
Managing User Privileges and Roles ...................................................................................................
Auditing Database Activity....................................................................................................................
Predefined User Accounts ......................................................................................................................

8

Monitoring the Database
Monitoring Errors and Alerts.................................................................................................................
Monitoring Errors with Trace Files and the Alert Log .................................................................
Monitoring a Database with Server-Generated Alerts .................................................................
Monitoring Performance.........................................................................................................................
Monitoring Locks ...............................................................................................................................
Monitoring Wait Events ....................................................................................................................
Performance Monitoring Data Dictionary Views..........................................................................

9

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Managing Diagnostic Data
About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure.................................................... 9-1
Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Overview .............................................................................. 9-1
About Incidents and Problems......................................................................................................... 9-3
Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Components ......................................................................... 9-4
Structure, Contents, and Location of the Automatic Diagnostic Repository ............................ 9-8
Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem ...................................................................... 9-12
Roadmap—Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem ............................................. 9-12
Task 1: View Critical Error Alerts in Cloud Control.................................................................. 9-14
Task 2: View Problem Details........................................................................................................ 9-15
Task 3: (Optional) Gather Additional Diagnostic Information ................................................ 9-16
Task 4: (Optional) Create a Service Request................................................................................ 9-16
Task 5: Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle Support............................................ 9-16
Task 6: Track the Service Request and Implement Any Repairs.............................................. 9-18
Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench .......................................................................... 9-19
Creating a User-Reported Problem.................................................................................................... 9-20
Viewing the Alert Log .......................................................................................................................... 9-21
Finding Trace Files................................................................................................................................ 9-22
Running Health Checks with Health Monitor................................................................................ 9-22
About Health Monitor.................................................................................................................... 9-22
Running Health Checks Manually ............................................................................................... 9-24
Viewing Checker Reports .............................................................................................................. 9-25
Health Monitor Views .................................................................................................................... 9-28
Health Check Parameters Reference ............................................................................................ 9-28
Repairing SQL Failures with the SQL Repair Advisor ................................................................. 9-29
About the SQL Repair Advisor ..................................................................................................... 9-29

ix

Running the SQL Repair Advisor.................................................................................................
Viewing, Disabling, or Removing a SQL Patch ..........................................................................
Repairing Data Corruptions with the Data Recovery Advisor ....................................................
Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages.....................................................
About Incident Packages................................................................................................................
Packaging and Uploading Problems with Custom Packaging ................................................
Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages ................................................................................
Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages ...........................................................
Deleting Correlated Packages .......................................................................................................
Setting Incident Packaging Preferences .......................................................................................

Part II

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Oracle Database Structure and Storage

10 Managing Control Files
What Is a Control File? .........................................................................................................................
Guidelines for Control Files ...............................................................................................................
Provide Filenames for the Control Files ......................................................................................
Multiplex Control Files on Different Disks .................................................................................
Back Up Control Files .....................................................................................................................
Manage the Size of Control Files ..................................................................................................
Creating Control Files ..........................................................................................................................
Creating Initial Control Files .........................................................................................................
Creating Additional Copies, Renaming, and Relocating Control Files .................................
Creating New Control Files ...........................................................................................................
Troubleshooting After Creating Control Files ................................................................................
Checking for Missing or Extra Files .............................................................................................
Handling Errors During CREATE CONTROLFILE ..................................................................
Backing Up Control Files.....................................................................................................................
Recovering a Control File Using a Current Copy ...........................................................................
Recovering from Control File Corruption Using a Control File Copy....................................
Recovering from Permanent Media Failure Using a Control File Copy.................................
Dropping Control Files ........................................................................................................................
Control Files Data Dictionary Views ................................................................................................

11

Managing the Redo Log
What Is the Redo Log?..........................................................................................................................
Redo Threads ...................................................................................................................................
Redo Log Contents..........................................................................................................................
How Oracle Database Writes to the Redo Log ...........................................................................
Planning the Redo Log .........................................................................................................................
Multiplexing Redo Log Files .........................................................................................................
Placing Redo Log Members on Different Disks..........................................................................
Planning the Size of Redo Log Files .............................................................................................
Planning the Block Size of Redo Log Files ..................................................................................
Choosing the Number of Redo Log Files ....................................................................................
Controlling Archive Lag ...............................................................................................................

x

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Creating Redo Log Groups and Members......................................................................................
Creating Redo Log Groups ..........................................................................................................
Creating Redo Log Members.......................................................................................................
Relocating and Renaming Redo Log Members ............................................................................
Dropping Redo Log Groups and Members ...................................................................................
Dropping Log Groups ..................................................................................................................
Dropping Redo Log Members.....................................................................................................
Forcing Log Switches..........................................................................................................................
Verifying Blocks in Redo Log Files .................................................................................................
Clearing a Redo Log File....................................................................................................................
Redo Log Data Dictionary Views ....................................................................................................

12

Managing Archived Redo Log Files
What Is the Archived Redo Log?........................................................................................................
Choosing Between NOARCHIVELOG and ARCHIVELOG Mode ...........................................
Running a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode .....................................................................
Running a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode ............................................................................
Controlling Archiving ..........................................................................................................................
Setting the Initial Database Archiving Mode..............................................................................
Changing the Database Archiving Mode ...................................................................................
Performing Manual Archiving......................................................................................................
Adjusting the Number of Archiver Processes ............................................................................
Specifying Archive Destinations .......................................................................................................
Setting Initialization Parameters for Archive Destinations ......................................................
Understanding Archive Destination Status ................................................................................
Specifying Alternate Destinations ..............................................................................................
About Log Transmission Modes ......................................................................................................
Normal Transmission Mode........................................................................................................
Standby Transmission Mode ......................................................................................................
Managing Archive Destination Failure ..........................................................................................
Specifying the Minimum Number of Successful Destinations...............................................
Rearchiving to a Failed Destination ...........................................................................................
Controlling Trace Output Generated by the Archivelog Process..............................................
Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log ..................................................................
Archived Redo Log Files Views..................................................................................................
The ARCHIVE LOG LIST Command.........................................................................................

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Managing Tablespaces
Guidelines for Managing Tablespaces .............................................................................................
Using Multiple Tablespaces...........................................................................................................
Assigning Tablespace Quotas to Users ........................................................................................
Creating Tablespaces............................................................................................................................
Locally Managed Tablespaces.......................................................................................................
Bigfile Tablespaces ..........................................................................................................................
Compressed Tablespaces ...............................................................................................................
Encrypted Tablespaces ...................................................................................................................

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Temporary Tablespaces................................................................................................................
Multiple Temporary Tablespaces: Using Tablespace Groups ................................................
Consider Storing Tablespaces in the In-Memory Column Store...............................................
Specifying Nonstandard Block Sizes for Tablespaces.................................................................
Controlling the Writing of Redo Records.......................................................................................
Altering Tablespace Availability ....................................................................................................
Taking Tablespaces Offline..........................................................................................................
Bringing Tablespaces Online .......................................................................................................
Using Read-Only Tablespaces..........................................................................................................
Making a Tablespace Read-Only ................................................................................................
Making a Read-Only Tablespace Writable ...............................................................................
Creating a Read-Only Tablespace on a WORM Device ..........................................................
Delaying the Opening of Data Files in Read-Only Tablespaces ............................................
Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces...........................................................................................
Increasing the Size of a Tablespace.............................................................................................
Altering a Locally Managed Tablespace....................................................................................
Altering a Bigfile Tablespace .......................................................................................................
Altering a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace...............................................................
Shrinking a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace ............................................................
Renaming Tablespaces.......................................................................................................................
Dropping Tablespaces .......................................................................................................................
Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace.................................................................................................
Monitoring Occupants of the SYSAUX Tablespace .................................................................
Moving Occupants Out Of or into the SYSAUX Tablespace ..................................................
Controlling the Size of the SYSAUX Tablespace ......................................................................
Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems ........................................
Scenario 1: Fixing Bitmap When Allocated Blocks are Marked Free (No Overlap)............
Scenario 2: Dropping a Corrupted Segment .............................................................................
Scenario 3: Fixing Bitmap Where Overlap is Reported ...........................................................
Scenario 4: Correcting Media Corruption of Bitmap Blocks...................................................
Scenario 5: Migrating from a Dictionary-Managed to a Locally Managed Tablespace......
Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally Managed Tablespace ...................................
Tablespace Data Dictionary Views..................................................................................................
Example 1: Listing Tablespaces and Default Storage Parameters .........................................
Example 2: Listing the Data Files and Associated Tablespaces of a Database.....................
Example 3: Displaying Statistics for Free Space (Extents) of Each Tablespace ....................

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14 Managing Data Files and Temp Files
Guidelines for Managing Data Files .................................................................................................
Determine the Number of Data Files ...........................................................................................
Determine the Size of Data Files ...................................................................................................
Place Data Files Appropriately .....................................................................................................
Store Data Files Separate from Redo Log Files ...........................................................................
Creating Data Files and Adding Data Files to a Tablespace ........................................................
Changing Data File Size.......................................................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling Automatic Extension for a Data File..................................................
Manually Resizing a Data File.......................................................................................................

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Altering Data File Availability ...........................................................................................................
Bringing Data Files Online or Taking Offline in ARCHIVELOG Mode .................................
Taking Data Files Offline in NOARCHIVELOG Mode.............................................................
Altering the Availability of All Data Files or Temp Files in a Tablespace..............................
Renaming and Relocating Data Files ................................................................................................
Renaming and Relocating Online Data Files ..............................................................................
Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files ............................................................................
Dropping Data Files............................................................................................................................
Verifying Data Blocks in Data Files ................................................................................................
Copying Files Using the Database Server ......................................................................................
Copying a File on a Local File System........................................................................................
Third-Party File Transfer .............................................................................................................
File Transfer and the DBMS_SCHEDULER Package...............................................................
Advanced File Transfer Mechanisms.........................................................................................
Mapping Files to Physical Devices ..................................................................................................
Overview of Oracle Database File Mapping Interface ............................................................
How the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface Works.......................................................
Using the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface..................................................................
File Mapping Examples................................................................................................................
Data Files Data Dictionary Views....................................................................................................

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Transporting Data
About Transporting Data.....................................................................................................................
Purpose of Transporting Data .......................................................................................................
Transporting Data: Scenarios ........................................................................................................
Transporting Data Across Platforms............................................................................................
General Limitations on Transporting Data .................................................................................
Compatibility Considerations for Transporting Data .............................................................
Transporting Databases .....................................................................................................................
Introduction to Full Transportable Export/Import .................................................................
Limitations on Full Transportable Export/import...................................................................
Transporting a Database Using an Export Dump File ............................................................
Transporting a Database Over the Network .............................................................................
Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases .............................................................................
Introduction to Transportable Tablespaces...............................................................................
Limitations on Transportable Tablespaces................................................................................
Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases .........................................................................
Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases....................................
Introduction to Transportable Tables.........................................................................................
Limitations on Transportable Tables..........................................................................................
Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Using an Export Dump File ..................
Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Over the Network ...................................
Converting Data Between Platforms ...............................................................................................
Converting Data Between Platforms Using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER Package ..........
Converting Data Between Platforms Using RMAN ................................................................
Guidelines for Transferring Data Files...........................................................................................

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Managing Undo
What Is Undo?........................................................................................................................................
Introduction to Automatic Undo Management ..............................................................................
Overview of Automatic Undo Management ..............................................................................
About the Undo Retention Period ................................................................................................
Setting the Minimum Undo Retention Period ................................................................................
Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace ...............................................................................................
The Undo Advisor PL/SQL Interface ..........................................................................................
Managing Undo Tablespaces..............................................................................................................
Creating an Undo Tablespace .......................................................................................................
Altering an Undo Tablespace ........................................................................................................
Dropping an Undo Tablespace .....................................................................................................
Switching Undo Tablespaces.......................................................................................................
Establishing User Quotas for Undo Space.................................................................................
Managing Space Threshold Alerts for the Undo Tablespace .................................................
Migrating to Automatic Undo Management..................................................................................
Managing Temporary Undo..............................................................................................................
About Managing Temporary Undo ...........................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling Temporary Undo ................................................................................
Undo Space Data Dictionary Views ................................................................................................

17

Using Oracle Managed Files
What Are Oracle Managed Files?.......................................................................................................
Who Can Use Oracle Managed Files? ..........................................................................................
Benefits of Using Oracle Managed Files ......................................................................................
Oracle Managed Files and Existing Functionality......................................................................
Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files .............................................................
Setting the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST Initialization Parameter...............................................
Setting the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST Parameter.................................................................
Setting the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n Initialization Parameters.......................
Creating Oracle Managed Files ..........................................................................................................
How Oracle Managed Files Are Named......................................................................................
Creating Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation ...............................................................
Creating Data Files for Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files ........................................
Creating Temp Files for Temporary Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files..................
Creating Control Files Using Oracle Managed Files................................................................
Creating Redo Log Files Using Oracle Managed Files ............................................................
Creating Archived Logs Using Oracle Managed Files ............................................................
Operation of Oracle Managed Files.................................................................................................
Dropping Data Files and Temp Files .........................................................................................
Dropping Redo Log Files .............................................................................................................
Renaming Files ..............................................................................................................................
Managing Standby Databases ....................................................................................................
Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files ....................................................................................
Scenario 1: Create and Manage a Database with Multiplexed Redo Logs ...........................
Scenario 2: Create and Manage a Database with Database and Fast Recovery Areas........
Scenario 3: Adding Oracle Managed Files to an Existing Database ......................................

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Part III
18

Schema Objects

Managing Schema Objects
Creating Multiple Tables and Views in a Single Operation ........................................................
Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters .........................................................................................
Using DBMS_STATS to Collect Table and Index Statistics.......................................................
Validating Tables, Indexes, Clusters, and Materialized Views ................................................
Listing Chained Rows of Tables and Clusters ............................................................................
Truncating Tables and Clusters .........................................................................................................
Using DELETE.................................................................................................................................
Using DROP and CREATE ............................................................................................................
Using TRUNCATE..........................................................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling Triggers.......................................................................................................
Enabling Triggers ............................................................................................................................
Disabling Triggers...........................................................................................................................
Managing Integrity Constraints .......................................................................................................
Integrity Constraint States ..........................................................................................................
Setting Integrity Constraints Upon Definition..........................................................................
Modifying, Renaming, or Dropping Existing Integrity Constraints .....................................
Deferring Constraint Checks .......................................................................................................
Reporting Constraint Exceptions ................................................................................................
Viewing Constraint Information.................................................................................................
Renaming Schema Objects................................................................................................................
Managing Object Dependencies ......................................................................................................
About Object Dependencies and Object Invalidation..............................................................
Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with DDL...................................................................
Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with PL/SQL Package Procedures........................
Managing Object Name Resolution ................................................................................................
Switching to a Different Schema .....................................................................................................
Managing Editions..............................................................................................................................
About Editions and Edition-Based Redefinition ......................................................................
DBA Tasks for Edition-Based Redefinition ...............................................................................
Setting the Database Default Edition .........................................................................................
Querying the Database Default Edition.....................................................................................
Setting the Edition Attribute of a Database Service .................................................................
Using an Edition............................................................................................................................
Editions Data Dictionary Views..................................................................................................
Displaying Information About Schema Objects ..........................................................................
Using a PL/SQL Package to Display Information About Schema Objects ..........................
Schema Objects Data Dictionary Views.....................................................................................

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Managing Space for Schema Objects
Managing Tablespace Alerts...............................................................................................................
Setting Alert Thresholds ................................................................................................................
Viewing Alerts.................................................................................................................................
Limitations .......................................................................................................................................

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Managing Resumable Space Allocation ...........................................................................................
Resumable Space Allocation Overview .......................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling Resumable Space Allocation...............................................................
Using a LOGON Trigger to Set Default Resumable Mode .....................................................
Detecting Suspended Statements................................................................................................
Operation-Suspended Alert.........................................................................................................
Resumable Space Allocation Example: Registering an AFTER SUSPEND Trigger ............
Reclaiming Unused Space .................................................................................................................
About Reclaimable Unused Space..............................................................................................
Using the Segment Advisor.........................................................................................................
Shrinking Database Segments Online ........................................................................................
Deallocating Unused Space .........................................................................................................
Dropping Unused Object Storage....................................................................................................
Understanding Space Usage of Data Types ...................................................................................
Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects ............................................
Using PL/SQL Packages to Display Information About Schema Object Space Usage ......
Schema Objects Space Usage Data Dictionary Views..............................................................
Capacity Planning for Database Objects .......................................................................................
Estimating the Space Use of a Table ..........................................................................................
Estimating the Space Use of an Index .......................................................................................
Obtaining Object Growth Trends ..............................................................................................

20

Managing Tables
About Tables ..........................................................................................................................................
Guidelines for Managing Tables .......................................................................................................
Design Tables Before Creating Them...........................................................................................
Specify the Type of Table to Create ..............................................................................................
Specify the Location of Each Table ...............................................................................................
Consider Parallelizing Table Creation .........................................................................................
Consider Using NOLOGGING When Creating Tables ............................................................
Consider Using Table Compression.............................................................................................
Managing Table Compression Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control ..........................
Consider Using Segment-Level and Row-Level Compression Tiering ................................
Consider Using Attribute-Clustered Tables..............................................................................
Consider Using Zone Maps .........................................................................................................
Consider Storing Tables in the In-Memory Column Store .....................................................
Understand Invisible Columns ...................................................................................................
Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data .................................................
Understand Deferred Segment Creation ...................................................................................
Materializing Segments................................................................................................................
Estimate Table Size and Plan Accordingly................................................................................
Restrictions to Consider When Creating Tables .......................................................................
Creating Tables....................................................................................................................................
Example: Creating a Table ...........................................................................................................
Creating a Temporary Table........................................................................................................
Parallelizing Table Creation ........................................................................................................
Loading Tables.....................................................................................................................................

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Methods for Loading Tables........................................................................................................
Improving INSERT Performance with Direct-Path INSERT ..................................................
Using Conventional Inserts to Load Tables ..............................................................................
Avoiding Bulk INSERT Failures with DML Error Logging ...................................................
Automatically Collecting Statistics on Tables...............................................................................
Altering Tables ....................................................................................................................................
Reasons for Using the ALTER TABLE Statement ....................................................................
Altering Physical Attributes of a Table......................................................................................
Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace ...................................................................
Manually Allocating Storage for a Table ...................................................................................
Modifying an Existing Column Definition................................................................................
Adding Table Columns ................................................................................................................
Renaming Table Columns............................................................................................................
Dropping Table Columns ...........................................................................................................
Placing a Table in Read-Only Mode...........................................................................................
Redefining Tables Online .................................................................................................................
Features of Online Table Redefinition .......................................................................................
Performing Online Redefinition with the REDEF_TABLE Procedure..................................
Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION ...
Results of the Redefinition Process.............................................................................................
Performing Intermediate Synchronization................................................................................
Aborting Online Table Redefinition and Cleaning Up After Errors .....................................
Restrictions for Online Redefinition of Tables ..........................................................................
Online Redefinition of One or More Partitions ........................................................................
Online Table Redefinition Examples..........................................................................................
Privileges Required for the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package ...............................................
Researching and Reversing Erroneous Table Changes ...............................................................
Recovering Tables Using Oracle Flashback Table .......................................................................
Dropping Tables..................................................................................................................................
Using Flashback Drop and Managing the Recycle Bin ...............................................................
What Is the Recycle Bin? ..............................................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling the Recycle Bin ....................................................................................
Viewing and Querying Objects in the Recycle Bin ..................................................................
Purging Objects in the Recycle Bin .............................................................................................
Restoring Tables from the Recycle Bin.......................................................................................
Managing Index-Organized Tables ................................................................................................
What Are Index-Organized Tables? ...........................................................................................
Creating Index-Organized Tables...............................................................................................
Maintaining Index-Organized Tables ........................................................................................
Creating Secondary Indexes on Index-Organized Tables.......................................................
Analyzing Index-Organized Tables ...........................................................................................
Using the ORDER BY Clause with Index-Organized Tables..................................................
Converting Index-Organized Tables to Regular Tables ..........................................................
Managing External Tables.................................................................................................................
About External Tables ..................................................................................................................
Creating External Tables ............................................................................................................
Altering External Tables.............................................................................................................

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Preprocessing External Tables...................................................................................................
Dropping External Tables ..........................................................................................................
System and Object Privileges for External Tables ..................................................................
Tables Data Dictionary Views .......................................................................................................

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21 Managing Indexes
About Indexes ........................................................................................................................................
Guidelines for Managing Indexes .....................................................................................................
Create Indexes After Inserting Table Data ..................................................................................
Index the Correct Tables and Columns .......................................................................................
Order Index Columns for Performance .......................................................................................
Limit the Number of Indexes for Each Table ..............................................................................
Drop Indexes That Are No Longer Required ............................................................................
Indexes and Deferred Segment Creation.....................................................................................
Estimate Index Size and Set Storage Parameters........................................................................
Specify the Tablespace for Each Index .........................................................................................
Consider Parallelizing Index Creation.........................................................................................
Consider Creating Indexes with NOLOGGING ........................................................................
Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes .........................................................
Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns ........................
Consider Costs and Benefits of Coalescing or Rebuilding Indexes .........................................
Consider Cost Before Disabling or Dropping Constraints........................................................
Consider Using the In-Memory Column Store to Reduce the Number of Indexes ..............
Creating Indexes....................................................................................................................................
Creating an Index Explicitly ........................................................................................................
Creating a Unique Index Explicitly ............................................................................................
Creating an Index Associated with a Constraint......................................................................
Creating a Large Index .................................................................................................................
Creating an Index Online.............................................................................................................
Creating a Function-Based Index................................................................................................
Creating a Compressed Index .....................................................................................................
Creating an Unusable Index ........................................................................................................
Creating an Invisible Index..........................................................................................................
Creating Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns.........................................................
Altering Indexes ..................................................................................................................................
Altering Storage Characteristics of an Index.............................................................................
Rebuilding an Existing Index ......................................................................................................
Making an Index Unusable..........................................................................................................
Making an Index Invisible or Visible .........................................................................................
Renaming an Index .......................................................................................................................
Monitoring Index Usage ..............................................................................................................
Monitoring Space Use of Indexes ....................................................................................................
Dropping Indexes................................................................................................................................
Indexes Data Dictionary Views ........................................................................................................

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22 Managing Clusters
About Clusters ....................................................................................................................................... 22-1
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Guidelines for Managing Clusters ....................................................................................................
Choose Appropriate Tables for the Cluster ................................................................................
Choose Appropriate Columns for the Cluster Key....................................................................
Specify the Space Required by an Average Cluster Key and Its Associated Rows ..............
Specify the Location of Each Cluster and Cluster Index Rows ................................................
Estimate Cluster Size and Set Storage Parameters.....................................................................
Creating Clusters ...................................................................................................................................
Creating Clustered Tables..............................................................................................................
Creating Cluster Indexes................................................................................................................
Altering Clusters ...................................................................................................................................
Altering Clustered Tables ..............................................................................................................
Altering Cluster Indexes ................................................................................................................
Dropping Clusters.................................................................................................................................
Dropping Clustered Tables............................................................................................................
Dropping Cluster Indexes..............................................................................................................
Clusters Data Dictionary Views .........................................................................................................

23

Managing Hash Clusters
About Hash Clusters.............................................................................................................................
When to Use Hash Clusters.................................................................................................................
Situations Where Hashing Is Useful.............................................................................................
Situations Where Hashing Is Not Advantageous ......................................................................
Creating Hash Clusters ........................................................................................................................
Creating a Sorted Hash Cluster.....................................................................................................
Creating Single-Table Hash Clusters ...........................................................................................
Controlling Space Use Within a Hash Cluster............................................................................
Estimating Size Required by Hash Clusters................................................................................
Altering Hash Clusters .........................................................................................................................
Dropping Hash Clusters ......................................................................................................................
Hash Clusters Data Dictionary Views ..............................................................................................

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Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms
Managing Views....................................................................................................................................
About Views ....................................................................................................................................
Creating Views ................................................................................................................................
Replacing Views ..............................................................................................................................
Using Views in Queries .................................................................................................................
Updating a Join View .....................................................................................................................
Altering Views...............................................................................................................................
Dropping Views ............................................................................................................................
Managing Sequences..........................................................................................................................
About Sequences ...........................................................................................................................
Creating Sequences .......................................................................................................................
Altering Sequences........................................................................................................................
Using Sequences............................................................................................................................
Dropping Sequences .....................................................................................................................

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Managing Synonyms..........................................................................................................................
About Synonyms...........................................................................................................................
Creating Synonyms.......................................................................................................................
Using Synonyms in DML Statements .......................................................................................
Dropping Synonyms.....................................................................................................................
Views, Synonyms, and Sequences Data Dictionary Views ........................................................

25

Repairing Corrupted Data
Options for Repairing Data Block Corruption................................................................................
About the DBMS_REPAIR Package ..................................................................................................
DBMS_REPAIR Procedures...........................................................................................................
Limitations and Restrictions..........................................................................................................
Using the DBMS_REPAIR Package...................................................................................................
Task 1: Detect and Report Corruptions .......................................................................................
Task 2: Evaluate the Costs and Benefits of Using DBMS_REPAIR..........................................
Task 3: Make Objects Usable .........................................................................................................
Task 4: Repair Corruptions and Rebuild Lost Data ...................................................................
DBMS_REPAIR Examples...................................................................................................................
Examples: Building a Repair Table or Orphan Key Table ........................................................
Example: Detecting Corruption ....................................................................................................
Example: Fixing Corrupt Blocks ...................................................................................................
Example: Finding Index Entries Pointing to Corrupt Data Blocks ..........................................
Example: Skipping Corrupt Blocks ..............................................................................................

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Database Resource Management and Task Scheduling

Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks
About Automated Maintenance Tasks .............................................................................................
About Maintenance Windows ...........................................................................................................
Configuring Automated Maintenance Tasks ..................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for all Maintenance Windows..........................
Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for Specific Maintenance Windows ................
Configuring Maintenance Windows.................................................................................................
Modifying a Maintenance Window..............................................................................................
Creating a New Maintenance Window .......................................................................................
Removing a Maintenance Window ..............................................................................................
Configuring Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks ....................................
About Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks ............................................
Changing Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks......................................
Automated Maintenance Tasks Reference.......................................................................................
Predefined Maintenance Windows ..............................................................................................
Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views....................................................

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27 Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager
About Oracle Database Resource Manager...................................................................................... 27-1
What Solutions Does the Resource Manager Provide for Workload Management? ............ 27-2

xx

Elements of the Resource Manager ..............................................................................................
About Resource Manager Administration Privileges................................................................
Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups.......................................................................
Overview of Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups ...........................................
Assigning an Initial Resource Consumer Group........................................................................
Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules.........................................................
Switching Resource Consumer Groups .....................................................................................
Specifying Automatic Consumer Group Switching ................................................................
Granting and Revoking the Switch Privilege............................................................................
The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager ....................................................
CPU .................................................................................................................................................
Exadata I/O ...................................................................................................................................
Parallel Execution Servers............................................................................................................
Runaway Queries..........................................................................................................................
Active Session Pool with Queuing .............................................................................................
Undo Pool.......................................................................................................................................
Idle Time Limit ..............................................................................................................................
Creating a Simple Resource Plan ....................................................................................................
Creating a Complex Resource Plan..................................................................................................
About the Pending Area ..............................................................................................................
Creating a Pending Area..............................................................................................................
Creating Resource Consumer Groups ......................................................................................
Map Sessions to Consumer Groups ...........................................................................................
Creating a Resource Plan .............................................................................................................
Creating Resource Plan Directives ............................................................................................
Validating the Pending Area .......................................................................................................
Submitting the Pending Area ......................................................................................................
Clearing the Pending Area ..........................................................................................................
Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans........................................
Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples ..................................
Multilevel Plan Example ..............................................................................................................
Examples of Using the Utilization Limit Attribute ..................................................................
Example of Using Several Resource Allocation Methods .......................................................
Example of Managing Parallel Statements Using Directive Attributes ................................
An Oracle-Supplied Mixed Workload Plan ..............................................................................
Managing Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server.......................................................
About Instance Caging .................................................................................................................
Enabling Instance Caging ............................................................................................................
Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives...............................................................
Updating a Consumer Group......................................................................................................
Deleting a Consumer Group .......................................................................................................
Updating a Plan.............................................................................................................................
Deleting a Plan...............................................................................................................................
Updating a Resource Plan Directive ..........................................................................................
Deleting a Resource Plan Directive ............................................................................................
Viewing Database Resource Manager Configuration and Status .............................................
Viewing Consumer Groups Granted to Users or Roles ..........................................................

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Viewing Plan Information ...........................................................................................................
Viewing Current Consumer Groups for Sessions ....................................................................
Viewing the Currently Active Plans...........................................................................................
Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager ..........................................................................
Interacting with Operating-System Resource Control ................................................................
Guidelines for Using Operating-System Resource Control ....................................................
Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference .............................................................................
Predefined Resource Plans and Consumer Groups .................................................................
Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules ..........................................................................
Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views ...............................................................................

28

Oracle Scheduler Concepts
Overview of Oracle Scheduler............................................................................................................
About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects ..............................................................................
Programs ..........................................................................................................................................
Schedules ..........................................................................................................................................
Jobs ....................................................................................................................................................
Destinations .....................................................................................................................................
File Watchers....................................................................................................................................
Credentials .......................................................................................................................................
Chains ...............................................................................................................................................
Job Classes ......................................................................................................................................
Windows.........................................................................................................................................
Groups ............................................................................................................................................
More About Jobs..................................................................................................................................
Job Categories ................................................................................................................................
Job Instances...................................................................................................................................
Job Arguments...............................................................................................................................
How Programs, Jobs, and Schedules are Related.....................................................................
Scheduler Architecture.......................................................................................................................
The Job Table..................................................................................................................................
The Job Coordinator .....................................................................................................................
How Jobs Execute..........................................................................................................................
After Jobs Complete......................................................................................................................
Using the Scheduler in Real Application Clusters Environments .........................................
Scheduler Support for Oracle Data Guard.....................................................................................

29

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Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler
About Scheduler Objects and Their Naming ..................................................................................
Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs ...........................................................................................
Job Tasks and Their Procedures....................................................................................................
Creating Jobs ....................................................................................................................................
Altering Jobs ..................................................................................................................................
Running Jobs..................................................................................................................................
Stopping Jobs .................................................................................................................................
Dropping Jobs................................................................................................................................
Disabling Jobs ................................................................................................................................

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Enabling Jobs .................................................................................................................................
Copying Jobs..................................................................................................................................
Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs ........................................................................
Program Tasks and Their Procedures ........................................................................................
Creating Programs ........................................................................................................................
Altering Programs.........................................................................................................................
Dropping Programs ......................................................................................................................
Disabling Programs ......................................................................................................................
Enabling Programs........................................................................................................................
Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs.......................................................................
Schedule Tasks and Their Procedures .......................................................................................
Creating Schedules........................................................................................................................
Altering Schedules ........................................................................................................................
Dropping Schedules......................................................................................................................
Setting the Repeat Interval...........................................................................................................
Using Events to Start Jobs .................................................................................................................
About Events .................................................................................................................................
Starting Jobs with Events Raised by Your Application ...........................................................
Starting a Job When a File Arrives on a System .......................................................................
Creating and Managing Job Chains ................................................................................................
Chain Tasks and Their Procedures.............................................................................................
Creating Chains .............................................................................................................................
Defining Chain Steps ....................................................................................................................
Adding Rules to a Chain ..............................................................................................................
Enabling Chains ............................................................................................................................
Creating Jobs for Chains ..............................................................................................................
Dropping Chains ...........................................................................................................................
Running Chains.............................................................................................................................
Dropping Chain Rules..................................................................................................................
Disabling Chains ...........................................................................................................................
Dropping Chain Steps ..................................................................................................................
Stopping Chains ............................................................................................................................
Stopping Individual Chain Steps................................................................................................
Pausing Chains ..............................................................................................................................
Skipping Chain Steps....................................................................................................................
Running Part of a Chain...............................................................................................................
Monitoring Running Chains........................................................................................................
Handling Stalled Chains ..............................................................................................................
Prioritizing Jobs...................................................................................................................................
Managing Job Priorities with Job Classes..................................................................................
Setting Relative Job Priorities Within a Job Class.....................................................................
Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Windows .................................................
Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Window Groups ....................................
Allocating Resources Among Jobs Using Resource Manager ................................................
Example of Resource Allocation for Jobs...................................................................................
Monitoring Jobs...................................................................................................................................
Viewing the Job Log......................................................................................................................

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Monitoring Multiple Destination Jobs ....................................................................................... 29-67
Monitoring Job State with Events Raised by the Scheduler ................................................... 29-68
Monitoring Job State with E-mail Notifications ....................................................................... 29-70

30

Administering Oracle Scheduler
Configuring Oracle Scheduler............................................................................................................
Setting Oracle Scheduler Privileges..............................................................................................
Setting Scheduler Preferences .......................................................................................................
Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs............................................................
Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler ......................................................................................
Viewing the Currently Active Window and Resource Plan ...................................................
Finding Information About Currently Running Jobs ..............................................................
Monitoring and Managing Window and Job Logs ..................................................................
Managing Scheduler Security......................................................................................................
Import/Export and the Scheduler .....................................................................................................
Troubleshooting the Scheduler ........................................................................................................
A Job Does Not Run......................................................................................................................
A Program Becomes Disabled.....................................................................................................
A Window Fails to Take Effect....................................................................................................
Examples of Using the Scheduler ....................................................................................................
Examples of Creating Job Classes...............................................................................................
Examples of Setting Attributes....................................................................................................
Examples of Creating Chains ......................................................................................................
Examples of Creating Jobs and Schedules Based on Events...................................................
Example of Creating a Job In an Oracle Data Guard Environment.......................................
Scheduler Reference ...........................................................................................................................
Scheduler Privileges......................................................................................................................
Scheduler Data Dictionary Views...............................................................................................

Part V
31

Distributed Database Management

Distributed Database Concepts
Distributed Database Architecture ....................................................................................................
Homogenous Distributed Database Systems..............................................................................
Heterogeneous Distributed Database Systems...........................................................................
Client/Server Database Architecture...........................................................................................
Database Links.......................................................................................................................................
What Are Database Links?.............................................................................................................
What Are Shared Database Links? ...............................................................................................
Why Use Database Links?..............................................................................................................
Global Database Names in Database Links.................................................................................
Names for Database Links ...........................................................................................................
Types of Database Links ..............................................................................................................
Users of Database Links ...............................................................................................................
Creation of Database Links: Examples.......................................................................................
Schema Objects and Database Links ..........................................................................................

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Database Link Restrictions...........................................................................................................
Distributed Database Administration ............................................................................................
Site Autonomy ...............................................................................................................................
Distributed Database Security.....................................................................................................
Auditing Database Links .............................................................................................................
Administration Tools....................................................................................................................
Transaction Processing in a Distributed System ..........................................................................
Remote SQL Statements ...............................................................................................................
Distributed SQL Statements ........................................................................................................
Shared SQL for Remote and Distributed Statements ..............................................................
Remote Transactions.....................................................................................................................
Distributed Transactions..............................................................................................................
Two-Phase Commit Mechanism .................................................................................................
Database Link Name Resolution ................................................................................................
Schema Object Name Resolution ................................................................................................
Global Name Resolution in Views, Synonyms, and Procedures ..........................................
Distributed Database Application Development .........................................................................
Transparency in a Distributed Database System......................................................................
Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)..................................................................................................
Distributed Query Optimization ................................................................................................
Character Set Support for Distributed Environments .................................................................
Client/Server Environment.........................................................................................................
Homogeneous Distributed Environment ..................................................................................
Heterogeneous Distributed Environment .................................................................................

32

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31-36

Managing a Distributed Database
Managing Global Names in a Distributed System ........................................................................
Understanding How Global Database Names Are Formed .....................................................
Determining Whether Global Naming Is Enforced ...................................................................
Viewing a Global Database Name................................................................................................
Changing the Domain in a Global Database Name ...................................................................
Changing a Global Database Name: Scenario ............................................................................
Creating Database Links......................................................................................................................
Obtaining Privileges Necessary for Creating Database Links..................................................
Specifying Link Types ....................................................................................................................
Specifying Link Users.....................................................................................................................
Using Connection Qualifiers to Specify Service Names Within Link Names......................
Using Shared Database Links...........................................................................................................
Determining Whether to Use Shared Database Links .............................................................
Creating Shared Database Links.................................................................................................
Configuring Shared Database Links ..........................................................................................
Managing Database Links.................................................................................................................
Closing Database Links ................................................................................................................
Dropping Database Links ............................................................................................................
Limiting the Number of Active Database Link Connections .................................................
Viewing Information About Database Links ................................................................................
Determining Which Links Are in the Database........................................................................

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xxv

Determining Which Link Connections Are Open ....................................................................
Creating Location Transparency ......................................................................................................
Using Views to Create Location Transparency ........................................................................
Using Synonyms to Create Location Transparency.................................................................
Using Procedures to Create Location Transparency .............................................................
Managing Statement Transparency .................................................................................................
Managing a Distributed Database: Examples ...............................................................................
Example 1: Creating a Public Fixed User Database Link ........................................................
Example 2: Creating a Public Fixed User Shared Database Link...........................................
Example 3: Creating a Public Connected User Database Link ...............................................
Example 4: Creating a Public Connected User Shared Database Link..................................
Example 5: Creating a Public Current User Database Link ....................................................

33

Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System
Managing the Distribution of Application Data ............................................................................
Controlling Connections Established by Database Links ............................................................
Maintaining Referential Integrity in a Distributed System .........................................................
Tuning Distributed Queries................................................................................................................
Using Collocated Inline Views ......................................................................................................
Using Cost-Based Optimization....................................................................................................
Using Hints ......................................................................................................................................
Analyzing the Execution Plan .......................................................................................................
Handling Errors in Remote Procedures ............................................................................................

34

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Distributed Transactions Concepts
What Are Distributed Transactions? .................................................................................................
DML and DDL Transactions .........................................................................................................
Transaction Control Statements....................................................................................................
Session Trees for Distributed Transactions.....................................................................................
Clients ..............................................................................................................................................
Database Servers .............................................................................................................................
Local Coordinators .........................................................................................................................
Global Coordinator .........................................................................................................................
Commit Point Site ..........................................................................................................................
Two-Phase Commit Mechanism .......................................................................................................
Prepare Phase...................................................................................................................................
Commit Phase................................................................................................................................
Forget Phase...................................................................................................................................
In-Doubt Transactions .......................................................................................................................
Automatic Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions......................................................................
Manual Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions...........................................................................
Relevance of System Change Numbers for In-Doubt Transactions ......................................
Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study..........................................................................
Stage 1: Client Application Issues DML Statements................................................................
Stage 2: Oracle Database Determines Commit Point Site .......................................................
Stage 3: Global Coordinator Sends Prepare Response ............................................................
Stage 4: Commit Point Site Commits .........................................................................................

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Stage 5: Commit Point Site Informs Global Coordinator of Commit .................................... 34-17
Stage 6: Global and Local Coordinators Tell All Nodes to Commit...................................... 34-17
Stage 7: Global Coordinator and Commit Point Site Complete the Commit ....................... 34-18

35

Managing Distributed Transactions
Specifying the Commit Point Strength of a Node ..........................................................................
Naming Transactions............................................................................................................................
Viewing Information About Distributed Transactions.................................................................
Determining the ID Number and Status of Prepared Transactions ........................................
Tracing the Session Tree of In-Doubt Transactions ...................................................................
Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions...........................................................................
Discovering Problems with a Two-Phase Commit ....................................................................
Determining Whether to Perform a Manual Override ..............................................................
Analyzing the Transaction Data ...................................................................................................
Manually Overriding In-Doubt Transactions .................................................................................
Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction........................................................................
Manually Rolling Back an In-Doubt Transaction .......................................................................
Purging Pending Rows from the Data Dictionary..........................................................................
Executing the PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY Procedure ............................................................
Determining When to Use DBMS_TRANSACTION ...............................................................
Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example ........................................................
Step 1: Record User Feedback .....................................................................................................
Step 2: Query DBA_2PC_PENDING..........................................................................................
Step 3: Query DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS on Local Node ..........................................................
Step 4: Querying Data Dictionary Views on All Nodes ..........................................................
Step 5: Commit the In-Doubt Transaction.................................................................................
Step 6: Check for Mixed Outcome Using DBA_2PC_PENDING...........................................
Data Access Failures Due to Locks ..................................................................................................
Transaction Timeouts ...................................................................................................................
Locks from In-Doubt Transactions .............................................................................................
Simulating Distributed Transaction Failure..................................................................................
Forcing a Distributed Transaction to Fail ..................................................................................
Disabling and Enabling RECO....................................................................................................
Managing Read Consistency.............................................................................................................

Part VI
36

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Managing a Multitenant Environment

Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment
About a Multitenant Environment ....................................................................................................
Components of a CDB ....................................................................................................................
Common Users and Local Users...................................................................................................
Separation of Duties in CDB and PDB Administration.............................................................
Purpose of a Multitenant Environment ............................................................................................
Prerequisites for a Multitenant Environment..................................................................................
Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment............................................................................
Tasks for a Multitenant Environment ..........................................................................................

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Tools for a Multitenant Environment........................................................................................... 36-6

37

Creating and Configuring a CDB
About Creating a CDB..........................................................................................................................
Planning for CDB Creation .................................................................................................................
Decide How to Configure the CDB ..............................................................................................
Prerequisites for CDB Creation .....................................................................................................
Using DBCA to Create a CDB.............................................................................................................
Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB ......................................................
About Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement..........................................
Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement......................................................
Configuring EM Express for a CDB.................................................................................................
After Creating a CDB..........................................................................................................................

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38 Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus
About Creating and Removing PDBs................................................................................................
Techniques for Creating a PDB .....................................................................................................
The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement .................................................................
Preparing for PDBs .............................................................................................................................
Creating a PDB Using the Seed ........................................................................................................
About Creating a PDB from the Seed.........................................................................................
Creating a PDB from the Seed.....................................................................................................
Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB ........................................................
About Cloning a PDB ...................................................................................................................
Cloning a Local PDB .....................................................................................................................
Cloning a Remote PDB or Non-CDB..........................................................................................
After Cloning a PDB .....................................................................................................................
Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB....................................................
About Plugging In an Unplugged PDB .....................................................................................
Plugging In an Unplugged PDB .................................................................................................
After Plugging in an Unplugged PDB .......................................................................................
Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB...................................................................................................
Using the DBMS_PDB Package on a Non-CDB........................................................................
Unplugging a PDB from a CDB .......................................................................................................
About Unplugging a PDB ............................................................................................................
Unplugging a PDB ........................................................................................................................
Dropping a PDB ..................................................................................................................................

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39 Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control
Getting Started.......................................................................................................................................
Overview.................................................................................................................................................
Provisioning a PDB...............................................................................................................................
Creating a New PDB.......................................................................................................................
Plugging In an Unplugged PDB ...................................................................................................
Cloning a PDB .................................................................................................................................
Migrating a Non-CDB to a PDB ..................................................................................................

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Removing PDBs...................................................................................................................................
Unplugging and Dropping a PDB ..............................................................................................
Deleting PDBs ................................................................................................................................
Viewing PDB Job Details ..................................................................................................................
Viewing Create PDB Job Details .................................................................................................
Viewing Unplug PDB Job Details ...............................................................................................
Viewing Delete PDB Job Details .................................................................................................

40

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus
About Administering a CDB...............................................................................................................
About the Current Container ........................................................................................................
About Administrative Tasks in a CDB.........................................................................................
About Using Manageability Features in a CDB..........................................................................
About Managing Database Objects in a CDB ...........................................................................
Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus ..........................................................................
Connecting to a Container Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command ..............................
Switching to a Container Using the ALTER SESSION Statement .........................................
Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package ................................................
Modifying a CDB ................................................................................................................................
About the Statements That Modify a CDB ................................................................................
About Managing Tablespaces in a CDB ....................................................................................
Modifying an Entire CDB ............................................................................................................
Modifying the Root .......................................................................................................................
Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs ...........................................................................................
Preserving or Discarding the Open Mode of PDBs When the CDB Restarts.......................
Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB .................................................................
Executing DDL Statements in a CDB ..............................................................................................
About Executing DDL Statements in a CDB .............................................................................
Executing a DDL Statement in the Current Container ............................................................
Executing a DDL Statement in All Containers in a CDB.........................................................
Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB .........................................................................
About Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB .........................................................
Syntax and Parameters for catcon.pl ..........................................................................................
Running the catcon.pl Script .......................................................................................................
Shutting Down a CDB Instance .......................................................................................................

41

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Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud Control
Administering CDB Storage and Schema Objects with Cloud Control ....................................
About Managing and Monitoring CDB Storage and Schema Objects ....................................
Managing CDB Storage and Schema Objects..............................................................................
Managing Per-Container Storage and Schema Objects .............................................................
Monitoring Storage and Schema Alerts .......................................................................................
Administering PDBs with Cloud Control ........................................................................................
Switching Between PDBs ...............................................................................................................
Altering the Open Mode of a PDB................................................................................................

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42

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus
About Administering PDBs ................................................................................................................
Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus ................................................................................................
Modifying a PDB...................................................................................................................................
Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement ............................
Modifying a PDB with the SQL*Plus STARTUP and SHUTDOWN Commands ...............
Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB............................................................
About Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB..........................................................
Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB......................................................................
Managing Services Associated with PDBs.....................................................................................
About Services Associated with PDBs .......................................................................................
Creating, Modifying, or Removing a Service for a PDB..........................................................

43

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus
About CDB and PDB Information in Views....................................................................................
About Viewing Information When the Current Container Is the Root ..................................
About Viewing Information When the Current Container Is a PDB ......................................
Views for a CDB ....................................................................................................................................
Determining Whether a Database Is a CDB ....................................................................................
Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB..................................................................
Viewing Information About PDBs ....................................................................................................
Viewing the Open Mode of Each PDB..............................................................................................
Querying Container Data Objects .....................................................................................................
Querying User-Created Tables and Views Across All PDBs .....................................................
Determining the Current Container ID or Name..........................................................................
Listing the Initialization Parameters That Are Modifiable in PDBs ........................................
Viewing the History of PDBs............................................................................................................

44

43-1
43-2
43-3
43-3
43-5
43-6
43-6
43-7
43-7
43-11
43-12
43-13
43-14

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus
About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs ...................................................
What Solutions Does Resource Manager Provide for a CDB? .................................................
CDB Resource Plans........................................................................................................................
PDB Resource Plans ........................................................................................................................
Background and Administrative Tasks and Consumer Groups..............................................
Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB .............................................................
Creating a CDB Resource Plan .........................................................................................................
Creating a CDB Resource Plan: A Scenario...............................................................................
Enabling and Disabling a CDB Resource Plan .............................................................................
Enabling a CDB Resource Plan ...................................................................................................
Disabling a CDB Resource Plan ..................................................................................................
Creating a PDB Resource Plan..........................................................................................................
Enabling and Disabling a PDB Resource Plan..............................................................................
Enabling a PDB Resource Plan....................................................................................................
Disabling a PDB Resource Plan...................................................................................................
Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB..................................................................................
Managing a CDB Resource Plan .................................................................................................

xxx

42-1
42-3
42-4
42-4
42-11
42-13
42-13
42-15
42-15
42-15
42-16

44-1
44-2
44-3
44-7
44-9
44-10
44-10
44-11
44-13
44-13
44-14
44-15
44-15
44-15
44-16
44-16
44-16

Modifying a PDB Resource Plan.................................................................................................
Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB .....................................................
Viewing CDB Resource Plans......................................................................................................
Viewing CDB Resource Plan Directives ....................................................................................

45

44-22
44-22
44-23
44-23

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with Cloud Control
About CDB Resource Manager........................................................................................................... 45-1
Creating a CDB Resource Plan ........................................................................................................... 45-1
Creating a PDB Resource Plan............................................................................................................ 45-2

46

Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB
DBMS_SCHEDULER Invocations in a CDB ..................................................................................
Job Coordinator and Slave Processes in a CDB...............................................................................
Using DBMS_JOB .................................................................................................................................
Processes to Close a PDB .....................................................................................................................
New and Changed Views ....................................................................................................................

Part VII

46-1
46-1
46-2
46-2
46-2

Appendixes

A Support for DBMS_JOB
Oracle Scheduler Replaces DBMS_JOB .............................................................................................
Configuring DBMS_JOB...................................................................................................................
Using Both DBMS_JOB and Oracle Scheduler..............................................................................
Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler.................................................................................
Creating a Job.....................................................................................................................................
Altering a Job .....................................................................................................................................
Removing a Job from the Job Queue ..............................................................................................

A-1
A-1
A-1
A-2
A-2
A-2
A-3

Index

xxxi

xxxii

List of Figures
1–1
1–2
5–1
5–2
6–1
9–1
9–2
9–3
9–4
9–5
9–6
9–7
11–1
11–2
11–3
12–1
14–1
14–2
19–1
19–2
21–1
22–1
27–1
27–2
27–3
27–4
28–1
28–2
28–3
28–4
28–5
28–6
28–7
28–8
29–1
29–2
31–1
31–2
31–3
31–4
31–5
31–6
31–7
31–8
32–1
32–2
32–3
34–1
34–2
34–3
34–4
34–5
34–6
34–7

Example of an Oracle Database Release Number ............................................................... 1-13
Database Administrator Authentication Methods.............................................................. 1-20
Oracle Database Dedicated Server Processes ......................................................................... 5-2
Oracle Database Shared Server Processes ............................................................................... 5-3
Oracle Database Memory Structures ....................................................................................... 6-3
Product/Component Type Subdirectories in the ADR......................................................... 9-8
ADR Directory Structure for a Database Instance .............................................................. 9-10
Workflow for Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem .................................. 9-13
Incidents and Problems Section of the Database Home Page ........................................... 9-14
Enterprise Manager Support Workbench Home Page....................................................... 9-19
Select Package Page ................................................................................................................. 9-36
Customize Package Page ........................................................................................................ 9-37
Reuse of Redo Log Files by LGWR........................................................................................ 11-3
Multiplexed Redo Log Files ................................................................................................... 11-4
Legal and Illegal Multiplexed Redo Log Configuration .................................................... 11-6
Redo Log File Use in ARCHIVELOG Mode ........................................................................ 12-3
Components of File Mapping .............................................................................................. 14-20
Illustration of Mapping Structures ...................................................................................... 14-23
Tables page ............................................................................................................................. 19-16
Advisor Central page ............................................................................................................ 19-17
Coalescing Indexes .................................................................................................................. 21-9
Clustered Table Data .............................................................................................................. 22-2
A Simple Resource Plan .......................................................................................................... 27-5
A Resource Plan With Subplans ............................................................................................ 27-6
Multilevel Plan Schema......................................................................................................... 27-42
Resource Plan with Maximum Utilization for Subplan and Consumer Groups.......... 27-46
Chain with Multiple Branches ............................................................................................... 28-9
Windows help define the resources that are allocated to jobs ........................................ 28-12
Windows and Resource Plans (Example 1)........................................................................ 28-13
Windows and Resource Plans (Example 2)........................................................................ 28-14
Relationships Among Programs, Jobs, and Schedules ..................................................... 28-24
Scheduler Components ......................................................................................................... 28-25
Oracle RAC Architecture and the Scheduler ..................................................................... 28-27
Service Affinity and the Scheduler...................................................................................... 28-28
Chain with Step 3 Paused ..................................................................................................... 29-51
Sample Resource Plan ........................................................................................................... 29-64
Homogeneous Distributed Database .................................................................................... 31-2
An Oracle Database Distributed Database System ............................................................. 31-5
Database Link ........................................................................................................................... 31-7
Hierarchical Arrangement of Networked Databases ......................................................... 31-9
Global User Security .............................................................................................................. 31-21
NLS Parameter Settings in a Client/Server Environment ............................................... 31-35
NLS Parameter Settings in a Homogeneous Environment.............................................. 31-36
NLS Parameter Settings in a Heterogeneous Environment............................................. 31-36
A Shared Database Link to Dedicated Server Processes.................................................. 32-13
Shared Database Link to Shared Server.............................................................................. 32-14
Views and Location Transparency ..................................................................................... 32-19
Distributed System ................................................................................................................. 34-1
Example of a Session Tree ...................................................................................................... 34-3
Commit Point Site ................................................................................................................... 34-5
Commit Point Strengths and Determination of the Commit Point Site.......................... 34-6
Failure During Prepare Phase ............................................................................................. 34-12
Failure During Commit Phase ............................................................................................. 34-13
Defining the Session Tree ..................................................................................................... 34-15

xxxiii

34–8
34–9
34–10
35–1
36–1
36–2
36–3
37–1
37–2
38–1
38–2
38–3
38–4
38–5
38–6
38–7
38–8
39–1
44–1
44–2
44–3
44–4

xxxiv

Determining the Commit Point Site ...................................................................................
Sending and Acknowledging the Prepare Message ........................................................
Instructing Nodes to Commit .............................................................................................
Example of an In-Doubt Distributed Transaction............................................................
CDB with PDBs ........................................................................................................................
A Newly Created CDB ............................................................................................................
A CDB with PDBs ....................................................................................................................
A Newly Created CDB ..........................................................................................................
CDB with PDBs ......................................................................................................................
Options for Creating a PDB....................................................................................................
Create a PDB Using the Seed Files ......................................................................................
Clone a Local PDB..................................................................................................................
Creating a PDB by Cloning a Remote PDB ........................................................................
Creating a PDB by Cloning a Non-CDB .............................................................................
Plug In an Unplugged PDB ..................................................................................................
Plug In a Non-CDB Using the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE Procedure ................................
Unplug a PDB.........................................................................................................................
Managing PDBs........................................................................................................................
Shares in a CDB Resource Plan ..............................................................................................
Shares and Utilization Limits in a CDB Resource Plan ......................................................
Default Directive in a CDB Resource Plan ...........................................................................
A CDB Resource Plan and a PDB Resource Plan ................................................................

34-16
34-17
34-18
35-11
36-2
36-5
36-6
37-17
37-17
38-3
38-13
38-20
38-21
38-22
38-34
38-45
38-48
39-3
44-4
44-5
44-6
44-9

xxxv

List of Tables
1–1
2–1
2–2
2–3
2–4
2–5
2–6
2–7
2–8
2–9
2–10
2–11
2–12
2–13
2–14
2–15
4–1
4–2
4–3
4–4
4–5
4–6
4–7
4–8
4–9
4–10
4–11
4–12
4–13
4–14
4–15
4–16
4–17
4–18
4–19
4–20
4–21
4–22
4–23
4–24
4–25
4–26
4–27
4–28
4–29
4–30
4–31
4–32
4–33
4–34
4–35
4–36
4–37

xxxvi

Required Password File Name and Location on UNIX, Linux, and Windows ............. 1-28
Database Planning Tasks .......................................................................................................... 2-2
Recommended Minimum Initialization Parameters ............................................................ 2-8
PFILE and SPFILE Default Names and Locations on UNIX, LInux, and Windows..... 2-35
DBCA Silent Mode Options .................................................................................................. 2-55
DBCA Silent Mode Commands ............................................................................................ 2-56
createDatabase Parameters.................................................................................................... 2-58
configureDatabase Parameters ............................................................................................. 2-62
createTemplateFromDB Parameters .................................................................................... 2-64
createCloneTemplate Parameters ......................................................................................... 2-65
generateScripts Parameters ................................................................................................... 2-66
deleteDatabase Parameters.................................................................................................... 2-67
createPluggableDatabase Parameters .................................................................................. 2-68
unplugDatabase Parameters ................................................................................................. 2-71
deletePluggableDatabase Parameters .................................................................................. 2-72
configurePluggableDatabase Parameters............................................................................ 2-73
Oracle Components Automatically Restarted by Oracle Restart........................................ 4-2
Create Operations and the Oracle Restart Configuration.................................................... 4-4
Delete/Drop/Remove Operations and the Oracle Restart Configuration ....................... 4-5
Event Record Parameters and Descriptions........................................................................... 4-8
FAN Parameters and Matching Database Signatures .......................................................... 4-9
Determining the Oracle Home from which to Start SRVCTL .......................................... 4-10
Summary of SRVCTL Commands........................................................................................ 4-29
Component Keywords and Abbreviations ......................................................................... 4-30
srvctl add Summary ............................................................................................................... 4-31
srvctl add asm Options .......................................................................................................... 4-31
srvctl add database Options .................................................................................................. 4-33
srvctl add listener Options..................................................................................................... 4-34
srvctl add ons Options ........................................................................................................... 4-35
srvctl add service Options ..................................................................................................... 4-36
srvctl config Summary ........................................................................................................... 4-40
srvctl config asm Options ...................................................................................................... 4-40
srvctl config database Options.............................................................................................. 4-41
srvctl config listener Options ................................................................................................ 4-41
srvctl config service Options ................................................................................................. 4-42
srvctl disable Summary.......................................................................................................... 4-44
srvctl disable database Options ............................................................................................ 4-44
srvctl disable diskgroup Options.......................................................................................... 4-45
srvctl disable listener Options............................................................................................... 4-45
srvctl disable ons Options...................................................................................................... 4-45
srvctl disable service Options................................................................................................ 4-46
srvctl downgrade database Options .................................................................................... 4-47
srvctl enable Summary........................................................................................................... 4-48
srvctl enable database Options ............................................................................................. 4-49
srvctl enable diskgroup Options........................................................................................... 4-49
srvctl enable listener Options................................................................................................ 4-49
srvctl enable ons Options....................................................................................................... 4-50
srvctl enable service Options................................................................................................. 4-50
srvctl getenv Summary .......................................................................................................... 4-51
srvctl getenv asm Options ..................................................................................................... 4-51
srvctl getenv database Options ............................................................................................. 4-52
srvctl getenv listener Options ............................................................................................... 4-52
srvctl modify Summary ......................................................................................................... 4-53

4–38
4–39
4–40
4–41
4–42
4–43
4–44
4–45
4–46
4–47
4–48
4–49
4–50
4–51
4–52
4–53
4–54
4–55
4–56
4–57
4–58
4–59
4–60
4–61
4–62
4–63
4–64
4–65
4–66
4–67
4–68
4–69
4–70
4–71
4–72
4–73
4–74
4–75
4–76
4–77
4–78
4–79
4–80
4–81
4–82
4–83
4–84
4–85
5–1
5–2
5–3
5–4
6–1
6–2
6–3

srvctl modify asm Options .................................................................................................... 4-53
srvctl modify database Options ............................................................................................ 4-54
srvctl modify listener Options............................................................................................... 4-55
srvctl modify ons Options ..................................................................................................... 4-55
srvctl modify service Options ............................................................................................... 4-56
srvctl remove Summary ......................................................................................................... 4-60
srvctl remove asm Options.................................................................................................... 4-60
srvctl remove database Options............................................................................................ 4-61
srvctl remove diskgroup Options......................................................................................... 4-61
srvctl remove listener Options .............................................................................................. 4-61
srvctl remove ons Options..................................................................................................... 4-62
srvctl remove service Options............................................................................................... 4-62
srvctl setenv and unsetenv Summary .................................................................................. 4-63
srvctl setenv database Options ............................................................................................. 4-63
srvctl setenv database Options ............................................................................................. 4-64
srvctl setenv listener Options ................................................................................................ 4-64
srvctl start Summary .............................................................................................................. 4-66
srvctl start asm Option ........................................................................................................... 4-66
srvctl start database Options ................................................................................................. 4-67
srvctl start diskgroup Options .............................................................................................. 4-67
srvctl start home Options....................................................................................................... 4-68
srvctl start listener Options.................................................................................................... 4-68
srvctl start ons Options .......................................................................................................... 4-69
srvctl start service Options .................................................................................................... 4-69
srvctl status Summary............................................................................................................ 4-70
srvctl status asm Options....................................................................................................... 4-70
srvctl status database Options .............................................................................................. 4-71
srvctl status diskgroup Options............................................................................................ 4-71
srvctl status home Options .................................................................................................... 4-72
srvctl status listener Options ................................................................................................. 4-72
srvctl status ons Options........................................................................................................ 4-72
srvctl status service Options.................................................................................................. 4-73
srvctl stop Summary............................................................................................................... 4-74
srvctl stop asm Option ........................................................................................................... 4-74
srvctl stop database Options ................................................................................................. 4-75
srvctl stop diskgroup Options............................................................................................... 4-75
srvctl stop home Options ....................................................................................................... 4-76
srvctl stop listener Options.................................................................................................... 4-76
srvctl stop ons Options........................................................................................................... 4-77
srvctl stop service Options..................................................................................................... 4-77
srvctl unsetenv Command Summary .................................................................................. 4-79
srvctl unsetenv asm Options ................................................................................................. 4-79
srvctl unsetenv database Options......................................................................................... 4-80
srvctl unsetenv listener Options ........................................................................................... 4-80
srvctl upgrade database Parameters .................................................................................... 4-81
srvctl upgrade database Parameters .................................................................................... 4-82
Summary of CRSCTL Commands........................................................................................ 4-83
crsctl stop has Options ........................................................................................................... 4-89
Dedicated Servers, Shared Servers, and Database Resident Connection Pooling ........... 5-5
Configuration Parameters for Database Resident Connection Pooling.......................... 5-16
Data Dictionary Views for Database Resident Connection Pooling ............................... 5-18
Oracle Database Background Processes .............................................................................. 5-19
Granule Size................................................................................................................................ 6-9
Automatically Sized SGA Components and Corresponding Parameters ...................... 6-10
Manually Sized SGA Components that Use SGA_TARGET Space ................................ 6-11

xxxvii

6–4
6–5
6–6
6–7
8–1
9–1
9–2
9–3
9–4
9–5
9–6
9–7
9–8
9–9
9–10
12–1
12–2
15–1
15–2
18–1
19–1
19–2
19–3
19–4
19–5
20–1
20–2
20–3
20–4
20–5
21–1
25–1
26–1
26–2
27–1
27–2
27–3
27–4
27–5
27–6
27–7
28–1
29–1
29–2
29–3
29–4
29–5
29–6
29–7
29–8
29–9
29–10
29–11
29–12
29–13

xxxviii

Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters ..................................................... 6-26
IM Column Store Compression Methods............................................................................ 6-30
Priority Levels for Populating a Database Object in the IM Column Store.................... 6-31
Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store............................................... 6-32
The MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE Parameter and Trace File Segmentation ........................... 8-3
ADR Home Path Components for Oracle Database ............................................................. 9-8
ADR Home Subdirectories ....................................................................................................... 9-9
Data in the V$DIAG_INFO View ......................................................................................... 9-11
Data in the V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR View................................................................. 9-12
Oracle Advisors that Help Repair Critical Errors .............................................................. 9-18
Parameters for Data Block Integrity Check......................................................................... 9-28
Parameters for Redo Integrity Check................................................................................... 9-29
Parameters for Undo Segment Integrity Check.................................................................. 9-29
Parameters for Transaction Integrity Check ....................................................................... 9-29
Parameters for Dictionary Integrity Check ......................................................................... 9-29
LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST Values for Scenario 1................................... 12-12
LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST Values for Scenario 2................................... 12-12
Scenarios for Transportable Tablespaces and Transportable Tables............................... 15-3
Minimum Compatibility Requirements ............................................................................ 15-10
DBA Tasks for Edition-Based Redefinition....................................................................... 18-22
DBMS_ADVISOR package procedures relevant to the Segment Advisor ................... 19-18
Input for DBMS_ADVISOR.CREATE_OBJECT ............................................................... 19-18
Input for DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER ................................................. 19-18
Segment Advisor Result Types.......................................................................................... 19-20
Segment Advisor Outcomes: Summary ............................................................................ 19-23
Table Compression Methods................................................................................................. 20-5
Table Compression Characteristics ...................................................................................... 20-7
Mandatory Error Description Columns ............................................................................ 20-38
Error Logging Table Column Data Types ......................................................................... 20-39
ALTER TABLE Clauses for External Tables ................................................................... 20-103
Costs and Benefits of Coalescing or Rebuilding Indexes .................................................. 21-8
Comparison of Corruption Detection Methods ................................................................. 25-3
Predefined Maintenance Windows ...................................................................................... 26-7
Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views ........................................... 26-7
A Simple Three-Level Resource Plan................................................................................. 27-21
A Three-Level Resource Plan with Utilization Limits..................................................... 27-22
Resource Plan with Parallel Statement Directives ........................................................... 27-49
Predefined Resource Plans .................................................................................................. 27-63
Predefined Resource Consumer Groups ........................................................................... 27-64
Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules.................................................................. 27-64
Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views ....................................................................... 27-65
Default Credentials for Local External Jobs ...................................................................... 28-18
Job Tasks and Their Procedures............................................................................................ 29-2
Destination Tasks and Their Procedures............................................................................. 29-7
Program Tasks and Their Procedures................................................................................ 29-21
Schedule Tasks and Their Procedures ............................................................................... 29-24
Event Tasks and Their Procedures for Events Raised by an Application .................... 29-31
Chain Tasks and Their Procedures..................................................................................... 29-42
Values for the State Attribute of a Chain Step .................................................................. 29-45
Job Class Tasks and Their Procedures ............................................................................... 29-54
Window Tasks and Their Procedures................................................................................ 29-56
Window Group Tasks and Their Procedures ................................................................... 29-61
Job Logging Levels................................................................................................................ 29-65
Scheduler Data Dictionary View Contents for Multiple-Destination Jobs................... 29-67
Job State Event Types Raised by the Scheduler................................................................ 29-68

30–1
30–2
30–3
30–4
30–5
35–1
35–2
37–1
38–1
38–2
38–3
38–4
39–1
40–1
40–2
40–3
40–4
40–5
40–6
40–7
40–8
40–9
40–10
42–1
43–1
43–2
43–3
44–1
44–2
44–3
44–4
44–5
44–6

schagent options......................................................................................................................
Job States ................................................................................................................................
Scheduler System Privileges................................................................................................
Scheduler Object Privileges .................................................................................................
Scheduler Views....................................................................................................................
DBA_2PC_PENDING.............................................................................................................
DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS........................................................................................................
Planning for a CDB .................................................................................................................
Techniques for Creating a PDB.............................................................................................
Clauses for Creating a PDB From the Seed.......................................................................
Clauses for Cloning a PDB ..................................................................................................
Clauses for Plugging In an Unplugged PDB ....................................................................
Getting Started with PDBs.....................................................................................................
Administrative Tasks Common to CDBs and Non-CDBs ................................................
Manageability Features in a CDB .........................................................................................
Statements That Modify Containers in a CDB..................................................................
Temporary Tablespaces in a CDB ......................................................................................
PDB Modes ............................................................................................................................
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Clauses That Modify the Mode of a PDB............
Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ...........
Modifying the Open Mode of a PDB with STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE.....
DDL Statements and the CONTAINER Clause in a CDB...............................................
catcon.pl Parameters.............................................................................................................
Administrative Tasks Common to PDBs and Non-CDBs.................................................
CON_ID Column in Container Data Objects......................................................................
Views for a CDB ......................................................................................................................
Functions That Return the Container ID of a Container .................................................
Resource Allocation for Sample PDBs .................................................................................
Utilization Limits for PDBs....................................................................................................
Initial Default Directive Attributes for PDBs......................................................................
CDB Resource Plan Requirements for PDB Resource Plans.............................................
Attributes for PDB Directives in a CDB Resource Plan...................................................
Sample Directives for PDBs in a CDB Resource Plan......................................................

30-8
30-11
30-23
30-24
30-25
35-3
35-4
37-2
38-2
38-14
38-23
38-35
39-1
40-3
40-6
40-17
40-19
40-21
40-22
40-24
40-27
40-31
40-34
42-2
43-2
43-3
43-13
44-4
44-5
44-6
44-8
44-11
44-11

xxxix

xl

Preface
This document describes how to create, configure, and administer an Oracle database.
This preface contains the following topics:
■

Audience

■

Documentation Accessibility

■

Related Documents

■

Conventions

Audience
This document is intended for database administrators who perform the following
tasks:
■

Create and configure one or more Oracle databases

■

Monitor and tune Oracle databases

■

Oversee routine maintenance operations for Oracle databases

■

Create and maintain schema objects, such as tables, indexes, and views

■

Schedule system and user jobs

■

Diagnose, repair, and report problems

To use this document, you should be familiar with relational database concepts. You
should also be familiar with the operating system environment under which you are
running Oracle Database.

Documentation Accessibility
For information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle
Accessibility Program website at
http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=docacc.
Access to Oracle Support
Oracle customers have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For
information, visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=info or
visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=trs if you are hearing
impaired.

xli

Related Documents
For more information, see these Oracle resources:
■

Oracle Database 2 Day DBA

■

Oracle Database Concepts

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

Oracle Database Reference

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

■

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide

■

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide

■

Oracle Database Error Messages

■

Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide

■

Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide

■

Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide

■

Oracle Database Development Guide

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference

■

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

Many of the examples in this book use the sample schemas, which are installed by
default when you select the Basic Installation option with an Oracle Database
installation. See Oracle Database Sample Schemas for information on how these schemas
were created and how you can use them yourself.

Conventions
The following text conventions are used in this document:

xlii

Convention

Meaning

boldface

Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated
with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary.

italic

Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for
which you supply particular values.

monospace

Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code
in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

Changes in This Release for Oracle Database
Administrator's Guide
This preface contains:
■

Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)

■

Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1)

Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)
The following are changes in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for Oracle Database
12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

New Features
The following features are new in this release:
■

In-Memory Column Store
The In-Memory Column Store (IM column store) in an optional area in the SGA
that stores whole tables, table partitions, individual columns, and materialized
views in a compressed columnar format. The database uses special techniques to
scan columnar data extremely rapidly. The IM column store is a supplement to
rather than a replacement for the database buffer cache.
See "Using the In-Memory Column Store" on page 6-27.

■

Data Pump Support for the In-Memory Column Store
Data Pump can keep, override, or drop the In-Memory clause for database objects
being imported.
See "Data Pump and the IM Column Store" on page 6-38.

■

Force full database caching mode
To improve performance, you can force an instance to store the database in the
buffer cache.
See "Using Force Full Database Caching Mode" on page 6-22.

■

Big Table Cache
The Automatic Big Table Caching feature enables parallel queries to use the buffer
cache.
See "Memory Architecture Overview" on page 6-2.

■

Attribute-clustered tables

xliii

Attribute clustering specifies a directive for heap-organized tables to store data in
close proximity on disk, providing performance and data storage benefits. This
directive is only applicable for direct path operations, such was a bulk insert or a
move operation.
See "Consider Using Attribute-Clustered Tables" on page 20-17.
■

Zone maps
A zone is a set of contiguous data blocks on disk. A zone map tracks the minimum
and maximum of specified columns for all individual zones. The primary benefit
of zone maps is I/O reduction for table scans.
See "Consider Using Zone Maps" on page 20-19.

■

Advanced index compression
Advanced index compression results in excellent compression ratios while still
providing efficient access to the indexes. Advanced index compression works at
the block level to provide the best compression for each block, which means that
users do not require knowledge of data characteristics. Advanced index
compression automatically chooses the right compression for each block.
See "Creating an Index Using Advanced Index Compression" on page 21-15.

■

Preserving the open mode of PDBs when the CDB restarts
You can preserve the open mode of one or more PDBs when the CDB restarts by
using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL statement with a pdb_save_or_discard_
state clause.
See "Preserving or Discarding the Open Mode of PDBs When the CDB Restarts" on
page 40-28.

■

The USER_TABLESPACES clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
You can use this clause to separate the data for multiple schemas into different
PDBs. For example, when you move a non-CDB to a PDB, and the non-CDB had a
number of schemas that each supported different application, you can use this
clause to separate the data belonging to each schema into a separate PDB,
assuming that each schema used a separate tablespace in the non-CDB.
See "User Tablespaces" on page 38-9.

■

Excluding data when cloning a PDB
The NO DATA clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies that a
PDB’s data model definition is cloned but not the PDB’s data.
See "Excluding Data When Cloning a PDB" on page 38-11.

■

Default Oracle Managed Files file system directory or Oracle ASM disk group for a
PDB’s files
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause specifies the default location.
See "File Location of the New PDB" on page 38-4.

■

Create a PDB by cloning a non-CDB
You can create a PDB by cloning a non-CDB with a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement that includes the FROM clause.
See "Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB" on page 38-19.

■

xliv

The logging_clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE and ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement

This clause specifies the logging attribute of the PDB. The logging attribute
controls whether certain DML operations are logged in the redo log file (LOGGING)
or not (NOLOGGING).
See "PDB Tablespace Logging" on page 38-10 for information about this clause and
the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. See "Modifying a PDB with the
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on page 42-4 for information about
this clause and the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.
■

The pdb_force_logging_clause of the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
This clause places a PDB into force logging or force nologging mode or takes a
PDB out of force logging or force nologging mode.
See "Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on
page 42-4.

■

The STANDBYS clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
This clause specifies whether the new PDB is included in standby CDBs.
See "PDB Inclusion in Standby CDBs" on page 38-11.

■

Querying user-created tables and views across all PDBs
The CONTAINERS clause enables you to query user-created tables and views across
all PDBs in a CDB.
See Querying User-Created Tables and Views Across All PDBs.

■

Oracle Clusterware support for the Diagnosability Framework
Oracle Clusterware uses the Diagnosability Framework and ADR for recording
diagnostic trace data and the Clusterware alert log.
See "ADR in an Oracle Clusterware Environment" on page 9-10.

■

READ object privilege and READ ANY TABLE system privilege
READ privilege on an object enables a user to select from an object without
providing the user with any other privileges.
See "System and Object Privileges for External Tables" on page 20-105 and Oracle
Database Security Guide for more information.

Changes in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1)
The following are changes in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for Oracle Database
12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1).

New Features
The following features are new in this release:
■

Oracle Multitenant option
Oracle Multitenant option enables an Oracle database to function as a multitenant
container database (CDB) that includes one or many customer-created pluggable
databases (PDBs). A PDB is a portable collection of schemas, schema objects, and
nonschema objects that appears to an Oracle Net client as a non-CDB. All Oracle
databases before Oracle Database 12c were non-CDBs. You can unplug a PDB from
a CDB and plug it into a different CDB.
See Part VI, "Managing a Multitenant Environment".

■

Resource Manager support for a multitenant environment
xlv

Resource Manager can manage resources on the CDB level and on the PDB level.
You can create a CDB resource plan that allocates resources to the entire CDB and
to individual PDBs. You can allocate more resources to some PDBs and less to
others, or you can specify that all PDBs share resources equally.
See Chapter 44, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus".
■

Full transportable export/import
Full transportable export/import enables you to move a database from one
database instance to another. Transporting a database is much faster than other
methods that move a database, such as full database export/import. In addition,
you can use full transportable export/import to move a non-CDB (or an Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) database) into a PDB that is part of a CDB.
See Chapter 15, "Transporting Data".

■

New administrative privileges for separation of duties
Oracle Database now provides administrative privileges for tasks related to Oracle
Recovery Manager (Oracle RMAN), Oracle Data Guard, and Transparent Data
Encryption. Each new administrative privilege grants the minimum required
privileges to complete tasks in each area of administration. The new
administrative privileges enable you to avoid granting SYSDBA administrative
privilege for many common tasks.
See "Administrative Privileges" on page 1-17

■

Database Smart Flash Cache support for multiple flash devices
A database instance can access and combine multiple flash devices for Database
Smart Flash Cache without requiring a volume manager.
See "Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters" on page 6-26.

■

Temporary undo
Undo for temporary objects is stored in a temporary tablespace, not in the undo
tablespace. Using temporary undo reduces the amount of undo stored in the undo
tablespace and the size of the redo log. It also enables data manipulation language
(DML) operations on temporary tables in a physical standby database with the
Oracle Active Data Guard option.
See "Managing Temporary Undo" on page 16-11. Also, see Oracle Data Guard
Concepts and Administration for information about the benefits of temporary undo
in an Oracle Data Guard environment.

■

Move a data file online
You can move a data file when the data file is online and being accessed. This
capability simplifies maintenance operations, such as moving data to a different
storage device.
See "Renaming and Relocating Online Data Files" on page 14-9.

■

Multiple indexes on the same set of columns
You can create multiple indexes on the same set of columns to perform application
migrations without dropping an existing index and recreating it with different
attributes.
See "Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns"
on page 21-7.

■

xlvi

Move a partition or subpartition online

DML operations can continue to run uninterrupted on a partition or subpartition
that is being moved without using online table redefinition.
See "Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42.
■

Online redefinition of a table in one step
You can use the REDEF_TABLE procedure in the DBMS_REDEFINITION package to
perform online redefinition of a table’s storage properties in a single call to the
procedure.
See "Performing Online Redefinition with the REDEF_TABLE Procedure" on
page 20-51.

■

Online redefinition of tables with multiple partitions
To minimize downtime when redefining multiple partitions in a table, you can
redefine these partitions online in a single session.
See "Online Redefinition of One or More Partitions" on page 20-60.

■

Online redefinition of tables with Virtual Private Database (VPD) policies
To minimize downtime, tables with VPD policies can be redefined online.
See "Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) Policies During Online
Redefinition" on page 20-55.

■

New time limit parameter in the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure
The dml_lock_timeout parameter in the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure in the
DBMS_REDEFINITION package can specify how long the procedure waits for
pending DML to commit.
See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in DBMS_
REDEFINITION" on page 20-51.

■

Invisible columns
You can make individual table columns invisible. Any generic access of a table
does not show the invisible columns in the table.
See "Understand Invisible Columns" on page 20-20.

■

Optimized ALTER TABLE...ADD COLUMN with default value for nullable columns
A nullable column is a column created without using the NOT NULL constraint. For
certain types of tables, when adding a nullable column that has a default value,
the database can optimize the resource usage and storage requirements for the
operation. It does so by storing the default value for the new column as table
metadata, avoiding the need to store the value in all existing records.
See "Adding Table Columns" on page 20-45.

■

Copy-on-write cloning of a database with CloneDB
When cloning a database with CloneDB, Oracle Database can create the files in a
CloneDB database based on copy-on-write technology, so that only the blocks that
are modified in the CloneDB database require additional storage on disk.
See "Cloning a Database with CloneDB" on page 2-47.

■

DDL log
When the logging of DDL statements is enabled, DDL statements are recorded in a
separate DDL log instead of the alert log.
See "DDL Log" on page 9-6.
xlvii

■

Debug log
Some information that can be used to debug a problem is recorded in a separate
debug log instead of the alert log.
See "Debug Log" on page 9-7.

■

Full-word options for the Server Control (SRVCTL) utility
For improved usability, each SRVCTL utility option is a full word instead of single
letter.
See "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29.

■

Transaction Guard and Application Continuity
Transaction Guard ensures at-most-once execution of transactions to protect
applications from duplicate transaction submissions and associated logical errors.
Transaction Guard enables Application Continuity, which is the ability to replay
transactions after recoverable communication errors.
See "Using Transaction Guard and Application Continuity" on page 2-47.

■

Enhanced statement queuing
Critical statements can bypass the parallel statement queue. You can set the
resource plan directive PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL to BYPASS_QUEUE for a
high-priority consumer group so that parallel statements from the consumer
group bypass the parallel statement queue.
See "Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32.

■

New Job Types
Several new script jobs have been added that permit running custom user scripts
using SQL*Plus, the RMAN interpreter, or a command shell for the computer
platform.
See "Script Jobs" on page 28-22.

Deprecated Features
The following features are deprecated in this release and may be desupported in a
future release:
■

The IGNORECASE argument of ORAPWD
To support strong authentication, Oracle recommends that you set IGNORECASE to n
or omit IGNORECASE entirely. The default value of this optional ORAPWD
argument is n.
See "Creating a Database Password File with ORAPWD" on page 1-25 for further
information.

■

Oracle Restart
Oracle Restart is a feature provided as part of Oracle Grid Infrastructure. Oracle
Restart monitors and can restart Oracle Database instances, Oracle Net listeners,
and Oracle ASM instances. Oracle Restart is currently restricted to manage single
instance Oracle databases and Oracle ASM instances only, and is subject to
desupport in future releases. Oracle continues to provide Oracle ASM as part of
the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for Standalone and Cluster
deployments.
For more information about Oracle Restart, see Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic
Restart of an Oracle Database".

xlviii

For more information about the Oracle Restart deprecation announcement and its
replacement, see My Oracle Support Note 1584742.1 at the following URL:
https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&type=NOT&id=158474
2.1
■

Single-character options with Server Control (SRVCTL) utility commands
All SRVCTL commands have been enhanced to accept full-word options instead of
the single-letter options. All new SRVCTL command options added in this release
support full-word options only and do not have single-letter equivalents. The use
of single-character options with SRVCTL commands might be desupported in a
future release.
See "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29 for further
information.

■

The FILE_MAPPING initialization parameter
The FILE_MAPPING initialization parameter is deprecated. It is still supported for
backward compatibility.
See Oracle Database Reference for information about the FILE_MAPPING initialization
parameter.

■

*_SCHEDULER_CREDENTIALS
This view continues to be available for backward compatibility.
See "Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials" on page 29-6 for further information.
See Also:

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide

xlix

l

Part I
Part I

Basic Database Administration

Part I provides an overview of the responsibilities of a database administrator, and
describes how to accomplish basic database administration tasks. It contains the
following chapters:
■

Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Database Administration"

■

Chapter 2, "Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database"

■

Chapter 3, "Starting Up and Shutting Down"

■

Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database"

■

Chapter 5, "Managing Processes"

■

Chapter 6, "Managing Memory"

■

Chapter 7, "Managing Users and Securing the Database"

■

Chapter 8, "Monitoring the Database"

■

Chapter 9, "Managing Diagnostic Data"

1
1

Getting Started with Database Administration
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Types of Oracle Database Users

■

Tasks of a Database Administrator

■

Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

■

Identifying Your Oracle Database Software Release

■

About Database Administrator Security and Privileges

■

Database Administrator Authentication

■

Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

■

Data Utilities

Types of Oracle Database Users
The types of users and their roles and responsibilities depend on the database site. A
small site can have one database administrator who administers the database for
application developers and users. A very large site can find it necessary to divide the
duties of a database administrator among several people and among several areas of
specialization.

Database Administrators
Each database requires at least one database administrator (DBA). An Oracle Database
system can be large and can have many users. Therefore, database administration is
sometimes not a one-person job, but a job for a group of DBAs who share
responsibility.
A database administrator's responsibilities can include the following tasks:
■
■

■

■

■

Installing and upgrading the Oracle Database server and application tools
Allocating system storage and planning future storage requirements for the
database system
Creating primary database storage structures (tablespaces) after application
developers have designed an application
Creating primary objects (tables, views, indexes) once application developers have
designed an application
Modifying the database structure, as necessary, from information given by
application developers

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-1

Types of Oracle Database Users

■

Enrolling users and maintaining system security

■

Ensuring compliance with Oracle license agreements

■

Controlling and monitoring user access to the database

■

Monitoring and optimizing the performance of the database

■

Planning for backup and recovery of database information

■

Maintaining archived data on tape

■

Backing up and restoring the database

■

Contacting Oracle for technical support

Security Officers
In some cases, a site assigns one or more security officers to a database. A security
officer enrolls users, controls and monitors user access to the database, and maintains
system security. As a DBA, you might not be responsible for these duties if your site
has a separate security officer. See Oracle Database Security Guide for information about
the duties of security officers.

Network Administrators
Some sites have one or more network administrators. A network administrator, for
example, administers Oracle networking products, such as Oracle Net Services. See
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for information about the duties of
network administrators.
Part V, "Distributed Database Management", for
information on network administration in a distributed
environment

See Also:

Application Developers
Application developers design and implement database applications. Their
responsibilities include the following tasks:
■

Designing and developing the database application

■

Designing the database structure for an application

■

Estimating storage requirements for an application

■

Specifying modifications of the database structure for an application

■

Relaying this information to a database administrator

■

Tuning the application during development

■

Establishing security measures for an application during development

Application developers can perform some of these tasks in collaboration with DBAs.
See Oracle Database Development Guide for information about application development
tasks.

Application Administrators
An Oracle Database site can assign one or more application administrators to
administer a particular application. Each application can have its own administrator.

1-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tasks of a Database Administrator

Database Users
Database users interact with the database through applications or utilities. A typical
user's responsibilities include the following tasks:
■

Entering, modifying, and deleting data, where permitted

■

Generating reports from the data

Tasks of a Database Administrator
The following tasks present a prioritized approach for designing, implementing, and
maintaining an Oracle Database:
Task 1: Evaluate the Database Server Hardware
Task 2: Install the Oracle Database Software
Task 3: Plan the Database
Task 4: Create and Open the Database
Task 5: Back Up the Database
Task 6: Enroll System Users
Task 7: Implement the Database Design
Task 8: Back Up the Fully Functional Database
Task 9: Tune Database Performance
Task 10: Download and Install Patches
Task 11: Roll Out to Additional Hosts
These tasks are discussed in the sections that follow.
When upgrading to a new release, back up your existing
production environment, both software and database, before
installation. For information on preserving your existing
production database, see Oracle Database Upgrade Guide.

Note:

Task 1: Evaluate the Database Server Hardware
Evaluate how Oracle Database and its applications can best use the available computer
resources. This evaluation should reveal the following information:
■

How many disk drives are available to the Oracle products

■

How many, if any, dedicated tape drives are available to Oracle products

■

How much memory is available to the instances of Oracle Database you will run
(see your system configuration documentation)

Task 2: Install the Oracle Database Software
As the database administrator, you install the Oracle Database server software and any
front-end tools and database applications that access the database. In some distributed
processing installations, the database is controlled by a central computer (database
server) and the database tools and applications are executed on remote computers
(clients). In this case, you must also install the Oracle Net components necessary to
connect the remote systems to the computer that executes Oracle Database.

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-3

Tasks of a Database Administrator

For more information on what software to install, see "Identifying Your Oracle
Database Software Release" on page 1-13.
See Also: For specific requirements and instructions for
installation, see the following documentation:
■
■

The Oracle documentation specific to your operating system
The installation guides for your front-end tools and Oracle Net
drivers

Task 3: Plan the Database
As the database administrator, you must plan:
■

The logical storage structure of the database

■

The overall database design

■

A backup strategy for the database

It is important to plan how the logical storage structure of the database will affect
system performance and various database management operations. For example,
before creating any tablespaces for your database, you should know how many data
files will comprise the tablespace, what type of information will be stored in each
tablespace, and on which disk drives the data files will be physically stored. When
planning the overall logical storage of the database structure, take into account the
effects that this structure will have when the database is actually created and running.
Consider how the logical storage structure of the database will affect:
■

The performance of the computer running Oracle Database

■

The performance of the database during data access operations

■

The efficiency of backup and recovery procedures for the database

Plan the relational design of the database objects and the storage characteristics for
each of these objects. By planning the relationship between each object and its physical
storage before creating it, you can directly affect the performance of the database as a
unit. Be sure to plan for the growth of the database.
In distributed database environments, this planning stage is extremely important. The
physical location of frequently accessed data dramatically affects application
performance.
During the planning stage, develop a backup strategy for the database. You can alter
the logical storage structure or design of the database to improve backup efficiency.
It is beyond the scope of this book to discuss relational and distributed database
design. If you are not familiar with such design issues, see accepted industry-standard
documentation.
Part II, "Oracle Database Structure and Storage", and Part III, "Schema Objects",
provide specific information on creating logical storage structures, objects, and
integrity constraints for your database.

Task 4: Create and Open the Database
After you complete the database design, you can create the database and open it for
normal use. You can create a database at installation time, using the Database
Configuration Assistant, or you can supply your own scripts for creating a database.

1-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tasks of a Database Administrator

See Chapter 2, "Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database", for information on
creating a database and Chapter 3, "Starting Up and Shutting Down" for guidance in
starting up the database.

Task 5: Back Up the Database
After you create the database structure, perform the backup strategy you planned for
the database. Create any additional redo log files, take the first full database backup
(online or offline), and schedule future database backups at regular intervals.
See Also:

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Task 6: Enroll System Users
After you back up the database structure, you can enroll the users of the database in
accordance with your Oracle license agreement, and grant appropriate privileges and
roles to these users. See Chapter 7, "Managing Users and Securing the Database" for
guidance in this task.

Task 7: Implement the Database Design
After you create and start the database, and enroll the system users, you can
implement the planned logical structure database by creating all necessary
tablespaces. When you have finished creating tablespaces, you can create the database
objects.
Part II, "Oracle Database Structure and Storage" and Part III, "Schema Objects" provide
information on creating logical storage structures and objects for your database.

Task 8: Back Up the Fully Functional Database
When the database is fully implemented, again back up the database. In addition to
regularly scheduled backups, you should always back up your database immediately
after implementing changes to the database structure.

Task 9: Tune Database Performance
Optimizing the performance of the database is one of your ongoing responsibilities as
a DBA. Oracle Database provides a database resource management feature that helps
you to control the allocation of resources among various user groups. The database
resource manager is described in Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle
Database Resource Manager".
See Also: Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for
information about tuning your database and applications

Task 10: Download and Install Patches
After installation and on a regular basis, download and install patches. Patches are
available as single interim patches and as patchsets (or patch releases). Interim
patches address individual software bugs and may or may not be needed at your
installation. Patch releases are collections of bug fixes that are applicable for all
customers. Patch releases have release numbers. For example, if you installed Oracle
Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.1), then the first patch release will have a release number
of 12.1.0.2.

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-5

Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

See Also: Oracle Database Installation Guide for your platform for
instructions on downloading and installing patches.

Task 11: Roll Out to Additional Hosts
After you have an Oracle Database installation properly configured, tuned, patched,
and tested, you may want to roll that exact installation out to other hosts. Reasons to
do this include the following:
■
■

You have multiple production database systems.
You want to create development and test systems that are identical to your
production system.

Instead of installing, tuning, and patching on each additional host, you can clone your
tested Oracle Database installation to other hosts, saving time and avoiding
inconsistencies. There are two types of cloning available to you:
■

Cloning an Oracle home—Just the configured and patched binaries from the
Oracle home directory and subdirectories are copied to the destination host and
"fixed" to match the new environment. You can then start an instance with this
cloned home and create a database.
You can use Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control to clone an Oracle home to
one or more destination hosts. You can manually clone an Oracle home using a set
of provided scripts and Oracle Universal Installer.

■

Cloning a database—The tuned database, including database files, initialization
parameters, and so on, are cloned to an existing Oracle home (possibly a cloned
home).
You can use Cloud Control to clone an Oracle database instance to an existing
Oracle home.
See Also:
■

■

■
■

Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and
UNIX for information about cloning Oracle software
The Cloud Control online help for instructions for cloning a
database
"Cloning a Database with CloneDB" on page 2-47
"Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB" on
page 38-19

Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database
The primary means of communicating with Oracle Database is by submitting SQL
statements. Oracle Database also supports a superset of SQL, which includes
commands for starting up and shutting down the database, modifying database
configuration, and so on. There are three ways to submit these SQL statements and
commands to Oracle Database:
■
■

Directly, using the command-line interface of SQL*Plus
Indirectly, using a graphical user interface, such as Oracle Enterprise Manager
Database Express (EM Express) or Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
(Cloud Control)

1-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

With these tools, you use an intuitive graphical interface to administer the
database, and the tool submits SQL statements and commands behind the scenes.
See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA and the online help for the tool for more
information.
■

Directly, using SQL Developer
Developers use SQL Developer to create and test database schemas and
applications, although you can also use it for database administration tasks.
See Oracle Database 2 Day Developer's Guide for more information.

This section focuses on using SQL*Plus to submit SQL statements and commands to
the database. It includes the following topics:
■

About SQL*Plus

■

Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus

About SQL*Plus
SQL*Plus is the primary command-line interface to your Oracle database. You use
SQL*Plus to start up and shut down the database, set database initialization
parameters, create and manage users, create and alter database objects (such as tables
and indexes), insert and update data, run SQL queries, and more.
Before you can submit SQL statements and commands, you must connect to the
database. With SQL*Plus, you can connect locally or remotely. Connecting locally
means connecting to an Oracle database running on the same computer on which you
are running SQL*Plus. Connecting remotely means connecting over a network to an
Oracle database that is running on a remote computer. Such a database is referred to as
a remote database. The SQL*Plus executable on the local computer is provided by a
full Oracle Database installation, an Oracle Client installation, or an Instant Client
installation.
See Also:

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus
Oracle Database includes the following components:
■

The Oracle Database instance, which is a collection of processes and memory

■

A set of disk files that contain user data and system data

When you connect with SQL*Plus, you are connecting to the Oracle instance. Each
instance has an instance ID, also known as a system ID (SID). Because there can be
multiple Oracle instances on a host computer, each with its own set of data files, you
must identify the instance to which you want to connect. For a local connection, you
identify the instance by setting operating system environment variables. For a remote
connection, you identify the instance by specifying a network address and a database
service name. For both local and remote connections, you must set environment
variables to help the operating system find the SQL*Plus executable and to provide the
executable with a path to its support files and scripts. To connect to an Oracle instance
with SQL*Plus, therefore, you must complete the following steps:
Step 1: Open a Command Window
Step 2: Set Operating System Environment Variables
Step 3: Start SQL*Plus
Step 4: Submit the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-7

Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

Oracle Database Concepts for background information
about the Oracle instance

See Also:

Step 1: Open a Command Window
Take the necessary action on your platform to open a window into which you can
enter operating system commands.

Step 2: Set Operating System Environment Variables
Depending on your platform, you may have to set environment variables before
starting SQL*Plus, or at least verify that they are set properly.
For example, on most platforms, ORACLE_SID and ORACLE_HOME must be set. In
addition, it is advisable to set the PATH environment variable to include the ORACLE_
HOME/bin directory. Some platforms may require additional environment variables:
■

■

On the UNIX and Linux platforms, you must set environment variables by
entering operating system commands.
On the Windows platform, Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) automatically assigns
values to ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID in the Windows registry.

If you did not create a database upon installation, OUI does not set ORACLE_SID in the
registry; after you create your database at a later time, you must set the ORACLE_SID
environment variable from a command window.
UNIX and Linux installations come with two scripts, oraenv and coraenv, that you can
use to easily set environment variables. For more information, see Administrator's
Reference for UNIX Systems.
For all platforms, when switching between instances with different Oracle homes, you
must change the ORACLE_HOME environment variable. If multiple instances share the
same Oracle home, you must change only ORACLE_SID when switching instances.
See the Oracle Database Installation Guide or administration guide for your operating
system for details on environment variables and for information on switching
instances.
Example 1–1 Setting Environment Variables in UNIX (C Shell)
setenv ORACLE_SID orcl
setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/db_1
setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH $ORACLE_HOME/lib:/usr/lib:/usr/dt/lib:/usr/openwin/lib:/usr/ccs/lib
Example 1–2 Setting Environment Variables in Windows
SET ORACLE_SID=orawin2

Example 1–2 assumes that ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID are set in the registry but that
you want to override the registry value of ORACLE_SID to connect to a different
instance.
On Windows, environment variable values that you set in a command prompt
window override the values in the registry.

Step 3: Start SQL*Plus
To start SQL*Plus:
1.

Do one of the following:
■

Ensure that the PATH environment variable contains ORACLE_HOME/bin.

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Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

■

2.

Change directory to ORACLE_HOME/bin.

Enter the following command (case-sensitive on UNIX and Linux):
sqlplus /nolog

Step 4: Submit the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command
You submit the SQL*Plus CONNECT command to initially connect to the Oracle instance
or at any time to reconnect as a different user. The syntax of the CONNECT command is
as follows:
CONN[ECT] [logon] [AS {SYSOPER | SYSDBA | SYSBACKUP | SYSDG | SYSKM}]

The syntax of logon is as follows:
{username | /}[@connect_identifier] [edition={edition_name | DATABASE_DEFAULT}]

When you provide username, SQL*Plus prompts for a password. The password is not
echoed as you type it.
The following table describes the syntax components of the CONNECT command.
Syntax Component

Description

/

Calls for external authentication of the connection request. A
database password is not used in this type of authentication.
The most common form of external authentication is operating
system authentication, where the database user is
authenticated by having logged in to the host operating
system with a certain host user account. External
authentication can also be performed with an Oracle wallet or
by a network service. See Oracle Database Security Guide for
more information. See also "Using Operating System
Authentication" on page 1-21.

AS {SYSOPER | SYSDBA |
Indicates that the database user is connecting with an
SYSBACKUP | SYSDG | SYSKM} administrative privilege. Only certain predefined
administrative users or users who have been added to the
password file may connect with these privileges. See
"Administrative Privileges" on page 1-17 for more information.
username

A valid database user name. The database authenticates the
connection request by matching username against the data
dictionary and prompting for a user password.

connect_identifier (1)

An Oracle Net connect identifier, for a remote connection. The
exact syntax depends on the Oracle Net configuration. If
omitted, SQL*Plus attempts connection to a local instance.
A common connect identifier is a net service name. This is an
alias for an Oracle Net connect descriptor (network address
and database service name). The alias is typically resolved in
the tnsnames.ora file on the local computer, but can be
resolved in other ways.
See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for more
information on connect identifiers.

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Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

Syntax Component

Description

connect_identifier (2)

As an alternative, a connect identifier can use easy connect
syntax. Easy connect provides out-of-the-box TCP/IP
connectivity for remote databases without having to configure
Oracle Net Services on the client (local) computer.
Easy connect syntax for the connect identifier is as follows (the
enclosing double-quotes must be included):
"host[:port][/service_name][:server][/instance_name]"
where:
■

host is the host name or IP address of the computer
hosting the remote database.
Both IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6) addresses
are supported. IPv6 addresses must be enclosed in square
brackets. See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's
Guide for information about IPv6 addressing.

■

■

port is the TCP port on which the Oracle Net listener on
host listens for database connections. If omitted, 1521 is
assumed.
service_name is the database service name to which to
connect. Can be omitted if the Net Services listener
configuration on the remote host designates a default
service. If no default service is configured, service_name
must be supplied. Each database typically offers a
standard service with a name equal to the global database
name, which is made up of the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN
initialization parameters as follows:
DB_NAME.DB_DOMAIN
If DB_DOMAIN is null, then the standard service name is just
the DB_NAME. For example, if DB_NAME is orcl and DB_
DOMAIN is us.example.com, then the standard service name
is orcl.us.example.com.
See "Managing Application Workloads with Database
Services" on page 2-40 for more information.

■

■

server is the type of service handler. Acceptable values
are dedicated, shared, and pooled. If omitted, the default
type of server is chosen by the listener: shared server if
configured, otherwise dedicated server.
instance_name is the instance to which to connect. You
can specify both service name and instance name, which
you would typically do only for Oracle Real Application
Clusters (Oracle RAC) environments. For Oracle RAC or
single instance environments, if you specify only instance
name, you connect to the default database service. If there
is no default service configured in the listener.ora file,
an error is generated.You can obtain the instance name
from the instance_name initialization parameter.

See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for more
information on easy connect.
edition={edition_name |
DATABASE_DEFAULT}

Specifies the edition in which the new database session starts.
If you specify an edition, it must exist and you must have the
USE privilege on it. If this clause is not specified, the database
default edition is used for the session.
See Oracle Database Development Guide for information on
editions and edition-based redefinition.

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Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

Example 1–3

This simple example connects to a local database as user SYSTEM. SQL*Plus prompts
for the SYSTEM user password.
connect system
Example 1–4

This example connects to a local database as user SYS with the SYSDBA privilege.
SQL*Plus prompts for the SYS user password.
connect sys as sysdba

When connecting as user SYS, you must connect AS SYSDBA.
Example 1–5

This example connects to a local database as user SYSBACKUP with the SYSBACKUP
privilege. SQL*Plus prompts for the SYSBACKUP user password.
connect sysbackup as sysbackup

When connecting as user SYSBACKUP, you must connect AS SYSBACKUP.
Example 1–6

This example connects locally with the SYSDBA privilege with operating system
authentication.
connect / as sysdba
Example 1–7

This example uses easy connect syntax to connect as user salesadmin to a remote
database running on the host dbhost.example.com. The Oracle Net listener (the
listener) is listening on the default port (1521). The database service is
sales.example.com. SQL*Plus prompts for the salesadmin user password.
connect salesadmin@"dbhost.example.com/sales.example.com"
Example 1–8

This example is identical to Example 1–7, except that the service handler type is
indicated.
connect salesadmin@"dbhost.example.com/sales.example.com:dedicated"
Example 1–9

This example is identical to Example 1–7, except that the listener is listening on the
nondefault port number 1522.
connect salesadmin@"dbhost.example.com:1522/sales.example.com"
Example 1–10

This example is identical to Example 1–7, except that the host IP address is substituted
for the host name.
connect salesadmin@"192.0.2.5/sales.example.com"

Getting Started with Database Administration

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Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database

Example 1–11

This example connects using an IPv6 address. Note the enclosing square brackets.
connect salesadmin@"[2001:0DB8:0:0::200C:417A]/sales.example.com"
Example 1–12

This example specifies the instance to which to connect and omits the database service
name. A default database service must have been specified, otherwise an error is
generated. Note that when you specify the instance only, you cannot specify the
service handler type.
connect salesadmin@"dbhost.example.com//orcl"
Example 1–13

This example connects remotely as user salesadmin to the database service designated
by the net service name sales1. SQL*Plus prompts for the salesadmin user password.
connect salesadmin@sales1
Example 1–14

This example connects remotely with external authentication to the database service
designated by the net service name sales1.
connect /@sales1
Example 1–15

This example connects remotely with the SYSDBA privilege and with external
authentication to the database service designated by the net service name sales1.
connect /@sales1 as sysdba
Example 1–16

This example connects remotely as user salesadmin to the database service designated
by the net service name sales1. The database session starts in the rev21 edition.
SQL*Plus prompts for the salesadmin user password.
connect salesadmin@sales1 edition=rev21

See Also:
■
■

■

■

■

"Using Operating System Authentication" on page 1-21
"Managing Application Workloads with Database Services" on
page 2-40 for information about database services
SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more information on the
CONNECT command
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for more
information on net service names
Oracle Database Net Services Reference for information on how to
define the default service in listener.ora

1-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Identifying Your Oracle Database Software Release

Identifying Your Oracle Database Software Release
Because Oracle Database continues to evolve and can require maintenance, Oracle
periodically produces new releases. Not all customers initially subscribe to a new
release or require specific maintenance for their existing release. As a result, multiple
releases of the product exist simultaneously.
As many as five numbers may be required to fully identify a release. The significance
of these numbers is discussed in the sections that follow.

Release Number Format
To understand the release nomenclature used by Oracle, examine the following
example of an Oracle Database release labeled "12.1.0.1.0".
Figure 1–1 Example of an Oracle Database Release Number

12.1.0.1.0
Platform specific
release number

Major database
release number

Component specific
release number

Database maintenance
release number

Fusion Middleware
release number

Major Database Release Number
The first numeral is the most general identifier. It represents a major new version of
the software that contains significant new functionality.

Database Maintenance Release Number
The second numeral represents a maintenance release level. Some new features may
also be included.

Fusion Middleware Release Number
The third numeral reflects the release level of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Component-Specific Release Number
The fourth numeral identifies a release level specific to a component. Different
components can have different numbers in this position depending upon, for example,
component patch sets or interim releases.

Platform-Specific Release Number
The fifth numeral identifies a platform-specific release. Usually this is a patch set.
When different platforms require the equivalent patch set, this numeral will be the
same across the affected platforms.

Checking Your Current Release Number
To identify the release of Oracle Database that is currently installed and to see the
release levels of other database components you are using, query the data dictionary
view PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION. A sample query follows. (You can also query the
V$VERSION view to see component-level information.) Other product release levels
may increment independent of the database server.
Getting Started with Database Administration

1-13

About Database Administrator Security and Privileges

COL PRODUCT FORMAT A40
COL VERSION FORMAT A15
COL STATUS FORMAT A15
SELECT * FROM PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION;
PRODUCT
---------------------------------------NLSRTL
Oracle Database 12c Enterprise Edition
PL/SQL
...

VERSION
----------12.1.0.0.1
12.1.0.0.1
12.1.0.0.1

STATUS
----------Production
Production
Production

It is important to convey to Oracle the results of this query when you report problems
with the software.

About Database Administrator Security and Privileges
To perform the administrative tasks of an Oracle Database DBA, you need specific
privileges within the database and possibly in the operating system of the server on
which the database runs. Ensure that access to a database administrator's account is
tightly controlled.
This section contains the following topics:
■

The Database Administrator's Operating System Account

■

Administrative User Accounts

The Database Administrator's Operating System Account
To perform many of the administrative duties for a database, you must be able to
execute operating system commands. Depending on the operating system on which
Oracle Database is running, you might need an operating system account or ID to gain
access to the operating system. If so, your operating system account might require
operating system privileges or access rights that other database users do not require
(for example, to perform Oracle Database software installation). Although you do not
need the Oracle Database files to be stored in your account, you should have access to
them.
See Also: Your operating system-specific Oracle documentation.
The method of creating the account of the database administrator is
specific to the operating system.

Administrative User Accounts
The following administrative user accounts are automatically created when Oracle
Database is installed:
■

SYS

■

SYSTEM

■

SYSBACKUP

■

SYSDG

■

SYSKM

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About Database Administrator Security and Privileges

Both Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) and Database
Configuration Assistant (DBCA) now prompt for SYS and SYSTEM
passwords and do not accept the default passwords "change_on_
install" or "manager", respectively.

Note:

If you create the database manually, Oracle strongly recommends
that you specify passwords for SYS and SYSTEM at database creation
time, rather than using these default passwords. See "Protecting
Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM"
on page 2-17 for more information.
Create at least one additional administrative user and grant to that user an appropriate
administrative role to use when performing daily administrative tasks. Do not use SYS
and SYSTEM for these purposes.
Note Regarding Security Enhancements: In this release of Oracle
Database and in subsequent releases, several enhancements are
being made to ensure the security of default database user
accounts. You can find a security checklist for this release in Oracle
Database Security Guide. Oracle recommends that you read this
checklist and configure your database accordingly.

SYS
When you create an Oracle database, the user SYS is automatically created and granted
the DBA role.
All of the base tables and views for the database data dictionary are stored in the
schema SYS. These base tables and views are critical for the operation of Oracle
Database. To maintain the integrity of the data dictionary, tables in the SYS schema are
manipulated only by the database. They should never be modified by any user or
database administrator, and no one should create any tables in the schema of user SYS.
(However, you can change the storage parameters of the data dictionary settings if
necessary.)
Ensure that most database users are never able to connect to Oracle Database using the
SYS account.

SYSTEM
When you create an Oracle database, the user SYSTEM is also automatically created and
granted the DBA role.
The SYSTEM user name is used to create additional tables and views that display
administrative information, and internal tables and views used by various Oracle
Database options and tools. Never use the SYSTEM schema to store tables of interest to
non-administrative users.

SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM
When you create an Oracle database, the following users are automatically created to
facilitate separation of duties for database administrators:
■

SYSBACKUP facilitates Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) backup and recovery
operations either from RMAN or SQL*Plus.

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-15

About Database Administrator Security and Privileges

■

■

SYSDG facilitates Data Guard operations. The user can perform operations either
with Data Guard Broker or with the DGMGRL command-line interface.
SYSKM facilitates Transparent Data Encryption keystore operations.

Each of these accounts provides a designated user for the new administrative privilege
with the same name. Specifically, the SYSBACKUP account provides a designated user
for the SYSBACKUP administrative privilege. The SYSDG account provides a designated
user for the SYSDG administrative privilege. The SYSKM account provides a designated
user for the SYSKM administrative privilege.
Create a user and grant to that user an appropriate administrative privilege to use
when performing daily administrative tasks. Doing so enables you to manage each
user account separately, and each user account can have a distinct password. Do not
use the SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM user account for these purposes. These accounts are
locked by default and should remain locked.
To use one of these administrative privileges, a user must exercise the privilege when
connecting by specifying AS SYSBACKUP, AS SYSDG, or AS SYSKM. If the authentication
succeeds, the user is connected with a session in which the administrative privilege is
enabled. In this case, the session user is the corresponding administrative user
account. For example, if user bradmin connects with the AS SYSBACKUP administrative
privilege, then the session user is SYSBACKUP.
Note: The SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM user accounts cannot be
dropped.

See Also:
■

"Administrative Privileges" on page 1-17

■

Oracle Database Security Guide

The DBA Role
A predefined DBA role is automatically created with every Oracle Database installation.
This role contains most database system privileges. Therefore, the DBA role should be
granted only to actual database administrators.
The DBA role does not include the SYSDBA, SYSOPER,
SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM system privileges. These are special
administrative privileges that allow an administrator to perform
basic database administration tasks, such as creating the database
and instance startup and shutdown. These administrative
privileges are discussed in "Administrative Privileges" on
page 1-17.
Note:

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about
administrative user accounts
"Using Password File Authentication" on page 1-23

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Database Administrator Authentication

Database Administrator Authentication
As a DBA, you often perform special operations such as shutting down or starting up
a database. Because only a DBA should perform these operations, the database
administrator user names require a secure authentication scheme.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Administrative Privileges

■

Selecting an Authentication Method for Database Administrators

■

Using Operating System Authentication

■

Using Password File Authentication

Administrative Privileges
Administrative privileges that are required for an administrator to perform basic
database operations are granted through the following special system privileges:
■

SYSDBA

■

SYSOPER

■

SYSBACKUP

■

SYSDG

■

SYSKM

You must have one of these privileges granted to you, depending upon the level of
authorization you require.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, the SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM administrative
privileges are available. Each new administrative privilege grants the minimum
required privileges to complete tasks in each area of administration. The new
administrative privileges enable you to avoid granting SYSDBA administrative privilege
for many common tasks.
These administrative privileges allow access to a database
instance even when the database is not open. Control of these
privileges is totally outside of the database itself. Methods for
authenticating database administrators with these privileges
include operating system (OS) authentication, password files, and
strong authentication with a directory-based authentication service.

Note:

These privileges can also be thought of as types of connections that
enable you to perform certain database operations for which
privileges cannot be granted in any other fashion. For example, if
you have the SYSDBA privilege, then you can connect to the database
by specifying CONNECT AS SYSDBA and perform STARTUP and
SHUTDOWN operations. See "Selecting an Authentication Method for
Database Administrators" on page 1-19.

Operations Authorized by Administrative Privileges
The following table lists the operations that are authorized by each administrative
privilege:

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-17

Database Administrator Authentication

Administrative
Privilege

Operations Authorized

SYSDBA

■

Perform STARTUP and SHUTDOWN operations

■

ALTER DATABASE: open, mount, back up, or change character set

■

CREATE DATABASE

■

DROP DATABASE

■

CREATE SPFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE ARCHIVELOG

■

ALTER DATABASE RECOVER

■

Includes the RESTRICTED SESSION privilege

This administrative privilege allows most operations, including the
ability to view user data. It is the most powerful administrative
privilege.
SYSOPER

■

Perform STARTUP and SHUTDOWN operations

■

CREATE SPFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE: open, mount, or back up

■

ALTER DATABASE ARCHIVELOG

■

■

ALTER DATABASE RECOVER (Complete recovery only. Any form of
incomplete recovery, such as UNTIL
TIME|CHANGE|CANCEL|CONTROLFILE requires connecting as
SYSDBA.)
Includes the RESTRICTED SESSION privilege

This privilege allows a user to perform basic operational tasks, but
without the ability to view user data.
SYSBACKUP

This privilege allows a user to perform backup and recovery
operations either from Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) or
SQL*Plus.
See Oracle Database Security Guide for the full list of operations allowed
by this administrative privilege.

SYSDG

This privilege allows a user to perform Data Guard operations. You
can use this privilege with either Data Guard Broker or the DGMGRL
command-line interface.
See Oracle Database Security Guide for the full list of operations allowed
by this administrative privilege.

SYSKM

This privilege allows a user to perform Transparent Data Encryption
keystore operations.
See Oracle Database Security Guide for the full list of operations allowed
by this administrative privilege.

The manner in which you are authorized to use these privileges depends upon the
method of authentication that you use.
When you connect with an administrative privilege, you connect with a current
schema that is not generally associated with your username. For SYSDBA, the current
schema is SYS. For SYSOPER, the current schema is PUBLIC. For SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and
SYSKM, the current schema is SYS for name resolution purposes.
Also, when you connect with an administrative privilege, you connect with a specific
session user. When you connect as SYSDBA, the session user is SYS. For SYSOPER, the
session user is PUBLIC. For SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM, the session user is SYSBACKUP,
SYSDG, and SYSKM, respectively.

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Database Administrator Authentication

Example 1–17

Current Schema When Connecting AS SYSDBA

This example illustrates that a user is assigned another schema (SYS) when connecting
with the SYSDBA administrative privilege. Assume that the sample user mydba has been
granted the SYSDBA administrative privilege and has issued the following command
and statement:
CONNECT mydba
CREATE TABLE admin_test(name VARCHAR2(20));

Later, user mydba issues this command and statement:
CONNECT mydba AS SYSDBA
SELECT * FROM admin_test;

User mydba now receives the following error:
ORA-00942: table or view does not exist

Having connected as SYSDBA, user mydba now references the SYS schema, but the table
was created in the mydba schema.
Example 1–18

Current Schema and Session User When Connecting AS SYSBACKUP

This example illustrates that a user is assigned another schema (SYS) and another
session user (SYSBACKUP) when connecting with the SYSBACKUP administrative
privilege. Assume that the sample user mydba has been granted the SYSBACKUP
administrative privilege and has issued the following command and statements:
CONNECT mydba AS SYSBACKUP
SELECT SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV', 'CURRENT_SCHEMA') FROM DUAL;
SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV','CURRENT_SCHEMA')
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------SYS
SELECT SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV', 'SESSION_USER') FROM DUAL;
SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV','SESSION_USER')
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------SYSBACKUP

See Also:
■

"Administrative User Accounts" on page 1-14

■

"Using Operating System Authentication" on page 1-21

■

"Using Password File Authentication" on page 1-23

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about the current schema and the session user
Oracle Database Security Guide

Selecting an Authentication Method for Database Administrators
Database Administrators can authenticate database administrators through the data
dictionary, (using an account password) like other users. Keep in mind that database
passwords are case-sensitive. See Oracle Database Security Guide for more information
about case-sensitive database passwords.

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-19

Database Administrator Authentication

In addition to normal data dictionary authentication, the following methods are
available for authenticating database administrators with the SYSDBA, SYSOPER,
SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM privilege:
■

Operating system (OS) authentication

■

Password files

■

Strong authentication with a directory-based authentication service, such as Oracle
Internet Directory

These methods are required to authenticate a database administrator when the
database is not started or otherwise unavailable. (They can also be used when the
database is available.)
The remainder of this section focuses on operating system authentication and
password file authentication. See Oracle Database Security Guide for information about
authenticating database administrators with directory-based authentication services.
Notes: Operating system authentication takes precedence over
password file authentication. If you meet the requirements for
operating system authentication, then even if you use a password
file, you will be authenticated by operating system authentication.

Your choice is influenced by whether you intend to administer your database locally
on the same system where the database resides, or whether you intend to administer
many different databases from a single remote client. Figure 1–2 illustrates the choices
you have for database administrator authentication schemes.
Figure 1–2 Database Administrator Authentication Methods
Remote Database
Administration

Do you
have a secure
connection?

Local Database
Administration

Yes

No

Do you
want to use OS
authentication?

Yes

Use OS
authentication

No

Use a
password file

If you are performing remote database administration, consult your Oracle Net
documentation to determine whether you are using a secure connection. Most popular
connection protocols, such as TCP/IP and DECnet, are not secure.

1-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Administrator Authentication

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Security Guide for information about
authenticating database administrators with directory-based
authentication services.
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide

Nonsecure Remote Connections
To connect to Oracle Database as a privileged user over a nonsecure connection, you
must be authenticated by a password file. When using password file authentication,
the database uses a password file to keep track of database user names that have been
granted the SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM administrative privilege. This
form of authentication is discussed in "Using Password File Authentication" on
page 1-23.

Local Connections and Secure Remote Connections
You can connect to Oracle Database as a privileged user over a local connection or a
secure remote connection in two ways:
■

■

If the database has a password file and you have been granted a system privilege,
then you can connect and be authenticated by a password file.
If the server is not using a password file, or if you have not been granted a system
privilege and are therefore not in the password file, then you can use operating
system authentication. On most operating systems, authentication for database
administrators involves placing the operating system username of the database
administrator in a special group.
For example, users in the OSDBA group are granted the SYSDBA administrative
privilege. Similarly, the OSOPER group is used to grant SYSOPER administrative
privilege to users, the OSBACKUPDBA group is used to grant SYSBACKUP
administrative privilege to users, the OSDGDBA group is used to grant SYSDG
administrative privilege to users, and the OSKMDBA group is used to grant SYSKM
administrative privilege to users.

Using Operating System Authentication
This section describes how to authenticate an administrator using the operating
system.

Operating System Groups
Membership in special operating system groups enables a DBA to authenticate to the
database through the operating system rather than with a database user name and
password. This is known as operating system authentication. The groups are created
and assigned specific names as part of the database installation process. The default
names vary depending upon your operating system, and are listed in the following
table:

Operating System Group

UNIX or Linux
User Group

Windows User Group

OSDBA

dba

ORA_DBA (for all Oracle homes)
ORA_HOMENAME_DBA (for each specific Oracle
home)

Getting Started with Database Administration

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Database Administrator Authentication

Operating System Group

UNIX or Linux
User Group

Windows User Group

OSOPER

oper

ORA_OPER (for all Oracle homes)
ORA_HOMENAME_OPER (for each specific
Oracle home)

OSBACKUPDBA

backupdba

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSBACKUP

OSDGDBA

dgdba

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSDG

OSKMDBA

kmdba

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSKM

For the Windows user group names, replace HOMENAME with the Oracle home
name.
Oracle Universal Installer uses these default names, but, on UNIX or Linux, you can
override them. On UNIX or Linux, one reason to override them is if you have multiple
instances running on the same host computer in different Oracle homes. If each
instance has a different person as the principal DBA, then you can improve the
security of each instance by creating different groups for each instance.
For example, for two instances on the same UNIX or Linux host in different Oracle
homes, the OSDBA group for the first instance might be named dba1, and OSDBA for
the second instance might be named dba2. The first DBA would be a member of dba1
only, and the second DBA would be a member of dba2 only. Thus, when using
operating system authentication, each DBA would be able to connect only to his
assigned instance.
On Windows, default user group names cannot be changed. The HOMENAME
placeholder enables you to have different user group names when you have multiple
instances running on the same host Windows computer.
Membership in a group affects your connection to the database in the following ways:
■

■

■

■

■

■

If you are a member of the OSDBA group, and you specify AS SYSDBA when you
connect to the database, then you connect to the database with the SYSDBA
administrative privilege.
If you are a member of the OSOPER group, and you specify AS SYSOPER when you
connect to the database, then you connect to the database with the SYSOPER
administrative privilege.
If you are a member of the OSBACKUPDBA group, and you specify AS SYSBACKUP
when you connect to the database, then you connect to the database with the
SYSBACKUP administrative privilege.
If you are a member of the OSDGDBA group, and you specify AS SYSDG when you
connect to the database, then you connect to the database with the SYSDG
administrative privilege.
If you are a member of the OSKMDBA group, and you specify AS SYSKM when you
connect to the database, then you connect to the database with the SYSKM
administrative privilege.
If you are not a member of one of these operating system groups, and you attempt
to connect as SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM, then the CONNECT
command fails.
See Also: Your operating system specific Oracle documentation
for information about creating the OSDBA and OSOPER groups

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Database Administrator Authentication

Preparing to Use Operating System Authentication
To enable operating system authentication of an administrative user:
1.

Create an operating system account for the user.

2.

Add the account to the appropriate operating-system defined groups.

Connecting Using Operating System Authentication
A user can be authenticated, enabled as an administrative user, and connected to a
local database by typing one of the following SQL*Plus commands:
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT

/
/
/
/
/

AS
AS
AS
AS
AS

SYSDBA
SYSOPER
SYSBACKUP
SYSDG
SYSKM

For the Windows platform only, remote operating system authentication over a secure
connection is supported. You must specify the net service name for the remote
database:
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT
CONNECT

/@net_service_name
/@net_service_name
/@net_service_name
/@net_service_name
/@net_service_name

AS
AS
AS
AS
AS

SYSDBA
SYSOPER
SYSBACKUP
SYSDG
SYSKM

Both the client computer and database host computer must be on a Windows domain.
See Also:
■
■

"Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7
SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for syntax of the CONNECT
command

Using Password File Authentication
This section describes how to authenticate an administrative user using password file
authentication. You can use password file authentication for an Oracle database
instance and for an Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) instance.
The password file for an Oracle database is called a database password file, and the
password file for Oracle ASM is called an Oracle ASM password file.
This section describes creating a database password file. For information about
creating an Oracle ASM password file, see Oracle Automatic Storage Management
Administrator's Guide.

Preparing to Use Password File Authentication
To enable authentication of an administrative user using password file authentication
you must do the following:
1.

If it is not already created, then create the password file using the ORAPWD utility:
orapwd FILE=filename ENTRIES=max_users FORMAT=12

See "Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File" on page 1-25 for details.

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-23

Database Administrator Authentication

Notes:
■

■

■
■

2.

When you invoke Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) as
part of the Oracle Database installation process, DBCA creates a
password file.
The administrative privileges SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM are
supported in the password file only when the file is created
created with the FORMAT=12 argument. 12 is the default for the
FORMAT command-line argument.
By default, passwords in the password file are case-sensitive.
When you create a database password file that is stored in an
Oracle ASM disk group, it can be shared among the multiple
Oracle RAC database instances. The password file is not
duplicated on each Oracle RAC database instance.

Set the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization parameter to exclusive. (This is
the default).
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE is a static initialization parameter
and therefore cannot be changed without restarting the database.

Note:

3.

Connect to the database as user SYS (or as another user with the administrative
privileges).

4.

If the user does not already exist in the database, then create the user and assign a
password.
Keep in mind that database passwords are case-sensitive. See Oracle Database
Security Guide for more information about case-sensitive database passwords.

5.

Grant the SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM administrative privilege to
the user. For example:
GRANT SYSDBA to mydba;

This statement adds the user to the password file, thereby enabling connection AS
SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS SYSBACKUP, AS SYSDG, or AS SYSKM.
See Also: "Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File"
on page 1-25 for instructions for creating and maintaining a
password file

Connecting Using Password File Authentication
Administrative users can be connected and authenticated to a local or remote database
by using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command. They must connect using their username
and password and the AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS SYSBACKUP, AS SYSDG, or AS SYSKM
clause. By default, passwords are case-sensitive.
For example, if user mydba has been granted the SYSDBA privilege, then mydba can
connect as follows:
CONNECT mydba AS SYSDBA

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

However, if user mydba has not been granted the SYSOPER privilege, then the following
command fails:
CONNECT mydba AS SYSOPER

Operating system authentication takes precedence over
password file authentication. Specifically, if you are a member of
the appropriate operating system group, such as OSDBA or
OSOPER, and you connect with the appropriate clause (for
example, AS SYSDBA), then you will be connected with associated
administrative privileges regardless of the username/password that
you specify.

Note:

If you are not in the one of the operating system groups, and you
are not in the password file, then attempting to connect with the
clause fails.

See Also:
■
■

"Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7
SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for syntax of the CONNECT
command

Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File
You can create a database password file using the password file creation utility,
ORAPWD. For some operating systems, you can create this file as part of your standard
installation.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Creating a Database Password File with ORAPWD

■

Sharing and Disabling the Database Password File

■

Adding Users to a Database Password File

■

Maintaining a Database Password File
See Also:
■
■

■

"Using Password File Authentication" on page 1-23
"Selecting an Authentication Method for Database
Administrators" on page 1-19
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for
information about creating and maintaining an Oracle ASM
password file

Creating a Database Password File with ORAPWD
The syntax of the ORAPWD command is as follows:
orapwd FILE=filename [ENTRIES=numusers] [FORCE={y|n}] [ASM={y|n}]
[DBUNIQUENAME=dbname] [FORMAT={12|legacy}] [SYSBACKUP={y|n}] [SYSDG={y|n}]
[SYSKM={y|n}] [DELETE={y|n}] [INPUT_FILE=input-fname]
orapwd DESCRIBE FILE=filename

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

Command arguments are summarized in the following table.
Argument

Description

FILE

If the DESCRIBE argument is not included, then specify the name to assign to
the new password file. You must supply a complete path. If you supply only
a file name, the file is written to the current directory.
If the DESCRIBE argument is included, then specify the name of an existing
password file.

PASSWORD

Password for SYS. You are prompted for the password if it is not specified.
The password is stored in the created password file.

ENTRIES

(Optional) Maximum number of entries (user accounts) to permit in the file.

FORCE

(Optional) If y, permits overwriting an existing password file.

ASM

(Optional) If y, create an Oracle ASM password file in an Oracle ASM disk
group.
If n, the default, create a password file in the operating system file system.
When the DBUNIQUENAME argument is specified, the password file is a
database password file. When the DBUNIQUENAME argument is not specified,
the password file can be a database password file or an Oracle ASM
password file.

DBUNIQUENAME

Unique database name used to identify database password files residing in
an ASM disk group only. This argument is required when the database
password file is stored on an Oracle ASM disk group. This argument is
ignored when an Oracle ASM password file is created by setting the ASM
argument to y.

FORMAT

(Optional) If 12, the default, the password file is created in Oracle Database
12c format. This format supports the SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM
administrative privileges.
If legacy, the password file is in legacy format, which is the format before
Oracle Database 12c. This argument cannot be set to legacy when the
SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM argument is specified.

SYSBACKUP

(Optional) If y, creates a SYSBACKUP entry in the password file. You are
prompted for the password. The password is stored in the created password
file.

SYSDG

(Optional) If y, creates a SYSDG entry in the password file. You are prompted
for the password. The password is stored in the created password file.

SYSKM

(Optional) If y, creates a SYSKM entry in the password file. You are prompted
for the password. The password is stored in the created password file.

DELETE

(Optional) If y, delete the specified password file.
If n, the default, create the specified password file.

INPUT_FILE

(Optional) Name of the input password file. ORAPWD migrates the entries in
the input file to a new password file. This argument can convert a password
file from legacy format to Oracle Database 12c format. ORAPWD cannot migrate
an input password that is stored in an Oracle ASM disk group.

DESCRIBE

Describes the properties of the specified password file, including the FORMAT
value (12 or legacy) and the IGNORECASE value (y or n)

There are no spaces permitted around the equal-to (=) character.

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

The IGNORECASE argument is deprecated in this release. Oracle
strongly recommends that you set IGNORECASE to n or omit the
IGNORECASE setting entirely. See Oracle Database Security Guide and
Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information.
Note:

Example 1–19

Creating a Database Password File Located in an Oracle ASM Disk Group

The following command creates a database password file in Oracle Database 12c
format named orapworcl that is located in an Oracle ASM disk group. The
DBUNIQUENAME argument is required because the database password file is located in an
Oracle ASM disk group. The password file allows up to 10 privileged users with
different passwords.
orapwd FILE='+DATA/orcl/orapworcl' ENTRIES=10 DBUNIQUENAME='orcl' FORMAT=12
Example 1–20

Creating a Database Password File with a SYSBACKUP Entry

The following example is the similar to Example 1–19 except that it creates a
SYSBACKUP entry in the database password file. The password file is in Oracle Database
12c format by default.
orapwd FILE='+DATA/orcl/orapworcl' ENTRIES=10 DBUNIQUENAME='orcl' SYSBACKUP=y
Example 1–21

Creating a Database Password File Located in a File System

The following command creates a database password file in Oracle Database 12c
format named orapworcl that is located in the default location in an operating system
file system. The password file allows up to 30 privileged users with different
passwords.
orapwd FILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/orapworcl' ENTRIES=30 FORMAT=12
Example 1–22
Format

Migrating a Legacy Database Password File to Oracle Database 12c

The following command migrates a database password file in legacy format to Oracle
Database 12c format. The password file is named orapworcl, and it is located in an
operating system file system. The new database password file replaces the existing
database password file. Therefore, FORCE must be set to y.
orapwd FILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/orapworcl' FORMAT=12
INPUT_FILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/orapworcl' FORCE=y
Example 1–23

Describing a Password File

The following command describes the orapworcl password file.
orapwd DESCRIBE FILE='orapworcl'
Password file Description : format=12 ignorecase=N

ORAPWD Command Line Argument Descriptions
The following sections provide more information about some of the ORAPWD command
line arguments.
FILE

This argument sets the name of the password file being created. This argument is
mandatory.

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

If you specify a location on an Oracle ASM disk group, then the database password file
is shared automatically among the nodes in the cluster. When you use an Oracle ASM
disk group to store the password file, and you are not using Oracle Managed Files, you
must specify the full path name for the file. The full path is not required if you are
using Oracle Managed Files.
If you do not specify a location on an Oracle ASM disk group, then the file name
required for the password file is operating system specific. Some operating systems
require the password file to adhere to a specific format and be located in a specific
directory. Other operating systems allow the use of environment variables to specify
the name and location of the password file.
Table 1–1 lists the required name and location for the password file on the UNIX,
Linux, and Windows platforms. For other platforms, consult your platform-specific
documentation.
Table 1–1

Required Password File Name and Location on UNIX, Linux, and Windows

Platform

Required Name

Required Location

UNIX and
Linux

orapwORACLE_SID

ORACLE_HOME/dbs

Windows

PWDORACLE_SID.ora

ORACLE_HOME\database

For example, for a database instance with the SID orcldw, the password file must be
named orapworcldw on Linux and PWDorcldw.ora on Windows.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment on a platform that requires an
environment variable to be set to the path of the password file, the environment
variable for each instance must point to the same password file.
For a policy-managed Oracle RAC database or an Oracle RAC One Node database
with ORACLE_SID of the form db_unique_name_n, where n is a number, the password
file is searched for first using ORACLE_HOME/dbs/orapwsid_prefix or ORACLE_
HOME\database\PWDsid_prefix.ora. The sid_prefix (the first 8 characters of the
database name) is used to locate the password file.
Caution: It is critically important to the security of your system
that you protect your password file and the environment variables
that identify the location of the password file. Any user with access
to these could potentially compromise the security of the
connection.

See Also:

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"

ENTRIES

This argument specifies the number of entries that you require the password file to
accept. This number corresponds to the number of distinct users allowed to connect to
the database as SYSDBA or SYSOPER. The actual number of allowable entries can be
higher than the number of users, because the ORAPWD utility continues to assign
password entries until an operating system block is filled. For example, if your
operating system block size is 512 bytes, it holds four password entries. The number of
password entries allocated is always a multiple of four.
Entries can be reused as users are added to and removed from the password file. If
you intend to add users to a password file by granting SYSDBA and SYSOPER privileges
to them, then this argument is required.
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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

Caution: When you exceed the allocated number of password
entries, you must create a new password file. To avoid this
necessity, allocate more entries than you think you will ever need.
FORCE

This argument, if set to y, enables you to overwrite an existing password file. An error
is returned if a password file of the same name already exists and this argument is
omitted or set to n.
ASM

If this argument is set to y, then ORAPWD creates an Oracle ASM password file. The FILE
argument must specify a location in the Oracle ASM disk group.
If this argument is set to n, the default, then ORAPWD creates a password file. The FILE
argument can specify a location in the Oracle ASM disk group or in the operating
system file system. When the DBUNIQUENAME argument is specified, the password file is
a database password file. When the DBUNIQUENAME argument is not specified, the
password file can be a database password file or an Oracle ASM password file.
See Also: Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide
for information about creating and maintaining an Oracle ASM
password file
DBUNIQUENAME

This argument sets the unique database name for a database password file being
created on an Oracle ASM disk group. It identifies which database resource to update
with the database password file location.
This argument is not required when a database password file is created on an
operating system file system.
This argument is ignored when an Oracle ASM password file is created by setting the
ASM argument to y.
FORMAT

If this argument is set to 12, the default, then ORAPWD creates a database password file
in Oracle Database 12c format. Oracle Database 12c format is required for the
password file to support SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM administrative privileges.
If this argument is set to legacy, then ORAPWD creates a database password file that is in
the format before Oracle Database 12c. The password file supports SYSDBA and
SYSOPER administrative privileges, but it does not support SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and
SYSKM administrative privileges.
SYSBACKUP

If this argument is set to y, then ORAPWD creates a SYSBACKUP entry in the password file.
You are prompted for the password. The password is stored in the created password
file.
If this argument is set to n, then ORAPWD does not create a SYSBACKUP entry in the
password file. If a password file was created in Oracle Database 12c format, then you
can add a SYSBACKUP entry to the password file.
SYSDG

If this argument is set to y, then ORAPWD creates a SYSDG entry in the password file. You
are prompted for the password. The password is stored in the created password file.

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

If this argument is set to n, then ORAPWD does not create a SYSDG entry in the password
file. If a password file was created in Oracle Database 12c format, then you can add a
SYSDG entry to the password file.
SYSKM

If this argument is set to y, then ORAPWD creates a SYSKM entry in the password file. You
are prompted for the password. The password is stored in the created password file.
If this argument is set to n, then ORAPWD does not create a SYSKM entry in the password
file. If a password file was created in Oracle Database 12c format, then you can add a
SYSKM entry to the password file.
DELETE

If this argument is set to y, then ORAPWD deletes the specified password file. When y is
specified, FILE, ASM, or DBUNIQUENAME must be specified. When FILE is specified, the
file must be located on an ASM disk group.
If this argument is set to n, the default, then ORAPWD creates the password file.
INPUT_FILE

This argument specifies the name of the input password file. ORAPWD migrates the
entries in the input file to a new password file. This argument can convert a password
file from legacy format to Oracle Database 12c format.
When an input file is specified, ORAPWD does not create any new entries. Therefore,
ORAPWD ignores the following arguments:
■

PASSWORD

■

SYSBACKUP

■

SYSDG

■

SYSKM

When an input file is specified and the new password file replaces the input file, FORCE
must be set to y.
See Also: "Administrative Privileges" on page 1-17 and "Adding
Users to a Database Password File" on page 1-32

Sharing and Disabling the Database Password File
You use the initialization parameter REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE to control whether a
database password file is shared among multiple Oracle Database instances. You can
also use this parameter to disable password file authentication.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Sharing and Disabling the Database Password File

■

Keeping Administrator Passwords Synchronized with the Data Dictionary

Sharing and Disabling the Database Password File
Set the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization parameter to one of the following
values:
■

none: Setting this parameter to none causes Oracle Database to behave as if the
password file does not exist. That is, no privileged connections are allowed over
nonsecure connections.

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

■

exclusive: (The default) An exclusive password file can be used with only one
database. Only an exclusive file can be modified. Using an exclusive password
file enables you to add, modify, and delete users. It also enables you to change the
password for SYS, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM with the ALTER USER command.
When an exclusive password file is stored on an Oracle ASM disk group, it can
be used by a single-instance database or multiple instances of an Oracle Real
Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database.
When an exclusive password file is stored on an operating system, it can be used
with only one instance of one database.

■

shared: A shared password file can be used by multiple databases running on the
same server, or multiple instances of an Oracle RAC database, even when it is
stored on an operating system. A shared password file is read-only and cannot be
modified. Therefore, you cannot add users to a shared password file. Any attempt
to do so or to change the password of SYS or other users with the administrative
privileges generates an error. All users needing administrative privileges must be
added to the password file when REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE is set to exclusive.
After all users are added, you can change REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE to shared,
and then share the file.
This option is useful if you are administering multiple databases with a single
password file.
You cannot specify shared for an Oracle ASM password file.

If REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE is set to exclusive or shared and the password file is
missing, this is equivalent to setting REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE to none.

Keeping Administrator Passwords Synchronized with the Data Dictionary
If you change the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization parameter from none to
exclusive or shared, or if you re-create the password file with a different SYS
password, then you must ensure that the passwords in the data dictionary and
password file for the SYS user are the same.
To synchronize the SYS passwords, use the ALTER USER statement to change the SYS
password. The ALTER USER statement updates and synchronizes both the dictionary
and password file passwords.
To synchronize the passwords for non-SYS users who log in using the SYSDBA, SYSOPER,
SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM administrative privilege, you must revoke and then
regrant the privilege to the user, as follows:
1.

Find all users who have been granted the SYSDBA privilege.
SELECT USERNAME FROM V$PWFILE_USERS WHERE USERNAME != 'SYS' AND SYSDBA='TRUE';

2.

Revoke and then re-grant the SYSDBA privilege to these users.
REVOKE SYSDBA FROM non-SYS-user;
GRANT SYSDBA TO non-SYS-user;

3.

Find all users who have been granted the SYSOPER privilege.
SELECT USERNAME FROM V$PWFILE_USERS WHERE USERNAME != 'SYS' AND SYSOPER='TRUE';

4.

Revoke and regrant the SYSOPER privilege to these users.
REVOKE SYSOPER FROM non-SYS-user;
GRANT SYSOPER TO non-SYS-user;

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Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File

5.

Find all users who have been granted the SYSBACKUP privilege.
SELECT USERNAME FROM V$PWFILE_USERS WHERE USERNAME != 'SYS' AND SYSBACKUP
='TRUE';

6.

Revoke and regrant the SYSBACKUP privilege to these users.
REVOKE SYSBACKUP FROM non-SYS-user;
GRANT SYSBACKUP TO non-SYS-user;

7.

Find all users who have been granted the SYSDG privilege.
SELECT USERNAME FROM V$PWFILE_USERS WHERE USERNAME != 'SYS' AND SYSDG='TRUE';

8.

Revoke and regrant the SYSDG privilege to these users.
REVOKE SYSDG FROM non-SYS-user;
GRANT SYSDG TO non-SYS-user;

9.

Find all users who have been granted the SYSKM privilege.
SELECT USERNAME FROM V$PWFILE_USERS WHERE USERNAME != 'SYS' AND SYSKM='TRUE';

10. Revoke and regrant the SYSKM privilege to these users.
REVOKE SYSKM FROM non-SYS-user;
GRANT SYSKM TO non-SYS-user;

Adding Users to a Database Password File
When you grant SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM administrative privilege
to a user, that user's name and privilege information are added to the database
password file. A user's name remains in the password file only as long as that user has
at least one of these privileges. If you revoke all of these privileges, Oracle Database
removes the user from the password file.
The password file must be created with the FORMAT=12
argument to support SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM administrative
privilege.

Note:

Creating a Password File and Adding New Users to It
Use the following procedure to create a password and add new users to it:
1.

Follow the instructions for creating a password file as explained in "Creating a
Database Password File with ORAPWD" on page 1-25.

2.

Set the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization parameter to exclusive. (This is
the default.)
Oracle Database issues an error if you attempt to grant these privileges and the
initialization parameter REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE is not set correctly.
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE is a static initialization parameter
and therefore cannot be changed without restarting the database.

Note:

3.

Connect with SYSDBA privileges as shown in the following example, and enter the
SYS password when prompted:

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CONNECT SYS AS SYSDBA
4.

Start up the instance and create the database if necessary, or mount and open an
existing database.

5.

Create users as necessary. Grant SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM
administrative privilege to yourself and other users as appropriate. See "Granting
and Revoking Administrative Privileges" on page 1-33.

Granting and Revoking Administrative Privileges
Use the GRANT statement to grant the SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM
administrative privilege to a user, as shown in the following example:
GRANT SYSDBA TO mydba;

Use the REVOKE statement to revoke the administrative privilege from a user, as shown
in the following example:
REVOKE SYSDBA FROM mydba;

The WITH ADMIN OPTION is ignored if it is specified in the GRANT statement that grants
an administrative privilege, and the following rules apply:
■

■

■

■

■

A user currently connected as SYSDBA can grant any administrative privilege to
another user and revoke any administrative privilege from another user.
A user currently connected as SYSOPER cannot grant any administrative privilege to
another user and cannot revoke any administrative privilege from another user.
A user currently connected as SYSBACKUP can grant or revoke another user's
SYSBACKUP administrative privilege.
A user currently connected as SYSDG can grant or revoke another user's SYSDG
administrative privilege.
A user currently connected as SYSKM can grant or revoke another user's SYSKM
administrative privilege.

Administrative privileges cannot be granted to roles, because roles are available only
after database startup. Do not confuse the database administrative privileges with
operating system roles.
Oracle Database Security Guide for more information on
administrative privileges

See Also:

Viewing Database Password File Members
Use the V$PWFILE_USERS view to see the users who have been granted administrative
privileges. The columns displayed by this view are as follows:
Column

Description

USERNAME

This column contains the name of the user that is recognized by the
password file.

SYSDBA

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSDBA administrative privileges.

SYSOPER

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSOPER administrative privileges.

SYSASM

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSASM administrative privileges.

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Data Utilities

Column

Description

SYSBACKUP

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSBACKUP administrative privileges.

SYSDG

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSDG administrative privileges.

SYSKM

If the value of this column is TRUE, then the user can log on with the
SYSKM administrative privileges.

Note: SYSASM is valid only for Oracle Automatic Storage
Management instances.

Maintaining a Database Password File
This section describes how to:
■

■

Expand the number of password file users if the database password file becomes
full
Remove the database password file

Expanding the Number of Database Password File Users
If you receive an error when you try to grant system privileges to a user because the
file is full, then you must create a larger database password file and grant the
privileges to the users again.
Replacing a Password File
Use the following procedure to replace a database password file:
1.

Identify the users who have system privileges by querying the V$PWFILE_USERS
view.

2.

Delete the existing database password file.

3.

Follow the instructions for creating a new database password file using the ORAPWD
utility in "Creating a Database Password File with ORAPWD" on page 1-25.
Ensure that the ENTRIES parameter is set to a number larger than you think you
will ever need.

4.

Follow the instructions in "Adding Users to a Database Password File" on
page 1-32.

Removing a Database Password File
If you determine that you no longer require a database password file to authenticate
users, then you can delete the database password file and then optionally reset the
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization parameter to none. After you remove this
file, only those users who can be authenticated by the operating system can perform
SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, or SYSKM database administration operations.

Data Utilities
Oracle utilities are available to help you maintain the data in your Oracle Database.

1-34 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Data Utilities

SQL*Loader
SQL*Loader is used both by database administrators and by other users of Oracle
Database. It loads data from standard operating system files (such as, files in text or C
data format) into database tables.
Export and Import Utilities
The Data Pump utility enables you to archive data and to move data between one
Oracle Database and another. Also available are the original Import (IMP) and Export
(EXP) utilities for importing and exporting data from and to earlier releases.
Oracle Database Utilities for detailed information about
these utilities

See Also:

Getting Started with Database Administration

1-35

Data Utilities

1-36 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

2
2

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Creating an Oracle Database

■

Creating a Database with DBCA

■

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

■

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses

■

Specifying Initialization Parameters

■

Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

■

Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

■

Considerations After Creating a Database

■

Cloning a Database with CloneDB

■

Dropping a Database

■

Database Data Dictionary Views

■

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for information
about creating a database whose underlying operating system
files are automatically created and managed by the Oracle
Database server
Your platform-specific Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle
RAC) installation guide for information about creating a
database in an Oracle RAC environment

About Creating an Oracle Database
After you plan your database using some of the guidelines presented in this section,
you can create the database with a graphical tool or a SQL command. You typically
create a database during Oracle Database software installation. However, you can also
create a database after installation. Reasons to create a database after installation are as
follows:
■

■

You used Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) to install software only, and did not
create a database.
You want to create another database (and database instance) on the same host
computer as an existing Oracle database. In this case, this chapter assumes that the
Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database 2-1

About Creating an Oracle Database

new database uses the same Oracle home as the existing database. You can also
create the database in a new Oracle home by running OUI again.
■

You want to make a copy of (clone) a database.

The specific methods for creating a database are:
■

With Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA), a graphical tool.
See "Creating a Database with DBCA" on page 2-5

■

With the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement.
See "Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement" on page 2-6

Considerations Before Creating the Database
Database creation prepares several operating system files to work together as an
Oracle Database. You only need to create a database once, regardless of how many
data files it has or how many instances access it. You can create a database to erase
information in an existing database and create a new database with the same name
and physical structure.
The following topics can help prepare you for database creation.
■

Planning for Database Creation

■

Meeting Creation Prerequisites

Planning for Database Creation
Prepare to create the database by research and careful planning. Table 2–1 lists some
recommended actions:
Table 2–1

Database Planning Tasks

Action

Additional Information

Plan the database tables and indexes and estimate the amount of
space they will require.

Part II, "Oracle Database
Structure and Storage"
Part III, "Schema Objects"

Plan the layout of the underlying operating system files your
database will comprise. Proper distribution of files can improve
database performance dramatically by distributing the I/O during
file access. You can distribute I/O in several ways when you install
Oracle software and create your database. For example, you can
place redo log files on separate disks or use striping. You can situate
data files to reduce contention. And you can control data density
(number of rows to a data block). If you create a Fast Recovery
Area, Oracle recommends that you place it on a storage device that
is different from that of the data files.
To greatly simplify this planning task, consider using Oracle
Managed Files and Automatic Storage Management to create and
manage the operating system files that comprise your database
storage.

Select the global database name, which is the name and location of
the database within the network structure. Create the global
database name by setting both the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN
initialization parameters.

2-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Chapter 17, "Using
Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Automatic Storage
Management
Administrator's Guide
Oracle Database
Performance Tuning Guide
Oracle Database Backup
and Recovery User's Guide
Your Oracle operating
system–specific
documentation,
including the
appropriate Oracle
Database installation
guide.
"Determining the Global
Database Name" on
page 2-27

About Creating an Oracle Database

Table 2–1 (Cont.) Database Planning Tasks
Action

Additional Information

Familiarize yourself with the initialization parameters contained in
the initialization parameter file. Become familiar with the concept
and operation of a server parameter file. A server parameter file
lets you store and manage your initialization parameters
persistently in a server-side disk file.

"About Initialization
Parameters and
Initialization Parameter
Files" on page 2-25
"What Is a Server
Parameter File?" on
page 2-33
Oracle Database Reference

Select the database character set.

Oracle Database
Globalization Support
All character data, including data in the data dictionary, is stored in
Guide
the database character set. You specify the database character set
when you create the database.
See "Selecting a Character Set" on page 2-3 for details.
Consider which time zones your database must support.
Oracle Database uses one of two time zone files as the source of
valid time zones. The default time zone file is timezlrg_11.dat. It
contains more time zones than the smaller time zone file, timezone_
11.dat.

"Specifying the Database
Time Zone File" on
page 2-23

Select the standard database block size. This is specified at database "Specifying Database
creation by the DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter and cannot Block Sizes" on page 2-29
be changed after the database is created.
The SYSTEM tablespace and most other tablespaces use the standard
block size. Additionally, you can specify up to four nonstandard
block sizes when creating tablespaces.
If you plan to store online redo log files on disks with a 4K byte
sector size, determine whether you must manually specify redo log
block size.

"Planning the Block Size
of Redo Log Files" on
page 11-7

Determine the appropriate initial sizing for the SYSAUX tablespace.

"About the SYSAUX
Tablespace" on page 2-18

Plan to use a default tablespace for non-SYSTEM users to prevent
inadvertently saving database objects in the SYSTEM tablespace.

"Creating a Default
Permanent Tablespace"
on page 2-19

Plan to use an undo tablespace to manage your undo data.

Chapter 16, "Managing
Undo"

Develop a backup and recovery strategy to protect the database
from failure. It is important to protect the control file by
multiplexing, to choose the appropriate backup mode, and to
manage the online redo log and archived redo log files.

Chapter 11, "Managing
the Redo Log"
Chapter 12, "Managing
Archived Redo Log Files"
Chapter 10, "Managing
Control Files"
Oracle Database Backup
and Recovery User's Guide

Familiarize yourself with the principles and options of starting up
and shutting down an instance and mounting and opening a
database.

Chapter 3, "Starting Up
and Shutting Down"

Selecting a Character Set Oracle recommends AL32UTF8 as the database character set.
AL32UTF8 is Oracle's name for the UTF-8 encoding of the Unicode standard. The
Unicode standard is the universal character set that supports most of the currently

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database 2-3

About Creating an Oracle Database

spoken languages of the world. The use of the Unicode standard is indispensable for
any multilingual technology, including database processing.
After a database is created and accumulates production data, changing the database
character set is a time consuming and complex project. Therefore, it is very important
to select the right character set at installation time. Even if the database does not
currently store multilingual data but is expected to store multilingual data within a
few years, the choice of AL32UTF8 for the database character set is usually the only
good decision.
Even so, the default character set used by Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) and
Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) for the UNIX, Linux, and Microsoft
Windows platforms is not AL32UTF8, but a Microsoft Windows character set known
as an ANSI code page. The particular character set is selected based on the current
language (locale) of the operating system session that started OUI or DBCA. If the
language is American English or one of the Western European languages, the default
character set is WE8MSWIN1252. Each Microsoft Windows ANSI Code Page is capable
of storing data only from one language or a limited group of languages, such as only
Western European, or only Eastern European, or only Japanese.
A Microsoft Windows character set is the default even for databases created on UNIX
and Linux platforms because Microsoft Windows is the prevalent platform for client
workstations. Oracle Client libraries automatically perform the necessary character set
conversion between the database character set and the character sets used by
non-Windows client applications.
You may also choose to use any other character set from the presented list of character
sets. You can use this option to select a particular character set required by an
application vendor, or choose a particular character set that is the common character
set used by all clients connecting to this database.
As AL32UTF8 is a multibyte character set, database operations on character data may
be slightly slower when compared to single-byte database character sets, such as
WE8MSWIN1252. Storage space requirements for text in most languages that use
characters outside of the ASCII repertoire are higher in AL32UTF8 compared to legacy
character sets supporting the language. Note that the increase in storage space
concerns only character data and only data that is not in English. The universality and
flexibility of Unicode usually outweighs these additional costs.
Caution: Do not use the character set named UTF8 as the database
character set unless required for compatibility with Oracle Database
clients and servers in Oracle8i Release 1 (8.1.7) and earlier, or unless
explicitly requested by your application vendor. Despite having a very
similar name, UTF8 is not a proper implementation of the Unicode
encoding UTF-8. If the UTF8 character set is used where UTF-8
processing is expected, data loss and security issues may occur. This is
especially true for Web related data, such as XML and URL addresses.

Meeting Creation Prerequisites
Before you can create a new database, the following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The desired Oracle software must be installed. This includes setting various
environment variables unique to your operating system and establishing the
directory structure for software and database files.
Sufficient memory must be available to start the Oracle Database instance.

2-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a Database with DBCA

■

Sufficient disk storage space must be available for the planned database on the
computer that runs Oracle Database.

All of these are discussed in the Oracle Database Installation Guide specific to your
operating system. If you use the Oracle Universal Installer, it will guide you through
your installation and provide help in setting environment variables and establishing
directory structure and authorizations.

Creating a Database with DBCA
Oracle strongly recommends using the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to
create a database, because it is a more automated approach, and your database is
ready to use when DBCA completes. DBCA can be launched by the Oracle Universal
Installer (OUI), depending upon the type of install that you select. You can also launch
DBCA as a standalone tool at any time after Oracle Database installation.
You can run DBCA in interactive mode or noninteractive/silent mode. Interactive
mode provides a graphical interface and guided workflow for creating and
configuring a database. Noninteractive/silent mode enables you to script database
creation. You can run DBCA in noninteractive/silent mode by specifying
command-line arguments, a response file, or both.

Creating a Database with Interactive DBCA
See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for detailed information about creating a database
interactively with DBCA.

Creating a Database with Noninteractive/Silent DBCA
See the following documentation for details on using the noninteractive/silent mode
of DBCA:
■

■

"Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode" on
page 2-55
Appendix A of the installation guide for your platform

DBCA Examples
The following example creates a database by passing command-line arguments to
DBCA:
dbca -silent -createDatabase -templateName General_Purpose.dbc
-gdbname oradb.example.com -sid oradb -responseFile NO_VALUE
-characterSet AL32UTF8 -memoryPercentage 30 -emConfiguration LOCAL
Enter SYSTEM user password:
password
Enter SYS user password:
password
Copying database files
1% complete
3% complete
...

To ensure completely silent operation, you can redirect stdout to a file. If you do this,
however, you must supply passwords for the administrative accounts in
command-line arguments or the response file.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database 2-5

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

To view brief help for DBCA command-line arguments, enter the following command:
dbca -help

For more detailed argument information, including defaults, view the response file
template found on your distribution media. Appendix A of your platform installation
guide provides the name and location of this file.

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement
Using the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement is a more manual approach to creating a
database. One advantage of using this statement over using DBCA is that you can
create databases from within scripts.
If you use the CREATE DATABASE statement, you must complete additional actions
before you have an operational database. These actions include building views on the
data dictionary tables and installing standard PL/SQL packages. You perform these
actions by running the supplied scripts.
If you have existing scripts for creating your database, then consider editing those
scripts to take advantage of new Oracle Database features.
The instructions in this section apply to single-instance installations only. See the Oracle
Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) installation guide for your platform for
instructions for creating an Oracle RAC database.

Single-instance does not mean that only one Oracle instance can
reside on a single host computer. In fact, multiple Oracle instances
(and their associated databases) can run on a single host computer. A
single-instance database is a database that is accessed by only one
Oracle instance at a time, as opposed to an Oracle RAC database,
which is accessed concurrently by multiple Oracle instances on
multiple nodes. See Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for more information on Oracle RAC.

Note:

Complete the following steps to create a database with the CREATE DATABASE statement.
The examples create a database named mynewdb.
Step 1: Specify an Instance Identifier (SID)
Step 2: Ensure That the Required Environment Variables Are Set
Step 3: Choose a Database Administrator Authentication Method
Step 4: Create the Initialization Parameter File
Step 5: (Windows Only) Create an Instance
Step 6: Connect to the Instance
Step 7: Create a Server Parameter File
Step 8: Start the Instance
Step 9: Issue the CREATE DATABASE Statement
Step 10: Create Additional Tablespaces
Step 11: Run Scripts to Build Data Dictionary Views
Step 12: (Optional) Run Scripts to Install Additional Options
2-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

Step 13: Back Up the Database.
Step 14: (Optional) Enable Automatic Instance Startup
Tip: If you are using Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle
ASM) to manage your disk storage, then you must start the Oracle
ASM instance and configure your disk groups before performing
these steps. See Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's
Guide.

Step 1: Specify an Instance Identifier (SID)
Decide on a unique Oracle system identifier (SID) for your instance, open a command
window, and set the ORACLE_SID environment variable. Use this command window for
the subsequent steps.
ORACLE_SID is used to distinguish this instance from other Oracle Database instances
that you may create later and run concurrently on the same host computer.
Restrictions related to the valid characters in an ORACLE_SID are platform-specific. On
some platforms, the SID is case-sensitive.
It is common practice to set the SID to be equal to the database
name. The maximum number of characters for the database name is
eight. For more information, see the discussion of the DB_NAME
initialization parameter in Oracle Database Reference.
Note:

The following example for UNIX and Linux operating systems sets the SID for the
instance that you will connect to in Step 6: Connect to the Instance:
■

Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:
ORACLE_SID=mynewdb
export ORACLE_SID

■

C shell:
setenv ORACLE_SID mynewdb

The following example sets the SID for the Windows operating system:
set ORACLE_SID=mynewdb

Oracle Database Concepts for background information
about the Oracle instance

See Also:

Step 2: Ensure That the Required Environment Variables Are Set
Depending on your platform, before you can start SQL*Plus (as required in Step 6:
Connect to the Instance), you may have to set environment variables, or at least verify
that they are set properly.
For example, on most platforms, ORACLE_SID and ORACLE_HOME must be set. In
addition, it is advisable to set the PATH variable to include the ORACLE_HOME/bin
directory. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, you must set these environment
variables manually. On the Windows platform, OUI automatically assigns values to
ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID in the Windows registry. If you did not create a database
upon installation, OUI does not set ORACLE_SID in the registry, and you will have to set
the ORACLE_SID environment variable when you create your database later.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database 2-7

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

Step 3: Choose a Database Administrator Authentication Method
You must be authenticated and granted appropriate system privileges in order to
create a database. You can be authenticated as an administrator with the required
privileges in the following ways:
■

With a password file

■

With operating system authentication

In this step, you decide on an authentication method.
To be authenticated with a password file, create the password file as described in
"Creating and Maintaining a Database Password File" on page 1-25. To be
authenticated with operating system authentication, ensure that you log in to the host
computer with a user account that is a member of the appropriate operating system
user group. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, for example, this is typically the dba
user group. On the Windows platform, the user installing the Oracle software is
automatically placed in the required user group.
See Also:
■

■

"About Database Administrator Security and Privileges" on
page 1-14
"Database Administrator Authentication" on page 1-17 for
information about password files and operating system
authentication

Step 4: Create the Initialization Parameter File
When an Oracle instance starts, it reads an initialization parameter file. This file can be
a text file, which can be created and modified with a text editor, or a binary file, which
is created and dynamically modified by the database. The binary file, which is
preferred, is called a server parameter file. In this step, you create a text initialization
parameter file. In a later step, you create a server parameter file from the text file.
One way to create the text initialization parameter file is to edit the sample presented
in "Sample Initialization Parameter File" on page 2-26.
If you create the initialization parameter file manually, ensure that it contains at least
the parameters listed in Table 2–2. All other parameters not listed have default values.
Table 2–2

Recommended Minimum Initialization Parameters

Parameter Name

Mandatory Notes

DB_NAME

Yes

Database identifier. Must correspond to the value used in
the CREATE DATABASE statement. Maximum 8 characters.

CONTROL_FILES

No

Strongly recommended. If not provided, then the database
instance creates one control file in the same location as the
initialization parameter file. Providing this parameter
enables you to multiplex control files. See "Creating Initial
Control Files" on page 10-3 for more information.

MEMORY_TARGET

No

Sets the total amount of memory used by the instance and
enables automatic memory management. You can choose
other initialization parameters instead of this one for more
manual control of memory usage. See "Configuring
Memory Manually" on page 6-8.

For convenience, store your initialization parameter file in the Oracle Database default
location, using the default file name. Then when you start your database, it will not be
2-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

necessary to specify the PFILE clause of the STARTUP command, because Oracle
Database automatically looks in the default location for the initialization parameter
file.
For more information about initialization parameters and the initialization parameter
file, including the default name and location of the initialization parameter file for
your platform, see "About Initialization Parameters and Initialization Parameter Files"
on page 2-25.
See Also:
■

"Specifying Initialization Parameters" on page 2-24

■

Oracle Database Reference for details on all initialization parameters

Step 5: (Windows Only) Create an Instance
On the Windows platform, before you can connect to an instance, you must manually
create it if it does not already exist. The ORADIM command creates an Oracle Database
instance by creating a new Windows service.
To create an instance:
■

Enter the following command at a Windows command prompt:
oradim -NEW -SID sid -STARTMODE MANUAL -PFILE file

Replace the following placeholders with appropriate values:
–

sid - The desired SID (for example mynewdb)

–

file - The full path to the text initialization parameter file
Caution: Do not set the -STARTMODE argument to AUTO at this point,
because this causes the new instance to start and attempt to mount the
database, which does not exist yet. You can change this parameter to
AUTO, if desired, in Step 14: (Optional) Enable Automatic Instance
Startup.

Most Oracle Database services log on to the system using the privileges of the Oracle
Home User. The service runs with the privileges of this user. The ORADIM command
prompts you for the password to this user account. You can specify other options
using ORADIM.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for more
information on the ORADIM command and the Oracle Home User
Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows for more
information about the Oracle Home User

Step 6: Connect to the Instance
Start SQL*Plus and connect to your Oracle Database instance with the SYSDBA
administrative privilege.
■

To authenticate with a password file, enter the following commands, and then
enter the SYS password when prompted:
$ sqlplus /nolog

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database 2-9

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

SQL> CONNECT SYS AS SYSDBA
■

To authenticate with operating system authentication, enter the following
commands:
$ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA

SQL*Plus outputs the following message:
Connected to an idle instance.

Note:

SQL*Plus may output a message similar to the following:

Connected to:
Oracle Database 12c Enterprise Edition Release 12.1.0.1.0 - 64bit
Production
With the Partitioning, OLAP, Advanced Analytics and Real Application
Testing options

If so, the instance is already started. You may have connected to the wrong
instance. Exit SQL*Plus with the EXIT command, check that ORACLE_SID is
set properly, and repeat this step.

Step 7: Create a Server Parameter File
The server parameter file enables you to change initialization parameters with the
ALTER SYSTEM command and persist the changes across a database shutdown and
startup. You create the server parameter file from your edited text initialization file.
The following SQL*Plus command reads the text initialization parameter file (PFILE)
with the default name from the default location, creates a server parameter file
(SPFILE) from the text initialization parameter file, and writes the SPFILE to the
default location with the default SPFILE name.
CREATE SPFILE FROM PFILE;

You can also supply the file name and path for both the PFILE and SPFILE if you are
not using default names and locations.
Tip: The database must be restarted before the server parameter file
takes effect.

Although creating a server parameter file is optional at this
point, it is recommended. If you do not create a server parameter file,
the instance continues to read the text initialization parameter file
whenever it starts.

Note:

Important—If you are using Oracle Managed Files and your
initialization parameter file does not contain the CONTROL_FILES
parameter, then you must create a server parameter file now so the
database can save the names and locations of the control files that it
creates during the CREATE DATABASE statement. See "Specifying Oracle
Managed Files at Database Creation" on page 2-20 for more
information.

2-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

See Also:
■

■

"Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter
File" on page 2-33
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information on
the CREATE SPFILE command

Step 8: Start the Instance
Start an instance without mounting a database. Typically, you do this only during
database creation or while performing maintenance on the database. Use the STARTUP
command with the NOMOUNT clause. In this example, because the initialization
parameter file or server parameter file is stored in the default location, you are not
required to specify the PFILE clause:
STARTUP NOMOUNT

At this point, the instance memory is allocated and its processes are started. The
database itself does not yet exist.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 3, "Starting Up and Shutting Down", to learn how to
use the STARTUP command
"Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter
File" on page 2-33

Step 9: Issue the CREATE DATABASE Statement
To create the new database, use the CREATE DATABASE statement.
If you are creating a multitenant container database (CDB),
then see the examples in "Creating a CDB with the CREATE
DATABASE Statement" on page 37-9.

Note:

Example 1
The following statement creates a database mynewdb. This database name must agree
with the DB_NAME parameter in the initialization parameter file. This example assumes
the following:
■

The initialization parameter file specifies the number and location of control files
with the CONTROL_FILES parameter.

■

The directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb exists.

■

The directories /u01/logs/my and /u02/logs/my exist.

CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
LOGFILE GROUP 1 ('/u01/logs/my/redo01a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo01b.log') SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 2 ('/u01/logs/my/redo02a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo02b.log') SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 3 ('/u01/logs/my/redo03a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo03b.log') SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512
MAXLOGHISTORY 1
MAXLOGFILES 16
MAXLOGMEMBERS 3
MAXDATAFILES 1024
CHARACTER SET AL32UTF8

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-11

Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

NATIONAL CHARACTER SET AL16UTF16
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/system01.dbf'
SIZE 700M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10240K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
SYSAUX DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/sysaux01.dbf'
SIZE 550M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10240K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
DEFAULT TABLESPACE users
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/users01.dbf'
SIZE 500M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tempts1
TEMPFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/temp01.dbf'
SIZE 20M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 640K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/undotbs01.dbf'
SIZE 200M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 5120K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
USER_DATA TABLESPACE usertbs
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/usertbs01.dbf'
SIZE 200M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE UNLIMITED;

A database is created with the following characteristics:
■

■

■

■

■

The database is named mynewdb. Its global database name is
mynewdb.us.example.com, where the domain portion (us.example.com) is taken
from the initialization parameter file. See "Determining the Global Database
Name" on page 2-27.
Three control files are created as specified by the CONTROL_FILES initialization
parameter, which was set before database creation in the initialization parameter
file. See "Sample Initialization Parameter File" on page 2-26 and "Specifying
Control Files" on page 2-28.
The passwords for user accounts SYS and SYSTEM are set to the values that you
specified. The passwords are case-sensitive. The two clauses that specify the
passwords for SYS and SYSTEM are not mandatory in this release of Oracle
Database. However, if you specify either clause, then you must specify both
clauses. For further information about the use of these clauses, see "Protecting
Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM" on page 2-17.
The new database has three redo log file groups, each with two members, as
specified in the LOGFILE clause. MAXLOGFILES, MAXLOGMEMBERS, and MAXLOGHISTORY
define limits for the redo log. See "Choosing the Number of Redo Log Files" on
page 11-8. The block size for the redo log files is set to 512 bytes, the same size as
physical sectors on disk. The BLOCKSIZE clause is optional if block size is to be the
same as physical sector size (the default). Typical sector size and thus typical block
size is 512. Permissible values for BLOCKSIZE are 512, 1024, and 4096. For newer
disks with a 4K sector size, optionally specify BLOCKSIZE as 4096. See "Planning the
Block Size of Redo Log Files" on page 11-7 for more information.
MAXDATAFILES specifies the maximum number of data files that can be open in the
database. This number affects the initial sizing of the control file.

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You can set several limits during database creation. Some of
these limits are limited by and affected by operating system limits.
For example, if you set MAXDATAFILES, Oracle Database allocates
enough space in the control file to store MAXDATAFILES filenames,
even if the database has only one data file initially. However,
because the maximum control file size is limited and operating
system dependent, you might not be able to set all CREATE
DATABASE parameters at their theoretical maximums.
Note:

For more information about setting limits during database creation,
see the Oracle Database SQL Language Reference and your operating
system–specific Oracle documentation.
■
■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

The AL32UTF8 character set is used to store data in this database.
The AL16UTF16 character set is specified as the NATIONAL CHARACTER SET used to
store data in columns specifically defined as NCHAR, NCLOB, or NVARCHAR2.
The SYSTEM tablespace, consisting of the operating system file
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/system01.dbf, is created as specified by the
DATAFILE clause. If a file with that name already exists, then it is overwritten.
The SYSTEM tablespace is created as a locally managed tablespace. See "Creating a
Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace" on page 2-17.
A SYSAUX tablespace is created, consisting of the operating system file
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/sysaux01.dbf as specified in the SYSAUX
DATAFILE clause. See "About the SYSAUX Tablespace" on page 2-18.
The DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default permanent tablespace
for this database.
The DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default
temporary tablespace for this database. See "Creating a Default Temporary
Tablespace" on page 2-19.
The UNDO TABLESPACE clause creates and names an undo tablespace that is used to
store undo data for this database if you have specified UNDO_MANAGEMENT=AUTO in
the initialization parameter file. If you omit this parameter, then it defaults to AUTO.
See "Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace" on
page 2-19.
The USER_DATA TABLESPACE clause creates and names the tablespace for storing
user data and database options such as Oracle XML DB.
Online redo logs will not initially be archived, because the ARCHIVELOG clause is
not specified in this CREATE DATABASE statement. This is customary during
database creation. You can later use an ALTER DATABASE statement to switch to
ARCHIVELOG mode. The initialization parameters in the initialization parameter file
for mynewdb relating to archiving are LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 and LOG_ARCHIVE_
FORMAT. See Chapter 12, "Managing Archived Redo Log Files".

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

Tips:
■

■

■

■

Ensure that all directories used in the CREATE DATABASE statement
exist. The CREATE DATABASE statement does not create directories.
If you are not using Oracle Managed Files, then every tablespace
clause must include a DATAFILE or TEMPFILE clause.
If database creation fails, then you can look at the alert log to
determine the reason for the failure and to determine corrective
actions. See "Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21. If you receive
an error message that contains a process number, then examine
the trace file for that process. Look for the trace file that contains
the process number in the trace file name. See "Finding Trace
Files" on page 9-22 for more information.
To resubmit the CREATE DATABASE statement after a failure, you
must first shut down the instance and delete any files created by
the previous CREATE DATABASE statement.

Example 2
This example illustrates creating a database with Oracle Managed Files, which enables
you to use a much simpler CREATE DATABASE statement. To use Oracle Managed Files,
the initialization parameter DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST must be set. This parameter defines
the base directory for the various database files that the database creates and
automatically names. The following statement is an example of setting this parameter
in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST='/u01/app/oracle/oradata'

With Oracle Managed Files and the following CREATE DATABASE statement, the
database creates the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces, creates the additional tablespaces
specified in the statement, and chooses default sizes and properties for all data files,
control files, and redo log files. Note that these properties and the other default
database properties set by this method may not be suitable for your production
environment, so it is recommended that you examine the resulting configuration and
modify it if necessary.
CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE temp
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DEFAULT TABLESPACE users;

If your CREATE DATABASE statement fails, and if you did not
complete Step 7, then ensure that there is not a pre-existing server
parameter file (SPFILE) for this instance that is setting initialization
parameters in an unexpected way. For example, an SPFILE contains a
setting for the complete path to all control files, and the CREATE
DATABASE statement fails if those control files do not exist. Ensure that
you shut down and restart the instance (with STARTUP NOMOUNT) after
removing an unwanted SPFILE. See "Managing Initialization
Parameters Using a Server Parameter File" on page 2-33 for more
information.
Tip:

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See Also:
■

■

■
■

"Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses" on
page 2-16
"Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation" on
page 2-20
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about specifying the clauses and parameter values for the
CREATE DATABASE statement

Step 10: Create Additional Tablespaces
To make the database functional, you must create additional tablespaces for your
application data. The following sample script creates some additional tablespaces:
CREATE TABLESPACE apps_tbs LOGGING
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/apps01.dbf'
SIZE 500M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 1280K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL;
-- create a tablespace for indexes, separate from user tablespace (optional)
CREATE TABLESPACE indx_tbs LOGGING
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/indx01.dbf'
SIZE 100M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 1280K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL;

For information about creating tablespaces, see Chapter 13, "Managing Tablespaces".

Step 11: Run Scripts to Build Data Dictionary Views
Run the scripts necessary to build data dictionary views, synonyms, and PL/SQL
packages, and to support proper functioning of SQL*Plus.
In SQL*Plus, connect to your Oracle Database instance with the SYSDBA administrative
privilege:
@?/rdbms/admin/catalog.sql
@?/rdbms/admin/catproc.sql

In SQL*Plus, connect to your Oracle Database instance as SYSTEM user:
@?/sqlplus/admin/pupbld.sql

The at-sign (@) is shorthand for the command that runs a SQL*Plus script. The question
mark (?) is a SQL*Plus variable indicating the Oracle home directory. The following
table contains descriptions of the scripts:
Script

Description

catalog.sql

Creates the views of the data dictionary tables, the dynamic
performance views, and public synonyms for many of the views.
Grants PUBLIC access to the synonyms.

catproc.sql

Runs all scripts required for or used with PL/SQL.

pupbld.sql

Required for SQL*Plus. Enables SQL*Plus to disable commands by
user.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-15

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses

Step 12: (Optional) Run Scripts to Install Additional Options
You may want to run other scripts. The scripts that you run are determined by the
features and options you choose to use or install. Many of the scripts available to you
are described in the Oracle Database Reference.
If you plan to install other Oracle products to work with this database, then see the
installation instructions for those products. Some products require you to create
additional data dictionary tables. Usually, command files are provided to create and
load these tables into the database data dictionary.
See your Oracle documentation for the specific products that you plan to install for
installation and administration instructions.

Step 13: Back Up the Database.
Take a full backup of the database to ensure that you have a complete set of files from
which to recover if a media failure occurs. For information on backing up a database,
see Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide.

Step 14: (Optional) Enable Automatic Instance Startup
You might want to configure the Oracle instance to start automatically when its host
computer restarts. See your operating system documentation for instructions. For
example, on Windows, use the following command to configure the database service
to start the instance upon computer restart:
ORADIM -EDIT -SID sid -STARTMODE AUTO -SRVCSTART SYSTEM [-SPFILE]

You must use the -SPFILE argument if you want the instance to read an SPFILE upon
automatic restart.
See Also:
■
■

Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database"
Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for more
information on the ORADIM command.

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses
When you execute a CREATE DATABASE statement, Oracle Database performs several
operations. The actual operations performed depend on the clauses that you specify in
the CREATE DATABASE statement and the initialization parameters that you have set.
Oracle Database performs at least these operations:
■

Creates the data files for the database

■

Creates the control files for the database

■

Creates the online redo logs for the database and establishes the ARCHIVELOG mode

■

Creates the SYSTEM tablespace

■

Creates the SYSAUX tablespace

■

Creates the data dictionary

■

Sets the character set that stores data in the database

■

Sets the database time zone

■

Mounts and opens the database for use

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This section discusses several of the clauses of the CREATE DATABASE statement. It
expands upon some of the clauses discussed in "Step 9: Issue the CREATE DATABASE
Statement" on page 2-11 and introduces additional ones. Many of the CREATE DATABASE
clauses discussed here can be used to simplify the creation and management of your
database.
The following topics are contained in this section:
■

Protecting Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM

■

Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace

■

About the SYSAUX Tablespace

■

Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace

■

Creating a Default Temporary Tablespace

■

Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation

■

Supporting Bigfile Tablespaces During Database Creation

■

Specifying the Database Time Zone and Time Zone File

■

Specifying FORCE LOGGING Mode

Protecting Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM
The clauses of the CREATE DATABASE statement used for specifying the passwords for
users SYS and SYSTEM are:
■

USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY password

■

USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY password

If you omit these clauses, then these users are assigned the default passwords change_
on_install and manager, respectively. A record is written to the alert log indicating
that the default passwords were used. To protect your database, you must change
these passwords using the ALTER USER statement immediately after database creation.
Oracle strongly recommends that you specify these clauses, even though they are
optional in this release of Oracle Database. The default passwords are commonly
known, and if you neglect to change them later, then you leave database vulnerable to
attack by malicious users.
When choosing a password, keep in mind that passwords are case-sensitive. Also,
there may be password formatting requirements for your database. See the section
entitled "How Oracle Database Checks the Complexity of Passwords" in Oracle
Database Security Guide for more information.
See Also:

"Some Security Considerations" on page 2-45

Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace
Specify the EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement to
create a locally managed SYSTEM tablespace. If you do not specify the EXTENT
MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause, then by default the database creates a dictionary-managed
SYSTEM tablespace. Dictionary-managed tablespaces are deprecated.
If you create your database with a locally managed SYSTEM tablespace, and if you are
not using Oracle Managed Files, then ensure that the following conditions are met:
■

You specify the DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause in the CREATE DATABASE
statement.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-17

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses

■

You include the UNDO TABLESPACE clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement.
See Also:
■

■
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more specific
information about the use of the DEFAULT TEMPORARY
TABLESPACE and UNDO TABLESPACE clauses when EXTENT
MANAGEMENT LOCAL is specified for the SYSTEM tablespace
"Locally Managed Tablespaces" on page 13-3
"Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally Managed
Tablespace" on page 13-30

About the SYSAUX Tablespace
The SYSAUX tablespace is always created at database creation. The SYSAUX tablespace
serves as an auxiliary tablespace to the SYSTEM tablespace. Because it is the default
tablespace for many Oracle Database features and products that previously required
their own tablespaces, it reduces the number of tablespaces required by the database.
It also reduces the load on the SYSTEM tablespace.
You can specify only data file attributes for the SYSAUX tablespace, using the SYSAUX
DATAFILE clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement. Mandatory attributes of the SYSAUX
tablespace are set by Oracle Database and include:
■

PERMANENT

■

READ WRITE

■

EXTENT MANAGMENT LOCAL

■

SEGMENT SPACE MANAGMENT AUTO

You cannot alter these attributes with an ALTER TABLESPACE statement, and any attempt
to do so will result in an error. You cannot drop or rename the SYSAUX tablespace.
The size of the SYSAUX tablespace is determined by the size of the database
components that occupy SYSAUX. You can view a list of these components by querying
the V$SYSAUX_OCCUPANTS view. Based on the initial sizes of these components, the
SYSAUX tablespace must be at least 400 MB at the time of database creation. The space
requirements of the SYSAUX tablespace will increase after the database is fully
deployed, depending on the nature of its use and workload. For more information on
how to manage the space consumption of the SYSAUX tablespace on an ongoing basis,
see the "Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace" on page 13-25.
If you include a DATAFILE clause for the SYSTEM tablespace, then you must specify the
SYSAUX DATAFILE clause as well, or the CREATE DATABASE statement will fail. This
requirement does not exist if the Oracle Managed Files feature is enabled (see
"Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation" on page 2-20).
The SYSAUX tablespace has the same security attributes as the SYSTEM tablespace.
Note: This documentation discusses the creation of the SYSAUX
database at database creation. When upgrading from a release of
Oracle Database that did not require the SYSAUX tablespace, you
must create the SYSAUX tablespace as part of the upgrade process.
This is discussed in Oracle Database Upgrade Guide.

See Also:

"Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace" on page 13-25

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Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace
Automatic undo management uses an undo tablespace. To enable automatic undo
management, set the UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter to AUTO in your
initialization parameter file. Or, omit this parameter, and the database defaults to
automatic undo management. In this mode, undo data is stored in an undo tablespace
and is managed by Oracle Database. To define and name the undo tablespace yourself,
you must include the UNDO TABLESPACE clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement at
database creation time. If you omit this clause, and automatic undo management is
enabled, then the database creates a default undo tablespace named SYS_UNDOTBS.
See Also:
■

■

"Specifying the Method of Undo Space Management" on
page 2-31
Chapter 16, "Managing Undo", for information about the
creation and use of undo tablespaces

Creating a Default Permanent Tablespace
The DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause of the CREATE DATABASE statement specifies a default
permanent tablespace for the database. Oracle Database assigns to this tablespace any
non-SYSTEM users for whom you do not explicitly specify a different permanent
tablespace. If you do not specify this clause, then the SYSTEM tablespace is the default
permanent tablespace for non-SYSTEM users. Oracle strongly recommends that you
create a default permanent tablespace.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of
the DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause of CREATE DATABASE and ALTER
DATABASE

Creating a Default Temporary Tablespace
The DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause of the CREATE DATABASE statement creates
a default temporary tablespace for the database. Oracle Database assigns this
tablespace as the temporary tablespace for users who are not explicitly assigned a
temporary tablespace.
You can explicitly assign a temporary tablespace or tablespace group to a user in the
CREATE USER statement. However, if you do not do so, and if no default temporary
tablespace has been specified for the database, then by default these users are assigned
the SYSTEM tablespace as their temporary tablespace. It is not good practice to store
temporary data in the SYSTEM tablespace, and it is cumbersome to assign every user a
temporary tablespace individually. Therefore, Oracle recommends that you use the
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause of CREATE DATABASE.
When you specify a locally managed SYSTEM tablespace, the
SYSTEM tablespace cannot be used as a temporary tablespace. In this
case you must create a default temporary tablespace. This behavior
is explained in "Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace"
on page 2-17.
Note:

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-19

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses

See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of the
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause of CREATE DATABASE
and ALTER DATABASE
"Temporary Tablespaces" on page 13-10 for information about
creating and using temporary tablespaces
"Multiple Temporary Tablespaces: Using Tablespace Groups"
on page 13-13 for information about creating and using
temporary tablespace groups

Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation
You can minimize the number of clauses and parameters that you specify in your
CREATE DATABASE statement by using the Oracle Managed Files feature. You do this by
specifying either a directory or Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM)
disk group in which your files are created and managed by Oracle Database.
By including any of the initialization parameters DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_CREATE_
ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n, or DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST in your initialization parameter file,
you instruct Oracle Database to create and manage the underlying operating system
files of your database. Oracle Database will automatically create and manage the
operating system files for the following database structures, depending on which
initialization parameters you specify and how you specify clauses in your CREATE
DATABASE statement:
■

Tablespaces and their data files

■

Temporary tablespaces and their temp files

■

Control files

■

Online redo logs

■

Archived redo log files

■

Flashback logs

■

Block change tracking files

■

RMAN backups
See Also: "Specifying a Fast Recovery Area" on page 2-28 for
information about setting initialization parameters that create a
Fast Recovery Area

The following CREATE DATABASE statement shows briefly how the Oracle Managed Files
feature works, assuming you have specified required initialization parameters:
CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tempts1
DEFAULT TABLESPACE users;
■

The SYSTEM tablespace is created as a locally managed tablespace. Without the
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause, the SYSTEM tablespace is created as dictionary
managed, which is not recommended.

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■

■

■

■

■

■

■

No DATAFILE clause is specified, so the database creates an Oracle managed data
file for the SYSTEM tablespace.
No LOGFILE clauses are included, so the database creates two Oracle managed
redo log file groups.
No SYSAUX DATAFILE is included, so the database creates an Oracle managed data
file for the SYSAUX tablespace.
No DATAFILE subclause is specified for the UNDO TABLESPACE and DEFAULT
TABLESPACE clauses, so the database creates an Oracle managed data file for each
of these tablespaces.
No TEMPFILE subclause is specified for the DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause,
so the database creates an Oracle managed temp file.
If no CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter is specified in the initialization
parameter file, then the database also creates an Oracle managed control file.
If you are using a server parameter file (see "Managing Initialization Parameters
Using a Server Parameter File" on page 2-33), then the database automatically sets
the appropriate initialization parameters.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files", for information
about the Oracle Managed Files feature and how to use it
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide. for
information about Automatic Storage Management

Supporting Bigfile Tablespaces During Database Creation
Oracle Database simplifies management of tablespaces and enables support for
ultra-large databases by letting you create bigfile tablespaces. Bigfile tablespaces can
contain only one file, but that file can have up to 4G blocks. The maximum number of
data files in an Oracle Database is limited (usually to 64K files). Therefore, bigfile
tablespaces can significantly enhance the storage capacity of an Oracle Database.
This section discusses the clauses of the CREATE DATABASE statement that let you
include support for bigfile tablespaces.
"Bigfile Tablespaces" on page 13-6 for more information
about bigfile tablespaces

See Also:

Specifying the Default Tablespace Type
The SET DEFAULT...TABLESPACE clause of the CREATE DATABASE statement determines
the default type of tablespace for this database in subsequent CREATE TABLESPACE
statements. Specify either SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE or SET DEFAULT
SMALLFILE TABLESPACE. If you omit this clause, then the default is a smallfile
tablespace, which is the traditional type of Oracle Database tablespace. A smallfile
tablespace can contain up to 1022 files with up to 4M blocks each.
The use of bigfile tablespaces further enhances the Oracle Managed Files feature,
because bigfile tablespaces make data files completely transparent for users. SQL
syntax for the ALTER TABLESPACE statement has been extended to allow you to perform
operations on tablespaces, rather than the underlying data files.
The CREATE DATABASE statement shown in "Specifying Oracle Managed Files at
Database Creation" on page 2-20 can be modified as follows to specify that the default
type of tablespace is a bigfile tablespace:
Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-21

Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses

CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tempts1;

To dynamically change the default tablespace type after database creation, use the SET
DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause of the ALTER DATABASE statement:
ALTER DATABASE SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE;

You can determine the current default tablespace type for the database by querying the
DATABASE_PROPERTIES data dictionary view as follows:
SELECT PROPERTY_VALUE FROM DATABASE_PROPERTIES
WHERE PROPERTY_NAME = 'DEFAULT_TBS_TYPE';

Overriding the Default Tablespace Type
The SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces are always created with the default tablespace
type. However, you can explicitly override the default tablespace type for the UNDO and
DEFAULT TEMPORARY tablespace during the CREATE DATABASE operation.
For example, you can create a bigfile UNDO tablespace in a database with the default
tablespace type of smallfile as follows:
CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
...
BIGFILE UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/undotbs01.dbf'
SIZE 200M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE UNLIMITED;

You can create a smallfile DEFAULT TEMPORARY tablespace in a database with the default
tablespace type of bigfile as follows:
CREATE DATABASE mynewdb
SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE
...
SMALLFILE DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tempts1
TEMPFILE '/u01/oracle/oradata/mynewdb/temp01.dbf'
SIZE 20M REUSE
...

Specifying the Database Time Zone and Time Zone File
This section contains:
■

Setting the Database Time Zone

■

About the Database Time Zone Files

■

Specifying the Database Time Zone File

Setting the Database Time Zone
Set the database time zone when the database is created by using the SET TIME_ZONE
clause of the CREATE DATABASE statement. If you do not set the database time zone,
then it defaults to the time zone of the host operating system.
You can change the database time zone for a session by using the SET TIME_ZONE
clause of the ALTER SESSION statement.

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See Also: Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for more
information about setting the database time zone

About the Database Time Zone Files
Two time zone files are included in a subdirectory of the Oracle home directory. The
time zone files contain the valid time zone names. The following information is also
included for each time zone:
■

Offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

■

Transition times for Daylight Saving Time

■

Abbreviations for standard time and Daylight Saving Time

The default time zone file is ORACLE_HOME/oracore/zoneinfo/timezlrg_11.dat. A
smaller time zone file with fewer time zones can be found in ORACLE_
HOME/oracore/zoneinfo/timezone_11.dat.
To view the time zone names in the file being used by your database, use the following
query:
SELECT * FROM V$TIMEZONE_NAMES;

See Also: Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for more
information about managing and selecting time zone files

Specifying the Database Time Zone File
All databases that share information must use the same time zone data file.
The database server always uses the large time zone file by default. If you would like
to use the small time zone file on the client and know that all your data will refer only
to regions in the small file, you can set the ORA_TZFILE environment variable on the
client to the full path name of the timezone_version.dat file on the client, where
version matches the time zone file version that is being used by the database server.
If you are already using the default larger time zone file on the client, then it is not
practical to change to the smaller time zone file, because the database may contain
data with time zones that are not part of the smaller file.

Specifying FORCE LOGGING Mode
Some data definition language statements (such as CREATE TABLE) allow the NOLOGGING
clause, which causes some database operations not to generate redo records in the
database redo log. The NOLOGGING setting can speed up operations that can be easily
recovered outside of the database recovery mechanisms, but it can negatively affect
media recovery and standby databases.
Oracle Database lets you force the writing of redo records even when NOLOGGING has
been specified in DDL statements. The database never generates redo records for
temporary tablespaces and temporary segments, so forced logging has no affect for
objects.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about operations that can be done in NOLOGGING mode

Using the FORCE LOGGING Clause
To put the database into FORCE LOGGING mode, use the FORCE LOGGING clause in the
CREATE DATABASE statement. If you do not specify this clause, the database is not
placed into FORCE LOGGING mode.
Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-23

Specifying Initialization Parameters

Use the ALTER DATABASE statement to place the database into FORCE LOGGING mode
after database creation. This statement can take a considerable time for completion,
because it waits for all unlogged direct writes to complete.
You can cancel FORCE LOGGING mode using the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE NO FORCE LOGGING;

Independent of specifying FORCE LOGGING for the database, you can selectively specify
FORCE LOGGING or NO FORCE LOGGING at the tablespace level. However, if FORCE
LOGGING mode is in effect for the database, it takes precedence over the tablespace
setting. If it is not in effect for the database, then the individual tablespace settings are
enforced. Oracle recommends that either the entire database is placed into FORCE
LOGGING mode, or individual tablespaces be placed into FORCE LOGGING mode, but not
both.
The FORCE LOGGING mode is a persistent attribute of the database. That is, if the
database is shut down and restarted, it remains in the same logging mode. However, if
you re-create the control file, the database is not restarted in the FORCE LOGGING mode
unless you specify the FORCE LOGGING clause in the CREATE CONTROL FILE statement.
"Controlling the Writing of Redo Records" on
page 13-15 for information about using the FORCE LOGGING clause
for tablespace creation.

See Also:

Performance Considerations of FORCE LOGGING Mode
FORCE LOGGING mode results in some performance degradation. If the primary reason
for specifying FORCE LOGGING is to ensure complete media recovery, and there is no
standby database active, then consider the following:
■

How many media failures are likely to happen?

■

How serious is the damage if unlogged direct writes cannot be recovered?

■

Is the performance degradation caused by forced logging tolerable?

If the database is running in NOARCHIVELOG mode, then generally there is no benefit to
placing the database in FORCE LOGGING mode. Media recovery is not possible in
NOARCHIVELOG mode, so if you combine it with FORCE LOGGING, the result may be
performance degradation with little benefit.

Specifying Initialization Parameters
This section introduces you to some of the basic initialization parameters you can add
or edit before you create your new database. The following topics are covered:
■

About Initialization Parameters and Initialization Parameter Files

■

Determining the Global Database Name

■

Specifying a Fast Recovery Area

■

Specifying Control Files

■

Specifying Database Block Sizes

■

Specifying the Maximum Number of Processes

■

Specifying the DDL Lock Timeout

■

Specifying the Method of Undo Space Management

■

About The COMPATIBLE Initialization Parameter

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Specifying Initialization Parameters

■

Setting the License Parameter
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for descriptions of all initialization
parameters including their default settings
Chapter 6, "Managing Memory" for a discussion of the
initialization parameters that pertain to memory management

About Initialization Parameters and Initialization Parameter Files
When an Oracle instance starts, it reads initialization parameters from an initialization
parameter file. This file must at a minimum specify the DB_NAME parameter. All other
parameters have default values.
The initialization parameter file can be either a read-only text file, a PFILE, or a
read/write binary file.
The binary file is called a server parameter file. A server parameter file enables you to
change initialization parameters with ALTER SYSTEM commands and to persist the
changes across a shutdown and startup. It also provides a basis for self-tuning by
Oracle Database. For these reasons, it is recommended that you use a server parameter
file. You can create one manually from your edited text initialization file, or
automatically by using Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to create your
database.
Before you manually create a server parameter file, you can start an instance with a
text initialization parameter file. Upon startup, the Oracle instance first searches for a
server parameter file in a default location, and if it does not find one, searches for a
text initialization parameter file. You can also override an existing server parameter
file by naming a text initialization parameter file as an argument of the STARTUP
command.
Default file names and locations for the text initialization parameter file are shown in
the following table:
Platform

Default Name

Default Location

UNIX
and
Linux

initORACLE_SID.ora

ORACLE_HOME/dbs

For example, the
initialization parameter file
for the mynewdb database is
named:
initmynewdb.ora

Windows

initORACLE_SID.ora

ORACLE_HOME\database

If you are creating an Oracle database for the first time, Oracle suggests that you
minimize the number of parameter values that you alter. As you become more familiar
with your database and environment, you can dynamically tune many initialization
parameters using the ALTER SYSTEM statement. If you are using a text initialization
parameter file, then your changes are effective only for the current instance. To make
them permanent, you must update them manually in the initialization parameter file,
or they will be lost over the next shutdown and startup of the database. If you are
using a server parameter file, then initialization parameter file changes made by the
ALTER SYSTEM statement can persist across shutdown and startup.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Specifying Initialization Parameters

See Also:
■

■

■

"Determining the Global Database Name" on page 2-27 for
information about the DB_NAME parameter
"Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter
File" on page 2-33
"About Initialization Parameter Files and Startup" on page 3-3

Text Initialization Parameter File Format
The text initialization parameter file (PFILE) must contain name/value pairs in one of
the following forms:
■

For parameters that accept only a single value:
parameter_name=value

■

For parameters that accept one or more values (such as the CONTROL_FILES
parameter):
parameter_name=(value[,value] ...)

Parameter values of type string must be enclosed in single quotes ('). Case (upper or
lower) in filenames is significant only if case is significant on the host operating
system.
For parameters that accept multiple values, to enable you to easily copy and paste
name/value pairs from the alert log, you can repeat a parameter on multiple lines,
where each line contains a different value.
control_files='/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/control01.ctl'
control_files='/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/control02.ctl'
control_files='/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/control03.ctl'

If you repeat a parameter that does not accept multiple values, then only the last value
specified takes effect.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the content
and syntax of the text initialization parameter file
"Alert Log" on page 9-5

Sample Initialization Parameter File
Oracle Database provides generally appropriate values in a sample text initialization
parameter file. You can edit these Oracle-supplied initialization parameters and add
others, depending upon your configuration and options and how you plan to tune the
database.
The sample text initialization parameter file is named init.ora and is found in the
following location on most platforms:
ORACLE_HOME/dbs

The following is the content of the sample file:
##############################################################################
# Example INIT.ORA file
#
# This file is provided by Oracle Corporation to help you start by providing

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# a starting point to customize your RDBMS installation for your site.
#
# NOTE: The values that are used in this file are only intended to be used
# as a starting point. You may want to adjust/tune those values to your
# specific hardware and needs. You may also consider using Database
# Configuration Assistant tool (DBCA) to create INIT file and to size your
# initial set of tablespaces based on the user input.
###############################################################################
# Change '' to point to the oracle base (the one you specify at
# install time)
db_name='ORCL'
memory_target=1G
processes = 150
db_block_size=8192
db_domain=''
db_recovery_file_dest='/flash_recovery_area'
db_recovery_file_dest_size=2G
diagnostic_dest=''
dispatchers='(PROTOCOL=TCP) (SERVICE=ORCLXDB)'
open_cursors=300
remote_login_passwordfile='EXCLUSIVE'
undo_tablespace='UNDOTBS1'
# You may want to ensure that control files are created on separate physical
# devices
control_files = (ora_control1, ora_control2)
compatible ='12.0.0'

Determining the Global Database Name
The global database name consists of the user-specified local database name and the
location of the database within a network structure. The DB_NAME initialization
parameter determines the local name component of the database name, and the DB_
DOMAIN parameter, which is optional, indicates the domain (logical location) within a
network structure. The combination of the settings for these two parameters must
form a database name that is unique within a network.
For example, to create a database with a global database name of
test.us.example.com, edit the parameters of the new parameter file as follows:
DB_NAME = test
DB_DOMAIN = us.example.com

You can rename the GLOBAL_NAME of your database using the ALTER DATABASE RENAME
GLOBAL_NAME statement. However, you must also shut down and restart the database
after first changing the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN initialization parameters and recreating
the control files. Recreating the control files is easily accomplished with the command
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
User's Guide for more information.
Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
DBNEWID utility, which is another means of changing a database
name
See Also:

DB_NAME Initialization Parameter
DB_NAME must be set to a text string of no more than 8 characters. During database
creation, the name provided for DB_NAME is recorded in the data files, redo log files, and
Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Specifying Initialization Parameters

control file of the database. If during database instance startup the value of the DB_
NAME parameter (in the parameter file) and the database name in the control file are
different, then the database does not start.

DB_DOMAIN Initialization Parameter
DB_DOMAIN is a text string that specifies the network domain where the database is
created. If the database you are about to create will ever be part of a distributed
database system, then give special attention to this initialization parameter before
database creation. This parameter is optional.
Part V, "Distributed Database Management" for more
information about distributed databases

See Also:

Specifying a Fast Recovery Area
The Fast Recovery Area is a location in which Oracle Database can store and manage
files related to backup and recovery. It is distinct from the database area, which is a
location for the current database files (data files, control files, and online redo logs).
You specify the Fast Recovery Area with the following initialization parameters:
■

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST: Location of the Fast Recovery Area. This can be a
directory, file system, or Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) disk
group.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, this location
must be on a cluster file system, Oracle ASM disk group, or a shared directory
configured through NFS.

■

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE: Specifies the maximum total bytes to be used by
the Fast Recovery Area. This initialization parameter must be specified before DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST is enabled.

In an Oracle RAC environment, the settings for these two parameters must be the
same on all instances.
You cannot enable these parameters if you have set values for the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST
and LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST parameters. You must disable those parameters before
setting up the Fast Recovery Area. You can instead set values for the LOG_ARCHIVE_
DEST_n parameters. The LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 parameter is implicitly set to point to the
Fast Recovery Area if a local archiving location has not been configured and LOG_
ARCHIVE_DEST_1 value has not been set.
Oracle recommends using a Fast Recovery Area, because it can simplify backup and
recovery operations for your database.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide to
learn how to create and use a Fast Recovery Area

Specifying Control Files
The CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter specifies one or more control filenames for
the database. When you execute the CREATE DATABASE statement, the control files listed
in the CONTROL_FILES parameter are created.
If you do not include CONTROL_FILES in the initialization parameter file, then Oracle
Database creates a control file in the same directory as the initialization parameter file,
using a default operating system–dependent filename. If you have enabled Oracle
Managed Files, the database creates Oracle managed control files.

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If you want the database to create new operating system files when creating database
control files, the filenames listed in the CONTROL_FILES parameter must not match any
filenames that currently exist on your system. If you want the database to reuse or
overwrite existing files when creating database control files, ensure that the filenames
listed in the CONTROL_FILES parameter match the filenames that are to be reused, and
include a CONTROLFILE REUSE clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement.
Oracle strongly recommends you use at least two control files stored on separate
physical disk drives for each database.
See Also:
■
■

Chapter 10, "Managing Control Files"
"Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation" on
page 2-20

Specifying Database Block Sizes
The DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter specifies the standard block size for the
database. This block size is used for the SYSTEM tablespace and by default in other
tablespaces. Oracle Database can support up to four additional nonstandard block
sizes.

DB_BLOCK_SIZE Initialization Parameter
The most commonly used block size should be picked as the standard block size. In
many cases, this is the only block size that you must specify. Typically, DB_BLOCK_SIZE
is set to either 4K or 8K. If you do not set a value for this parameter, then the default
data block size is operating system specific, which is generally adequate.
You cannot change the block size after database creation except by re-creating the
database. If the database block size is different from the operating system block size,
then ensure that the database block size is a multiple of the operating system block
size. For example, if your operating system block size is 2K (2048 bytes), the following
setting for the DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter is valid:
DB_BLOCK_SIZE=4096

A larger data block size provides greater efficiency in disk and memory I/O (access
and storage of data). Therefore, consider specifying a block size larger than your
operating system block size if the following conditions exist:
■

■

Oracle Database is on a large computer system with a large amount of memory
and fast disk drives. For example, databases controlled by mainframe computers
with vast hardware resources typically use a data block size of 4K or greater.
The operating system that runs Oracle Database uses a small operating system
block size. For example, if the operating system block size is 1K and the default
data block size matches this, the database may be performing an excessive amount
of disk I/O during normal operation. For best performance in this case, a database
block should consist of multiple operating system blocks.
See Also: Your operating system specific Oracle documentation
for details about the default block size.

Nonstandard Block Sizes
Tablespaces of nonstandard block sizes can be created using the CREATE TABLESPACE
statement and specifying the BLOCKSIZE clause. These nonstandard block sizes can

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Specifying Initialization Parameters

have any of the following power-of-two values: 2K, 4K, 8K, 16K or 32K.
Platform-specific restrictions regarding the maximum block size apply, so some of
these sizes may not be allowed on some platforms.
To use nonstandard block sizes, you must configure subcaches within the buffer cache
area of the SGA memory for all of the nonstandard block sizes that you intend to use.
The initialization parameters used for configuring these subcaches are described in
"Using Automatic Shared Memory Management" on page 6-8.
The ability to specify multiple block sizes for your database is especially useful if you
are transporting tablespaces between databases. You can, for example, transport a
tablespace that uses a 4K block size from an OLTP environment to a data warehouse
environment that uses a standard block size of 8K.
Note:

A 32K block size is valid only on 64-bit platforms.

Caution: Oracle recommends against specifying a 2K block size
when 4K sector size disks are in use, because performance
degradation can occur. For an explanation, see "Planning the Block
Size of Redo Log Files" on page 11-7.
See Also:
■

"Creating Tablespaces" on page 13-2

■

"Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23

Specifying the Maximum Number of Processes
The PROCESSES initialization parameter determines the maximum number of operating
system processes that can be connected to Oracle Database concurrently. The value of
this parameter must be a minimum of one for each background process plus one for
each user process. The number of background processes will vary according the
database features that you are using. For example, if you are using Advanced Queuing
or the file mapping feature, then you will have additional background processes. If
you are using Automatic Storage Management, then add three additional processes for
the database instance.
If you plan on running 50 user processes, a good estimate would be to set the
PROCESSES initialization parameter to 70.

Specifying the DDL Lock Timeout
A data definition language (DDL) statement is either nonblocking or blocking, and
both types of DDL statements require exclusive locks on internal structures. If these
locks are unavailable when a DDL statement runs, then nonblocking and blocking
DDL statements behave differently:
■

■

Nonblocking DDL waits until every concurrent DML transaction that references
the object affected by the DDL either commits or rolls back.
Blocking DDL fails, though it might have succeeded if it had been executed
subseconds later when the locks become available.

To enable blocking DDL statements to wait for locks, specify a DDL lock timeout—the
number of seconds a DDL command waits for its required locks before failing.

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To specify a DDL lock timeout, use the DDL_LOCK_TIMEOUT parameter. The permissible
range of values for DDL_LOCK_TIMEOUT is 0 to 1,000,000. The default is 0. You can set
DDL_LOCK_TIMEOUT at the system level, or at the session level with an ALTER SESSION
statement.
The DDL_LOCK_TIMOUT parameter does not affect nonblocking
DDL statements.

Note:

See Also:
■

Oracle Database Reference

■

Oracle Database Development Guide

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Specifying the Method of Undo Space Management
Every Oracle Database must have a method of maintaining information that is used to
undo changes to the database. Such information consists of records of the actions of
transactions, primarily before they are committed. Collectively these records are called
undo data. This section provides instructions for setting up an environment for
automatic undo management using an undo tablespace.
See Also:

Chapter 16, "Managing Undo"

UNDO_MANAGEMENT Initialization Parameter
The UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter determines whether an instance starts
in automatic undo management mode, which stores undo in an undo tablespace. Set
this parameter to AUTO to enable automatic undo management mode. AUTO is the
default if the parameter is omitted or is null.

UNDO_TABLESPACE Initialization Parameter
When an instance starts up in automatic undo management mode, it attempts to select
an undo tablespace for storage of undo data. If the database was created in automatic
undo management mode, then the default undo tablespace (either the system-created
SYS_UNDOTBS tablespace or the user-specified undo tablespace) is the undo tablespace
used at instance startup. You can override this default for the instance by specifying a
value for the UNDO_TABLESPACE initialization parameter. This parameter is especially
useful for assigning a particular undo tablespace to an instance in an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment.
If no undo tablespace is specified by the UNDO_TABLESPACE initialization parameter,
then the first available undo tablespace in the database is chosen. If no undo
tablespace is available, then the instance starts without an undo tablespace, and undo
data is written to the SYSTEM tablespace. You should avoid running in this mode.
Note: When using the CREATE DATABASE statement to create a
database, do not include an UNDO_TABLESPACE parameter in the
initialization parameter file. Instead, include an UNDO TABLESPACE
clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Specifying Initialization Parameters

About The COMPATIBLE Initialization Parameter
The COMPATIBLE initialization parameter enables or disables the use of features in the
database that affect file format on disk. For example, if you create an Oracle Database
12c database, but specify COMPATIBLE=11.0.0 in the initialization parameter file, then
features that require Oracle Database 12c compatibility generate an error if you try to
use them. Such a database is said to be at the 11.0.0 compatibility level.
You can advance the compatibility level of your database by changing the COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter. If you do, there is no way to start the database using a lower
compatibility level setting, except by doing a point-in-time recovery to a time before
the compatibility was advanced.
The default value for the COMPATIBLE parameter is the release number of the most
recent major release.
Note:
■

■

For Oracle Database 12c, the default value of the COMPATIBLE
parameter is 12.0.0. The minimum value is 11.0.0. If you
create an Oracle Database using the default value, then you can
immediately use all the new features in this release, and you
can never downgrade the database.
When you set this parameter in a server parameter file
(SPFILE) using the ALTER SYSTEM statement, you must specify
SCOPE=SPFILE, and you must restart the database for the
change to take effect.

See Also:
■

■
■

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for a detailed discussion of
database compatibility and the COMPATIBLE initialization
parameter
Oracle Database Reference
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information
about point-in-time recovery of your database

Setting the License Parameter
Oracle no longer offers licensing by the number of
concurrent sessions. Therefore the LICENSE_MAX_SESSIONS and
LICENSE_SESSIONS_WARNING initialization parameters are no longer
needed and have been deprecated.
Note:

If you use named user licensing, Oracle Database can help you enforce this form of
licensing. You can set a limit on the number of users created in the database. Once this
limit is reached, you cannot create more users.

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This mechanism assumes that each person accessing the
database has a unique user name and that no people share a user
name. Therefore, so that named user licensing can help you ensure
compliance with your Oracle license agreement, do not allow
multiple users to log in using the same user name.

Note:

To limit the number of users created in a database, set the LICENSE_MAX_USERS
initialization parameter in the database initialization parameter file, as shown in the
following example:
LICENSE_MAX_USERS = 200

Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File
Initialization parameters for the Oracle Database have traditionally been stored in a
text initialization parameter file. For better manageability, you can choose to maintain
initialization parameters in a binary server parameter file that is persistent across
database startup and shutdown. This section introduces the server parameter file, and
explains how to manage initialization parameters using either method of storing the
parameters. The following topics are contained in this section.
■

What Is a Server Parameter File?

■

Migrating to a Server Parameter File

■

Creating a Server Parameter File

■

The SPFILE Initialization Parameter

■

Changing Initialization Parameter Values

■

Clearing Initialization Parameter Values

■

Exporting the Server Parameter File

■

Backing Up the Server Parameter File

■

Recovering a Lost or Damaged Server Parameter File

■

Viewing Parameter Settings

What Is a Server Parameter File?
A server parameter file can be thought of as a repository for initialization parameters
that is maintained on the system running the Oracle Database server. It is, by design, a
server-side initialization parameter file. Initialization parameters stored in a server
parameter file are persistent, in that any changes made to the parameters while an
instance is running can persist across instance shutdown and startup. This
arrangement eliminates the need to manually update initialization parameters to make
persistent any changes effected by ALTER SYSTEM statements. It also provides a basis
for self-tuning by the Oracle Database server.
A server parameter file is initially built from a text initialization parameter file using
the CREATE SPFILE statement. (It can also be created directly by the Database
Configuration Assistant.) The server parameter file is a binary file that cannot be
edited using a text editor. Oracle Database provides other interfaces for viewing and
modifying parameter settings in a server parameter file.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

Caution: Although you can open the binary server parameter file
with a text editor and view its text, do not manually edit it. Doing so
will corrupt the file. You will not be able to start your instance, and
if the instance is running, it could fail.

When you issue a STARTUP command with no PFILE clause, the Oracle instance
searches an operating system–specific default location for a server parameter file from
which to read initialization parameter settings. If no server parameter file is found, the
instance searches for a text initialization parameter file. If a server parameter file exists
but you want to override it with settings in a text initialization parameter file, you
must specify the PFILE clause when issuing the STARTUP command. Instructions for
starting an instance using a server parameter file are contained in "Starting Up a
Database" on page 3-1.

Migrating to a Server Parameter File
If you are currently using a text initialization parameter file, then use the following
steps to migrate to a server parameter file.
1.

If the initialization parameter file is located on a client system, then transfer the file
(for example, FTP) from the client system to the server system.
If you are migrating to a server parameter file in an Oracle
Real Application Clusters environment, you must combine all of
your instance-specific initialization parameter files into a single
initialization parameter file. Instructions for doing this and other
actions unique to using a server parameter file for instances that are
part of an Oracle Real Application Clusters installation are
discussed in Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide and in your platform-specific Oracle Real
Application Clusters Installation Guide.

Note:

2.

Create a server parameter file in the default location using the CREATE SPFILE
FROM PFILE statement. See "Creating a Server Parameter File" on page 2-34 for
instructions.
This statement reads the text initialization parameter file to create a server
parameter file. The database does not have to be started to issue a CREATE SPFILE
statement.

3.

Start up or restart the instance.
The instance finds the new SPFILE in the default location and starts up with it.

Creating a Server Parameter File
You use the CREATE SPFILE statement to create a server parameter file. You must have
the SYSDBA, SYSOPER, or SYSBACKUP administrative privilege to execute this statement.
When you use the Database Configuration Assistant to create
a database, it automatically creates a server parameter file for you.

Note:

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Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

The CREATE SPFILE statement can be executed before or after instance startup.
However, if the instance has been started using a server parameter file, an error is
raised if you attempt to re-create the same server parameter file that is currently being
used by the instance.
You can create a server parameter file (SPFILE) from an existing text initialization
parameter file or from memory. Creating the SPFILE from memory means copying the
current values of initialization parameters in the running instance to the SPFILE.
The following example creates a server parameter file from text initialization
parameter file /u01/oracle/dbs/init.ora. In this example no SPFILE name is
specified, so the file is created with the platform-specific default name and location
shown in Table 2–3 on page 2-35.
CREATE SPFILE FROM PFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/init.ora';

The next example illustrates creating a server parameter file and supplying a name
and location.
CREATE SPFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/test_spfile.ora'
FROM PFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/test_init.ora';

The next example illustrates creating a server parameter file in the default location
from the current values of the initialization parameters in memory.
CREATE SPFILE FROM MEMORY;

Whether you use the default SPFILE name and default location or specify an SPFILE
name and location, if an SPFILE of the same name already exists in the location, it is
overwritten without a warning message.
When you create an SPFILE from a text initialization parameter file, comments
specified on the same lines as a parameter setting in the initialization parameter file
are maintained in the SPFILE. All other comments are ignored.
Oracle recommends that you allow the database to give the SPFILE the default name
and store it in the default location. This eases administration of your database. For
example, the STARTUP command assumes this default location to read the SPFILE.
Table 2–3 shows the default name and location for both the text initialization
parameter file (PFILE) and server parameter file (SPFILE) for the UNIX, Linux, and
Windows platforms, both with and without the presence of Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM). The table assumes that the SPFILE is a file.
Table 2–3
Platform

PFILE and SPFILE Default Names and Locations on UNIX, LInux, and Windows
PFILE Default Name

SPFILE Default Name

PFILE Default Location

SPFILE Default Location

UNIX and initORACLE_SID.ora
Linux

spfileORACLE_SID.ora

OH/dbs or the same
location as the data files1

Without Oracle ASM:
OH/dbs or the same location
as the data files1
When Oracle ASM is present:
In the same disk group as the
data files2

Windows

initORACLE_SID.ora

spfileORACLE_SID.ora

OH\database

Without Oracle ASM:
OH\database
When Oracle ASM is present:
In the same disk group as the
data files2

1

OH represents the Oracle home directory

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

2

Assumes database created with DBCA

Upon startup, the instance first searches for an SPFILE named
spfileORACLE_SID.ora, and if not found, searches for spfile.ora.
Using spfile.ora enables all Real Application Cluster (Oracle RAC)
instances to use the same server parameter file.
Note:

If neither SPFILE is found, the instance searches for the text
initialization parameter file initORACLE_SID.ora.
If you create an SPFILE in a location other than the default location, you must create in
the default PFILE location a "stub" PFILE that points to the server parameter file. For
more information, see "Starting Up a Database" on page 3-1.
When you create the database with DBCA when Oracle ASM is present, DBCA places
the SPFILE in an Oracle ASM disk group, and also causes this stub PFILE to be
created.

The SPFILE Initialization Parameter
The SPFILE initialization parameter contains the name of the current server parameter
file. When the default server parameter file is used by the database—that is, you issue
a STARTUP command and do not specify a PFILE parameter—the value of SPFILE is
internally set by the server. The SQL*Plus command SHOW PARAMETERS SPFILE (or any
other method of querying the value of a parameter) displays the name of the server
parameter file that is currently in use.

Changing Initialization Parameter Values
The ALTER SYSTEM statement enables you to set, change, or restore to default the values
of initialization parameters. If you are using a text initialization parameter file, the
ALTER SYSTEM statement changes the value of a parameter only for the current
instance, because there is no mechanism for automatically updating text initialization
parameters on disk. You must update them manually to be passed to a future instance.
Using a server parameter file overcomes this limitation.
There are two kinds of initialization parameters:
■

■

Dynamic initialization parameters can be changed for the current Oracle
Database instance. The changes take effect immediately.
Static initialization parameters cannot be changed for the current instance. You
must change these parameters in the text initialization file or server parameter file
and then restart the database before changes take effect.

Setting or Changing Initialization Parameter Values
Use the SET clause of the ALTER SYSTEM statement to set or change initialization
parameter values. The optional SCOPE clause specifies the scope of a change as
described in the following table:

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SCOPE Clause

Description

SCOPE = SPFILE

The change is applied in the server parameter file only. The effect is
as follows:
■
■

No change is made to the current instance.
For both dynamic and static parameters, the change is effective
at the next startup and is persistent.

This is the only SCOPE specification allowed for static parameters.
SCOPE = MEMORY

The change is applied in memory only. The effect is as follows:
■

■

The change is made to the current instance and is effective
immediately.
For dynamic parameters, the effect is immediate, but it is not
persistent because the server parameter file is not updated.

For static parameters, this specification is not allowed.
SCOPE = BOTH

The change is applied in both the server parameter file and
memory. The effect is as follows:
■

■

The change is made to the current instance and is effective
immediately.
For dynamic parameters, the effect is persistent because the
server parameter file is updated.

For static parameters, this specification is not allowed.

It is an error to specify SCOPE=SPFILE or SCOPE=BOTH if the instance did not start up
with a server parameter file. The default is SCOPE=BOTH if a server parameter file was
used to start up the instance, and MEMORY if a text initialization parameter file was used
to start up the instance.
For dynamic parameters, you can also specify the DEFERRED keyword. When specified,
the change is effective only for future sessions.
When you specify SCOPE as SPFILE or BOTH, an optional COMMENT clause lets you
associate a text string with the parameter update. The comment is written to the server
parameter file.
The following statement changes the maximum number of failed login attempts before
the connection is dropped. It includes a comment, and explicitly states that the change
is to be made only in the server parameter file.
ALTER SYSTEM SET SEC_MAX_FAILED_LOGIN_ATTEMPTS=3
COMMENT='Reduce from 10 for tighter security.'
SCOPE=SPFILE;

The next example sets a complex initialization parameter that takes a list of attributes.
Specifically, the parameter value being set is the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization
parameter. This statement could change an existing setting for this parameter or create
a new archive destination.
ALTER SYSTEM
SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4='LOCATION=/u02/oracle/rbdb1/',MANDATORY,'REOPEN=2'
COMMENT='Add new destination on Nov 29'
SCOPE=SPFILE;

When a value consists of a list of parameters, you cannot edit individual attributes by
the position or ordinal number. You must specify the complete list of values each time
the parameter is updated, and the new list completely replaces the old list.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

Clearing Initialization Parameter Values
You can use the ALTER SYSTEM RESET command to clear (remove) the setting of any
initialization parameter in the SPFILE that was used to start the instance. Neither
SCOPE=MEMORY nor SCOPE=BOTH are allowed. The SCOPE = SPFILE clause is not required,
but can be included.
You may want to clear a parameter in the SPFILE so that upon the next database
startup a default value is used.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about the ALTER SYSTEM command

Exporting the Server Parameter File
You can use the CREATE PFILE statement to export a server parameter file (SPFILE) to a
text initialization parameter file. Doing so might be necessary for several reasons:
■

■

For diagnostic purposes, listing all of the parameter values currently used by an
instance. This is analogous to the SQL*Plus SHOW PARAMETERS command or
selecting from the V$PARAMETER or V$PARAMETER2 views.
To modify the server parameter file by first exporting it, editing the resulting text
file, and then re-creating it using the CREATE SPFILE statement

The exported file can also be used to start up an instance using the PFILE clause.
You must have the SYSDBA, SYSOPER, or SYSBACKUP administrative privilege to execute
the CREATE PFILE statement. The exported file is created on the database server
system. It contains any comments associated with the parameter in the same line as
the parameter setting.
The following example creates a text initialization parameter file from the SPFILE:
CREATE PFILE FROM SPFILE;

Because no names were specified for the files, the database creates an initialization
parameter file with a platform-specific name, and it is created from the
platform-specific default server parameter file.
The following example creates a text initialization parameter file from a server
parameter file, but in this example the names of the files are specified:
CREATE PFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/test_init.ora'
FROM SPFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/test_spfile.ora';

An alternative is to create a PFILE from the current values of
the initialization parameters in memory. The following is an example
of the required command:

Note:

CREATE PFILE='/u01/oracle/dbs/test_init.ora' FROM MEMORY;

Backing Up the Server Parameter File
You can create a backup of your server parameter file (SPFILE) by exporting it, as
described in "Exporting the Server Parameter File". If the backup and recovery strategy
for your database is implemented using Recovery Manager (RMAN), then you can use
RMAN to create a backup of the SPFILE. The SPFILE is backed up automatically by
RMAN when you back up your database, but RMAN also enables you to specifically
create a backup of the currently active SPFILE.

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Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File

See Also:

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering a Lost or Damaged Server Parameter File
If your server parameter file (SPFILE) becomes lost or corrupted, the current instance
may fail, or the next attempt at starting the database instance may fail. There are
several ways to recover the SPFILE:
■

If the instance is running, issue the following command to re-create the SPFILE
from the current values of initialization parameters in memory:
CREATE SPFILE FROM MEMORY;

This command creates the SPFILE with the default name and in the default
location. You can also create the SPFILE with a new name or in a specified
location. See "Creating a Server Parameter File" on page 2-34 for examples.
■

If you have a valid text initialization parameter file (PFILE), re-create the SPFILE
from the PFILE with the following statement:
CREATE SPFILE FROM PFILE;

This command assumes that the PFILE is in the default location and has the
default name. See "Creating a Server Parameter File" on page 2-34 for the
command syntax to use when the PFILE is not in the default location or has a
nondefault name.
■

Restore the SPFILE from backup.
See "Backing Up the Server Parameter File" on page 2-38 for more information.

■

If none of the previous methods are possible in your situation, perform these steps:
1.

Create a text initialization parameter file (PFILE) from the parameter value
listings in the alert log.
When an instance starts up, the initialization parameters used for startup are
written to the alert log. You can copy and paste this section from the text
version of the alert log (without XML tags) into a new PFILE.
See "Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21 for more information.

2.

Create the SPFILE from the PFILE.
See "Creating a Server Parameter File" on page 2-34 for instructions.

Read/Write Errors During a Parameter Update
If an error occurs while reading or writing the server parameter file during a
parameter update, the error is reported in the alert log and all subsequent parameter
updates to the server parameter file are ignored. At this point, you can take one of the
following actions:
■

■

Shut down the instance, recover the server parameter file and described earlier in
this section, and then restart the instance.
Continue to run the database if you do not care that subsequent parameter
updates will not be persistent.

Viewing Parameter Settings
You can view parameter settings in several ways, as shown in the following table.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

Method

Description

SHOW PARAMETERS

This SQL*Plus command displays the values of initialization
parameters in effect for the current session.

SHOW SPPARAMETERS

This SQL*Plus command displays the values of initialization
parameters in the server parameter file (SPFILE).

CREATE PFILE

This SQL statement creates a text initialization parameter file
(PFILE) from the SPFILE or from the current in-memory settings.
You can then view the PFILE with any text editor.

V$PARAMETER

This view displays the values of initialization parameters in
effect for the current session.

V$PARAMETER2

This view displays the values of initialization parameters in
effect for the current session. It is easier to distinguish list
parameter values in this view because each list parameter value
appears in a separate row.

V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER

This view displays the values of initialization parameters in
effect for the instance. A new session inherits parameter values
from the instance-wide values.

V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER2

This view displays the values of initialization parameters in
effect for the instance. A new session inherits parameter values
from the instance-wide values. It is easier to distinguish list
parameter values in this view because each list parameter value
appears in a separate row.

V$SPPARAMETER

This view displays the current contents of the SPFILE. The view
returns FALSE values in the ISSPECIFIED column if an SPFILE is
not being used by the instance.

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for a complete description of

views

Managing Application Workloads with Database Services
A database service is a named representation of one or more database instances.
Services enable you to group database workloads and route a particular work request
to an appropriate instance. A database service represents a single database. This
database can be a single-instance database or an Oracle Real Application Clusters
(Oracle RAC) database with multiple concurrent database instances. A global database
service is a service provided by multiple databases synchronized through data
replication.
This section contains:
■

Database Services

■

Global Data Services

■

Database Service Data Dictionary Views

Database Services
This section contains:
■

About Database Services

■

Database Services and Performance

■

Oracle Database Features That Use Database Services

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Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

■

Creating Database Services

■

Database Service Data Dictionary Views

About Database Services
Database services divide workloads for a single database into mutually disjoint
groupings. Each database service represents a workload with common attributes,
service-level thresholds, and priorities. The grouping is based on attributes of work
that might include the application function to be used, the priority of execution for the
application function, the job class to be managed, or the data range used in the
application function or job class. For example, the Oracle E-Business Suite defines a
database service for each responsibility, such as general ledger, accounts receivable,
order entry, and so on. When you configure database services, you give each service a
unique name, associated performance goals, and associated importance. The database
services are tightly integrated with Oracle Database and are maintained in the data
dictionary.
Connection requests can include a database service name. Thus, middle-tier
applications and client/server applications use a service by specifying the database
service as part of the connection in TNS connect data. If no database service name is
included and the Net Services file listener.ora designates a default database service,
then the connection uses the default database service.
Database services enable you to configure a workload for a single database, administer
it, enable and disable it, and measure the workload as a single entity. You can do this
using standard tools such as the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA), Oracle Net
Configuration Assistant, and Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud
Control). Cloud Control supports viewing and operating services as a whole, with drill
down to the instance-level when needed.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, a database service
can span one or more instances and facilitate workload balancing based on transaction
performance. This capability provides end-to-end unattended recovery, rolling
changes by workload, and full location transparency. Oracle RAC also enables you to
manage several database service features with Cloud Control, the DBCA, and the
Server Control utility (SRVCTL).
Database services describe applications, application functions, and data ranges as
either functional services or data-dependent services. Functional services are the most
common mapping of workloads. Sessions using a particular function are grouped
together. In contrast, data-dependent routing routes sessions to database services
based on data keys. The mapping of work requests to database services occurs in the
object relational mapping layer for application servers and TP monitors. For example,
in Oracle RAC, these ranges can be completely dynamic and based on demand
because the database is shared.
In addition to database services that are used by applications, Oracle Database also
supports two internal database services: SYS$BACKGROUND is used by the background
processes only, and SYS$USERS is the default database service for user sessions that are
not associated with services.
Using database services requires no changes to your application code. Client-side
work can connect to a named database service. Server-side work, such as Oracle
Scheduler, parallel execution, and Oracle Database Advanced Queuing, set the
database service name as part of the workload definition. Work requests executing
under a database service inherit the performance thresholds for the service and are
measured as part of the service.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

See Also:
■
■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information about using services in an Oracle RAC
environment
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for information
on connecting to a service
The Cloud Control online help

Database Services and Performance
Database services also offer an extra dimension in performance tuning. Tuning by
"service and SQL" can replace tuning by "session and SQL" in the majority of systems
where all sessions are anonymous and shared. With database services, workloads are
visible and measurable. Resource consumption and waits are attributable by
application. Additionally, resources assigned to database services can be augmented
when loads increase or decrease. This dynamic resource allocation enables a
cost-effective solution for meeting demands as they occur. For example, database
services are measured automatically, and the performance is compared to service-level
thresholds. Performance violations are reported to Cloud Control, enabling the
execution of automatic or scheduled solutions.

Oracle Database Features That Use Database Services
Several Oracle Database features support database services. The Automatic Workload
Repository (AWR) manages the performance of services. AWR records database
service performance, including execution times, wait classes, and resources consumed
by services. AWR alerts warn when database service response time thresholds are
exceeded. The dynamic views report current service performance metrics with one
hour of history. Each database service has quality-of-service thresholds for response
time and CPU consumption.
In addition, the Database Resource Manager can map database services to consumer
groups. Therefore, you can automatically manage the priority of one database service
relative to others. You can use consumer groups to define relative priority in terms of
either ratios or resource consumption. This is described in more detail in Chapter 27,
"Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager," and specifically in
"Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on page 27-9.
You also can specify an edition attribute for a database service. Editions make it
possible to have two or more versions of the same objects in the database. When you
specify an edition attribute for a database service, all subsequent connections that
specify the database service use this edition as the initial session edition. This is
described in more detail in "Setting the Edition Attribute of a Database Service" on
page 18-23.
Specifying an edition as a database service attribute can make it easier to manage
resource usage. For example, database services associated with an edition can be
placed on a separate instance in an Oracle RAC environment, and the Database
Resource Manager can manage resources used by different editions by associating
resource plans with the corresponding database services.
For Oracle Scheduler, you optionally assign a database service when you create a job
class. During execution, jobs are assigned to job classes, and job classes can run within
database services. Using database services with job classes ensures that the work

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Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

executed by the job scheduler is identified for workload management and
performance tuning.
For parallel query and parallel DML, the query coordinator connects to a database
service just like any other client. The parallel query processes inherit the database
service for the duration of the execution. At the end of query execution, the parallel
execution processes revert to the default database service.
See Also: Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler" for
more information about the Oracle Scheduler

Creating Database Services
There are a few ways to create database services, depending on your database
configuration.
This section describes creating services locally. You can also
create services to operate globally. See "Global Data Services" on
page 2-43 for more information.

Note:

To create a database service:
■

If your single-instance database is being managed by Oracle Restart, use the
SRVCTL utility to create the database service.
srvctl add service -db db_unique_name -service service_name

■

■

If your single-instance database is not being managed by Oracle Restart, do one of
the following:
■

Append the desired database service name to the SERVICE_NAMES parameter.

■

Call the DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE package procedure.

(Optional) Define database service attributes with Cloud Control or with DBMS_
SERVICE.MODIFY_SERVICE.

Oracle Net Listener (the listener) receives incoming client connection requests and
manages the traffic of these requests to the database server. The listener handles
connections for registered services, and it supports dynamic service registration.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database"
for information about Oracle Restart
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_SERVICE package
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information about creating a service in an Oracle RAC
environment
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for more
information about Oracle Net Listener and services

Global Data Services
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, you can use Global Data Services (GDS) for
workload management involving multiple Oracle databases. GDS enables
administrators to automatically and transparently manage client workloads across
Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Managing Application Workloads with Database Services

replicated databases that offer common services. These common services are known as
global services.
GDS enables you to integrate multiple databases in various locations into private GDS
configurations that can be shared by global clients. Benefits include the following:
■

Enables central management of global resources

■

Provides global scalability, availability, and run-time load balancing

■

■

■

■

■

Allows you to dynamically add databases to the GDS configuration and
dynamically migrate global services
Extends service management, load balancing, and failover capabilities for
distributed environments of replicated databases that use features such as Oracle
Active Data Guard, Oracle GoldenGate, and so on
Provides high availability through seamless failover of global services across
databases (located both locally or globally)
Provides workload balancing both within and between data centers through
services, connection load balancing, and runtime load balancing
Allows efficient utilization of the resources of the GDS configuration to service
client requests
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and Administration
Guide
Oracle Database Concepts

Database Service Data Dictionary Views
You can find information about database services in the following views:
■

DBA_SERVICES

■

ALL_SERVICES or V$SERVICES

■

V$ACTIVE_SERVICES

■

V$SERVICE_STATS

■

V$SERVICE_EVENT

■

V$SERVICE_WAIT_CLASSES

■

V$SERV_MOD_ACT_STATS

■

V$SERVICE_METRICS

■

V$SERVICE_METRICS_HISTORY

The following additional views also contain some information about database services:
■

V$SESSION

■

V$ACTIVE_SESSION_HISTORY

■

DBA_RSRC_GROUP_MAPPINGS

■

DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_CLASSES

■

DBA_THRESHOLDS

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Considerations After Creating a Database

The ALL_SERVICES view includes a GLOBAL_SERVICE column, and the V$SERVICES and
V$ACTIVE_SERVICES views contain a GLOBAL column. These views and columns enable
you to determine whether a database service is a global service.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for detailed information about

these views

Considerations After Creating a Database
After you create a database as described in "Creating a Database with DBCA" on
page 2-5 or "Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE Statement" on
page 2-6, the instance is left running, and the database is open and available for
normal database use. You may want to perform other actions, some of which are
discussed in this section.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Some Security Considerations

■

Enabling Transparent Data Encryption

■

Creating a Secure External Password Store

■

Using Transaction Guard and Application Continuity

■

Installing the Oracle Database Sample Schemas

Some Security Considerations
In this release of Oracle Database, several enhancements were made to ensure the
security your database. You can find security guidelines for this release in Oracle
Database Security Guide. Oracle recommends that you read these guidelines and
configure your database accordingly.
After the database is created, you can configure it to take advantage of Oracle Identity
Management. For information on how to do this, see Oracle Database Enterprise User
Security Administrator's Guide.
A newly created database has at least three user accounts that are important for
administering your database: SYS, SYSTEM, and SYSMAN. Additional administrative
accounts are provided that should be used only by authorized users. To protect these
accounts from being used by unauthorized users familiar with their Oracle-supplied
passwords, these accounts are initially locked with their passwords expired. As the
database administrator, you are responsible for the unlocking and resetting of these
accounts.
See Oracle Database 2 Day + Security Guide for a complete list of predefined user
accounts created with each new Oracle Database installation.
Caution: To prevent unauthorized access and protect the integrity
of your database, it is important that new passwords for user
accounts SYS and SYSTEM be specified when the database is created.
This is accomplished by specifying the following CREATE DATABASE
clauses when manually creating you database, or by using DBCA to
create the database:
■

USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY

■

USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Considerations After Creating a Database

See Also:
■

■

■

"Administrative User Accounts" on page 1-14 for more
information about the users SYS and SYSTEM
Oracle Database Security Guide to learn how to add new users
and change passwords
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of the
ALTER USER statement used for unlocking user accounts

Enabling Transparent Data Encryption
Transparent Data Encryption is a feature that enables encryption of individual
database columns before storing them in the data file, or enables encryption of entire
tablespaces. If users attempt to circumvent the database access control mechanisms by
looking inside data files directly with operating system tools, Transparent Data
Encryption prevents such users from viewing sensitive information.
Users who have the CREATE TABLE privilege can choose one or more columns in a table
to be encrypted. The data is encrypted in the data files. Database users with
appropriate privileges can view the data in unencrypted format. For information on
enabling Transparent Data Encryption, see Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide.
See Also:
■

■

"Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data" on
page 20-22
"Encrypted Tablespaces" on page 13-8

Creating a Secure External Password Store
For large-scale deployments where applications use password credentials to connect to
databases, it is possible to store such credentials in a client-side Oracle wallet. An
Oracle wallet is a secure software container that is used to store authentication and
signing credentials.
Storing database password credentials in a client-side Oracle wallet eliminates the
need to embed usernames and passwords in application code, batch jobs, or scripts.
This reduces the risk of exposing passwords in the clear in scripts and application
code, and simplifies maintenance because you need not change your code each time
usernames and passwords change. In addition, not having to change application code
also makes it easier to enforce password management policies for these user accounts.
When you configure a client to use the external password store, applications can use
the following syntax to connect to databases that use password authentication:
CONNECT /@database_alias

Note that you need not specify database login credentials in this CONNECT command.
Instead your system looks for database login credentials in the client wallet.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Security Guide

■

Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's Guide

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Cloning a Database with CloneDB

Using Transaction Guard and Application Continuity
Transaction Guard is a reliable protocol and API that application developers can use to
provide a known outcome for the last open transaction on a database session that
becomes unavailable. After an outage, the commit message that is sent from the
database to the client is not durable. If the connection breaks between an application
(the client) and an Oracle database (the server), then the client receives an error
message indicating that the communication failed. This error message does not inform
the client about the success or failure of commit operations or procedure calls.
Transaction Guard uses a new concept called the logical transaction identifier (LTXID),
a globally unique identifier that identifies the transaction from the application’s
perspective. When a recoverable outage occurs, the application uses the LTXID to
determine the outcome of the transaction. This outcome can be returned to the client
instead of the ambiguous communication error. The user can decide whether to
resubmit the transaction. The application also can be coded to resubmit the transaction
if the states are correct.
Application Continuity masks outages from end users and applications by recovering
the in-flight database sessions following recoverable outages, for both unplanned and
planned outages. After a successful replay, the application can continue where that
database session left off. Application Continuity performs this recovery so that the
outage appears to the application as a delayed execution.
Application Continuity is enabled at the service level and is invoked for outages that
are recoverable. These outages typically are related to underlying software,
foreground, hardware, communications, network, or storage layers. Application
Continuity supports queries, alter sessions, PL/SQL, and the last uncommitted
transaction before the failure. Application Continuity determines whether the last
in-flight operation committed or not, and completed or not, using Transaction Guard.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for a conceptual overview of Transaction
Guard and Application Continuity
Oracle Database Development Guide for complete information about
Transaction Guard and Application Continuity

Installing the Oracle Database Sample Schemas
The Oracle Database distribution media includes various SQL files that let you
experiment with the system, learn SQL, or create additional tables, views, or
synonyms.
Oracle Database includes sample schemas that help you to become familiar with
Oracle Database functionality. All Oracle Database documentation and training
materials are being converted to the Sample Schemas environment as those materials
are updated.
The Sample Schemas can be installed automatically by the Database Configuration
Assistant, or you can install them manually. The schemas and installation instructions
are described in detail in Oracle Database Sample Schemas.

Cloning a Database with CloneDB
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Cloning a Database with CloneDB

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-47

Cloning a Database with CloneDB

■

Cloning a Database with CloneDB

■

After Cloning a Database with CloneDB

About Cloning a Database with CloneDB
It is often necessary to clone a production database for testing purposes or other
purposes. Common reasons to clone a production database include the following:
■

Deployment of a new application, or an update of an existing application, that
uses the database

■

A planned operating system upgrade on the system that runs the database

■

New storage for the database installation

■

Reporting

■

Analysis of older data

Before deploying a new application, performing an operating system upgrade, or
using new storage, thorough testing is required to ensure that the database works
properly under the new conditions. Cloning can be achieved by making copies of the
production data files in one or more test environments, but these copies typically
require large amounts of storage space to be allocated and managed.
With CloneDB, you can clone a database multiple times without copying the data files
into several different locations. Instead, Oracle Database creates the files in the
CloneDB database using copy-on-write technology, so that only the blocks that are
modified in the CloneDB database require additional storage on disk.
Cloning a database in this way provides the following advantages:
■

It reduces the amount of storage required for testing purposes.

■

It enables the rapid creation of multiple database clones for various purposes.

The CloneDB databases use the data files of a database backup. Using the backup data
files ensures that the production data files are not accessed by the CloneDB instances
and that the CloneDB instances do not compete for the production database’s
resources, such as CPU and I/O resources.
The instructions in this chapter describe cloning a non-CDB. You can also clone a
pluggable database (PDB) in a CDB using the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. If
your underlying file system supports storage snapshots, then you can use the
SNAPSHOT COPY clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to clone a PDB
using a storage snapshot.
Note:

The CloneDB feature is not intended for performance testing.

See Also: "Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or
Non-CDB" on page 38-19

Cloning a Database with CloneDB
Before cloning a database, the following prerequisites must be met:
■

Each CloneDB database must use Direct NFS Client, and the backup of the
production database must be located on an NFS volume.
Direct NFS Client enables an Oracle database to access network attached storage
(NAS) devices directly, rather than using the operating system kernel NFS client.

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This CloneDB database feature is available on platforms that support Direct NFS
Client.
See Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Guide for your operating system for
information about Direct NFS Client.
■

At least 2 MB of additional System Global Area (SGA) memory is required to track
the modified blocks in a CloneDB database.
See Chapter 6, "Managing Memory".

■

Storage for the database backup and for the changed blocks in each CloneDB
database is required.
The storage required for the database backup depends on the method used to
perform the backup. A single full RMAN backup requires the most storage.
Storage snapshots carried out using the features of a storage appliance adhere to
the requirements of the storage appliance. A single backup can support multiple
CloneDB databases.
The amount of storage required for each CloneDB database depends on the write
activity in that database. Every block that is modified requires an available block
of storage. Therefore, the total storage requirement depends on the number of
blocks modified in the CloneDB database over time.

This section describes the steps required to create one CloneDB database and uses
these sample databases and directories:
■

The Oracle home for the production database PROD1 is /u01/prod1/oracle.

■

The files for the database backup are in /u02/oracle/backup/prod1.

■

The Oracle home for CloneDB database CLONE1 is /u03/clone1/oracle.

To clone a database with CloneDB:
1.

Create a backup of your production database. You have the following backup
options:
■

An online backup
If you perform an online backup, then ensure that your production database is
in ARCHIVELOG mode and that all of the necessary archived redo log files are
saved and accessible to the CloneDB database environment.

■

A full offline backup
If you perform a full offline backup, then ensure that the backup files are
accessible to the CloneDB database environment.

■

A backup that copies the database files
If you specify BACKUP AS COPY in RMAN, then RMAN copies each file as an
image copy, which is a bit-for-bit copy of a database file created on disk. Image
copies are identical to copies created with operating system commands such
as cp on Linux or COPY on Windows, but are recorded in the RMAN repository
and so are usable by RMAN. You can use RMAN to make image copies while
the database is open. Ensure that the copied database files are accessible to the
CloneDB database environment.

See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing
up a database.
2.

Create a text initialization parameter file (PFILE) if one does not exist.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-49

Cloning a Database with CloneDB

If you are using a server parameter file (SPFILE), then run the following statement
on the production database to create a PFILE:
CREATE PFILE FROM SPFILE;
3.

Create SQL scripts for cloning the production database.
You will use one or more SQL scripts to create a CloneDB database in a later step.
To create the SQL scripts, you can either use an Oracle-supplied Perl script called
clonedb.pl, or you can create a SQL script manually.
To use the clonedb.pl Perl script, complete the following steps:
a.

Set the following environment variables at an operating system prompt:
MASTER_COPY_DIR - Specify the directory that contains the backup created in
Step 1. Ensure that this directory contains only the backup of the data files of
the production database.
CLONE_FILE_CREATE_DEST - Specify the directory where CloneDB database files
will be created, including data files, log files, control files.
CLONEDB_NAME - Specify the name of the CloneDB database.
S7000_TARGET - If the NFS host providing the file system for the backup and
the CloneDB database is a Sun Storage 7000, then specify the name of the host.
Otherwise, do not set this environment variable. Set this environment variable
only if cloning must be done using storage snapshots. You can use S7000
storage arrays for Direct NFS Client without setting this variable.

b.

Run the clonedb.pl Perl script.
The script is in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/install directory and has the
following syntax:
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/install/clonedb.pl
prod_db_pfile [sql_script1] [sql_script2]

Specify the following options:
prod_db_pfile - Specify the full path of the production database’s PFILE.
sql_script1 - Specify a name for the first SQL script generated by clonedb.pl.
The default is crtdb.sql.
sql_script2 - Specify a name for the second SQL script generated by
clonedb.pl. The default is dbren.sql.
The clonedb.pl script copies the production database’s PFILE to the CloneDB
database’s directory. It also creates two SQL scripts that you will use to create
the CloneDB database.
c.

Check the two SQL scripts that were generated by the clonedb.pl Perl script,
and make changes if necessary.

d.

Modify the initialization parameters for the CloneDB database environment,
and save the file.
Change any initialization parameter that is specific to the CloneDB database
environment, such as parameters that control SGA size, PGA target, the
number of CPUs, and so on. The CLONEDB parameter must be set to TRUE, and
the initialization parameter file includes this parameter. See Oracle Database
Reference for information about initialization parameters.

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Cloning a Database with CloneDB

e.

In SQL*Plus, connect to the CloneDB database with SYSDBA administrative
privilege.

f.

Run the SQL scripts generated by the clonedb.pl Perl script.
For example, if the scripts use the default names, then run the following
scripts at the SQL prompt:
crtdb.sql
dbren.sql

To create a SQL script manually, complete the following steps:
a.

Connect to the database with SYSDBA or SYSBACKUP administrative privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

b.

Generate a backup control file script from your production database by
completing the following steps:
Run the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE;

This statement generates a trace file that contains the SQL statements that
create the control file. The trace file containing the CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement is stored in a directory determined by the DIAGNOSTIC_DEST
initialization parameter. Check the database alert log for the name and
location of this trace file.
c.

Open the trace file generated in Step b, and copy the STARTUP NOMOUNT and
CREATE CONTROLFILE statements in the trace file to a new SQL script.

d.

Edit the new SQL script you created in Step c in the following ways:
Change the name of the database to the name of the CloneDB database you are
creating. For example, change PROD1 to CLONE1.
Change the locations of the log files to a directory in the CloneDB database
environment. For example, change/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_log1.f to
/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/t_log1.f.
Change the locations of the data files to the backup location. For example,
change /u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f to /u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_
db1.f.
The following is an example of the original statements generated by the ALTER
DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE statement:
STARTUP NOMOUNT
CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE "PROD1" NORESETLOGS ARCHIVELOG
MAXLOGFILES 32
MAXLOGMEMBERS 2
MAXDATAFILES 32
MAXINSTANCES 1
MAXLOGHISTORY 292
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 '/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_log1.f' SIZE 25M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 2 '/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_log2.f' SIZE 25M BLOCKSIZE 512
-- STANDBY LOGFILE
DATAFILE
'/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f',
'/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_ax1.f',
'/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_undo1.f',

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

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Cloning a Database with CloneDB

'/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/t_xdb1.f',
'/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs/undots.dbf'
CHARACTER SET WE8ISO8859P1
;

The following is an example of the modified statements in the new SQL script:
STARTUP NOMOUNT PFILE=/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/clone1.ora
CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE "CLONE1" RESETLOGS ARCHIVELOG
MAXLOGFILES 32
MAXLOGMEMBERS 2
MAXDATAFILES 32
MAXINSTANCES 1
MAXLOGHISTORY 292
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 '/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/t_log1.f' SIZE 25M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 2 '/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/t_log2.f' SIZE 25M BLOCKSIZE 512
-- STANDBY LOGFILE
DATAFILE
'/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_db1.f',
'/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_ax1.f',
'/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_undo1.f',
'/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_xdb1.f',
'/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/undots.dbf'
CHARACTER SET WE8ISO8859P1
;

If you have a storage level snapshot taken on a data file, then you can replace
the RMAN backup file names with the storage snapshot names.
e.

After you edit the SQL script, save it to a location that is accessible to the
CloneDB database environment.
Make a note of the name and location of the new SQL script. You will run the
script in a subsequent step. In this example, assume the name of the script is
create_clonedb1.sql

f.

Copy the text initialization parameter file (PFILE) from the production
database environment to the CloneDB database environment.
For example, copy the text initialization parameter file from
/u01/prod1/oracle/dbs to /u03/clone1/oracle/dbs. The name and location
of the file must match the name and location specified in the STARTUP NOMOUNT
command in the modified SQL script. In the example in Step d, the file is
/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/clone1.ora.

g.

Modify the initialization parameters for the CloneDB database environment,
and save the file.
Add the CLONEDB parameter, and ensure that this parameter is set to TRUE.
Change any other initialization parameter that is specific to the CloneDB
database environment, such as parameters that control SGA size, PGA target,
the number of CPUs, and so on. See Oracle Database Reference for information
about initialization parameters.

h.

In SQL*Plus, connect to the CloneDB database with SYSDBA administrative
privilege.

i.

Run the SQL script you saved in Step e.
For example, enter the following in SQL*Plus:
@create_clonedb1.sql

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Cloning a Database with CloneDB

j.

For each data file in the backup location, run the CLONEDB_RENAMEFILE
procedure in the DBMS_DNFS package and specify the appropriate location in
the CloneDB database environment.
For example, run the following procedure if the backup data file is
/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_db1.f and the CloneDB database data file is
/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f:
BEGIN
DBMS_DNFS.CLONEDB_RENAMEFILE(
srcfile => '/u02/oracle/backup/prod1/t_db1.f',
destfile => '/u03/clone1/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information
about the DBMS_DNFS package.
4.

If you created your CloneDB database from an online backup, then recover the
CloneDB database. This step is not required if you performed a full offline backup
or a BACKUP AS COPY backup.
For example, run the following SQL statement on the CloneDB database:
RECOVER DATABASE USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE UNTIL CANCEL;

This statement prompts for the archived redo log files for the period when the
backup was performed.
5.

Open the database by running the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

The CloneDB database is ready for use.
To create additional CloneDB databases of the production database, repeat Steps 3 - 5
for each CloneDB database.

After Cloning a Database with CloneDB
After a CloneDB database is created, you can use it in almost any way you use your
production database. Initially, a CloneDB database uses a minimal amount of storage
for each data file. Changes to rows in a CloneDB database cause storage space to be
allocated on demand.
You can use the same backup files to create multiple CloneDB databases. This backup
can be taken either by RMAN or by storage level snapshots. If you have a storage level
snapshot taken on a data file, then you can replace the RMAN backup file names with
the storage snapshot names.
You can use the V$CLONEDFILE view to show information about each data file in the
CloneDB database. This information includes the data file name in the backup, the
corresponding data file name in the CloneDB database, the number of blocks read
from the backup file, and the number of requests issued against the backup file.
Because CloneDB databases use the backup files as their backend storage, the backup
files must be available to each CloneDB database for it to run. If the backup files
become unavailable, then the CloneDB databases return errors.
When your use of a CloneDB database is complete, you can destroy the CloneDB
database environment. You can delete all of the files in the CloneDB database

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-53

Dropping a Database

environment without affecting the production database environment or the backup
environment.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
V$CLONEDFILE view
See Also:

Dropping a Database
Dropping a database involves removing its data files, online redo logs, control files,
and initialization parameter files.
Dropping a database deletes all data in the database.

WARNING:

To drop a database:
■

Submit the following statement:
DROP DATABASE;

The DROP DATABASE statement first deletes all control files and all other database files
listed in the control file. It then shuts down the database instance.
To use the DROP DATABASE statement successfully, the database must be mounted in
exclusive and restricted mode.
The DROP DATABASE statement has no effect on archived redo log files, nor does it have
any effect on copies or backups of the database. It is best to use RMAN to delete such
files.
If you used the Database Configuration Assistant to create your database, you can use
that tool to delete (drop) your database and remove the files.
See Also:

"Altering Database Availability" on page 3-9

Database Data Dictionary Views
In addition to the views listed previously in "Viewing Parameter Settings", you can
view information about your database content and structure using the following
views:
View

Description

DATABASE_PROPERTIES

Displays permanent database properties

GLOBAL_NAME

Displays the global database name

V$DATABASE

Contains database information from the control file

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode
This section provides details about the syntax and options for Database Configuration
Assistant (DBCA) silent mode commands.
See Also:

Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for more information about

DBCA
DBCA Command-Line Syntax and Options Overview
DBCA silent mode has the following command syntax:
dbca [-silent | -progressOnly] {command options } | { [command [options]]
-responseFile response_file_location } [-continueOnNonFatalErrors {true | false}]
[-h|-help]

Table 2–4 describes the DBCA silent mode options.
Table 2–4

DBCA Silent Mode Options

Option

Description

-silent | -progressOnly

Specify -silent to run DBCA in silent mode.
In silent mode, DBCA uses values that you specify, in the
response file or as command-line options, to create or modify
a database.
Specify -progressOnly to run DBCA in response file mode.
In the response file mode, DBCA uses values that you specify,
in the response file or as command line options, to create and
configure a database. As it configures and starts the database,
it displays a window that contains status messages and a
progress bar. DBCA in response file mode uses a graphical
display. Ensure that the DISPLAY environment variable is set
correctly.
These options are mutually exclusive.

command options

Specify a DBCA command and valid options for the
command.
See Table 2–5, " DBCA Silent Mode Commands" for
information about DBCA commands.

-responseFile response_
file_location

Specify the complete path to the response file. The default
name for the response file is dbca.rsp.

-continueOnNonFatalErrors
{true | false}

Specify true, the default, for DBCA to continue running if it
encounters a nonfatal error.
Specify false for DBCA to stop running if it encounters a
nonfatal error.

-h | -help

Displays help for DBCA.
You can display help for a specific command by entering the
following:
dbca command -help
For example, to display the help for the -createDatabase
command, enter the following:
dbca -createDatabase -help

Table 2–5 describes the DBCA silent mode commands.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-55

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Table 2–5

DBCA Silent Mode Commands

Command

Description

createDatabase on page 2-57

Creates a database

configureDatabase on page 2-62

Configures a database

createTemplateFromDB on
page 2-64

Creates a database template from an existing database

createCloneTemplate on page 2-65 Creates a clone (seed) database template from an existing
database
generateScripts on page 2-66

Generates scripts to create a database

deleteDatabase on page 2-67

Deletes a database

createPluggableDatabase on
page 2-68

Creates a PDB in a CDB

unplugDatabase on page 2-71

Unplugs a PDB from a CDB

deletePluggableDatabase on
page 2-72

Deletes a PDB

configurePluggableDatabase on
page 2-73

Configures a PDB

DBCA Templates
You can use DBCA to create a database from a template supplied by Oracle or from a
template that you create. A DBCA template is an XML file that contains information
required to create a database.
Oracle ships templates for the following two workload types:
■

General purpose OR online transaction processing

■

Data warehouse

Select the template suited to the type of workload your database will support. If you
are not sure which to choose, then use the "General purpose OR online transaction
processing" template. You can also create custom templates to meet your specific
workload requirements.
The General Purpose or online transaction processing template
and the data Warehouse template create a database with the
COMPATIBLE initialization parameter set to 12.1.0.2.0.
Note:

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

createDatabase
The createDatabase command creates a database based on the parameters described
in Table 2–6.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -createDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -createDatabase
-templateName template_name
[-cloneTemplate]
-gdbName global_database_name
[-sid database_system_identifier]
[-createAsContainerDatabase {true | false}
[-numberOfPDBs integer]
[-pdbName pdb_name]]
[-sysPassword sys_user_password]
[-systemPassword system_user_password]
[-emConfiguration {DBEXPRESS | CENTRAL | BOTH | NONE}
-dbsnmpPassword DBSNMP_user_password
[-omsHost EM_management_server_host_name
-omsPort EM_management_server_port_number
-emUser EM_admin_username
-emPassword EM_admin_user_password]]
[-dvConfiguration {true | false}
-dvUserName Database_Vault_owner_username
-dvUserPassword Database_Vault_owner_password
-dvAccountManagerName Database_Vault_account_manager
-dvAccountManagerPassword Database_Vault_account_manager_password]
[-olsConfiguration {true | false}]
[-datafileDestination directory | -datafileNames text_file_location]
[-redoLogFileSize integer]
[-recoveryAreaDestination destination_directory]
[-datafileJarLocation jar_file_location]
[-storageType {FS | ASM}
[-asmsnmpPassword asmsnmp_password]
-diskGroupName disk_group_name
-recoveryGroupName recovery_area_disk_group_name]
[-characterSet database_character_set]
[-nationalCharacterSet database_national_character_set]
[-registerWithDirService {true | false}
-dirServiceUserName directory_service_user_name
-dirServicePassword directory_service_password
-walletPassword wallet_password]
[-listeners list_of_listeners]
[-variablesFile variable_file]
[-variables variable_list]
[-initParams parameter_list]
[-sampleSchema {true | false}]
[-memoryPercentage integer]
[-automaticMemoryManagement {true | false}]
[-totalMemory integer]
[-databaseType {MULTIPURPOSE | DATA_WAREHOUSING | OLTP}]
-serviceUserPassword Windows_Oracle_Home_service_user_password

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-57

createDatabase

Table 2–6

createDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-templateName template_name

Required

Name of an existing template in the default
location or the complete path to a template that is
not in the default location

-cloneTemplate

Optional

Indicates that the template is a seed template
A seed template contains both the structure and
the physical data files of an existing database.
When the template file extension is .dbc, DBCA
treats it as seed template by default.

-gdbName global_database_
name

Required

Global database name in the form database_
name.domain_name

-sid database_system_
identifier

Optional

Database system identifier

-createAsContainerDatabase
{true | false}

Optional

The SID uniquely identifies the instance that runs
the database. If it is not specified, then it defaults
to the database name.
Specify true to create a CDB.
Specify false, the default, to create a non-CDB.
When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are optional:
■

■

-numberOfPDBs: Number of PDBs to create.
The default is 0 (zero).
-pdbName: Base name of each PDB. A number
is appended to each name if -numberOfPDBs
is greater than 1. This parameter must be
specified if -numberOfPDBs is greater than 0
(zero).

-sysPassword sys_user_
password

Optional

SYS user password for the new database

-systemPassword system_
user_password

Optional

SYSTEM user password for the new database

-emConfiguration {DBEXPRESS Optional
| CENTRAL | BOTH | NONE}

When DBEXPRESS, CENTRAL, or BOTH is specified,
specify the following additional parameters:
■
■

■

■

■

2-58 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

-dbsnmpPassword: DBSNMP user password
-omsHost: Enterprise Manager management
server host name
-omsPort: Enterprise Manager management
server port number
-emUser: Host username for Enterprise
Manager administrator
-emPassword: Host user password for
Enterprise Manager administrator

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Table 2–6 (Cont.) createDatabase Parameters
Parameter
-dvConfiguration {true |
false}

Required/
Optional Description
Optional

Specify false, the default, to indicate that the
database will not use Oracle Database Vault.
Specify true to configure and enable Database
Vault, or specify false to not configure and
enable Database Vault.
When true is specified, the following additional
Database Vault parameters are required:
■

■

■

■

-olsConfiguration {true |
false}

Optional

-dvUserName: Specify the Database Vault
owner username.
-dvUserPassword: Specify Database Vault
owner password.
-dvAccountManagerName: Specify a separate
Database Vault account manager.
-dvAccountManagerPassword: Specify the
Database Vault account manager password.

Specify true to configure and enable Oracle Label
Security.
Specify false, the default, to indicate that the
database will not use Oracle Label Security.

-datafileDestination
directory

Optional

Complete path to the location of the database’s
data files
Note: The -datafileDestination and
-datafileNames parameters are mutually
exclusive.

-datafileNames text_file_
location

Optional

A text file containing database objects such as
control files, tablespaces, redo log files, and the
SPFILE matched to their corresponding file name
mappings in name=value format
Note: The -datafileDestination and
-datafileNames parameters are mutually
exclusive.

-redoLogFileSize integer

Optional

Size of each online redo log in megabytes

-recoveryAreaDestination
directory

Optional

Destination directory for the Fast Recovery Area,
which is a backup and recovery area

-datafileJarLocation jar_
file_location

Optional

Location of the database offline backup (for clone
database creation only)
The data files for the seed database are stored in
compressed RMAN backup format in a file with
a .dfb extension.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-59

createDatabase

Table 2–6 (Cont.) createDatabase Parameters
Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-storageType {FS | ASM}

Optional

FS for file system
When FS is specified, your database files are
managed by the file system of your operating
system. You specify the directory path where the
database files are to be stored using a database
template, the -datafileDestination parameter,
or the -datafileNames parameter. Oracle
Database can create and manage the actual files.
ASM for Oracle Automatic Storage Management
(Oracle ASM)
When ASM is specified, your database files are
placed in Oracle ASM disk groups. Oracle
Database automatically manages database file
placement and naming.
When ASM is specified, specify the following
additional parameters:
■

■

■

-asmsnmpPassword: ASMSNMP password for
ASM monitoring. This parameter is optional.
-diskGroupName: Database area disk group
name. This parameter is required.
-recoveryGroupName: Recovery area disk
group name. This parameter is required.

-characterSet database_
character_set

Optional

Character set of the database

-nationalCharacterSet
database_national_
character_set

Optional

National character set of the database

-registerWithDirService
{true | false}

Optional

Specify true to register with a Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service.
Specify false, the default, to not register with an
LDAP service.
When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

■

-dirServiceUserName: Username for the
LDAP service
-dirServicePassword: Password for the
LDAP service
-walletPassword: Password for the database
wallet

-listeners list_of_
listeners

Optional

A comma-separated list of listeners for the
database

-variablesFile variable_
file

Optional

Complete path to the file that contains the
variable-value pairs for variables in the database
template

-variables variable_list

Optional

A comma-separated list of name=value pairs for
the variables in the database template

-initParams parameter_list

Optional

A comma-separated list of name=value pairs of
initialization parameter values for the database

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Table 2–6 (Cont.) createDatabase Parameters
Parameter
-sampleSchema {true |
false}

Required/
Optional Description
Optional

Specify true to include sample schemas (EXAMPLE
tablespace) in your database. Oracle guides and
educational materials contain examples based on
the sample schemas. Oracle recommends that
you include them in your database.
Specify false to create the database without the
sample schemas.

-memoryPercentage integer

Optional

The percentage of physical memory that can be
used by Oracle Database

-automaticMemoryManagement
{true | false}

Optional

Forces the use of the MEMORY_TARGET initialization
parameter

-totalMemory integer

Optional

Total amount of physical memory, in megabytes,
that can be used by the new database

-databaseType {MULTIPURPOSE
| DATA_WAREHOUSING | OLTP}

Optional

Specify MULTIPURPOSE if the database is for both
OLTP and data warehouse purposes.
Specify DATA_WAREHOUSING if the primary purpose
of the database is a data warehouse.
Specify OLTP if the primary purpose of the
database is online transaction processing.

-serviceUserPassword
Windows_Oracle_Home_
service_user_password

Required

For the Windows platform only, specify the
Oracle Home User password if the Oracle Home
was installed using an Oracle Home User.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-61

configureDatabase

configureDatabase
The configureDatabase command configures a database based on the parameters
described in Table 2–7.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -configureDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -configureDatabase
-sourceDB source_database_sid
[-sysDBAUserName user_name
-sysDBAPassword password]
[-registerWithDirService | -unregisterWithDirService | -regenerateDBPassword {true | false}
-dirServiceUserName directory_service_user_name
-dirServicePassword directory_service_password
-walletPassword wallet_password]
[-addDBOption options_list]
[-dvConfiguration {true | false}
-dvUserName Database_Vault_owner_username
-dvUserPassword Database_Vault_owner_password
-dvAccountManagerName Database_Vault_account_manager
-dvAccountManagerPassword Database_Vault_account_manager_password]

Table 2–7

configureDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_database_ Required
sid

The database system identifier of the database
being configured

-sysDBAUserName user_name

Optional

Username of a user that has SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-sysDBAPassword password

Optional

Password of the user granted SYSDBA
administrative privilege

-registerWithDirService |
-unregisterWithDirService
| -regenerateDBPassword
{true | false}

Optional

Set one of the following parameters to either true
or false:
■

■

■

-registerWithDirService: true registers
with a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
(LDAP) service; false, the default, does not
register with an LDAP service.
-unregisterWithDirService: true unregisters
from an LDAP service; false, the default,
does not unregister from an LDAP service.
-regenerateDBPassword: true regenerates the
database password for an LDAP service;
false, the default, does not regenerate the
database password for an LDAP service.

When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

■

2-62 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

-dirServiceUserName: Username for the
LDAP service
-dirServicePassword: Password for the
LDAP service
-walletPassword: Password for the database
wallet

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Table 2–7 (Cont.) configureDatabase Parameters
Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-addDBOption

Optional

-dvConfiguration {true |
false}

Optional

Specify any of the following Oracle Database
options in a comma separated list:
■

JSERVER

■

ORACLE_TEXT

■

IMEDIA

■

CWMLITE

■

SPATIAL

■

OMS

■

APEX

■

DV

Specify false, the default, to indicate that the
database will not use Oracle Database Vault.
Specify true to configure and enable Database
Vault, or specify false to not configure and enable
Database Vault.
When true is specified, the following additional
Database Vault parameters are required:
■

■

■

■

-dvUserName: Specify the Database Vault
owner username.
-dvUserPassword: Specify Database Vault
owner password.
-dvAccountManagerName: Specify a separate
Database Vault account manager.
-dvAccountManagerPassword: Specify the
Database Vault account manager password.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-63

createTemplateFromDB

createTemplateFromDB
The createTemplateFromDB command creates a database template from an existing
database based on the parameters described in Table 2–8.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -createTemplateFromDB command with the following syntax:
dbca -createTemplateFromDB
-sourceDB source_database_sid
-templateName new_template_name
-sysDBAUserName user_name
-sysDBAPassword password
[-maintainFileLocations {true | false}]
[-connectionString easy_connect_string]

Table 2–8

createTemplateFromDB Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_
database_sid

Required

The database system identifier

-templateName new_
template_name

Required

Name of the new database template

-sysDBAUserName user_name Required

Username of a user that has SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-sysDBAPassword password

Required

Password of the user granted SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-maintainFileLocations
{true | false}

Optional

Specify true to use the file locations of the database
in the template.
Specify false, the default, to use different file
locations in the template. The file locations are
determined by Oracle Flexible Architecture (OFA).

-connectionString easy_
connect_string

Optional

Easy connect string for connecting to a remote
database in the following form:
"host[:port][/service_
name][:server][/instance_name]"

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

createCloneTemplate
The createCloneTemplate command creates a clone (seed) database template from an
existing database based on the parameters described in Table 2–9.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -createCloneTemplate command with the following syntax:
dbca -createCloneTemplate
-sourceSID source_database_sid
-templateName new_template_name
[-sysDBAUserName user_name
-sysDBAPassword password]
[-maxBackupSetSizeInMB integer]
[-rmanParallelism integer
[-datafileJarLocation jar_location]

Table 2–9

createCloneTemplate Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceSID source_
database_sid

Required

The database system identifier

-templateName new_
template_name

Required

Name of the new database template

-sysDBAUserName user_name Optional

Username of a user granted SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-sysDBAPassword password

Optional

Password of the user granted SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-maxBackupSetSizeInMB
integer

Optional

Maximum backup set size in megabytes

-rmanParallelism integer

Optional

Parallelism for Recovery Manager (RMAN)
operations

-datafileJarLocation jar_ Optional
location

Complete path that specifies where to place data
files in a compressed format

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-65

generateScripts

generateScripts
The generateScripts command generates scripts to create a database based on the
parameters described in Table 2–10.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -generateScripts command with the following syntax:
dbca -generateScripts
-templateName template_name
-gdbName global_database_name
[-scriptDest script_destination]

Table 2–10

generateScripts Parameters

Parameter
-templateName template_
name

Required/
Optional Description
Required

-gdbName global_database_ Required
name
-scriptDest script_
destination

2-66 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Optional

Name of an existing database template in the default
location or the complete path of a template that is
not in the default location
Global database name in the form database_
name.domain_name
Complete path that specifies where to place the
scripts

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

deleteDatabase
The deleteDatabase command deletes a database based on the parameters described
in Table 2–11.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -deleteDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -deleteDatabase
-sourceDB source_database_sid
[-sysDBAUserName user_name
-sysDBAPassword password]
[-emConfiguration {DBEXPRESS | CENTRAL | BOTH | NONE}
[-omsHost central_agent_home
-omsPort central_agent_port
-emUser host_username
-emPassword host_user_password]]

Table 2–11

deleteDatabase Parameters

Parameter
-sourceDB source_
database_sid

Required/
Optional Description
Required

-sysDBAUserName user_name Optional

The database system identifier
Username of a user that has SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-sysDBAPassword password

Optional

Password of the user granted SYSDBA administrative
privilege

-emConfiguration
{DBEXPRESS | CENTRAL |
BOTH | NONE}

Optional

When DBEXPRESS, CENTRAL, or BOTH is specified,
specify the following additional parameters:
■

■

■

■

-omsHost: Enterprise Manager central agent
home
-omsPort: Enterprise Manager central agent
port
-emUser: Host username for Enterprise
Manager backup jobs
-emPassword: Host user password for
Enterprise Manager backup jobs

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-67

createPluggableDatabase

createPluggableDatabase
The createPluggableDatabase command creates a PDB in a CDB based on the
parameters described in Table 2–12.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -createPluggableDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -createPluggableDatabase
-sourceeDB source_database_sid
-pdbName new_pdb_name
[-createAsClone {true | false}]
[-createPDBFrom {DEFAULT | FILEARCHIVE | RMANBACKUP | USINGXML}
[-pdbArchiveFile pdb_archive_file_location]
[-PDBBackUpfile pdb_backup_file_location]
[-PDBMetadataFile pdb_metadata_file_location]
[-pdbAdminUserName pdb_admin_user_name]
[-pdbAdminPassword pdb_admin_password]
[-createNewPDBAdminUser {true | false}]
[-sourceFileNameConvert source_file_name_convert_clause]
[-fileNameConvert file_name_convert_clause]
[-copyPDBFiles {true | false}]]
[-pdbDatafileDestination pdb_datafile_destination]
[-useMetaDataFileLocation {true | false}]
[-registerWithDirService {true | false}
-dirServiceUserName directory_service_user_name
-dirServicePassword directory_service_password
-walletPassword wallet_password]
[-lbacsysPassword LBACSYS_user_password]
[-createUserTableSpace {true | false)]
[-dvConfiguration {true | false}
-dvUserName Database_Vault_owner_username
-dvUserPassword Database_Vault_owner_password
-dvAccountManagerName Database_Vault_account_manager
-dvAccountManagerPassword Database_Vault_account_manager_password]

Table 2–12

createPluggableDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_
database_sid

Required

The database system identifier of the CDB

-pdbName new_pdb_name

Required

Name of the new PDB

-createAsClone {true |
false}

Optional

Specify TRUE if the files you plan to use to create the
new PDB are the same files that were used to create
an existing PDB. Specifying TRUE ensures that Oracle
Database generates unique PDB DBID, GUID, and
other identifiers expected for the new PDB.
Specify FALSE, the default, if the files you plan to use
to create the new PDB are not the same files that
were used to create an existing PDB.

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

Table 2–12 (Cont.) createPluggableDatabase Parameters
Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-createPDBFrom {DEFAULT | Optional
FILEARCHIVE | RMANBACKUP
| USINGXML}

Specify DEFAULT to create the PDB from the CDB’s
seed. When you specify DEFAULT, the following
additional parameters are required:
■

■

-pdbAdminUserName: The username of the PDB’s
local administrator
-pdbAdminPassword: The password for the
PDB’s local administrator

Specify FILEARCHIVE to create the PDB from an
unplugged PDB’s files. When you specify
FILEARCHIVE, the following additional parameter is
required:
■

-pdbArchiveFile: Complete path and name for
unplugged PDB’s archive file
The archive file contains all of the files for the
PDB, including its XML metadata file and its
data files. Typically, the archive file has a .gz
extension.

■

-createNewPDBAdminUser: Specify true to create
a new PDB administrator or false to avoid
creating a new PDB administrator.

Specify RMANBACKUP to create the PDB from a
Recovery Manager (RMAN) backup. When you
specify RMANBACKUP, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

-PDBBackUpfile: Complete path and name for
the PDB backup file
-PDBMetadataFile: Complete path and name
for the PDB’s XML metadata file

Specify USINGXML to create the PDB from an
unplugged PDB’s XML metadata file. When you
specify USINGXML, the following additional
parameter is required:
■

-PDBMetadataFile: Complete path and name
for the PDB’s XML metadata file

Specify these other clauses if they are required:
■

■

■

-sourceFileNameConvert: The SOURCE_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT clause.
-fileNameConvert: The FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause.
-copyPDBFiles: Specify true for the FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause to copy the files, or specify
false if the files do not need to be copied.

See "The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 38-3 for more information about
these clauses.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-69

createPluggableDatabase

Table 2–12 (Cont.) createPluggableDatabase Parameters
Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-pdbDatafileDestination Optional
pdb_datafile_destination

Compete path for the location of the new PDB’s data
files
When this parameter is not specified, either Oracle
Managed Files or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter specifies how to generate
the names and locations of the files. If you use both
Oracle Managed Files and the PDB_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT initialization parameter, then Oracle
Managed Files takes precedence.
When this parameter is not specified, Oracle
Managed Files is not enabled, and the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is not set, by
default a path to a subdirectory with the name of the
PDB in the directory for the root’s files is used.

-useMetaDataFileLocation Optional
{true | false}

Specify true to use the data file path defined in
XML metadata file within a PDB archive when
extracting datafiles
Specify false, the default, to not use the data file
path defined in XML metadata file within a PDB
archive when extracting data files

-registerWithDirService
{true | false}

Optional

Specify true to register with a Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service.
Specify false, the default, to not register with an
LDAP service.
When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

■

-dirServiceUserName: Username for the LDAP
service
-dirServicePassword: Password for the LDAP
service
-walletPassword: Password for the database
wallet

-lbacsysPassword

Optional

Specify the LBACSYS user password when
configuring Oracle Label Security. This parameter is
required when configuring Oracle Label Security.

-dvConfiguration {true |
false}

Optional

Specify false, the default, to indicate that the PDB
will not use Oracle Database Vault.
Specify true to configure and enable Database Vault.
When true is specified, the following additional
Database Vault parameters are required:
■

■

■

■

2-70 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

-dvUserName: Specify the Database Vault owner
username.
-dvUserPassword: Specify Database Vault
owner password.
-dvAccountManagerName: Specify a separate
Database Vault account manager.
-dvAccountManagerPassword: Specify the
Database Vault account manager password.

Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

unplugDatabase
The unplugDatabase command unplugs a PDB from a CDB based on the parameters
described in Table 2–13.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -unplugDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -unplugDatabase
-sourceeDB source_database_sid
-pdbName pdb_name
[-pdbArchiveFile pdb_archive_file_location]
[-PDBBackUpfile pdb_backup_file_location]
[-PDBMetadataFile pdb_metadata_file_location]
[-archiveType {TAR | RMAN | NONE}]
[-unregisterWithDirService {true | false}
-dirServiceUserName directory_service_user_name
-dirServicePassword directory_service_password
-walletPassword wallet_password]

Table 2–13

unplugDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_database_ Required
sid

The database system identifier of the CDB

-pdbName pdb_name

Required

Name of the PDB

-pdbArchiveFile pdb_
archive_file_location

Optional

Complete path and file name for the unplugged
PDB’s archive file

-PDBBackUpFile pdb_
archive_file_location

Optional

Complete path and file name for the unplugged
PDB’s backup file, required when archive type is
RMAN

-PDBMetadataFile pdb_
archive_file_location

Optional

Complete path and file name for the unplugged
PDB’s metadata file, required when archive type is
RMAN or NONE

-archiveType {TAR | RMAN |
NONE}

Optional

Specify TAR to store the unplugged PDB’s files in a
tar file.
Specify RMAN to store the unplugged PDB’s files in
an RMAN backup.
Specify NONE to store the unplugged PDB’s files
without using a tar file or an RMAN backup

-unregisterWithDirService
{true | false}

Optional

When true is specified, unregisters from an LDAP
service. When false, the default, is specified, does
not unregister from an LDAP service.
When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

■

-dirServiceUserName: Username for the
LDAP service
-dirServicePassword: Password for the
LDAP service
-walletPassword: Password for the database
wallet

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-71

deletePluggableDatabase

deletePluggableDatabase
The deletePluggableDatabase command deletes a PDB based on the parameters
described in Table 2–14.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -deletePluggableDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -deletePluggableDatabase
-sourceeDB source_database_sid
-pdbName pdb_name

Table 2–14

deletePluggableDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_
database_sid

Required

The database system identifier of the CDB

-pdbName pdb_name

Required

Name of the PDB

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Database Configuration Assistant Command Reference for Silent Mode

configurePluggableDatabase
The configurePluggableDatabase command configures a PDB based on the
parameters described in Table 2–15.
Syntax and Parameters
Use the dbca -configurePluggableDatabase command with the following syntax:
dbca -configurePluggableDatabase
-sourceeDB source_database_sid
-pdbName new_pdb_name
[-dvConfiguration {true | false}
-dvUserName Database_Vault_owner_username
-dvUserPassword Database_Vault_owner_password
-dvAccountManagerName Database_Vault_account_manager
-dvAccountManagerPassword Database_Vault_account_manager_password]
[-olsConfiguration {true | false}]
[-registerWithDirService {true | false} | -unregisterWithDirService {true | false}
-dirServiceUserName directory_service_user_name
-dirServicePassword directory_service_password
-walletPassword wallet_password]
[-lbacsysPassword LBACSYS_user_password]

Table 2–15

configurePluggableDatabase Parameters

Parameter

Required/
Optional Description

-sourceDB source_database_ Required
sid

The database system identifier of the CDB

-pdbName new_pdb_name

Required

Name of the PDB

-dvConfiguration {true |
false}

Optional

Specify false, the default, to indicate that the PDB
will not use Oracle Database Vault.
Specify true to configure and enable Database
Vault.
When true is specified, the following additional
Database Vault parameters are required:
■

■

■

■

-olsConfiguration {true |
false}

Optional

-dvUserName: Specify the Database Vault
owner username.
-dvUserPassword: Specify Database Vault
owner password.
-dvAccountManagerName: Specify a separate
Database Vault account manager.
-dvAccountManagerPassword: Specify the
Database Vault account manager password.

Specify true to configure and enable Oracle Label
Security.
Specify false, the default, to indicate that the PDB
will not use Oracle Label Security.

Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database

2-73

configurePluggableDatabase

Table 2–15 (Cont.) configurePluggableDatabase Parameters
Parameter
-registerWithDirService
{true | false} |
-unregisterWithDirService
{true | false}

Required/
Optional Description
Optional

Specify true to register with a Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service.
Specify false, the default, to unregister from an
LDAP service.
When true is specified, the following additional
parameters are required:
■

■

■

-lbacsysPassword

2-74 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Optional

-dirServiceUserName: Username for the
LDAP service
-dirServicePassword: Password for the
LDAP service
-walletPassword: Password for the database
wallet

Specify the LBACSYS user password when
configuring Oracle Label Security. This parameter
is required when configuring Oracle Label
Security.

3
3

Starting Up and Shutting Down

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Starting Up a Database

■

Altering Database Availability

■

Shutting Down a Database

■

Quiescing a Database

■

Suspending and Resuming a Database
See Also: Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for additional information specific to an Oracle
Real Application Clusters environment

Starting Up a Database
When you start up a database, you create an instance of that database and you
determine the state of the database. Normally, you start up an instance by mounting
and opening the database. Doing so makes the database available for any valid user to
connect to and perform typical data access operations. Other options exist, and these
are also discussed in this section.
This section contains the following topics relating to starting up an instance of a
database:
■

About Database Startup Options

■

About Initialization Parameter Files and Startup

■

About Automatic Startup of Database Services

■

Preparing to Start Up an Instance

■

Starting Up an Instance

About Database Startup Options
When Oracle Restart is not in use, you can start up a database instance with SQL*Plus,
Recovery Manager, or Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control). If
your database is being managed by Oracle Restart, the recommended way to start the
database is with SRVCTL.
See Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database" for information
about Oracle Restart.

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-1

Starting Up a Database

Starting Up a Database Using SQL*Plus
You can start a SQL*Plus session, connect to Oracle Database with administrator
privileges, and then issue the STARTUP command. Using SQL*Plus in this way is the
only method described in detail in this book.

Starting Up a Database Using Recovery Manager
You can also use Recovery Manager (RMAN) to execute STARTUP and SHUTDOWN
commands. You may prefer to do this if your are within the RMAN environment and
do not want to invoke SQL*Plus.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
information about the RMAN STARTUP command

Starting Up a Database Using Cloud Control
You can use Cloud Control to administer your database, including starting it up and
shutting it down. Cloud Control combines a GUI console, agents, common services,
and tools to provide an integrated and comprehensive systems management platform
for managing Oracle products. Cloud Control enables you to perform the functions
discussed in this book using a GUI interface, rather than command line operations.
See Also:

The Cloud Control online help

The remainder of this section describes using SQL*Plus to start up a database instance.

Starting Up a Database Using SRVCTL
When Oracle Restart is installed and configured for your database, Oracle
recommends that you use SRVCTL to start the database. This ensures that:
■

■

■

Any components on which the database depends (such as Oracle Automatic
Storage Management and the Oracle Net listener) are automatically started first,
and in the proper order.
The database is started according to the settings in its Oracle Restart configuration.
An example of such a setting is the server parameter file location.
Environment variables stored in the Oracle Restart configuration for the database
are set before starting the instance.

See "srvctl start database" on page 4-67 and "Starting and Stopping Components
Managed by Oracle Restart" on page 4-24 for details.

Specifying Initialization Parameters at Startup
To start an instance, the database must read instance configuration parameters (the
initialization parameters) from either a server parameter file (SPFILE) or a text
initialization parameter file (PFILE).
The database looks for these files in a default location. You can specify nondefault
locations for these files, and the method for doing so depends on whether you start the
database with SQL*Plus (when Oracle Restart is not in use) or with SRVCTL (when the
database is being managed with Oracle Restart).
The following sections provide details:
■

About Initialization Parameter Files and Startup

■

Starting Up with SQL*Plus with a Nondefault Server Parameter File

3-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Starting Up a Database

■

Starting Up with SRVCTL with a Nondefault Server Parameter File
See Also: Chapter 2, "Creating and Configuring an Oracle
Database", for more information about initialization parameters,
initialization parameter files, and server parameter files

About Initialization Parameter Files and Startup
When you start the database instance, it attempts to read the initialization parameters
from an SPFILE in a platform-specific default location. If it finds no SPFILE, it searches
for a text initialization parameter file.
Table 2–3 on page 2-35 lists PFILE and SPFILE default names and locations.
In the platform-specific default location, Oracle Database locates your initialization
parameter file by examining file names in the following order:
1.

spfileORACLE_SID.ora

2.

spfile.ora

3.

initORACLE_SID.ora

The first two files are SPFILEs and the third is a text initialization parameter file. If
DBCA created the SPFILE in an Oracle Automatic Storage Management disk group,
the database searches for the SPFILE in the disk group.
Note: The spfile.ora file is included in this search path because
in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment one server
parameter file is used to store the initialization parameter settings
for all instances. There is no instance-specific location for storing a
server parameter file.

For more information about the server parameter file for an Oracle
Real Application Clusters environment, see Oracle Real Application
Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.
If you (or the Database Configuration Assistant) created a server parameter file, but
you want to override it with a text initialization parameter file, you can do so with
SQL*Plus, specifying the PFILE clause of the STARTUP command to identify the
initialization parameter file:
STARTUP PFILE = /u01/oracle/dbs/init.ora

A nondefault server parameter file (SPFILE) is an
SPFILE that is in a location other than the default location. It is not usually necessary to
start an instance with a nondefault SPFILE. However, should such a need arise, both
SRVCTL (with Oracle Restart) and SQL*Plus provide ways to do so. These are
described later in this section.
Nondefault Server Parameter Files

Initialization Files and Oracle Automatic Storage Management A database that uses
Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) usually has a nondefault
SPFILE. If you use the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to configure a
database to use Oracle ASM, DBCA creates an SPFILE for the database instance in an
Oracle ASM disk group, and then causes a text initialization parameter file (PFILE) to
be created in the default location in the local file system to point to the SPFILE, as
explained in the next section.

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-3

Starting Up a Database

Starting Up with SQL*Plus with a Nondefault Server Parameter File
With SQL*Plus you can use the PFILE clause to start an instance with a nondefault
server parameter file.
To start up with SQL*Plus with a nondefault server parameter file:
1.

Create a one-line text initialization parameter file that contains only the SPFILE
parameter. The value of the parameter is the nondefault server parameter file
location.
For example, create a text initialization parameter file /u01/oracle/dbs/spf_
init.ora that contains only the following parameter:
SPFILE = /u01/oracle/dbs/test_spfile.ora

You cannot use the IFILE initialization parameter within a
text initialization parameter file to point to a server parameter file.
In this context, you must use the SPFILE initialization parameter.

Note:

2.

Start up the instance pointing to this initialization parameter file.
STARTUP PFILE = /u01/oracle/dbs/spf_init.ora

The SPFILE must reside on the database host computer. Therefore, the preceding
method also provides a means for a client system to start a database that uses an
SPFILE. It also eliminates the need for a client system to maintain a client-side
initialization parameter file. When the client system reads the initialization parameter
file containing the SPFILE parameter, it passes the value to the server where the
specified SPFILE is read.

Starting Up with SRVCTL with a Nondefault Server Parameter File
If your database is being managed by Oracle Restart, you can specify the location of a
nondefault SPFILE by setting or modifying the SPFILE location option in the Oracle
Restart configuration for the database.
To start up with SRVCTL with a nondefault server parameter file:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl modify database -db db_unique_name -spfile spfile_path

where db_unique_name must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter
setting for the database.
3.

Enter the following command:
srvctl start database -db db_unique_name [options]

See "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29 for more
information.

About Automatic Startup of Database Services
When your database is managed by Oracle Restart, you can configure startup options
for each individual database service (service). If you set the management policy for a
service to AUTOMATIC (the default), the service starts automatically when you start the
database with SRVCTL. If you set the management policy to MANUAL, the service does

3-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Starting Up a Database

not automatically start, and you must manually start it with SRVCTL. A MANUAL setting
does not prevent Oracle Restart from monitoring the service when it is running and
restarting it if a failure occurs.
In an Oracle Data Guard (Data Guard) environment in which databases are managed
by Oracle Restart, you can additionally control automatic startup of services by
assigning Data Guard roles to the services in their Oracle Restart configurations. A
service automatically starts upon manual database startup only if the management
policy of the service is AUTOMATIC and if one of its assigned roles matches the current
role of the database.
See "srvctl add service" on page 4-36 and "srvctl modify service" on page 4-55 for the
syntax for setting the management policy of and Data Guard roles for a service.
When using Oracle Restart, Oracle strongly recommends that
you use SRVCTL to create database services.

Note:

Preparing to Start Up an Instance
The following instructions are for installations where Oracle
Restart is not in use. If your database is being managed by Oracle
Restart, follow the instructions in "Starting and Stopping Components
Managed by Oracle Restart" on page 4-24.

Note:

You must perform some preliminary steps before attempting to start an instance of
your database using SQL*Plus.
1.

Ensure that any Oracle components on which the database depends are started.
For example, if the database stores data in Oracle Automatic Storage Management
(Oracle ASM) disk groups, ensure that the Oracle ASM instance is running and the
required disk groups are mounted. Also, it is preferable to start the Oracle Net
listener before starting the database.

2.

If you intend to use operating system authentication, log in to the database host
computer as a member of the OSDBA group.
See "Using Operating System Authentication" on page 1-21 for more information.

3.

Ensure that environment variables are set so that you connect to the desired Oracle
instance. For details, see "Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database" on
page 1-6.

4.

Start SQL*Plus without connecting to the database:
SQLPLUS /NOLOG

5.

Connect to Oracle Database as SYSOPER, SYSDBA, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG. For example:
CONNECT username AS SYSDBA
—or—
CONNECT / AS SYSDBA

Now you are connected to the database and ready to start up an instance of your
database.

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-5

Starting Up a Database

See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for descriptions and
syntax for the CONNECT, STARTUP, and SHUTDOWN commands.

Starting Up an Instance
When Oracle Restart is not in use, you use the SQL*Plus STARTUP command to start up
an Oracle Database instance. If your database is being managed by Oracle Restart,
Oracle recommends that you use the srvctl start database command.
In either case, you can start an instance in various modes:
■

■

■

■
■

NOMOUNT—Start the instance without mounting a database. This does not allow
access to the database and usually would be done only for database creation or the
re-creation of control files.
MOUNT—Start the instance and mount the database, but leave it closed. This state
allows for certain DBA activities, but does not allow general access to the
database.
OPEN—Start the instance, and mount and open the database. This can be done in
unrestricted mode, allowing access to all users, or in restricted mode, allowing
access for database administrators only.
FORCE—Force the instance to start after a startup or shutdown problem.
OPEN RECOVER—Start the instance and have complete media recovery begin
immediately.
You cannot start a database instance if you are connected to
the database through a shared server process.

Note:

The following scenarios describe and illustrate the various states in which you can
start up an instance. Some restrictions apply when combining clauses of the STARTUP
command or combining startup options for the srvctl start database command.
It is possible to encounter problems starting up an instance
if control files, database files, or online redo logs are not available. If
one or more of the files specified by the CONTROL_FILES
initialization parameter does not exist or cannot be opened when
you attempt to mount a database, Oracle Database returns a
warning message and does not mount the database. If one or more
of the data files or online redo logs is not available or cannot be
opened when attempting to open a database, the database returns a
warning message and does not open the database.

Note:

See Also:
■

■

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for details on the STARTUP
command syntax
"Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle
Restart" on page 4-24 for instructions for starting a database
that is managed by Oracle Restart.

3-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Starting Up a Database

Starting an Instance, and Mounting and Opening a Database
Normal database operation means that an instance is started and the database is
mounted and open. This mode allows any valid user to connect to the database and
perform data access operations.
The following command starts an instance, reads the initialization parameters from the
default location, and then mounts and opens the database.
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name

where db_unique_name matches the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter.

Starting an Instance Without Mounting a Database
You can start an instance without mounting a database. Typically, you do so only
during database creation. Use one of the following commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP NOMOUNT

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name -startoption
nomount

Starting an Instance and Mounting a Database
You can start an instance and mount a database without opening it, allowing you to
perform specific maintenance operations. For example, the database must be mounted
but not open during the following tasks:
■

■

■

Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), putting a database instance
in force full database caching mode. For more information, see "Using Force Full
Database Caching Mode" on page 6-22.
Enabling and disabling redo log archiving options. For more information, see
Chapter 12, "Managing Archived Redo Log Files".
Performing full database recovery. For more information, see Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery User's Guide.

The following command starts an instance and mounts the database, but leaves the
database closed:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP MOUNT

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name -startoption
mount

Restricting Access to an Instance at Startup
You can start an instance, and optionally mount and open a database, in restricted
mode so that the instance is available only to administrative personnel (not general
database users). Use this mode of instance startup when you must accomplish one of
the following tasks:
■

Perform an export or import of data

■

Perform a data load (with SQL*Loader)

■

Temporarily prevent typical users from using data

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-7

Starting Up a Database

■

Perform certain migration or upgrade operations

Typically, all users with the CREATE SESSION system privilege can connect to an open
database. Opening a database in restricted mode allows database access only to users
with both the CREATE SESSION and RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege. Only
database administrators should have the RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege.
Further, when the instance is in restricted mode, a database administrator cannot
access the instance remotely through an Oracle Net listener, but can only access the
instance locally from the system that the instance is running on.
The following command starts an instance (and mounts and opens the database) in
restricted mode:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP RESTRICT

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name -startoption
restrict

You can use the restrict mode in combination with the mount, nomount, and open
modes.
Later, use the ALTER SYSTEM statement to disable the RESTRICTED SESSION feature:
ALTER SYSTEM DISABLE RESTRICTED SESSION;

If you open the database in nonrestricted mode and later find that you must restrict
access, you can use the ALTER SYSTEM statement to do so, as described in "Restricting
Access to an Open Database" on page 3-11.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information on the ALTER SYSTEM statement

Forcing an Instance to Start
In unusual circumstances, you might experience problems when attempting to start a
database instance. You should not force a database to start unless you are faced with
the following:
■

■

You cannot shut down the current instance with the SHUTDOWN NORMAL, SHUTDOWN
IMMEDIATE, or SHUTDOWN TRANSACTIONAL commands.
You experience problems when starting an instance.

If one of these situations arises, you can usually solve the problem by starting a new
instance (and optionally mounting and opening the database) using one of these
commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP FORCE

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name -startoption
force

If an instance is running, the force mode shuts it down with mode ABORT before
restarting it. In this case, the alert log shows the message "Shutting down instance
(abort)" followed by "Starting ORACLE instance (normal)."
See Also: "Shutting Down with the Abort Mode" on page 3-13 to
understand the side effects of aborting the current instance

3-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering Database Availability

Starting an Instance, Mounting a Database, and Starting Complete Media Recovery
If you know that media recovery is required, you can start an instance, mount a
database to the instance, and have the recovery process automatically start by using
one of these commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

STARTUP OPEN RECOVER

srvctl start database -db db_unique_name -startoption
"open,recover"

If you attempt to perform recovery when no recovery is required, Oracle Database
issues an error message.

Automatic Database Startup at Operating System Start
Many sites use procedures to enable automatic startup of one or more Oracle Database
instances and databases immediately following a system start. The procedures for
performing this task are specific to each operating system. For information about
automatic startup, see your operating system specific Oracle documentation.
The preferred (and platform-independent) method of configuring automatic startup of
a database is Oracle Restart. See Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an
Oracle Database" for details.

Starting Remote Instances
If your local Oracle Database server is part of a distributed database, you might want
to start a remote instance and database. Procedures for starting and stopping remote
instances vary widely depending on communication protocol and operating system.

Altering Database Availability
You can alter the availability of a database. You may want to do this in order to restrict
access for maintenance reasons or to make the database read only. The following
sections explain how to alter the availability of a database:
■

Mounting a Database to an Instance

■

Opening a Closed Database

■

Opening a Database in Read-Only Mode

■

Restricting Access to an Open Database

Mounting a Database to an Instance
When you perform specific administrative operations, the database must be started
and mounted to an instance, but closed. You can achieve this scenario by starting the
instance and mounting the database.
To mount a database to a previously started, but not opened instance, use the SQL
statement ALTER DATABASE with the MOUNT clause as follows:
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;

See Also: "Starting an Instance and Mounting a Database" on
page 3-7 for a list of operations that require the database to be
mounted and closed (and procedures to start an instance and
mount a database in one step)

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-9

Altering Database Availability

Opening a Closed Database
You can make a mounted but closed database available for general use by opening the
database. To open a mounted database, use the ALTER DATABASE SQL statement with
the OPEN clause:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

After executing this statement, any valid Oracle Database user with the CREATE
SESSION system privilege can connect to the database.

Opening a Database in Read-Only Mode
Opening a database in read-only mode enables you to query an open database while
eliminating any potential for online data content changes. While opening a database in
read-only mode guarantees that data files and redo log files are not written to, it does
not restrict database recovery or operations that change the state of the database
without generating redo. For example, you can take data files offline or bring them
online since these operations do not affect data content.
If a query against a database in read-only mode uses temporary tablespace, for
example to do disk sorts, then the issuer of the query must have a locally managed
tablespace assigned as the default temporary tablespace. Otherwise, the query will fail.
This is explained in "Creating a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace" on
page 13-12.
The following statement opens a database in read-only mode:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

You can also open a database in read/write mode as follows:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ WRITE;

However, read/write is the default mode.
Note:

You cannot use the RESETLOGS clause with a READ ONLY

clause.
Limitations of a Read-only Database
■
An application must not write database objects while executing against a
read-only database. For example, an application writes database objects when it
inserts, deletes, updates, or merges rows in a database table, including a global
temporary table. An application writes database objects when it manipulates a
database sequence. An application writes database objects when it locks rows,
when it runs EXPLAIN PLAN, or when it executes DDL. Many of the functions and
procedures in Oracle-supplied PL/SQL packages, such as DBMS_SCHEDULER, write
database objects. If your application calls any of these functions and procedures, or
if it performs any of the preceding operations, your application writes database
objects and hence is not read-only.
■

■

When executing on a read-only database, you must commit or roll back any
in-progress transaction that involves one database link before you use another
database link. This is true even if you execute a generic SELECT statement on the
first database link and the transaction is currently read-only.
You cannot compile or recompile PL/SQL stored procedures on a read-only
database. To minimize PL/SQL invalidation because of remote procedure calls,

3-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Shutting Down a Database

use REMOTE_DEPENDENCIES_MODE=SIGNATURE in any session that does remote
procedure calls on a read-only database.
■

You cannot invoke a remote procedure (even a read-only remote procedure) from
a read-only database if the remote procedure has never been called on the
database. This limitation applies to remote procedure calls in anonymous PL/SQL
blocks and in SQL statements. You can either put the remote procedure call in a
stored procedure, or you can invoke the remote procedure in the database before it
becomes read only.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the ALTER DATABASE statement

Restricting Access to an Open Database
To place an already running instance in restricted mode, use the SQL statement ALTER
SYSTEM with the ENABLE RESTRICTED SESSION clause. After this statement successfully
completes, only users with the RESTRICTED SESSION privilege can initiate new
connections. Users connecting as SYSDBA or connecting with the DBA role have this
privilege.
When you place a running instance in restricted mode, no user sessions are terminated
or otherwise affected. Therefore, after placing an instance in restricted mode, consider
killing (terminating) all current user sessions before performing administrative tasks.
To lift an instance from restricted mode, use ALTER SYSTEM with the DISABLE
RESTRICTED SESSION clause.
See Also:
■

■

"Terminating Sessions" on page 5-23 for directions for killing
user sessions
"Restricting Access to an Instance at Startup" on page 3-7 to
learn some reasons for placing an instance in restricted mode

Shutting Down a Database
When Oracle Restart is not in use, you can shut down a database instance with
SQL*Plus by connecting as SYSOPER, SYSDBA, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG and issuing the
SHUTDOWN command. If your database is being managed by Oracle Restart, the
recommended way to shut down the database is with the srvctl stop database
command.
Control is not returned to the session that initiates a database shutdown until
shutdown is complete. Users who attempt connections while a shutdown is in
progress receive a message like the following:
ORA-01090: shutdown in progress - connection is not permitted

You cannot shut down a database if you are connected to
the database through a shared server process.

Note:

There are several modes for shutting down a database: normal, immediate,
transactional, and abort. Some shutdown modes wait for certain events to occur (such
as transactions completing or users disconnecting) before actually bringing down the
database. There is a one-hour timeout period for these events.

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-11

Shutting Down a Database

Details are provided in the following sections:
■

Shutting Down with the Normal Mode

■

Shutting Down with the Immediate Mode

■

Shutting Down with the Transactional Mode

■

Shutting Down with the Abort Mode

■

Shutdown Timeout
See Also: Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle
Database" for information about Oracle Restart.

Shutting Down with the Normal Mode
To shut down a database in normal situations, use one of these commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

SHUTDOWN [NORMAL]

srvctl stop database -db db_unique_name -stopoption
normal

The NORMAL clause of the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN command is optional because this is the
default shutdown method. For SRVCTL, if the -stopoption option is omitted, the
shutdown operation proceeds according to the stop options stored in the Oracle
Restart configuration for the database. The default stop option is immediate.
Normal database shutdown proceeds with the following conditions:
■
■

No new connections are allowed after the statement is issued.
Before the database is shut down, the database waits for all currently connected
users to disconnect from the database.

The next startup of the database will not require any instance recovery procedures.

Shutting Down with the Immediate Mode
Use immediate database shutdown only in the following situations:
■

To initiate an automated and unattended backup

■

When a power shutdown is going to occur soon

■

When the database or one of its applications is functioning irregularly and you
cannot contact users to ask them to log off or they are unable to log off

To shut down a database immediately, use one of the following commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

srvctl stop database -db db_unique_name -stopoption
immediate

Immediate database shutdown proceeds with the following conditions:
■

■

No new connections are allowed, nor are new transactions allowed to be started,
after the statement is issued.
Any uncommitted transactions are rolled back. (If long uncommitted transactions
exist, this method of shutdown might not complete quickly, despite its name.)

3-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Shutting Down a Database

■

Oracle Database does not wait for users currently connected to the database to
disconnect. The database implicitly rolls back active transactions and disconnects
all connected users.

The next startup of the database will not require any instance recovery procedures.

Shutting Down with the Transactional Mode
When you want to perform a planned shutdown of an instance while allowing active
transactions to complete first, use one of the following commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

SHUTDOWN TRANSACTIONAL

srvctl stop database -db db_unique_name -stopoption
transactional

Transactional database shutdown proceeds with the following conditions:
■

■

■

No new connections are allowed, nor are new transactions allowed to be started,
after the statement is issued.
After all transactions have completed, any client still connected to the instance is
disconnected.
At this point, the instance shuts down just as it would when a SHUTDOWN
IMMEDIATE statement is submitted.

The next startup of the database will not require any instance recovery procedures.
A transactional shutdown prevents clients from losing work, and at the same time,
does not require all users to log off.

Shutting Down with the Abort Mode
You can shut down a database instantaneously by aborting the database instance. If
possible, perform this type of shutdown only in the following situations:
The database or one of its applications is functioning irregularly and none of the other
types of shutdown works.
■

■

You must shut down the database instantaneously (for example, if you know a
power shutdown is going to occur in one minute).
You experience problems when starting a database instance.

When you must do a database shutdown by aborting transactions and user
connections, use one of the following commands:
SQL*Plus

SRVCTL (When Oracle Restart Is In Use)

SHUTDOWN ABORT

srvctl stop database -db db_unique_name -stopoption
abort

An aborted database shutdown proceeds with the following conditions:
■

■

■

No new connections are allowed, nor are new transactions allowed to be started,
after the statement is issued.
Current client SQL statements being processed by Oracle Database are
immediately terminated.
Uncommitted transactions are not rolled back.
Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-13

Quiescing a Database

■

Oracle Database does not wait for users currently connected to the database to
disconnect. The database implicitly disconnects all connected users.

The next startup of the database will require automatic instance recovery procedures.

Shutdown Timeout
Shutdown modes that wait for users to disconnect or for transactions to complete have
a limit on the amount of time that they wait. If all events blocking the shutdown do
not occur within one hour, the shutdown operation aborts with the following message:
ORA-01013: user requested cancel of current operation. This message is also
displayed if you interrupt the shutdown process, for example by pressing CTRL-C.
Oracle recommends that you do not attempt to interrupt an instance shutdown.
Instead, allow the shutdown process to complete, and then restart the instance.
After ORA-01013 occurs, you must consider the instance to be in an unpredictable state.
You must therefore continue the shutdown process by resubmitting a SHUTDOWN
command. If subsequent SHUTDOWN commands continue to fail, you must submit a
SHUTDOWN ABORT command to bring down the instance. You can then restart the
instance.

Quiescing a Database
Occasionally you might want to put a database in a state that allows only DBA
transactions, queries, fetches, or PL/SQL statements. Such a state is referred to as a
quiesced state, in the sense that no ongoing non-DBA transactions, queries, fetches, or
PL/SQL statements are running in the system.
In this discussion of quiesce database, a DBA is defined as
user SYS or SYSTEM. Other users, including those with the DBA role,
are not allowed to issue the ALTER SYSTEM QUIESCE DATABASE
statement or proceed after the database is quiesced.
Note:

The quiesced state lets administrators perform actions that cannot safely be done
otherwise. These actions include:
■

■

Actions that fail if concurrent user transactions access the same object--for
example, changing the schema of a database table or adding a column to an
existing table where a no-wait lock is required.
Actions whose undesirable intermediate effect can be seen by concurrent user
transactions--for example, a multistep procedure for reorganizing a table when the
table is first exported, then dropped, and finally imported. A concurrent user who
attempts to access the table after it was dropped, but before import, would not
have an accurate view of the situation.

Without the ability to quiesce the database, you would need to shut down the database
and reopen it in restricted mode. This is a serious restriction, especially for systems
requiring 24 x 7 availability. Quiescing a database is much a smaller restriction,
because it eliminates the disruption to users and the downtime associated with
shutting down and restarting the database.
When the database is in the quiesced state, it is through the facilities of the Database
Resource Manager that non-DBA sessions are prevented from becoming active.
Therefore, while this statement is in effect, any attempt to change the current resource
plan will be queued until after the system is unquiesced. See Chapter 27, "Managing
Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager" for more information about the
3-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Quiescing a Database

Database Resource Manager.

Placing a Database into a Quiesced State
To place a database into a quiesced state, issue the following SQL statement:
ALTER SYSTEM QUIESCE RESTRICTED;

Non-DBA active sessions will continue until they become inactive. An active session is
one that is currently inside of a transaction, a query, a fetch, or a PL/SQL statement; or
a session that is currently holding any shared resources (for example, enqueues). No
inactive sessions are allowed to become active. For example, If a user issues a SQL
query in an attempt to force an inactive session to become active, the query will appear
to be hung. When the database is later unquiesced, the session is resumed, and the
blocked action is processed.
Once all non-DBA sessions become inactive, the ALTER SYSTEM QUIESCE RESTRICTED
statement completes, and the database is in a quiesced state. In an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment, this statement affects all instances, not just the one
that issues the statement.
The ALTER SYSTEM QUIESCE RESTRICTED statement may wait a long time for active
sessions to become inactive. You can determine the sessions that are blocking the
quiesce operation by querying the V$BLOCKING_QUIESCE view. This view returns only a
single column: SID (Session ID). You can join it with V$SESSION to get more
information about the session, as shown in the following example:
select bl.sid, user, osuser, type, program
from v$blocking_quiesce bl, v$session se
where bl.sid = se.sid;

See Oracle Database Reference for details on these view.
If you interrupt the request to quiesce the database, or if your session terminates
abnormally before all active sessions are quiesced, then Oracle Database automatically
reverses any partial effects of the statement.
For queries that are carried out by successive multiple Oracle Call Interface (OCI)
fetches, the ALTER SYSTEM QUIESCE RESTRICTED statement does not wait for all fetches
to finish. It only waits for the current fetch to finish.
For both dedicated and shared server connections, all non-DBA logins after this
statement is issued are queued by the Database Resource Manager, and are not
allowed to proceed. To the user, it appears as if the login is hung. The login will
resume when the database is unquiesced.
The database remains in the quiesced state even if the session that issued the statement
exits. A DBA must log in to the database to issue the statement that specifically
unquiesces the database.
You cannot perform a cold backup when the database is in
the quiesced state, because Oracle Database background processes
may still perform updates for internal purposes even while the
database is quiesced. In addition, the file headers of online data
files continue to appear to be accessible. They do not look the same
as if a clean shutdown had been performed. However, you can still
take online backups while the database is in a quiesced state.

Note:

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-15

Suspending and Resuming a Database

Restoring the System to Normal Operation
The following statement restores the database to normal operation:
ALTER SYSTEM UNQUIESCE;

All non-DBA activity is allowed to proceed. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters
environment, this statement is not required to be issued from the same session, or even
the same instance, as that which quiesced the database. If the session issuing the ALTER
SYSTEM UNQUIESCE statement terminates abnormally, then the Oracle Database server
ensures that the unquiesce operation completes.

Viewing the Quiesce State of an Instance
You can query the ACTIVE_STATE column of the V$INSTANCE view to see the current
state of an instance. The column values has one of these values:
■

NORMAL: Normal unquiesced state.

■

QUIESCING: Being quiesced, but some non-DBA sessions are still active.

■

QUIESCED: Quiesced; no non-DBA sessions are active or allowed.

Suspending and Resuming a Database
The ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement halts all input and output (I/O) to data files (file
header and file data) and control files. The suspended state lets you back up a
database without I/O interference. When the database is suspended all preexisting
I/O operations are allowed to complete and any new database accesses are placed in a
queued state.
The suspend command is not specific to an instance. In an Oracle Real Application
Clusters environment, when you issue the suspend command on one system, internal
locking mechanisms propagate the halt request across instances, thereby quiescing all
active instances in a given cluster. However, if a new instance is started while another
instance is being suspended, then the new instance is not suspended.
Use the ALTER SYSTEM RESUME statement to resume normal database operations. The
SUSPEND and RESUME commands can be issued from different instances. For example, if
instances 1, 2, and 3 are running, and you issue an ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement
from instance 1, then you can issue a RESUME statement from instance 1, 2, or 3 with the
same effect.
The suspend/resume feature is useful in systems that allow you to mirror a disk or file
and then split the mirror, providing an alternative backup and restore solution. If you
use a system that cannot split a mirrored disk from an existing database while writes
are occurring, then you can use the suspend/resume feature to facilitate the split.
The suspend/resume feature is not a suitable substitute for normal shutdown
operations, because copies of a suspended database can contain uncommitted updates.
Do not use the ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement as a
substitute for placing a tablespace in hot backup mode. Precede any
database suspend operation by an ALTER TABLESPACE BEGIN
BACKUP statement.

Caution:

The following statements illustrate ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND/RESUME usage. The
V$INSTANCE view is queried to confirm database status.

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Suspending and Resuming a Database

SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND;
System altered
SQL> SELECT DATABASE_STATUS FROM V$INSTANCE;
DATABASE_STATUS
--------SUSPENDED
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM RESUME;
System altered
SQL> SELECT DATABASE_STATUS FROM V$INSTANCE;
DATABASE_STATUS
--------ACTIVE

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
details about backing up a database using the database
suspend/resume feature

Starting Up and Shutting Down

3-17

Suspending and Resuming a Database

3-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

4
4

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle
Database
Configure your Oracle database with the Oracle Restart feature to automatically restart
the database, the listener, and other Oracle components after a hardware or software
failure or whenever your database host computer restarts.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Oracle Restart

■

Configuring Oracle Restart

■

Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart

■

Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations

■

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

■

CRSCTL Command Reference
Note: Starting with Oracle Database 12c, Oracle Restart is deprecated
and is subject to desupport in future releases. Oracle continues to
provide Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) as part
of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for Standalone and
Cluster deployments. See Oracle Automatic Storage Management
Administrator's Guide for more information about Oracle ASM.

About Oracle Restart
This section contains:
■

Oracle Restart Overview

■

About Startup Dependencies

■

About Starting and Stopping Components with Oracle Restart

■

About Starting and Stopping Oracle Restart

■

Oracle Restart Configuration

■

Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard

■

Fast Application Notification with Oracle Restart

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database

4-1

About Oracle Restart

Oracle Restart Overview
Oracle Restart improves the availability of your Oracle database. When you install
Oracle Restart, various Oracle components can be automatically restarted after a
hardware or software failure or whenever your database host computer restarts.
Table 4–1 lists these components.
Table 4–1

Oracle Components Automatically Restarted by Oracle Restart

Component

Notes

Database instance

Oracle Restart can accommodate multiple databases on a
single host computer.

Oracle Net listener

-

Database services

Does not include the default service created upon installation
because it is automatically managed by Oracle Database. Also
does not include any default services created during database
creation or global services. For more information about global
services, see the Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts
and Administration Guide.

Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM)
instance

-

Oracle ASM disk groups

Restarting a disk group means mounting it.

Oracle Notification Services
(ONS)

In a standalone server environment, ONS can be used in
Oracle Data Guard installations for automating failover of
connections between primary and standby database through
Fast Application Notification (FAN). ONS is a service for
sending FAN events to integrated clients upon failover.

Oracle Restart runs periodic check operations to monitor the health of these
components. If a check operation fails for a component, the component is shut down
and restarted.
Oracle Restart is used in standalone server (non-clustered) environments only. For
Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environments, the functionality to
automatically restart components is provided by Oracle Clusterware.
Oracle Restart runs out of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, which you install
separately from Oracle Database homes. See the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation
Guide for your platform for information about installing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure
home.
See Also:
■
■

"Configuring Oracle Restart" on page 4-9
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for
information about Oracle Automatic Storage Management

About Startup Dependencies
Oracle Restart ensures that Oracle components are started in the proper order, in
accordance with component dependencies. For example, if database files are stored in
Oracle ASM disk groups, then before starting the database instance, Oracle Restart
ensures that the Oracle ASM instance is started and the required disk groups are
mounted. Likewise, if a component must be shut down, Oracle Restart ensures that
dependent components are cleanly shut down first.

4-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Restart

Oracle Restart also manages the weak dependency between database instances and the
Oracle Net listener (the listener): When a database instance is started, Oracle Restart
attempts to start the listener. If the listener startup fails, then the database is still
started. If the listener later fails, Oracle Restart does not shut down and restart any
database instances.

About Starting and Stopping Components with Oracle Restart
Oracle Restart automatically restarts various Oracle components when required, and
automatically stops Oracle components in an orderly fashion when you manually shut
down your system. There may be times, however, when you want to manually start or
stop individual Oracle components. Oracle Restart includes the Server Control
(SRVCTL) utility that you use to manually start and stop Oracle Restart–managed
components. When Oracle Restart is in use, Oracle strongly recommends that you use
SRVCTL to manually start and stop components.
After you stop a component with SRVCTL, Oracle Restart does not automatically
restart that component if a failure occurs. If you then start the component with
SRVCTL, that component is again available for automatic restart.
Oracle utilities such as SQL*Plus, the Listener Control utility (LSNRCTL), and ASMCMD are
integrated with Oracle Restart. If you shut down the database with SQL*Plus, Oracle
Restart does not interpret this as a database failure and does not attempt to restart the
database. Similarly, if you shut down the Oracle ASM instance with SQL*Plus or
ASMCMD, Oracle Restart does not attempt to restart it.
An important difference between starting a component with SRVCTL and starting it
with SQL*Plus (or another utility) is the following:
■

■

When you start a component with SRVCTL, any components on which this
component depends are automatically started first, and in the proper order.
When you start a component with SQL*Plus (or another utility), other components
in the dependency chain are not automatically started; you must ensure that any
components on which this component depends are started.

In addition, Oracle Restart enables you to start and stop all of the components
managed by Oracle Restart in a specified Oracle home using a single command. The
Oracle home can be an Oracle Database home or an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.
This capability is useful when you are installing a patch.
See Also: "Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle
Restart" on page 4-24

About Starting and Stopping Oracle Restart
The CRSCTL utility starts and stops Oracle Restart. You can also use the CRSCTL
utility to enable or disable Oracle high availability services. Oracle Restart uses Oracle
high availability services to start and stop automatically the components managed by
Oracle Restart. For example, Oracle high availability services daemons automatically
start databases, listeners, and Oracle ASM instances. When Oracle high availability
services are disabled, none of the components managed by Oracle Restart are started
when a node is rebooted.
Typically, you use the CRSCTL utility when you must stop all of the running Oracle
software in an Oracle installation. For example, you might need to stop Oracle Restart
when you are installing a patch or performing operating system maintenance. When
the maintenance is complete, you use the CRSCTL utility to start Oracle Restart.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database

4-3

About Oracle Restart

See Also: "Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance
Operations" on page 4-26 for information about using the CRSCTL
utility

Oracle Restart Configuration
Oracle Restart maintains a list of all the Oracle components that it manages, and
maintains configuration information for each component. All of this information is
collectively known as the Oracle Restart configuration. When Oracle Restart starts a
component, it starts the component according to the configuration information for that
component. For example, the Oracle Restart configuration includes the location of the
server parameter file (SPFILE) for databases, and the TCP port to listen on for
listeners.
If you install Oracle Restart and then create your database with Database
Configuration Assistant (DBCA), DBCA automatically adds the database to the Oracle
Restart configuration. When DBCA then starts the database, the required
dependencies between the database and other components (for example disk groups
in which the database stores data) are established, and Oracle Restart begins to
manage the database.
You can manually add and remove components from the Oracle Restart configuration
with SRVCTL commands. For example, if you install Oracle Restart onto a host on
which a database is already running, you can use SRVCTL to add that database to the
Oracle Restart configuration. When you manually add a component to the Oracle
Restart configuration and then start it with SRVCTL, Oracle Restart begins to manage
the component, restarting it when required.
Adding a component to the Oracle Restart configuration is
also referred to as "registering a component with Oracle Restart."

Note:

Other SRVCTL commands enable you to view the status and configuration of Oracle
Restart–managed components, temporarily disable and then reenable management for
components, and more.
When Oracle Restart is installed, many operations that create Oracle components
automatically add the components to the Oracle Restart configuration. Table 4–2 lists
some create operations and whether the created component is automatically added.
Table 4–2

Create Operations and the Oracle Restart Configuration

Create Operation

Created Component
Automatically Added to Oracle
Restart Configuration?

Create a database with OUI or DBCA

Yes

Create a database with the CREATE DATABASE SQL
statement

No

Create an Oracle ASM instance with OUI, DBCA, or
ASMCA

Yes

Create a disk group (any method)

Yes

Add a listener with NETCA

Yes

Create a database service with SRVCTL

Yes

Create a database service by modifying the SERVICE_
NAMES initialization parameter1

No

4-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Restart

Table 4–2 (Cont.) Create Operations and the Oracle Restart Configuration
Created Component
Automatically Added to Oracle
Restart Configuration?

Create Operation
Create a database service with DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_
SERVICE

No

Create a standby database

No

1

Not recommended when Oracle Restart is in use

Table 4–3 lists some delete/drop/remove operations and whether the deleted
component is also automatically removed from the Oracle Restart configuration.
Table 4–3

Delete/Drop/Remove Operations and the Oracle Restart Configuration

Operation

Deleted Component
Automatically Removed from
Oracle Restart Configuration?

Delete a database with DBCA

Yes

Delete a database by removing database files with
operating system commands1

No

Delete a listener with NETCA

Yes

Drop an Oracle ASM disk group (any method)

Yes

Delete a database service with SRVCTL

Yes

Delete a database service by any other means

No

1

Not recommended

Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard
Oracle Restart is integrated with Oracle Data Guard (Data Guard) and the Oracle Data
Guard Broker (the broker). When a database shutdown and restart is required in
response to a role change request, Oracle Restart shuts down and restarts the database
in an orderly fashion (taking dependencies into account), and according to the settings
in the Oracle Restart configuration. Oracle Restart also ensures that, following a Data
Guard role transition, all database services configured to run in the new database role
are active and all services not configured to run in the new role are stopped.
In addition, the Oracle Restart configuration supports Data Guard–related
configuration options for the following components:
■

■

Databases—When you add a database to the Oracle Restart configuration, you
can specify the current Data Guard role for the database: PRIMARY, PHYSICAL_
STANDBY, LOGICAL_STANDBY, or SNAPSHOT_STANDBY. If the role is later changed using
the broker, Oracle Restart automatically updates the database configuration with
the new role. If you change the database role without using the broker, you must
manually modify the database's role in the Oracle Restart configuration to reflect
the new role.
Database Services—When adding a database service to the Oracle Restart
configuration, you can specify one or more Data Guard roles for the service. When
this configuration option is present, upon database restart Oracle Restart starts the
service only if one of the service roles matches the current database role.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database

4-5

About Oracle Restart

See Also:
■

■
■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for information
about Oracle Data Guard
"Fast Application Notification with Oracle Restart" on page 4-6
"Automating the Failover of Connections Between Primary and
Standby Databases" on page 4-20

Fast Application Notification with Oracle Restart
In a standalone server environment, Oracle Restart uses Oracle Notification Services
(ONS) and Oracle Advanced Queues to publish Fast Application Notification (FAN)
high availability events. Integrated Oracle clients use FAN to provide fast notification
to clients when the service or instance goes down. The client can automate the failover
of database connections between a primary database and a standby database.
This section describes how ONS and FAN work with Oracle Restart. It contains the
following topics:
■

Overview of Fast Application Notification

■

Application High Availability with Services and FAN

■

Managing Unplanned Outages

■

Managing Planned Outages

■

Fast Application Notification High Availability Events

■

Using Fast Application Notification Callouts

■

Oracle Clients That Are Integrated with Fast Application Notification
See Also:

Oracle Database Advanced Queuing User's Guide

Overview of Fast Application Notification
FAN is a high availability notification mechanism that Oracle Restart can use to notify
other processes about configuration changes that include service status changes, such
as UP or DOWN events. FAN provides the ability to immediately terminate inflight
transaction when an instance or server fails. Integrated Oracle clients receive the
events and respond. Applications can respond either by propagating the error to the
user or by resubmitting the transactions and masking the error from the application
user. When a DOWN event occurs, integrated clients immediately clean up connections to
the terminated database. When an UP event occurs, the clients create new connections
to the new primary database instance.
Oracle Restart publishes FAN events whenever a managed instance or service goes up
or down. After a failover, the Oracle Data Guard Broker (broker) publishes FAN
events. These FAN events can be used in the following ways:
■

■

Applications can use FAN with Oracle Restart without programmatic changes if
they use one of these Oracle integrated database clients: Oracle Database JDBC,
Universal Connection Pool for Java, Oracle Call Interface, and Oracle Database
ODP.NET. These clients can be configured for Fast Connection Failover (FCF) to
automatically connect to a new primary database after a failover.
FAN server-side callouts can be configured on the database tier.

For DOWN events, such as a failed primary database, FAN provides immediate
notification to the clients so that they can failover as fast as possible to the new

4-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Restart

primary database. The clients do not wait for a timeout. The clients are notified
immediately, and they must be configured to failover when they are notified.
For UP events, when services and instances are started, new connections can be created
so that the application can immediately take advantage of the extra resources.
Through server-side callouts, you can also use FAN to:
■

Log status information

■

Page DBAs or open support tickets when resources fail to start

■

Automatically start dependent external applications that must be co-located with a
service

FAN events are published using ONS and Oracle Database Advanced Queuing
queues. The queues are configured automatically when you configure a service. You
must configure ONS manually using SRVCTL commands.
The Connection Manager (CMAN) and Oracle Net Services listeners are integrated
with FAN events, enabling the CMAN and the listener to immediately de-register
services provided by the failed instance and to avoid erroneously sending connection
requests to a failed database.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Guard Broker for information about FAN events in an
Oracle Data Guard environment
The Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) white paper
about client failover:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/avail
ability/maa-090890.html

Application High Availability with Services and FAN
Oracle Database focuses on maintaining service availability. With Oracle Restart,
Oracle services are designed to be continuously available. Oracle Restart monitors the
database and its services and, when configured, sends event notifications using FAN.
Managing Unplanned Outages If Oracle Restart detects an outage, then it isolates the
failed component and recovers the dependent components. If the failed component is
the database instance, then after Oracle Data Guard fails over to the standby database,
Oracle Restart on the new primary database starts any services defined with the
current role.
FAN events are published by Oracle Restart and the Oracle Data Guard Broker
through ONS and Advanced Queuing. You can also perform notifications using FAN
callouts.
Note: Oracle Restart does not run callouts with guaranteed ordering.
Callouts are run asynchronously, and they are subject to scheduling
variability.

With Oracle Restart, restart and recovery are automatic, including the restarting of the
subsystems, such as the listener and the Oracle Automatic Storage Management
(Oracle ASM) processes, not just the database. You can use FAN callouts to report
faults to your fault management system and to initiate repair jobs.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database

4-7

About Oracle Restart

Managing Planned Outages For repairs, upgrades, and changes that require you to shut
down the primary database, Oracle Restart provides interfaces that disable and enable
services to minimize service disruption to application users. Using Oracle Data Guard
Broker with Oracle Restart allows a coordinated failover of the database service from
the primary to the standby for the duration of the planned outage. Once you complete
the operation, you can return the service to normal operation.
The management policy for a service controls whether the service starts automatically
when the database is restarted. If the management policy for a service is set to
AUTOMATIC, then it restarts automatically. If the management policy for a service is set
to MANUAL, then it must be started manually.
See Also: "Modifying the Oracle Restart Configuration for a
Component" on page 4-16

Fast Application Notification High Availability Events Table 4–4 describes the FAN event
record parameters and the event types, followed by name-value pairs for the event
properties. The event type is always the first entry and the timestamp is always the
last entry. In the following example, the name in the name-value pair is shown in Fan
event type (service_member), and the value in the name-value pair is shown in
Properties:
FAN event type: service_member
Properties: version=1.0 service=ERP database=FINPROD instance=FINPROD host=node1
status=up

Table 4–4

Event Record Parameters and Descriptions

Parameter

Description

VERSION

Version of the event record. Used to identify release changes.

EVENT TYPE

SERVICE, SERVICE_MEMBER, DATABASE, INSTANCE, NODE, ASM, SRV_
PRECONNECT. Note that database and Instance types provide the
database service, such as DB_UNIQUE_NAME.DB_DOMAIN.

DATABASE UNIQUE NAME

The unique database supporting the service; matches the
initialization parameter value for DB_UNIQUE_NAME, which
defaults to the value of the initialization parameter DB_NAME.

INSTANCE

The name of the instance that supports the service; matches the
ORACLE_SID value.

NODE NAME

The name of the node that supports the service or the node that
has stopped; matches the node name known to Cluster
Synchronization Services (CSS).

SERVICE

The service name; matches the service in DBA_SERVICES.

STATUS

Values are UP, DOWN, NOT_RESTARTING, PRECONN_UP, PRECONN_DOWN,
and UNKNOWN.

REASON

Data_Guard_Failover, Failure, Dependency, User, Autostart,
Restart.

CARDINALITY

The number of service members that are currently active;
included in all UP events.

TIMESTAMP

The local time zone to use when ordering notification events.

A FAN record matches the database signature of each session as shown in Table 4–5.

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Configuring Oracle Restart

Table 4–5

FAN Parameters and Matching Database Signatures

FAN Parameter

Matching Oracle Database Signature

SERVICE

sys_context('userenv', 'service_name')

DATABASE UNIQUE NAME

sys_context('userenv', 'db_unique_name')

INSTANCE

sys_context('userenv', 'instance_name')

NODE NAME

sys_context('userenv', 'server_host')

Using Fast Application Notification Callouts FAN callouts are server-side executables that
Oracle Restart executes immediately when high availability events occur. You can use
FAN callouts to automate the following activities when events occur, such as:
■

Opening fault tracking tickets

■

Sending messages to pagers

■

Sending e-mail

■

Starting and stopping server-side applications

■

Maintaining an uptime log by logging each event as it occurs

To use FAN callouts, place an executable in the directory grid_home/racg/usrco on
both the primary and the standby database servers. If you are using scripts, then set
the shell as the first line of the executable. The following is an example file for the
grid_home/racg/usrco/callout.sh callout:
#! /bin/ksh
FAN_LOGFILE= [your path name]/admin/log/`hostname`_uptime.log
echo $* "reported="`date` >> $FAN_LOGFILE &

The following output is from the previous example:
NODE VERSION=1.0 host=sun880-2 status=nodedown reason=
timestamp=08-Oct-2004 04:02:14 reported=Fri Oct 8 04:02:14 PDT 2004

A FAN record matches the database signature of each session, as shown in Table 4–5.
Use this information to take actions on sessions that match the FAN event data.
See Also: Table 4–4 on page 4-8 for information about the callout
and event details

Oracle Clients That Are Integrated with Fast Application Notification Oracle has integrated
FAN with many of the common Oracle client drivers that are used to connect to Oracle
Restart databases. Therefore, the easiest way to use FAN is to use an integrated Oracle
Client.
You can use the CMAN session pools, Oracle Call Interface, Universal Connection
Pool for Java, JDBC simplefan API, and ODP.NET connection pools. The overall goal is
to enable applications to consistently obtain connections to the available primary
database at anytime.
See Also: "Automating the Failover of Connections Between
Primary and Standby Databases" on page 4-20

Configuring Oracle Restart
If you install Oracle Restart by installing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a
standalone server and then create your database, the database is automatically added
Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database

4-9

Configuring Oracle Restart

to the Oracle Restart configuration, and is then automatically restarted when required.
However, if you install Oracle Restart on a host computer on which a database already
exists, you must manually add the database, the listener, the Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM) instance, and possibly other components to the Oracle
Restart configuration.
After configuring Oracle Restart to manage your database, you may want to:
■

Add additional components to the Oracle Restart configuration.

■

Remove components from the Oracle Restart configuration.

■

Temporarily suspend Oracle Restart management for one or more components.

■

Modify the Oracle Restart configuration options for an individual component.

This section describes the SRVCTL commands that you use to accomplish these and
other tasks. It contains the following topics:
■

Preparing to Run SRVCTL

■

Obtaining Help for SRVCTL

■

Adding Components to the Oracle Restart Configuration

■

Removing Components from the Oracle Restart Configuration

■

Disabling and Enabling Oracle Restart Management for a Component

■

Viewing Component Status

■

Viewing the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component

■

Modifying the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component

■

Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart Configuration

■

Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL

■

Enabling FAN Events in an Oracle Restart Environment

■

Automating the Failover of Connections Between Primary and Standby Databases

■

Enabling Clients for Fast Connection Failover
See Also:

"About Oracle Restart" on page 4-1

Preparing to Run SRVCTL
The tasks in the following sections require that you run the SRVCTL utility. You must
ensure that you run SRVCTL from the correct Oracle home, and that you log in to the
host computer with the correct user account. Table 4–6 lists the components that you
can configure with SRVCTL, and for each component, lists the Oracle home from
which you must run SRVCTL.
Table 4–6

Determining the Oracle Home from which to Start SRVCTL

Component Being Configured

Oracle Home from which to Start SRVCTL

Database, database service

Database home

Oracle ASM instance, disk group,
listener1, ONS

Oracle Grid Infrastructure home

1

Assumes the listener was started from the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home. If you installed Oracle
Restart for an existing database, the listener may have been started from the database home, in
which case you start SRVCTL from the database home.

4-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Restart

To prepare to run SRVCTL:
1.

Use Table 4–6 to determine the Oracle home from which you must run SRVCTL.

2.

If you intend to run a SRVCTL command that modifies the Oracle Restart
configuration (add, remove, enable, disable, and so on), then do one of the
following:
■

■

On UNIX and Linux, log in to the database host computer as the user who
installed the Oracle home that you determined in Step 1.
On Windows, log in to the database host computer as an Administrator.

Otherwise, log in to the host computer as any user.
3.

Open the command window that you will use to enter the SRVCTL commands.
To enter commands, you might need to ensure that the SRVCTL program is in
your PATH environment variable. Otherwise, you can enter the absolute path to the
program.

Obtaining Help for SRVCTL
Online help is available for the SRVCTL utility.
To obtain help for SRVCTL:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl

For more detailed help, enter the following command:
srvctl -help

For detailed help on a particular command, enter:
srvctl command -help

For example, to obtain help for the add command and the different options for each
component type, enter:
srvctl add -help

For detailed help on a particular command for a particular component type, enter:
srvctl command object -help

For example, to obtain help about adding a database service, enter the following
command:
srvctl add service -help

See Table 4–7 on page 4-29 for a list of SRVCTL commands and Table 4–8 on page 4-30
for a list of components.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, single-letter parameters are deprecated in favor of
keyword parameters. To support backward compatibility, you can use a mix of
single-letter parameters and new keyword parameters. The help shows the keyword
parameters by default, but you can obtain the single-letter equivalents, where
applicable, by adding the -compatible parameter after the -help parameter.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-11

Configuring Oracle Restart

For example, to obtain help about adding a database service that includes the
single-letter equivalents, enter the following command:
srvctl add service -help -compatible

The single-letter equivalents appear in parentheses next to the keyword parameters.
Parameters that are new in Oracle Database 12c do not have single-letter equivalents.

Adding Components to the Oracle Restart Configuration
In most cases, creating an Oracle component on a host that is running Oracle Restart
automatically adds the component to the Oracle Restart configuration. (See Table 4–2
on page 4-4.) The component is then automatically restarted when required.
The following are occasions when you must manually add components to the Oracle
Restart configuration with SRVCTL:
■
■

■

You install Oracle Restart after creating the database.
You create an additional Oracle database on the same host computer using the
CREATE DATABASE SQL statement.
You create a database service with DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE package
procedure. (The recommended way is to use SRVCTL.)
Adding a component to the Oracle Restart configuration is
also referred to as "registering a component with Oracle Restart."

Note:

Adding a component to the Oracle Restart configuration does not start that
component. You must use a srvctl start command to start it.
When you add a component to the Oracle Restart configuration with SRVCTL, you can
specify optional configuration settings for the component.
To add a component to the Oracle Restart configuration with SRVCTL:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl add object options

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL add command on page 4-31 for available options for each component.
Example 4–1 Adding a Database

This example adds a database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm. The mandatory
-oraclehome option specifies the Oracle home location. The -dbtype option specifies a
single-instance database.
srvctl add database -db dbcrm -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
-dbtype SINGLE
Example 4–2 Adding a Database Service

For the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, this example both creates a new
database service named crmbatch and adds it to the Oracle Restart configuration.
srvctl add service -db dbcrm -service crmbatch

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Configuring Oracle Restart

See "Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL" on page 4-18 for more
examples.
Example 4–3 Adding the Default Listener

This example adds the default listener to the Oracle Restart configuration.
srvctl add listener

When you manually add a database to the Oracle Restart
configuration, you must also add the Oracle grid infrastructure
software owner as a member of the OSDBA group of that database.
This is because the grid infrastructure components must be able to
connect to the database as SYSDBA to start and stop the database.

Note:

For example, if the host user who installed the grid infrastructure
home is named grid and the OSDBA group of the new database is
named dba, then user grid must be a member of the dba group.

See Also:
■

"Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart"
on page 4-24

■

"Operating System Groups" on page 1-21

■

"SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29

Removing Components from the Oracle Restart Configuration
When you use an Oracle-recommended method to delete an Oracle component, the
component is also automatically removed from the Oracle Restart configuration. For
example, if you use Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to delete a database,
DBCA removes the database from the Oracle Restart configuration. Likewise, if you
use Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) to delete a listener, NETCA removes
the listener from the Oracle Restart configuration. See Table 4–3 on page 4-5 for more
examples. If you use a non-recommended or manual method to delete an Oracle
component, you must first use SRVCTL to remove the component from the Oracle
Restart configuration. Failing to do so could result in an error.
To remove a component from the Oracle Restart configuration:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl remove object [options]

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL remove command on page 4-60 for available options for each component.
Example 4–4 Removing a Database

This example removes a database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm.
srvctl remove database -db dbcrm

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-13

Configuring Oracle Restart

Disabling and Enabling Oracle Restart Management for a Component
You can temporarily disable Oracle Restart management for a component. One reason
to do this is when you are performing maintenance on the component. For example, if
a component must be repaired, then you might not want it to be automatically
restarted if it fails or if the host computer is restarted.
When maintenance is complete, you can reenable management for the component.
When you disable a component:
■

It is no longer automatically restarted.

■

It is no longer automatically started through a dependency.

■

It cannot be started with SRVCTL.

■

Any component dependent on this resource is no longer automatically started or
restarted.

To disable or enable automatic restart for a component:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL, as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Do one of the following:
■

To disable a component, enter the following command:
srvctl disable object [options]

■

To enable a component, enter the following command:
srvctl enable object [options]

Replace object with one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See
the SRVCTL disable command on page 4-44 and the enable command on
page 4-48 for available options for each component.
Example 4–5 Disabling Automatic Restart for a Database

This example disables automatic restart for a database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of
dbcrm.
srvctl disable database -db dbcrm
Example 4–6 Disabling Automatic Restart for an Oracle ASM Disk Group

This example disables automatic restart for the Oracle ASM disk group named
recovery.
srvctl disable diskgroup -diskgroup recovery
Example 4–7 Enabling Automatic Restart for an Oracle ASM Disk Group

This example reenables automatic restart for the disk group recovery.
srvctl enable diskgroup -diskgroup recovery

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

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Configuring Oracle Restart

Viewing Component Status
You can use SRVCTL to view the running status (running or not running) for any
component managed by Oracle Restart. For some components, additional information
is also displayed.
To view component status:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl status object [options]

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL status command on page 4-70 for available options for each component.
Example 4–8 Viewing Status of a Database

This example displays the status of the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm.
srvctl status database -db dbcrm
Database is running.

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Viewing the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component
You can use SRVCTL to view the Oracle Restart configuration for any component.
Oracle Restart maintains different configuration information for each component type.
In one form of the SRVCTL command, you can obtain a list of components managed
by Oracle Restart.
To view component configuration:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl config object options

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL config command on page 4-40 for available options for each component.
Example 4–9 Viewing a List of All Databases Managed by Oracle Restart
srvctl config database
dbcrm
orcl
Example 4–10

Viewing the Configuration of a Particular Database

This example displays the configuration of the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of
orcl.
srvctl config database -db orcl
Database unique name: orcl
Database name: orcl
Oracle home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
Oracle user: oracle

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-15

Configuring Oracle Restart

Spfile: +DATA/orcl/spfileorcl.ora
Domain: us.example.com
Start options: open
Stop options: immediate
Database role:
Management policy: automatic
Disk Groups: DATA
Services: mfg,sales

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Modifying the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component
You can use SRVCTL to modify the Oracle Restart configuration of a component. For
example, you can modify the port number that a listener listens on when Oracle
Restart starts it, or the server parameter file (SPFILE) that Oracle Restart points to
when it starts a database.
To modify the Oracle Restart configuration for a component:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl modify object options

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL modify command on page 4-53 for available options for each component.
Example 4–11

Modifying the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Database

For the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, the following command changes the
management policy to MANUAL and the start option to NOMOUNT.
srvctl modify database -db dbcrm -policy MANUAL -startoption NOMOUNT

With a MANUAL management policy, the database is never automatically started when
the database host computer is restarted. However, Oracle Restart continues to monitor
the database and restarts it if a failure occurs.
See Also:
■

■

"Viewing the Oracle Restart Configuration for a Component" on
page 4-15
"SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29

Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart Configuration
The Oracle Restart configuration can store name/value pairs for environment
variables. If you typically set environment variables (other than ORACLE_HOME and
ORACLE_SID) before starting your Oracle database, you can set these environment
variable values in the Oracle Restart configuration. You can store any number
environment variables in the individual configurations of the following components:
■

Database instance

■

Listener

■

Oracle ASM instance

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When Oracle Restart starts one of these components, it first sets environment variables
for that component to the values stored in the component configuration. Although you
can set environment variables that are used by Oracle components in this manner, this
capability is primarily intended for operating system environment variables.
The following sections provide instructions for setting, unsetting, and viewing
environment variables:
■

Setting and Unsetting Environment Variables

■

Viewing Environment Variables
Do not use this facility to set standard environment variables
like ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID; these are set automatically by
Oracle Restart.
Note:

Setting and Unsetting Environment Variables
You use SRVCTL to set and unset environment variable values in the Oracle Restart
configuration for a component.
To set or unset environment variables in the configuration:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Do one of the following:
■

To set an environment variable in the configuration, enter the following
command:
srvctl setenv {asm|database|listener} options

■

To remove an environment variable from the configuration, enter the
following command:
srvctl unsetenv {asm|database|listener} options

See the SRVCTL setenv command on page 4-63 and the unsetenv command on
page 4-79 for available options for each component.
Example 4–12

Setting Database Environment Variables

This example sets the NLS_LANG and the AIX AIXTHREAD_SCOPE environment variables
in the Oracle Restart configuration for the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
srvctl setenv database -db dbcrm -envs "NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8,
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE=S"

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Viewing Environment Variables
You use SRVCTL to view the values of environment variables in the Oracle Restart
configuration for a component.
To view environment variable values in the configuration:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl getenv {database|listener|asm} options

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-17

Configuring Oracle Restart

See the SRVCTL getenv command on page 4-51 for available options for each
component.
Example 4–13

Viewing All Environment Variables for a Database

This example gets and displays the environment variables in the Oracle Restart
configuration for the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
srvctl getenv database -db dbcrm
dbcrm:
NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE=S
GCONF_LOCAL_LOCKS=1
Example 4–14

Viewing Specific Environment Variables for a Database

This example gets and displays the NLS_LANG and AIXTHREAD_SCOPE environment
variables from the Oracle Restart configuration for the same database:
srvctl getenv database -db dbcrm -envs "NLS_LANG,AIXTHREAD_SCOPE"
dbcrm:
NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE=S

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL
When managing a database with Oracle Restart, Oracle recommends that you use
SRVCTL to create and delete database services. When you use SRVCTL to add a
database service, the service is automatically added to the Oracle Restart configuration
and a dependency between the service and the database is established. Thus, if you
start the service, Oracle Restart first starts the database if it is not started.
When you use SRVCTL to delete a database service, the service is also removed from
the Oracle Restart configuration.
To create a database service with SRVCTL:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl add service -db db_unique_name -service service_name [options]

The database service is created and added to the Oracle Restart configuration. See
the srvctl add service command on page 4-36 for available options.
Example 4–15

Creating a Database Service

For the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, this example creates a new
database service named crmbatch.
srvctl add service -db dbcrm -service crmbatch

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Configuring Oracle Restart

Example 4–16

Creating a Role-Based Database Service

This example creates the crmbatch database service and assigns it the Data Guard role
of PHYSICAL_STANDBY. The service is automatically started only if the current role of the
dbcrm database is physical standby.
srvctl add service -db dbcrm -service crmbatch -role PHYSICAL_STANDBY

To delete a database service with SRVCTL:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Enter the following command:
srvctl remove service -db db_unique_name -service service_name [-force]

The database service is removed from the Oracle Restart configuration. If the
-force flag is present, the service is removed even if it is still running. Without
this flag, an error occurs if the service is running.
See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Enabling FAN Events in an Oracle Restart Environment
To enable Oracle Restart to publish Fast Application Notification (FAN) events, you
must create an Oracle Notification Services (ONS) network that includes the Oracle
Restart servers and the integrated clients. These clients can include Oracle Connection
Manager (CMAN), Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), and Universal Connection
Pool (UCP) clients. If you are using Oracle Call Interface or ODP.NET clients, then you
must enable Oracle Advanced Queuing (AQ) HA notifications for your services. In
addition, ONS must be running on the server.
To enable FAN events in an Oracle Restart environment:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Add the database to the Oracle Restart Configuration if it is not already managed
by Oracle Restart. See "Adding Components to the Oracle Restart Configuration"
on page 4-12.

3.

Add ONS to the configuration:
srvctl add ons

ONS is disabled when it is added.
4.

Enable ONS:
srvctl enable ons

5.

Start ONS:
srvctl start ons

6.

Add the service to the Oracle Restart Configuration.
For Oracle Call Interface and ODP.NET clients, ensure that the -notification
option is set to TRUE to enable the database queue.
See "Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL" on page 4-18.

7.

Enable each client for fast connection failover. See "Enabling Clients for Fast
Connection Failover" on page 4-20.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-19

Configuring Oracle Restart

See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Automating the Failover of Connections Between Primary and Standby Databases
In a configuration that uses Oracle Restart and Oracle Data Guard primary and
standby databases, the database services fail over automatically from the primary to
the standby during either a switchover or failover. You can use Oracle Notification
Services (ONS) to immediately notify clients of the failover of services between the
primary and standby databases. The Oracle Data Guard Broker uses Fast Application
Notification (FAN) to send notifications to clients when a failover occurs. Integrated
Oracle clients automatically failover connections and applications can mask the failure
from end-users.
To automate connection failover, you must create an ONS network that includes the
Oracle Restart servers and the integrated clients (CMAN, listener, JDBC, and UCP). If
you are using Oracle Call Interface or ODP.NET clients, you must enable the Oracle
Advanced Queuing queue. The database and the services must be managed by Oracle
Restart and the Oracle Data Guard Broker to automate the failover of services.
To automate the failover of services between primary and standby databases:
1.

Configure the primary and standby database with the Oracle Data Guard Broker.
See Oracle Data Guard Broker.

2.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

3.

Add the primary database to the Oracle Restart configuration on the primary
server if it has not been added. Ensure that you specify PRIMARY for the database
role. See "Adding Components to the Oracle Restart Configuration" on page 4-12.

4.

Add the standby database to the Oracle Restart configuration on the standby
server if it has not been added. Ensure that you specify the appropriate standby
database role.

5.

Enable FAN events on both the primary database server and the standby database
server. "Enabling FAN Events in an Oracle Restart Environment" on page 4-19.

6.

Add the services that clients will use to connect to the databases to the Oracle
Restart configuration on the primary database and the standby database. When
you add a service, ensure that:
■
■

The -role option is set to the proper role for each service
The -notification option is set to TRUE if you are using ODP.NET or Oracle
Call Interface

See "Creating and Deleting Database Services with SRVCTL" on page 4-18.
7.

Enable each client for fast connection failover. See "Enabling Clients for Fast
Connection Failover" on page 4-20.
See Also: "SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on
page 4-29

Enabling Clients for Fast Connection Failover
In a configuration with a standby database, after you have added Oracle Notification
Services (ONS) to your Oracle Restart configurations and enabled Oracle Advanced
Queuing (AQ) HA notifications for your services, you can enable clients for fast
connection failover. The clients receive Fast Application Notification (FAN) events and
can relocate connections to the current primary database after an Oracle Data Guard
4-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Restart

failover. See "Automating the Failover of Connections Between Primary and Standby
Databases" on page 4-20 for information about adding ONS.
For databases with no standby database configured, you can still configure the client
FAN events. When there is a failure, you can configure the client to retry the
connection to the database. Since Oracle Restart will restart the failed database, the
client can reconnect when the database restarts. Ensure that you program the
appropriate delay and retries on the connection string, as illustrated in the examples in
this section.
You can enable fast connection failover for the following types of clients in an Oracle
Restart configuration:
■

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for JDBC Clients

■

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for Oracle Call Interface Clients

■

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for ODP.NET Clients

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for JDBC Clients
Enabling FAN for the Oracle Universal Connection Pool enables Fast Connection
Failover (FCF) for the client. Your application can use either thick or thin JDBC clients
to use FCF.
To configure the JDBC client, set the FastConnectionFailoverEnabled property before
making the first getConnection() request to a data source. When you enable Fast
Connection Failover, the failover applies to every connection in the connection cache.
If your application explicitly creates a connection cache using the Connection Cache
Manager, then you must first set FastConnectionFailoverEnabled.
This section describes how to enable FCF for JDBC with the Universal Connection
Pool. For thick JDBC clients, if you enable Fast Connection Failover, do not enable
Transparent Application Failover (TAF), either on the client or for the service. Enabling
FCF with thin or thick JDBC clients enables the connection pool to receive and react to
all FAN events.
To enable Fast Connection Failover for JDBC clients:
1.

On a cache enabled DataSource, set the DataSource property
FastConnectionFailoverEnabled to true as in the following example to enable
FAN for the Oracle JDBC Implicit Connection Cache:
PoolDataSource pds = PoolDataSourceFactory.getPoolDataSource();
pds.setONSConfiguration("nodes=primaryhost:6200,standbyhost:6200");
pds.setFastConnectionFailoverEnabled(true);
pds.setURL("jdbc:oracle:thin:@(DESCRIPTION=
(LOAD_BALANCE=on)
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=primaryhost)(PORT=1521))
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=standbyhost)(PORT=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=(service_name=service_name)))");
......

In this example, primaryhost is the server for the primary database, and
standbyhost is the server for the standby database.
Applications must have both ucp.jar and ons.jar in their CLASSPATH.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-21

Configuring Oracle Restart

Use the following system property to enable FAN without
making data source changes: -D
oracle.jdbc.FastConnectionFailover=true.
Note:

2.

When you start the application, ensure that the ons.jar file is located on the
application CLASSPATH. The ons.jar file is part of the Oracle client installation.
See Also:

Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for Oracle Call Interface Clients
Oracle Call Interface clients can enable Fast Connection Failover (FCF) by registering
to receive notifications about Oracle Restart high availability FAN events and respond
when events occur. This improves the session failover response time in Oracle Call
Interface and removes terminated connections from connection and session pools. This
feature works on Oracle Call Interface applications, including those that use
Transparent Application Failover (TAF), connection pools, or session pools.
First, you must enable a service for high availability events to automatically populate
the Advanced Queuing ALERT_QUEUE. If your application is using TAF, then enable the
TAF settings for the service. Configure client applications to connect to an Oracle
Restart database. Clients can register callbacks that are used whenever an event
occurs. This reduces the time that it takes to detect a connection failure.
During DOWN event processing, Oracle Call Interface:
■
■

Terminates affected connections at the client and returns an error
Removes connections from the Oracle Call Interface connection pool and the
Oracle Call Interface session pool
The session pool maps each session to a physical connection in the connection
pool, and there can be multiple sessions for each connection.

■

Fails over the connection if you have configured TAF

If TAF is not configured, then the client only receives an error.
Note:

Oracle Call Interface does not manage UP events.

To Enable Fast Connection Failover for an Oracle Call Interface client:
1.

Ensure that the service that you are using has Advanced Queuing notifications
enabled by setting the services' values using the SRVCTL modify command. For
example:
srvctl modify service -db proddb -service gl.us.example.com -notification
true -role primary -failovertype select -failovermethod basic -failoverretry 5
-failoverdelay 180 -clbgoal long

2.

Enable OCI_EVENTS at environment creation time on the client as follows:
( OCIEnvCreate(...) )

3.

Link client applications with the client thread or operating system library.

4.

(Optional) Register a client EVENT callback.

5.

Ensure that the client uses an Oracle Net connect descriptor that includes all
primary and standby hosts in the ADDRESS_LIST. For example:

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Configuring Oracle Restart

gl =
(DESCRIPTION =
(CONNECT_TIMEOUT=10)(RETRY_COUNT=3)
(ADDRESS_LIST =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = BOSTON1)(PORT = 1521))
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = CHICAGO1)(PORT = 1521))
(LOAD_BALANCE = yes)
)
(CONNECT_DATA=
(SERVICE_NAME=gl.us.example.com)))

To see the alert information, query the views DBA_OUTSTANDING_ALERTS and DBA_
ALERT_HISTORY.
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for information
about configuring TAF

Enabling Fast Connection Failover for ODP.NET Clients
Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) connection pools can subscribe to
notifications that indicate when services are down. After a DOWN event, Oracle Database
cleans up sessions in the connection pool that go to the instance that stops, and
ODP.NET proactively disposes connections that are no longer valid.
To enable Fast Connection Failover for ODP.NET clients:
1.

Enable Advanced Queuing notifications by using SRVCTL modify service
command, as in the following example:
srvctl modify service –db dbname –service gl -notification true -clbgoal long

2.

Execute the following for the users that will be connecting by way of the .Net
Application, where user_name is the user name:
execute DBMS_AQADM.GRANT_QUEUE_PRIVILEGE('DEQUEUE','SYS.SYS$SERVICE_METRICS',
user_name);

3.

Enable Fast Connection Failover for ODP.NET connection pools by subscribing to
FAN high availability events. Set the HA events connection string attribute to true
at connection time. The pooling attribute must be set to true, which is the default.
The following example illustrates these settings, where user_name is the name of
the user and password is the user password:
// C#
using System;
using Oracle.DataAccess.Client;
class HAEventEnablingSample
{
static void Main()
{
OracleConnection con = new OracleConnection();
// Open a connection using ConnectionString attributes
// Also, enable "load balancing"
con.ConnectionString =
"User Id=user_name;Password=password;Data Source=oracle;" +
"Min Pool Size=10;Connection Lifetime=120;Connection Timeout=60;" +

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-23

Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart

"HA Events=true;Incr Pool Size=5;Decr Pool Size=2";
con.Open();
// Create more connections and perform work against the database here.
// Dispose OracleConnection object
con.Dispose();
}
}
4.

Ensure that the client uses an Oracle Net connect descriptor that includes all
primary and standby hosts in the ADDRESS_LIST. For example:
gl =
(DESCRIPTION =
(CONNECT_TIMEOUT=10)(RETRY_COUNT=3)
(ADDRESS_LIST =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = BOSTON1)(PORT = 1521))
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = CHICAGO1)(PORT = 1521))
(LOAD_BALANCE = yes)
)
(CONNECT_DATA=
(SERVICE_NAME=gl.us.example.com)))

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Provider for .NET Developer's Guide for Microsoft
Windows for information about ODP.NET
"SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart" on page 4-29

Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart
When Oracle Restart is in use, Oracle strongly recommends that you use the SRVCTL
utility to start and stop components, for the following reasons:
■

■

When starting a component with SRVCTL, Oracle Restart can first start any
components on which this component depends. When stopping a component with
SRVCTL, Oracle Restart can stop any dependent components first.
SRVCTL always starts a component according to its Oracle Restart configuration.
Starting a component by other means may not.
For example, if you specified a server parameter file (SPFILE) location when you
added a database to the Oracle Restart configuration, and that location is not the
default location for SPFILEs, if you start the database with SQL*Plus, the SPFILE
specified in the configuration may not be used.
See the srvctl add database command on page 4-32 for a table of configuration
options for a database instance.

■

When you start a component with SRVCTL, environment variables stored in the
Oracle Restart configuration for the component are set.
See "Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart Configuration" on
page 4-16 for more information.

You can start and stop any component managed by Oracle Restart with SRVCTL.
To start or stop a component managed by Oracle Restart with SRVCTL:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

4-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart

2.

Do one of the following:
■

To start a component, enter the following command:
srvctl start object [options]

■

To stop a component, enter the following command:
srvctl stop object [options]

where object is one of the components listed in Table 4–8 on page 4-30. See the
SRVCTL start command on page 4-66 and the stop command on page 4-74 for
available options for each component.
Example 4–17

Starting a Database

This example starts the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
srvctl start database -db dbcrm
Example 4–18

Starting a Database NOMOUNT

This example starts the database instance without mounting the database:
srvctl start database -db dbcrm -startoption nomount
Example 4–19

Starting the Default Listener

This example starts the default listener:
srvctl start listener
Example 4–20

Starting a Specified Listener

This example starts the listener named crmlistener:
srvctl start listener -listener crmlistener
Example 4–21

Starting Database Services

This example starts the database services bizdev and support for the database with a
DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm. If the database is not started, Oracle Restart first starts the
database.
srvctl start service -db dbcrm -service "bizdev,support"
Example 4–22

Starting (Mounting) Oracle ASM Disk Groups

This example starts (mounts) the Oracle ASM disk groups data and recovery. The
user running this command must be a member of the OSASM group.
srvctl start diskgroup -diskgroup "data,recovery"
Example 4–23

Shutting Down a Database

This example stops (shuts down) the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm.
Because a stop option (-stopoption) is not provided, the database shuts down
according to the stop option in its Oracle Restart configuration. The default stop
option is IMMEDIATE.
srvctl stop database -db dbcrm

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-25

Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations

Example 4–24

Shutting Down a Database with the ABORT option

This example does a SHUTDOWN ABORT of the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm.
srvctl stop database -db dbcrm -stopoption abort

After relinking Oracle executables, use the SRVCTL utility to
start and stop components when Oracle Restart is in use. Typically,
relinking Oracle executables is required on a Linux or UNIX-based
operating system after you apply an operating system patch or after
an operating system upgrade. See Oracle Database Administrator's
Reference for Linux and UNIX-Based Operating Systems for more
information about relinking.

Note:

If you use SQL*Plus to start and stop components, then you must first
run the setasmgidwrap script after relinking. See Oracle Database
Upgrade Guide for information about running this script.

See Also:

The SRVCTL start command on page 4-66

Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations
When several components in an Oracle home are managed by Oracle Restart, you can
stop Oracle Restart and the components managed by Oracle Restart in the Oracle
home. You can also disable Oracle Restart so that it is not restarted if the node reboots.
You might need to do this when you are performing maintenance that includes the
Oracle home, such as installing a patch. When the maintenance operation is complete,
you can enable and restart Oracle Restart, and you can restart the components
managed by Oracle Restart in the Oracle home.
Use both the SRVCTL utility and the CRSCTL utility for the stop and start operations:
■

The stop home SRVCTL command stops all of the components that are managed
by Oracle Restart in the specified Oracle home. The start home SRVCTL command
starts these components. The Oracle home can be an Oracle Database home or an
Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.
When you use the home object, a state file, specified in the -statefile option,
tracks the state of each component. The stop and status commands create the
state file. The start command uses the state file to identify the components to
restart.
In addition, you can check the status of the components managed by Oracle
Restart using the status home command.

■

The stop CRSCTL command stops Oracle Restart, and the disable CRSCTL
command ensures that the components managed by Oracle Restart do not restart
automatically. The enable CRSCTL command enables automatic restart and the
start CRSCTL command restarts Oracle Restart.

To stop and start the components in an Oracle home while installing a patch:
1.

Prepare to run SRVCTL as described in "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10.

2.

Use the SRVCTL utility to stop the components managed by Oracle Restart in an
Oracle home:
srvctl stop home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file [-stopoption
stop_options] [-force]

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Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations

where oracle_home is the complete path of the Oracle home and state_file is the
complete path to the state file. State information for the Oracle home is recorded in
the specified state file. Make a note of the state file location because it must be
specified in Step 7.
Before stopping the components in an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, ensure
that you first stop the components in a dependent Oracle Database home.
3.

If you are patching an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, then disable and stop
Oracle Restart. Otherwise, go to Step 4.
To disable and stop Oracle Restart, use the CRSCTL utility to run the following
commands:
crsctl disable has
crsctl stop has

4.

Perform the maintenance operation.

5.

Use the CRSCTL utility to enable automatic restart of the components managed by
Oracle Restart:
crsctl enable has

6.

Use the CRSCTL utility to start Oracle Restart:
crsctl start has

7.

Use the SRVCTL utility to start the components that were stopped in Step 2:
srvctl start home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file

The state file must match the state file specified in Step 2.
8.

(Optional) Use the SRVCTL utility to check the status of the components managed
by Oracle Restart in the Oracle home:
srvctl status home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file

Example 4–25

Stopping Components Managed by Oracle Restart in an Oracle Home

srvctl stop home -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1 -statefile
/usr1/or_state
Example 4–26

Starting Components Managed by Oracle Restart in an Oracle Home

srvctl start home -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1 -statefile
/usr1/or_state
Example 4–27
Oracle Home

Displaying the Status of Components Managed by Oracle Restart in an

srvctl status home -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1 -statefile
/usr1/or_state

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-27

Stopping and Restarting Oracle Restart for Maintenance Operations

See Also:
■

The srvctl stop home command on page 4-76

■

The srvctl status home command on page 4-71

■

The srvctl start home command on page 4-68

■

"CRSCTL Command Reference" on page 4-83

4-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart
This section provides details about the syntax and options for SRVCTL commands
specific to Oracle Restart. See Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for the full list of SRVCTL commands.
SRVCTL Command Syntax and Options Overview
SRVCTL expects the following command syntax:
srvctl command object options

where:
■

■

■

command is a verb such as start, stop, or remove. See Table 4–7 on page 4-29 for a
complete list.
object is the component on which SRVCTL performs the command, such as
database, listener, and so on. You can also use component abbreviations. See
Table 4–8 on page 4-30 for a complete list of components and their abbreviations.
options extend the use of a preceding command combination to include
additional parameters for the command. For example, the -db option indicates
that a database unique name follows, and the -service option indicates that a
comma-delimited list of database service names follows.
On the Windows platform, when specifying a
comma-delimited list, you must enclose the list within double-quotes
("...,..."). You must also use double-quotes on the UNIX and Linux
platforms if any list member contains shell metacharacters.

Note:

Case Sensitivity SRVCTL commands and components are case insensitive. Options

are case sensitive. Database and database service names are case insensitive and case
preserving.
Command Parameters Input File You can specify command parameters in a file
rather than directly on the command line. Using a command parameters input file is
useful in the following situations:
■

■

You want to run a command with very long parameter values or a command with
numerous parameters
You want to bypass shell processing of certain special characters

To specify a command parameters input file, use the -file parameter with a value that
is the location of the command parameters file. SRVCTL processes the command
parameters from the command parameters file instead of from the command line.
Table 4–7

Summary of SRVCTL Commands

Command

Description

add on page 4-31

Adds a component to the Oracle Restart configuration.

config on page 4-40

Displays the Oracle Restart configuration for a component.

disable on page 4-44

Disables management by Oracle Restart for a component.

downgrade on
page 4-47

Downgrades the configuration of a database and its services from its
current version to the specified lower version.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-29

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

Table 4–7 (Cont.) Summary of SRVCTL Commands
Command

Description

enable on page 4-48

Reenables management by Oracle Restart for a component.

getenv on page 4-51

Displays environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration
for a database, Oracle ASM instance, or listener.

modify on page 4-53

Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration for a component.

remove on page 4-60

Removes a component from the Oracle Restart configuration.

setenv on page 4-63

Sets environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for a
database, Oracle ASM instance, or listener.

start on page 4-66

Starts the specified component.

status on page 4-70

Displays the running status of the specified component.

stop on page 4-74

Stops the specified component.

unsetenv on page 4-79

Unsets environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for a
database, Oracle ASM instance, or listener.

update on page 4-81

Updates the running database to switch to the specified startup
option.

upgrade on page 4-82

Upgrades the resources types and resources from an older version to a
newer version.

SRVCTL Components Summary
Table 4–8 lists the keywords that can be used for the object portion of SRVCTL
commands. You can use either the full name or the abbreviation for each component
keyword.
Table 4–8

Component Keywords and Abbreviations

Component

Abbreviation

Description

asm

asm

Oracle ASM instance

database

db

Database instance

diskgroup

dg

Oracle ASM disk group

home

home

Oracle home or Oracle Clusterware home

listener

lsnr

Oracle Net listener

service

serv

Database service

ons

ons

Oracle Notification Services (ONS)

See Also: Table 4–1, " Oracle Components Automatically Restarted
by Oracle Restart" on page 4-2

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SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

add
The srvctl add command adds the specified component to the Oracle Restart
configuration, and optionally sets Oracle Restart configuration parameters for the
component. After a component is added, Oracle Restart begins to manage it, restarting
it when required.
To perform srvctl add operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–9

srvctl add Summary

Command

Description

srvctl add asm on page 4-31

Adds an Oracle ASM instance.

srvctl add database on page 4-32

Adds a database.

srvctl add listener on page 4-34

Adds a listener.

srvctl add ons on page 4-35

Adds an ONS (used by Oracle Data Guard
configurations with Oracle Data Guard Broker).

srvctl add service on page 4-36

Adds a database service managed by Oracle
Restart.

There is no srvctl add command for Oracle ASM disk groups.
Disk groups are automatically added to the Oracle Restart
configuration when they are first mounted. If you remove a disk
group from the Oracle Restart configuration and later want to add it
back, connect to the Oracle ASM instance with SQL*Plus and use an
ALTER DISKGROUP ... MOUNT command.
Note:

srvctl add asm
Adds an Oracle ASM instance to the Oracle Restart configuration.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl add asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl add asm [-listener listener_name] [-spfile spfile]
[-pwfile password_file_path] [-diskstring asm_diskstring]
Table 4–10

srvctl add asm Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Name of the listener with which Oracle ASM should register.
A weak dependency is established with this listener. (Before
starting the Oracle ASM instance, Oracle Restart attempts to
start the listener. If the listener does not start, the Oracle ASM
instance is still started. If the listener later fails, Oracle Restart
does not restart Oracle ASM.)
If omitted, defaults to the listener named listener.

-spfile spfile

The full path of the server parameter file for the database. If
omitted, the default SPFILE is used.

-pwfile password_file_path

The full path of the Oracle ASM password file.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-31

add

Table 4–10 (Cont.) srvctl add asm Options
Option

Description

-diskstring asm_diskstring

Oracle ASM disk group discovery string. An Oracle ASM
discovery string is a comma-delimited list of strings that limits
the set of disks that an Oracle ASM instance discovers. The
discovery strings can include wildcard characters. Only disks
that match one of the strings are discovered.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl add asm -listener crmlistener

See Also: Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide
for more information about Oracle ASM disk group discovery strings

srvctl add database
Adds a database to the Oracle Restart configuration.
After adding a database to the Oracle Restart configuration, if the database then
accesses data in an Oracle ASM disk group, a dependency between the database that
disk group is created. Oracle Restart then ensures that the disk group is mounted
before attempting to start the database.
However, if the database and Oracle ASM instance are not running when you add the
database to the Oracle Restart configuration, you must manually establish the
dependency between the database and its disk groups by specifying the -diskgroup
option in the SRVCTL command. See the example later in this section.
When you manually add a database to the Oracle Restart
configuration, you must also add the Oracle grid infrastructure
software owner as a member of the OSDBA group of that database.
This is because the grid infrastructure components must be able to
connect to the database as SYSDBA to start and stop the database.

Note:

For example, if the host user who installed the grid infrastructure
home is named grid and the OSDBA group of the new database is
named dba, then user grid must be a member of the dba group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl add database command with the following syntax:
srvctl add database -db db_unique_name -oraclehome oracle_home
[-domain domain_name] [-dbtype {RACONENODE | RAC | SINGLE}]
[-dbname db_name] [-instance instance_name] [-spfile spfile]
[-pwfile password_file_path] [-startoption start_options]
[-stopoption stop_options]
[-role {PRIMARY | PHYSICAL_STANDBY | LOGICAL_STANDBY |
SNAPSHOT_STANDBY | FAR_SYNC}]
[-policy {AUTOMATIC | MANUAL | NORESTART}] [-diskgroup disk_group_list]
[-verbose]

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Table 4–11

srvctl add database Options

Syntax

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_
UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_
UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified, then this option must
match the DB_NAME initialization parameter setting.
The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the
setting for DB_NAME.

-oraclehome oracle_home

The full path of Oracle home for the database

-domain domain_name

The domain for the database. Must match the DB_
DOMAIN initialization parameter.

-dbtype {RACONENODE | RAC |
SINGLE}

The type of database you are adding: Oracle RAC
One Node, Oracle RAC, or single instance. The
default is RAC unless you specify the -x node_name
option, and the -c option defaults to SINGLE.
When adding a database to the Oracle Restart
configuration, SINGLE must be specified.

-dbname db_name

If provided, must match the DB_NAME initialization
parameter setting. You must include this option if DB_
NAME is different from the unique name given by the
-db option

-instance instance_name

The instance name. You must include this option if
the instance name is different from the unique name
given by the -db option

-spfile spfile

The full path of the server parameter file for the
database. If omitted, the default SPFILE is used.

-pwfile password_file_path

The full path of the database password file.

-startoption start_options

Startup options for the database (OPEN, MOUNT, or
NOMOUNT). If omitted, defaults to OPEN.
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for
more information about startup options
Shutdown options for the database (NORMAL,
IMMEDIATE, TRANSACTIONAL, or ABORT). If omitted,
defaults to IMMEDIATE.

-stopoption stop_options

See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for
more information about shutdown options
-role {PRIMARY | PHYSICAL_STANDBY
| LOGICAL_STANDBY | SNAPSHOT_
STANDBY | FAR_SYNC}

The current role of the database (PRIMARY, PHYSICAL_
STANDBY, LOGICAL_STANDBY, SNAPSHOT_STANDBY, or
FAR_SYNC). The default is PRIMARY. Applicable in
Oracle Data Guard environments only.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and
Administration for more information about database
roles

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-33

add

Table 4–11 (Cont.) srvctl add database Options
Syntax

Description

-policy {AUTOMATIC | MANUAL |
NORESTART}

Management policy for the database.
■

■

■

AUTOMATIC (default): The database is
automatically restored to its previous running
condition (started or stopped) upon restart of the
database host computer.
MANUAL: The database is never automatically
restarted upon restart of the database host
computer. A MANUAL setting does not prevent
Oracle Restart from monitoring the database
while it is running and restarting it if a failure
occurs.
NORESTART: Similar to the MANUAL setting, the
database is never automatically restarted upon
restart of the database host computer. A
NORESTART setting, however, never restarts the
database even if a failure occurs.

-diskgroup disk_group_list

Comma separated list of disk groups upon which the
database is dependent. When starting the database,
Oracle Restart first ensures that these disk groups are
mounted. This option is required only if the database
instance and the Oracle ASM instance are not started
when adding the database. Otherwise, the
dependency is recorded automatically between the
database and its disk groups.

-verbose

Verbose output

Examples

This example adds the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME dbcrm:
srvctl add database -db dbcrm -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1

This example adds the same database and also establishes a dependency between the
database and the disk groups DATA and RECOVERY.
srvctl add database -db dbcrm -oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
-diskgroup "DATA,RECOVERY"

See Also:
■

"Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard" on page 4-5

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

srvctl add listener
Adds a listener to the Oracle Restart configuration.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl add listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl add listener [-listener listener_name] [-endpoints endpoints] [-skip]
[-oraclehome oracle_home]
Table 4–12

srvctl add listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, defaults to LISTENER

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Table 4–12 (Cont.) srvctl add listener Options
Option

Description

-endpoints endpoints

Comma separated TCP ports or listener endpoints. If omitted,
defaults to TCP:1521. endpoints syntax is:
"[TCP:]port[, ...] [/IPC:key] [/NMP:pipe_name]
[/TCPS:s_port] [/SDP:port]"

-skip

Skip checking for port conflicts with the supplied endpoints

-oraclehome oracle_home

Oracle home for the listener. If omitted, the Oracle Grid
Infrastructure home is assumed.

Example

The following command adds a listener (named LISTENER) running out of the database
Oracle home and listening on TCP port 1522:
srvctl add listener -endpoints TCP:1522
-oraclehome /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1

srvctl add ons
Adds Oracle Notification Services (ONS) to an Oracle Restart configuration.
ONS must be added to an Oracle Restart configuration to enable the sending of Fast
Application Notification (FAN) events after an Oracle Data Guard failover.
When ONS is added to an Oracle Restart configuration, it is initially disabled. You can
enable it with the srvctl enable ons command.
See Also:

"srvctl enable ons" on page 4-49

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl add ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl add ons [-emport em_port] [-onslocalport ons_local_port]
[-onsremoteport ons_remote_port] [-remoteservers host[:port],[host[:port]...]]
[-verbose]

Table 4–13

srvctl add ons Options

Option

Description

-emport em_port

ONS listening port for Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
(Cloud Control). The default is 2016.

-onslocalport ons_local_ ONS listening port for local client connections. The default is
6100.
port
-onsremoteport ons_
remote_port

ONS listening port for connections from remote hosts. The
default is 6200.

-remoteservers
A list of host:port pairs of remote hosts that are part of the ONS
host[:port],[host[:port] network
,...
Note: If port is not specified for a remote host, then ons_remote_
port is used.
-verbose

Verbose output

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-35

add

srvctl add service
Adds a database service to the Oracle Restart configuration. Creates the database
service if it does not exist. This method of creating a service is preferred over using the
DBMS_SERVICE PL/SQL package.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl add service command with the following syntax:
srvctl add service -db db_unique_name -service service_name
[-role [PRIMARY][,PHYSICAL_STANDBY][,LOGICAL_STANDBY][,SNAPSHOT_STANDBY]]
[-policy {AUTOMATIC | MANUAL}]
[-failovertype {NONE | SESSION | SELECT | TRANSACTION}]
[-failovermethod {NONE | BASIC}] [-failoverdelay integer]
[-failoverretry integer] [-clbgoal {SHORT | LONG}]
[-rlbgoal {SERVICE_TIME | THROUGHPUT | NONE}] [-notification {TRUE | FALSE}]
[-edition edition_name] [-pdb pluggable_database]
[-sql_translation_profile sql_translation_profile]
[-commit_outcome {TRUE | FALSE}] [-retention retention]
[-replay_init_time replay_init_time] [-session_state {STATIC | DYNAMIC}]
[-global {TRUE | FALSE}] [-maxlag max_lag_time] [-force] [-verbose]
Table 4–14

srvctl add service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database
The name must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization
parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified, then this
option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the
setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name

The database service name

-role [PRIMARY][,PHYSICAL_ A list of service roles
STANDBY][,LOGICAL_
This option is applicable in Oracle Data Guard environments
STANDBY][,SNAPSHOT_STANDBY] only. When this option is present, upon database startup, the
service is started only when one of its service roles matches
the current database role.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for
more information about database roles
-policy {AUTOMATIC |
MANUAL}

Management policy for the service
If AUTOMATIC (the default), the service is automatically started
upon restart of the database, either by a planned restart (with
SRVCTL) or after a failure. Automatic restart is also subject to
the service role, however (the -role option).
If MANUAL, the service is never automatically restarted upon
planned restart of the database (with SRVCTL). A MANUAL
setting does not prevent Oracle Restart from monitoring the
service when it is running and restarting it if a failure occurs.

-failovertype {NONE
|SESSION | SELECT |
TRANSACTION}

To enable Application Continuity for Java, use TRANSACTION.
If the failover type is TRANSACTION, then the commit_outcome
option must be set to TRUE.
To enable Transparent Application Failover (TAF) for OCI,
use SELECT or SESSION.

-failovermethod {NONE |
BASIC}

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TAF failover method for backward compatibility only
If the failover type (-failovertype) is set to a value other
than NONE, then use BASIC for this option.

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

Table 4–14 (Cont.) srvctl add service Options
Option

Description

-failoverdelay integer

For Application Continuity and TAF, the time delay, in
seconds, between reconnect attempts for each incident at
failover

-failoverretry integer

For Application Continuity and TAF, the number of attempts
to connect after an incident

-clbgoal {SHORT | LONG}

Connection load balancing goal
Use SHORT for run-time load balancing.
Use LONG for long running connections, such as batch jobs.

-rlbgoal {SERVICE_TIME |
THROUGHPUT | NONE}

Run-time load balancing goal
Use SERVICE_TIME to balance connections by response time.
Use THROUGHPUT to balance connections by throughput.

-notification {TRUE |
FALSE}

Enable Fast Application Notification (FAN) for OCI
connections

-edition edition_name

The initial session edition of the service
When an edition is specified for a service, all subsequent
connections that specify the service use this edition as the
initial session edition. However, if a session connection
specifies a different edition, then the edition specified in the
session connection is used for the initial session edition.
SRVCTL does not validate the specified edition name. During
connection, the connect user must have USE privilege on the
specified edition. If the edition does not exist or if the connect
user does not have USE privilege on the specified edition, then
an error is raised.

-pdb pluggable_database

In a multitenant container database (CDB), the name of the
pluggable database (PDB) to associate with the service
If this option is set to an empty string, then the service is
associated with root.

-sql_translation_profile
sql_translation_profile

A SQL translation profile for a service that you are adding
after you have migrated applications from a non-Oracle
database to an Oracle database
This parameter corresponds to the SQL translation profile
parameter in the DBMS_SERVICE service attribute.
Notes:
■

■

Before using the SQL translation framework, you must
migrate all server-side application objects and data to the
Oracle database.
Use the srvctl config service command to display the
SQL translation profile.

See Also: Oracle Database Migration Guide for more
information about using a SQL translation profile

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-37

add

Table 4–14 (Cont.) srvctl add service Options
Option

Description

-commit_outcome {TRUE |
FALSE}

For Transaction Guard, when TRUE a transaction's commit
outcome is accessible after the transaction’s session fails due
to a recoverable outage.
If FALSE, the default, then a transaction’s commit outcome is
not retained.
When this option is set to TRUE, the outcome of a transaction’s
commit is durable, and an applications can determine the
commit status of a transaction after an outage. You can set
commit_outcome to TRUE for a user-defined service.
The commit_outcome setting has no effect on Oracle Active
Data Guard and read-only databases.
See Also: See Oracle Database Development Guide for more
information.

-retention retention

If commit_outcome is set to TRUE, then this option determines
the amount of time, in seconds, that the commit outcome is
retained. The default is 24 hours (86400).
If commit_outcome is set to FALSE, then this option cannot be
set.

-replay_init_time replay_
init_time

For Application Continuity, this option specifies the
difference between the time, in seconds, of original execution
of the first operation of a request and the time that the replay
is ready to start after a successful reconnect. Application
Continuity will not replay after the specified amount of time
has passed. This option is intended to avoid the unintentional
execution of a transaction when a system is recovered after a
long period of time. The default is 5 minutes (300). The
maximum value is 24 hours (86400).
If FAILOVER_TYPE is not set to TRANSACTION, then this option is
not used.

-session_state {STATIC |
DYNAMIC}

For Application Continuity, this option specifies whether an
application modifies the session state statically or
dynamically. This option is used when -failovertype is set
to TRANSACTION.
The settings describe how the session state that is not
transactional is changed by the application. Examples of
session states are NLS settings, optimizer preferences, event
settings, PL/SQL global variables, temporary tables,
advanced queues, LOBs, and result cache.
When set to STATIC, all session state settings such as NLS
settings and optimizer preferences are set as part of the
connection initialization once for each request. This session
state does not change within a request. This setting is used
only for database diagnostic applications that do not change
session state. Do not set STATIC mode if there and any
nontransactional state changes in the request that cannot be
re-established by a callback. If you are unsure, then use
DYNAMIC mode.
When set to DYNAMIC, the default, session states are changed
while the application is executing. Examples of state changes
that vary at runtime are PL/SQL variables, temporary table
contents, LOB processing, and result cache processing. If the
application uses PL/SQL, SYS_CONTEXT, Java in the database,
then set this option to DYNAMIC.

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Table 4–14 (Cont.) srvctl add service Options
Option

Description

-global {TRUE | FALSE}

If TRUE, then the service is a Global Data Services (GDS)
service and is managed by the Global Services Manager
(GSM).
If FALSE, the default, then the service is not a GDS service.
The global attribute of a service cannot be changed after the
service is added.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and
Administration Guide for more information.

-maxlag maximum_lag_time

Maximum replication lag time in seconds. Must be a
non-negative integer. The default value is ANY.

-force

Force the add operation even though a listener is not
configured for a network.

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

This example adds the sales service for the database with DB_UNIQUE_NAME dbcrm. The
service is started only when dbcrm is in PRIMARY mode.
srvctl add service -db dbcrm -service sales -role PRIMARY

See Also:
■

The section in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference
on the DBMS_SERVICE package for more information about the
options for this command

■

"Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard" on page 4-5

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

■

"Creating, Modifying, or Removing a Service for a PDB" on
page 42-16

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-39

config

config
The srvctl config command displays the Oracle Restart configuration of the specified
component or set of components.
Table 4–15

srvctl config Summary

Command

Description

srvctl config asm on page 4-40

Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information
for the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl config database on page 4-40

Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information
for the specified database, or lists all databases managed
by Oracle Restart

srvctl config listener on page 4-41

Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information
for all listeners or for the specified listener

srvctl config ons on page 4-42

Displays the current configuration information for ONS.

srvctl config service on page 4-42

For the specified database, displays the Oracle Restart
configuration information for the specified database
service or for all database services

srvctl config asm
Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information for the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl config asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl config asm [-all]
Table 4–16

srvctl config asm Options

Option

Description

-all

Display enabled/disabled status also

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl config asm -all
asm home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/grid
ASM is enabled.

srvctl config database
Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information for the specified database, or
lists all databases managed by Oracle Restart.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl config database command with the following syntax:
srvctl config database [-db db_unique_name [-all]] [-verbose]

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Table 4–17

srvctl config database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified,
then this option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for
DB_NAME.

-all

Display detailed configuration information

-verbose

Verbose output

Examples

An example of this command to list all Oracle Restart–managed databases is:
srvctl config database
dbcrm
orcl

An example of this command to display configuration and enabled/disabled status for
the database with the DB_UNIQUE_ID orcl is:
srvctl config database -db orcl -all
Database unique name: orcl
Database name: orcl
Oracle home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
Oracle user: oracle
Spfile: +DATA/orcl/spfileorcl.ora
Domain: us.example.com
Start options: open
Stop options: immediate
Database role:
Management policy: automatic
Disk Groups: DATA
Services: mfg,sales
Database is enabled

srvctl config listener
Displays the Oracle Restart configuration information for all Oracle Restart–managed
listeners or for the specified listener.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl config listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl config listener [-listener listener_name]
Table 4–18

srvctl config listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_
name

Listener name. If omitted, configuration information for all Oracle
Restart–managed listeners is displayed.

Example

This example displays the configuration information and enabled/disabled status for
the default listener:

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-41

config

srvctl config listener
Name: LISTENER
Home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
End points: TCP:1521
Listener is enabled.

srvctl config ons
Displays the current configuration information for Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl config ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl config ons

srvctl config service
For the specified database, displays the Oracle Restart configuration information for
the specified database service or for all Oracle Restart–managed database services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl config service command with the following syntax:
srvctl config service -db db_unique_name [-service service_name] [-verbose]
Table 4–19

srvctl config service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified,
then this option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for
DB_NAME.

-service service_name

Database service name. If omitted, SRVCTL displays configuration
information for all Oracle Restart–managed services for the
database.

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl config service -db dbcrm -service sales
Service name: sales
Service is enabled
Cardinality: SINGLETON
Disconnect: true
Service role: PRIMARY
Management policy: automatic
DTP transaction: false
AQ HA notifications: false
Failover type: NONE
Failover method: NONE
TAF failover retries: 0
TAF failover delay: 0
Connection Load Balancing Goal: NONE
Runtime Load Balancing Goal: NONE
TAF policy specification: NONE

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Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-43

disable

disable
Disables a component, which suspends management of that component by Oracle
Restart. The srvctl disable command is intended to be used when a component must
be repaired or shut down for maintenance, and should not be restarted automatically.
When you disable a component:
■

It is no longer automatically restarted.

■

It is no longer automatically started through a dependency.

■

It cannot be started with SRVCTL.

To perform srvctl disable operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
See Also:
Table 4–20

The enable command on page 4-48

srvctl disable Summary

Command

Description

srvctl disable asm on page 4-44

Disables the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl disable database on page 4-44

Disables a database

srvctl disable diskgroup on page 4-45

Disables an Oracle ASM disk group

srvctl disable listener on page 4-45

Disables the specified listener or all listeners

srvctl disable ons on page 4-45

Disables ONS

srvctl disable service on page 4-46

Disables one or more database services for the
specified database

srvctl disable asm
Disables the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable asm

srvctl disable database
Disables the specified database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable database command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable database -db db_unique_name

Table 4–21

srvctl disable database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

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Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl disable database -db dbcrm

srvctl disable diskgroup
Disables an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name
Table 4–22

srvctl disable diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl disable diskgroup -diskgroup DATA

srvctl disable listener
Disables the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable listener [-listener listener_name]
Table 4–23

srvctl disable listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, all listeners are disabled.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl disable listener -listener crmlistener

srvctl disable ons
Disables Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable ons [-verbose]
Table 4–24

srvctl disable ons Options

Option

Description

-verbose

Verbose output

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-45

disable

srvctl disable service
Disables one or more database services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl disable service command with the following syntax:
srvctl disable service -db db_unique_name -service service_name_list
[-global_override
Table 4–25

srvctl disable service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the
DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter setting.
If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified, then this
option must match the DB_NAME initialization
parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name_list

Comma-delimited list of database service
names

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS)
service, then this option must be specified to
disable the service.
An error is returned if you attempt to disable a
GDS service and -global_override is not
included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS
service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts
and Administration Guide for more information.

Example

The following example disables the database service sales and mfg:
srvctl disable service -db dbcrm -service sales,mfg

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downgrade
The srvctl downgrade command downgrades the database configuration after you
manually downgrade the database.

srvctl downgrade database
The srvctl downgrade database command downgrades the configuration of a
database and its services from its current version to the specified lower version.
Syntax and Parameters

Use the srvctl downgrade database command with the following syntax:
srvctl downgrade database -db db_unique_name -oraclehome oracle_home
-targetversion to_version
Table 4–26

srvctl downgrade database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-oraclehome oracle_home

The full path of Oracle home for the database

-targetversion to_
version

The version to which to downgrade

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-47

enable

enable
The srvctl enable command reenables the specified disabled component so that:
■

Oracle Restart can automatically restart it.

■

It can be automatically started through a dependency.

■

You can start it manually with SRVCTL.

If the component is already enabled, then the command is ignored.
When you add a component to the Oracle Restart configuration, it is enabled by
default.
To perform srvctl enable operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–27

srvctl enable Summary

Command

Description

srvctl enable asm on page 4-48

Enables an Oracle ASM instance.

srvctl enable database on page 4-48

Enables a database.

srvctl enable diskgroup on page 4-49 Enables an Oracle ASM disk group.
srvctl enable listener on page 4-49

Enables the specified listener or all listeners.

srvctl enable ons on page 4-49

Enables ONS.

srvctl enable service on page 4-50

Enables one or more database services for the specified
database.

See Also:

The disable command on page 4-44

srvctl enable asm
Enables an Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable asm

srvctl enable database
Enables the specified database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable database command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable database -db db_unique_name

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Table 4–28

srvctl enable database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl enable database -db dbcrm

srvctl enable diskgroup
Enables an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name
Table 4–29

srvctl enable diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl enable diskgroup -diskgroup DATA

srvctl enable listener
Enables the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable listener [-listener listener_name]
Table 4–30

srvctl enable listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, all listeners are enabled.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl enable listener -listener crmlistener

srvctl enable ons
Enables Oracle Notification Services (ONS).

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-49

enable

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable ons [-verbose]
Table 4–31

srvctl enable ons Options

Option

Description

-verbose

Verbose output

srvctl enable service
Enables one or more database services for the specified database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl enable service command with the following syntax:
srvctl enable service -db db_unique_name -service service_name_list
[-global_override]
Table 4–32

srvctl enable service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name_list

Comma-delimited list of database service names

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS) service, then this
option must be specified to enable the service.
An error is returned if you attempt to enable a GDS service
and -global_override is not included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and
Administration Guide for more information.

Examples

The following example enables the database services sales and mfg in the database
with DB_UNIQUE_NAME dbcrm:
srvctl enable service -db dbcrm -service "sales,mfg"

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getenv
Gets and displays environment variables and their values from the Oracle Restart
configuration for a database, listener, or Oracle ASM instance.
Table 4–33

srvctl getenv Summary

Command

Description

srvctl getenv asm on page 4-51

Displays the configured environment variables for
the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl getenv database on page 4-51

Displays the configured environment variables for
the specified database instance

srvctl getenv listener on page 4-52

Displays the configured environment variables for
the specified listener

See Also:
■

setenv command on page 4-63

■

unsetenv command on page 4-79

■

"Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart
Configuration" on page 4-16

srvctl getenv asm
Displays the configured environment variables for the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl getenv asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl getenv asm [-envs name_list]
Table 4–34

srvctl getenv asm Options

Options

Description

-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of names of environment variables to
display. If omitted, SRVCTL displays all configured environment
variables for Oracle ASM.

Example

The following example displays all configured environment variables for the Oracle
ASM instance:
srvctl getenv asm

srvctl getenv database
Displays the configured environment variables for the specified database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl getenv database command with the following syntax:
srvctl getenv database -db db_unique_name [-envs name_list]

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-51

getenv

Table 4–35

srvctl getenv database Options

Options

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified,
then this option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for
DB_NAME.

-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of names of environment variables to
display. If omitted, SRVCTL displays all configured environment
variables.

Example

The following example displays all configured environment variables for the database
with DB_UNIQUE_NAME dbcrm:
srvctl getenv database -db dbcrm

srvctl getenv listener
Displays the configured environment variables for the specified listener.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl getenv listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl getenv listener [-listener listener_name] [-envs name_list]
Table 4–36

srvctl getenv listener Options

Options

Description

-listener listener_name Listener name. If omitted, SRVCTL lists environment variables for
all listeners.
-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of names of environment variables to
display. If omitted, SRVCTL displays all configured environment
variables.

Example

The following example displays all configured environment variables for the listener
named crmlistener:
srvctl getenv listener -listener crmlistener

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modify
Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration of a component. The change takes effect
when the component is next restarted.
To perform srvctl modify operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–37

srvctl modify Summary

Command

Description

srvctl modify asm on page 4-53

Modifies the configuration for Oracle ASM

srvctl modify database on page 4-54

Modifies the configuration for a database

srvctl modify listener on page 4-54

Modifies the configuration for the specified listener or
all listeners

srvctl modify ons on page 4-55

Modifies ONS

srvctl modify service on page 4-55

Modifies the configuration for a database service

srvctl modify asm
Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration for the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl modify asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl modify asm [-listener listener_name] [-spfile spfile]
[-pwfile password_file_path] [-diskstring asm_diskstring]
Table 4–38

srvctl modify asm Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Name of the listener with which Oracle ASM must register. A
weak dependency is established with this listener. (Before Oracle
ASM is started, Oracle Restart ensures that this listener is
started.)

-spfile spfile

The full path of the server parameter file for the database. If
omitted, the default SPFILE is used.

-pwfile password_file_
path

The full path of the Oracle ASM password file.

-diskstring asm_
diskstring

Oracle ASM disk group discovery string. An Oracle ASM
discovery string is a comma-delimited list of strings that limits
the set of disks that an Oracle ASM instance discovers. The
discovery strings can include wildcard characters. Only disks
that match one of the strings are discovered.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl modify asm -listener crmlistener

See Also: Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide
for more information about Oracle ASM disk group discovery strings

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-53

modify

srvctl modify database
Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration for a database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl modify database command with the following syntax:
srvctl modify database -db db_unique_name [-oraclehome oracle_home]
[-user oracle_user] [-domain domain_name] [-dbname db_name]
[-instance instance_name] [-instance instance_name] [-spfile spfile]
[-pwfile password_file_path] [-startoption start_options]
[-stopoption stop_options]
[-role {PRIMARY | PHYSICAL_STANDBY | LOGICAL_STANDBY | SNAPSHOT_STANDBY}]
[-policy {AUTOMATIC | MANUAL | NORESTART}]
[{-diskgroup "diskgroup_list" | -nodiskgroup}] [-force]
Table 4–39

srvctl modify database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified,
then this option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting
for DB_NAME.

-user oracle_user

Name of the Oracle user who owns the Oracle home directory

-diskgroup disk_group_
list

Comma separated list of disk groups upon which the database is
dependent. When starting the database, Oracle Restart first
ensures that these disk groups are mounted. This option is
required only if the database instance and the Oracle ASM
instance are not started when adding the database. Otherwise, the
dependency is recorded automatically between the database and
its disk groups.

-nodiskgroup

Remove the database's dependency on Oracle ASM disk groups

-force

Force the operation even though the some resources might be
stopped.

(Other options)

See Table 4–11 on page 4-33

Example

The following example changes the role of the database with DB_UNIQUE_NAME dbcrm to
LOGICAL_STANDBY:
srvctl modify database -db dbcrm -role logical_standby

See Also:
■

"Oracle Restart Integration with Oracle Data Guard" on page 4-5

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

srvctl modify listener
Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration for the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl modify listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl modify listener [-listener listener_name] [-endpoints endpoints]
[-oraclehome oracle_home]

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Table 4–40

srvctl modify listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, all listener configurations are
modified.

-endpoints endpoints

Comma separated TCP ports or listener endpoints. endpoints
syntax is:
"[TCP:]port[, ...] [/IPC:key] [/NMP:pipe_name]
[/TCPS:s_port] [/SDP:port]"

-oraclehome oracle_home

New Oracle home for the listener

Example

This example modifies the TCP port on which the listener named crmlistener listens:
srvctl modify listener -listener crmlistener -endpoints TCP:1522

srvctl modify ons
Modifies Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl modify ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl modify ons [-emport em_port] [-onslocalport ons_local_port]
[-onsremoteport ons_remote_port] [-remoteservers host[:port],[host[:port]...]]
[-verbose]
Table 4–41

srvctl modify ons Options

Option

Description

-emport em_port

ONS listening port for Cloud Control. The default is 2016.

-onslocalport ons_local_ ONS listening port for local client connections
port
-onsremoteport ons_
remote_port

ONS listening port for connections from remote hosts

-remoteservers
A list of host:port pairs of remote hosts that are part of the ONS
host[:port],[host[:port] network
,...
Note: If port is not specified for a remote host, then ons_remote_
port is used.
-verbose

Verbose output

srvctl modify service
Modifies the Oracle Restart configuration of a database service.
Oracle recommends that you limit configuration changes to
the minimum requirement and that you not perform other service
operations while the online service modification is in progress.

Note:

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl modify service command with the following syntax:
srvctl modify service -db db_unique_name -service service_name
[-role [PRIMARY][,PHYSICAL_STANDBY][,LOGICAL_STANDBY][,SNAPSHOT_STANDBY]]

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-55

modify

[-policy {AUTOMATIC | MANUAL}]
[-failovertype {NONE | SESSION | SELECT | TRANSACTION}]
[-failovermethod {NONE | BASIC}] [-failoverdelay integer]
[-failoverretry integer] [-clbgoal {SHORT | LONG}]
[-rlbgoal {SERVICE_TIME | THROUGHPUT | NONE}] [-notification {TRUE | FALSE}]
[-edition edition_name] [-pdb pluggable_database]
[-sql_translation_profile sql_translation_profile]
[-commit_outcome {TRUE | FALSE}] [-retention retention]
[-replay_init_time replay_init_time] [-session_state {STATIC | DYNAMIC}]
[-global_override] [-verbose]
Table 4–42

srvctl modify service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database
The name must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization
parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified, then this
option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the
setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name

Service name

-role [PRIMARY][,PHYSICAL_ A list of service roles
STANDBY][,LOGICAL_
This option is applicable in Oracle Data Guard environments
STANDBY][,SNAPSHOT_STANDBY] only. When this option is present, upon database startup, the
service is started only when one of its service roles matches
the current database role.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for
more information about database roles
-policy {AUTOMATIC |
MANUAL}

Management policy for the service
If AUTOMATIC (the default), the service is automatically started
upon restart of the database, either by a planned restart (with
SRVCTL) or after a failure. Automatic restart is also subject to
the service role, however (the -role option).
If MANUAL, the service is never automatically restarted upon
planned restart of the database (with SRVCTL). A MANUAL
setting does not prevent Oracle Restart from monitoring the
service when it is running and restarting it if a failure occurs.

-failovertype {NONE
|SESSION | SELECT |
TRANSACTION}

To enable Application Continuity for Java, use TRANSACTION. If
the failover type is TRANSACTION, then the -commit_outcome
option must be set to TRUE.
To enable Transparent Application Failover (TAF) for OCI, use
SELECT or SESSION.

-failovermethod {NONE |
BASIC}

TAF failover method for backward compatibility only

-failoverdelay integer

For Application Continuity and TAF, the time delay, in
seconds, between reconnect attempts for each incident at
failover

-failoverretry integer

For Application Continuity and TAF, the number of attempts
to connect after an incident

-clbgoal {SHORT | LONG}

Connection load balancing goal

If the failover type (-failovertype) is set to a value other
than NONE, then use BASIC for this option.

Use SHORT for run-time load balancing.
Use LONG for long running connections, such as batch jobs.

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Table 4–42 (Cont.) srvctl modify service Options
Option

Description

-rlbgoal {SERVICE_TIME |
THROUGHPUT | NONE}

Run-time load balancing goal
Use SERVICE_TIME to balance connections by response time.
Use THROUGHPUT to balance connections by throughput.

-notification {TRUE |
FALSE}

Enable Fast Application Notification (FAN) for OCI
connections

-edition edition_name

The initial session edition of the service
If this option is not specified, then the edition is not modified
for the service.
If this option is specified but edition_name is empty, then the
edition is set to NULL. A NULL edition has no effect.
When an edition is specified for a service, all subsequent
connections that specify the service use this edition as the
initial session edition. However, if a session connection
specifies a different edition, then the edition specified in the
session connection is used for the initial session edition.
SRVCTL does not validate the specified edition name. During
connection, the connect user must have USE privilege on the
specified edition. If the edition does not exist or if the connect
user does not have USE privilege on the specified edition, then
an error is raised.

-pdb pluggable_database

In a CDB, the name of the PDB to associate with the service
If this option is set to an empty string, then the service is
associated with root.

-sql_translation_profile
sql_translation_profile

A SQL translation profile for a service that you are adding
after you have migrated applications from a non-Oracle
database to an Oracle database
Note: Before using the SQL translation framework, you must
migrate all server-side application objects and data to the
Oracle database.
See Also: Oracle Database Migration Guide for more
information about using a SQL translation profile

-commit_outcome {TRUE |
FALSE}

For Transaction Guard, when TRUE a transaction's commit
outcome is accessible after the transaction’s session fails due
to a recoverable outage.
If FALSE, the default, then a transaction’s commit outcome is
not retained.
When this option is set to TRUE, the outcome of a transaction’s
commit is durable, and an applications can determine the
commit status of a transaction after an outage. You can set
commit_outcome to TRUE for a user-defined service.
The commit_outcome setting has no effect on Oracle Active
Data Guard and read-only databases.
See Also: See Oracle Database Development Guide for more
information.

-retention retention

If commit_outcome is set to TRUE, then this option determines
the amount of time, in seconds, that the commit outcome is
retained. The default is 24 hours (86400).
If commit_outcome is set to FALSE, then this option cannot be
set.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-57

modify

Table 4–42 (Cont.) srvctl modify service Options
Option

Description

-replay_init_time replay_
init_time

For Application Continuity, this option specifies the difference
between the time, in seconds, of original execution of the first
operation of a request and the time that the replay is ready to
start after a successful reconnect. Application Continuity will
not replay after the specified amount of time has passed. This
option is intended to avoid the unintentional execution of a
transaction when a system is recovered after a long period of
time. The default is 5 minutes (300). The maximum value is 24
hours (86400).
If FAILOVER_TYPE is not set to TRANSACTION, then this option is
not used.

-session_state {STATIC |
DYNAMIC}

For Application Continuity, this option specifies whether an
application modifies the session state statically or
dynamically. This option is used when -failovertype is set to
TRANSACTION.
The settings describe how the session state that is not
transactional is changed by the application. Examples of
session states are NLS settings, optimizer preferences, event
settings, PL/SQL global variables, temporary tables,
advanced queues, LOBs, and result cache.
When set to STATIC, all session state settings such as NLS
settings and optimizer preferences are set as part of the
connection initialization once for each request. This session
state does not change within a request. This setting is used
only for database diagnostic applications that do not change
session state. Do not set STATIC mode if there and any
nontransactional state changes in the request that cannot be
re-established by a callback. If you are unsure, then use
DYNAMIC mode.
When set to DYNAMIC, the default, session states are changed
while the application is executing. Examples of state changes
that vary at runtime are PL/SQL variables, temporary table
contents, LOB processing, and result cache processing. If the
application uses PL/SQL, SYS_CONTEXT, Java in the database,
then set this option to DYNAMIC.

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Table 4–42 (Cont.) srvctl modify service Options
Option

Description

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS) service, then this
option must be specified to modify any of the following
service attributes:
■

-role

■

-policy

■

-failovertype

■

-failovermethod

■

-failoverdelay

■

-failoverretry

■

-edition

■

-clbgoal

■

-rlbgoal

■

-notification

An error is returned if you attempt to modify one of these
options for a GDS service and -global_override is not
included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and
Administration Guide for more information.
-verbose

Verbose output

Example

For the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, the following command changes the
Oracle Data Guard role of the database service named support to standby:
srvctl modify service -db dbcrm -service support -role standby

See Also:

"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-59

remove

remove
Removes the specified component from the Oracle Restart configuration. Oracle
Restart no longer manages the component. Any environment variable settings for the
component are also removed.
Before you remove a component from the Oracle Restart configuration, you must use
SRVCTL to stop it. Oracle recommends that you disable the component before
removing it, but this is not required.
To perform srvctl remove operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–43

srvctl remove Summary

Command

Description

srvctl remove asm on page 4-60

Removes the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl remove database on page 4-60

Removes a database

srvctl remove diskgroup on page 4-61

Removes an Oracle ASM disk group

srvctl remove listener on page 4-61

Removes a listener

srvctl remove ons on page 4-62

Removes an ONS

srvctl remove service on page 4-62

Removes one or more database services

See Also:
■

stop command on page 4-74

■

disable command on page 4-44

srvctl remove asm
Removes an Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl remove asm [-force]
Table 4–44

srvctl remove asm Options

Options

Description

-force

Force remove, even when disk groups and databases that use
Oracle ASM exist or when the Oracle ASM instance is running.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl remove asm

srvctl remove database
Removes a database. Prompts for confirmation first.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove database command with the following syntax:
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srvctl remove database -db db_unique_name [-force] [-noprompt] [-verbose]
Table 4–45

srvctl remove database Options

Options

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-force

Force. Removes the database even if it is running.

-noprompt

Suppresses the confirmation prompt and removes immediately

-verbose

Verbose output. A success or failure message is displayed.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl remove database -db dbcrm

srvctl remove diskgroup
Removes an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl remove diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name [-force]
Table 4–46

srvctl remove diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

-force

Force. Removes the disk group even if files are open on it.

Examples

This example removes the disk group named DATA. An error is returned if files are
open on this disk group.
srvctl remove diskgroup -diskgroup DATA

srvctl remove listener
Removes the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl remove listener [-listener listener_name | -all] [-force]
Table 4–47

srvctl remove listener Options

Options

Description

-listener listener_name

Name of the listener that you want to remove. If omitted, then
the default is LISTENER.

-all

Remove all listeners

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-61

remove

Table 4–47 (Cont.) srvctl remove listener Options
Options

Description

-force

Force. Removes the listener even if databases are using it.

Example

The following command removes the listener lsnr01:
srvctl remove listener -listener lsnr01

srvctl remove ons
Removes Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove ons command as follows:
srvctl remove ons [-force] [-verbose]
Table 4–48

srvctl remove ons Options

Options

Description

-force

Force. Removes ONS even if it is enabled.

-verbose

Verbose output

srvctl remove service
Removes the specified database service.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl remove service command as follows:
srvctl remove service -db db_unique_name -service service_name [-global_override]
Table 4–49

srvctl remove service Options

Options

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name

Service name

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS) service, then this
option must be specified to remove the service.
An error is returned if you attempt to remove a GDS service
and -global_override is not included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and
Administration Guide for more information.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl remove service -db dbcrm -service sales

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setenv
The setenv command sets values of environment variables in the Oracle Restart
configuration for a database, a listener, or the Oracle ASM instance.
To perform srvctl setenv operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–50

srvctl setenv and unsetenv Summary

Command

Description

srvctl setenv asm on
page 4-63

Sets environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for
an Oracle ASM instance

srvctl setenv database on Sets environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for a
page 4-64
database instance
srvctl setenv listener on
page 4-64

Sets environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for
the specified listener or all listeners

See Also:
■

getenv command on page 4-51

■

unsetenv command on page 4-79

■

"Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart
Configuration" on page 4-16

srvctl setenv asm
Sets the values of environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for the
Oracle ASM instance. Before starting the instance, Oracle Restart sets environment
variables to the values stored in the configuration.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl setenv asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl setenv asm {-envs name=val[,name=val,...] | -env name=val}
Table 4–51

srvctl setenv database Options

Options

Description

-envs name=val[,name=val,...] Comma-delimited list of name/value pairs of environment
variables
-env name=val

Enables single environment variable to be set to a value
that contains commas or other special characters

Example

The following example sets the AIX operating system environment variable
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE in the Oracle ASM instance configuration:
srvctl setenv asm -envs AIXTHREAD_SCOPE=S

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-63

setenv

srvctl setenv database
Sets the values of environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for a
database instance. Before starting the instance, Oracle Restart sets environment
variables to the values stored in the configuration.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl setenv database command with the following syntax:
srvctl setenv database -db db_unique_name
{-envs name=val[,name=val,...] | -env name=val}
Table 4–52

srvctl setenv database Options

Options

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-envs name=val[,name=val,...] Comma-delimited list of name/value pairs of environment
variables
-env name=val

Enables single environment variable to be set to a value
that contains commas or other special characters

Example

The following example sets the LANG environment variable in the configuration of the
database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
srvctl setenv database -db dbcrm -envs LANG=en

srvctl setenv listener
Sets the values of environment variables in the Oracle Restart configuration for a
listener. Before starting the listener, Oracle Restart sets environment variables to the
values stored in the configuration.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl setenv listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl setenv listener [-listener listener_name]
{-envs name=val[,name=val,...] | -env name=val}
Table 4–53

srvctl setenv listener Options

Options

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, sets the specified environment
variables in all listener configurations.

-envs name=val[,name=val,...] Comma-delimited list of name/value pairs of environment
variables
-env name=val

Enables single environment variable to be set to a value
that contains commas or other special characters

Example

The following example sets the AIX operating system environment variable
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE in the configuration of the listener named crmlistener:

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srvctl setenv listener -listener crmlistener -envs AIXTHREAD_SCOPE=S

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-65

start

start
Starts the specified component or components.
Table 4–54

srvctl start Summary

Command

Description

srvctl start asm on page 4-66

Starts the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl start database on page 4-67

Starts the specified database

srvctl start diskgroup on page 4-67

Starts (mounts) the specified Oracle ASM disk
group

srvctl start home on page 4-68

Starts all of the components managed by Oracle
Restart in the specified Oracle home

srvctl start listener on page 4-68

Starts the specified listener or all Oracle
Restart–managed listeners

srvctl start ons on page 4-68

Starts ONS

srvctl start service on page 4-69

Starts the specified database service or services

See Also: "Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle
Restart" on page 4-24

srvctl start asm
Starts the Oracle ASM instance.
For this command, SRVCTL connects "/ as sysasm" to perform the operation. To run
such operations, the owner of the executables in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home
must be a member of the OSASM group, and users running the commands must also
be in the OSASM group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl start asm [-startoption start_options]
Table 4–55

srvctl start asm Option

Option

Description

-startoption start_
options

Comma-delimited list of options for the startup command (OPEN,
MOUNT, NOMOUNT, or FORCE). If omitted, defaults to normal startup
(OPEN).
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information about startup options

Examples

This example starts the Oracle ASM instance, which then mounts any disk groups
named in the ASM_DISKGROUPS initialization parameter:
srvctl start asm

This example starts the Oracle ASM instance without mounting any disk groups:
srvctl start asm -startoption nomount

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srvctl start database
Starts the specified database instance.
For this command, SRVCTL connects "/ as sysdba" to perform the operation. To run
such operations, the owner of the Oracle executables in the database Oracle home
must be a member of the OSDBA group (for example, the dba group on UNIX and
Linux), and users running the commands must also be in the OSDBA group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start database command with the following syntax:
srvctl start database -db db_unique_name [-startoption start_options] [-verbose]
Table 4–56

srvctl start database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-startoption start_
options

Comma-delimited list of options for the startup command (for
example: OPEN, MOUNT, NOMOUNT, RESTRICT, and so on)
Notes:
■

■

This command parameter does not support the PFILE option
or the QUIET option, but it supports all other database
startup options.
For multi-word startup options, such as read only and read
write, separate the words with a space and enclose in single
quotation marks (''). For example, 'read only'.
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information about startup options

Verbose output

-verbose

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl start database -db dbcrm -startoption nomount

srvctl start diskgroup
Starts (mounts) an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl start diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name
Table 4–57

srvctl start diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

Example

An example of this command is:

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-67

start

srvctl start diskgroup -diskgroup DATA

srvctl start home
Starts all of the components that are managed by Oracle Restart in the specified Oracle
home. The Oracle home can be an Oracle Database home or an Oracle Grid
Infrastructure home.
This command starts the components that were stopped by a srvctl stop home. This
command uses the information in the specified state file to identify the components to
start.
Use this command to restart components after you install a
patch in an Oracle home.

Note:

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start home command with the following syntax:
srvctl start home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file
Table 4–58

srvctl start home Options

Option

Description

-oraclehome oracle_home

Complete path of the Oracle home

-statefile state_file

Complete path of the state file. The state file contains the current
state information for the components in the Oracle home and is
created when the srvctl stop home command or the srvctl
status home command is run.

srvctl start listener
Starts the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl start listener [-listener listener_name]
Table 4–59

srvctl start listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, all Oracle Restart–managed listeners
are started.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl start listener -listener listener

srvctl start ons
Starts Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl start ons [-verbose]

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Table 4–60

srvctl start ons Options

Option

Description

-verbose

Verbose output

srvctl start service
Starts the specified database service or services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl start service command with the following syntax:
srvctl start service -db db_unique_name [-service service_name_list]
[-startoption start_options] [-global_override] [-verbose]
Table 4–61

srvctl start service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is unspecified,
then this option must match the DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting. The default setting for DB_UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for
DB_NAME.

-service service_name_
list

Comma-delimited list of service names. The service name list is
optional and, if not provided, SRVCTL starts all of the database's
services.

-startoption start_
options

Options for database startup (for example: OPEN, MOUNT, NOMOUNT
and so on) if the database must be started first
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information about startup options

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS) service, then this
option must be specified to start the service.
An error is returned if you attempt to start a GDS service and
-global_override is not included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and Administration
Guide for more information.

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

For the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, the following example starts the
sales database service:
srvctl start service -db dbcrm -service sales

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-69

status

status
Displays the running status of the specified component or set of components.
Table 4–62

srvctl status Summary

Command

Description

srvctl status asm on page 4-70

Displays the running status of the Oracle ASM
instance

srvctl status database on page 4-70

Displays the running status of a database

srvctl status diskgroup on page 4-71

Displays the running status of an Oracle ASM disk
group

srvctl status home on page 4-71

Displays the running status of all of the components
that are managed by Oracle Restart in the specified
Oracle home

srvctl status listener on page 4-72

Displays the running status of the specified listener
or all Oracle Restart–managed listeners

srvctl status ons on page 4-72

Displays the running status of ONS

srvctl status service on page 4-72

Displays the running status of one or more services

srvctl status asm
Displays the running status of the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl status asm [-all] [-verbose]
Table 4–63

srvctl status asm Options

Option

Description

-all

Display enabled/disabled status also

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl status asm
ASM is running on dbhost

srvctl status database
Displays the running status of the specified database.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status database command with the following syntax:
srvctl status database -db db_unique_name [-force] [-verbose]

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Table 4–64

srvctl status database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-force

Display a message if the database is disabled

-verbose

Verbose output. Lists the database services that are running.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl status database -db dbcrm -verbose
Database dbcrm is running with online services mfg,sales

srvctl status diskgroup
Displays the running status of an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl status diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name [-all] [-verbose]
Table 4–65

srvctl status diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

-all

Display enabled/disabled status also

-verbose

Verbose output. Lists the database services that are running.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl status diskgroup -diskgroup DATA
Disk Group DATA is running on dbhost

srvctl status home
Displays the running status of all of the components that are managed by Oracle
Restart in the specified Oracle home. The Oracle home can be an Oracle Database
home or an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.
This command writes the current status of the components to the specified state file.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status home command with the following syntax:
srvctl status home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-71

status

Table 4–66

srvctl status home Options

Option

Description

-oraclehome oracle_home

Complete path of the Oracle home

-statefile state_file

Complete path of the state file

srvctl status listener
Displays the running status of the specified listener or of all Oracle Restart–managed
listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl status listener [-listener listener_name] [-verbose]
Table 4–67

srvctl status listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, the status of all listeners is displayed.

-verbose

Verbose output. Lists the database services that are running.

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl status listener -listener crmlistener
Listener CRMLISTENER is running on dbhost

srvctl status ons
Displays the running status of Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl status ons [-verbose]
Table 4–68

srvctl status ons Options

Option

Description

-verbose

Verbose output. Lists the database services that are running.

srvctl status service
Displays the running status of one or more database services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl status service command with the following syntax:
srvctl status service -db db_unique_name [-service service_name_list] [-force]
[-verbose]

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Table 4–69

srvctl status service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name_list

Comma-delimited list of service names. If omitted, status is
listed for all database services for the designated database.

-force

Display a message if a service is disabled

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

For the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, the following example displays
the running status of the service sales:
srvctl status service -db dbcrm -service sales
Service sales is running on dbhost

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-73

stop

stop
Stops the specified component or components.
If you want a component to remain stopped after you issue a srvctl stop command,
disable the component. See the disable command on page 4-44.
If a component is stopped and is not disabled, it could
restart as a result of another planned operation. That is, although a
stopped component will not restart as a result of a failure, it might
be started if a dependent component is started with a srvctl start
command.
Note:

Table 4–70

srvctl stop Summary

Command

Description

srvctl stop asm on page 4-74

Stops the Oracle ASM instance

srvctl stop database on page 4-75

Stops the specified database instance

srvctl stop diskgroup on page 4-75

Stops (dismounts) the specified Oracle ASM disk group

srvctl stop home on page 4-76

Stops all of the components managed by Oracle Restart
in the specified Oracle home

srvctl stop listener on page 4-76

Stops the specified listener or all listeners

srvctl stop ons on page 4-77

Stops ONS

srvctl stop service on page 4-77

Stops the specified database service or services

See Also: "Starting and Stopping Components Managed by Oracle
Restart" on page 4-24

srvctl stop asm
Stops the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop asm [-stopoption stop_options] [-force]
Table 4–71

srvctl stop asm Option

Option

Description

-stopoption stop_
options

Options for the shutdown operation, for example, NORMAL,
TRANSACTIONAL, IMMEDIATE, or ABORT
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more information
about shutdown options

-force

Force. Must be present if disk groups are currently started
(mounted). This option enables SRVCTL to stop the disk groups
before stopping Oracle ASM. Each dependent database instance is
also stopped according to its stop options, or with the ABORT option
if the configured stop options fail.

Example

An example of this command is:
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srvctl stop asm -stopoption abort -force

srvctl stop database
Stops a database and its services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop database command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop database -db db_unique_name [-stopoption stop_options] [-force]
[-verbose]
Table 4–72

srvctl stop database Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-stopoption stop_options SHUTDOWN command options (for example: NORMAL,
TRANSACTIONAL, IMMEDIATE, or ABORT). Default is IMMEDIATE.
-force

Stops the database, its services, and any resources that depend
on the services

-verbose

Verbose output

Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl stop database -db dbcrm

srvctl stop diskgroup
Stops (dismounts) an Oracle ASM disk group.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop diskgroup command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop diskgroup -diskgroup diskgroup_name [-force]
Table 4–73

srvctl stop diskgroup Options

Option

Description

-diskgroup diskgroup_
name

Disk group name

-force

Force. Dismount the disk group even if some files in the disk
group are open.

Examples

This example stops the disk group named DATA. An error is returned if files are open
on this disk group.
srvctl stop diskgroup -diskgroup DATA

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-75

stop

srvctl stop home
Stops all of the components that are managed by Oracle Restart in the specified Oracle
home. The Oracle home can be an Oracle Database home or an Oracle Grid
Infrastructure home.
This command identifies the components that it stopped in the specified state file.
Note:
■

■

Before stopping the components in an Oracle Grid Infrastructure
home, stop the components in a dependent Oracle Database
home.
Use this command to stop components before you install a patch
in an Oracle home.

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop home command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop home -oraclehome oracle_home -statefile state_file
[-stopoption stop_options] [-force]
Table 4–74

srvctl stop home Options

Option

Description

-oraclehome oracle_home

Complete path of the Oracle home

-statefile state_file

Complete path to where you want the state file to be written

-stopoption stop_options SHUTDOWN command options for the database (for example:
NORMAL, TRANSACTIONAL, IMMEDIATE, or ABORT). Default is
IMMEDIATE.
See Also: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information about shutdown options
Force stop each component

-force

srvctl stop listener
Stops the designated listener or all Oracle Restart–managed listeners. Stopping a
listener does not cause databases that are registered with the listener to be stopped.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop listener [-listener listener_name] [-force]
Table 4–75

srvctl stop listener Options

Option

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, all Oracle Restart–managed listeners
are stopped.

-force

Force. Passes the stop command with the -f option to Oracle
Clusterware. See Oracle Clusterware Administration and
Deployment Guide for more information about the Oracle
Clusterware -f option.

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Example

An example of this command is:
srvctl stop listener -listener crmlistener

srvctl stop ons
Stops Oracle Notification Services (ONS).
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop ons command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop ons [-verbose]
Table 4–76

srvctl stop ons Options

Option

Description

-verbose

Verbose output

srvctl stop service
Stops one or more database services.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl stop service command with the following syntax:
srvctl stop service -db db_unique_name [-service service_name_list]
[-global_override] [-force] [-verbose]

Table 4–77

srvctl stop service Options

Option

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-service service_name_
list

Comma-delimited list of database service names. If you do not
provide a service name list, then SRVCTL stops all services on
the database

-global_override

If the service is a Global Data Services (GDS) service, then this
option must be specified to stop the service.
An error is returned if you attempt to stop a GDS service and
-global_override is not included.
This option is ignored if the service is not a GDS service.
See Oracle Database Global Data Services Concepts and
Administration Guide for more information.

-force

Force. This option disconnects all of the stopped services'
sessions immediately. Uncommitted transactions are rolled back.
If this option is omitted, active sessions remain connected to the
services, but no further connections to the services can be made.

-verbose

Verbose output

Examples

The following example stops the sales database service on the database with a DB_
UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-77

stop

srvctl stop service -db dbcrm -service sales

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unsetenv
The unsetenv command deletes one or more environment variables from the Oracle
Restart configuration for a database, a listener, or an Oracle ASM instance.
To perform srvctl unsetenv operations, you must be logged in to the database host
computer with the proper user account. See "Preparing to Run SRVCTL" on page 4-10
for more information.
Table 4–78

srvctl unsetenv Command Summary

Command

Description

srvctl unsetenv asm on page 4-79

Removes the specified environment variables from
the Oracle Restart configuration for the Oracle ASM
instance

srvctl unsetenv database on page 4-79

Removes the specified environment variables from
the Oracle Restart configuration for a database

srvctl unsetenv listener on page 4-80

Removes the specified environment variables from
the Oracle Restart configuration for a listener or all
listeners

See Also:
■

setenv command on page 4-63

■

getenv command on page 4-51

■

"Managing Environment Variables in the Oracle Restart
Configuration" on page 4-16

srvctl unsetenv asm
Removes the specified environment variables from the Oracle Restart configuration for
the Oracle ASM instance.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl unsetenv asm command with the following syntax:
srvctl unsetenv asm -envs name_list
Table 4–79

srvctl unsetenv asm Options

Options

Description

-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of environment variables to remove

Example

The following example removes the AIX operating system environment variable
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE from the Oracle ASM instance configuration:
srvctl unsetenv asm -envs AIXTHREAD_SCOPE

srvctl unsetenv database
Removes the specified environment variables from the Oracle Restart configuration for
the specified database.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-79

unsetenv

Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl unsetenv database command as follows:
srvctl unsetenv database -db db_unique_name -envs name_list
Table 4–80

srvctl unsetenv database Options

Options

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of environment variables to remove

Example

The following example deletes the AIXTHREAD_SCOPE environment variable from the
Oracle Restart configuration for the database with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm:
srvctl unsetenv database -db dbcrm -envs AIXTHREAD_SCOPE

srvctl unsetenv listener
Removes the specified environment variables from the Oracle Restart configuration for
the specified listener or all listeners.
Syntax and Options

Use the srvctl unsetenv listener command with the following syntax:
srvctl unsetenv listener [-listener listener_name] -envs name_list
Table 4–81

srvctl unsetenv listener Options

Options

Description

-listener listener_name

Listener name. If omitted, the specified environment
variables are removed from the configurations of all
listeners.

-envs name_list

Comma-delimited list of environment variables to remove

Example

The following example removes the AIX operating system environment variable
AIXTHREAD_SCOPE from the listener configuration for the listener named crmlistener:
srvctl unsetenv listener -listener crmlistener -envs AIXTHREAD_SCOPE

4-80 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

SRVCTL Command Reference for Oracle Restart

update
The srvctl update command updates the running database to switch to the specified
startup option.

srvctl update database
The srvctl update database command changes the open mode of the database.
Syntax and Parameters

Use the srvctl update database command as follows:
srvctl update database -db db_unique_name --startoption start_options
Table 4–82

srvctl upgrade database Parameters

Parameter

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-startoption start_options

Startup options for the database. Examples of startup
options are OPEN, MOUNT, or "READ ONLY".

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-81

upgrade

upgrade
The srvctl upgrade command upgrades the resources types and resources from an
older version to a newer version.

srvctl upgrade database
The srvctl upgrade database command upgrades the configuration of a database
and all of its services to the version of the database home from where this command is
run.
Syntax and Parameters

Use the srvctl upgrade database command as follows:
srvctl upgrade database -db db_unique_name -oraclehome oracle_home
Table 4–83

srvctl upgrade database Parameters

Parameter

Description

-db db_unique_name

Unique name for the database. Must match the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME initialization parameter setting. If DB_UNIQUE_NAME is
unspecified, then this option must match the DB_NAME
initialization parameter setting. The default setting for DB_
UNIQUE_NAME uses the setting for DB_NAME.

-oraclehome oracle_home

The full path of Oracle home for the database

4-82 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

CRSCTL Command Reference

CRSCTL Command Reference
This section provides details about the syntax for the CRSCTL commands that are
relevant for Oracle Restart.
You must be the root user or Oracle grid infrastructure
software owner to run these CRSCTL commands.

Note:

CRSCTL Command Syntax Overview
CRSCTL expects the following command syntax:
crsctl command has

where command is a verb such as start, stop, or enable. The has object indicates Oracle
high availability services. See Table 4–84 on page 4-83 for a complete list of commands.
Case Sensitivity
CRSCTL commands and components are case insensitive.
Table 4–84

Summary of CRSCTL Commands

Command

Description

check on page 4-84

Displays the Oracle Restart status.

config on page 4-85

Displays the Oracle Restart configuration.

disable on page 4-86

Disables automatic restart of Oracle Restart.

enable on page 4-87

Enables automatic restart of Oracle Restart.

start on page 4-88

Starts Oracle Restart.

stop on page 4-89

Stops Oracle Restart.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-83

check

check
Displays the Oracle Restart status.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl check has

4-84 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

CRSCTL Command Reference

config
Displays the Oracle Restart configuration.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl config has

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-85

disable

disable
Disables automatic restart of Oracle Restart.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl disable has

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CRSCTL Command Reference

enable
Enables automatic restart of Oracle Restart.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl enable has

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-87

start

start
Starts Oracle Restart.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl start has

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CRSCTL Command Reference

stop
Stops Oracle Restart.

Syntax and Options
4

crsctl stop has [-f]
Table 4–85

crsctl stop has Options

Options

Description

-f

Force. If any resources that are managed by Oracle Restart are
still running, then try to stop these resources gracefully. If a
resource cannot be stopped gracefully, then try to force the
resource to stop.
For example, if an Oracle ASM instance is running, then
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE attempts to stop the Oracle ASM instance
gracefully, while SHUTDOWN ABORT attempts to force the Oracle
ASM instance to stop.
When the -f option is not specified, this command tries to stop
resources managed by Oracle Restart gracefully but does not try
to force them to stop.

Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database 4-89

stop

4-90 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

5
5

Managing Processes

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes

■

About Database Resident Connection Pooling

■

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

■

Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling

■

About Oracle Database Background Processes

■

Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution

■

Managing Processes for External Procedures

■

Terminating Sessions

■

Process and Session Data Dictionary Views

About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes
Oracle Database creates server processes to handle the requests of user processes
connected to an instance. A server process can be either of the following:
■

A dedicated server process, which services only one user process

■

A shared server process, which can service multiple user processes

Your database is always enabled to allow dedicated server processes, but you must
specifically configure and enable shared server by setting one or more initialization
parameters.

Dedicated Server Processes
Figure 5–1, "Oracle Database Dedicated Server Processes" illustrates how dedicated
server processes work. In this diagram two user processes are connected to the
database through dedicated server processes.
In general, it is better to be connected through a dispatcher and use a shared server
process. This is illustrated in Figure 5–2, "Oracle Database Shared Server Processes". A
shared server process can be more efficient because it keeps the number of processes
required for the running instance low.
In the following situations, however, users and administrators should explicitly
connect to an instance using a dedicated server process:
■

To submit a batch job (for example, when a job can allow little or no idle time for
the server process)
Managing Processes

5-1

About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes

■

To use Recovery Manager (RMAN) to back up, restore, or recover a database

To request a dedicated server connection when Oracle Database is configured for
shared server, users must connect using a net service name that is configured to use a
dedicated server. Specifically, the net service name value should include the
SERVER=DEDICATED clause in the connect descriptor.
See Also: Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for
more information about requesting a dedicated server connection
Figure 5–1 Oracle Database Dedicated Server Processes
User
Process

User
Process

Application
Code

Application
Code

Client Workstation

Database Server
Dedicated
Server
Process
Oracle
Server Code

Oracle
Server Code

Program
Interface

System Global Area

Shared Server Processes
Consider an order entry system with dedicated server processes. A customer phones
the order desk and places an order, and the clerk taking the call enters the order into
the database. For most of the transaction, the clerk is on the telephone talking to the
customer. A server process is not needed during this time, so the server process
dedicated to the clerk's user process remains idle. The system is slower for other clerks
entering orders, because the idle server process is holding system resources.
Shared server architecture eliminates the need for a dedicated server process for each
connection (see Figure 5–2).

5-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes

Figure 5–2 Oracle Database Shared Server Processes
User
Process

Code
Code
Code
Application
Code
Code
Code
Code
Code
Code

7

Client Workstation
Database Server

1
Dispatcher Processes
6

Oracle
Oracle
Oracle
Oracle
Server
Code
Server
Code
Server
Code
Server
Code

Shared
server
processes

3
4
2

System Global Area
Request
Queue

5

Response
Queues

In a shared server configuration, client user processes connect to a dispatcher. The
dispatcher can support multiple client connections concurrently. Each client
connection is bound to a virtual circuit, which is a piece of shared memory used by
the dispatcher for client database connection requests and replies. The dispatcher
places a virtual circuit on a common queue when a request arrives.
An idle shared server process picks up the virtual circuit from the common queue,
services the request, and relinquishes the virtual circuit before attempting to retrieve
another virtual circuit from the common queue. This approach enables a small pool of
server processes to serve a large number of clients. A significant advantage of shared
server architecture over the dedicated server model is the reduction of system
resources, enabling the support of an increased number of users.
For even better resource management, shared server can be configured for session
multiplexing, which combines multiple sessions for transmission over a single
network connection in order to conserve the operating system's resources.
Shared server architecture requires Oracle Net Services. User processes targeting the
shared server must connect through Oracle Net Services, even if they are on the same
system as the Oracle Database instance.

Managing Processes

5-3

About Database Resident Connection Pooling

See Also: Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for
more detailed information about shared server, including features
such as session multiplexing

About Database Resident Connection Pooling
Database Resident Connection Pooling (DRCP) provides a connection pool in the
database server for typical Web application usage scenarios where the application
acquires a database connection, works on it for a relatively short duration, and then
releases it. DRCP pools "dedicated" servers. A pooled server is the equivalent of a
server foreground process and a database session combined.
DRCP complements middle-tier connection pools that share connections between
threads in a middle-tier process. In addition, DRCP enables sharing of database
connections across middle-tier processes on the same middle-tier host and even across
middle-tier hosts. This results in significant reduction in key database resources
needed to support a large number of client connections, thereby reducing the database
tier memory footprint and boosting the scalability of both middle-tier and database
tiers. Having a pool of readily available servers also has the additional benefit of
reducing the cost of creating and tearing down client connections.
DRCP is especially relevant for architectures with multi-process single threaded
application servers (such as PHP/Apache) that cannot perform middle-tier connection
pooling. The database can still scale to tens of thousands of simultaneous connections
with DRCP.
On Windows platforms, setting the SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_
SERVICES parameter value to nts is not supported with DRCP.

Note:

See Also:
■
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for more details on DRCP
Oracle Database Development Guide for more information about
DRCP, including restrictions on using DRCP
Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide for information about
options that are available when obtaining a DRCP session

When To Use Database Resident Connection Pooling
Database resident connection pooling is useful when multiple clients access the
database and when any of the following apply:
■

■

A large number of client connections need to be supported with minimum
memory usage.
The client applications are similar and can share or reuse sessions.
Applications are similar if they connect with the same database credentials and
use the same schema.

■

The client applications acquire a database connection, work on it for a relatively
short duration, and then release it.

■

Session affinity is not required across client requests.

■

There are multiple processes and multiple hosts on the client side.

5-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Database Resident Connection Pooling

Advantages of Database Resident Connection Pooling
Using database resident connection pooling provides the following advantages:
■

Enables resource sharing among multiple middle-tier client applications.

■

Improves scalability of databases and applications by reducing resource usage.

Database Resident Connection Pooling and LOGON/LOGOFF Triggers
LOGON triggers fire for every authentication and every time a new session is created in
DRCP.
LOGOFF triggers fire on every log off and when the sessions are destroyed in DRCP.
Therefore, a LOGOFF trigger fires when a session is terminated due to an idle time limit.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference

■

Oracle Database Security Guide

Comparing DRCP to Dedicated Server and Shared Server
Table 5–1 lists the differences between dedicated server, shared server, and database
resident connection pooling.
Table 5–1

Dedicated Servers, Shared Servers, and Database Resident Connection Pooling

Dedicated Server

Shared Server

Database Resident Connection
Pooling

When a client request is received, a When the first request is received
new server process and a session are from a client, the Dispatcher process
places this request on a common
created for the client.
queue. The request is picked up by
an available shared server process.
The Dispatcher process then
manages the communication
between the client and the shared
server process.

When the first request is received
from a client, the Connection Broker
picks an available pooled server and
hands off the client connection to
the pooled server.

Releasing database resources
involves terminating the session
and server process.

Releasing database resources
involves terminating the session.

Releasing database resources
involves releasing the pooled server
to the pool.

Memory requirement is
proportional to the number of
server processes and sessions. There
is one server and one session for
each client.

Memory requirement is
proportional to the sum of the
shared servers and sessions. There
is one session for each client.

Memory requirement is
proportional to the number of
pooled servers and their sessions.
There is one session for each pooled
server.

Session memory is allocated from
the PGA.

Session memory is allocated from
the SGA.

Session memory is allocated from
the PGA.

If no pooled servers are available,
the Connection Broker creates one.
If the pool has reached its maximum
size, the client request is placed on
the wait queue until a pooled server
is available.

Example of Memory Usage for Dedicated Server, Shared Server, and Database
Resident Connection Pooling
Consider an application in which the memory required for each session is 400 KB and
the memory required for each server process is 4 MB. The pool size is 100 and the
number of shared servers used is 100.
If there are 5000 client connections, the memory used by each configuration is as
follows:

Managing Processes

5-5

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

■

Dedicated Server
Memory used = 5000 X (400 KB + 4 MB) = 22 GB

■

Shared Server
Memory used = 5000 X 400 KB + 100 X 4 MB = 2.5 GB
Out of the 2.5 GB, 2 GB is allocated from the SGA.

■

Database Resident Connection Pooling
Memory used = 100 X (400 KB + 4 MB) + (5000 X 35KB)= 615 MB
The cost of each connection to the broker is approximately 35 KB.

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server
This section discusses how to enable shared server and how to set or alter shared
server initialization parameters. It contains the following topics:
■

Initialization Parameters for Shared Server

■

Memory Management for Shared Server

■

Enabling Shared Server

■

Configuring Dispatchers

■

Disabling Shared Server

■

Shared Server Data Dictionary Views
See Also:
■
■

"About Dedicated and Shared Server Processes" on page 5-1
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for further information
about the ALTER SYSTEM statement

Initialization Parameters for Shared Server
The following initialization parameters control shared server operation:
■

■

■

■
■

■

SHARED_SERVERS: Specifies the initial number of shared servers to start and the
minimum number of shared servers to keep. This is the only required parameter
for using shared servers.
MAX_SHARED_SERVERS: Specifies the maximum number of shared servers that can
run simultaneously.
SHARED_SERVER_SESSIONS: Specifies the total number of shared server user
sessions that can run simultaneously. Setting this parameter enables you to reserve
user sessions for dedicated servers.
DISPATCHERS: Configures dispatcher processes in the shared server architecture.
MAX_DISPATCHERS: Specifies the maximum number of dispatcher processes that can
run simultaneously. This parameter can be ignored for now. It will only be useful
in a future release when the number of dispatchers is auto-tuned according to the
number of concurrent connections.
CIRCUITS: Specifies the total number of virtual circuits that are available for
inbound and outbound network sessions.

5-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for more information about
these initialization parameters

Memory Management for Shared Server
Shared server requires some user global area (UGA) in either the shared pool or large
pool. For installations with a small number of simultaneous sessions, the default sizes
for these system global area (SGA) components are generally sufficient. However, if
you expect a large number of sessions for your installation, you may have to tune
memory to support shared server.
See the "Configuring and Using Memory" section of Oracle Database Performance Tuning
Guide for guidelines.

Enabling Shared Server
Shared server is enabled by setting the SHARED_SERVERS initialization parameter to a
value greater than 0. The other shared server initialization parameters need not be set.
Because shared server requires at least one dispatcher in order to work, a dispatcher is
brought up even if no dispatcher has been configured. Dispatchers are discussed in
"Configuring Dispatchers" on page 5-9.
Shared server can be started dynamically by setting the SHARED_SERVERS parameter to
a nonzero value with the ALTER SYSTEM statement, or SHARED_SERVERS can be included
at database startup in the initialization parameter file. If SHARED_SERVERS is not
included in the initialization parameter file, or is included but is set to 0, then shared
server is not enabled at database startup.
If SHARED_SERVERS is not included in the initialization
parameter file at database startup, but DISPATCHERS is included and
it specifies at least one dispatcher, shared server is enabled. In this
case, the default for SHARED_SERVERS is 1.
Note:

If neither SHARED_SERVERS nor DISPATCHERS is included in the
initialization file, you cannot start shared server after the instance is
brought up by just altering the DISPATCHERS parameter. You must
specifically alter SHARED_SERVERS to a nonzero value to start shared
server.

If you create your Oracle database with Database
Configuration Assistant (DBCA), DBCA configures a dispatcher for
Oracle XML DB (XDB). This is because XDB protocols like HTTP and
FTP require shared server. This results in a SHARED_SERVER value of 1.
Although shared server is enabled, this configuration permits only
sessions that connect to the XDB service to use shared server. To
enable shared server for regular database sessions (for submitting SQL
statements), you must add an additional dispatcher configuration, or
replace the existing configuration with one that is not specific to XDB.
See "Configuring Dispatchers" on page 5-9 for instructions.

Note:

Determining a Value for SHARED_SERVERS
The SHARED_SERVERS initialization parameter specifies the minimum number of shared
servers that you want created when the instance is started. After instance startup,

Managing Processes

5-7

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

Oracle Database can dynamically adjust the number of shared servers based on how
busy existing shared servers are and the length of the request queue.
In typical systems, the number of shared servers stabilizes at a ratio of one shared
server for every ten connections. For OLTP applications, when the rate of requests is
low, or when the ratio of server usage to request is low, the connections-to-servers
ratio could be higher. In contrast, in applications where the rate of requests is high or
the server usage-to-request ratio is high, the connections-to-server ratio could be
lower.
The PMON (process monitor) background process cannot terminate shared servers
below the value specified by SHARED_SERVERS. Therefore, you can use this parameter to
stabilize the load and minimize strain on the system by preventing PMON from
terminating and then restarting shared servers because of coincidental fluctuations in
load.
If you know the average load on your system, you can set SHARED_SERVERS to an
optimal value. The following example shows how you can use this parameter:
Assume a database is being used by a telemarketing center staffed by 1000 agents. On
average, each agent spends 90% of the time talking to customers and only 10% of the
time looking up and updating records. To keep the shared servers from being
terminated as agents talk to customers and then spawned again as agents access the
database, a DBA specifies that the optimal number of shared servers is 100.
However, not all work shifts are staffed at the same level. On the night shift, only 200
agents are needed. Since SHARED_SERVERS is a dynamic parameter, a DBA reduces the
number of shared servers to 20 at night, thus allowing resources to be freed up for
other tasks such as batch jobs.

Decreasing the Number of Shared Server Processes
You can decrease the minimum number of shared servers that must be kept active by
dynamically setting the SHARED_SERVERS parameter to a lower value. Thereafter, until
the number of shared servers is decreased to the value of the SHARED_SERVERS
parameter, any shared servers that become inactive are marked by PMON for
termination.
The following statement reduces the number of shared servers:
ALTER SYSTEM SET SHARED_SERVERS = 5;

Setting SHARED_SERVERS to 0 disables shared server. For more information, see
"Disabling Shared Server" on page 5-14.

Limiting the Number of Shared Server Processes
The MAX_SHARED_SERVERS parameter specifies the maximum number of shared servers
that can be automatically created by PMON. It has no default value. If no value is
specified, then PMON starts as many shared servers as is required by the load, subject
to these limitations:
■
■

■

The process limit (set by the PROCESSES initialization parameter)
A minimum number of free process slots (at least one-eighth of the total process
slots, or two slots if PROCESSES is set to less than 24)
System resources

The value of SHARED_SERVERS overrides the value of MAX_SHARED_SERVERS. Therefore,
you can force PMON to start more shared servers than the MAX_SHARED_SERVERS value
by setting SHARED_SERVERS to a value higher than MAX_SHARED_SERVERS. You can
5-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

subsequently place a new upper limit on the number of shared servers by dynamically
altering the MAX_SHARED_SERVERS to a value higher than SHARED_SERVERS.
The primary reason to limit the number of shared servers is to reserve resources, such
as memory and CPU time, for other processes. For example, consider the case of the
telemarketing center discussed previously:
The DBA wants to reserve two thirds of the resources for batch jobs at night. He sets
MAX_SHARED_SERVERS to less than one third of the maximum number of processes
(PROCESSES). By doing so, the DBA ensures that even if all agents happen to access the
database at the same time, batch jobs can connect to dedicated servers without having
to wait for the shared servers to be brought down after processing agents' requests.
Another reason to limit the number of shared servers is to prevent the concurrent run
of too many server processes from slowing down the system due to heavy swapping,
although PROCESSES can serve as the upper bound for this rather than MAX_SHARED_
SERVERS.
Still other reasons to limit the number of shared servers are testing, debugging,
performance analysis, and tuning. For example, to see how many shared servers are
needed to efficiently support a certain user community, you can vary MAX_SHARED_
SERVERS from a very small number upward until no delay in response time is noticed
by the users.

Limiting the Number of Shared Server Sessions
The SHARED_SERVER_SESSIONS initialization parameter specifies the maximum number
of concurrent shared server user sessions. Setting this parameter, which is a dynamic
parameter, lets you reserve database sessions for dedicated servers. This in turn
ensures that administrative tasks that require dedicated servers, such as backing up or
recovering the database, are not preempted by shared server sessions.
This parameter has no default value. If it is not specified, the system can create shared
server sessions as needed, limited by the SESSIONS initialization parameter.

Protecting Shared Memory
The CIRCUITS parameter sets a maximum limit on the number of virtual circuits that
can be created in shared memory. This parameter has no default. If it is not specified,
then the system can create circuits as needed, limited by the DISPATCHERS initialization
parameter and system resources.

Configuring Dispatchers
The DISPATCHERS initialization parameter configures dispatcher processes in the
shared server architecture. At least one dispatcher process is required for shared server
to work.If you do not specify a dispatcher, but you enable shared server by setting
SHARED_SERVER to a nonzero value, then by default Oracle Database creates one
dispatcher for the TCP protocol. The equivalent DISPATCHERS explicit setting of the
initialization parameter for this configuration is:
dispatchers="(PROTOCOL=tcp)"

You can configure more dispatchers, using the DISPATCHERS initialization parameter, if
either of the following conditions apply:
■

You must configure a protocol other than TCP/IP. You configure a protocol
address with one of the following attributes of the DISPATCHERS parameter:
–

ADDRESS

Managing Processes

5-9

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

■

–

DESCRIPTION

–

PROTOCOL

You want to configure one or more of the optional dispatcher attributes:
–

DISPATCHERS

–

CONNECTIONS

–

SESSIONS

–

LISTENER

–

MULTIPLEX

–

SERVICE
Note: Database Configuration Assistant helps you configure this
parameter.

DISPATCHERS Initialization Parameter Attributes
This section provides brief descriptions of the attributes that can be specified with the
DISPATCHERS initialization parameter.
A protocol address is required and is specified using one or more of the following
attributes:
Attribute

Description

ADDRESS

Specify the network protocol address of the endpoint on which
the dispatchers listen.

DESCRIPTION

Specify the network description of the endpoint on which the
dispatchers listen, including the network protocol address. The
syntax is as follows:
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=...))

PROTOCOL

Specify the network protocol for which the dispatcher
generates a listening endpoint. For example:
(PROTOCOL=tcp)

See the Oracle Database Net Services Reference for further
information about protocol address syntax.

The following attribute specifies how many dispatchers this configuration should
have. It is optional and defaults to 1.
Attribute

Description

DISPATCHERS

Specify the initial number of dispatchers to start.

The following attributes tell the instance about the network attributes of each
dispatcher of this configuration. They are all optional.
Attribute

Description

CONNECTIONS

Specify the maximum number of network connections to allow
for each dispatcher.

5-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

Attribute

Description

SESSIONS

Specify the maximum number of network sessions to allow for
each dispatcher.

LISTENER

Specify an alias name for the listeners with which the LREG
process registers dispatcher information. Set the alias to a name
that is resolved through a naming method.

MULTIPLEX

Used to enable the Oracle Connection Manager session
multiplexing feature.

SERVICE

Specify the service names the dispatchers register with the
listeners.

You can specify either an entire attribute name a substring consisting of at least the
first three characters. For example, you can specify SESSIONS=3, SES=3, SESS=3, or
SESSI=3, and so forth.
Oracle Database Reference for more detailed descriptions
of the attributes of the DISPATCHERS initialization parameter

See Also:

Determining the Number of Dispatchers
Once you know the number of possible connections for each process for the operating
system, calculate the initial number of dispatchers to create during instance startup,
for each network protocol, using the following formula:
Number of dispatchers =
CEIL ( max. concurrent sessions / connections for each dispatcher )

CEIL returns the result roundest up to the next whole integer.
For example, assume a system that can support 970 connections for each process, and
that has:
■

A maximum of 4000 sessions concurrently connected through TCP/IP and

■

A maximum of 2,500 sessions concurrently connected through TCP/IP with SSL

The DISPATCHERS attribute for TCP/IP should be set to a minimum of five dispatchers
(4000 / 970), and for TCP/IP with SSL three dispatchers (2500 / 970:
DISPATCHERS='(PROT=tcp)(DISP=5)', '(PROT=tcps)(DISP=3)'

Depending on performance, you may need to adjust the number of dispatchers.

Setting the Initial Number of Dispatchers
You can specify multiple dispatcher configurations by setting DISPATCHERS to a comma
separated list of strings, or by specifying multiple DISPATCHERS parameters in the
initialization file. If you specify DISPATCHERS multiple times, the lines must be adjacent
to each other in the initialization parameter file. Internally, Oracle Database assigns an
INDEX value (beginning with zero) to each DISPATCHERS parameter. You can later refer
to that DISPATCHERS parameter in an ALTER SYSTEM statement by its index number.
Some examples of setting the DISPATCHERS initialization parameter follow.
Example: Typical This is a typical example of setting the DISPATCHERS initialization
parameter.
DISPATCHERS="(PROTOCOL=TCP)(DISPATCHERS=2)"

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Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

Example: Forcing the IP Address Used for Dispatchers The following hypothetical

example will create two dispatchers that will listen on the specified IP address. The
address must be a valid IP address for the host that the instance is on. (The host may
be configured with multiple IP addresses.)
DISPATCHERS="(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=144.25.16.201))(DISPATCHERS=2)"

Example: Forcing the Port Used by Dispatchers To force the dispatchers to use a
specific port as the listening endpoint, add the PORT attribute as follows:
DISPATCHERS="(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(PORT=5000))"
DISPATCHERS="(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(PORT=5001))"

Altering the Number of Dispatchers
You can control the number of dispatcher processes in the instance. Unlike the number
of shared servers, the number of dispatchers does not change automatically. You
change the number of dispatchers explicitly with the ALTER SYSTEM statement. In this
release of Oracle Database, you can increase the number of dispatchers to more than
the limit specified by the MAX_DISPATCHERS parameter. It is planned that MAX_
DISPATCHERS will be taken into consideration in a future release.
Monitor the following views to determine the load on the dispatcher processes:
■

V$QUEUE

■

V$DISPATCHER

■

V$DISPATCHER_RATE
See Also: Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for
information about monitoring these views to determine dispatcher
load and performance

If these views indicate that the load on the dispatcher processes is consistently high,
then performance may be improved by starting additional dispatcher processes to
route user requests. In contrast, if the load on dispatchers is consistently low, reducing
the number of dispatchers may improve performance.
To dynamically alter the number of dispatchers when the instance is running, use the
ALTER SYSTEM statement to modify the DISPATCHERS attribute setting for an existing
dispatcher configuration. You can also add new dispatcher configurations to start
dispatchers with different network attributes.
When you reduce the number of dispatchers for a particular dispatcher configuration,
the dispatchers are not immediately removed. Rather, as users disconnect, Oracle
Database terminates dispatchers down to the limit you specify in DISPATCHERS,
For example, suppose the instance was started with this DISPATCHERS setting in the
initialization parameter file:
DISPATCHERS='(PROT=tcp)(DISP=2)', '(PROT=tcps)(DISP=2)'

To increase the number of dispatchers for the TCP/IP protocol from 2 to 3, and
decrease the number of dispatchers for the TCP/IP with SSL protocol from 2 to 1, you
can issue the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DISPATCHERS = '(INDEX=0)(DISP=3)', '(INDEX=1)(DISP=1)';

or
ALTER SYSTEM SET DISPATCHERS = '(PROT=tcp)(DISP=3)', '(PROT=tcps)(DISP=1)';

5-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

Note: You need not specify (DISP=1). It is optional because 1 is the
default value for the DISPATCHERS parameter.

If fewer than three dispatcher processes currently exist for TCP/IP, the database
creates new ones. If multiple dispatcher processes currently exist for TCP/IP with SSL,
then the database terminates the extra ones as the connected users disconnect.
Notes on Altering Dispatchers
■

■

■

■

The INDEX keyword can be used to identify which dispatcher configuration to
modify. If you do not specify INDEX, then the first dispatcher configuration
matching the DESCRIPTION, ADDRESS, or PROTOCOL specified will be modified. If no
match is found among the existing dispatcher configurations, then a new
dispatcher will be added.
The INDEX value can range from 0 to n-1, where n is the current number of
dispatcher configurations. If your ALTER SYSTEM statement specifies an INDEX
value equal to n, where n is the current number of dispatcher configurations, a
new dispatcher configuration will be added.
To see the values of the current dispatcher configurations--that is, the number of
dispatchers and so forth--query the V$DISPATCHER_CONFIG dynamic performance
view. To see which dispatcher configuration a dispatcher is associated with, query
the CONF_INDX column of the V$DISPATCHER view.
When you change the DESCRIPTION, ADDRESS, PROTOCOL, CONNECTIONS, and
MULTIPLEX attributes of a dispatcher configuration, the change does not take effect
for existing dispatchers but only for new dispatchers. Therefore, in order for the
change to be effective for all dispatchers associated with a configuration, you must
forcibly terminate existing dispatchers after altering the DISPATCHERS parameter,
and let the database start new ones in their place with the newly specified
properties.
The attributes LISTENER and SERVICES are not subject to the same constraint. They
apply to existing dispatchers associated with the modified configuration. Attribute
SESSIONS applies to existing dispatchers only if its value is reduced. However, if its
value is increased, it is applied only to newly started dispatchers.

Shutting Down Specific Dispatcher Processes
With the ALTER SYSTEM statement, you leave it up to the database to determine which
dispatchers to shut down to reduce the number of dispatchers. Alternatively, it is
possible to shut down specific dispatcher processes. To identify the name of the
specific dispatcher process to shut down, use the V$DISPATCHER dynamic performance
view.
SELECT NAME, NETWORK FROM V$DISPATCHER;

Each dispatcher is uniquely identified by a name of the form Dnnn.
To shut down dispatcher D002, issue the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE 'D002';

The IMMEDIATE keyword stops the dispatcher from accepting new connections and the
database immediately terminates all existing connections through that dispatcher.
After all sessions are cleaned up, the dispatcher process shuts down. If IMMEDIATE

Managing Processes

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Configuring Oracle Database for Shared Server

were not specified, the dispatcher would wait until all of its users disconnected and all
of its connections terminated before shutting down.

Disabling Shared Server
You disable shared server by setting SHARED_SERVERS to 0. You can do this dynamically
with the ALTER SYSTEM statement. When you disable shared server, no new clients can
connect in shared mode. However, Oracle Database retains some shared servers until
all shared server connections are closed. The number of shared servers retained is
either the number specified by the preceding setting of SHARED_SERVERS or the value of
the MAX_SHARED_SERVERS parameter, whichever is smaller. If both SHARED_SERVERS and
MAX_SHARED_SERVERS are set to 0, then all shared servers will terminate and requests
from remaining shared server clients will be queued until the value of SHARED_SERVERS
or MAX_SHARED_SERVERS is raised again.
To terminate dispatchers once all shared server clients disconnect, enter this statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DISPATCHERS = '';

Shared Server Data Dictionary Views
The following views are useful for obtaining information about your shared server
configuration and for monitoring performance.
View

Description

V$DISPATCHER

Provides information on the dispatcher processes,
including name, network address, status, various usage
statistics, and index number.

V$DISPATCHER_CONFIG

Provides configuration information about the dispatchers.

V$DISPATCHER_RATE

Provides rate statistics for the dispatcher processes.

V$QUEUE

Contains information on the shared server message
queues.

V$SHARED_SERVER

Contains information on the shared servers.

V$CIRCUIT

Contains information about virtual circuits, which are
user connections to the database through dispatchers and
servers.

V$SHARED_SERVER_MONITOR

Contains information for tuning shared server.

V$SGA

Contains size information about various system global
area (SGA) groups. May be useful when tuning shared
server.

V$SGASTAT

Contains detailed statistical information about the SGA,
useful for tuning.

V$SHARED_POOL_RESERVED

Lists statistics to help tune the reserved pool and space
within the shared pool.

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for detailed descriptions of these
views
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for specific
information about monitoring and tuning shared server

5-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling

Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling
The database server is preconfigured to allow database resident connection pooling.
However, you must explicitly enable this feature by starting the connection pool.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Enabling Database Resident Connection Pooling

■

Configuring the Connection Pool for Database Resident Connection Pooling

■

Data Dictionary Views for Database Resident Connection Pooling
See Also:

"About Database Resident Connection Pooling" on

page 5-4

Enabling Database Resident Connection Pooling
Oracle Database includes a default connection pool called SYS_DEFAULT_CONNECTION_
POOL. By default, this pool is created, but not started. To enable database resident
connection pooling, you must explicitly start the connection pool.
To enable database resident connection pooling:
1. Start the database resident connection pool, as described in "Starting the Database
Resident Connection Pool" on page 5-15.
2.

Route the client connection requests to the connection pool, as described in
"Routing Client Connection Requests to the Connection Pool" on page 5-15.

Starting the Database Resident Connection Pool
To start the connection pool, use the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database as the SYS user.

2.

Issue the following command:
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL.START_POOL();

Once started, the connection pool remains in this state until it is explicitly stopped. The
connection pool is automatically restarted when the database instance is restarted if
the pool was active at the time of instance shutdown.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, you can use any
instance to manage the connection pool. Any changes you make to the pool
configuration are applicable on all Oracle RAC instances.
Routing Client Connection Requests to the Connection Pool
In the client application, the connect string must specify the connect type as POOLED.
The following example shows an easy connect string that enables clients to connect to
a database resident connection pool:
examplehost.company.com:1521/books.company.com:POOLED

The following example shows a TNS connect descriptor that enables clients to connect
to a database resident connection pool:
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp) (HOST=myhost)
(PORT=1521))(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=sales)
(SERVER=POOLED)))

Managing Processes

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Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling

Disabling Database Resident Connection Pooling
To disable database resident connection pooling, you must explicitly stop the
connection pool. Use the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database as the SYS user.

2.

Issue the following command:
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL.STOP_POOL();

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package.

Note: The operation of disabling the database resident connection
pool can be completed only when all client requests that have been
handed off to a server are completed.

Configuring the Connection Pool for Database Resident Connection Pooling
The connection pool is configured using default parameter values. You can use the
procedures in the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package to configure the connection pool
according to your usage. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)
environment, the configuration parameters are applicable to each Oracle RAC
instance.
Table 5–2 lists the parameters that you can configure for the connection pool.
Table 5–2

Configuration Parameters for Database Resident Connection Pooling

Parameter Name

Description

MINSIZE

The minimum number of pooled servers in the pool. The
default value is 4.

MAXSIZE

The maximum number of pooled servers in the pool. The
default value is 40.
The connection pool reserves 5% of the pooled servers for
authentication, and at least one pooled server is always
reserved for authentication. When setting this parameter,
ensure that there are enough pooled servers for both
authentication and connections.

INCRSIZE

The number of pooled servers by which the pool is
incremented if servers are unavailable when a client
application request is received. The default value is 2.

SESSION_CACHED_CURSORS

The number of session cursors to cache in each pooled server
session. The default value is 50.

INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT

The maximum time, in seconds, the pooled server can stay idle
in the pool. After this time, the server is terminated. The
default value is 300.
This parameter does not apply if the pool is at MINSIZE.

MAX_THINK_TIME

The maximum time of inactivity, in seconds, for a client after it
obtains a pooled server from the pool. After obtaining a pooled
server from the pool, if the client application does not issue a
database call for the time specified by MAX_THINK_TIME, the
pooled server is freed and the client connection is terminated.
The default value is 120.

MAX_USE_SESSION

The number of times a pooled server can be taken and released
to the pool. The default value is 500000.

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Configuring Database Resident Connection Pooling

Table 5–2 (Cont.) Configuration Parameters for Database Resident Connection Pooling
Parameter Name

Description

MAX_LIFETIME_SESSION

The time, in seconds, to live for a pooled server in the pool.
The default value is 86400.

NUM_CBROK

The number of Connection Brokers that are created to handle
client requests. The default value is 1.
Creating multiple Connection Broker processes helps
distribute the load of client connection requests if there are a
large number of client applications.

MAXCONN_CBROK

The maximum number of connections that each Connection
Broker can handle.
The default value is 40000. But if the maximum connections
allowed by the platform on which the database is installed is
lesser than the default value, this value overrides the value set
using MAXCONN_CBROK.
Set the per-process file descriptor limit of the operating system
sufficiently high so that it supports the number of connections
specified by MAXCONN_CBROK.

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package.

Using the CONFIGURE_POOL Procedure
The CONFIGURE_POOL procedure of the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package enables you to
configure the connection pool with advanced options. This procedure is usually used
when you must modify all the parameters of the connection pool.
Using the ALTER_PARAM Procedure
The ALTER_PARAM procedure of the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package enables you to
alter a specific configuration parameter without affecting other parameters.
For example, the following command changes the minimum number of pooled servers
used:
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL.ALTER_PARAM ('','MINSIZE','10');

The following example, changes the maximum number of connections that each
connection broker can handle to 50000.
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL.ALTER_PARAM ('','MAXCONN_CBROK','50000');

Before you execute this command, ensure that the maximum number of connections
allowed by the platform on which your database is installed is not less than the value
you set for MAXCONN_CBROK.
For example, in Linux, the following entry in the /etc/security/limits.conf file
indicates that the maximum number of connections allowed for the user test_user is
30000.
test_user HARD NOFILE 30000

To set the maximum number of connections that each connection broker can allow to
50000, first change the value in the limits.conf file to a value not less than 50000.

Managing Processes

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About Oracle Database Background Processes

Restoring the Connection Pool Default Settings
If you have made changes to the connection pool parameters, but you want to revert to
the default pool settings, use the RESTORE_DEFAULT procedure of the DBMS_CONNECTION_
POOL package. The command to restore the connection pool to its default settings is:
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL.RESTORE_DEFAULTS();

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the DBMS_CONNECTION_POOL package.

Data Dictionary Views for Database Resident Connection Pooling
Table 5–3 lists the data dictionary views that provide information about database
resident connection pooling. Use these views to obtain information about your
connection pool and to monitor the performance of database resident connection
pooling.
Table 5–3

Data Dictionary Views for Database Resident Connection Pooling

View

Description

DBA_CPOOL_INFO

Contains information about the connection pool such as the pool
status, the maximum and minimum number of connections, and
timeout for idle sessions.

V$CPOOL_CONN_INFO

Contains information about each connection to the connection
broker.

V$CPOOL_STATS

Contains pool statistics such as the number of session requests,
number of times a session that matches the request was found in
the pool, and total wait time for a session request.

V$CPOOL_CC_STATS

Contains connection class level statistics for the pool.

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for more information about these

views.

About Oracle Database Background Processes
To maximize performance and accommodate many users, a multiprocess Oracle
Database system uses background processes. Background processes consolidate
functions that would otherwise be handled by multiple database programs running
for each user process. Background processes asynchronously perform I/O and
monitor other Oracle Database processes to provide increased parallelism for better
performance and reliability.
Table 5–4 describes the fundamental background processes, many of which are
discussed in more detail elsewhere in this book. The use of additional database
features or options can cause more background processes to be present. For example:
■

■

■

When you use Oracle Database Advanced Queuing, the queue monitor (QMNn)
background process is present.
When you set the FILE_MAPPING initialization parameter to true for mapping data
files to physical devices on a storage subsystem, the FMON process is present.
If you use Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM), then additional
Oracle ASM–specific background processes are present.

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Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution

Table 5–4

Oracle Database Background Processes

Process Name

Description

Database writer (DBWn or The database writer writes modified blocks from the database buffer cache to the data
BWnn)
files. Oracle Database allows a maximum of 100 database writer processes. The names
of the first 36 database writer processes are DBW0-DBW9 and DBWa-DBWz. The
names of the 37th through 100th database writer processes are BW36-BW99.
The DB_WRITER_PROCESSES initialization parameter specifies the number of database
writer processes. The database selects an appropriate default setting for this
initialization parameter or adjusts a user-specified setting based on the number of
CPUs and the number of processor groups.
For more information about setting the DB_WRITER_PROCESSES initialization
parameter, see the Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide.
Log writer (LGWR)

The log writer process writes redo log entries to disk. Redo log entries are generated
in the redo log buffer of the system global area (SGA). LGWR writes the redo log
entries sequentially into a redo log file. If the database has a multiplexed redo log,
then LGWR writes the redo log entries to a group of redo log files. See Chapter 11,
"Managing the Redo Log" for information about the log writer process.

Checkpoint (CKPT)

At specific times, all modified database buffers in the system global area are written
to the data files by DBWn. This event is called a checkpoint. The checkpoint process is
responsible for signalling DBWn at checkpoints and updating all the data files and
control files of the database to indicate the most recent checkpoint.

System monitor (SMON)

The system monitor performs recovery when a failed instance starts up again. In an
Oracle Real Application Clusters database, the SMON process of one instance can
perform instance recovery for other instances that have failed. SMON also cleans up
temporary segments that are no longer in use and recovers terminated transactions
skipped during system failure and instance recovery because of file-read or offline
errors. These transactions are eventually recovered by SMON when the tablespace or
file is brought back online.

Process monitor (PMON)

The process monitor performs process recovery when a user process fails. PMON is
responsible for cleaning up the cache and freeing resources that the process was
using. PMON also checks on the dispatcher processes (described later in this table)
and server processes and restarts them if they have failed.

Archiver (ARCn)

One or more archiver processes copy the redo log files to archival storage when they
are full or a log switch occurs. Archiver processes are the subject of Chapter 12,
"Managing Archived Redo Log Files".

Recoverer (RECO)

The recoverer process is used to resolve distributed transactions that are pending
because of a network or system failure in a distributed database. At timed intervals,
the local RECO attempts to connect to remote databases and automatically complete
the commit or rollback of the local portion of any pending distributed transactions.
For information about this process and how to start it, see Chapter 35, "Managing
Distributed Transactions".

Dispatcher (Dnnn)

Dispatchers are optional background processes, present only when the shared server
configuration is used. Shared server was discussed previously in "Configuring Oracle
Database for Shared Server" on page 5-6.

Oracle Database Reference for a complete list of Oracle
Database background processes

See Also:

Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution
Note: The parallel execution feature described in this section is
available with the Oracle Database Enterprise Edition.

Managing Processes

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Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution

This section describes how to manage parallel processing of SQL statements. In this
configuration Oracle Database can divide the work of processing an SQL statement
among multiple parallel processes.
The execution of many SQL statements can be parallelized. The degree of parallelism
is the number of parallel execution servers that can be associated with a single
operation. The degree of parallelism is determined by any of the following:
■
■

A PARALLEL clause in a statement
For objects referred to in a query, the PARALLEL clause that was used when the
object was created or altered

■

A parallel hint inserted into the statement

■

A default determined by the database

An example of using parallel SQL execution is contained in "Parallelizing Table
Creation" on page 20-29.
The following topics are contained in this section:
■

About Parallel Execution Servers

■

Altering Parallel Execution for a Session
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about using
parallel hints

About Parallel Execution Servers
When an instance starts up, Oracle Database creates a pool of parallel execution
servers which are available for any parallel operation. A process called the parallel
execution coordinator dispatches the execution of a pool of parallel execution servers
and coordinates the sending of results from all of these parallel execution servers back
to the user.
The parallel execution servers are enabled by default, because by default the value for
PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS initialization parameter is set >0. The processes are available
for use by the various Oracle Database features that are capable of exploiting
parallelism. Related initialization parameters are tuned by the database for the
majority of users, but you can alter them as needed to suit your environment. For ease
of tuning, some parameters can be altered dynamically.
Parallelism can be used by several features, including transaction recovery, replication,
and SQL execution. In the case of parallel SQL execution, the topic discussed in this
book, parallel execution server processes remain associated with a statement
throughout its execution phase. When the statement is completely processed, these
processes become available to process other statements.
See Also: Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more
information about using parallel execution

Altering Parallel Execution for a Session
You control parallel SQL execution for a session using the ALTER SESSION statement.

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Managing Processes for External Procedures

Disabling Parallel SQL Execution
You disable parallel SQL execution with an ALTER SESSION DISABLE PARALLEL
DML|DDL|QUERY statement. All subsequent DML (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE), DDL
(CREATE, ALTER), or query (SELECT) operations are executed serially after such a
statement is issued. They will be executed serially regardless of any parallel attribute
associated with the table or indexes involved. However, statements with a PARALLEL
hint override the session settings.
The following statement disables parallel DDL operations:
ALTER SESSION DISABLE PARALLEL DDL;

Enabling Parallel SQL Execution
You enable parallel SQL execution with an ALTER SESSION ENABLE PARALLEL
DML|DDL|QUERY statement. Subsequently, when a PARALLEL clause or parallel hint is
associated with a statement, those DML, DDL, or query statements will execute in
parallel. By default, parallel execution is enabled for DDL and query statements.
A DML statement can be parallelized only if you specifically issue an ALTER SESSION
statement to enable parallel DML:
ALTER SESSION ENABLE PARALLEL DML;

Forcing Parallel SQL Execution
You can force parallel execution of all subsequent DML, DDL, or query statements for
which parallelization is possible with the ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL
DML|DDL|QUERY statement. Additionally you can force a specific degree of parallelism
to be in effect, overriding any PARALLEL clause associated with subsequent statements.
If you do not specify a degree of parallelism in this statement, the default degree of
parallelism is used. Forcing parallel execution overrides any parallel hints in SQL
statements.
The following statement forces parallel execution of subsequent statements and sets
the overriding degree of parallelism to 5:
ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL DDL PARALLEL 5;

Managing Processes for External Procedures
This section contains:
■

About External Procedures

■

DBA Tasks to Enable External Procedure Calls

About External Procedures
External procedures are procedures that are written in a programming language such
as C, C++, or Java, compiled, and stored outside of the database, and then called by
user sessions. For example, a PL/SQL program unit can call one or more C routines
that are required to perform special-purpose processing.
These callable routines are stored in a dynamic link library (DLL), or a libunit in the
case of a Java class method, and are registered with the base language. Oracle
Database provides a special-purpose interface, the call specification (call spec), that
enables users to call external procedures.
When a user session calls an external procedure, the database starts an external
procedure agent on the database host computer. The default name of the agent is
Managing Processes

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Managing Processes for External Procedures

extproc. Each session has its own dedicated agent. Optionally, you can create a
credential so that the agent runs as a particular operating system user. When a session
terminates, the database terminates its agent.
User applications pass to the external procedure agent the name of the DLL or libunit,
the name of the external procedure, and any relevant parameters. The external
procedure agent then loads the DLL or libunit, runs the external procedure, and passes
back to the application any values returned by the external procedure.
Oracle Database Development Guide for information about
external procedures

See Also:

DBA Tasks to Enable External Procedure Calls
Enabling external procedure calls may involve the following DBA tasks:
■

Configuring the listener to start the extproc agent
By default, the database starts the extproc process. Under the following
circumstances, you must change this default configuration so that the listener
starts the extproc process:
–

You want to use a multithreaded extproc agent

–

The database is running in shared server mode on Windows

–

An AGENT clause in the LIBRARY specification or an AGENT IN clause in the
PROCEDURE or FUNCTION specification redirects external procedures to a
different extproc agent

Instructions for changing the default configuration are in Oracle Database
Development Guide.
■

Managing libraries or granting privileges related to managing libraries
The database requires DLL statements to be accessed through a schema object
called a library. For security purposes, by default, only users with the DBA role can
create and manage libraries. Therefore, you may be asked to:
–

Create a directory object using the CREATE DIRECTORY statement for the location
of the library. After the directory object is created, a CREATE LIBRARY statement
can specify the directory object for the location of the library.

–

Create a credential using the DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL PL/SQL
procedure. After the credential is created, a CREATE LIBRARY statement can
associate the credential with a library to run the extproc agent as a particular
operating system user.

–

Use the CREATE LIBRARY statement to create the library objects that the
developers need.

–

Grant the following privileges to developers: CREATE LIBRARY, CREATE ANY
LIBRARY, ALTER ANY LIBRARY, EXECUTE ANY LIBRARY, EXECUTE ON library_name,
and EXECUTE ON directory_object.
Only make an explicit grant of these privileges to trusted users, and never to
the PUBLIC role. If you plan to create PL/SQL interfaces to libraries, then only
grant the EXECUTE privilege to the PL/SQL interface. Do not grant EXECUTE on
the underlying library. You must have the EXECUTE object privilege on the
library to create the PL/SQL interface. However, users have this privilege
automatically in their own schemas. Explicit grants of EXECUTE object privilege
on a library are rarely required.

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Terminating Sessions

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for information about
the CREATE LIBRARY statement
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating a
credential using the DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL
procedure
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_CREDENTIAL package
"Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials" on page 29-6 for
information about using credentials with Oracle Scheduler jobs

Terminating Sessions
Sometimes it is necessary to terminate current user sessions. For example, you might
want to perform an administrative operation and need to terminate all
non-administrative sessions. This section describes the various aspects of terminating
sessions, and contains the following topics:
■

Identifying Which Session to Terminate

■

Terminating an Active Session

■

Terminating an Inactive Session

When a session is terminated, any active transactions of the session are rolled back,
and resources held by the session (such as locks and memory areas) are immediately
released and available to other sessions.
You terminate a current session using the SQL statement ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION.
The following statement terminates the session whose system identifier is 7 and serial
number is 15:
ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION '7,15';

You can also use the DBMS_SERVICE.DISCONNECT_SESSION procedure to terminate
sessions with a named service at the current instance.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about the DISCONNECT_SESSION procedure

Identifying Which Session to Terminate
To identify which session to terminate, specify the session index number and serial
number. To identify the system identifier (SID) and serial number of a session, query
the V$SESSION dynamic performance view. For example, the following query identifies
all sessions for the user jward:
SELECT SID, SERIAL#, STATUS
FROM V$SESSION
WHERE USERNAME = 'JWARD';
SID
----7
12

SERIAL#
--------15
63

STATUS
-------ACTIVE
INACTIVE

A session is ACTIVE when it is making a SQL call to Oracle Database. A session is
INACTIVE if it is not making a SQL call to the database.
Managing Processes

5-23

Terminating Sessions

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for a description of the status
values for a session

Terminating an Active Session
If a user session is processing a transaction (ACTIVE status) when you terminate the
session, the transaction is rolled back and the user immediately receives the following
message:
ORA-00028: your session has been killed

If, after receiving the ORA-00028 message, a user submits additional statements before
reconnecting to the database, Oracle Database returns the following message:
ORA-01012: not logged on

An active session cannot be interrupted when it is performing network I/O or rolling
back a transaction. Such a session cannot be terminated until the operation completes.
In this case, the session holds all resources until it is terminated. Additionally, the
session that issues the ALTER SYSTEM statement to terminate a session waits up to 60
seconds for the session to be terminated. If the operation that cannot be interrupted
continues past one minute, the issuer of the ALTER SYSTEM statement receives a
message indicating that the session has been marked to be terminated. A session
marked to be terminated is indicated in V$SESSION with a status of KILLED and a server
that is something other than PSEUDO.
If you are using Application Continuity, then an active session’s activity is recovered
when the session terminates. If you do not want to recover a session after you
terminate it, then you can include the NOREPLAY keyword in the ALTER SYSTEM
statement. For example, the following statement specifies that the session will not be
recovered:
ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION '7,15' NOREPLAY;

If you use the DBMS_SERVICE.DISCONNECT_SESSION procedure to terminate one or more
sessions, then you can specify DBMS_SERVICE.NOREPLAY for the disconnect_option
parameter to indicate that the sessions should not be recovered by Application
Continuity. For example, to disconnect all sessions with the service
sales.example.com and specify that the sessions should not be recovered, run the
following procedure:
BEGIN
DBMS_SERVICE.DISCONNECT_SESSION(
service_name
=> 'sales.example.com',
disconnect_option => DBMS_SERVICE.NOREPLAY);
END;
/

See Also:
■

■

"Using Transaction Guard and Application Continuity" on
page 2-47
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about the DISCONNECT_SESSION procedure

5-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Process and Session Data Dictionary Views

Terminating an Inactive Session
If the session is not making a SQL call to Oracle Database (is INACTIVE) when it is
terminated, the ORA-00028 message is not returned immediately. The message is not
returned until the user subsequently attempts to use the terminated session.
When an inactive session has been terminated, the STATUS of the session in the
V$SESSION view is KILLED. The row for the terminated session is removed from
V$SESSION after the user attempts to use the session again and receives the ORA-00028
message.
In the following example, an inactive session is terminated. First, V$SESSION is queried
to identify the SID and SERIAL# of the session, and then the session is terminated.
SELECT SID,SERIAL#,STATUS,SERVER
FROM V$SESSION
WHERE USERNAME = 'JWARD';
SID
SERIAL#
----- -------7
15
12
63
2 rows selected.

STATUS
--------INACTIVE
INACTIVE

SERVER
--------DEDICATED
DEDICATED

ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION '7,15';
Statement processed.
SELECT SID, SERIAL#, STATUS, SERVER
FROM V$SESSION
WHERE USERNAME = 'JWARD';
SID
SERIAL#
----- -------7
15
12
63
2 rows selected.

STATUS
--------KILLED
INACTIVE

SERVER
--------PSEUDO
DEDICATED

Process and Session Data Dictionary Views
The following are the data dictionary views that can help you manage processes and
sessions.
View

Description

V$PROCESS

Contains information about the currently active processes

V$SESSION

Lists session information for each current session

V$SESS_IO

Contains I/O statistics for each user session

V$SESSION_LONGOPS

Displays the status of various operations that run for longer
than 6 seconds (in absolute time). These operations currently
include many backup and recovery functions, statistics
gathering, and query execution. More operations are added
for every Oracle Database release.

V$SESSION_WAIT

Displays the current or last wait for each session

V$SESSION_WAIT_HISTORY

Lists the last ten wait events for each active session

V$WAIT_CHAINS

Displays information about blocked sessions

V$SESSTAT

Contains session statistics

Managing Processes

5-25

Process and Session Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

V$RESOURCE_LIMIT

Provides information about current and maximum global
resource utilization for some system resources

V$SQLAREA

Contains statistics about shared SQL areas. Contains one row
for each SQL string. Provides statistics about SQL statements
that are in memory, parsed, and ready for execution

5-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

6
6

Managing Memory

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Memory Management

■

Memory Architecture Overview

■

Using Automatic Memory Management

■

Configuring Memory Manually

■

Using Force Full Database Caching Mode

■

Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache

■

Using the In-Memory Column Store

■

Memory Management Reference

About Memory Management
Memory management involves maintaining optimal sizes for the Oracle Database
instance memory structures as demands on the database change. The memory
structures that must be managed are the system global area (SGA) and the instance
program global area (instance PGA).
Oracle Database supports various memory management methods, which are chosen
by initialization parameter settings. Oracle recommends that you enable the method
known as automatic memory management.
Automatic Memory Management
Oracle Database can manage the SGA memory and instance PGA memory completely
automatically. You designate only the total memory size to be used by the instance,
and Oracle Database dynamically exchanges memory between the SGA and the
instance PGA as needed to meet processing demands. This capability is referred to as
automatic memory management. With this memory management method, the database
also dynamically tunes the sizes of the individual SGA components and the sizes of
the individual PGAs.
Manual Memory Management
If you prefer to exercise more direct control over the sizes of individual memory
components, you can disable automatic memory management and configure the
database for manual memory management. There are a few different methods
available for manual memory management. Some of these methods retain some
degree of automation. The methods therefore vary in the amount of effort and
knowledge required by the DBA. These methods are:

Managing Memory

6-1

Memory Architecture Overview

■

Automatic shared memory management - for the SGA

■

Manual shared memory management - for the SGA

■

Automatic PGA memory management - for the instance PGA

■

Manual PGA memory management - for the instance PGA

These memory management methods are described later in this chapter.
If you create your database with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) and choose
the basic installation option, automatic memory management is enabled when system
memory is less than or equal to 4 gigabytes. When system memory is greater than 4
gigabytes, automatic memory management is disabled, and automatic shared memory
management is enabled. If you choose advanced installation, then DBCA enables you
to select automatic memory management or automatic shared memory management.
The easiest way to manage memory is to use the graphical
user interface of Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express (EM
Express) or Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud
Control).

Note:

For information about managing memory with EM Express, see Oracle
Database 2 Day DBA.
For information about managing memory with Cloud Control, see the
Cloud Control online help.
Oracle Database Concepts for an introduction to the various
automatic and manual methods of managing memory.

See Also:

Memory Architecture Overview
The basic memory structures associated with Oracle Database include:
■

System Global Area (SGA)
The SGA is a group of shared memory structures, known as SGA components, that
contain data and control information for one Oracle Database instance. The SGA is
shared by all server and background processes. Examples of data stored in the
SGA include cached data blocks and shared SQL areas.

■

Program Global Area (PGA)
A PGA is a memory region that contains data and control information for a server
process. It is nonshared memory created by Oracle Database when a server
process is started. Access to the PGA is exclusive to the server process. There is
one PGA for each server process. Background processes also allocate their own
PGAs. The total PGA memory allocated for all background and server processes
attached to an Oracle Database instance is referred to as the total instance PGA
memory, and the collection of all individual PGAs is referred to as the total
instance PGA, or just instance PGA.

Figure 6–1 illustrates the relationships among these memory structures.

6-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Memory Architecture Overview

Figure 6–1 Oracle Database Memory Structures
PGA

PGA

PGA

Server
Process 1

Server
Process 2

Server
Process 3

System Global Area

Shared
Pool

Java
Pool

Redo
Buffer

Buffer
Cache

Streams
Pool

Large
Pool

Other
Components

Background
Process

Background
Process

PGA

PGA

Database
Smart
Flash
Cache

If your database is running on Solaris or Oracle Linux, you can optionally add another
memory component: Database Smart Flash Cache. Database Smart Flash Cache is an
extension of the SGA-resident buffer cache, providing a level 2 cache for database
blocks. It can improve response time and overall throughput for both read-intensive
online transaction processing (OLTP) workloads and ad hoc queries and bulk data
modifications in a data warehouse environment. Database Smart Flash Cache resides
on one or more flash disk devices, which are solid state storage devices that use flash
memory. Database Smart Flash Cache is typically more economical than additional
main memory, and is an order of magnitude faster than disk drives.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), the big table cache enables serial
queries and parallel queries to use the buffer cache. The big table cache facilitates
efficient caching for large tables in data warehousing environments, even if these
tables do not fully fit in the buffer cache. Table scans can use the big table cache in the
following scenarios:
■

Parallel queries
In single-instance and Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) databases,
parallel queries can use the big table cache when the DB_BIG_TABLE_CACHE_
PERCENT_TARGET initialization parameter is set to a non-zero value, and PARALLEL_
DEGREE_POLICY is set to AUTO or ADAPTIVE.

■

Serial queries
In a single-instance configuration only, serial queries can use the big table cache
when the DB_BIG_TABLE_CACHE_PERCENT_TARGET initialization parameter is set to a
non-zero value.

Managing Memory

6-3

Using Automatic Memory Management

See Also:
■
■

■

■

"Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache" on page 6-24
Oracle Database Concepts for more information on memory
architecture in an Oracle Database instance
Oracle Database Reference for more information about initialization
parameters
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more information
about the big table cache

Using Automatic Memory Management
This section provides background information on the automatic memory management
feature of Oracle Database, and includes instructions for enabling this feature. The
following topics are covered:
■

About Automatic Memory Management

■

Enabling Automatic Memory Management

■

Monitoring and Tuning Automatic Memory Management

About Automatic Memory Management
The simplest way to manage instance memory is to allow the Oracle Database instance
to automatically manage and tune it for you. To do so (on most platforms), you set
only a target memory size initialization parameter (MEMORY_TARGET) and optionally a
maximum memory size initialization parameter (MEMORY_MAX_TARGET). The total
memory that the instance uses remains relatively constant, based on the value of
MEMORY_TARGET, and the instance automatically distributes memory between the
system global area (SGA) and the instance program global area (instance PGA). As
memory requirements change, the instance dynamically redistributes memory
between the SGA and instance PGA.
When automatic memory management is not enabled, you must size both the SGA
and instance PGA manually.
Because the MEMORY_TARGET initialization parameter is dynamic, you can change
MEMORY_TARGET at any time without restarting the database. MEMORY_MAX_TARGET,
which is not dynamic, serves as an upper limit so that you cannot accidentally set
MEMORY_TARGET too high, and so that enough memory is set aside for the database
instance in case you do want to increase total instance memory in the future. Because
certain SGA components either cannot easily shrink or must remain at a minimum
size, the instance also prevents you from setting MEMORY_TARGET too low.
You cannot enable automatic memory management if the
LOCK_SGA initialization parameter is TRUE. See Oracle Database Reference
for information about this parameter.
Note:

See Also: "Platforms That Support Automatic Memory
Management" on page 6-42

6-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Automatic Memory Management

Enabling Automatic Memory Management
If you did not enable automatic memory management upon database creation (either
by selecting the proper options in DBCA or by setting the appropriate initialization
parameters for the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement), then you can enable it at a later
time. Enabling automatic memory management involves a shutdown and restart of the
database.
To enable automatic memory management
Start SQL*Plus and connect to the Oracle Database instance with the SYSDBA
administrative privilege.

1.

See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 and "Database
Administrator Authentication" on page 1-17 for instructions.
2.

Calculate the minimum value for MEMORY_TARGET as follows:
a.

Determine the current sizes of SGA_TARGET and PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET in
megabytes by entering the following SQL*Plus commands:
SHOW PARAMETER SGA_TARGET
NAME
TYPE
VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- -------------------------sga_target
big integer 272M
SHOW PARAMETER PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET
NAME
TYPE
VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- -------------------------pga_aggregate_target
big integer 90M

See "Enabling Automatic Shared Memory Management" on page 6-12 for
information about setting the SGA_TARGET parameter if it is not set.
b.

Run the following query to determine the maximum instance PGA allocated
in megabytes since the database was started:
SELECT VALUE/1048576 FROM V$PGASTAT WHERE NAME='maximum pga allocated';

c.

Compute the maximum value between the query result from step 2b and PGA_
AGGREGATE_TARGET. Add SGA_TARGET to this value.
MEMORY_TARGET = SGA_TARGET + MAX(PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET, MAXIMUM PGA
ALLOCATED)

For example, if SGA_TARGET is 272M and PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET is 90M as shown
above, and if the maximum PGA allocated is determined to be 120M, then MEMORY_
TARGET should be at least 392M (272M + 120M).
3.

Choose the value for MEMORY_TARGET that you want to use.
This can be the minimum value that you computed in step 2, or you can choose to
use a larger value if you have enough physical memory available.

4.

For the MEMORY_MAX_TARGET initialization parameter, decide on a maximum
amount of memory that you would want to allocate to the database for the
foreseeable future. That is, determine the maximum value for the sum of the SGA
and instance PGA sizes. This number can be larger than or the same as the
MEMORY_TARGET value that you chose in the previous step.

5.

Do one of the following:

Managing Memory

6-5

Using Automatic Memory Management

■

If you started your Oracle Database instance with a server parameter file,
which is the default if you created the database with the Database
Configuration Assistant (DBCA), enter the following command:
ALTER SYSTEM SET MEMORY_MAX_TARGET = nM SCOPE = SPFILE;

where n is the value that you computed in Step 4.
The SCOPE = SPFILE clause sets the value only in the server parameter file, and
not for the running instance. You must include this SCOPE clause because
MEMORY_MAX_TARGET is not a dynamic initialization parameter.
■

If you started your instance with a text initialization parameter file, manually
edit the file so that it contains the following statements:
memory_max_target = nM
memory_target = mM

where n is the value that you determined in Step 4, and m is the value that you
determined in step 3.
In a text initialization parameter file, if you omit the line for
MEMORY_MAX_TARGET and include a value for MEMORY_TARGET, then the
database automatically sets MEMORY_MAX_TARGET to the value of
MEMORY_TARGET. If you omit the line for MEMORY_TARGET and include a
value for MEMORY_MAX_TARGET, then the MEMORY_TARGET parameter
defaults to zero. After startup, you can then dynamically change
MEMORY_TARGET to a nonzero value, provided that it does not exceed
the value of MEMORY_MAX_TARGET.
Note:

6.

Shut down and restart the database.
See Chapter 3, "Starting Up and Shutting Down" on page 3-1 for instructions.

7.

If you started your Oracle Database instance with a server parameter file, enter the
following commands:
ALTER SYSTEM SET MEMORY_TARGET = nM;
ALTER SYSTEM SET SGA_TARGET = 0;
ALTER SYSTEM SET PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET = 0;

where n is the value that you determined in step 3.

6-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Automatic Memory Management

Note: With MEMORY_TARGET set, the SGA_TARGET setting becomes the
minimum size of the SGA and the PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET setting
becomes the minimum size of the instance PGA. By setting both of
these to zero as shown, there are no minimums, and the SGA and
instance PGA can grow as needed as long as their sum is less than or
equal to the MEMORY_TARGET setting. The sizing of SQL work areas
remains automatic.

You can omit the statements that set the SGA_TARGET and PGA_
AGGREGATE_TARGET parameter values to zero and leave either or both
of the values as positive numbers. In this case, the values act as
minimum values for the sizes of the SGA or instance PGA.
In addition, you can use the PGA_AGGREGATE_LIMIT initialization
parameter to set an instance-wide hard limit for PGA memory. You
can set PGA_AGGREGATE_LIMIT whether or not you use automatic
memory management. See "Using Automatic PGA Memory
Management" on page 6-20.

See Also:
■

"About Automatic Memory Management" on page 6-4

■

"Memory Architecture Overview" on page 6-2

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information on the
ALTER SYSTEM SQL statement

Monitoring and Tuning Automatic Memory Management
The dynamic performance view V$MEMORY_DYNAMIC_COMPONENTS shows the current
sizes of all dynamically tuned memory components, including the total sizes of the
SGA and instance PGA.
The view V$MEMORY_TARGET_ADVICE provides tuning advice for the MEMORY_TARGET
initialization parameter.
SQL>

select * from v$memory_target_advice order by memory_size;

MEMORY_SIZE MEMORY_SIZE_FACTOR ESTD_DB_TIME ESTD_DB_TIME_FACTOR
VERSION
----------- ------------------ ------------ ------------------- ---------180
.5
458
1.344
0
270
.75
367
1.0761
0
360
1
341
1
0
450
1.25
335
.9817
0
540
1.5
335
.9817
0
630
1.75
335
.9817
0
720
2
335
.9817
0

The row with the MEMORY_SIZE_FACTOR of 1 shows the current size of memory, as set by
the MEMORY_TARGET initialization parameter, and the amount of DB time required to
complete the current workload. In previous and subsequent rows, the results show
several alternative MEMORY_TARGET sizes. For each alternative size, the database shows
the size factor (the multiple of the current size), and the estimated DB time to complete
the current workload if the MEMORY_TARGET parameter were changed to the alternative
size. Notice that for a total memory size smaller than the current MEMORY_TARGET size,
estimated DB time increases. Notice also that in this example, there is nothing to be

Managing Memory

6-7

Configuring Memory Manually

gained by increasing total memory size beyond 450MB. However, this situation might
change if a complete workload has not yet been run.
EM Express provides an easy-to-use graphical memory advisor to help you select an
optimal size for MEMORY_TARGET. See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for details.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about these
dynamic performance views
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for a definition of DB
time.

Configuring Memory Manually
If you prefer to exercise more direct control over the sizes of individual memory
components, you can disable automatic memory management and configure the
database for manual memory management. There are two different manual memory
management methods for the SGA, and two for the instance PGA.
The two manual memory management methods for the SGA vary in the amount of
effort and knowledge required by the DBA. With automatic shared memory management,
you set target and maximum sizes for the SGA. The database then sets the total size of
the SGA to your designated target, and dynamically tunes the sizes of many SGA
components. With manual shared memory management, you set the sizes of several
individual SGA components, thereby determining the overall SGA size. You then
manually tune these individual SGA components on an ongoing basis.
For the instance PGA, there is automatic PGA memory management, in which you set a
target size for the instance PGA. The database then sets the size of the instance PGA to
your target, and dynamically tunes the sizes of individual PGAs. There is also manual
PGA memory management, in which you set maximum work area size for each type of
SQL operator (such as sort or hash-join). This memory management method, although
supported, is not recommended.
The following sections provide details on all of these manual memory management
methods:
■

Using Automatic Shared Memory Management

■

Using Manual Shared Memory Management

■

Using Automatic PGA Memory Management

■

Using Manual PGA Memory Management
Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of Oracle
Database memory management methods.

See Also:

Using Automatic Shared Memory Management
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Automatic Shared Memory Management

■

Components and Granules in the SGA

■

Setting Maximum SGA Size

■

Setting SGA Target Size

■

Enabling Automatic Shared Memory Management

6-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

■

Automatic Shared Memory Management Advanced Topics
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for information about
tuning the components of the SGA

About Automatic Shared Memory Management
Automatic Shared Memory Management simplifies SGA memory management. You
specify the total amount of SGA memory available to an instance using the SGA_
TARGET initialization parameter and Oracle Database automatically distributes this
memory among the various SGA components to ensure the most effective memory
utilization.
When automatic shared memory management is enabled, the sizes of the different
SGA components are flexible and can adapt to the needs of a workload without
requiring any additional configuration. The database automatically distributes the
available memory among the various components as required, allowing the system to
maximize the use of all available SGA memory.
If you are using a server parameter file (SPFILE), the database remembers the sizes of
the automatically tuned SGA components across instance shutdowns. As a result, the
database instance does not need to learn the characteristics of the workload again each
time the instance is started. The instance can begin with information from the previous
instance and continue evaluating workload where it left off at the last shutdown.

Components and Granules in the SGA
The SGA comprises several memory components, which are pools of memory used to
satisfy a particular class of memory allocation requests. Examples of memory
components include the shared pool (used to allocate memory for SQL and PL/SQL
execution), the java pool (used for java objects and other java execution memory), and
the buffer cache (used for caching disk blocks). All SGA components allocate and
deallocate space in units of granules. Oracle Database tracks SGA memory use in
internal numbers of granules for each SGA component.
The memory for dynamic components in the SGA is allocated in the unit of granules.
The granule size is determined by the amount of SGA memory requested when the
instance starts. Specifically, the granule size is based on the value of the SGA_MAX_SIZE
initialization parameter. Table 6–1 shows the granule size for different amounts of SGA
memory.
Table 6–1

Granule Size

SGA Memory Amount

Granule Size

Less than or equal to 1 GB

4 MB

Greater than 1 GB and less than or equal to 8 GB

16 MB

Greater than 8 GB and less than or equal to 16 GB

32 MB

Greater than 16 GB and less than or equal to 32 GB

64 MB

Greater than 32 GB and less than or equal to 64 GB

128 MB

Greater than 64 GB and less than or equal to 128 GB

256 MB

Greater than 128 GB

512 MB

Some platform dependencies may arise. Consult your operating system specific
documentation for more details.
Managing Memory

6-9

Configuring Memory Manually

You can query the V$SGAINFO view to see the granule size that is being used by an
instance. The same granule size is used for all components in the SGA.
If you specify a size for a component that is not a multiple of granule size, Oracle
Database rounds the specified size up to the nearest multiple. For example, if the
granule size is 4 MB and you specify DB_CACHE_SIZE as 10 MB, the database actually
allocates 12 MB.

Setting Maximum SGA Size
The SGA_MAX_SIZE initialization parameter specifies the maximum size of the System
Global Area for the lifetime of the instance. You can dynamically alter the initialization
parameters affecting the size of the buffer caches, shared pool, large pool, Java pool,
and streams pool but only to the extent that the sum of these sizes and the sizes of the
other components of the SGA (fixed SGA, variable SGA, and redo log buffers) does not
exceed the value specified by SGA_MAX_SIZE.
If you do not specify SGA_MAX_SIZE, then Oracle Database selects a default value that is
the sum of all components specified or defaulted at initialization time. If you do
specify SGA_MAX_SIZE, and at the time the database is initialized the value is less than
the sum of the memory allocated for all components, either explicitly in the parameter
file or by default, then the database ignores the setting for SGA_MAX_SIZE and chooses a
correct value for this parameter.

Setting SGA Target Size
You enable the automatic shared memory management feature by setting the SGA_
TARGET parameter to a nonzero value. This parameter sets the total size of the SGA. It
replaces the parameters that control the memory allocated for a specific set of
individual components, which are now automatically and dynamically resized (tuned)
as needed.
The STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter must be set to
TYPICAL (the default) or ALL for automatic shared memory
management to function.
Note:

Table 6–2 lists the SGA components that are automatically sized when SGA_TARGET is
set. For each SGA component, its corresponding initialization parameter is listed.
Table 6–2

Automatically Sized SGA Components and Corresponding Parameters

SGA Component

Initialization Parameter

Fixed SGA and other internal allocations needed by the Oracle
Database instance

N/A

The shared pool

SHARED_POOL_SIZE

The large pool

LARGE_POOL_SIZE

The Java pool

JAVA_POOL_SIZE

The buffer cache

DB_CACHE_SIZE

The Streams pool

STREAMS_POOL_SIZE

The manually sized parameters listed in Table 6–3, if they are set, take their memory
from SGA_TARGET, leaving what is available for the components listed in Table 6–2.

6-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

Table 6–3

Manually Sized SGA Components that Use SGA_TARGET Space

SGA Component

Initialization Parameter

The log buffer

LOG_BUFFER

The keep and recycle buffer caches

DB_KEEP_CACHE_SIZE
DB_RECYCLE_CACHE_SIZE

Nonstandard block size buffer caches

DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE

In addition to setting SGA_TARGET to a nonzero value, you must set to zero all
initialization parameters listed in Table 6–2 to enable full automatic tuning of the
automatically sized SGA components.
Alternatively, you can set one or more of the automatically sized SGA components to a
nonzero value, which is then used as the minimum setting for that component during
SGA tuning. This is discussed in detail later in this section.
An easier way to enable automatic shared memory
management is to use EM Express. When you enable automatic
shared memory management and set the Total SGA Size, EM Express
automatically generates the ALTER SYSTEM statements to set SGA_
TARGET to the specified size and to set all automatically sized SGA
components to zero. See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for more
information.

Note:

If you use SQL*Plus to set SGA_TARGET, you must then set the
automatically sized SGA components to zero or to a minimum value.
SGA and Virtual Memory For optimal performance in most systems, the entire SGA
should fit in real memory. If it does not, and if virtual memory is used to store parts of
it, then overall database system performance can decrease dramatically. The reason for
this is that portions of the SGA are paged (written to and read from disk) by the
operating system.
See your operating system documentation for instructions for monitoring paging
activity. You can also view paging activity using Cloud Control. See Oracle Database 2
Day + Performance Tuning Guide for more information.
Monitoring and Tuning SGA Target Size The V$SGAINFO view provides information on the
current tuned sizes of various SGA components.
The V$SGA_TARGET_ADVICE view provides information that helps you decide on a value
for SGA_TARGET.
SQL> select * from v$sga_target_advice order by sga_size;
SGA_SIZE SGA_SIZE_FACTOR ESTD_DB_TIME ESTD_DB_TIME_FACTOR ESTD_PHYSICAL_READS
---------- --------------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------290
.5
448176
1.6578
1636103
435
.75
339336
1.2552
1636103
580
1
270344
1
1201780
725
1.25
239038
.8842
907584
870
1.5
211517
.7824
513881
1015
1.75
201866
.7467
513881
1160
2
200703
.7424
513881

Managing Memory 6-11

Configuring Memory Manually

The information in this view is similar to that provided in the V$MEMORY_TARGET_
ADVICE view for automatic memory management. See "Monitoring and Tuning
Automatic Memory Management" on page 6-7 for an explanation of that view.
EM Express provides an easy-to-use graphical memory advisor to help you select an
optimal size for SGA_TARGET. See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for details.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about these
dynamic performance views

See Also:

Enabling Automatic Shared Memory Management
The procedure for enabling automatic shared memory management (ASMM) differs
depending on whether you are changing to ASMM from manual shared memory
management or from automatic memory management.
To change to ASMM from manual shared memory management:
1.

Run the following query to obtain a value for SGA_TARGET:
SELECT (
(SELECT SUM(value) FROM V$SGA) (SELECT CURRENT_SIZE FROM V$SGA_DYNAMIC_FREE_MEMORY)
) "SGA_TARGET"
FROM DUAL;

2.

Set the value of SGA_TARGET, either by editing the text initialization parameter file
and restarting the database, or by issuing the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET SGA_TARGET=value [SCOPE={SPFILE|MEMORY|BOTH}]

where value is the value computed in step 1 or is some value between the sum of
all SGA component sizes and SGA_MAX_SIZE. For more information on the ALTER
SYSTEM statement and its SCOPE clause, see Oracle Database SQL Language Reference.
3.

Do one of the following:
■

■

For more complete automatic tuning, set the values of the automatically sized
SGA components listed in Table 6–2 to zero. Do this by editing the text
initialization parameter file or by issuing ALTER SYSTEM statements.
To control the minimum size of one or more automatically sized SGA
components, set those component sizes to the desired value. (See the next
section for details.) Set the values of the other automatically sized SGA
components to zero. Do this by editing the text initialization parameter file or
by issuing ALTER SYSTEM statements.

To change to ASMM from automatic memory management:
1.

Set the MEMORY_TARGET initialization parameter to 0.
ALTER SYSTEM SET MEMORY_TARGET = 0;

The database sets SGA_TARGET based on current SGA memory allocation.
2.

Do one of the following:
■

■

For more complete automatic tuning, set the sizes of the automatically sized
SGA components listed in Table 6–2 to zero. Do this by editing the text
initialization parameter file or by issuing ALTER SYSTEM statements.
To control the minimum size of one or more automatically sized SGA
components, set those component sizes to the desired value. (See the next
section for details.) Set the sizes of the other automatically sized SGA

6-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

components to zero. Do this by editing the text initialization parameter file or
by issuing ALTER SYSTEM statements.
Example For example, suppose you currently have the following configuration of
parameters for an instance configured for manual shared memory management and
with SGA_MAX_SIZE set to 1200M:
■

SHARED_POOL_SIZE = 200M

■

DB_CACHE_SIZE = 500M

■

LARGE_POOL_SIZE=200M

Also assume the following query results:
Query

Result

SELECT SUM(value) FROM V$SGA

1200M

SELECT CURRENT_SIZE FROM V$SGA_DYNAMIC_FREE_MEMORY

208M

You can take advantage of automatic shared memory management by issuing the
following statements:
ALTER
ALTER
ALTER
ALTER
ALTER
ALTER

SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM

SET
SET
SET
SET
SET
SET

SGA_TARGET = 992M;
SHARED_POOL_SIZE = 0;
LARGE_POOL_SIZE = 0;
JAVA_POOL_SIZE = 0;
DB_CACHE_SIZE = 0;
STREAMS_POOL_SIZE = 0;

where 992M = 1200M minus 208M.

Automatic Shared Memory Management Advanced Topics
This section provides a closer look at automatic shared memory management. It
includes the following topics:
■

Setting Minimums for Automatically Sized SGA Components

■

Dynamic Modification of SGA_TARGET

■

Modifying Parameters for Automatically Sized Components

■

Modifying Parameters for Manually Sized Components

Setting Minimums for Automatically Sized SGA Components You can exercise some control
over the size of the automatically sized SGA components by specifying minimum
values for the parameters corresponding to these components. Doing so can be useful
if you know that an application cannot function properly without a minimum amount
of memory in specific components. You specify the minimum amount of SGA space
for a component by setting a value for its corresponding initialization parameter.
Manually limiting the minimum size of one or more automatically sized components
reduces the total amount of memory available for dynamic adjustment. This reduction
in turn limits the ability of the system to adapt to workload changes. Therefore, this
practice is not recommended except in exceptional cases. The default automatic
management behavior maximizes both system performance and the use of available
resources.
Dynamic Modification of SGA_TARGET The SGA_TARGET parameter can be dynamically
increased up to the value specified for the SGA_MAX_SIZE parameter, and it can also be
Managing Memory 6-13

Configuring Memory Manually

reduced. If you reduce the value of SGA_TARGET, the system identifies one or more
automatically tuned components for which to release memory. You can reduce SGA_
TARGET until one or more automatically tuned components reach their minimum size.
Oracle Database determines the minimum allowable value for SGA_TARGET taking into
account several factors, including values set for the automatically sized components,
manually sized components that use SGA_TARGET space, and number of CPUs.
The change in the amount of physical memory consumed when SGA_TARGET is
modified depends on the operating system. On some UNIX platforms that do not
support dynamic shared memory, the physical memory in use by the SGA is equal to
the value of the SGA_MAX_SIZE parameter. On such platforms, there is no real benefit in
setting SGA_TARGET to a value smaller than SGA_MAX_SIZE. Therefore, setting SGA_MAX_
SIZE on those platforms is not recommended.
On other platforms, such as Solaris and Windows, the physical memory consumed by
the SGA is equal to the value of SGA_TARGET.
For example, suppose you have an environment with the following configuration:
■

SGA_MAX_SIZE = 1024M

■

SGA_TARGET = 512M

■

DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE = 128M

In this example, the value of SGA_TARGET can be resized up to 1024M and can also be
reduced until one or more of the automatically sized components reaches its minimum
size. The exact value depends on environmental factors such as the number of CPUs
on the system. However, the value of DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE remains fixed at all times at
128M
When enabling automatic shared memory management, it is
best to set SGA_TARGET to the desired nonzero value before starting the
database. Dynamically modifying SGA_TARGET from zero to a nonzero
value may not achieve the desired results because the shared pool
may not be able to shrink. After startup, you can dynamically tune
SGA_TARGET up or down as required.
Note:

Modifying Parameters for Automatically Sized Components When SGA_TARGET is not set, the
automatic shared memory management feature is not enabled. Therefore the rules
governing resize for all component parameters are the same as in earlier releases.
However, when automatic shared memory management is enabled, the manually
specified sizes of automatically sized components serve as a lower bound for the size
of the components. You can modify this limit dynamically by changing the values of
the corresponding parameters.
If the specified lower limit for the size of a given SGA component is less than its
current size, there is no immediate change in the size of that component. The new
setting only limits the automatic tuning algorithm to that reduced minimum size in the
future. For example, consider the following configuration:
■

SGA_TARGET = 512M

■

LARGE_POOL_SIZE = 256M

■

Current actual large pool size = 284M

In this example, if you increase the value of LARGE_POOL_SIZE to a value greater than
the actual current size of the component, the system expands the component to
accommodate the increased minimum size. For example, if you increase the value of
6-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

LARGE_POOL_SIZE to 300M, then the system increases the large pool incrementally until
it reaches 300M. This resizing occurs at the expense of one or more automatically
tuned components.
If you decrease the value of LARGE_POOL_SIZE to 200, there is no immediate change in
the size of that component. The new setting only limits the reduction of the large pool
size to 200 M in the future.
Modifying Parameters for Manually Sized Components Parameters for manually sized
components can be dynamically altered as well. However, rather than setting a
minimum size, the value of the parameter specifies the precise size of the
corresponding component. When you increase the size of a manually sized
component, extra memory is taken away from one or more automatically sized
components. When you decrease the size of a manually sized component, the memory
that is released is given to the automatically sized components.
For example, consider this configuration:
■

SGA_TARGET = 512M

■

DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE = 128M

In this example, increasing DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE by 16M to 144M means that the 16M is
taken away from the automatically sized components. Likewise, reducing DB_8K_
CACHE_SIZE by 16M to 112M means that the 16M is given to the automatically sized
components.

Using Manual Shared Memory Management
If you decide not to use automatic memory management or automatic shared memory
management, you must manually configure several SGA component sizes, and then
monitor and tune these sizes on an ongoing basis as the database workload changes.
This section provides guidelines on setting the parameters that control the sizes of
these SGA components.
If you create your database with DBCA and choose manual shared memory
management, DBCA provides fields where you must enter sizes for the buffer cache,
shared pool, large pool, and Java pool. It then sets the corresponding initialization
parameters in the server parameter file (SPFILE) that it creates. If you instead create the
database with the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement and a text initialization parameter
file, you can do one of the following:
■
■

Provide values for the initialization parameters that set SGA component sizes.
Omit SGA component size parameters from the text initialization file. Oracle
Database chooses reasonable defaults for any component whose size you do not
set.

This section contains the following topics:
■

Enabling Manual Shared Memory Management

■

Setting the Buffer Cache Initialization Parameters

■

Specifying the Shared Pool Size

■

Specifying the Large Pool Size

■

Specifying the Java Pool Size

■

Specifying the Streams Pool Size

■

Specifying the Result Cache Maximum Size

Managing Memory 6-15

Configuring Memory Manually

■

Specifying Miscellaneous SGA Initialization Parameters

Enabling Manual Shared Memory Management
There is no initialization parameter that in itself enables manual shared memory
management. You effectively enable manual shared memory management by
disabling both automatic memory management and automatic shared memory
management.
To enable manual shared memory management:
1.

Set the MEMORY_TARGET initialization parameter to 0.

2.

Set the SGA_TARGET initialization parameter to 0.

You must then set values for the various SGA components, as described in the
following sections.

Setting the Buffer Cache Initialization Parameters
The buffer cache initialization parameters determine the size of the buffer cache
component of the SGA. You use them to specify the sizes of caches for the various
block sizes used by the database. These initialization parameters are all dynamic.
The size of a buffer cache affects performance. Larger cache sizes generally reduce the
number of disk reads and writes. However, a large cache may take up too much
memory and induce memory paging or swapping.
Oracle Database supports multiple block sizes in a database. If you create tablespaces
with non-standard block sizes, you must configure non-standard block size buffers to
accommodate these tablespaces. The standard block size is used for the SYSTEM
tablespace. You specify the standard block size by setting the initialization parameter
DB_BLOCK_SIZE. Legitimate values are from 2K to 32K.
If you intend to use multiple block sizes in your database, you must have the DB_
CACHE_SIZE and at least one DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE parameter set. Oracle Database assigns
an appropriate default value to the DB_CACHE_SIZE parameter, but the DB_nK_CACHE_
SIZE parameters default to 0, and no additional block size caches are configured.
The sizes and numbers of non-standard block size buffers are specified by the
following parameters:
DB_2K_CACHE_SIZE
DB_4K_CACHE_SIZE
DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE
DB_16K_CACHE_SIZE
DB_32K_CACHE_SIZE

Each parameter specifies the size of the cache for the corresponding block size.
Note:
■

■

Platform-specific restrictions regarding the maximum block size
apply, so some of these sizes might not be allowed on some
platforms.
A 32K block size is valid only on 64-bit platforms.

See Also: "Specifying Nonstandard Block Sizes for Tablespaces" on
page 13-14

6-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

Example of Setting Block and Cache Sizes
DB_BLOCK_SIZE=4096
DB_CACHE_SIZE=1024M
DB_2K_CACHE_SIZE=256M
DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE=512M

In the preceding example, the parameter DB_BLOCK_SIZE sets the standard block size of
the database to 4K. The size of the cache of standard block size buffers is 1024MB.
Additionally, 2K and 8K caches are also configured, with sizes of 256MB and 512MB,
respectively.
Note: The DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE parameters cannot be used to size the
cache for the standard block size. If the value of DB_BLOCK_SIZE is nK,
it is invalid to set DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE. The size of the cache for the
standard block size is always determined from the value of DB_CACHE_
SIZE.

The cache has a limited size, so not all the data on disk can fit in the cache. When the
cache is full, subsequent cache misses cause Oracle Database to write dirty data
already in the cache to disk to make room for the new data. (If a buffer is not dirty, it
does not need to be written to disk before a new block can be read into the buffer.)
Subsequent access to any data that was written to disk and then overwritten results in
additional cache misses.
The size of the cache affects the likelihood that a request for data results in a cache hit.
If the cache is large, it is more likely to contain the data that is requested. Increasing
the size of a cache increases the percentage of data requests that result in cache hits.
You can change the size of the buffer cache while the instance is running, without
having to shut down the database. Do this with the ALTER SYSTEM statement.
Use the fixed view V$BUFFER_POOL to track the sizes of the different cache components
and any pending resize operations.
Multiple Buffer Pools You can configure the database buffer cache with separate buffer
pools that either keep data in the buffer cache or make the buffers available for new
data immediately after using the data blocks. Particular schema objects (tables,
clusters, indexes, and partitions) can then be assigned to the appropriate buffer pool to
control the way their data blocks age out of the cache.
■
■

■

The KEEP buffer pool retains the schema object's data blocks in memory.
The RECYCLE buffer pool eliminates data blocks from memory as soon as they are
no longer needed.
The DEFAULT buffer pool contains data blocks from schema objects that are not
assigned to any buffer pool, as well as schema objects that are explicitly assigned
to the DEFAULT pool.

The initialization parameters that configure the KEEP and RECYCLE buffer pools are DB_
KEEP_CACHE_SIZE and DB_RECYCLE_CACHE_SIZE.
Multiple buffer pools are only available for the standard block
size. Non-standard block size caches have a single DEFAULT pool.

Note:

Managing Memory 6-17

Configuring Memory Manually

See Also: Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for information
about tuning the buffer cache and for more information about
multiple buffer pools

Specifying the Shared Pool Size
The SHARED_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter that lets you
specify or adjust the size of the shared pool component of the SGA. Oracle Database
selects an appropriate default value.
In releases before Oracle Database 10g, the amount of shared pool memory that was
allocated was equal to the value of the SHARED_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter plus
the amount of internal SGA overhead computed during instance startup. The internal
SGA overhead refers to memory that is allocated by Oracle Database during startup,
based on the values of several other initialization parameters. This memory is used to
maintain state for different server components in the SGA. For example, if the SHARED_
POOL_SIZE parameter is set to 64MB and the internal SGA overhead is computed to be
12MB, the real size of the shared pool is 64+12=76MB, although the value of the
SHARED_POOL_SIZE parameter is still displayed as 64MB.
Starting with Oracle Database 10g, the size of the internal SGA overhead is included in
the user-specified value of SHARED_POOL_SIZE. If you are not using automatic memory
management or automatic shared memory management, the amount of shared pool
memory that is allocated at startup is equal to the value of the SHARED_POOL_SIZE
initialization parameter, rounded up to a multiple of the granule size. You must
therefore set this parameter so that it includes the internal SGA overhead in addition
to the desired value for shared pool size. In the previous example, if the SHARED_POOL_
SIZE parameter is set to 64MB at startup, then the available shared pool after startup is
64-12=52MB, assuming the value of internal SGA overhead remains unchanged. In
order to maintain an effective value of 64MB for shared pool memory after startup,
you must set the SHARED_POOL_SIZE parameter to 64+12=76MB.
When migrating from a release that is earlier than Oracle Database 10g, the Oracle
Database 12c migration utilities recommend a new value for this parameter based on
the value of internal SGA overhead in the pre-upgrade environment and based on the
old value of this parameter. Beginning with Oracle Database 10g, the exact value of
internal SGA overhead, also known as startup overhead in the shared pool, can be
queried from the V$SGAINFO view. Also, in manual shared memory management
mode, if the user-specified value of SHARED_POOL_SIZE is too small to accommodate
even the requirements of internal SGA overhead, then Oracle Database generates an
ORA-00371 error during startup, with a suggested value to use for the SHARED_POOL_
SIZE parameter.
When you use automatic shared memory management in Oracle Database 12c, the
shared pool is automatically tuned, and an ORA-00371 error would not be generated.
The Result Cache and Shared Pool Size The result cache takes its memory from the shared
pool. Therefore, if you expect to increase the maximum size of the result cache, take
this into consideration when sizing the shared pool.
See Also:

"Specifying the Result Cache Maximum Size" on page 6-19

Specifying the Large Pool Size
The LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter that lets you
specify or adjust the size of the large pool component of the SGA. The large pool is an
optional component of the SGA. You must specifically set the LARGE_POOL_SIZE

6-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

parameter to create a large pool. Configuring the large pool is discussed in Oracle
Database Performance Tuning Guide.

Specifying the Java Pool Size
The JAVA_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter that lets you
specify or adjust the size of the java pool component of the SGA. Oracle Database
selects an appropriate default value. Configuration of the java pool is discussed in
Oracle Database Java Developer's Guide.

Specifying the Streams Pool Size
The STREAMS_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter that lets you
specify or adjust the size of the Streams Pool component of the SGA. If STREAMS_POOL_
SIZE is set to 0, then the Oracle Streams product transfers memory from the buffer
cache to the Streams Pool when it is needed. For details, see the discussion of the
Streams Pool in Oracle Streams Replication Administrator's Guide.

Specifying the Result Cache Maximum Size
The RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter that
enables you to specify the maximum size of the result cache component of the SGA.
Typically, there is no need to specify this parameter, because the default maximum size
is chosen by the database based on total memory available to the SGA and on the
memory management method currently in use. You can view the current default
maximum size by displaying the value of the RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE parameter. To
change this maximum size, you can set RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE with an ALTER SYSTEM
statement, or you can specify this parameter in the text initialization parameter file. In
each case, the value is rounded up to the nearest multiple of 32K.
If RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE is 0 upon instance startup, the result cache is disabled. To
reenable it you must set RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE to a nonzero value (or remove this
parameter from the text initialization parameter file to get the default maximum size)
and then restart the database.
Note that after starting the database with the result cache disabled, if you use an ALTER
SYSTEM statement to set RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE to a nonzero value but do not restart
the database, querying the value of the RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE parameter returns a
nonzero value even though the result cache is still disabled. The value of RESULT_
CACHE_MAX_SIZE is therefore not the most reliable way to determine if the result cache
is enabled. You can use the following query instead:
SELECT dbms_result_cache.status() FROM dual;
DBMS_RESULT_CACHE.STATUS()
--------------------------------------------ENABLED

The result cache takes its memory from the shared pool, so if you increase the
maximum result cache size, consider also increasing the shared pool size.
The view V$RESULT_CACHE_STATISTICS and the PL/SQL package procedure DBMS_
RESULT_CACHE.MEMORY_REPORT display information to help you determine the amount
of memory currently allocated to the result cache.
The PL/SQL package function DBMS_RESULT_CACHE.FLUSH clears the result cache and
releases all the memory back to the shared pool.

Managing Memory 6-19

Configuring Memory Manually

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for more information
about the result cache
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about the DBMS_RESULT_CACHE package procedures
and functions.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
V$RESULT_CACHE_STATISTICS view.
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information on setting RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE for a
cluster database.

Specifying Miscellaneous SGA Initialization Parameters
You can set a few additional initialization parameters to control how the SGA uses
memory.
Physical Memory The LOCK_SGA parameter, when set to TRUE, locks the entire SGA into
physical memory. This parameter cannot be used with automatic memory
management or automatic shared memory management.
SGA Starting Address The SHARED_MEMORY_ADDRESS and HI_SHARED_MEMORY_ADDRESS
parameters specify the SGA's starting address at run time. These parameters are rarely
used. For 64-bit platforms, HI_SHARED_MEMORY_ADDRESS specifies the high order 32 bits
of the 64-bit address.
Extended Buffer Cache Mechanism The USE_INDIRECT_DATA_BUFFERS parameter enables
the use of the extended buffer cache mechanism for 32-bit platforms that can support
more than 4 GB of physical memory. On platforms that do not support this much
physical memory, this parameter is ignored. This parameter cannot be used with
automatic memory management or automatic shared memory management.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Reference for more information on these
initialization parameters

■

"Using Automatic Memory Management" on page 6-4

■

"Using Automatic Shared Memory Management" on page 6-8

Using Automatic PGA Memory Management
By default, Oracle Database automatically and globally manages the total amount of
memory dedicated to the instance PGA. You can control this amount by setting the
initialization parameter PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET. Oracle Database then tries to ensure
that the total amount of PGA memory allocated across all database server processes
and background processes never exceeds this target.
If you create your database with DBCA, you can specify a value for the total instance
PGA. DBCA then sets the PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET initialization parameters in the
server parameter file (SPFILE) that it creates. If you do not specify the total instance
PGA, DBCA chooses a reasonable default.

6-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Memory Manually

If you create the database with the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement and a text
initialization parameter file, you can provide a value for PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET. If you
omit this parameter, the database chooses a default value for it.
With automatic PGA memory management, sizing of SQL work areas is automatic and
all *_AREA_SIZE initialization parameters are ignored. At any given time, the total
amount of PGA memory available to active work areas on the instance is
automatically derived from the parameter PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET. This amount is set
to the value of PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET minus the PGA memory allocated for other
purposes (for example, session memory). The resulting PGA memory is then allotted
to individual active work areas based on their specific memory requirements.
There are dynamic performance views that provide PGA memory use statistics. Most
of these statistics are enabled when PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET is set.
■

Statistics on allocation and use of work area memory can be viewed in the
following dynamic performance views:
V$SYSSTAT
V$SESSTAT
V$PGASTAT
V$SQL_WORKAREA
V$SQL_WORKAREA_ACTIVE

■

The following three columns in the V$PROCESS view report the PGA memory
allocated and used by an Oracle Database process:
PGA_USED_MEM
PGA_ALLOC_MEM
PGA_MAX_MEM

The PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET setting is a target. Therefore, Oracle Database tries to limit
PGA memory usage to the target, but usage can exceed the setting at times. To specify
a hard limit on PGA memory usage, use the PGA_AGGREGATE_LIMIT initialization
parameter. Oracle Database ensures that the PGA size does not exceed this limit. If the
database exceeds the limit, then the database aborts calls from sessions that have the
highest untunable PGA memory allocations. You can set PGA_AGGREGATE_LIMIT
whether or not you use automatic memory management. If PGA_AGGREGATE_LIMIT is
not set, then Oracle Database determines an appropriate default limit. See Oracle
Database Reference for more information about this parameter.
The automatic PGA memory management method applies to
work areas allocated by both dedicated and shared server process. See
Oracle Database Concepts for information about PGA memory
allocation in dedicated and shared server modes.

Note:

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for information about the initialization
parameters and views described in this section
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for information about
using the views described in this section

Managing Memory 6-21

Using Force Full Database Caching Mode

Using Manual PGA Memory Management
Oracle Database supports manual PGA memory management, in which you manually
tune SQL work areas.
In releases earlier than Oracle Database 10g, the database administrator controlled the
maximum size of SQL work areas by setting the following parameters: SORT_AREA_
SIZE, HASH_AREA_SIZE, BITMAP_MERGE_AREA_SIZE and CREATE_BITMAP_AREA_SIZE.
Setting these parameters is difficult, because the maximum work area size is ideally
selected from the data input size and the total number of work areas active in the
system. These two factors vary greatly from one work area to another and from one
time to another. Thus, the various *_AREA_SIZE parameters are difficult to tune under
the best of circumstances.
For this reason, Oracle strongly recommends that you leave automatic PGA memory
management enabled.
If you decide to tune SQL work areas manually, you must set the WORKAREA_SIZE_
POLICY initialization parameter to MANUAL.
Note: The initialization parameter WORKAREA_SIZE_POLICY is a
session- and system-level parameter that can take only two values:
MANUAL or AUTO. The default is AUTO. You can set PGA_AGGREGATE_
TARGET, and then switch back and forth from auto to manual memory
management mode. When WORKAREA_SIZE_POLICY is set to AUTO, your
settings for *_AREA_SIZE parameters are ignored.

Using Force Full Database Caching Mode
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

This section contains the following topics:
■

About Force Full Database Caching Mode

■

Before Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode

■

Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode

■

Disabling Force Full Database Caching Mode

About Force Full Database Caching Mode
In default caching mode, Oracle Database does not always cache the underlying data
when a user queries a large table because doing so might remove more useful data
from the buffer cache. Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), if the
Oracle Database instance determines that there is enough space to cache the full
database in the buffer cache and that it would be beneficial to do so, then the instance
automatically caches the full database in the buffer cache.
Caching the full database in the buffer cache might result in performance
improvements. You can force an instance to cache the database in the buffer cache
using an ALTER DATABASE FORCE FULL DATABASE CACHING statement. This statement
puts the instance in force full database caching mode. In this mode, Oracle Database

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Using Force Full Database Caching Mode

assumes that the buffer cache is large enough to cache the full database and tries to
cache all blocks that are accessed subsequently.
When an Oracle Database instance is in force full database caching mode, the
following query returns YES:
SELECT FORCE_FULL_DB_CACHING FROM V$DATABASE;

When an instance is in default caching mode, NOCACHE LOBs are not cached in the
buffer cache. However, when an instance is in force full database caching mode,
NOCACHE LOBs can be cached in the buffer cache. Also, both LOBs that use SecureFiles
LOB storage and LOBs that use BasicFiles LOB storage can be cached in the buffer
cache in force full database caching mode only.
Note:
■

■

■

When an instance is put in force full database caching mode,
database objects are not loaded into the buffer cache immediately.
Instead, they are cached in the buffer cache when they are
accessed.
In a multitenant environment, force full database caching mode
applies to the entire multitenant container database (CDB),
including all of its pluggable databases (PDBs).
Information about force full database caching mode is stored in
the control file. If the control file is replaced or recreated, then the
information about the force full database caching mode is lost. A
restored control file might or might not include this information,
depending on when the control file was backed up.

See Also:
■

Part VI, "Managing a Multitenant Environment"

■

Chapter 10, "Managing Control Files"

■

Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide

Before Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode
The database must be at 12.0.0 or higher compatibility level to enable force full
database caching mode for the database instance. In addition, ensure that the buffer
cache is large enough to cache the entire database.
When a database is configured to use the SGA_TARGET or MEMORY_TARGET initialization
parameter for automatic memory management, the size of the buffer cache might
change depending on the workload. Run the following query to estimate the buffer
cache size when the instance is under normal workload:
SELECT NAME, BYTES FROM V$SGAINFO WHERE NAME='Buffer Cache Size';

This query returns the buffer cache size for all possible block sizes. If your database
uses multiple block sizes, then it is best to ensure that the buffer cache size for each
possible block size is bigger than the total database size for that block size.
You can determine the buffer cache size for non-default block sizes with the DB_nK_
CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter. With SGA_TARGET or MEORY_TARGET, the buffer
cache size for the default block size in the default pool might change depending on the

Managing Memory 6-23

Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache

workload. The following query returns the current buffer cache size for the default
block size in the default pool:
SELECT COMPONENT, CURRENT_SIZE FROM V$SGA_DYNAMIC_COMPONENTS
WHERE COMPONENT LIKE 'DEFAULT buffer cache';

If you are estimating memory requirements for running a database fully in the buffer
cache, then you can estimate the size of the buffer cache as one of the following:
■

■

If you plan to use SGA_TARGET, then you can estimate the buffer cache size as 60%
of SGA_TARGET.
If you plan to use MEMORY_TARGET, then you can estimate the SGA size as 60% of
MEMORY_TARGET, and buffer cache size as 60% of SGA size. That is, you can estimate
the buffer cache size as 36% of MEMORY_TARGET.
See Also:

"Using Automatic Memory Management" on page 6-4

Enabling Force Full Database Caching Mode
Complete the following steps to enable in force full database caching mode for a
database:
1.

Connect to the instance as a user with ALTER DATABASE system privilege.

2.

Ensure that the database is mounted but not open.
See "Starting an Instance and Mounting a Database" on page 3-7.

3.

Issue the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE FORCE FULL DATABASE CACHING;

4.

(Optional) Open the database:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Disabling Force Full Database Caching Mode
Complete the following steps to disable force full database caching mode for a
database:
1.

Connect to the instance as a user with ALTER DATABASE system privilege.

2.

Ensure that the database is mounted but not open.
See "Starting an Instance and Mounting a Database" on page 3-7.

3.

Issue the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE NO FORCE FULL DATABASE CACHING;

4.

(Optional) Open the database:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache
This section contains the following topics on configuring Database Smart Flash Cache:
■

When to Configure Database Smart Flash Cache

■

Sizing Database Smart Flash Cache

■

Tuning Memory for Database Smart Flash Cache

6-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache

■

Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters

■

Database Smart Flash Cache in an Oracle Real Applications Clusters Environment
See Also: "Memory Architecture Overview" on page 6-2 for a
description of Database Smart Flash Cache

When to Configure Database Smart Flash Cache
Consider adding Database Smart Flash Cache when all of the following are true:
■

■

Your database is running on the Solaris or Oracle Linux operating systems.
Database Smart Flash Cache is supported on these operating systems only.
The Buffer Pool Advisory section of your Automatic Workload Repository (AWR)
report or STATSPACK report indicates that doubling the size of the buffer cache
would be beneficial.

■

db file sequential read is a top wait event.

■

You have spare CPU.
You cannot share one flash file among multiple instances.
However, you can share a single flash device among multiple
instances if you use a logical volume manager or similar tool to
statically partition the flash device.

Note:

Sizing Database Smart Flash Cache
As a general rule, size Database Smart Flash Cache to be between 2 times and 10 times
the size of the buffer cache. Any multiplier less than two would not provide any
benefit. If you are using automatic shared memory management, make Database
Smart Flash Cache between 2 times and 10 times the size of SGA_TARGET. Using 80% of
the size of SGA_TARGET instead of the full size would also suffice for this calculation.

Tuning Memory for Database Smart Flash Cache
For each database block moved from the buffer cache to Database Smart Flash Cache, a
small amount of metadata about the block is kept in the buffer cache. For a single
instance database, the metadata consumes approximately 100 bytes. For an Oracle Real
Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database, it is closer to 200 bytes. You must
therefore take this extra memory requirement into account when adding Database
Smart Flash Cache.
■

■

■

If you are managing memory manually, increase the size of the buffer cache by an
amount approximately equal to the number of database blocks that fit into the
Database Smart Flash Cache as configured, multiplied by 100 (or 200 for Oracle
RAC).
If you are using automatic memory management, increase the size of MEMORY_
TARGET using the algorithm described above. You may first have to increase the
size of MEMORY_MAX_TARGET.
If you are using automatic shared memory management, increase the size of SGA_
TARGET.

Also, for an Oracle RAC database that uses the flash cache, additional memory must
be allocated to the shared pool for Global Cache Service (GCS) resources. Each GCS
resource requires approximately 208 bytes in the shared pool.

Managing Memory 6-25

Configuring Database Smart Flash Cache

You can choose to not increase the buffer cache size to account
for Database Smart Flash Cache. In this case, the effective size of the
buffer cache is reduced. In some cases, you can offset this loss by
using a larger Database Smart Flash Cache.

Note:

See Also:

"About Memory Management" on page 6-1

Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters
Table 6–4 describes the initialization parameters that you use to configure Database
Smart Flash Cache.
Table 6–4

Database Smart Flash Cache Initialization Parameters

Parameter

Description

DB_FLASH_CACHE_FILE

Specifies a list of paths and file names for the files to contain
Database Smart Flash Cache, in either the operating system file
system or an Oracle Automatic Storage Management disk group.
If a specified file does not exist, then the database creates it
during startup. Each file must reside on a flash device. If you
configure Database Smart Flash Cache on a disk drive (spindle),
then performance may suffer. A maximum of 16 files is
supported.

DB_FLASH_CACHE_SIZE

Specifies the size of each file in your Database Smart Flash
Cache. Each size corresponds with a file specified in DB_FLASH_
CACHE_FILE. The files and sizes correspond in the order that they
are specified. An error is raised if the number of specified sizes
does not match the number of specified files.
Each size specification must be less than or equal to the physical
memory size of its flash device. The size is expressed as nG,
indicating the number of gigabytes (GB). For example, to specify
a 16 GB Database Smart Flash Cache, set DB_FLASH_CACHE_SIZE
value to 16G.

For example, assume that your Database Smart Flash Cache uses following flash
devices:
File

Size

/dev/sda

32G

/dev/sdb

32G

/dev/sdc

64G

You can set the initialization parameters to the following values:
DB_FLASH_CACHE_FILE = /dev/sda, /dev/sdb, /dev/sdc
DB_FLASH_CACHE_SIZE = 32G, 32G, 64G

You can query the V$FLASHFILESTAT view to determine the cumulative latency and
read counts of each file and compute the average latency.
You can use ALTER SYSTEM to set DB_FLASH_CACHE_SIZE to zero for each flash device
you wish to disable. You can also use ALTER SYSTEM to set the size for any disabled
flash device back to its original size to reenable it. However, dynamically changing the
size of Database Smart Flash Cache is not supported.
6-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
initialization parameters described in this section and for more
information about the V$FLASHFILESTAT view

See Also:

Database Smart Flash Cache in an Oracle Real Applications Clusters Environment
Oracle recommends that you configure a Database Smart Flash Cache on either all or
none of the instances in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment. Also, the
total flash cache size configured on each instance should be approximately the same.

Using the In-Memory Column Store
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The In-Memory Column Store (IM column store) is an optional portion of the system
global area (SGA) that stores copies of tables, table partitions, and other database
objects. In the IM column store, data is populated by column rather than row as it is in
other parts of the SGA, and data is optimized for rapid scans. The IM column store is
included with the Oracle Database In-Memory option.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About the IM Column Store

■

Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store

■

Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database

■

Enabling and Disabling Tables for the IM Column Store

■

Enabling and Disabling Tablespaces for the IM Column Store

■

Enabling and Disabling Materialized Views for the IM Column Store

■

Data Pump and the IM Column Store

■

Using IM Column Store In Enterprise Manager
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts

About the IM Column Store
This section contains the following topics:
■

Overview of the IM Column Store

■

IM Column Store Compression Methods

■

IM Column Store Data Population Options

Overview of the IM Column Store
The IM column store is a new static pool in the SGA. Data in the IM column store does
not reside in the traditional row format but instead in a columnar format. Each column
is stored as a separate structure. The IM column store does not replace the buffer
cache, but acts as a supplement, so that data can be stored in memory in both row and
columnar formats. To enable the IM column store, the INMEMORY_SIZE initialization
parameter must be set to a non-zero value.
Managing Memory 6-27

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Video: Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store
Architecture Overview

You can enable the IM column store at any of the following levels:
■

Column

■

Table

■

Materialized view

■

Tablespace

■

Partition

If it is enabled at the tablespace level, then all tables and materialized views in the
tablespace are enabled for the IM column store by default. You can populate all of a
database object’s columns in the IM column store or a subset of the database object’s
columns. Similarly, for a partitioned table or materialized view, you can populate all of
the partitions in the IM column store or a subset of the partitions.
Video:

Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store Columns

Storing a database object in the IM column store can improve performance
significantly for the following types of operations performed on the database object:
■

■

A query that scans a large number of rows and applies filters that use operators
such as the following: =, <, >, and IN
A query that selects a small number of columns from a table or materialized view
with a large number of columns, such as a query that selects five columns from a
table with 100 columns

■

A query that joins a small table to a large table

■

A query that aggregates data
Video:

Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store Queries

Typically, multi-column indexes are created to improve the performance of analytic
and reporting queries. These indexes can impede the performance of data
manipulation language (DML) statements. When a database object is populated in the
IM column store, indexes used for analytic or reporting queries can be reduced or
eliminated without affecting query performance. Eliminating these indexes can
improve the performance of transactions and data loading operations.
You enable database objects for the IM column store by including an INMEMORY clause
in the following SQL statements:
■

CREATE TABLE

■

ALTER TABLE

■

CREATE TABLESPACE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE

■

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW

■

ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW

To determine which database objects are populated in the IM column store currently,
run the following query on the V$IM_SEGMENTS view:

6-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the In-Memory Column Store

SELECT OWNER, SEGMENT_NAME, INMEMORY_PRIORITY, INMEMORY_COMPRESSION
FROM V$IM_SEGMENTS;

A database object that is enabled for the IM column store
might not be populated in it. Therefore, such a database object might
not appear in the results for this query. However, you can increase the
priority level to increase the likelihood that the database object is
populated the IM column store. See "IM Column Store Data
Population Options" on page 6-30. Other views, such as the DBA_
TABLES view, show candidates for the IM column store.

Note:

The IM column store does not improve performance for the following types of
operations:
■

Queries with complex predicates

■

Queries that select a large number of columns

■

Queries that return a large number of rows

■

Queries with multiple large table joins

Also, a database object cannot be populated in the IM column store if it is owned by
the SYS user and it is stored in the SYSTEM or SYSAUX tablespace.
See Also:
■

"Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store" on
page 6-31

■

"Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database" on page 6-33

■

Oracle Database Concepts

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the INMEMORY clause
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for more information about the IM column store and Oracle
RAC

IM Column Store Compression Methods
In the IM column store, data can be compressed, and SQL queries execute directly on
compressed data.
Video: Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store
Compression

Table 6–5 summarizes the data compression methods supported in the IM column
store.

Managing Memory 6-29

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Table 6–5

IM Column Store Compression Methods

CREATE/ALTER Syntax

Description

NO MEMCOMPRESS

The data is not compressed.

MEMCOMPRESS FOR DML

This method optimizes the data for DML operations and compresses IM
column store data the least (excluding NO MEMCOMPRESS).

MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY LOW

This method results in the best query performance.
This method compresses IM column store data more than MEMCOMPRESS
FOR DML but less than MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY HIGH.
This method is the default when the INMEMORY clause is specified without a
compression method in a CREATE or ALTER SQL statement or when
MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY is specified without including either LOW or HIGH.

MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY HIGH

This method results in excellent query performance.
This method compresses IM column store data more than MEMCOMPRESS
FOR QUERY LOW but less than MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY LOW.

MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY LOW

This method results in good query performance.
This method compresses IM column store data more than MEMCOMPRESS
FOR QUERY HIGH but less than MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY HIGH.
This method is the default when MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY is specified
without including either LOW or HIGH.

MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY HIGH

This method results in fair query performance.
This method compresses IM column store data the most.

In a SQL statement, the MEMCOMPRESS keyword must be preceded by the INMEMORY
keyword.

IM Column Store Data Population Options
When you enable a database object for the IM column store, you can either let Oracle
Database control when the database object's data is populated in the IM column store
(default), or you can specify a priority level that determines the priority of the
database object in the population queue. Oracle SQL includes an INMEMORY PRIORITY
subclause that provides more control over the queue for population. For example, it
might be more important or less important to populate a database object’s data before
populating the data for other database objects.
Video:

Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store Priority

Table 6–6 describes the supported priority levels.

6-30 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Table 6–6

Priority Levels for Populating a Database Object in the IM Column Store

CREATE/ALTER
Syntax

Description
Oracle Database controls when the database object’s data is populated in the IM column
store. A scan of the database object triggers the population of the object into the IM
column store.

PRIORITY NONE

This is the default level when PRIORITY is not included in the INMEMORY clause.
The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store before database objects
with the following priority level: NONE.

PRIORITY LOW

The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store after database objects with
the following priority levels: MEDIUM, HIGH, or CRITICAL.
The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store before database objects
with the following priority levels: NONE or LOW.

PRIORITY MEDIUM

The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store after database objects with
the following priority levels: HIGH or CRITICAL.
The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store before database objects
with the following priority levels: NONE, LOW, or MEDIUM.

PRIORITY HIGH

The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store after database objects with
the following priority level: CRITICAL.
PRIORITY CRITICAL

The database object’s data is populated in the IM column store before database objects
with the following priority levels: NONE, LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH.

When more than one database object has a priority level other than NONE, Oracle
Database queues all of the data for the database objects to be populated in the IM
column store based on priority level. Data for database objects with the CRITICAL
priority level are populated first, data for database objects with the HIGH priority level
are populated next, and so on. If there is no space remaining in the IM column store,
then no additional objects are populated in it until sufficient space becomes available.
When a database is restarted, all of the data for database objects with a priority level
other than NONE are populated in the IM column store during startup. For a database
object with a priority level other than NONE, an ALTER TABLE or ALTER MATERIALIZED
VIEW DDL statement involving the database object does not return until the DDL
changes are recorded in the IM column store.
Note:
■

■

The priority level setting must apply to an entire table or to a table
partition. Specifying different IM column store priority levels for
different subsets of columns in a table is not allowed.
If a segment on disk is 64 KB or less, then it is not populated in the
IM column store. Therefore, some small database objects that were
enabled for the IM column store might not be populated in it.

Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store
Table 6–7 describes the initialization parameters related to the IM column store.

Managing Memory 6-31

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Table 6–7

Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store

Initialization Parameter

Description

INMEMORY_SIZE

This initialization parameter sets the size of the IM column
store in a database instance.
The default value is 0, which means that the IM column store
is not used. This initialization parameter must be set to a
non-zero value to enable the IM column store. If the
parameter is set to a non-zero value, then the minimum
setting is 100M.
In a multitenant environment, the setting for this parameter
in the root is the setting for the entire multitenant container
database (CDB). This parameter can also be set in each
pluggable database (PDB) to limit the maximum size of the
IM column store for each PDB. The sum of the PDB values
can be less than, equal to, or greater than the CDB value.
However, the CDB value is the maximum amount of memory
available in the IM column store for the entire CDB, including
the root and all of the PDBs. Unless this parameter is
specifically set for a PDB, the PDB inherits the CDB value,
which means that the PDB can use all of the available IM
column store for the CDB.

INMEMORY_FORCE

This initialization parameter can enable tables and
materialized views for the IM column store or disable all
tables and materialized views for the IM column store.
Set this parameter to DEFAULT, the default value, to allow the
INMEMORY or NO INMEMORY attributes on the individual
database objects determine if they will be populated in the IM
column store.
Set this parameter to OFF to specify that all tables and
materialized views are disabled for the IM column store.

INMEMORY_CLAUSE_DEFAULT

This initialization parameter enables you to specify a default
IM column store clause for new tables and materialized
views.
Leave this parameter unset or set it to an empty string to
specify that there is no default IM column store clause for
new tables and materialized views. Setting the value of this
parameter to NO INMEMORY has the same effect as setting it to
the default value (the empty string).
Set this parameter to a valid INMEMORY clause to specify that
the clause is the default for all new tables and materialized
views. The clause can include valid clauses for IM column
store compression methods and data population options.
If the clause starts with INMEMORY, then all new tables and
materialized views, including those without an INMEMORY
clause, are populated in the IM column store. If the clause
omits INMEMORY, then it only applies to new tables and
materialized views that are enabled for the IM column store
with an INMEMORY clause during creation.

INMEMORY_QUERY

6-32 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

This initialization parameter specifies whether in-memory
queries are allowed. Set this parameter to ENABLE, the default
value, to allow queries to access database objects populated
in the IM column store, or set this parameter to DISABLE to
disable access to the database objects populated in the IM
column store.

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Table 6–7 (Cont.) Initialization Parameters Related to the IM Column Store
Initialization Parameter

Description

INMEMORY_MAX_POPULATE_
SERVERS

This initialization parameter specifies the maximum number
of background populate servers to use for IM column store
population, so that these servers do not overload the rest of
the system. Set this parameter to an appropriate value based
on the number of cores in the system.

INMEMORY_TRICKLE_
REPOPULATE_SERVERS_PERCENT

This initialization parameter limits the maximum number of
background populate servers used for IM column store
repopulation, as trickle repopulation is designed to use only a
small percentage of the populate servers. The value for this
parameter is a percentage of the INMEMORY_MAX_POPULATE_
SERVERS initialization parameter value. For example, if this
parameter is set to 10 and INMEMORY_MAX_POPULATE_SERVERS
is set to 10, then on average one core is used for trickle
repopulation.

OPTIMIZER_INMEMORY_AWARE

This initialization parameter enables or disables all of the
optimizer cost model enhancements for in-memory. Setting
the parameter to FALSE causes the optimizer to ignore the
in-memory property of tables during the optimization of SQL
statements.

See Also:
■
■

"Specifying Initialization Parameters" on page 2-24
"Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter
File" on page 2-33

Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database
Before tables, tablespaces, or materialized views can be enabled for the IM column
store, you must enable the IM column store for the database.
To enable the IM column store for a database, complete the following steps:
1.

Ensure that the database is at 12.1.0 or higher compatibility level.

2.

Set the INMEMORY_SIZE initialization parameter to a non-zero value.
When you set this parameter in a server parameter file (SPFILE) using the ALTER
SYSTEM statement, you must specify SCOPE=SPFILE.
The minimum setting is 100M.

3.

Restart the database.
You must restart the database to initialize the IM column store in the SGA.

4.

Optionally, you can check the amount of memory currently allocated for the IM
column store by entering the following in SQL*Plus:
SHOW PARAMETER INMEMORY_SIZE

Managing Memory 6-33

Using the In-Memory Column Store

See Also:
■

■
■

■

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for information about setting the
database compatibility level
"Specifying Initialization Parameters" on page 2-24
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
INMEMORY_SIZE initialization parameter
Chapter 3, "Starting Up and Shutting Down"

Enabling and Disabling Tables for the IM Column Store
You enable a table for the IM column store by including an INMEMORY clause in a
CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement. You disable a table for the IM column store
by including a NO INMEMORY clause in a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement.
To enable or disable a table for the IM column store, complete the following steps:
1.

Ensure that the IM column store is enabled for the database.
See "Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database" on page 6-33.

2.

Connect to the database instance as a user with the appropriate privileges to either
create the table or alter the table.

3.

Run a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement with an INMEMORY clause or a NO
INMEMORY clause.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 20, "Managing Tables" for information about creating and
altering tables
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the
CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statements

Examples of Enabling and Disabling the IM Column Store for Tables
The following examples illustrate how to enable or disable tables for the IM column
store:
■

Example 6–1, "Creating a Table and Enabling It for the IM Column Store"

■

Example 6–2, "Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store"

■

■

Example 6–3, "Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store with FOR CAPACITY
LOW Compression"
Example 6–5, "Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store with FOR CAPACITY
HIGH Compression and LOW Data Population Priority"

■

Example 6–6, "Enabling Columns in a Table for the IM Column Store"

■

Example 6–7, "Disabling a Table for the IM Column Store"

Example 6–1 Creating a Table and Enabling It for the IM Column Store

The following example creates the test_inmem table and enables it for the IM column
store:
CREATE TABLE test_inmem (
id
NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY,
test_col VARCHAR2(15))
INMEMORY;

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Using the In-Memory Column Store

This example uses the defaults for the INMEMORY clause. Therefore, MEMCOMPRESS FOR
QUERY is used, and PRIORITY NONE is used.
Example 6–2 Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store

The following example enables the oe.product_information table for the IM column
store:
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information INMEMORY;

This example uses the defaults for the INMEMORY clause. Therefore, MEMCOMPRESS FOR
QUERY is used, and PRIORITY NONE is used.
Example 6–3 Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store with FOR CAPACITY LOW
Compression

The following example enables the oe.product_information table for the IM column
store and specifies the compression method FOR CAPACITY LOW:
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information INMEMORY MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY LOW;

This example uses the default for the PRIORITY clause. Therefore, PRIORITY NONE is
used.
Example 6–4 Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store with HIGH Data Population
Priority

The following example enables the oe.product_information table for the IM column
store and specifies PRIORITY HIGH for populating the table data in memory:
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information INMEMORY PRIORITY HIGH;

This example uses the default for the MEMCOMPRESS clause. Therefore, MEMCOMPRESS FOR
QUERY is used.
Example 6–5 Enabling a Table for the IM Column Store with FOR CAPACITY HIGH
Compression and LOW Data Population Priority

The following example enables the oe.product_information table for the IM column
store and specifies FOR CAPACITY HIGH table compression and PRIORITY LOW for
populating the table data in memory:
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information INMEMORY
MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY HIGH
PRIORITY LOW;
Example 6–6 Enabling Columns in a Table for the IM Column Store

This example enables some columns in the oe.product_information table for the IM
column store but not others. It also specifies different IM column store compression
methods for the columns enabled for the IM column store.
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information
INMEMORY MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY (
product_id, product_name, category_id, supplier_id, min_price)
INMEMORY MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY HIGH (
product_description, warranty_period, product_status, list_price)
NO INMEMORY (
weight_class, catalog_url);

Specifically, this example specifies the following:
Managing Memory 6-35

Using the In-Memory Column Store

■

■

■

The list of columns starting with product_id and ending with min_price are
enabled for the IM column store with the MEMCOMPRESS FOR QUERY compression
method.
The list of columns starting with product_description and ending with list_
price are enabled for the IM column store with the MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY
HIGH compression method.
The weight_class and catalog_url columns are not enabled for the IM column
store.

This example uses the default for the PRIORITY clause. Therefore, PRIORITY NONE is
used.
You can query the V$IM_COLUMN_LEVEL view to determine the selective column
compression levels that are defined for a database object.
The priority level setting must apply to an entire table or to a
table partition. Specifying different IM column store priority levels for
different subsets of columns in a table is not allowed.

Note:

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
V$IM_COLUMN_LEVEL view
See Also:

Example 6–7 Disabling a Table for the IM Column Store

To disable a table for the IM column store, use the NO INMEMORY clause. The following
example disables the oe.product_information table for the IM column store:
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information NO INMEMORY;

Note: You can query the V$IM_SEGMENTS view to list the database
objects that are populated in the IM column store. See "Overview of
the IM Column Store" on page 6-27 for a sample query.

Enabling and Disabling Tablespaces for the IM Column Store
You can enable a tablespace for the IM column store during tablespace creation with a
CREATE TABLESPACE statement that includes the INMEMORY clause. You can also alter a
tablespace to enable it for the IM column store with an ALTER TABLESPACE statement
that includes the INMEMORY clause.
You disable a tablespace for the IM column store by including a NO INMEMORY clause in
a CREATE TABLESPACE or ALTER TABLESPACE statement.
When a tablespace is enabled for the IM column store, all tables and materialized
views in the tablespace are enabled for the IM column store by default. The INMEMORY
clause is the same for tables, materialized views, and tablespaces. The DEFAULT storage
clause is required before the INMEMORY clause when enabling a tablespace for the IM
column store and before the NO INMEMORY clause when disabling a tablespace for the
IM column store.
When a tablespace is enabled for the IM column store, individual tables and
materialized views in the tablespace can have different in-memory settings, and the
settings for individual database objects override the settings for the tablespace. For
example, if the tablespace is set to PRIORITY LOW for populating data in memory, but a
table in the tablespace is set to PRIORITY HIGH, then the table uses PRIORITY HIGH.
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Using the In-Memory Column Store

To enable or disable a tablespace for the IM column store, complete the following
steps:
1.

Ensure that the IM column store is enabled for the database.
See "Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database" on page 6-33.

2.

Connect to the database instance as a user with the appropriate privileges to either
create the tablespace or alter the tablespace.

3.

Run a CREATE TABLESPACE or ALTER TABLESPACE statement with an INMEMORY
clause or a NO INMEMORY clause.

Example 6–8 Creating a Tablespace and Enabling It for the IM Column Store

The following example creates the tbs1 tablespace and enables it for the IM column
store:
CREATE TABLESPACE tbs1
DATAFILE 'tbs1.dbf' SIZE 40M
ONLINE
DEFAULT INMEMORY;

This example uses the defaults for the INMEMORY clause. Therefore, MEMCOMPRESS FOR
QUERY is used, and PRIORITY NONE is used.
Example 6–9 Altering a Tablespace to Enable It for the IM Column Store

The following example alters the tbs1 tablespace to enable it for the IM column store
and specifies FOR CAPACITY HIGH compression for the database objects in the
tablespace and PRIORITY LOW for populating data in memory:
ALTER TABLESPACE tbs1 DEFAULT INMEMORY
MEMCOMPRESS FOR CAPACITY HIGH
PRIORITY LOW;

Enabling and Disabling Materialized Views for the IM Column Store
You enable a materialized view for the IM column store by including an INMEMORY
clause in a CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW or ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW statement. You
disable a materialized view for the IM column store by including a NO INMEMORY clause
in a CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW or ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW statement.
To enable or disable a materialized view for the IM column store, complete the
following steps:
1.

Ensure that the IM column store is enabled for the database.
See "Enabling the IM Column Store for a Database" on page 6-33.

2.

Connect to the database instance as a user with the appropriate privileges to either
create the materialized view or alter the materialized view.

3.

Run a CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW or ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW statement with
an INMEMORY clause or a NO INMEMORY clause.

Example 6–10

Creating a Materialized View and Enabling It for the IM Column Store

The following example creates the oe.prod_info_mv materialized view and enables it
for the IM column store:
CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW oe.prod_info_mv INMEMORY

Managing Memory 6-37

Using the In-Memory Column Store

AS SELECT * FROM oe.product_information;

This example uses the defaults for the INMEMORY clause. Therefore, MEMCOMPRESS FOR
QUERY is used, and PRIORITY NONE is used.
Example 6–11 Enabling a Materialized View for the IM Column Store with HIGH Data
Population Priority

The following example enables the oe.prod_info_mv materialized view for the IM
column store:
ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW oe.prod_info_mv INMEMORY PRIORITY HIGH;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about the CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW or ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW
statements

Data Pump and the IM Column Store
You can import database objects that are enabled for the IM column store using the
TRANSFORM=INMEMORY:y option of the impdp command. With this option, Data Pump
keeps the IM column store clause for all objects that have one. When the
TRANSFORM=INMEMORY:n option is specified, Data Pump drops the IM column store
clause from all objects that have one.
You can also use the TRANSFORM=INMEMORY_CLAUSE:string option to override the IM
column store clause for a database object in the dump file during import. For example,
you can use this option to change the IM column store compression for a database
object being imported.
Video: Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store Monitored
and Oracle Data Pump

Oracle Database Utilities for more information about the
TRANSFORM impdp parameter
See Also:

Using IM Column Store In Enterprise Manager
The following sections discuss how to use the IM column store in Enterprise Manager
Cloud Control. This section contains the following topics:
■
■

Prerequisites to Using IM Column Store in Enterprise Manager
Using the In-Memory Column Store Central Home Page to Monitor In-Memory
Support for Database Objects

■

Specifying In-Memory Details When Creating a Table or Partition

■

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Table

■

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Partition

■

Specifying IM Column Store Details During Tablespace Creation

■

Viewing and Editing IM Column Store Details of a Tablespace

■

Specifying IM Column Store Details During Materialized View Creation

■

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Materialized View

6-38 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Video: Oracle Database 12c demos: In-Memory Column Store Monitored
with Enterprise Manager

Prerequisites to Using IM Column Store in Enterprise Manager
Before you can enable a database to use the IM column store, you must ensure that the
database is at a Release 12.1.0.2 or higher compatibility level. In other words, the value
for the initialization parameter COMPATIBLE should be set to 12.1.0.0. To set the
compatibility level, follow these steps:
1.

From the Database Home page in Enterprise Manager, navigate to the
Initialization Parameters page by choosing Initialization Parameters from the
Administration menu.
You can use this page to set or change the compatibility level.

2.

Search for the parameter COMPATIBLE.
The category for the parameter is Miscellaneous.

3.

Change the value to 12.1.0.0 and click Apply.
You will be prompted to restart the database.

After the database is restarted, the new value that you set takes effect.
Similarly, you can set or change the size of the IM column store. To do so, follow these
steps:
1.

From the Database Home page in Enterprise Manager, navigate to the
Initialization Parameters page by choosing Initialization Parameters from the
Administration menu.

2.

Search for the parameter INMEMORY_SIZE. The category for the parameter is
In-Memory.

3.

Change the value and click Apply.
You can set the value to any value above the minimum size of 100M.
You will then be prompted to restart the database.

Using the In-Memory Column Store Central Home Page to Monitor In-Memory
Support for Database Objects
You can use the In-Memory Column Store Central Home page to monitor in-memory
support for database objects such as tables, indexes, partitions and tablespaces. You
can view in-memory functionality for objects and monitor their In-Memory usage
statistics.
The In-Memory Object Access Heatmap displays the top 100 objects in the In-Memory
Store with their relative sizes and shows you how frequently objects are accessed,
represented by different colors. To activate the heat map, you must turn on the option
for the heatmap in the init.ora parameter file. Generally there is a one day wait period
before the map is activated. You can use the date selector to pick the date range for
objects displayed in the Heat Map. You can also use the slider to control the
granularity of the color.
Use the Configuration section to view the status settings such as In-Memory Query,
In-Memory Force, and Default In-Memory Clause. Click Edit to navigate to the
Initialization Parameters page where you can change the values and settings displayed
in this section. Use the Performance section to view the metrics for Active Sessions.

Managing Memory 6-39

Using the In-Memory Column Store

Use the Objects Summary section to view the Compression Factor and data about the
memory used by the populated objects. The In-Memory Enabled Object Statistics are
available in a pop-up window through a drill-down from the View In-Memory
Enabled Object Statistics link on the page.
Use the In-Memory Objects Distribution section to view the distribution on a
percentage basis of the various objects used in memory. The section includes a chart
showing the distribution of Partitions, Sub-partitions, Non-partitioned Tables, and
Non-partitioned Materialized Views. The numerical values for each are displayed
above the chart.
Use the In-Memory Objects Search section to search for objects designated for
In-Memory use. Click Search after you enter the parameters by which you want to
search. The results table shows the Name of each object found along with its Size, Size
in Memory, Size on Disk, In-Memory percentage, and its In-Memory parameters. You
can also search for accessed objects that are either in-memory or not in-memory. If the
heatmap is enabled, the Accessed Objects option appears in the drop-down list in the
View field of the In-Memory Objects Search box. When you select Accessed Objects,
you can filter based on the top 100 objects with access data that are either in-memory
or not in-memory. You can select a time range and search for objects within that range.
If you select the All Objects In-Memory option, you can view the list of top 100 objects
that are in-memory based on their in-memory size.
If you are working in a RAC environment, you can quickly move between instances by
selecting the instance in the Instances selection box above and on the right side of the
heatmap.

Specifying In-Memory Details When Creating a Table or Partition
To specify IM column store details when creating a table or partition, follow these
steps:
1.

From the Schema menu, choose Database Objects, then select the Tables option.

2.

Click Create to create a table.
The Create Table page is shown. Select the In-Memory Column Store tab to specify
the in-memory options for the table.

3.

Choose to override the column level in-memory details (if required) in the table
below where the columns are specified.

4.

Optionally, you can click on the Partitions tab.

5.

Create table partitions as needed using the wizard.
To specify IM column store details for a partition, select it from the table in the
Partitions tab, and then click Advanced Options.

6.

After entering all necessary IM column store details at the table level, column
level, and partitions level, click Show SQL to see the generated SQL. Click OK to
create the table.

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Table
To view or edit IM column store details of a table, follow these steps:
1.

From the Schema menu, choose Database Objects, then select the Tables option.

2.

Search for the desired table and click View to view its details.

3.

Click Edit to launch the Edit Table page.

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Using the In-Memory Column Store

Alternatively, you can also click Edit on the Search page. Use the In-Memory
Column Store tab to specify in-memory options for the table.
4.

Edit the required details and click Apply.

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Partition
To view or edit IM column store details of a partition, follow these steps:
1.

From the Schema menu, choose Database Objects, then select the Tables option.

2.

Search for the table that contains the desired partition, select it, then click View.

3.

Click Edit to launch the Edit Table page.
Alternatively, you can also click Edit on the Table Search page.

4.

Click the Partitions tab, select the desired partition, and click Advanced Options.

5.

Edit the required details, and click OK to go back to the Partitions tab.

6.

After making similar changes to all desired partitions of the table, click Apply.

Specifying IM Column Store Details During Tablespace Creation
To specify IM column store details when creating a tablespace, follow these steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, and then select the Tablespaces
option.

2.

Click Create to create a tablespace.

3.

Enter the details that appear on the General tab.
Click the In-Memory Column Store tab.

4.

After entering all required IM column store details for the tablespace, click Show
SQL. Click Return from the Show SQL page and then in the resulting page click
OK.

5.

Click OK to create the tablespace.

The IM column store settings of a tablespace apply for any new table created in the
tablespace. IM column store configuration details must be specified at the individual
table level if a table must override the configuration of the tablespace.

Viewing and Editing IM Column Store Details of a Tablespace
To view or edit IM column store details of a tablespace, follow these steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select the Tablespaces
option.

2.

Search for the desired tablespace, select it, then click View.

3.

Click Edit to launch the Edit Tablespace page, then click the In-Memory Column
Store tab.

4.

Edit the required details and click Apply.

Specifying IM Column Store Details During Materialized View Creation
To specify IM column store details when creating a materialized view, follow these
steps:
1.

From the Schema menu, choose Materialized Views, then select the Materialized
Views option.

Managing Memory 6-41

Memory Management Reference

2.

Click Create to create a materialized view.

3.

Enter the materialized view name, and specify its query.

4.

Click the In-Memory Column Store tab to specify IM column store options for the
materialized view.

5.

After entering all necessary IM column store details, click Show SQL. Click
Return from the Show SQL page, and then in the resulting page click OK.

6.

Click OK to create the materialized view.

Viewing or Editing IM Column Store Details of a Materialized View
To view or edit IM column store details of a materialized view, follow these steps:
1.

From the Schema menu, choose Materialized Views, then select the Materialized
Views option.

2.

Search for the desired materialized view, and click View to view its details.

3.

Click Edit to launch the Edit Materialized View page.

4.

Click the In-Memory Column Store tab to specify IM column store options for the
materialized view.

5.

Edit the required details, and click Apply.

Memory Management Reference
This section contains the following reference topics for memory management:
■

Platforms That Support Automatic Memory Management

■

Memory Management Data Dictionary Views

Platforms That Support Automatic Memory Management
The following platforms support automatic memory management—the Oracle
Database ability to automatically tune the sizes of the SGA and PGA, redistributing
memory from one to the other on demand to optimize performance:
■

Linux

■

Solaris

■

Windows

■

HP-UX

■

AIX

Memory Management Data Dictionary Views
The following dynamic performance views provide information on memory
management:
View

Description

V$SGA

Displays summary information about the system
global area (SGA).

6-42 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Memory Management Reference

View

Description

V$SGAINFO

Displays size information about the SGA, including
the sizes of different SGA components, the granule
size, and free memory.

V$SGASTAT

Displays detailed information about how memory is
allocated within the shared pool, large pool, Java
pool, and Streams pool.

V$PGASTAT

Displays PGA memory usage statistics as well as
statistics about the automatic PGA memory manager
when it is enabled (that is, when PGA_AGGREGATE_
TARGET is set). Cumulative values in V$PGASTAT are
accumulated since instance startup.

V$MEMORY_DYNAMIC_COMPONENTS

Displays information on the current size of all
automatically tuned and static memory components,
with the last operation (for example, grow or shrink)
that occurred on each.

V$SGA_DYNAMIC_COMPONENTS

Displays the current sizes of all SGA components, and
the last operation for each component.

V$SGA_DYNAMIC_FREE_MEMORY

Displays information about the amount of SGA
memory available for future dynamic SGA resize
operations.

V$MEMORY_CURRENT_RESIZE_OPS

Displays information about resize operations that are
currently in progress. A resize operation is an
enlargement or reduction of the SGA, the instance
PGA, or a dynamic SGA component.

V$SGA_CURRENT_RESIZE_OPS

Displays information about dynamic SGA component
resize operations that are currently in progress.

V$MEMORY_RESIZE_OPS

Displays information about the last 800 completed
memory component resize operations, including
automatic grow and shrink operations for SGA_TARGET
and PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET.

V$SGA_RESIZE_OPS

Displays information about the last 800 completed
SGA component resize operations.

V$MEMORY_TARGET_ADVICE

Displays information that helps you tune MEMORY_
TARGET if you enabled automatic memory
management.

V$SGA_TARGET_ADVICE

Displays information that helps you tune SGA_TARGET.

V$PGA_TARGET_ADVICE

Displays information that helps you tune PGA_
AGGREGATE_TARGET.

V$IM_SEGMENTS

Displays information about the storage allocated for
all segments in the IM column store.
Note: This view is available starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Oracle Database Reference for detailed information on
memory management views.

See Also:

Managing Memory 6-43

Memory Management Reference

6-44 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

7
7

Managing Users and Securing the Database
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

The Importance of Establishing a Security Policy for Your Database

■

Managing Users and Resources

■

Managing User Privileges and Roles

■

Auditing Database Activity

■

Predefined User Accounts

The Importance of Establishing a Security Policy for Your Database
It is important to develop a security policy for every database. The security policy
establishes methods for protecting your database from accidental or malicious
destruction of data or damage to the database infrastructure.
Each database can have an administrator, referred to as the security administrator,
who is responsible for implementing and maintaining the database security policy If
the database system is small, the database administrator can have the responsibilities
of the security administrator. However, if the database system is large, a designated
person or group of people may have sole responsibility as security administrator.
For information about establishing security policies for your database, see Oracle
Database Security Guide.

Managing Users and Resources
To connect to the database, each user must specify a valid user name that has been
previously defined to the database. An account must have been established for the
user, with information about the user being stored in the data dictionary.
When you create a database user (account), you specify the following attributes of the
user:
■

User name

■

Authentication method

■

Default tablespace

■

Temporary tablespace

■

Other tablespaces and quotas

■

User profile

Managing Users and Securing the Database 7-1

Managing User Privileges and Roles

To learn how to create and manage users, see Oracle Database Security Guide.

Managing User Privileges and Roles
Privileges and roles are used to control user access to data and the types of SQL
statements that can be executed. The table that follows describes the three types of
privileges and roles:
Type

Description

System privilege

A system-defined privilege usually granted only by
administrators. These privileges allow users to perform specific
database operations.

Object privilege

A system-defined privilege that controls access to a specific
object.

Role

A collection of privileges and other roles. Some system-defined
roles exist, but most are created by administrators. Roles group
together privileges and other roles, which facilitates the granting
of multiple privileges and roles to users.

Privileges and roles can be granted to other users by users who have been granted the
privilege to do so. The granting of roles and privileges starts at the administrator level.
At database creation, the administrative user SYS is created and granted all system
privileges and predefined Oracle Database roles. User SYS can then grant privileges
and roles to other users, and also grant those users the right to grant specific privileges
to others.
To learn how to administer privileges and roles for users, see Oracle Database Security
Guide.

Auditing Database Activity
You can monitor and record selected user database actions, including those performed
by administrators. You can monitor system-wide actions as well as actions performed
on individual database objects. This type of monitoring is called database auditing.
You can create unified audit policies and manage these audit policies using SQL
statements. Oracle Database provides default unified audit policies that contain the
standard audit settings, and you can create custom unified audit policies. You can also
create fine-grained audit policies using the DBMS_FGA PL/SQL package.
See Also: Complete background information and instructions for
database auditing are in the following documents:
■

Oracle Database 2 Day + Security Guide

■

Oracle Database Security Guide

Predefined User Accounts
Oracle Database includes several predefined user accounts. The three types of
predefined accounts are:
■

Administrative accounts (SYS, SYSTEM, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, SYSKM, SYSMAN, and
DBSNMP)
SYS, SYSTEM, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM are described in "About Database
Administrator Security and Privileges" on page 1-14. SYSMAN is used to perform

7-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Predefined User Accounts

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control administration tasks. The management
agent of Cloud Control uses the DBSNMP account to monitor and manage the
database. You must not delete these accounts.
■

Sample schema accounts
These accounts are used for examples in Oracle Database documentation and
instructional materials. Examples are HR, SH, and OE. You must unlock these
accounts and reset their passwords before using them.

■

Internal accounts.
These accounts are created so that individual Oracle Database features or
components can have their own schemas. You must not delete internal accounts,
and you must not attempt to log in with them.
See Also: Oracle Database 2 Day + Security Guide for a table of
predefined accounts.

Managing Users and Securing the Database 7-3

Predefined User Accounts

7-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

8
8

Monitoring the Database

It is important that you monitor the operation of your database on a regular basis.
Doing so not only informs you of errors that have not yet come to your attention but
also gives you a better understanding of the normal operation of your database. Being
familiar with normal behavior in turn helps you recognize when something is wrong.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

■

Monitoring Performance

Monitoring Errors and Alerts
The following sections explain how to monitor database errors and alerts. It contains
the following topics:
■

Monitoring Errors with Trace Files and the Alert Log

■

Monitoring a Database with Server-Generated Alerts
The easiest and best way to monitor the database for errors
and alerts is with the Database Home page in Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control). See the Cloud Control online
help for more information. This section provides alternate methods for
monitoring, using data dictionary views, PL/SQL packages, and other
command-line facilities.

Note:

Monitoring Errors with Trace Files and the Alert Log
Each server and background process can write to an associated trace file. When an
internal error is detected by a process, it dumps information about the error to its trace
file. Some of the information written to a trace file is intended for the database
administrator, and other information is for Oracle Support Services. Trace file
information is also used to tune applications and instances.
Note: Critical errors also create incidents and incident dumps in the
Automatic Diagnostic Repository. See Chapter 9, "Managing
Diagnostic Data" on page 9-1 for more information.

The alert log is a chronological log of messages and errors, and includes the following
items:

Monitoring the Database

8-1

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

■

■

■

■
■

All internal errors (ORA-00600), block corruption errors (ORA-01578), and deadlock
errors (ORA-00060) that occur
Administrative operations, such as CREATE, ALTER, and DROP statements and
STARTUP, SHUTDOWN, and ARCHIVELOG statements
Messages and errors relating to the functions of shared server and dispatcher
processes
Errors occurring during the automatic refresh of a materialized view
The values of all initialization parameters that had nondefault values at the time
the database and instance start

Oracle Database uses the alert log to record these operations as an alternative to
displaying the information on an operator's console (although some systems also
display information on the console). If an operation is successful, a "completed"
message is written in the alert log, along with a timestamp.
The alert log is maintained as both an XML-formatted file and a text-formatted file.
You can view either format of the alert log with any text editor or you can use the
ADRCI utility to view the XML-formatted version of the file with the XML tags
stripped.
Check the alert log and trace files of an instance periodically to learn whether the
background processes have encountered errors. For example, when the log writer
process (LGWR) cannot write to a member of a log group, an error message indicating
the nature of the problem is written to the LGWR trace file and the alert log. Such an
error message means that a media or I/O problem has occurred and should be
corrected immediately.
Oracle Database also writes values of initialization parameters to the alert log, in
addition to other important statistics.
The alert log and all trace files for background and server processes are written to the
Automatic Diagnostic Repository, the location of which is specified by the
DIAGNOSTIC_DEST initialization parameter. The names of trace files are operating
system specific, but each file usually includes the name of the process writing the file
(such as LGWR and RECO).
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 9, "Managing Diagnostic Data" on page 9-1 for
information on the Automatic Diagnostic Repository.
"Alert Log" on page 9-5 for additional information about the
alert log.

■

"Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information on the ADRCI utility.

■

Your operating system specific Oracle documentation for
information about the names of trace files

Controlling the Size of an Alert Log
To control the size of an alert log, you must manually delete the file when you no
longer need it. Otherwise the database continues to append to the file.
You can safely delete the alert log while the instance is running, although you should
consider making an archived copy of it first. This archived copy could prove valuable

8-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

if you should have a future problem that requires investigating the history of an
instance.

Controlling the Size of Trace Files
You can control the maximum size of all trace files (excluding the alert log) using the
initialization parameter MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE. You can set this parameter in the
following ways:
■

■

■

A numerical value specifies the maximum size in operating system blocks. The
specified value is multiplied by the block size to obtain the limit.
A number followed by a K, M, or G suffix specifies the file size in kilobytes,
megabytes, or gigabytes.
UNLIMITED, which is the default, specifies no limit.

Oracle Database can automatically segment trace files based on the limit you specify
with the MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE initialization parameter. When a limit is reached, the
database renames the current trace file using a sequential number, and creates an
empty file with the original name.
Table 8–1 describes how trace files are segmented based on the MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE
setting.
Table 8–1

The MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE Parameter and Trace File Segmentation

MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE
Setting

Trace File Segmentation

UNLIMITED

Trace files are not segmented.

Larger than 15M

Trace files are segmented on a boundary that is 1/5 of the MAX_
DUMP_FILE_SIZE setting. Trace files with sizes that are less than
this boundary in size are not segmented. For example, if the
MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE setting is 100M, then the boundary is 20
MB (1/5 of 100 MB).

15M or less

Trace files are not segmented.

There can be up to five segments, but the total combined size of the segments cannot
exceed the MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE limit. When the combined size of all segments of the
trace file exceeds the specified limit, the oldest segment after the first segment is
deleted, and a new, empty segment is created. Therefore, the trace file always contains
the most recent trace information. The first segment is not deleted because it might
contain relevant information about the initial state of the process.
Segmentation improves space management for trace files. Specifically, segmentation
enables you to manage trace files in the following ways:
■
■

You can purge old trace files when they are no longer needed.
You can diagnose problems with smaller trace files and isolate trace files that must
be packaged for the incident packaging service (IPS).
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the MAX_
DUMP_FILE_SIZE initialization parameter
"About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure"
on page 9-1 for more information about IPS

Monitoring the Database

8-3

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

Controlling When Oracle Database Writes to Trace Files
Background processes always write to a trace file when appropriate. In the case of the
ARCn background process, it is possible, through an initialization parameter, to
control the amount and type of trace information that is produced. This behavior is
described in "Controlling Trace Output Generated by the Archivelog Process" on
page 12-13. Other background processes do not have this flexibility.
Trace files are written on behalf of server processes whenever critical errors occur.
Additionally, setting the initialization parameter SQL_TRACE = TRUE causes the SQL
trace facility to generate performance statistics for the processing of all SQL statements
for an instance and write them to the Automatic Diagnostic Repository.
Optionally, you can request that trace files be generated for server processes.
Regardless of the current value of the SQL_TRACE initialization parameter, each session
can enable or disable trace logging on behalf of the associated server process by using
the SQL statement ALTER SESSION SET SQL_TRACE. This example enables the SQL
trace facility for a specific session:
ALTER SESSION SET SQL_TRACE TRUE;

Use the DBMS_SESSION or the DBMS_MONITOR packages to control SQL tracing for a
session.
Caution: The SQL trace facility for server processes can cause
significant system overhead resulting in severe performance
impact, so you should enable this feature only when collecting
statistics.

See Also:
■

Chapter 9, "Managing Diagnostic Data" on page 9-1 for more
information on how the database handles critical errors,
otherwise known as "incidents."

Reading the Trace File for Shared Server Sessions
If shared server is enabled, each session using a dispatcher is routed to a shared server
process, and trace information is written to the server trace file only if the session has
enabled tracing (or if an error is encountered). Therefore, to track tracing for a specific
session that connects using a dispatcher, you might have to explore several shared
server trace files. To help you, Oracle provides a command line utility program,
trcsess, which consolidates all trace information pertaining to a user session in one
place and orders the information by time.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about
using the SQL trace facility and using TKPROF and trcsess to
interpret the generated trace files

Monitoring a Database with Server-Generated Alerts
A server-generated alert is a notification from the Oracle Database server of an
impending problem. The notification may contain suggestions for correcting the
problem. Notifications are also provided when the problem condition has been
cleared.
Alerts are automatically generated when a problem occurs or when data does not
match expected values for metrics, such as the following:

8-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

■

Physical Reads Per Second

■

User Commits Per Second

■

SQL Service Response Time

Server-generated alerts can be based on threshold levels or can issue simply because
an event has occurred. Threshold-based alerts can be triggered at both threshold
warning and critical levels. The value of these levels can be customer-defined or
internal values, and some alerts have default threshold levels which you can change if
appropriate. For example, by default a server-generated alert is generated for
tablespace space usage when the percentage of space usage exceeds either the 85%
warning or 97% critical threshold level. Examples of alerts not based on threshold
levels are:
■

Snapshot Too Old

■

Resumable Session Suspended

■

Recovery Area Space Usage

An alert message is sent to the predefined persistent queue ALERT_QUE owned by the
user SYS. Cloud Control reads this queue and provides notifications about outstanding
server alerts, and sometimes suggests actions for correcting the problem. The alerts are
displayed on the Cloud Control Database Home page and can be configured to send
email or pager notifications to selected administrators. If an alert cannot be written to
the alert queue, a message about the alert is written to the Oracle Database alert log.
Background processes periodically flush the data to the Automatic Workload
Repository to capture a history of metric values. The alert history table and ALERT_QUE
are purged automatically by the system at regular intervals.

Setting and Retrieving Thresholds for Server-Generated Alerts
You can view and change threshold settings for the server alert metrics using the SET_
THRESHOLD and GET_THRESHOLD procedures of the DBMS_SERVER_ALERT PL/SQL
package. Examples of using these procedures are provided in the following sections:
■

Setting Threshold Levels

■

Retrieving Threshold Information
The most convenient way to set and retrieve threshold values
is to use the graphical interface of Cloud Control. See the Cloud
Control online help about managing alerts for instructions.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_SERVER_ALERT package

Setting Threshold Levels The following example shows how to set thresholds with the
SET_THRESHOLD procedure for CPU time for each user call for an instance:
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD(
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.CPU_TIME_PER_CALL, DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GE, '8000',
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GE, '10000', 1, 2, 'inst1',
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OBJECT_TYPE_SERVICE, 'main.regress.rdbms.dev.us.example.com');

In this example, a warning alert is issued when CPU time exceeds 8000 microseconds
for each user call and a critical alert is issued when CPU time exceeds 10,000
microseconds for each user call. The arguments include:

Monitoring the Database

8-5

Monitoring Errors and Alerts

■

■

■

■
■

CPU_TIME_PER_CALL specifies the metric identifier. For a list of support metrics, see
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.
The observation period is set to 1 minute. This period specifies the number of
minutes that the condition must deviate from the threshold value before the alert
is issued.
The number of consecutive occurrences is set to 2. This number specifies how
many times the metric value must violate the threshold values before the alert is
generated.
The name of the instance is set to inst1.
The constant DBMS_ALERT.OBJECT_TYPE_SERVICE specifies the object type on which
the threshold is set. In this example, the service name is
main.regress.rdbms.dev.us.example.com.

Retrieving Threshold Information To retrieve threshold values, use the GET_THRESHOLD
procedure. For example:
DECLARE
warning_operator
BINARY_INTEGER;
warning_value
VARCHAR2(60);
critical_operator
BINARY_INTEGER;
critical_value
VARCHAR2(60);
observation_period
BINARY_INTEGER;
consecutive_occurrences BINARY_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.GET_THRESHOLD(
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.CPU_TIME_PER_CALL, warning_operator, warning_value,
critical_operator, critical_value, observation_period,
consecutive_occurrences, 'inst1',
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OBJECT_TYPE_SERVICE, 'main.regress.rdbms.dev.us.example.com');
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Warning operator:
' || warning_operator);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Warning value:
' || warning_value);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Critical operator:
' || critical_operator);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Critical value:
' || critical_value);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Observation_period:
' || observation_period);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Consecutive occurrences:' || consecutive_occurrences);
END;
/

You can also check specific threshold settings with the DBA_THRESHOLDS view. For
example:
SELECT metrics_name, warning_value, critical_value, consecutive_occurrences
FROM DBA_THRESHOLDS
WHERE metrics_name LIKE '%CPU Time%';

Viewing Server-Generated Alerts
The easiest way to view server-generated alerts is by accessing the Database Home
page of Cloud Control. The following discussion presents other methods of viewing
these alerts.
If you use your own tool rather than Cloud Control to display alerts, you must
subscribe to the ALERT_QUE, read the ALERT_QUE, and display an alert notification after
setting the threshold levels for an alert. To create an agent and subscribe the agent to
the ALERT_QUE, use the CREATE_AQ_AGENT and ADD_SUBSCRIBER procedures of the DBMS_
AQADM package.

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Monitoring Performance

Next you must associate a database user with the subscribing agent, because only a
user associated with the subscribing agent can access queued messages in the secure
ALERT_QUE. You must also assign the enqueue privilege to the user. Use the ENABLE_DB_
ACCESS and GRANT_QUEUE_PRIVILEGE procedures of the DBMS_AQADM package.
Optionally, you can register with the DBMS_AQ.REGISTER procedure to receive an
asynchronous notification when an alert is enqueued to ALERT_QUE. The notification
can be in the form of email, HTTP post, or PL/SQL procedure.
To read an alert message, you can use the DBMS_AQ.DEQUEUE procedure or OCIAQDeq
call. After the message has been dequeued, use the DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.EXPAND_
MESSAGE procedure to expand the text of the message.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_AQ, and DBMS_AQADM packages

Server-Generated Alerts Data Dictionary Views
The following data dictionary views provide information about server-generated
alerts.
View

Description

DBA_THRESHOLDS

Lists the threshold settings defined for the instance

DBA_OUTSTANDING_ALERTS

Describes the outstanding alerts in the database

DBA_ALERT_HISTORY

Lists a history of alerts that have been cleared

V$ALERT_TYPES

Provides information such as group and type for each alert

V$METRICNAME

Contains the names, identifiers, and other information
about the system metrics

V$METRIC

Contains system-level metric values

V$METRIC_HISTORY

Contains a history of system-level metric values

Oracle Database Reference for information on static data
dictionary views and dynamic performance views

See Also:

Monitoring Performance
Monitoring database performance is covered in detail in Oracle Database Performance
Tuning Guide and Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide. Here are some additional topics
with details that are not covered in that guide:
■

Monitoring Locks

■

Monitoring Wait Events

■

Performance Monitoring Data Dictionary Views

Monitoring Locks
Locks are mechanisms that prevent destructive interaction between transactions
accessing the same resource. The resources can be either user objects, such as tables
and rows, or system objects not visible to users, such as shared data structures in
memory and data dictionary rows. Oracle Database automatically obtains and
manages necessary locks when executing SQL statements, so you need not be
concerned with such details. However, the database also lets you lock data manually.

Monitoring the Database

8-7

Monitoring Performance

A deadlock can occur when two or more users are waiting for data locked by each
other. Deadlocks prevent some transactions from continuing to work. Oracle Database
automatically detects deadlock situations and resolves them by rolling back one of the
statements involved in the deadlock, thereby releasing one set of the conflicting row
locks.
Oracle Database is designed to avoid deadlocks, and they are not common. Most often
they occur when transactions explicitly override the default locking of the database.
Deadlocks can affect the performance of your database, so Oracle provides some
scripts and views that enable you to monitor locks.
The utllockt.sql script displays, in a tree fashion, the sessions in the system that are
waiting for locks and the locks that they are waiting for. The location of this script file
is operating system dependent.
A second script, catblock.sql, creates the lock views that utllockt.sql needs, so you
must run it before running utllockt.sql.
See Also:
■

"Performance Monitoring Data Dictionary Views" on page 8-8

■

Oracle Database Concepts contains more information about locks.

Monitoring Wait Events
Wait events are statistics that are incremented by a server process to indicate that it
had to wait for an event to complete before being able to continue processing. A
session could wait for a variety of reasons, including waiting for more input, waiting
for the operating system to complete a service such as a disk write, or it could wait for
a lock or latch.
When a session is waiting for resources, it is not doing any useful work. A large
number of waits is a source of concern. Wait event data reveals various symptoms of
problems that might be affecting performance, such as latch contention, buffer
contention, and I/O contention.
Oracle provides several views that display wait event statistics. A discussion of these
views and their role in instance tuning is contained in Oracle Database Performance
Tuning Guide.

Performance Monitoring Data Dictionary Views
This section lists some of the data dictionary views that you can use to monitor an
Oracle Database instance. These views are general in their scope. Other views, more
specific to a process, are discussed in the section of this book where the process is
described.
View

Description

V$LOCK

Lists the locks currently held by Oracle Database and outstanding
requests for a lock or latch

DBA_BLOCKERS

Displays a session if it is holding a lock on an object for which
another session is waiting

DBA_WAITERS

Displays a session if it is waiting for a locked object

DBA_DDL_LOCKS

Lists all DDL locks held in the database and all outstanding
requests for a DDL lock

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Monitoring Performance

View

Description

DBA_DML_LOCKS

Lists all DML locks held in the database and all outstanding
requests for a DML lock

DBA_LOCK

Lists all locks or latches held in the database and all outstanding
requests for a lock or latch

DBA_LOCK_INTERNAL

Displays a row for each lock or latch that is being held, and one
row for each outstanding request for a lock or latch

V$LOCKED_OBJECT

Lists all locks acquired by every transaction on the system

V$SESSION_WAIT

Lists the resources or events for which active sessions are waiting

V$SYSSTAT

Contains session statistics

V$RESOURCE_LIMIT

Provides information about current and maximum global resource
utilization for some system resources

V$SQLAREA

Contains statistics about shared SQL area and contains one row for
each SQL string. Also provides statistics about SQL statements that
are in memory, parsed, and ready for execution

V$LATCH

Contains statistics for nonparent latches and summary statistics for
parent latches

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for detailed descriptions of

these views

Monitoring the Database

8-9

Monitoring Performance

8-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

9
9

Managing Diagnostic Data

Oracle Database includes an advanced fault diagnosability infrastructure for collecting
and managing diagnostic data. Diagnostic data includes the trace files, dumps, and
core files that are also present in previous releases, plus new types of diagnostic data
that enable customers and Oracle Support to identify, investigate, track, and resolve
problems quickly and effectively.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

■

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

■

Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench

■

Creating a User-Reported Problem

■

Viewing the Alert Log

■

Finding Trace Files

■

Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

■

Repairing SQL Failures with the SQL Repair Advisor

■

Repairing Data Corruptions with the Data Recovery Advisor

■

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure
This section contains background information on the Oracle Database fault
diagnosability infrastructure. It contains the following topics:
■

Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Overview

■

About Incidents and Problems

■

Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Components

■

Structure, Contents, and Location of the Automatic Diagnostic Repository

Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Overview
The fault diagnosability infrastructure aids in preventing, detecting, diagnosing, and
resolving problems. The problems that are targeted in particular are critical errors such
as those caused by code bugs, metadata corruption, and customer data corruption.
When a critical error occurs, it is assigned an incident number, and diagnostic data for
the error (such as trace files) are immediately captured and tagged with this number.

Managing Diagnostic Data 9-1

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

The data is then stored in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)—a file-based
repository outside the database—where it can later be retrieved by incident number
and analyzed.
The goals of the fault diagnosability infrastructure are the following:
■

First-failure diagnosis

■

Problem prevention

■

Limiting damage and interruptions after a problem is detected

■

Reducing problem diagnostic time

■

Reducing problem resolution time

■

Simplifying customer interaction with Oracle Support

The keys to achieving these goals are the following technologies:
■

■

■

■

■

Automatic capture of diagnostic data upon first failure—For critical errors, the
ability to capture error information at first-failure greatly increases the chance of a
quick problem resolution and reduced downtime. An always-on memory-based
tracing system proactively collects diagnostic data from many database
components, and can help isolate root causes of problems. Such proactive
diagnostic data is similar to the data collected by airplane "black box" flight
recorders. When a problem is detected, alerts are generated and the fault
diagnosability infrastructure is activated to capture and store diagnostic data. The
data is stored in a repository that is outside the database (and therefore available
when the database is down), and is easily accessible with command line utilities
and Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control).
Standardized trace formats—Standardizing trace formats across all database
components enables DBAs and Oracle Support personnel to use a single set of
tools for problem analysis. Problems are more easily diagnosed, and downtime is
reduced.
Health checks—Upon detecting a critical error, the fault diagnosability
infrastructure can run one or more health checks to perform deeper analysis of a
critical error. Health check results are then added to the other diagnostic data
collected for the error. Individual health checks look for data block corruptions,
undo and redo corruption, data dictionary corruption, and more. As a DBA, you
can manually invoke these health checks, either on a regular basis or as required.
Incident packaging service (IPS) and incident packages—The IPS enables you to
automatically and easily gather the diagnostic data—traces, dumps, health check
reports, and more—pertaining to a critical error and package the data into a zip
file for transmission to Oracle Support. Because all diagnostic data relating to a
critical error are tagged with that error's incident number, you do not have to
search through trace files and other files to determine the files that are required for
analysis; the incident packaging service identifies the required files automatically
and adds them to the zip file. Before creating the zip file, the IPS first collects
diagnostic data into an intermediate logical structure called an incident package
(package). Packages are stored in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository. If you
choose to, you can access this intermediate logical structure, view and modify its
contents, add or remove additional diagnostic data at any time, and when you are
ready, create the zip file from the package. After these steps are completed, the zip
file is ready to be uploaded to Oracle Support.
Data Recovery Advisor—The Data Recovery Advisor integrates with database
health checks and RMAN to display data corruption problems, assess the extent of
each problem (critical, high priority, low priority), describe the impact of a

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About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

problem, recommend repair options, conduct a feasibility check of the
customer-chosen option, and automate the repair process.
■

SQL Test Case Builder—For many SQL-related problems, obtaining a
reproducible test case is an important factor in problem resolution speed. The SQL
Test Case Builder automates the sometimes difficult and time-consuming process
of gathering as much information as possible about the problem and the
environment in which it occurred. After quickly gathering this information, you
can upload it to Oracle Support to enable support personnel to easily and
accurately reproduce the problem.

About Incidents and Problems
To facilitate diagnosis and resolution of critical errors, the fault diagnosability
infrastructure introduces two concepts for Oracle Database: problems and incidents.
A problem is a critical error in a database instance, Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM) instance, or other Oracle product or component. Critical
errors manifest as internal errors, such as ORA-00600, or other severe errors, such as
ORA-07445 (operating system exception) or ORA-04031 (out of memory in the shared
pool). Problems are tracked in the ADR. Each problem has a problem key, which is a text
string that describes the problem. It includes an error code (such as ORA 600) and in
some cases, one or more error parameters.
An incident is a single occurrence of a problem. When a problem (critical error) occurs
multiple times, an incident is created for each occurrence. Incidents are timestamped
and tracked in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR). Each incident is identified
by a numeric incident ID, which is unique within the ADR. When an incident occurs,
the database:
■

Makes an entry in the alert log.

■

Sends an incident alert to Cloud Control.

■

Gathers first-failure diagnostic data about the incident in the form of dump files
(incident dumps).

■

Tags the incident dumps with the incident ID.

■

Stores the incident dumps in an ADR subdirectory created for that incident.

Diagnosis and resolution of a critical error usually starts with an incident alert.
Incident alerts are displayed on the Cloud Control Database Home page or Oracle
Automatic Storage Management Home page. The Database Home page also displays
in its Related Alerts section any critical alerts in the Oracle ASM instance or other
Oracle products or components. After viewing an alert, you can then view the problem
and its associated incidents with Cloud Control or with the ADRCI command-line
utility.
The following sections provide more information about incidents and problems:
■

Incident Flood Control

■

Related Problems Across the Topology
See Also:
■

"Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19

■

"Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem" on page 9-12

■

"ADRCI Command-Line Utility" on page 9-7

Managing Diagnostic Data 9-3

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

Incident Flood Control
It is conceivable that a problem could generate dozens or perhaps hundreds of
incidents in a short period of time. This would generate too much diagnostic data,
which would consume too much space in the ADR and could possibly slow down
your efforts to diagnose and resolve the problem. For these reasons, the fault
diagnosability infrastructure applies flood control to incident generation after certain
thresholds are reached. A flood-controlled incident is an incident that generates an
alert log entry, is recorded in the ADR, but does not generate incident dumps.
Flood-controlled incidents provide a way of informing you that a critical error is
ongoing, without overloading the system with diagnostic data. You can choose to view
or hide flood-controlled incidents when viewing incidents with Cloud Control or the
ADRCI command-line utility.
Threshold levels for incident flood control are predetermined and cannot be changed.
They are defined as follows:
■

■

After five incidents occur for the same problem key in one hour, subsequent
incidents for this problem key are flood-controlled. Normal (non-flood-controlled)
recording of incidents for that problem key begins again in the next hour.
After 25 incidents occur for the same problem key in one day, subsequent
incidents for this problem key are flood-controlled. Normal recording of incidents
for that problem key begins again on the next day.

In addition, after 50 incidents for the same problem key occur in one hour, or 250
incidents for the same problem key occur in one day, subsequent incidents for this
problem key are not recorded at all in the ADR. In these cases, the database writes a
message to the alert log indicating that no further incidents will be recorded. As long
as incidents continue to be generated for this problem key, this message is added to the
alert log every ten minutes until the hour or the day expires. Upon expiration of the
hour or day, normal recording of incidents for that problem key begins again.

Related Problems Across the Topology
For any problem identified in a database instance, the diagnosability framework can
identify related problems across the topology of your Oracle Database installation. In a
single instance environment, a related problem could be identified in the local Oracle
ASM instance. In an Oracle RAC environment, a related problem could be identified in
any database instance or Oracle ASM instance on any other node. When investigating
problems, you are able to view and gather information on any related problems.
A problem is related to the original problem if it occurs within a designated time
period or shares the same execution context identifier. An execution context identifier
(ECID) is a globally unique identifier used to tag and track a single call through the
Oracle software stack, for example, a call to Oracle Fusion Middleware that then calls
into Oracle Database to retrieve data. The ECID is typically generated in the middle
tier and is passed to the database as an Oracle Call Interface (OCI) attribute. When a
single call has failures on multiple tiers of the Oracle software stack, problems that are
generated are tagged with the same ECID so that they can be correlated. You can then
determine the tier on which the originating problem occurred.

Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure Components
The following are the key components of the fault diagnosability infrastructure:
■

Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)

■

Alert Log

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About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

■

Trace Files, Dumps, and Core Files

■

DDL Log

■

Debug Log

■

Other ADR Contents

■

Enterprise Manager Support Workbench

■

ADRCI Command-Line Utility

Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)
The ADR is a file-based repository for database diagnostic data such as traces, dumps,
the alert log, health monitor reports, and more. It has a unified directory structure
across multiple instances and multiple products. The database, Oracle Automatic
Storage Management (Oracle ASM), the listener, Oracle Clusterware, and other Oracle
products or components store all diagnostic data in the ADR. Each instance of each
product stores diagnostic data underneath its own home directory within the ADR.
For example, in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment with shared storage
and Oracle ASM, each database instance and each Oracle ASM instance has an ADR
home directory. ADR's unified directory structure, consistent diagnostic data formats
across products and instances, and a unified set of tools enable customers and Oracle
Support to correlate and analyze diagnostic data across multiple instances. With
Oracle Clusterware, each host node in the cluster has an ADR home directory.
Note: Because all diagnostic data, including the alert log, are stored
in the ADR, the initialization parameters BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST and
USER_DUMP_DEST are deprecated. They are replaced by the initialization
parameter DIAGNOSTIC_DEST, which identifies the location of the ADR.

See Also: "Structure, Contents, and Location of the Automatic
Diagnostic Repository" on page 9-8 for more information on the
DIAGNOSTIC_DEST parameter and on ADR homes.

Alert Log
The alert log is an XML file that is a chronological log of messages and errors. There is
one alert log in each ADR home. Each alert log is specific to its component type, such
as database, Oracle ASM, listener, and Oracle Clusterware.
For the database, the alert log includes messages about the following:
■
■

Critical errors (incidents)
Administrative operations, such as starting up or shutting down the database,
recovering the database, creating or dropping a tablespace, and others.

■

Errors during automatic refresh of a materialized view

■

Other database events

You can view the alert log in text format (with the XML tags stripped) with Cloud
Control and with the ADRCI utility. There is also a text-formatted version of the alert
log stored in the ADR for backward compatibility. However, Oracle recommends that
any parsing of the alert log contents be done with the XML-formatted version, because
the text format is unstructured and may change from release to release.

Managing Diagnostic Data 9-5

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

See Also:
■

"ADRCI Command-Line Utility" on page 9-7

■

"Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21

Trace Files, Dumps, and Core Files
Trace files, dumps, and core files contain diagnostic data that are used to investigate
problems. They are stored in the ADR.
Trace Files Each server and background process can write to an associated trace file.
Trace files are updated periodically over the life of the process and can contain
information on the process environment, status, activities, and errors. In addition,
when a process detects a critical error, it writes information about the error to its trace
file. The SQL trace facility also creates trace files, which provide performance
information on individual SQL statements. You can enable SQL tracing for a session or
an instance.
Trace file names are platform-dependent. Typically, database background process trace
file names contain the Oracle SID, the background process name, and the operating
system process number, while server process trace file names contain the Oracle SID,
the string "ora", and the operating system process number. The file extension is .trc.
An example of a server process trace file name is orcl_ora_344.trc. Trace files are
sometimes accompanied by corresponding trace metadata (.trm) files, which contain
structural information about trace files and are used for searching and navigation.
Oracle Database includes tools that help you analyze trace files. For more information
on application tracing, SQL tracing, and tracing tools, see Oracle Database SQL Tuning
Guide.
See Also:

"Finding Trace Files" on page 9-22

Dumps A dump is a specific type of trace file. A dump is typically a one-time output of
diagnostic data in response to an event (such as an incident), whereas a trace tends to
be continuous output of diagnostic data. When an incident occurs, the database writes
one or more dumps to the incident directory created for the incident. Incident dumps
also contain the incident number in the file name.
Core Files A core file contains a memory dump, in an all-binary, port-specific format.
Core file names include the string "core" and the operating system process ID. Core
files are useful to Oracle Support engineers only. Core files are not found on all
platforms.

DDL Log
The data definition language (DDL) log is a file that has the same format and basic
behavior as the alert log, but it only contains the DDL statements issued by the
database. The DDL log is created only for the RDBMS component and only if the
ENABLE_DDL_LOGGING initialization parameter is set to TRUE. When this parameter is set
to FALSE, DDL statements are not included in any log.
The DDL log contains one log record for each DDL statement issued by the database.
The DDL log is included in IPS incident packages.
There are two DDL logs that contain the same information. One is an XML file, and the
other is a text file. The DDL log is stored in the log/ddl subdirectory of the ADR home.

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About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
ENABLE_DDL_LOGGING initialization parameter
See Also:

Debug Log
An Oracle Database component can detect conditions, states, or events that are
unusual, but which do not inhibit correct operation of the detecting component. The
component can issue a warning about these conditions, states, or events. These
warnings are not serious enough to warrant an incident or a write to the alert log.
They do warrant a record in a log file because they might be needed to diagnose a
future problem.
The debug log is a file that records these warnings. The debug log has the same format
and basic behavior as the alert log, but it only contains information about possible
problems that might need to be corrected.
The debug log reduces the amount of information in the alert log and trace files. It also
improves the visibility of debug information.
The debug log is included in IPS incident packages. The debug log’s contents are
intended for Oracle Support. Database administrators should not use the debug log
directly.
Note: Because there is a separate debug log in Oracle Database 12c,
the alert log and the trace files are streamlined. They now contain
fewer warnings of the type that are recorded in the debug log.

Other ADR Contents
In addition to files mentioned in the previous sections, the ADR contains health
monitor reports, data repair records, SQL test cases, incident packages, and more.
These components are described later in the chapter.

Enterprise Manager Support Workbench
The Enterprise Manager Support Workbench (Support Workbench) is a facility that
enables you to investigate, report, and in some cases, repair problems (critical errors),
all with an easy-to-use graphical interface. The Support Workbench provides a
self-service means for you to gather first-failure diagnostic data, obtain a support
request number, and upload diagnostic data to Oracle Support with a minimum of
effort and in a very short time, thereby reducing time-to-resolution for problems. The
Support Workbench also recommends and provides easy access to Oracle advisors that
help you repair SQL-related problems, data corruption problems, and more.

ADRCI Command-Line Utility
The ADR Command Interpreter (ADRCI) is a utility that enables you to investigate
problems, view health check reports, and package first-failure diagnostic data, all
within a command-line environment. You can then upload the package to Oracle
Support. ADRCI also enables you to view the names of the trace files in the ADR, and
to view the alert log with XML tags stripped, with and without content filtering.
For more information on ADRCI, see Oracle Database Utilities.

Managing Diagnostic Data 9-7

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

Structure, Contents, and Location of the Automatic Diagnostic Repository
The Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) is a directory structure that is stored
outside of the database. It is therefore available for problem diagnosis when the
database is down.
The ADR root directory is known as ADR base. Its location is set by the DIAGNOSTIC_
DEST initialization parameter. If this parameter is omitted or left null, the database sets
DIAGNOSTIC_DEST upon startup as follows:
■

■

If environment variable ORACLE_BASE is set, DIAGNOSTIC_DEST is set to the directory
designated by ORACLE_BASE.
If environment variable ORACLE_BASE is not set, DIAGNOSTIC_DEST is set to
ORACLE_HOME/log.

Within ADR base, there can be multiple ADR homes, where each ADR home is the
root directory for all diagnostic data—traces, dumps, the alert log, and so on—for a
particular instance of a particular Oracle product or component. For example, in an
Oracle Real Application Clusters environment with Oracle ASM, each database
instance, Oracle ASM instance, and listener has an ADR home.
ADR homes reside in ADR base subdirectories that are named according to the
product or component type. Figure 9–1 illustrates these top-level subdirectories.
Figure 9–1 Product/Component Type Subdirectories in the ADR
ADR
base

diag

asm

rdbms

tnslsnr

clients

crs

(others)

Additional subdirectories might be created in the ADR
depending on your configuration. Some products automatically purge
expired diagnostic data from ADR. For other products, you can use
the ADRCI utility PURGE command at regular intervals to purge
expired diagnostic data.

Note:

The location of each ADR home is given by the following path, which starts at the
ADR base directory:
diag/product_type/product_id/instance_id

As an example, Table 9–1 lists the values of the various path components for an Oracle
Database instance.
Table 9–1

ADR Home Path Components for Oracle Database

Path Component

Value for Oracle Database

product_type

rdbms

product_id

DB_UNIQUE_NAME

9-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

Table 9–1 (Cont.) ADR Home Path Components for Oracle Database
Path Component

Value for Oracle Database

instance_id

SID

For example, for a database with a SID and database unique name both equal to
orclbi, the ADR home would be in the following location:
ADR_base/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/

Similarly, the ADR home path for the Oracle ASM instance in a single-instance
environment would be:
ADR_base/diag/asm/+asm/+asm/

ADR Home Subdirectories
Within each ADR home directory are subdirectories that contain the diagnostic data.
Table 9–2 lists some of these subdirectories and their contents.
Table 9–2

ADR Home Subdirectories

Subdirectory Name

Contents

alert

The XML-formatted alert log

cdump

Core files

incident

Multiple subdirectories, where each subdirectory is
named for a particular incident, and where each contains
dumps pertaining only to that incident

trace

Background and server process trace files, SQL trace
files, and the text-formatted alert log

(others)

Other subdirectories of ADR home, which store incident
packages, health monitor reports, logs other than the
alert log (such as the DDL log and the debug log), and
other information

Figure 9–2 illustrates the complete directory hierarchy of the ADR for a database
instance.

Managing Diagnostic Data 9-9

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

Figure 9–2 ADR Directory Structure for a Database Instance
ADR
base

diag

rdbms

DB_UNIQUE_NAME
ADR
home

alert

cdump

SID

incident

trace

(others)

ADR in an Oracle Clusterware Environment
Oracle Clusterware uses ADR and has its own Oracle home and Oracle base. The ADR
directory structure for Oracle Clusterware is different from that of a database instance.
There is only one instance of Oracle Clusterware on a system, so Clusterware ADR
homes use only a system's host name as a differentiator.
When Oracle Clusterware is configured, the ADR home uses crs for both the product
type and the instance ID, and the system host name is used for the product ID. Thus,
on a host named dbprod01, the CRS ADR home would be:
ADR_base/diag/crs/dbprod01/crs/

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

ADR in an Oracle Real Application Clusters Environment
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, each node can have
ADR base on its own local storage, or ADR base can be set to a location on shared
storage. You can use ADRCI to view aggregated diagnostic data from all instances on a
single report.
ADR in Oracle Client
Each installation of Oracle Client includes an ADR for diagnostic data associated with
critical failures in any of the Oracle Client components. The ADRCI utility is installed
with Oracle Client so that you can examine diagnostic data and package it to enable it
for upload to Oracle Support.
Viewing ADR Locations with the V$DIAG_INFO View
The V$DIAG_INFO view lists all important ADR locations for the current Oracle
Database instance.
SELECT * FROM V$DIAG_INFO;
INST_ID NAME
VALUE
------- --------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------1 Diag Enabled
TRUE

9-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability Infrastructure

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

ADR Base
ADR Home
Diag Trace
Diag Alert
Diag Incident
Diag Cdump
Health Monitor
Default Trace File
Active Problem Count
Active Incident Count

/u01/oracle
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/trace
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/alert
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/incident
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/cdump
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/hm
/u01/oracle/diag/rdbms/orclbi/orclbi/trace/orcl_ora_22769.trc
8
20

The following table describes some of the information displayed by this view.
Table 9–3

Data in the V$DIAG_INFO View

Name

Description

ADR Base

Path of ADR base

ADR Home

Path of ADR home for the current database instance

Diag Trace

Location of background process trace files, server process trace files, SQL
trace files, and the text-formatted version of the alert log

Diag Alert

Location of the XML-formatted version of the alert log

Default Trace File

Path to the trace file for the current session

Viewing Critical Errors with the V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR View
The V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR view lists all of the non-internal errors designated as
critical errors for the current Oracle Database release. The view does not list internal
errors because internal errors are always designated as critical errors.
The following example shows the output for the V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR view:
SELECT * FROM V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR;
FACILITY
---------ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
ORA
OCI
OCI
OCI

ERROR
---------------------------------------------------------------7445
4030
4031
29740
255
355
356
239
240
494
3137
227
353
1578
32701
32703
29770
29771
445
25319
3106
3113
3135

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-11

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

The following table describes the information displayed by this view.
Table 9–4

Data in the V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR View

Column

Description

FACILITY

The facility that can report the error, such as Oracle Database
(ORA) or Oracle Call Interface (OCI)

ERROR

The error number

See Also: "About Incidents and Problems" on page 9-3 for more
information about internal errors

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem
This section describes how to use the Enterprise Manager Support Workbench
(Support Workbench) to investigate and report a problem (critical error), and in some
cases, resolve the problem. The section begins with a "roadmap" that summarizes the
typical set of tasks that you must perform.
The tasks described in this section are all Cloud
Control–based. You can also accomplish all of these tasks (or their
equivalents) with the ADRCI command-line utility, with PL/SQL
packages such as DBMS_HM and DBMS_SQLDIAG, and with other software
tools. See Oracle Database Utilities for more information on the ADRCI
utility, and see Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on PL/SQL packages.
Note:

See Also: "About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability
Infrastructure" on page 9-1 for more information on problems and
their diagnostic data

Roadmap—Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem
You can begin investigating a problem by starting from the Support Workbench home
page in Cloud Control. However, the more typical workflow begins with a critical
error alert on the Database Home page. This section provides an overview of that
workflow.
Figure 9–3 illustrates the tasks that you complete to investigate, report, and in some
cases, resolve a problem.

9-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

Figure 9–3 Workflow for Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem
Task

1

View Critical
Error Alerts in
Enterprise
Manager

Task

6

Task

Track the Service
Request and
Implement Any
Repairs

2

View Problem Details

Task 5
Package and Upload
Diagnostic Data
to
Oracle Support

Task

3

Gather additional
diagnostic
information

Task

4

Create a Service
Request

The following are task descriptions. Subsequent sections provide details for each task.
■

Task 1: View Critical Error Alerts in Cloud Control on page 9-14
Start by accessing the Database Home page in Cloud Control and reviewing
critical error alerts. Select an alert for which to view details, and then go to the
Problem Details page.

■

Task 2: View Problem Details on page 9-15
Examine the problem details and view a list of all incidents that were recorded for
the problem. Display findings from any health checks that were automatically run.

■

Task 3: (Optional) Gather Additional Diagnostic Information on page 9-16
Optionally run additional health checks or other diagnostics. For SQL-related
errors, optionally invoke the SQL Test Case Builder, which gathers all required
data related to a SQL problem and packages the information in a way that enables
the problem to be reproduced at Oracle Support.

■

Task 4: (Optional) Create a Service Request on page 9-16
Optionally create a service request with My Oracle Support and record the service
request number with the problem information. If you skip this step, you can create
a service request later, or the Support Workbench can create one for you.

■

Task 5: Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle Support on page 9-16
Invoke a guided workflow (a wizard) that automatically packages the gathered
diagnostic data for a problem and uploads the data to Oracle Support.

■

Task 6: Track the Service Request and Implement Any Repairs on page 9-18

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-13

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

Optionally maintain an activity log for the service request in the Support
Workbench. Run Oracle advisors to help repair SQL failures or corrupted data.
See Also:

"Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on

page 9-19

Task 1: View Critical Error Alerts in Cloud Control
You begin the process of investigating problems (critical errors) by reviewing critical
error alerts on the Database Home page or Oracle Automatic Storage Management
Home page.
To view critical error alerts:
Access the Database Home page in Cloud Control.

1.
2.

View the alerts in the Incidents and Problems section.
If necessary, click the hide/show icon next to the Alerts heading to display the
alerts.
Also, in the Category list, you can select a particular category to view alerts for
only that category.

Figure 9–4 Incidents and Problems Section of the Database Home Page

3.

In the Summary column, click the message of the critical error alert that you want
to investigate.
The General subpage of the Incident Manager Problem Details page appears. This
page includes:
■
■

■

Problem details
Controls that allow you to acknowledge, clear, or record a comment about the
alert in the Tracking section
Links that enable you to diagnose the problem using Support Workbench and
package the diagnostics in the Guided Resolution section.

Other sections might appear depending on the type of problem you are
investigating.
To view more information about the problem, click the following subpages on the
Incident Manager Problem Details page:

9-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

■

■

■
■

4.

The Incidents subpage contains information about individual incidents for the
problem.
The My Oracle Support Knowledge subpage provides access to My Oracle
Support for more information about the problem.
The Updates subpage shows any updates entered about the problem.
The Related Problems subpage shows other open problems with the same
problem key as the current problem.

Perform one of the following actions:
■

■

To view the details of the problem associated with the critical error alert that
you are investigating, proceed with "Task 2: View Problem Details" on
page 9-15.
If there are several related problems and you want to view more information
about them, then complete these steps:
–

View problems and incidents as described in "Viewing Problems with the
Support Workbench" on page 9-19.

–

Select a single problem and view problem details, as described in
"Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19.

–

Continue with "Task 3: (Optional) Gather Additional Diagnostic
Information" on page 9-16.

Task 2: View Problem Details
You continue your investigation from the Incident Manager Problem Details page.
To view problem details:
1. On the General subpage of the Incident Manager Problem Details page, click
Support Workbench: Problem Details in the Diagnostics subsection.
The Support Workbench Problem Details page appears.
2.

(Optional) Complete one or more of the following actions:
■

In the Investigate and Resolve section, under Diagnose, click Related Problems
Across Topology.
A page appears showing any related problems in the local Oracle Automatic
Storage Management (Oracle ASM) instance, or in the database or Oracle ASM
instances on other nodes in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment.
This step is recommended if any critical alerts appear in the Related Alerts
section on the Cloud Control Database Home page.
See "Related Problems Across the Topology" on page 9-4 for more information.

■

To view incident details, in the Incidents subpage, select an incident, and then
click View.
The Incident Details page appears, showing the Dump Files subpage.

■

On the Incident Details page, select Checker Findings to view the Checker
Findings subpage.
This page displays findings from any health checks that were automatically
run when the critical error was detected.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-15

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

Task 3: (Optional) Gather Additional Diagnostic Information
You can perform the following activities to gather additional diagnostic information
for a problem. This additional information is then automatically included in the
diagnostic data uploaded to Oracle Support. If you are unsure about performing these
activities, then check with your Oracle Support representative.
■

Manually invoke additional health checks
See "Running Health Checks with Health Monitor" on page 9-22

■

Invoke the SQL Test Case Builder

Task 4: (Optional) Create a Service Request
At this point, you can create an Oracle Support service request and record the service
request number with the problem information. If you choose to skip this task, then the
Support Workbench will automatically create a draft service request for you in "Task 5:
Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle Support".
To create a service request:
1. From the Enterprise menu, select My Oracle Support, then Service Requests.
The My Oracle Support Login and Registration page appears.
2.

Log in to My Oracle Support and create a service request in the usual manner.
(Optional) Remember the service request number (SR#) for the next step.

3.

(Optional) Return to the Problem Details page, and then do the following:
a.

In the Summary section, click the Edit button that is adjacent to the SR# label.

b.

Enter the SR#, and then click OK.

The SR# is recorded in the Problem Details page. This is for your reference only.
See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for information
about returning to the Problem Details page.

Task 5: Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle Support
For this task, you use the quick packaging process of the Support Workbench to
package and upload the diagnostic information for the problem to Oracle Support.
Quick packaging has a minimum of steps, organized in a guided workflow (a wizard).
The wizard assists you with creating an incident package (package) for a single
problem, creating a zip file from the package, and uploading the file. With quick
packaging, you are not able to edit or otherwise customize the diagnostic information
that is uploaded. However, quick packaging is the more direct, straightforward
method to package and upload diagnostic data.
To edit or remove sensitive data from the diagnostic information, enclose additional
user files (such as application configuration files or scripts), or perform other
customizations before uploading, you must use the custom packaging process, which
is a more manual process and has more steps. See "Creating, Editing, and Uploading
Custom Incident Packages" on page 9-32 for instructions. If you choose to follow those
instructions instead of the instructions here in Task 5, do so now and then continue
with Task 6: Track the Service Request and Implement Any Repairs on page 9-18 when
you are finished.

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Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

Note: The Support Workbench uses Oracle Configuration Manager to
upload the diagnostic data. If Oracle Configuration Manager is not
installed or properly configured, the upload may fail. In this case, a
message is displayed with a request that you upload the file to Oracle
Support manually. You can upload manually with My Oracle Support.

For more information about Oracle Configuration Manager, see Oracle
Configuration Manager Installation and Administration Guide.
To package and upload diagnostic data to Oracle Support:
1. On the Support Workbench Problem Details page, in the Investigate and Resolve
section, click Quick Package.
The Create New Package page of the Quick Packaging wizard appears.
See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on
page 9-19 for instructions for returning to the Problem Details page if
you are not already there.

Note:

2.

(Optional) Enter a package name and description.

3.

Fill in any remaining fields on the page. If you have created a service request for
this problem, then select the No option button for Create new Service Request
(SR).
If you select the Yes option button for Create new Service Request (SR), then the
Quick Packaging wizard creates a draft service request on your behalf. You must
later log in to My Oracle Support and fill in the details of the service request.
Click Next.
The Quick Packaging wizard displays a page indicating that it is processing the
command to create a new package. When it finished, the Quick Packaging: View
Contents page is displayed.

4.

Review the contents on the View Contents page, making a note of the size of the
created package, then click Next.
The Quick Packaging: View Manifest page appears.

5.

Review the information on this page, making a note of the location of the manifest
(listed next to the heading Path). After you have reviewed the information, click
Next.
The Quick Packaging: Schedule page appears.

6.

Choose either Immediately, or Later. If you select Later, then you provide
additional information about the time the package should be submitted to My
Oracle Support. After you have made your choice and provided any necessary
information, click Submit.
The Processing: Packaging and Sending the Package progress page appears.

When the Quick Packaging wizard is complete, if a new draft service request was
created, then the confirmation message contains a link to the draft service request in
My Oracle Support in Cloud Control. You can review and edit the service request by
clicking the link.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-17

Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem

The package created by the Quick Packaging wizard remains available in the Support
Workbench. You can then modify it with custom packaging operations (such as adding
new incidents) and upload again at a later time. See "Viewing and Modifying Incident
Packages" on page 9-39.

Task 6: Track the Service Request and Implement Any Repairs
After uploading diagnostic information to Oracle Support, you might perform various
activities to track the service request, to collect additional diagnostic information, and
to implement repairs. Among these activities are the following:
■

Adding an Oracle bug number to the problem information.
To do so, on the Problem Details page, click the Edit button that is adjacent to the
Bug# label. This is for your reference only.

■

Adding comments to the problem activity log.
You may want to do this to share problem status or history information with other
DBAs in your organization. For example, you could record the results of your
conversations with Oracle Support. To add comments, complete the following
steps:
1.

Access the Problem Details page for the problem, as described in "Viewing
Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19.

2.

Click Activity Log to display the Activity Log subpage.

3.

In the Comment field, enter a comment, and then click Add Comment.
Your comment is recorded in the activity log.

■

As new incidents occur, adding them to the package and reuploading.
For this activity, you must use the custom packaging method described in
"Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages" on page 9-32.

■

Running health checks.
See "Running Health Checks with Health Monitor" on page 9-22.

■

Running a suggested Oracle advisor to implement repairs.
Access the suggested advisor in one of the following ways:
–

Problem Details page—In the Self-Service tab of the Investigate and Resolve
section

–

Support Workbench home page—on the Checker Findings subpage

–

Incident Details page—on the Checker Findings subpage

Table 9–5 lists the advisors that help repair critical errors.
Table 9–5

Oracle Advisors that Help Repair Critical Errors

Advisor

Critical Errors Addressed

See

Data Recovery Advisor

Corrupted blocks, corrupted or missing files,
and other data failures

"Repairing Data Corruptions with
the Data Recovery Advisor" on
page 9-31

SQL Repair Advisor

SQL statement failures

"Repairing SQL Failures with the
SQL Repair Advisor" on page 9-29

9-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench

"Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on
page 9-19 for instructions for viewing the Checker Findings subpage
of the Incident Details page

See Also:

Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench
You use the Enterprise Manager Support Workbench home page (Figure 9–5 on
page 9-19) to view all problems or only those within a specified time period.
Figure 9–5 Enterprise Manager Support Workbench Home Page

To access the Support Workbench home page (database or Oracle ASM):
1. Access the Database Home page in Cloud Control.
2.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Diagnostics, then Support Workbench.
The Support Workbench home page for the database instance appears, showing
the Problems subpage. By default the problems from the last 24 hours are
displayed.

3.

To view the Support Workbench home page for the Oracle ASM instance, click the
link Support Workbench (+ASM_hostname) in the Related Links section.

To view problems and incidents:
1. On the Support Workbench home page, select the desired time period from the
View list. To view all problems, select All.
2.

(Optional) If the Performance and Critical Error Timeline section is hidden, click
the Show/Hide icon adjacent to the section heading to show the section.
This section enables you to view any correlation between performance changes
and incident occurrences.

3.

(Optional) Under the Details column, click Show to display a list of all incidents
for a problem, and then click an incident ID to display the Incident Details page.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-19

Creating a User-Reported Problem

To view details for a particular problem:
1. On the Support Workbench home page, select the problem, and then click View.
The Problem Details page appears, showing the Incidents subpage. The incidents
subpage shows all incidents that are open and that generated dumps—that is, that
were not flood-controlled.
2.

(Optional) To view both normal and flood-controlled incidents, select All in the
Data Dumped list.

3.

(Optional) To view details for an incident, select the incident, and then click View.
The Incident Details page appears.

4.

(Optional) On the Incident Details page, to view checker findings for the incident,
click Checker Findings.

5.

(Optional) On the Incident Details page, to view the user actions that are available
to you for the incident, click Additional Diagnostics. Each user action provides a
way for you to gather additional diagnostics for the incident or its problem.
See Also:

"Incident Flood Control" on page 9-4

Creating a User-Reported Problem
System-generated problems—critical errors generated internally to the database—are
automatically added to the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) and tracked in the
Support Workbench. From the Support Workbench, you can gather additional
diagnostic data on these problems, upload diagnostic data to Oracle Support, and in
some cases, resolve the problems, all with the easy-to-use workflow that is explained
in "Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem" on page 9-12.
There may be a situation in which you want to manually add a problem that you
noticed to the ADR so that you can put that problem through that same workflow. An
example of such a situation might be a global database performance problem that was
not diagnosed by Automatic Diagnostic Database Monitor (ADDM). The Support
Workbench includes a mechanism for you to create and work with such a
user-reported problem.
To create a user-reported problem:
1. Access the Support Workbench home page.
See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for
instructions.
2.

Under Related Links, click Create User-Reported Problem.
The Create User-Reported Problem page appears.

9-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing the Alert Log

3.

If your problem matches one of the listed issue types, select the issue type, and
then click Run Recommended Advisor to attempt to solve the problem with an
Oracle advisor.

4.

If the recommended advisor did not solve the problem, or if you did not run an
advisor, do one of the following:
■

■

If your problem matches one of the listed issue types, select the issue type, and
then click Continue with Creation of Problem.
If your problem does not match one of the listed issue types, select the issue
type Other and then click Continue with Creation of Problem.

The Problem Details page appears.
5.

Follow the instructions on the Problem Details page.
See "Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem" on page 9-12 for more
information.
See Also: "About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability
Infrastructure" on page 9-1 for more information on problems and the
ADR

Viewing the Alert Log
You can view the alert log with a text editor, with Cloud Control, or with the ADRCI
utility.
To view the alert log with Cloud Control:
1. Access the Database Home page in Cloud Control.
2.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Diagnostics, then Support Workbench.

3.

Under Related Links, click Alert Log Contents.
The View Alert Log Contents page appears.

4.

Select the number of entries to view, and then click Go.

To view the alert log with a text editor:
1. Connect to the database with SQL*Plus or another query tool, such as SQL
Developer.
2.

Query the V$DIAG_INFO view as shown in "Viewing ADR Locations with the
V$DIAG_INFO View" on page 9-10.

3.

To view the text-only alert log, without the XML tags, complete these steps:

4.

a.

In the V$DIAG_INFO query results, note the path that corresponds to the Diag
Trace entry, and change directory to that path.

b.

Open file alert_SID.log with a text editor.

To view the XML-formatted alert log, complete these steps:
a.

In the V$DIAG_INFO query results, note the path that corresponds to the Diag
Alert entry, and change directory to that path.

b.

Open the file log.xml with a text editor.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-21

Finding Trace Files

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
ADRCI utility to view a text version of the alert log (with XML tags
stripped) and to run queries against the alert log

See Also:

Finding Trace Files
Trace files are stored in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR), in the trace
directory under each ADR home. To help you locate individual trace files within this
directory, you can use data dictionary views. For example, you can find the path to
your current session's trace file or to the trace file for each Oracle Database process.
To find the trace file for your current session:
■
Submit the following query:
SELECT VALUE FROM V$DIAG_INFO WHERE NAME = 'Default Trace File';

The full path to the trace file is returned.
To find all trace files for the current instance:
■
Submit the following query:
SELECT VALUE FROM V$DIAG_INFO WHERE NAME = 'Diag Trace';

The path to the ADR trace directory for the current instance is returned.
To determine the trace file for each Oracle Database process:
■
Submit the following query:
SELECT PID, PROGRAM, TRACEFILE FROM V$PROCESS;

See Also:
■

■

"Structure, Contents, and Location of the Automatic Diagnostic
Repository" on page 9-8
The ADRCI SHOW TRACEFILE command in Oracle Database Utilities

Running Health Checks with Health Monitor
This section describes the Health Monitor and includes instructions on how to use it.
The following topics are covered:
■

About Health Monitor

■

Running Health Checks Manually

■

Viewing Checker Reports

■

Health Monitor Views

■

Health Check Parameters Reference

About Health Monitor
Oracle Database includes a framework called Health Monitor for running diagnostic
checks on the database.

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Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

About Health Monitor Checks
Health Monitor checks (also known as checkers, health checks, or checks) examine
various layers and components of the database. Health checks detect file corruptions,
physical and logical block corruptions, undo and redo corruptions, data dictionary
corruptions, and more. The health checks generate reports of their findings and, in
many cases, recommendations for resolving problems. Health checks can be run in
two ways:
■

■

Reactive—The fault diagnosability infrastructure can run health checks
automatically in response to a critical error.
Manual—As a DBA, you can manually run health checks using either the DBMS_HM
PL/SQL package or the Cloud Control interface. You can run checkers on a
regular basis if desired, or Oracle Support may ask you to run a checker while
working with you on a service request.

Health Monitor checks store findings, recommendations, and other information in the
Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR).
Health checks can run in two modes:
■

■

DB-online mode means the check can be run while the database is open (that is, in
OPEN mode or MOUNT mode).
DB-offline mode means the check can be run when the instance is available but
the database itself is closed (that is, in NOMOUNT mode).

All the health checks can be run in DB-online mode. Only the Redo Integrity Check
and the DB Structure Integrity Check can be used in DB-offline mode.
See Also:

"Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)" on page 9-5

Types of Health Checks
Health monitor runs the following checks:
■

■

■

■

DB Structure Integrity Check—This check verifies the integrity of database files
and reports failures if these files are inaccessible, corrupt or inconsistent. If the
database is in mount or open mode, this check examines the log files and data files
listed in the control file. If the database is in NOMOUNT mode, only the control file is
checked.
Data Block Integrity Check—This check detects disk image block corruptions
such as checksum failures, head/tail mismatch, and logical inconsistencies within
the block. Most corruptions can be repaired using Block Media Recovery.
Corrupted block information is also captured in the V$DATABASE_BLOCK_
CORRUPTION view. This check does not detect inter-block or inter-segment
corruption.
Redo Integrity Check—This check scans the contents of the redo log for
accessibility and corruption, as well as the archive logs, if available. The Redo
Integrity Check reports failures such as archive log or redo corruption.
Undo Segment Integrity Check—This check finds logical undo corruptions. After
locating an undo corruption, this check uses PMON and SMON to try to recover
the corrupted transaction. If this recovery fails, then Health Monitor stores
information about the corruption in V$CORRUPT_XID_LIST. Most undo corruptions
can be resolved by forcing a commit.

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

■

■

Transaction Integrity Check—This check is identical to the Undo Segment
Integrity Check except that it checks only one specific transaction.
Dictionary Integrity Check—This check examines the integrity of core dictionary
objects, such as tab$ and col$. It performs the following operations:
–

Verifies the contents of dictionary entries for each dictionary object.

–

Performs a cross-row level check, which verifies that logical constraints on
rows in the dictionary are enforced.

–

Performs an object relationship check, which verifies that parent-child
relationships between dictionary objects are enforced.

The Dictionary Integrity Check operates on the following dictionary objects:
tab$, clu$, fet$, uet$, seg$, undo$, ts$, file$, obj$, ind$, icol$, col$, user$,
con$, cdef$, ccol$, bootstrap$, objauth$, ugroup$, tsq$, syn$, view$, typed_
view$, superobj$, seq$, lob$, coltype$, subcoltype$, ntab$, refcon$, opqtype$,
dependency$, access$, viewcon$, icoldep$, dual$, sysauth$, objpriv$, defrole$,
and ecol$.

Running Health Checks Manually
Health Monitor provides two ways to run health checks manually:
■
■

By using the DBMS_HM PL/SQL package
By using the Cloud Control interface, found on the Checkers subpage of the
Advisor Central page

Running Health Checks Using the DBMS_HM PL/SQL Package
The DBMS_HM procedure for running a health check is called RUN_CHECK. To call RUN_
CHECK, supply the name of the check and a name for the run, as follows:
BEGIN
DBMS_HM.RUN_CHECK('Dictionary Integrity Check', 'my_run');
END;
/

To obtain a list of health check names, run the following query:
SELECT name FROM v$hm_check WHERE internal_check='N';
NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------DB Structure Integrity Check
Data Block Integrity Check
Redo Integrity Check
Transaction Integrity Check
Undo Segment Integrity Check
Dictionary Integrity Check

Most health checks accept input parameters. You can view parameter names and
descriptions with the V$HM_CHECK_PARAM view. Some parameters are mandatory while
others are optional. If optional parameters are omitted, defaults are used. The
following query displays parameter information for all health checks:
SELECT c.name check_name, p.name parameter_name, p.type,
p.default_value, p.description
FROM v$hm_check_param p, v$hm_check c
WHERE p.check_id = c.id and c.internal_check = 'N'

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Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

ORDER BY c.name;

Input parameters are passed in the input_params argument as name/value pairs
separated by semicolons (;). The following example illustrates how to pass the
transaction ID as a parameter to the Transaction Integrity Check:
BEGIN
DBMS_HM.RUN_CHECK (
check_name
=> 'Transaction Integrity Check',
run_name
=> 'my_run',
input_params => 'TXN_ID=7.33.2');
END;
/

See Also:
■
■

"Health Check Parameters Reference" on page 9-28
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
examples of using DBMS_HM.

Running Health Checks Using Cloud Control
Cloud Control provides an interface for running Health Monitor checkers.
To run a Health Monitor Checker using Cloud Control:
1. Access the Database Home page.
2.

From the Performance menu, select Advisors Home.

3.

Click Checkers to view the Checkers subpage.

4.

In the Checkers section, click the checker you want to run.

5.

Enter values for input parameters or, for optional parameters, leave them blank to
accept the defaults.

6.

Click OK, confirm your parameters, and click OK again.

Viewing Checker Reports
After a checker has run, you can view a report of its execution. The report contains
findings, recommendations, and other information. You can view reports using Cloud
Control, the ADRCI utility, or the DBMS_HM PL/SQL package. The following table
indicates the report formats available with each viewing method.
Report Viewing Method

Report Formats Available

Cloud Control

HTML

DBMS_HM PL/SQL package

HTML, XML, and text

ADRCI utility

XML

Results of checker runs (findings, recommendations, and other information) are stored
in the ADR, but reports are not generated immediately. When you request a report
with the DBMS_HM PL/SQL package or with Cloud Control, if the report does not yet
exist, it is first generated from the checker run data in the ADR, stored as a report file
in XML format in the HM subdirectory of the ADR home for the current instance, and
then displayed. If the report file already exists, it is just displayed. When using the

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

ADRCI utility, you must first run a command to generate the report file if it does not
exist, and then run another command to display its contents.
The preferred method to view checker reports is with Cloud Control. The following
sections provide instructions for all methods:
■

Viewing Reports Using Cloud Control

■

Viewing Reports Using DBMS_HM

■

Viewing Reports Using the ADRCI Utility
See Also:

"Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)" on page 9-5

Viewing Reports Using Cloud Control
You can also view Health Monitor reports and findings for a given checker run using
Cloud Control.
To view run findings using Cloud Control
1. Access the Database Home page.
2.

From the Performance menu, select Advisors Home.

3.

Click Checkers to view the Checkers subpage.

4.

Click the run name for the checker run that you want to view.
The Run Detail page appears, showing the Findings subpage for that checker run.

5.

Click Runs to display the Runs subpage.
Cloud Control displays more information about the checker run.

6.

Click View Report to view the report for the checker run.
The report is displayed in a new browser window.

Viewing Reports Using DBMS_HM
You can view Health Monitor checker reports with the DBMS_HM package function GET_
RUN_REPORT. This function enables you to request HTML, XML, or text formatting. The
default format is text, as shown in the following SQL*Plus example:
SET LONG 100000
SET LONGCHUNKSIZE 1000
SET PAGESIZE 1000
SET LINESIZE 512
SELECT DBMS_HM.GET_RUN_REPORT('HM_RUN_1061') FROM DUAL;
DBMS_HM.GET_RUN_REPORT('HM_RUN_1061')
----------------------------------------------------------------------Run Name
Run Id
Check Name
Mode
Status
Start Time
End Time
Error Encountered
Source Incident Id
Number of Incidents Created

9-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

HM_RUN_1061
1061
Data Block Integrity Check
REACTIVE
COMPLETED
2007-05-12 22:11:02.032292 -07:00
2007-05-12 22:11:20.835135 -07:00
0
7418
0

Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

Input Paramters for the Run
BLC_DF_NUM=1
BLC_BL_NUM=64349
Run Findings And Recommendations
Finding
Finding Name : Media Block Corruption
Finding ID
: 1065
Type
: FAILURE
Status
: OPEN
Priority
: HIGH
Message
: Block 64349 in datafile 1:
'/u01/app/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f' is media corrupt
Message
: Object BMRTEST1 owned by SYS might be unavailable
Finding
Finding Name : Media Block Corruption
Finding ID
: 1071
Type
: FAILURE
Status
: OPEN
Priority
: HIGH
Message
: Block 64351 in datafile 1:
'/u01/app/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f' is media corrupt
Message
: Object BMRTEST2 owned by SYS might be unavailable

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
details on the DBMS_HM package.

Viewing Reports Using the ADRCI Utility
You can create and view Health Monitor checker reports using the ADRCI utility.
To create and view a checker report using ADRCI:
1. Ensure that operating system environment variables (such as ORACLE_HOME) are set
properly, and then enter the following command at the operating system
command prompt:
ADRCI

The utility starts and displays the following prompt:
adrci>>

Optionally, you can change the current ADR home. Use the SHOW HOMES command
to list all ADR homes, and the SET HOMEPATH command to change the current ADR
home. See Oracle Database Utilities for more information.
2.

Enter the following command:
show hm_run

This command lists all the checker runs (stored in V$HM_RUN) registered in the ADR
repository.
3.

Locate the checker run for which you want to create a report and note the checker
run name. The REPORT_FILE field contains a filename if a report already exists for
this checker run. Otherwise, generate the report with the following command:
create report hm_run run_name

4.

To view the report, enter the following command:

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Running Health Checks with Health Monitor

show report hm_run run_name

See Also:

"Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)" on page 9-5

Health Monitor Views
Instead of requesting a checker report, you can view the results of a specific checker
run by directly querying the ADR data from which reports are created. This data is
available through the views V$HM_RUN, V$HM_FINDING, and V$HM_RECOMMENDATION.
The following example queries the V$HM_RUN view to determine a history of checker
runs:
SELECT run_id, name, check_name, run_mode, src_incident FROM v$hm_run;
RUN_ID NAME
---------- -----------1 HM_RUN_1
101 HM_RUN_101
121 TXNCHK
181 HMR_tab$
.
.
.
981 Proct_ts$
1041 HM_RUN_1041
1061 HM_RUN_1061

CHECK_NAME
---------------------------------DB Structure Integrity Check
Transaction Integrity Check
Transaction Integrity Check
Dictionary Integrity Check

RUN_MODE SRC_INCIDENT
-------- -----------REACTIVE
0
REACTIVE
6073
MANUAL
0
MANUAL
0

Dictionary Integrity Check
DB Structure Integrity Check
Data Block Integrity Check

MANUAL
REACTIVE
REACTIVE

0
0
7418

The next example queries the V$HM_FINDING view to obtain finding details for the
reactive data block check with RUN_ID 1061:
SELECT type, description FROM v$hm_finding WHERE run_id = 1061;
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
------------- ----------------------------------------FAILURE
Block 64349 in datafile 1: '/u01/app/orac
le/dbs/t_db1.f' is media corrupt
FAILURE

Block 64351 in datafile 1: '/u01/app/orac
le/dbs/t_db1.f' is media corrupt

See Also:
■
■

"Types of Health Checks" on page 9-23
Oracle Database Reference for more information on the V$HM_*
views

Health Check Parameters Reference
The following tables describe the parameters for those health checks that require them.
Parameters with a default value of (none) are mandatory.
Table 9–6

Parameters for Data Block Integrity Check

Parameter Name

Type

Default Value

Description

BLC_DF_NUM

Number

(none)

Block data file number

BLC_BL_NUM

Number

(none)

Data block number

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Repairing SQL Failures with the SQL Repair Advisor

Table 9–7

Parameters for Redo Integrity Check

Parameter Name

Type

Default Value

Description

SCN_TEXT

Text

0

SCN of the latest good redo (if known)

Table 9–8

Parameters for Undo Segment Integrity Check

Parameter Name

Type

Default Value

Description

USN_NUMBER

Text

(none)

Undo segment number

Table 9–9

Parameters for Transaction Integrity Check

Parameter Name

Type

Default Value

Description

TXN_ID

Text

(none)

Transaction ID

Table 9–10

Parameters for Dictionary Integrity Check

Parameter Name

Type

Default Value

Description

CHECK_MASK

Text

ALL

Possible values are:
■

■

■

■

TABLE_NAME

Text

ALL_CORE_TABLES

COLUMN_CHECKS—Run column
checks only. Verify column-level
constraints in the core tables.
ROW_CHECKS—Run row checks only.
Verify row-level constraints in the
core tables.
REFERENTIAL_CHECKS—Run
referential checks only. Verify
referential constraints in the core
tables.
ALL—Run all checks.

Name of a single core table to check. If
omitted, all core tables are checked.

Repairing SQL Failures with the SQL Repair Advisor
In the rare case that a SQL statement fails with a critical error, you can run the SQL
Repair Advisor to try to repair the failed statement.
This section covers the following topics:
■

About the SQL Repair Advisor

■

Running the SQL Repair Advisor

■

Viewing, Disabling, or Removing a SQL Patch

About the SQL Repair Advisor
You run the SQL Repair Advisor after a SQL statement fails with a critical error. The
advisor analyzes the statement and in many cases recommends a patch to repair the
statement. If you implement the recommendation, the applied SQL patch circumvents
the failure by causing the query optimizer to choose an alternate execution plan for
future executions.

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Repairing SQL Failures with the SQL Repair Advisor

Running the SQL Repair Advisor
You run the SQL Repair Advisor from the Problem Details page of the Support
Workbench. The instructions in this section assume that you were already notified of a
critical error caused by your SQL statement and that you followed the workflow
described in "Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem" on page 9-12.
To run the SQL Repair Advisor:
1. Access the Problem Details page for the problem that pertains to the failed SQL
statement.
See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for
instructions.
2.

In the Investigate and Resolve section, under the Resolve heading, click SQL
Repair Advisor.

3.

On the SQL Repair Advisor page, complete these steps:
a.

Modify the preset task name if desired, optionally enter a task description,
modify or clear the optional time limit for the advisor task, and adjust settings
to schedule the advisor to run either immediately or at a future date and time.

b.

Click Submit.

A "Processing" page appears. After a short delay, the SQL Repair Results page
appears.

A check mark in the SQL Patch column indicates that a recommendation is
present. The absence of a check mark in this column means that the SQL Repair
Advisor was unable to devise a patch for the SQL statement.

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If the SQL Repair Results page fails to appear, then complete
these steps to display it:

Note:

4.

1.

Go to the Database Home page.

2.

From the Performance menu, select Advisors Home.

3.

On the Advisor Central page, in the Results list, locate the most recent
entry for the SQL Repair Advisor.

4.

Select the entry and click View Result.

If a recommendation is present (there is a check mark in the SQL Patch column),
then click View to view the recommendation.
The Repair Recommendations page appears, showing the recommended patch for
the statement.

5.

Click Implement.
The SQL Repair Results page returns, showing a confirmation message.

6.

(Optional) Click Verify using SQL Worksheet to run the statement in the SQL
worksheet and verify that the patch successfully repaired the statement.

Viewing, Disabling, or Removing a SQL Patch
After you apply a SQL patch with the SQL Repair Advisor, you may want to view it to
confirm its presence, disable it, or remove it. One reason to remove a patch is if you
install a later release of Oracle Database that fixes the bug that caused the failure in the
patched SQL statement.
To view, disable, or remove a SQL patch:
1. Access the Database Home page in Cloud Control.
2.

From the Performance menu, select SQL, then SQL Plan Control.
The SQL Plan Control page appears.

3.

Click SQL Patch to display the SQL Patch subpage.
The SQL Patch subpage displays all SQL patches in the database.

4.

Locate the desired patch by examining the associated SQL text.
Click the SQL text to view the complete text of the statement. After viewing the
SQL text, click Return.

5.

To disable the patch on the SQL Patch subpage, select it, and then click Disable.
A confirmation message appears, and the patch status changes to DISABLED. You
can later reenable the patch by selecting it and clicking Enable.

6.

To remove the patch, select it, and then click Drop.
A confirmation message appears.
See Also:

"About the SQL Repair Advisor" on page 9-29

Repairing Data Corruptions with the Data Recovery Advisor
You use the Data Recovery Advisor to repair data block corruptions, undo
corruptions, data dictionary corruptions, and more. The Data Recovery Advisor

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

integrates with the Enterprise Manager Support Workbench (Support Workbench),
with the Health Monitor, and with the RMAN utility to display data corruption
problems, assess the extent of each problem (critical, high priority, low priority),
describe the impact of a problem, recommend repair options, conduct a feasibility
check of the customer-chosen option, and automate the repair process.
The Cloud Control online help provides details on how to use the Data Recovery
Advisor. This section describes how to access the advisor from the Support
Workbench.
The Data Recovery Advisor is automatically recommended by and accessible from the
Support Workbench when you are viewing health checker findings that are related to a
data corruption or other data failure. The Data Recovery Advisor is also available from
the Advisor Central page.
To access the Data Recovery Advisor in Cloud Control:
1.

Access the Database Home page in Cloud Control.
The Data Recovery Advisor is available only when you are connected as SYSDBA.

2.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Diagnostics, then Support Workbench.

3.

Click Checker Findings.
The Checker Findings subpage appears.

4.

Select one or more data corruption findings and then click Launch Recovery
Advisor.
See Also: Oracle Database 2 Day DBA and Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery User's Guide for more information about the Data Recovery
Advisor

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages
Using the Enterprise Manager Support Workbench (Support Workbench), you can
create, edit, and upload custom incident packages. With custom incident packages,
you have fine control over the diagnostic data that you send to Oracle Support.
In this section:
■

About Incident Packages

■

Packaging and Uploading Problems with Custom Packaging

■

Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

■

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages

■

Deleting Correlated Packages

■

Setting Incident Packaging Preferences
See Also: "About the Oracle Database Fault Diagnosability
Infrastructure" on page 9-1

About Incident Packages
For the customized approach to uploading diagnostic data to Oracle Support, you first
collect the data into an intermediate logical structure called an incident package
(package). A package is a collection of metadata that is stored in the Automatic
Diagnostic Repository (ADR) and that points to diagnostic data files and other files
both in and out of the ADR. When you create a package, you select one or more
problems to add to the package. The Support Workbench then automatically adds to
the package the problem information, incident information, and diagnostic data (such
as trace files and dumps) associated with the selected problems. Because a problem
can have many incidents (many occurrences of the same problem), by default only the
first three and last three incidents for each problem are added to the package,
excluding any incidents that are over 90 days old. You can change these default
numbers on the Incident Packaging Configuration page of the Support Workbench.
After the package is created, you can add any type of external file to the package,
remove selected files from the package, or edit selected files in the package to remove
sensitive data. As you add and remove package contents, only the package metadata is
modified.
When you are ready to upload the diagnostic data to Oracle Support, you first create a
zip file that contains all the files referenced by the package metadata. You then upload
the zip file through Oracle Configuration Manager.
If you do not have Oracle Configuration Manager installed and
properly configured, then you must upload the zip file manually through
My Oracle Support.

Note:

For more information about Oracle Configuration Manager, see Oracle
Configuration Manager Installation and Administration Guide.
More information about packages is presented in the following sections:
■

About Correlated Diagnostic Data in Incident Packages

■

About Quick Packaging and Custom Packaging

■

About Correlated Packages
See Also:
■

■

"Packaging and Uploading Problems with Custom Packaging" on
page 9-35
"Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages" on page 9-39

About Correlated Diagnostic Data in Incident Packages
To diagnose problem, it is sometimes necessary to examine not only diagnostic data
that is directly related to the problem, but also diagnostic data that is correlated with
the directly related data. Diagnostic data can be correlated by time, by process ID, or

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

by other criteria. For example, when examining an incident, it may be helpful to also
examine an incident that occurred five minutes after the original incident. Similarly,
while it is clear that the diagnostic data for an incident should include the trace file for
the Oracle Database process that was running when the incident occurred, it might be
helpful to also include trace files for other processes that are related to the original
process.
Thus, when problems and their associated incidents are added to a package, any
correlated incidents are added at the same time, with their associated trace files.
During the process of creating the physical file for a package, the Support Workbench
calls upon the Incident Packaging Service to finalize the package. Finalizing means
adding to the package any additional trace files that are correlated by time to incidents
in the package, and adding other diagnostic information such as the alert log, health
checker reports, SQL test cases, configuration information, and so on. Therefore, the
number of files in the zip file may be greater than the number of files that the Support
Workbench had previously displayed as the package contents.
The Incident Packaging Service follows a set of rules to determine the trace files in the
ADR that are correlated to existing package data. You can modify some of those rules
in the Incident Packaging Configuration page in Cloud Control.
Because both initial package data and added correlated data may contain sensitive
information, it is important to have an opportunity to remove or edit files that contain
this information before uploading to Oracle Support. For this reason, the Support
Workbench enables you to run a command that finalizes the package as a separate
operation. After manually finalizing a package, you can examine the package contents,
remove or edit files, and then generate and upload a zip file.
Note: Finalizing a package does not mean closing it to further
modifications. You can continue to add diagnostic data to a finalized
package. You can also finalize the same package multiple times. Each
time that you finalize, any new correlated data is added.

See Also:

"Setting Incident Packaging Preferences" on page 9-44

About Quick Packaging and Custom Packaging
The Support Workbench provides two methods for creating and uploading an incident
package: the quick packaging method and the custom packaging method.
Quick Packaging—This is the more automated method with a minimum of steps,
organized in a guided workflow (a wizard). You select a single problem, provide a
package name and description, and then schedule upload of the package contents,
either immediately or at a specified date and time. The Support Workbench
automatically places diagnostic data related to the problem into the package, finalizes
the package, creates the zip file, and then uploads the file. With this method, you do
not have the opportunity to add, edit, or remove package files or add other diagnostic
data such as SQL test cases. However, it is the simplest and quickest way to get
first-failure diagnostic data to Oracle Support. Quick packaging is the method used in
the workflow described in "Investigating, Reporting, and Resolving a Problem" on
page 9-12.
When quick packaging is complete, the package that was created by the wizard
remains. You can then modify the package with custom packaging operations at a later
time and manually reupload.

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Custom Packaging—This is the more manual method, with more steps. It is intended
for expert Support Workbench users who want more control over the packaging
process. With custom packaging, you can create a new package with one or more
problems, or you can add one or more problems to an existing package. You can then
perform a variety of operations on the new or updated package, including:
■

Adding or removing problems or incidents

■

Adding, editing, or removing trace files in the package

■

Adding or removing external files of any type

■

Adding other diagnostic data such as SQL test cases

■

Manually finalizing the package and then viewing package contents to determine
if you must edit or remove sensitive data or remove files to reduce package size.

You might conduct these operations over several days, before deciding that you have
enough diagnostic information to send to Oracle Support.
With custom packaging, you create the zip file and request the upload to Oracle
Support as two separate steps. Each of these steps can be performed immediately or
scheduled for a future date and time.
See Also: "Task 5: Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle
Support" on page 9-16 for instructions for the Quick Packaging
method

About Correlated Packages
Correlated packages provide a means of packaging and uploading diagnostic data for
related problems. A database instance problem can have related problems in other
database instances or in Oracle Automatic Storage Management instances, as
described in "Related Problems Across the Topology" on page 9-4. After you create and
upload a package for one or more database instance problems (the "main package"),
you can create and upload one or more correlated packages, each with one or more
related problems. You can accomplish this only with the custom packaging workflow
in Support Workbench.
"Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages"
on page 9-43

See Also:

Packaging and Uploading Problems with Custom Packaging
You use Support Workbench (Support Workbench) to create and upload custom
incident packages (packages). Before uploading, you can manually add, edit, and
remove diagnostic data files from the package.
To package and upload problems with custom packaging:
1. Access the Support Workbench home page.
See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for
instructions.
2.

(Optional) For each problem that you want to include in the package, indicate the
service request number (SR#) associated with the problem, if any. To do so,
complete the following steps for each problem:
a.

In the Problems subpage at the bottom of the Support Workbench home page,
select the problem, and then click View.

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

If you do not see the desired problem in the list of problems, or
if there are too many problems to scroll through, select a time period
from the View list and click Go. You can then select the desired
problem and click View.

Note:

The Problem Details page appears.
b.

Next to the SR# label, click Edit, enter a service request number, and then click
OK.
The service request number is displayed on the Problem Details page.

c.

3.

Return to the Support Workbench home page by clicking Support Workbench
in the locator links at the top of the page.

On the Support Workbench home page, select the problems that you want to
package, and then click Package.
The Select Packaging Mode page appears.
The packaging process may automatically select additional
correlated problems to add to the package. An example of a correlated
problem is one that occurs within a few minutes of the selected
problem. See "About Correlated Diagnostic Data in Incident Packages"
on page 9-33 for more information.

Note:

4.

Select the Custom packaging option, and then click Continue.
The Select Package page appears.

Figure 9–6 Select Package Page

5.

Do one of the following:
■

■

To create a new package, select the Create new package option, enter a
package name and description, and then click OK.
To add the selected problems to an existing package, select the Select from
existing packages option, select the package to update, and then click OK.

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

The Customize Package page appears. It displays the problems and incidents that
are contained in the package, plus a selection of packaging tasks to choose from.
You run these tasks against the new package or the updated existing package.
Figure 9–7 Customize Package Page

6.

(Optional) In the Packaging Tasks section, click links to perform one or more
packaging tasks. Or, use other controls on the Customize Package page and its
subpages to manipulate the package. Return to the Customize Package page when
you are finished.
See "Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages" on page 9-39 for instructions for
some of the most common packaging tasks.

7.

In the Packaging Tasks section of the Customize Package page, under the heading
Send to Oracle Support, click Finish Contents Preparation to finalize the package.
A list (or partial list) of files included in the package is displayed. (This may take a
while.) The list includes files that were determined to contain correlated diagnostic
information and added by the finalization process.
See "About Correlated Diagnostic Data in Incident Packages" on page 9-33 for a
definition of package finalization.

8.

Click Files to view all the files in the package. Examine the list to see if there are
any files that might contain sensitive data that you do not want to expose. If you
find such files, then exclude (remove) or edit them.
See "Editing Incident Package Files (Copying Out and In)" on page 9-40 and
"Removing Incident Package Files" on page 9-42 for instructions for editing and
removing files.
To view the contents of a file, click the eyeglasses icon in the rightmost column in
the table of files. Enter host credentials, if prompted.
Note:

Trace files are generally for Oracle internal use only.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-37

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

9.

Click Generate Upload File.
The Generate Upload File page appears.

10. Select the Full or Incremental option to generate a full package zip file or an

incremental package zip file.
For a full package zip file, all the contents of the package (original contents and all
correlated data) are always added to the zip file.
For an incremental package zip file, only the diagnostic information that is new or
modified since the last time that you created a zip file for the same package is
added to the zip file. For example, if trace information was appended to a trace file
since that file was last included in the generated physical file for a package, the
trace file is added to the incremental package zip file. Conversely, if no changes
were made to a trace file since it was last uploaded for a package, that trace file is
not included in the incremental package zip file.
The Incremental option is dimmed (unavailable) if an upload
file was never created for the package.

Note:

11. Schedule file creation either immediately or at a future date and time (select

Immediately or Later), and then click Submit.
File creation can use significant system resources, so it may be advisable to
schedule it for a period of low system usage.
A Processing page appears, and creation of the zip file proceeds. A confirmation
page appears when processing is complete.
The package is automatically finalized when the zip file is
created.

Note:

12. Click OK.

The Customize Package page returns.
13. Click Send to Oracle.

The View/Send Upload Files page appears.
14. (Optional) Click the Send Correlated Packages link to create correlated packages

and send them to Oracle.
See "Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages" on page 9-43. When
you are finished working with correlated packages, return to the View/Send
Upload Files page by clicking the Package Details link at the top of the page,
clicking Customize Package, and then clicking Send to Oracle again.
15. Select the zip files to upload, and then click Send to Oracle.

The Send to Oracle page appears. The selected zip files are listed in a table.
16. Fill in the requested My Oracle Support information. Next to Create new Service

Request (SR), select Yes or No. If you select Yes, a draft service request is created
for you. You must later log in to My Oracle Support and fill in the service request
details. If you select No, enter an existing service request number.
17. Schedule the upload to take place immediately or at a future date and time, and

then click Submit.

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

A Processing page appears. If the upload is completed successfully, a confirmation
page appears. If the upload could not complete, an error page appears. The error
page may include a message that requests that you upload the zip file to Oracle
manually. If so, contact your Oracle Support representative for instructions.
18. Click OK.

The View/Send Upload Files page returns. Under the Time Sent column, check the
status of the files that you attempted to upload.
Note: The Support Workbench uses Oracle Configuration Manager to
upload the physical files. If Oracle Configuration Manager is not installed
or properly configured, the upload may fail. In this case, a message is
displayed with a path to the package zip file and a request that you
upload the file to Oracle Support manually. You can upload manually
with My Oracle Support.

For more information about Oracle Configuration Manager, see Oracle
Configuration Manager Installation and Administration Guide.
19. (Optional) Create and upload correlated packages.

See "Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages" on page 9-43 for
instructions.
See Also:
■

"About Incidents and Problems" on page 9-3

■

"About Incident Packages" on page 9-33

■

"About Quick Packaging and Custom Packaging" on page 9-34

Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages
After creating an incident package with the custom packaging method, you can view
or modify the contents of the package before uploading the package to Oracle Support.
In addition, after using the quick packaging method to package and upload diagnostic
data, you can view or modify the contents of the package that the Support Workbench
created, and then reupload the package. To modify a package, you choose from among
a selection of packaging tasks, most of which are available from the Customize Package
page. (See Figure 9–7 on page 9-37.)
This section provides instructions for some of the most common packaging tasks. It
includes the following topics:
■

Editing Incident Package Files (Copying Out and In)

■

Adding an External File to an Incident Package

■

Removing Incident Package Files

■

Viewing and Updating the Incident Package Activity Log

Also included are the following topics, which explain how to view package details and
how to access the Customize Package page for a particular package:
■

Viewing Package Details

■

Accessing the Customize Package Page

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-39

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

See Also:
■
■

"About Incident Packages" on page 9-33
"Packaging and Uploading Problems with Custom Packaging" on
page 9-35

Viewing Package Details
The Package Details page contains information about the incidents, trace files, and
other files in a package, and enables you to view and add to the package activity log.
To view package details:
Access the Support Workbench home page.

1.

See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for
instructions.
2.

Click Packages to view the Packages subpage.
A list of packages that are currently in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)
is displayed.

3.

(Optional) To reduce the number of packages displayed, enter text into the Search
field above the list, and then click Go.
All packages that contain the search text anywhere in the package name are
displayed. To view the full list of packages, remove the text from the Search field
and click Go again.

4.

Under the Package Name column, click the link for the desired package.
The Package Details page appears.

Accessing the Customize Package Page
The Customize Package page is used to perform various packaging tasks, such as
adding and removing problems; adding, removing, and scrubbing (editing) package
files; and generating and uploading the package zip file.
To access the Customize Package page:
1. Access the Package Details page for the desired package, as described in "Viewing
Package Details" on page 9-40.
2.

Click Customize Package.
The Customize Package page appears. See Figure 9–7 on page 9-37.

Editing Incident Package Files (Copying Out and In)
The Support Workbench enables you to edit one or more files in an incident package.
You may want to do this to delete or overwrite sensitive data in the files. To edit
package files, you must first copy the files out of the package into a designated
directory, edit the files with a text editor or other utility, and then copy the files back
into the package, overwriting the original package files.
The following procedure assumes that the package is already created and contains
diagnostic data.
To edit incident package files:
1. Access the Customize Package page for the desired incident package.

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

See "Accessing the Customize Package Page" on page 9-40 for instructions.
2.

In the Packaging Tasks section, under the Scrub User Data heading, click Copy out
Files to Edit contents.
If prompted for host credentials, enter credentials and then click OK.
The Copy Out Files page appears. It displays the name of the host to which you
can copy files.

3.

Do one of the following to specify a destination directory for the files:
■
■

Enter a directory path in the Destination Folder field.
Click the magnifying glass icon next to the Destination Folder field, and then
complete the following steps:
a.

If prompted for host credentials, enter credentials for the host to which
you want to copy out the files, and then click OK. (Select Save as
Preferred Credential to avoid the prompt for credentials next time.)
The Browse and Select: File or Directory window appears.

b.

Select the desired destination directory, and then click Select.
The Browse and Select: File or Directory window closes, and the path to
the selected directory appears in the Destination Folder field of the Copy
Out Files page.

4.

Under Files to Copy Out, select the desired files, and then click OK.
If you do not see the desired files, then they may be on another
page. Click the Next link to view the next page. Continue clicking
Next, or select from the list of file numbers (to the left of the Next link)
until you see the desired files. You can then select the files and click
OK.

Note:

The Customize Package page returns, displaying a confirmation message that lists
the files that were copied out.
5.

Using a text editor or other utility, edit the files.

6.

On the Customize Package page, in the Packaging Tasks section, under the Scrub
User Data heading, click Copy in Files to Replace Contents.
The Copy In Files page appears. It displays the files that you copied out.

7.

Select the files to copy in, and then click OK.
The files are copied into the package, overwriting the existing files. The Customize
Package page returns, displaying a confirmation message that lists the files that
were copied in.

Adding an External File to an Incident Package
You can add any type of external file to an incident package.
To add an external file to an incident package:
1. Access the Customize Package page for the desired incident package.
See "Accessing the Customize Package Page" on page 9-40 for instructions.
2.

Click the Files link to view the Files subpage.

Managing Diagnostic Data

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

From this page, you can add and remove files to and from the package.
3.

Click Add external files.
The Add External File page appears. It displays the host name from which you
may select a file.

4.

Do one of the following to specify a file to add:
■
■

Enter the full path to the file in the File Name field.
Click the magnifying glass icon next to the File Name field, and then complete
the following steps:
a.

If prompted for host credentials, enter credentials for the host on which
the external file resides, and then click OK. (Select Save as Preferred
Credential to avoid the prompt for credentials next time.)

b.

In the Browse and Select: File or Directory window, select the desired file
and then click Select.
The Browse and Select window closes, and the path to the selected file
appears in the File Name field of the Add External File page.

5.

Click OK.
The Customize Package page returns, displaying the Files subpage. The selected
file is now shown in the list of files.

Removing Incident Package Files
You can remove one or more files of any type from the incident package.
To remove incident package files:
1. Access the Customize Package page for the desired incident package.
See "Accessing the Customize Package Page" on page 9-40 for instructions.
2.

Click the Files link to view the Files subpage.
A list of files in the package is displayed.
If you have not yet generated a physical file for this package, all package files are
displayed in the list. If you have already generated a physical file, then a View list
appears above the files list. It enables you to choose between viewing only
incremental package contents or the full package contents. The default selection is
incremental package contents. This default selection displays only those package
files that were created or modified since the last time that a physical file was
generated for the package. Select Full package contents from the View list to view
all package files.

3.

Select the files to remove, and then click Exclude.
If you do not see the desired files, then they may be on another
page. Click the Next link to view the next page. Continue clicking
Next, or select from the list of file numbers (to the left of the Next link)
until you see the desired files. You can then select the files and click
Remove.

Note:

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Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

Viewing and Updating the Incident Package Activity Log
The Support Workbench maintains an activity log for each incident package. Most
activities that you perform on a package, such as adding or removing files or creating
a package zip file, are recorded in the log. You can also add your own notes to the log.
This is especially useful if multiple database administrators are working with
packages.
To view and update the incident package activity log:
1. Access the Package Details page for the desired incident package.
See "Viewing Package Details" on page 9-40 for instructions.
2.

Click the Activity Log link to view the Activity Log subpage.
The activity log is displayed.

3.

To add your own comment to the activity log, enter text into the Comment field,
and then click Add Comment.
Your comment is appended to the list.

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Correlated Packages
After you upload a package to Oracle Support, you can create and upload one or more
correlated packages. This is recommended if critical alerts appeared in the Related
Alerts section of the Database Home page. The correlated packages are associated with
the original package, also known as the main package. The main package contains
problems that occurred in a database instance. Correlated packages contain problems
that occurred on other instances (Oracle ASM instances or other database instances)
and that are related problems for the problems in the main package. There can be only
one correlated package for each related instance.
To create, edit, and upload a correlated package:
1. View the Package Details page for the main package.
See "Viewing Package Details" on page 9-40 for instructions.
2.

On the Package Details page, click Customize Package.

3.

On the Customize Package page, in the Packaging Tasks section, under Additional
Diagnostic Data, click Create/Update Correlated Packages.
See Figure 9–7 on page 9-37.

4.

On the Correlated Packages page, under Correlated Packages, select one or more
instances that have incidents and click Create.
A confirmation message appears, and the package IDs of the newly created
correlated packages appear in the ID column.

5.

Select the instance on which you created the correlated package, and click Finish
Contents Preparation.
A confirmation message appears.

6.

(Optional) View and edit a correlated package by completing these steps:
a.

Click the package ID to view the package.
If prompted for credentials, enter them and click Login.

b.

On the Package Details page, click Files to view the files in the package.

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-43

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

c.

Click Customize Package and perform any desired customization tasks, as
described in "Viewing and Modifying Incident Packages" on page 9-39.

7.

For each correlated package to upload, click Generate Upload File.

8.

For each correlated package to send to Oracle, select the package and click Send to
Oracle.
If Send to Oracle is unavailable (dimmed), then there were no
correlated incidents for the instance.

Note:

See Also:
■

"About Correlated Packages" on page 9-35

■

"Related Problems Across the Topology" on page 9-4

Deleting Correlated Packages
You delete a correlated package with the Support Workbench for the target for which
you created the package. For example, if you created a correlated package for an
Oracle ASM instance target, access the Support Workbench for that Oracle ASM
instance.
To delete a correlated package:
1. Access the Support Workbench for the target on which you created the correlated
package.
Tip: See the Related Links section at the bottom of any Support
Workbench page. Or, see "Viewing Problems with the Support
Workbench" on page 9-19
2.

Click Packages to view the Packages subpage.

3.

Locate the correlated package in the list. Verify that it is a correlated package by
viewing the package description.

4.

Select the package and click Delete.

5.

On the confirmation page, click Yes.
See Also:
■

"About Correlated Packages" on page 9-35

■

"Related Problems Across the Topology" on page 9-4

Setting Incident Packaging Preferences
This section provides instructions for setting incident packaging preferences.
Examples of incident packaging preferences include the number of days to retain
incident information, and the number of leading and trailing incidents to include in a
package for each problem. (By default, if a problem has many incidents, only the first
three and last three incidents are packaged.) You can change these and other incident
packaging preferences with Cloud Control or with the ADRCI utility.
To set incident packaging preferences with Cloud Control:
1. Access the Support Workbench home page.

9-44 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

See "Viewing Problems with the Support Workbench" on page 9-19 for
instructions.
2.

In the Related Links section at the bottom of the page, click Incident Packaging
Configuration.
The View Incident Packaging Configuration page appears. Click Help to view
descriptions of the settings on this page.

3.

Click Edit.
The Edit Incident Packaging Configuration page appears.

4.

Edit settings, and then click OK to apply changes.
See Also:
■

"About Incident Packages" on page 9-33

■

"About Incidents and Problems" on page 9-3

■

■

"Task 5: Package and Upload Diagnostic Data to Oracle Support"
on page 9-16
Oracle Database Utilities for information on ADRCI

Managing Diagnostic Data

9-45

Creating, Editing, and Uploading Custom Incident Packages

9-46 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Part II
Part II

Oracle Database Structure and Storage
Part II describes database structure in terms of storage components and explains how
to create and manage those components. It contains the following chapters:
■

Chapter 10, "Managing Control Files"

■

Chapter 11, "Managing the Redo Log"

■

Chapter 12, "Managing Archived Redo Log Files"

■

Chapter 13, "Managing Tablespaces"

■

Chapter 14, "Managing Data Files and Temp Files"

■

Chapter 15, "Transporting Data"

■

Chapter 16, "Managing Undo"

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"

10
Managing Control Files
10

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Is a Control File?

■

Guidelines for Control Files

■

Creating Control Files

■

Troubleshooting After Creating Control Files

■

Backing Up Control Files

■

Recovering a Control File Using a Current Copy

■

Dropping Control Files

■

Control Files Data Dictionary Views
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of control files
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for information
about creating control files that are both created and managed
by the Oracle Database server

What Is a Control File?
Every Oracle Database has a control file, which is a small binary file that records the
physical structure of the database. The control file includes:
■

The database name

■

Names and locations of associated data files and redo log files

■

The timestamp of the database creation

■

The current log sequence number

■

Checkpoint information

The control file must be available for writing by the Oracle Database server whenever
the database is open. Without the control file, the database cannot be mounted and
recovery is difficult.
The control file of an Oracle Database is created at the same time as the database. By
default, at least one copy of the control file is created during database creation. On
some operating systems the default is to create multiple copies. You should create two
or more copies of the control file during database creation. You can also create control

Managing Control Files 10-1

Guidelines for Control Files

files later, if you lose control files or want to change particular settings in the control
files.

Guidelines for Control Files
This section describes guidelines you can use to manage the control files for a
database, and contains the following topics:
■

Provide Filenames for the Control Files

■

Multiplex Control Files on Different Disks

■

Back Up Control Files

■

Manage the Size of Control Files

Provide Filenames for the Control Files
You specify control file names using the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter in the
database initialization parameter file (see "Creating Initial Control Files" on page 10-3).
The instance recognizes and opens all the listed file during startup, and the instance
writes to and maintains all listed control files during database operation.
If you do not specify files for CONTROL_FILES before database creation:
■

■

■

If you are not using Oracle Managed Files, then the database creates a control file
and uses a default filename. The default name is operating system specific.
If you are using Oracle Managed Files, then the initialization parameters you set to
enable that feature determine the name and location of the control files, as
described in Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files".
If you are using Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM), you can
place incomplete Oracle ASM filenames in the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST initialization parameters. Oracle ASM then automatically
creates control files in the appropriate places. See the sections "About Oracle ASM
Filenames" and "Creating a Database That Uses Oracle ASM" in Oracle Automatic
Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more information.

Multiplex Control Files on Different Disks
Every Oracle Database should have at least two control files, each stored on a different
physical disk. If a control file is damaged due to a disk failure, the associated instance
must be shut down. Once the disk drive is repaired, the damaged control file can be
restored using the intact copy of the control file from the other disk and the instance
can be restarted. In this case, no media recovery is required.
The behavior of multiplexed control files is this:
■

■

■

The database writes to all filenames listed for the initialization parameter
CONTROL_FILES in the database initialization parameter file.
The database reads only the first file listed in the CONTROL_FILES parameter during
database operation.
If any of the control files become unavailable during database operation, the
instance becomes inoperable and should be aborted.

10-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Control Files

Oracle strongly recommends that your database has a
minimum of two control files and that they are located on separate
physical disks.

Note:

One way to multiplex control files is to store a control file copy on every disk drive
that stores members of redo log groups, if the redo log is multiplexed. By storing
control files in these locations, you minimize the risk that all control files and all
groups of the redo log will be lost in a single disk failure.

Back Up Control Files
It is very important that you back up your control files. This is true initially, and every
time you change the physical structure of your database. Such structural changes
include:
■

Adding, dropping, or renaming data files

■

Adding or dropping a tablespace, or altering the read/write state of the tablespace

■

Adding or dropping redo log files or groups

The methods for backing up control files are discussed in "Backing Up Control Files"
on page 10-7.

Manage the Size of Control Files
The main determinants of the size of a control file are the values set for the
MAXDATAFILES, MAXLOGFILES, MAXLOGMEMBERS, MAXLOGHISTORY, and MAXINSTANCES
parameters in the CREATE DATABASE statement that created the associated database.
Increasing the values of these parameters increases the size of a control file of the
associated database.
See Also:
■

■

Your operating system specific Oracle documentation contains
more information about the maximum control file size.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description of the
CREATE DATABASE statement

Creating Control Files
This section describes ways to create control files, and contains the following topics:
■

Creating Initial Control Files

■

Creating Additional Copies, Renaming, and Relocating Control Files

■

Creating New Control Files

Creating Initial Control Files
The initial control files of an Oracle Database are created when you issue the CREATE
DATABASE statement. The names of the control files are specified by the CONTROL_FILES
parameter in the initialization parameter file used during database creation. The
filenames specified in CONTROL_FILES should be fully specified and are operating
system specific. The following is an example of a CONTROL_FILES initialization
parameter:

Managing Control Files 10-3

Creating Control Files

CONTROL_FILES = (/u01/oracle/prod/control01.ctl,
/u02/oracle/prod/control02.ctl,
/u03/oracle/prod/control03.ctl)

If files with the specified names currently exist at the time of database creation, you
must specify the CONTROLFILE REUSE clause in the CREATE DATABASE statement, or else
an error occurs. Also, if the size of the old control file differs from the SIZE parameter
of the new one, you cannot use the REUSE clause.
The size of the control file changes between some releases of Oracle Database, as well
as when the number of files specified in the control file changes. Configuration
parameters such as MAXLOGFILES, MAXLOGMEMBERS, MAXLOGHISTORY, MAXDATAFILES, and
MAXINSTANCES affect control file size.
You can subsequently change the value of the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter
to add more control files or to change the names or locations of existing control files.
See Also: Your operating system specific Oracle documentation
contains more information about specifying control files.

Creating Additional Copies, Renaming, and Relocating Control Files
You can create an additional control file copy for multiplexing by copying an existing
control file to a new location and adding the file name to the list of control files.
Similarly, you rename an existing control file by copying the file to its new name or
location, and changing the file name in the control file list. In both cases, to guarantee
that control files do not change during the procedure, shut down the database before
copying the control file.
To add a multiplexed copy of the current control file or to rename a control file:
1.

Shut down the database.

2.

Copy an existing control file to a new location, using operating system commands.

3.

Edit the CONTROL_FILES parameter in the database initialization parameter file to
add the new control file name, or to change the existing control filename.

4.

Restart the database.

Creating New Control Files
This section discusses when and how to create new control files.

When to Create New Control Files
It is necessary for you to create new control files in the following situations:
■

■

All control files for the database have been permanently damaged and you do not
have a control file backup.
You want to change the database name.
For example, you would change a database name if it conflicted with another
database name in a distributed environment.
You can change the database name and DBID (internal
database identifier) using the DBNEWID utility. See Oracle Database
Utilities for information about using this utility.

Note:

10-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Control Files

The CREATE CONTROLFILE Statement
You can create a new control file for a database using the CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement. The following statement creates a new control file for the prod database (a
database that formerly used a different database name):
CREATE CONTROLFILE
SET DATABASE prod
LOGFILE GROUP 1 ('/u01/oracle/prod/redo01_01.log',
'/u01/oracle/prod/redo01_02.log'),
GROUP 2 ('/u01/oracle/prod/redo02_01.log',
'/u01/oracle/prod/redo02_02.log'),
GROUP 3 ('/u01/oracle/prod/redo03_01.log',
'/u01/oracle/prod/redo03_02.log')
RESETLOGS
DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/prod/system01.dbf' SIZE 3M,
'/u01/oracle/prod/rbs01.dbs' SIZE 5M,
'/u01/oracle/prod/users01.dbs' SIZE 5M,
'/u01/oracle/prod/temp01.dbs' SIZE 5M
MAXLOGFILES 50
MAXLOGMEMBERS 3
MAXLOGHISTORY 400
MAXDATAFILES 200
MAXINSTANCES 6
ARCHIVELOG;

Cautions:
■

■

The CREATE CONTROLFILE statement can potentially damage
specified data files and redo log files. Omitting a filename can
cause loss of the data in that file, or loss of access to the entire
database. Use caution when issuing this statement and be sure
to follow the instructions in "Steps for Creating New Control
Files".
If the database had forced logging enabled before creating the
new control file, and you want it to continue to be enabled,
then you must specify the FORCE LOGGING clause in the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement. See "Specifying FORCE LOGGING
Mode" on page 2-23.

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference describes the
complete syntax of the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement

Steps for Creating New Control Files
Complete the following steps to create a new control file.
1.

Make a list of all data files and redo log files of the database.
If you follow recommendations for control file backups as discussed in "Backing
Up Control Files" on page 10-7, you will already have a list of data files and redo
log files that reflect the current structure of the database. However, if you have no
such list, executing the following statements will produce one.
SELECT MEMBER FROM V$LOGFILE;
SELECT NAME FROM V$DATAFILE;
SELECT VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER WHERE NAME = 'control_files';

Managing Control Files 10-5

Creating Control Files

If you have no such lists and your control file has been damaged so that the
database cannot be opened, try to locate all of the data files and redo log files that
constitute the database. Any files not specified in step 5 are not recoverable once a
new control file has been created. Moreover, if you omit any of the files that
comprise the SYSTEM tablespace, you might not be able to recover the database.
2.

Shut down the database.
If the database is open, shut down the database normally if possible. Use the
IMMEDIATE or ABORT clauses only as a last resort.

3.

Back up all data files and redo log files of the database.

4.

Start up a new instance, but do not mount or open the database:
STARTUP NOMOUNT

5.

Create a new control file for the database using the CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement.
When creating a new control file, specify the RESETLOGS clause if you have lost any
redo log groups in addition to control files. In this case, you will need to recover
from the loss of the redo logs (step 8). You must specify the RESETLOGS clause if
you have renamed the database. Otherwise, select the NORESETLOGS clause.

6.

Store a backup of the new control file on an offline storage device. See "Backing Up
Control Files" on page 10-7 for instructions for creating a backup.

7.

Edit the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter for the database to indicate all of
the control files now part of your database as created in step 5 (not including the
backup control file). If you are renaming the database, edit the DB_NAME parameter
in your instance parameter file to specify the new name.

8.

Recover the database if necessary. If you are not recovering the database, skip to
step 9.
If you are creating the control file as part of recovery, recover the database. If the
new control file was created using the NORESETLOGS clause (step 5), you can
recover the database with complete, closed database recovery.
If the new control file was created using the RESETLOGS clause, you must specify
USING BACKUP CONTROL FILE. If you have lost online redo logs, archived redo log
files, or data files, use the procedures for recovering those files.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
information about recovering your database and methods of
recovering a lost control file

9.

Open the database using one of the following methods:
■

If you did not perform recovery, or you performed complete, closed database
recovery in step 8, open the database normally.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

■

If you specified RESETLOGS when creating the control file, use the ALTER
DATABASE statement, indicating RESETLOGS.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

The database is now open and available for use.

10-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Backing Up Control Files

Troubleshooting After Creating Control Files
After issuing the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement, you may encounter some errors. This
section describes the most common control file errors:
■

Checking for Missing or Extra Files

■

Handling Errors During CREATE CONTROLFILE

Checking for Missing or Extra Files
After creating a new control file and using it to open the database, check the alert log
to see if the database has detected inconsistencies between the data dictionary and the
control file, such as a data file in the data dictionary includes that the control file does
not list.
If a data file exists in the data dictionary but not in the new control file, the database
creates a placeholder entry in the control file under the name MISSINGnnnn, where nnnn
is the file number in decimal. MISSINGnnnn is flagged in the control file as being offline
and requiring media recovery.
If the actual data file corresponding to MISSINGnnnn is read-only or offline normal,
then you can make the data file accessible by renaming MISSINGnnnn to the name of the
actual data file. If MISSINGnnnn corresponds to a data file that was not read-only or
offline normal, then you cannot use the rename operation to make the data file
accessible, because the data file requires media recovery that is precluded by the
results of RESETLOGS. In this case, you must drop the tablespace containing the data
file.
Conversely, if a data file listed in the control file is not present in the data dictionary,
then the database removes references to it from the new control file. In both cases, the
database includes an explanatory message in the alert log to let you know what was
found.

Handling Errors During CREATE CONTROLFILE
If Oracle Database sends you an error (usually error ORA-01173, ORA-01176, ORA-01177,
ORA-01215, or ORA-01216) when you attempt to mount and open the database after
creating a new control file, the most likely cause is that you omitted a file from the
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement or included one that should not have been listed. In
this case, you should restore the files you backed up in step 3 on page 10-6 and repeat
the procedure from step 4, using the correct filenames.

Backing Up Control Files
Use the ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE statement to back up your control files.
You have two options:
■

Back up the control file to a binary file (duplicate of existing control file) using the
following statement:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO '/oracle/backup/control.bkp';

■

Produce SQL statements that can later be used to re-create your control file:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE;

This command writes a SQL script to a trace file where it can be captured and
edited to reproduce the control file. View the alert log to determine the name and
location of the trace file.
Managing Control Files 10-7

Recovering a Control File Using a Current Copy

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for more
information on backing up your control files
"Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21

Recovering a Control File Using a Current Copy
This section presents ways that you can recover your control file from a current
backup or from a multiplexed copy.

Recovering from Control File Corruption Using a Control File Copy
This procedure assumes that one of the control files specified in the CONTROL_FILES
parameter is corrupted, that the control file directory is still accessible, and that you
have a multiplexed copy of the control file.
1.

With the instance shut down, use an operating system command to overwrite the
bad control file with a good copy:
% cp /u03/oracle/prod/control03.ctl

2.

/u02/oracle/prod/control02.ctl

Start SQL*Plus and open the database:
SQL> STARTUP

Recovering from Permanent Media Failure Using a Control File Copy
This procedure assumes that one of the control files specified in the CONTROL_FILES
parameter is inaccessible due to a permanent media failure and that you have a
multiplexed copy of the control file.
1.

With the instance shut down, use an operating system command to copy the
current copy of the control file to a new, accessible location:
% cp /u01/oracle/prod/control01.ctl

2.

/u04/oracle/prod/control03.ctl

Edit the CONTROL_FILES parameter in the initialization parameter file to replace the
bad location with the new location:
CONTROL_FILES = (/u01/oracle/prod/control01.ctl,
/u02/oracle/prod/control02.ctl,
/u04/oracle/prod/control03.ctl)

3.

Start SQL*Plus and open the database:
SQL> STARTUP

If you have multiplexed control files, you can get the database started up quickly by
editing the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter. Remove the bad control file from
CONTROL_FILES setting and you can restart the database immediately. Then you can
perform the reconstruction of the bad control file and at some later time shut down
and restart the database after editing the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter to
include the recovered control file.

10-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Control Files Data Dictionary Views

Dropping Control Files
You want to drop control files from the database, for example, if the location of a
control file is no longer appropriate. Remember that the database should have at least
two control files at all times.
1.

Shut down the database.

2.

Edit the CONTROL_FILES parameter in the database initialization parameter file to
delete the old control file name.

3.

Restart the database.
This operation does not physically delete the unwanted
control file from the disk. Use operating system commands to
delete the unnecessary file after you have dropped the control file
from the database.

Note:

Control Files Data Dictionary Views
The following views display information about control files:
View

Description

V$DATABASE

Displays database information from the control file

V$CONTROLFILE

Lists the names of control files

V$CONTROLFILE_RECORD_SECTION

Displays information about control file record
sections

V$PARAMETER

Displays the names of control files as specified in
the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter

This example lists the names of the control files.
SQL> SELECT NAME FROM V$CONTROLFILE;
NAME
------------------------------------/u01/oracle/prod/control01.ctl
/u02/oracle/prod/control02.ctl
/u03/oracle/prod/control03.ctl

Managing Control Files 10-9

Control Files Data Dictionary Views

10-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

11
11

Managing the Redo Log

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Is the Redo Log?

■

Planning the Redo Log

■

Creating Redo Log Groups and Members

■

Relocating and Renaming Redo Log Members

■

Dropping Redo Log Groups and Members

■

Forcing Log Switches

■

Verifying Blocks in Redo Log Files

■

Clearing a Redo Log File

■

Redo Log Data Dictionary Views
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for
information about redo log files that are both created and managed
by the Oracle Database server

See Also:

What Is the Redo Log?
The most crucial structure for recovery operations is the redo log, which consists of
two or more preallocated files that store all changes made to the database as they
occur. Every instance of an Oracle Database has an associated redo log to protect the
database in case of an instance failure.

Redo Threads
When speaking in the context of multiple database instances, the redo log for each
database instance is also referred to as a redo thread. In typical configurations, only one
database instance accesses an Oracle Database, so only one thread is present. In an
Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, however, two or more instances
concurrently access a single database and each instance has its own thread of redo. A
separate redo thread for each instance avoids contention for a single set of redo log
files, thereby eliminating a potential performance bottleneck.
This chapter describes how to configure and manage the redo log on a standard
single-instance Oracle Database. The thread number can be assumed to be 1 in all
discussions and examples of statements. For information about redo log groups in an
Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, see Oracle Real Application Clusters
Administration and Deployment Guide.

Managing the Redo Log 11-1

What Is the Redo Log?

Redo Log Contents
Redo log files are filled with redo records. A redo record, also called a redo entry, is
made up of a group of change vectors, each of which is a description of a change made
to a single block in the database. For example, if you change a salary value in an
employee table, you generate a redo record containing change vectors that describe
changes to the data segment block for the table, the undo segment data block, and the
transaction table of the undo segments.
Redo entries record data that you can use to reconstruct all changes made to the
database, including the undo segments. Therefore, the redo log also protects rollback
data. When you recover the database using redo data, the database reads the change
vectors in the redo records and applies the changes to the relevant blocks.
Redo records are buffered in a circular fashion in the redo log buffer of the SGA (see
"How Oracle Database Writes to the Redo Log" on page 11-2) and are written to one of
the redo log files by the Log Writer (LGWR) database background process. Whenever a
transaction is committed, LGWR writes the transaction redo records from the redo log
buffer of the SGA to a redo log file, and assigns a system change number (SCN) to
identify the redo records for each committed transaction. Only when all redo records
associated with a given transaction are safely on disk in the online logs is the user
process notified that the transaction has been committed.
Redo records can also be written to a redo log file before the corresponding transaction
is committed. If the redo log buffer fills, or another transaction commits, LGWR
flushes all of the redo log entries in the redo log buffer to a redo log file, even though
some redo records may not be committed. If necessary, the database can roll back these
changes.

How Oracle Database Writes to the Redo Log
The redo log for a database consists of two or more redo log files. The database
requires a minimum of two files to guarantee that one is always available for writing
while the other is being archived (if the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode). See
"Managing Archived Redo Log Files" on page 12-1 for more information.
LGWR writes to redo log files in a circular fashion. When the current redo log file fills,
LGWR begins writing to the next available redo log file. When the last available redo
log file is filled, LGWR returns to the first redo log file and writes to it, starting the
cycle again. Figure 11–1 illustrates the circular writing of the redo log file. The
numbers next to each line indicate the sequence in which LGWR writes to each redo
log file.
Filled redo log files are available to LGWR for reuse depending on whether archiving
is enabled.
■

■

If archiving is disabled (the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode), a filled redo log
file is available after the changes recorded in it have been written to the data files.
If archiving is enabled (the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode), a filled redo log file is
available to LGWR after the changes recorded in it have been written to the data
files and the file has been archived.

11-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

What Is the Redo Log?

Figure 11–1 Reuse of Redo Log Files by LGWR

Online redo
log file
#1

1, 4, 7, ...

Online redo
log file
#2

2, 5, 8, ...

Online redo
log file
#3

3, 6, 9, ...

LGWR

Active (Current) and Inactive Redo Log Files
Oracle Database uses only one redo log file at a time to store redo records written from
the redo log buffer. The redo log file that LGWR is actively writing to is called the
current redo log file.
Redo log files that are required for instance recovery are called active redo log files.
Redo log files that are no longer required for instance recovery are called inactive redo
log files.
If you have enabled archiving (the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode), then the database
cannot reuse or overwrite an active online log file until one of the archiver background
processes (ARCn) has archived its contents. If archiving is disabled (the database is in
NOARCHIVELOG mode), then when the last redo log file is full, LGWR continues by
overwriting the next log file in the sequence when it becomes inactive.

Log Switches and Log Sequence Numbers
A log switch is the point at which the database stops writing to one redo log file and
begins writing to another. Normally, a log switch occurs when the current redo log file
is completely filled and writing must continue to the next redo log file. However, you
can configure log switches to occur at regular intervals, regardless of whether the
current redo log file is completely filled. You can also force log switches manually.
Oracle Database assigns each redo log file a new log sequence number every time a
log switch occurs and LGWR begins writing to it. When the database archives redo log
files, the archived log retains its log sequence number. A redo log file that is cycled
back for use is given the next available log sequence number.
Each online or archived redo log file is uniquely identified by its log sequence number.
During crash, instance, or media recovery, the database properly applies redo log files
in ascending order by using the log sequence number of the necessary archived and
redo log files.
Managing the Redo Log 11-3

Planning the Redo Log

Planning the Redo Log
This section provides guidelines you should consider when configuring a database
instance redo log and contains the following topics:
■

Multiplexing Redo Log Files

■

Placing Redo Log Members on Different Disks

■

Planning the Size of Redo Log Files

■

Planning the Block Size of Redo Log Files

■

Choosing the Number of Redo Log Files

■

Controlling Archive Lag

Multiplexing Redo Log Files
To protect against a failure involving the redo log itself, Oracle Database allows a
multiplexed redo log, meaning that two or more identical copies of the redo log can be
automatically maintained in separate locations. For the most benefit, these locations
should be on separate disks. Even if all copies of the redo log are on the same disk,
however, the redundancy can help protect against I/O errors, file corruption, and so
on. When redo log files are multiplexed, LGWR concurrently writes the same redo log
information to multiple identical redo log files, thereby eliminating a single point of
redo log failure.
Multiplexing is implemented by creating groups of redo log files. A group consists of a
redo log file and its multiplexed copies. Each identical copy is said to be a member of
the group. Each redo log group is defined by a number, such as group 1, group 2, and
so on.
Figure 11–2 Multiplexed Redo Log Files

Disk A

Disk B

1, 3, 5, ...
A_LOG1

B_LOG1

Group 1

LGWR
Group 2
A_LOG2

2, 4, 6, ...

B_LOG2

Group 1
Group 2

In Figure 11–2, A_LOG1 and B_LOG1 are both members of Group 1, A_LOG2 and B_LOG2
are both members of Group 2, and so forth. Each member in a group must be the same
size.
Each member of a log file group is concurrently active—that is, concurrently written to
by LGWR—as indicated by the identical log sequence numbers assigned by LGWR. In
Figure 11–2, first LGWR writes concurrently to both A_LOG1 and B_LOG1. Then it writes

11-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Planning the Redo Log

concurrently to both A_LOG2 and B_LOG2, and so on. LGWR never writes concurrently
to members of different groups (for example, to A_LOG1 and B_LOG2).
Oracle recommends that you multiplex your redo log files.
The loss of the log file data can be catastrophic if recovery is
required. Note that when you multiplex the redo log, the database
must increase the amount of I/O that it performs. Depending on
your configuration, this may impact overall database performance.

Note:

Responding to Redo Log Failure
Whenever LGWR cannot write to a member of a group, the database marks that
member as INVALID and writes an error message to the LGWR trace file and to the
database alert log to indicate the problem with the inaccessible files. The specific
reaction of LGWR when a redo log member is unavailable depends on the reason for
the lack of availability, as summarized in the table that follows.
Condition

LGWR Action

LGWR can successfully write to at
least one member in a group

Writing proceeds as normal. LGWR writes to the
available members of a group and ignores the
unavailable members.

LGWR cannot access the next group at
a log switch because the group must
be archived

Database operation temporarily halts until the group
becomes available or until the group is archived.

All members of the next group are
inaccessible to LGWR at a log switch
because of media failure

Oracle Database returns an error, and the database
instance shuts down. In this case, you may need to
perform media recovery on the database from the
loss of a redo log file.
If the database checkpoint has moved beyond the lost
redo log, media recovery is not necessary, because the
database has saved the data recorded in the redo log
to the data files. You need only drop the inaccessible
redo log group. If the database did not archive the
bad log, use ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE
UNARCHIVED to disable archiving before the log can be
dropped.

All members of a group suddenly
become inaccessible to LGWR while it
is writing to them

Oracle Database returns an error and the database
instance immediately shuts down. In this case, you
may need to perform media recovery. If the media
containing the log is not actually lost--for example, if
the drive for the log was inadvertently turned
off--media recovery may not be needed. In this case,
you need only turn the drive back on and let the
database perform automatic instance recovery.

Legal and Illegal Configurations
In most cases, a multiplexed redo log should be symmetrical: all groups of the redo log
should have the same number of members. However, the database does not require
that a multiplexed redo log be symmetrical. For example, one group can have only one
member, and other groups can have two members. This configuration protects against
disk failures that temporarily affect some redo log members but leave others intact.
The only requirement for an instance redo log is that it have at least two groups.
Figure 11–3 shows legal and illegal multiplexed redo log configurations. The second
configuration is illegal because it has only one group.

Managing the Redo Log 11-5

Planning the Redo Log

Figure 11–3 Legal and Illegal Multiplexed Redo Log Configuration

LEGAL

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Disk A

Disk B

A_LOG1

B_LOG1

A_LOG2

B_LOG2

A_LOG3

B_LOG3

Disk A

Disk B

A_LOG1

B_LOG1

ILLEGAL

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 1
Group 2
Group 3

Placing Redo Log Members on Different Disks
When setting up a multiplexed redo log, place members of a group on different
physical disks. If a single disk fails, then only one member of a group becomes
unavailable to LGWR and other members remain accessible to LGWR, so the instance
can continue to function.
If you archive the redo log, spread redo log members across disks to eliminate
contention between the LGWR and ARCn background processes. For example, if you
have two groups of multiplexed redo log members (a duplexed redo log), place each
member on a different disk and set your archiving destination to a fifth disk. Doing so
will avoid contention between LGWR (writing to the members) and ARCn (reading
the members).

11-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Planning the Redo Log

Data files should also be placed on different disks from redo log files to reduce
contention in writing data blocks and redo records.

Planning the Size of Redo Log Files
When setting the size of redo log files, consider whether you will be archiving the redo
log. Redo log files should be sized so that a filled group can be archived to a single
unit of offline storage media (such as a tape or disk), with the least amount of space on
the medium left unused. For example, suppose only one filled redo log group can fit
on a tape and 49% of the tape storage capacity remains unused. In this case, it is better
to decrease the size of the redo log files slightly, so that two log groups could be
archived on each tape.
All members of the same multiplexed redo log group must be the same size. Members
of different groups can have different sizes. However, there is no advantage in varying
file size between groups. If checkpoints are not set to occur between log switches,
make all groups the same size to guarantee that checkpoints occur at regular intervals.
The minimum size permitted for a redo log file is 4 MB.
See Also: Your operating system–specific Oracle documentation.
The default size of redo log files is operating system dependent.

Planning the Block Size of Redo Log Files
Unlike the database block size, which can be between 2K and 32K, redo log files
always default to a block size that is equal to the physical sector size of the disk.
Historically, this has typically been 512 bytes (512B).
Some newer high-capacity disk drives offer 4K byte (4K) sector sizes for both increased
ECC capability and improved format efficiency. Most Oracle Database platforms are
able to detect this larger sector size. The database then automatically creates redo log
files with a 4K block size on those disks.
However, with a block size of 4K, there is increased redo wastage. In fact, the amount
of redo wastage in 4K blocks versus 512B blocks is significant. You can determine the
amount of redo wastage by viewing the statistics stored in the V$SESSTAT and
V$SYSSTAT views.
SQL> SELECT name, value FROM v$sysstat WHERE name = 'redo wastage';
NAME
VALUE
-------------------------------- ---------redo wastage
17941684

To avoid the additional redo wastage, if you are using emulation-mode disks—4K
sector size disk drives that emulate a 512B sector size at the disk interface—you can
override the default 4K block size for redo logs by specifying a 512B block size or, for
some platforms, a 1K block size. However, you will incur a significant performance
degradation when a redo log write is not aligned with the beginning of the 4K physical
sector. Because seven out of eight 512B slots in a 4K physical sector are not aligned,
performance degradation typically does occur. Thus, you must evaluate the trade-off
between performance and disk wastage when planning the redo log block size on 4K
sector size emulation-mode disks.
You can specify the block size of online redo log files with the BLOCKSIZE keyword in
the CREATE DATABASE, ALTER DATABASE, and CREATE CONTROLFILE statements. The
permissible block sizes are 512, 1024, and 4096.

Managing the Redo Log 11-7

Planning the Redo Log

The following statement adds a redo log file group with a block size of 512B. The
BLOCKSIZE 512 clause is valid but not required for 512B sector size disks. For 4K sector
size emulation-mode disks, the BLOCKSIZE 512 clause overrides the default 4K size.
ALTER DATABASE orcl ADD LOGFILE
GROUP 4 ('/u01/logs/orcl/redo04a.log','/u01/logs/orcl/redo04b.log')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512 REUSE;

To ascertain the redo log file block size, run the following query:
SQL> SELECT BLOCKSIZE FROM V$LOG;
BLOCKSIZE
--------512

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the
ALTER DATABASE command.
Oracle Database Reference for information about the V$SESSTAT and
V$SYSSTAT views

Choosing the Number of Redo Log Files
The best way to determine the appropriate number of redo log files for a database
instance is to test different configurations. The optimum configuration has the fewest
groups possible without hampering LGWR from writing redo log information.
In some cases, a database instance may require only two groups. In other situations, a
database instance may require additional groups to guarantee that a recycled group is
always available to LGWR. During testing, the easiest way to determine whether the
current redo log configuration is satisfactory is to examine the contents of the LGWR
trace file and the database alert log. If messages indicate that LGWR frequently has to
wait for a group because a checkpoint has not completed or a group has not been
archived, add groups.
Consider the parameters that can limit the number of redo log files before setting up or
altering the configuration of an instance redo log. The following parameters limit the
number of redo log files that you can add to a database:
■

■

The MAXLOGFILES parameter used in the CREATE DATABASE statement determines
the maximum number of groups of redo log files for each database. Group values
can range from 1 to MAXLOGFILES. You can exceed the MAXLOGFILES limit, and the
control files expand as needed. If MAXLOGFILES is not specified for the CREATE
DATABASE statement, then the database uses an operating system specific default
value.
The MAXLOGMEMBERS parameter used in the CREATE DATABASE statement determines
the maximum number of members for each group. As with MAXLOGFILES, the only
way to override this upper limit is to re-create the database or control file.
Therefore, it is important to consider this limit before creating a database. If no
MAXLOGMEMBERS parameter is specified for the CREATE DATABASE statement, then the
database uses an operating system default value.
See Also: Your operating system specific Oracle documentation
for the default and legal values of the MAXLOGFILES and
MAXLOGMEMBERS parameters

11-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Planning the Redo Log

Controlling Archive Lag
You can force all enabled redo log threads to switch their current logs at regular time
intervals. In a primary/standby database configuration, changes are made available to
the standby database by archiving redo logs at the primary site and then shipping
them to the standby database. The changes that are being applied by the standby
database can lag behind the changes that are occurring on the primary database,
because the standby database must wait for the changes in the primary database redo
log to be archived (into the archived redo log) and then shipped to it. To limit this lag,
you can set the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization parameter. Setting this parameter
lets you specify in seconds how long that lag can be.

Setting the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET Initialization Parameter
When you set the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization parameter, you cause the
database to examine the current redo log for the instance periodically. If the following
conditions are met, then the instance will switch the log:
■

■

The current log was created before n seconds ago, and the estimated archival time
for the current log is m seconds (proportional to the number of redo blocks used in
the current log), where n + m exceeds the value of the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET
initialization parameter.
The current log contains redo records.

In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, the instance also causes other
threads to switch and archive their logs if they are falling behind. This can be
particularly useful when one instance in the cluster is more idle than the other
instances (as when you are running a 2-node primary/secondary configuration of
Oracle Real Application Clusters).
The ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization parameter provides an upper limit for how
long (in seconds) the current log of the database can span. Because the estimated
archival time is also considered, this is not the exact log switch time.
The following initialization parameter setting sets the log switch interval to 30 minutes
(a typical value).
ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET = 1800

A value of 0 disables this time-based log switching functionality. This is the default
setting.
You can set the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization parameter even if there is no
standby database. For example, the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET parameter can be set
specifically to force logs to be switched and archived.
ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET is a dynamic parameter and can be set with the ALTER SYSTEM
SET statement.
The ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET parameter must be set to the
same value in all instances of an Oracle Real Application Clusters
environment. Failing to do so results in unpredictable behavior.

Caution:

Factors Affecting the Setting of ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET
Consider the following factors when determining if you want to set the ARCHIVE_LAG_
TARGET parameter and in determining the value for this parameter.
■

Overhead of switching (as well as archiving) logs

Managing the Redo Log 11-9

Creating Redo Log Groups and Members

■

How frequently normal log switches occur as a result of log full conditions

■

How much redo loss is tolerated in the standby database

Setting ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET may not be very useful if natural log switches already
occur more frequently than the interval specified. However, in the case of irregularities
of redo generation speed, the interval does provide an upper limit for the time range
each current log covers.
If the ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization parameter is set to a very low value, there can
be a negative impact on performance. This can force frequent log switches. Set the
parameter to a reasonable value so as not to degrade the performance of the primary
database.

Creating Redo Log Groups and Members
Plan the redo log for a database and create all required groups and members of redo
log files during database creation. However, there are situations where you might
want to create additional groups or members. For example, adding groups to a redo
log can correct redo log group availability problems.
To create new redo log groups and members, you must have the ALTER DATABASE
system privilege. A database can have up to MAXLOGFILES groups.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a complete
description of the ALTER DATABASE statement

Creating Redo Log Groups
To create a new group of redo log files, use the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE with
the ADD LOGFILE clause.
The following statement adds a new group of redo logs to the database:
ALTER DATABASE
ADD LOGFILE ('/oracle/dbs/log1c.rdo', '/oracle/dbs/log2c.rdo') SIZE 100M;

Provide full path names of new log members to specify
their location. Otherwise, the files are created in either the default
or current directory of the database server, depending upon your
operating system.

Note:

You can also specify the number that identifies the group using the GROUP clause:
ALTER DATABASE
ADD LOGFILE GROUP 10 ('/oracle/dbs/log1c.rdo', '/oracle/dbs/log2c.rdo')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512;

Using group numbers can make administering redo log groups easier. However, the
group number must be between 1 and MAXLOGFILES. Do not skip redo log file group
numbers (that is, do not number your groups 10, 20, 30, and so on), or you will
consume unnecessary space in the control files of the database.
In the preceding statement, the BLOCKSIZE clause is optional. See "Planning the Block
Size of Redo Log Files" on page 11-7 for more information.

11-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Relocating and Renaming Redo Log Members

Creating Redo Log Members
In some cases, it might not be necessary to create a complete group of redo log files. A
group could already exist, but not be complete because one or more members of the
group were dropped (for example, because of a disk failure). In this case, you can add
new members to an existing group.
To create new redo log members for an existing group, use the SQL statement ALTER
DATABASE with the ADD LOGFILE MEMBER clause. The following statement adds a new
redo log member to redo log group number 2:
ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE MEMBER '/oracle/dbs/log2b.rdo' TO GROUP 2;

Notice that filenames must be specified, but sizes need not be. The size of the new
members is determined from the size of the existing members of the group.
When using the ALTER DATABASE statement, you can alternatively identify the target
group by specifying all of the other members of the group in the TO clause, as shown in
the following example:
ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE MEMBER '/oracle/dbs/log2c.rdo'
TO ('/oracle/dbs/log2a.rdo', '/oracle/dbs/log2b.rdo');

Fully specify the filenames of new log members to indicate
where the operating system files should be created. Otherwise, the
files will be created in either the default or current directory of the
database server, depending upon your operating system. You may
also note that the status of the new log member is shown as
INVALID. This is normal and it will change to active (blank) when it
is first used.
Note:

Relocating and Renaming Redo Log Members
You can use operating system commands to relocate redo logs, then use the ALTER
DATABASE statement to make their new names (locations) known to the database. This
procedure is necessary, for example, if the disk currently used for some redo log files is
going to be removed, or if data files and several redo log files are stored on the same
disk and should be separated to reduce contention.
To rename redo log members, you must have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege.
Additionally, you might also need operating system privileges to copy files to the
desired location and privileges to open and back up the database.
Before relocating your redo logs, or making any other structural changes to the
database, completely back up the database in case you experience problems while
performing the operation. As a precaution, after renaming or relocating a set of redo
log files, immediately back up the database control file.
Use the following steps for relocating redo logs. The example used to illustrate these
steps assumes:
■
■

■

The log files are located on two disks: diska and diskb.
The redo log is duplexed: one group consists of the members
/diska/logs/log1a.rdo and /diskb/logs/log1b.rdo, and the second group
consists of the members /diska/logs/log2a.rdo and /diskb/logs/log2b.rdo.
The redo log files located on diska must be relocated to diskc. The new filenames
will reflect the new location: /diskc/logs/log1c.rdo and
/diskc/logs/log2c.rdo.

Managing the Redo Log

11-11

Dropping Redo Log Groups and Members

Steps for Renaming Redo Log Members
1.

Shut down the database.
SHUTDOWN

2.

Copy the redo log files to the new location.
Operating system files, such as redo log members, must be copied using the
appropriate operating system commands. See your operating system specific
documentation for more information about copying files.
You can execute an operating system command to copy a
file (or perform other operating system commands) without exiting
SQL*Plus by using the HOST command. Some operating systems
allow you to use a character in place of the word HOST. For example,
you can use an exclamation point (!) in UNIX.
Note:

The following example uses operating system commands (UNIX) to move the
redo log members to a new location:
mv /diska/logs/log1a.rdo /diskc/logs/log1c.rdo
mv /diska/logs/log2a.rdo /diskc/logs/log2c.rdo
3.

Startup the database, mount, but do not open it.
CONNECT / as SYSDBA
STARTUP MOUNT

4.

Rename the redo log members.
Use the ALTER DATABASE statement with the RENAME FILE clause to rename the
database redo log files.
ALTER DATABASE
RENAME FILE '/diska/logs/log1a.rdo', '/diska/logs/log2a.rdo'
TO '/diskc/logs/log1c.rdo', '/diskc/logs/log2c.rdo';

5.

Open the database for normal operation.
The redo log alterations take effect when the database is opened.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Dropping Redo Log Groups and Members
In some cases, you may want to drop an entire group of redo log members. For
example, you want to reduce the number of groups in an instance redo log. In a
different case, you may want to drop one or more specific redo log members. For
example, if a disk failure occurs, you may need to drop all the redo log files on the
failed disk so that the database does not try to write to the inaccessible files. In other
situations, particular redo log files become unnecessary. For example, a file might be
stored in an inappropriate location.

Dropping Log Groups
To drop a redo log group, you must have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege. Before
dropping a redo log group, consider the following restrictions and precautions:

11-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Dropping Redo Log Groups and Members

■

■

■

An instance requires at least two groups of redo log files, regardless of the number
of members in the groups. (A group comprises one or more members.)
You can drop a redo log group only if it is inactive. If you must drop the current
group, then first force a log switch to occur.
Make sure a redo log group is archived (if archiving is enabled) before dropping it.
To see whether this has happened, use the V$LOG view.
SELECT GROUP#, ARCHIVED, STATUS FROM V$LOG;
GROUP#
--------1
2
3
4

ARC
--YES
NO
YES
YES

STATUS
---------------ACTIVE
CURRENT
INACTIVE
INACTIVE

Drop a redo log group with the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE with the DROP LOGFILE
clause.
The following statement drops redo log group number 3:
ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE GROUP 3;

When a redo log group is dropped from the database, and you are not using the Oracle
Managed Files feature, the operating system files are not deleted from disk. Rather, the
control files of the associated database are updated to drop the members of the group
from the database structure. After dropping a redo log group, ensure that the drop
completed successfully, and then use the appropriate operating system command to
delete the dropped redo log files.
When using Oracle Managed Files, the cleanup of operating systems files is done
automatically for you.

Dropping Redo Log Members
To drop a redo log member, you must have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege.
Consider the following restrictions and precautions before dropping individual redo
log members:
■

■

■

It is permissible to drop redo log files so that a multiplexed redo log becomes
temporarily asymmetric. For example, if you use duplexed groups of redo log
files, you can drop one member of one group, even though all other groups have
two members each. However, you should rectify this situation immediately so that
all groups have at least two members, and thereby eliminate the single point of
failure possible for the redo log.
An instance always requires at least two valid groups of redo log files, regardless
of the number of members in the groups. (A group comprises one or more
members.) If the member you want to drop is the last valid member of the group,
you cannot drop the member until the other members become valid. To see a redo
log file status, use the V$LOGFILE view. A redo log file becomes INVALID if the
database cannot access it. It becomes STALE if the database suspects that it is not
complete or correct. A stale log file becomes valid again the next time its group is
made the active group.
You can drop a redo log member only if it is not part of an active or current group.
To drop a member of an active group, first force a log switch to occur.

Managing the Redo Log

11-13

Forcing Log Switches

■

Make sure the group to which a redo log member belongs is archived (if archiving
is enabled) before dropping the member. To see whether this has happened, use
the V$LOG view.

To drop specific inactive redo log members, use the ALTER DATABASE statement with
the DROP LOGFILE MEMBER clause.
The following statement drops the redo log /oracle/dbs/log3c.rdo:
ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE MEMBER '/oracle/dbs/log3c.rdo';

When a redo log member is dropped from the database, the operating system file is
not deleted from disk. Rather, the control files of the associated database are updated
to drop the member from the database structure. After dropping a redo log file, ensure
that the drop completed successfully, and then use the appropriate operating system
command to delete the dropped redo log file.
To drop a member of an active group, you must first force a log switch.

Forcing Log Switches
A log switch occurs when LGWR stops writing to one redo log group and starts
writing to another. By default, a log switch occurs automatically when the current redo
log file group fills.
You can force a log switch to make the currently active group inactive and available for
redo log maintenance operations. For example, you want to drop the currently active
group, but are not able to do so until the group is inactive. You may also want to force
a log switch if the currently active group must be archived at a specific time before the
members of the group are completely filled. This option is useful in configurations
with large redo log files that take a long time to fill.
To force a log switch, you must have the ALTER SYSTEM privilege. Use the ALTER
SYSTEM statement with the SWITCH LOGFILE clause.
The following statement forces a log switch:
ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE;

Verifying Blocks in Redo Log Files
You can configure the database to use checksums to verify blocks in the redo log files.
If you set the initialization parameter DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM to TYPICAL (the default), the
database computes a checksum for each database block when it is written to disk,
including each redo log block as it is being written to the current log. The checksum is
stored the header of the block.
Oracle Database uses the checksum to detect corruption in a redo log block. The
database verifies the redo log block when the block is read from an archived log
during recovery and when it writes the block to an archive log file. An error is raised
and written to the alert log if corruption is detected.
If corruption is detected in a redo log block while trying to archive it, the system
attempts to read the block from another member in the group. If the block is corrupted
in all members of the redo log group, then archiving cannot proceed.
The value of the DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM parameter can be changed dynamically using the
ALTER SYSTEM statement.

11-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Redo Log Data Dictionary Views

There is a slight overhead and decrease in database
performance with DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM enabled. Monitor your
database performance to decide if the benefit of using data block
checksums to detect corruption outweighs the performance impact.
Note:

Oracle Database Reference for a description of the DB_
BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization parameter

See Also:

Clearing a Redo Log File
A redo log file might become corrupted while the database is open, and ultimately
stop database activity because archiving cannot continue. In this situation the ALTER
DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE statement can be used to reinitialize the file without shutting
down the database.
The following statement clears the log files in redo log group number 3:
ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE GROUP 3;

This statement overcomes two situations where dropping redo logs is not possible:
■

If there are only two log groups

■

The corrupt redo log file belongs to the current group

If the corrupt redo log file has not been archived, use the UNARCHIVED keyword in the
statement.
ALTER DATABASE CLEAR UNARCHIVED LOGFILE GROUP 3;

This statement clears the corrupted redo logs and avoids archiving them. The cleared
redo logs are available for use even though they were not archived.
If you clear a log file that is needed for recovery of a backup, then you can no longer
recover from that backup. The database writes a message in the alert log describing the
backups from which you cannot recover.
If you clear an unarchived redo log file, you should make
another backup of the database.

Note:

To clear an unarchived redo log that is needed to bring an offline tablespace online,
use the UNRECOVERABLE DATAFILE clause in the ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE
statement.
If you clear a redo log needed to bring an offline tablespace online, you will not be able
to bring the tablespace online again. You will have to drop the tablespace or perform
an incomplete recovery. Note that tablespaces taken offline normal do not require
recovery.

Redo Log Data Dictionary Views
The following views provide information on redo logs.
View

Description

V$LOG

Displays the redo log file information from the control file

Managing the Redo Log

11-15

Redo Log Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

V$LOGFILE

Identifies redo log groups and members and member status

V$LOG_HISTORY

Contains log history information

The following query returns the control file information about the redo log for a
database.
SELECT * FROM V$LOG;
GROUP# THREAD#
SEQ
BYTES
------ ------- ----- ------1
1 10605 1048576
2
1 10606 1048576
3
1 10603 1048576
4
1 10604 1048576

MEMBERS
------1
1
1
1

ARC
--YES
NO
YES
YES

STATUS
--------ACTIVE
CURRENT
INACTIVE
INACTIVE

FIRST_CHANGE#
------------11515628
11517595
11511666
11513647

FIRST_TIM
--------16-APR-00
16-APR-00
16-APR-00
16-APR-00

To see the names of all of the member of a group, use a query similar to the following:
SELECT * FROM V$LOGFILE;
GROUP#
-----1
2
3
4

STATUS
-------

MEMBER
---------------------------------D:\ORANT\ORADATA\IDDB2\REDO04.LOG
D:\ORANT\ORADATA\IDDB2\REDO03.LOG
D:\ORANT\ORADATA\IDDB2\REDO02.LOG
D:\ORANT\ORADATA\IDDB2\REDO01.LOG

If STATUS is blank for a member, then the file is in use.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for detailed information about
these views

11-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

12
Managing Archived Redo Log Files
12

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Is the Archived Redo Log?

■

Choosing Between NOARCHIVELOG and ARCHIVELOG Mode

■

Controlling Archiving

■

Specifying Archive Destinations

■

About Log Transmission Modes

■

Managing Archive Destination Failure

■

Controlling Trace Output Generated by the Archivelog Process

■

Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for information
about creating an archived redo log that is both created and
managed by the Oracle Database server
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information specific to archiving in the Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment

What Is the Archived Redo Log?
Oracle Database lets you save filled groups of redo log files to one or more offline
destinations, known collectively as the archived redo log. The process of turning redo
log files into archived redo log files is called archiving. This process is only possible if
the database is running in ARCHIVELOG mode. You can choose automatic or manual
archiving.
An archived redo log file is a copy of one of the filled members of a redo log group. It
includes the redo entries and the unique log sequence number of the identical member
of the redo log group. For example, if you are multiplexing your redo log, and if group
1 contains identical member files a_log1 and b_log1, then the archiver process (ARCn)
will archive one of these member files. Should a_log1 become corrupted, then ARCn
can still archive the identical b_log1. The archived redo log contains a copy of every
group created since you enabled archiving.
When the database is running in ARCHIVELOG mode, the log writer process (LGWR)
cannot reuse and hence overwrite a redo log group until it has been archived. The
background process ARCn automates archiving operations when automatic archiving

Managing Archived Redo Log Files 12-1

Choosing Between NOARCHIVELOG and ARCHIVELOG Mode

is enabled. The database starts multiple archiver processes as needed to ensure that the
archiving of filled redo logs does not fall behind.
You can use archived redo log files to:
■

Recover a database

■

Update a standby database

■

Get information about the history of a database using the LogMiner utility
See Also: The following sources document the uses for archived
redo log files:
■
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration discusses setting
up and maintaining a standby database
Oracle Database Utilities contains instructions for using the
LogMiner PL/SQL package

Choosing Between NOARCHIVELOG and ARCHIVELOG Mode
This section describes the issues you must consider when choosing to run your
database in NOARCHIVELOG or ARCHIVELOG mode, and contains these topics:
■

Running a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

■

Running a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode

The choice of whether to enable the archiving of filled groups of redo log files depends
on the availability and reliability requirements of the application running on the
database. If you cannot afford to lose any data in your database in the event of a disk
failure, use ARCHIVELOG mode. The archiving of filled redo log files can require you to
perform extra administrative operations.

Running a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
When you run your database in NOARCHIVELOG mode, you disable the archiving of the
redo log. The database control file indicates that filled groups are not required to be
archived. Therefore, when a filled group becomes inactive after a log switch, the group
is available for reuse by LGWR.
NOARCHIVELOG mode protects a database from instance failure but not from media
failure. Only the most recent changes made to the database, which are stored in the
online redo log groups, are available for instance recovery. If a media failure occurs
while the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode, you can only restore the database to the
point of the most recent full database backup. You cannot recover transactions
subsequent to that backup.
In NOARCHIVELOG mode you cannot perform online tablespace backups, nor can you
use online tablespace backups taken earlier while the database was in ARCHIVELOG
mode. To restore a database operating in NOARCHIVELOG mode, you can use only whole
database backups taken while the database is closed. Therefore, if you decide to
operate a database in NOARCHIVELOG mode, take whole database backups at regular,
frequent intervals.

12-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Choosing Between NOARCHIVELOG and ARCHIVELOG Mode

Running a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode
When you run a database in ARCHIVELOG mode, you enable the archiving of the redo
log. The database control file indicates that a group of filled redo log files cannot be
reused by LGWR until the group is archived. A filled group becomes available for
archiving immediately after a redo log switch occurs.
The archiving of filled groups has these advantages:
■

■

■

A database backup, together with online and archived redo log files, guarantees
that you can recover all committed transactions in the event of an operating
system or disk failure.
If you keep archived logs available, you can use a backup taken while the database
is open and in normal system use.
You can keep a standby database current with its original database by
continuously applying the original archived redo log files to the standby.

You can configure an instance to archive filled redo log files automatically, or you can
archive manually. For convenience and efficiency, automatic archiving is usually best.
Figure 12–1 illustrates how the archiver process (ARC0 in this illustration) writes filled
redo log files to the database archived redo log.
If all databases in a distributed database operate in ARCHIVELOG mode, you can
perform coordinated distributed database recovery. However, if any database in a
distributed database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode, recovery of a global distributed
database (to make all databases consistent) is limited by the last full backup of any
database operating in NOARCHIVELOG mode.
Figure 12–1 Redo Log File Use in ARCHIVELOG Mode

0001
0001

LGWR

Log
0001

0001
0001

0002
0002

0001

0002
0002

0003
0003

ARC0

ARC0

ARC0

LGWR

LGWR

LGWR

Log
0003

Log
0004

Log
0002

Archived
Redo Log
Files

Online
Redo Log
Files

TIME

Managing Archived Redo Log Files 12-3

Controlling Archiving

Tip: It is good practice to move archived redo log files and
corresponding database backups from the local disk to permanent
offline storage media such as tape. A primary value of archived logs is
database recovery, so you want to ensure that these logs are safe
should disaster strike your primary database.

Controlling Archiving
This section describes how to set the archiving mode of the database and how to
control the archiving process. The following topics are discussed:
■

Setting the Initial Database Archiving Mode

■

Changing the Database Archiving Mode

■

Performing Manual Archiving

■

Adjusting the Number of Archiver Processes
See Also: your Oracle operating system specific documentation
for additional information on controlling archiving modes

Setting the Initial Database Archiving Mode
You set the initial archiving mode as part of database creation in the CREATE DATABASE
statement. Usually, you can use the default of NOARCHIVELOG mode at database creation
because there is no need to archive the redo information generated by that process.
After creating the database, decide whether to change the initial archiving mode.
If you specify ARCHIVELOG mode, you must have initialization parameters set that
specify the destinations for the archived redo log files (see "Setting Initialization
Parameters for Archive Destinations" on page 12-6).

Changing the Database Archiving Mode
To change the archiving mode of the database, use the ALTER DATABASE statement with
the ARCHIVELOG or NOARCHIVELOG clause. To change the archiving mode, you must be
connected to the database with administrator privileges (AS SYSDBA).
The following steps switch the database archiving mode from NOARCHIVELOG to
ARCHIVELOG:
1.

Shut down the database instance.
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

An open database must first be closed and any associated instances shut down
before you can switch the database archiving mode. You cannot change the mode
from ARCHIVELOG to NOARCHIVELOG if any data files need media recovery.
2.

Back up the database.
Before making any major change to a database, always back up the database to
protect against any problems. This will be your final backup of the database in
NOARCHIVELOG mode and can be used if something goes wrong during the change
to ARCHIVELOG mode. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
information about taking database backups.

3.

Edit the initialization parameter file to include the initialization parameters that
specify the destinations for the archived redo log files (see "Setting Initialization
Parameters for Archive Destinations" on page 12-6).

12-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Controlling Archiving

4.

Start a new instance and mount, but do not open, the database.
STARTUP MOUNT

To enable or disable archiving, the database must be mounted but not open.
5.

Change the database archiving mode. Then open the database for normal
operations.
ALTER DATABASE ARCHIVELOG;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

6.

Shut down the database.
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

7.

Back up the database.
Changing the database archiving mode updates the control file. After changing the
database archiving mode, you must back up all of your database files and control
file. Any previous backup is no longer usable because it was taken in
NOARCHIVELOG mode.
See Also: Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for more information about switching the
archiving mode when using Real Application Clusters

Performing Manual Archiving
As mentioned in "Running a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode" on page 12-3, for
convenience and efficiency, automatic archiving is usually best. However, you can
configure your database for manual archiving only. To operate your database in
manual archiving mode, follow the procedure described in "Changing the Database
Archiving Mode" on page 12-4, but replace the ALTER DATABASE statement in step 5
with the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE ARCHIVELOG MANUAL;

When you operate your database in manual ARCHIVELOG mode, you must archive
inactive groups of filled redo log files or your database operation can be temporarily
suspended. To archive a filled redo log group manually, connect with administrator
privileges. Ensure that the database is either mounted or open. Use the ALTER SYSTEM
statement with the ARCHIVE LOG clause to manually archive filled redo log files. The
following statement archives all unarchived redo log files:
ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG ALL;

When you use manual archiving mode, you cannot specify any standby databases in
the archiving destinations.
Even when automatic archiving is enabled, you can use manual archiving for such
actions as rearchiving an inactive group of filled redo log members to another location.
In this case, it is possible for the instance to reuse the redo log group before you have
finished manually archiving, and thereby overwrite the files. If this happens, the
database writes an error message to the alert log.

Adjusting the Number of Archiver Processes
The LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES initialization parameter specifies the number of
ARCn processes that the database initially starts. The default is four processes. There is
usually no need to specify this initialization parameter or to change its default value,
Managing Archived Redo Log Files 12-5

Specifying Archive Destinations

because the database starts additional archiver processes (ARCn) as needed to ensure
that the automatic processing of filled redo log files does not fall behind.
However, to avoid any run-time overhead of starting additional ARCn processes, you
can set the LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES initialization parameter to specify that up to
30 ARCn processes be started at instance startup. The LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES
parameter is dynamic, so you can change it using the ALTER SYSTEM statement.
The following statement configures the database to start six ARCn processes upon
startup:
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES=6;

The statement also has an immediate effect on the currently running instance. It
increases or decreases the current number of running ARCn processes to six.

Specifying Archive Destinations
Before you can archive redo logs, you must determine the destination to which you
will archive, and familiarize yourself with the various destination states. The dynamic
performance (V$) views, listed in "Viewing Information About the Archived Redo
Log" on page 12-14, provide all needed archive information.
This section contains:
■

Setting Initialization Parameters for Archive Destinations

■

Understanding Archive Destination Status

■

Specifying Alternate Destinations

Setting Initialization Parameters for Archive Destinations
You can choose to archive redo logs to a single destination or to multiple destinations.
Destinations can be local—within the local file system or an Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM) disk group—or remote (on a standby database). When you
archive to multiple destinations, a copy of each filled redo log file is written to each
destination. These redundant copies help ensure that archived logs are always
available in the event of a failure at one of the destinations.
To archive to only a single destination, specify that destination using the LOG_ARCHIVE_
DEST initialization parameter. To archive to multiple destinations, you can choose to
archive to two or more locations using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization
parameters, or to archive only to a primary and secondary destination using the LOG_
ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST initialization parameters.
For local destinations, in addition to the local file system or an Oracle ASM disk group,
you can archive to the Fast Recovery Area. The database uses the Fast Recovery Area
to store and automatically manage disk space for a variety of files related to backup
and recovery. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for details about the
Fast Recovery Area.
Typically, you determine archive log destinations during database planning, and you
set the initialization parameters for archive destinations during database installation.
However, you can use the ALTER SYSTEM command to dynamically add or change
archive destinations after your database is running. Any destination changes that you
make take effect at the next log switch (automatic or manual).
The following table summarizes the archive destination alternatives, which are further
described in the sections that follow.

12-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Specifying Archive Destinations

Method

Initialization Parameter

Host

Example

1

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n

Local or
remote

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION=/disk1/arc'

where:
n is an integer from 1 to 31. Archive
destinations 1 to 10 are available for
local or remote locations. Archive
destinations 11 to 31 are available
for remote locations only.
2

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2 = 'LOCATION=/disk2/arc'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3 = 'SERVICE=standby1'

Local only

LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST = '/disk1/arc'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST = '/disk2/arc'

Method 1: Using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n Parameter
Use the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter (where n is an integer from 1 to 31) to specify
from one to 31 different destinations for archived logs. Each numerically suffixed
parameter uniquely identifies an individual destination.
You specify the location for LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n using the keywords explained in the
following table:
Keyword

Indicates

Example

LOCATION

A local file system
location or Oracle ASM
disk group

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n = 'LOCATION=/disk1/arc'

LOCATION

The Fast Recovery Area

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n = 'LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST'

SERVICE

Remote archival through
Oracle Net service
name.

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n = 'SERVICE=standby1'

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n = 'LOCATION=+DGROUP1/orcl/arc_1'

If you use the LOCATION keyword, specify one of the following:
■

A valid path name in your operating system's local file system

■

An Oracle ASM disk group

■

The keyword USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST to indicate the Fast Recovery Area

If you specify SERVICE, supply a net service name that Oracle Net can resolve to a
connect descriptor for a standby database. The connect descriptor contains the
information necessary for connecting to the remote database.
Perform the following steps to set the destination for archived redo log files using the
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameter:
1.

Set the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameter to specify from one to 31
archiving locations. For example, enter:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION = /disk1/archive'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2 = 'LOCATION = /disk2/archive'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3 = 'LOCATION = +RECOVERY/orcl/arc_3'

If you are archiving to a standby database, then use the SERVICE keyword to
specify a valid net service name. For example, enter:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4 = 'SERVICE = standby1'
2.

(Optional) Set the LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT initialization parameter, using %t to
include the thread number as part of the file name, %s to include the log sequence
number, and %r to include the resetlogs ID (a timestamp value represented in ub4).
Use capital letters (%T, %S, and %R) to pad the file name to the left with zeroes.
Managing Archived Redo Log Files 12-7

Specifying Archive Destinations

The database requires the specification of resetlogs ID (%r)
when you include the LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT parameter. The default
for this parameter is operating system dependent.
Note:

The incarnation of a database changes when you open it with the
RESETLOGS option. Specifying %r causes the database to capture the
resetlogs ID in the archived redo log file name. See Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery User's Guide for more information about this
method of recovery.
The following example shows a setting of LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT:
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT = arch_%t_%s_%r.arc

This setting will generate archived logs as follows for thread 1; log sequence
numbers 100, 101, and 102; resetlogs ID 509210197. The identical resetlogs ID
indicates that the files are all from the same database incarnation:
/disk1/archive/arch_1_100_509210197.arc,
/disk1/archive/arch_1_101_509210197.arc,
/disk1/archive/arch_1_102_509210197.arc
/disk2/archive/arch_1_100_509210197.arc,
/disk2/archive/arch_1_101_509210197.arc,
/disk2/archive/arch_1_102_509210197.arc
/disk3/archive/arch_1_100_509210197.arc,
/disk3/archive/arch_1_101_509210197.arc,
/disk3/archive/arch_1_102_509210197.arc

The LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT initialization parameter is ignored in some cases. See Oracle
Database Reference for more information about this parameter.

Method 2: Using LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST
To specify a maximum of two locations, use the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST parameter to
specify a primary archive destination and the LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST to specify an
optional secondary archive destination. All locations must be local. Whenever the
database archives a redo log, it archives it to every destination specified by either set of
parameters.
Perform the following steps the use method 2:
1.

Specify destinations for the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST
parameter (you can also specify LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST dynamically using the
ALTER SYSTEM statement). For example, enter:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST = '/disk1/archive'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST = '/disk2/archive'

2.

Set the LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT initialization parameter as described in step 2 for
method 1.

12-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Specifying Archive Destinations

If you configure a Fast Recovery Area (by setting the DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE parameters)
and do not specify any local archive destinations, the database
automatically selects the Fast Recovery Area as a local archive
destination and sets LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 to USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_
DEST.
Note:

WARNING: You must ensure that there is sufficient disk space at all
times for archive log destinations. If the database encounters a disk
full error as it attempts to archive a log file, a fatal error occurs and
the database stops responding. You can check the alert log for a disk
full message.

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Reference for additional information about the
initialization parameters used to control the archiving of redo
logs
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for information
about using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameter
for specifying a standby destination. There are additional
keywords that can be specified with this initialization
parameter that are not discussed in this book.
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for a
discussion of net service names and connect descriptors.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information
about the Fast Recovery Area

Understanding Archive Destination Status
Each archive destination has the following variable characteristics that determine its
status:
■

■

■

Valid/Invalid: indicates whether the disk location or service name information is
specified and valid
Enabled/Disabled: indicates the availability state of the location and whether the
database can use the destination
Active/Inactive: indicates whether there was a problem accessing the destination

Several combinations of these characteristics are possible. To obtain the current status
and other information about each destination for an instance, query the V$ARCHIVE_
DEST view.
The LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n (where n is an integer from 1 to 31) initialization
parameter lets you control the availability state of the specified destination (n).
■

ENABLE indicates that the database can use the destination.

■

DEFER indicates that the location is temporarily disabled.

■

ALTERNATE indicates that the destination is an alternate. The availability state of an
alternate destination is DEFER. If its parent destination fails, the availability state of

Managing Archived Redo Log Files 12-9

About Log Transmission Modes

the alternate becomes ENABLE. ALTERNATE cannot be specified for destinations LOG_
ARCHIVE_DEST_11 to LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_31.

Specifying Alternate Destinations
To specify that a location be an archive destination only in the event of a failure of
another destination, you can make it an alternate destination. Both local and remote
destinations can be alternates. The following example makes LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4 an
alternate for LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3:
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4 = 'LOCATION=/disk4/arch';
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3 = 'LOCATION=/disk3/arch
ALTERNATE=LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4';
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_4=ALTERNATE;
SQL> SELECT dest_name, status, destination FROM v$archive_dest;
DEST_NAME
----------------------LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_4

STATUS
--------VALID
VALID
VALID
ALTERNATE

DESTINATION
---------------------------------------------/disk1/arch
/disk2/arch
/disk3/arch
/disk4/arch

About Log Transmission Modes
The two modes of transmitting archived logs to their destination are normal archiving
transmission and standby transmission mode. Normal transmission involves
transmitting files to a local disk. Standby transmission involves transmitting files
through a network to either a local or remote standby database.

Normal Transmission Mode
In normal transmission mode, the archiving destination is another disk drive of the
database server. In this configuration archiving does not contend with other files
required by the instance and can complete more quickly. Specify the destination with
either the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n or LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST parameters.

Standby Transmission Mode
In standby transmission mode, the archiving destination is either a local or remote
standby database.
Caution: You can maintain a standby database on a local disk, but
Oracle strongly encourages you to maximize disaster protection by
maintaining your standby database at a remote site.

See Also:
■
■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for
information about connecting to a remote database using a
service name

12-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Archive Destination Failure

Managing Archive Destination Failure
Sometimes archive destinations can fail, causing problems when you operate in
automatic archiving mode. Oracle Database provides procedures to help you minimize
the problems associated with destination failure. These procedures are discussed in the
sections that follow:
■

Specifying the Minimum Number of Successful Destinations

■

Rearchiving to a Failed Destination

Specifying the Minimum Number of Successful Destinations
The optional initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST=n determines
the minimum number of destinations to which the database must successfully archive
a redo log group before it can reuse online log files. The default value is 1. Valid values
for n are 1 to 2 if you are using duplexing, or 1 to 31 if you are multiplexing.

Specifying Mandatory and Optional Destinations
The LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter lets you specify whether a destination is OPTIONAL
(the default) or MANDATORY. The LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST=n parameter uses all
MANDATORY destinations plus some number of non-standby OPTIONAL destinations to
determine whether LGWR can overwrite the online log. The following rules apply:
■

■

■

■

■

■

Omitting the MANDATORY attribute for a destination is the same as specifying
OPTIONAL.
You must have at least one local destination, which you can declare OPTIONAL or
MANDATORY.
The MANDATORY attribute can only be specified for destinations LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_
1 through LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_10.
When you specify a value for LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST=n, Oracle Database
will treat at least one local destination as MANDATORY, because the minimum value
for LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST is 1.
The LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST value cannot be greater than the number of
destinations, nor can it be greater than the number of MANDATORY destinations plus
the number of OPTIONAL local destinations.
If you DEFER a MANDATORY destination, and the database overwrites the online log
without transferring the archived log to the standby site, then you must transfer
the log to the standby manually.

If you are duplexing the archived logs, you can establish which destinations are
mandatory or optional by using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST
parameters. The following rules apply:
■
■

Any destination declared by LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST is mandatory.
Any destination declared by LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST is optional if LOG_
ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST = 1 and mandatory if LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_
DEST = 2.

Specifying the Number of Successful Destinations: Scenarios
You can see the relationship between the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n and LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_
SUCCEED_DEST parameters most easily through sample scenarios.

Managing Archived Redo Log Files

12-11

Managing Archive Destination Failure

Scenario for Archiving to Optional Local Destinations In this scenario, you archive to three
local destinations, each of which you declare as OPTIONAL. Table 12–1 illustrates the
possible values for LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST=n in this case.
Table 12–1

LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST Values for Scenario 1

Value

Meaning

1

The database can reuse log files only if at least one of the OPTIONAL
destinations succeeds.

2

The database can reuse log files only if at least two of the OPTIONAL
destinations succeed.

3

The database can reuse log files only if all of the OPTIONAL destinations
succeed.

4 or greater

ERROR: The value is greater than the number of destinations.

This scenario shows that even though you do not explicitly set any of your
destinations to MANDATORY using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter, the database
must successfully archive to one or more of these locations when LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_
SUCCEED_DEST is set to 1, 2, or 3.
Scenario for Archiving to Both Mandatory and Optional Destinations Consider a case in which:
■

You specify two MANDATORY destinations.

■

You specify two OPTIONAL destinations.

■

No destination is a standby database.

Table 12–2 shows the possible values for LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST=n.
Table 12–2

LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST Values for Scenario 2

Value

Meaning

1

The database ignores the value and uses the number of MANDATORY
destinations (in this example, 2).

2

The database can reuse log files even if no OPTIONAL destination succeeds.

3

The database can reuse logs only if at least one OPTIONAL destination
succeeds.

4

The database can reuse logs only if both OPTIONAL destinations succeed.

5 or greater

ERROR: The value is greater than the number of destinations.

This case shows that the database must archive to the destinations you specify as
MANDATORY, regardless of whether you set LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST to archive
to a smaller number of destinations.

Rearchiving to a Failed Destination
Use the REOPEN attribute of the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter to specify whether and
when ARCn should attempt to rearchive to a failed destination following an error.
REOPEN applies to all errors, not just OPEN errors.
REOPEN=n sets the minimum number of seconds before ARCn should try to reopen a
failed destination. The default value for n is 300 seconds. A value of 0 is the same as
turning off the REOPEN attribute; ARCn will not attempt to archive after a failure. If you

12-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Controlling Trace Output Generated by the Archivelog Process

do not specify the REOPEN keyword, ARCn will never reopen a destination following
an error.
You cannot use REOPEN to specify the number of attempts ARCn should make to
reconnect and transfer archived logs. The REOPEN attempt either succeeds or fails.
When you specify REOPEN for an OPTIONAL destination, the database can overwrite
online logs if there is an error. If you specify REOPEN for a MANDATORY destination, the
database stalls the production database when it cannot successfully archive. In this
situation, consider the following options:
■
■

■

Archive manually to the failed destination.
Change the destination by deferring the destination, specifying the destination as
optional, or changing the service.
Drop the destination.

When using the REOPEN keyword, note the following:
■

■

■

ARCn reopens a destination only when starting an archive operation from the
beginning of the log file, never during a current operation. ARCn always retries the
log copy from the beginning.
If you specified REOPEN, either with a specified time the default, ARCn checks to
see whether the time of the recorded error plus the REOPEN interval is less than the
current time. If it is, ARCn retries the log copy.
The REOPEN clause successfully affects the ACTIVE=TRUE destination state. The
VALID and ENABLED states are not changed.

Controlling Trace Output Generated by the Archivelog Process
Background processes always write to a trace file when appropriate. (See the
discussion of this topic in "Monitoring Errors with Trace Files and the Alert Log" on
page 8-1.) In the case of the archivelog process, you can control the output that is
generated to the trace file. You do this by setting the LOG_ARCHIVE_TRACE initialization
parameter to specify a trace level, such as 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and so on.
You can combine tracing levels by specifying a value equal to the sum of the
individual levels that you would like to trace. For example, setting LOG_ARCHIVE_
TRACE=12 will generate trace level 8 and 4 output. You can set different values for the
primary and any standby database.
The default value for the LOG_ARCHIVE_TRACE parameter is 0. At this level, the
archivelog process generates appropriate alert and trace entries for error conditions.
You can change the value of this parameter dynamically using the ALTER SYSTEM
statement. For example:
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_TRACE=12;

Changes initiated in this manner will take effect at the start of the next archiving
operation.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the LOG_
ARCHIVE_TRACE initialization parameter, including descriptions
of the valid values for this parameter
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for information
about using this parameter with a standby database
Managing Archived Redo Log Files

12-13

Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log

Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log
You can display information about the archived redo log using dynamic performance
views or the ARCHIVE LOG LIST command.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Archived Redo Log Files Views

■

The ARCHIVE LOG LIST Command

Archived Redo Log Files Views
Several dynamic performance views contain useful information about archived redo
log files, as summarized in the following table.
Dynamic Performance View

Description

V$DATABASE

Shows if the database is in ARCHIVELOG or NOARCHIVELOG
mode and if MANUAL (archiving mode) has been specified.

V$ARCHIVED_LOG

Displays historical archived log information from the control
file. If you use a recovery catalog, the RC_ARCHIVED_LOG view
contains similar information.

V$ARCHIVE_DEST

Describes the current instance, all archive destinations, and
the current value, mode, and status of these destinations.

V$ARCHIVE_PROCESSES

Displays information about the state of the various archive
processes for an instance.

V$BACKUP_REDOLOG

Contains information about any backups of archived logs. If
you use a recovery catalog, the RC_BACKUP_REDOLOG contains
similar information.

V$LOG

Displays all redo log groups for the database and indicates
which need to be archived.

V$LOG_HISTORY

Contains log history information such as which logs have
been archived and the SCN range for each archived log.

For example, the following query displays which redo log group requires archiving:
SELECT GROUP#, ARCHIVED
FROM SYS.V$LOG;
GROUP#
-------1
2

ARC
--YES
NO

To see the current archiving mode, query the V$DATABASE view:
SELECT LOG_MODE FROM SYS.V$DATABASE;
LOG_MODE
-----------NOARCHIVELOG

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for detailed descriptions of
dynamic performance views

12-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log

The ARCHIVE LOG LIST Command
The SQL*Plus command ARCHIVE LOG LIST displays archiving information for the
connected instance. For example:
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG LIST
Database log mode
Automatic archival
Archive destination
Oldest online log sequence
Next log sequence to archive
Current log sequence

Archive Mode
Enabled
D:\oracle\oradata\IDDB2\archive
11160
11163
11163

This display tells you all the necessary information regarding the archived redo log
settings for the current instance:
■

The database is currently operating in ARCHIVELOG mode.

■

Automatic archiving is enabled.

■

The archived redo log destination is D:\oracle\oradata\IDDB2\archive.

■

The oldest filled redo log group has a sequence number of 11160.

■

The next filled redo log group to archive has a sequence number of 11163.

■

The current redo log file has a sequence number of 11163.
SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information on the ARCHIVE LOG LIST command

See Also:

Managing Archived Redo Log Files

12-15

Viewing Information About the Archived Redo Log

12-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

13
31

Managing Tablespaces

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Guidelines for Managing Tablespaces

■

Creating Tablespaces

■

Consider Storing Tablespaces in the In-Memory Column Store

■

Specifying Nonstandard Block Sizes for Tablespaces

■

Controlling the Writing of Redo Records

■

Altering Tablespace Availability

■

Using Read-Only Tablespaces

■

Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces

■

Renaming Tablespaces

■

Dropping Tablespaces

■

Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace

■

Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems

■

Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally Managed Tablespace

■

Tablespace Data Dictionary Views
See Also:
■
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for information
about creating data files and temp files that are both created
and managed by the Oracle Database server
"Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23

Guidelines for Managing Tablespaces
A tablespace is a database storage unit that groups related logical structures together.
The database data files are stored in tablespaces. Before working with tablespaces of
an Oracle Database, familiarize yourself with the guidelines provided in the following
sections:
■

Using Multiple Tablespaces

■

Assigning Tablespace Quotas to Users

Managing Tablespaces 13-1

Creating Tablespaces

Using Multiple Tablespaces
Using multiple tablespaces allows you more flexibility in performing database
operations. When a database has multiple tablespaces, you can:
■
■

■

■

■

■

Separate user data from data dictionary data to reduce I/O contention.
Separate data of one application from the data of another to prevent multiple
applications from being affected if a tablespace must be taken offline.
Store the data files of different tablespaces on different disk drives to reduce I/O
contention.
Take individual tablespaces offline while others remain online, providing better
overall availability.
Optimizing tablespace use by reserving a tablespace for a particular type of
database use, such as high update activity, read-only activity, or temporary
segment storage.
Back up individual tablespaces.

Some operating systems set a limit on the number of files that can be open
simultaneously. Such limits can affect the number of tablespaces that can be
simultaneously online. To avoid exceeding your operating system limit, plan your
tablespaces efficiently. Create only enough tablespaces to fulfill your needs, and create
these tablespaces with as few files as possible. If you must increase the size of a
tablespace, then add one or two large data files, or create data files with autoextension
enabled, rather than creating many small data files.
Review your data in light of these factors and decide how many tablespaces you need
for your database design.

Assigning Tablespace Quotas to Users
Grant to users who will be creating tables, clusters, materialized views, indexes, and
other objects the privilege to create the object and a quota (space allowance or limit) in
the tablespace intended to hold the object segment.
For PL/SQL objects such as packages, procedures, and
functions, users only need the privileges to create the objects. No
explicit tablespace quota is required to create these PL/SQL objects.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database Security Guide for information about
creating users and assigning tablespace quotas.

Creating Tablespaces
Before you can create a tablespace, you must create a database to contain it. The
primary tablespace in any database is the SYSTEM tablespace, which contains
information basic to the functioning of the database server, such as the data dictionary
and the system rollback segment. The SYSTEM tablespace is the first tablespace created
at database creation. It is managed as any other tablespace, but requires a higher level
of privilege and is restricted in some ways. For example, you cannot rename or drop
the SYSTEM tablespace or take it offline.
The SYSAUX tablespace, which acts as an auxiliary tablespace to the SYSTEM tablespace,
is also always created when you create a database. It contains the schemas used by
various Oracle products and features, so that those products do not require their own
13-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

tablespaces. As for the SYSTEM tablespace, management of the SYSAUX tablespace
requires a higher level of security and you cannot rename or drop it. The management
of the SYSAUX tablespace is discussed separately in "Managing the SYSAUX
Tablespace" on page 13-25.
The steps for creating tablespaces vary by operating system, but the first step is always
to use your operating system to create a directory structure in which your data files
will be allocated. On most operating systems, you specify the size and fully specified
filenames of data files when you create a new tablespace or alter an existing tablespace
by adding data files. Whether you are creating a new tablespace or modifying an
existing one, the database automatically allocates and formats the data files as
specified.
To create a new tablespace, use the SQL statement CREATE TABLESPACE or CREATE
TEMPORARY TABLESPACE. You must have the CREATE TABLESPACE system privilege to
create a tablespace. Later, you can use the ALTER TABLESPACE or ALTER DATABASE
statements to alter the tablespace. You must have the ALTER TABLESPACE or ALTER
DATABASE system privilege, correspondingly.
You can also use the CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement to create a special type of
tablespace called an undo tablespace, which is specifically designed to contain undo
records. These are records generated by the database that are used to roll back, or
undo, changes to the database for recovery, read consistency, or as requested by a
ROLLBACK statement. Creating and managing undo tablespaces is the subject of
Chapter 16, "Managing Undo".
The creation and maintenance of permanent and temporary tablespaces are discussed
in the following sections:
■

Locally Managed Tablespaces

■

Bigfile Tablespaces

■

Compressed Tablespaces

■

Encrypted Tablespaces

■

Temporary Tablespaces

■

Multiple Temporary Tablespaces: Using Tablespace Groups
See Also:
■

■

■

Chapter 2, "Creating and Configuring an Oracle Database" and
your Oracle Database installation documentation for your
operating system for information about tablespaces that are
created at database creation
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about the syntax and semantics of the CREATE TABLESPACE,
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE, ALTER TABLESPACE, and ALTER
DATABASE statements.
"Specifying Database Block Sizes" on page 2-29 for information
about initialization parameters necessary to create tablespaces
with nonstandard block sizes

Locally Managed Tablespaces
Locally managed tablespaces track all extent information in the tablespace itself by
using bitmaps, resulting in the following benefits:

Managing Tablespaces 13-3

Creating Tablespaces

■

■
■

■

■

■

Fast, concurrent space operations. Space allocations and deallocations modify
locally managed resources (bitmaps stored in header files).
Enhanced performance
Readable standby databases are allowed, because locally managed temporary
tablespaces do not generate any undo or redo.
Space allocation is simplified, because when the AUTOALLOCATE clause is specified,
the database automatically selects the appropriate extent size.
User reliance on the data dictionary is reduced, because the necessary information
is stored in file headers and bitmap blocks.
Coalescing free extents is unnecessary for locally managed tablespaces.

All tablespaces, including the SYSTEM tablespace, can be locally managed.
The DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package provides maintenance procedures for locally managed
tablespaces.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace" on
page 2-17, "Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally
Managed Tablespace" on page 13-30, and "Diagnosing and
Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems" on
page 13-27
"Bigfile Tablespaces" on page 13-6 for information about
creating another type of locally managed tablespace that
contains only a single data file or temp file.
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on the DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package

Creating a Locally Managed Tablespace
Create a locally managed tablespace by specifying LOCAL in the EXTENT MANAGEMENT
clause of the CREATE TABLESPACE statement. This is the default for new permanent
tablespaces, but you must specify the EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause to specify either
the AUTOALLOCATE clause or the UNIFORM clause. You can have the database manage
extents for you automatically with the AUTOALLOCATE clause (the default), or you can
specify that the tablespace is managed with uniform extents of a specific size
(UNIFORM).
If you expect the tablespace to contain objects of varying sizes requiring many extents
with different extent sizes, then AUTOALLOCATE is the best choice. AUTOALLOCATE is also a
good choice if it is not important for you to have a lot of control over space allocation
and deallocation, because it simplifies tablespace management. Some space may be
wasted with this setting, but the benefit of having Oracle Database manage your space
most likely outweighs this drawback.
If you want exact control over unused space, and you can predict exactly the space to
be allocated for an object or objects and the number and size of extents, then UNIFORM
is a good choice. This setting ensures that you will never have unusable space in your
tablespace.
When you do not explicitly specify the type of extent management, Oracle Database
determines extent management as follows:
■

If the CREATE TABLESPACE statement omits the DEFAULT storage clause, then the
database creates a locally managed autoallocated tablespace.

13-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

■

If the CREATE TABLESPACE statement includes a DEFAULT storage clause, then the
database considers the following:
–

If you specified the MINIMUM EXTENT clause, the database evaluates whether
the values of MINIMUM EXTENT, INITIAL, and NEXT are equal and the value of
PCTINCREASE is 0. If so, the database creates a locally managed uniform
tablespace with extent size = INITIAL. If the MINIMUM EXTENT, INITIAL, and
NEXT parameters are not equal, or if PCTINCREASE is not 0, then the database
ignores any extent storage parameters you may specify and creates a locally
managed, autoallocated tablespace.

–

If you did not specify MINIMUM EXTENT clause, then the database evaluates
only whether the storage values of INITIAL and NEXT are equal and
PCTINCREASE is 0. If so, the tablespace is locally managed and uniform.
Otherwise, the tablespace is locally managed and autoallocated.

The following statement creates a locally managed tablespace named lmtbsb and
specifies AUTOALLOCATE:
CREATE TABLESPACE lmtbsb DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtbsb01.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL AUTOALLOCATE;

AUTOALLOCATE causes the tablespace to be system managed with a minimum extent
size of 64K.
The alternative to AUTOALLOCATE is UNIFORM. which specifies that the tablespace is
managed with extents of uniform size. You can specify that size in the SIZE clause of
UNIFORM. If you omit SIZE, then the default size is 1M.
The following example creates a tablespace with uniform 128K extents. (In a database
with 2K blocks, each extent would be equivalent to 64 database blocks). Each 128K
extent is represented by a bit in the extent bitmap for this file.
CREATE TABLESPACE lmtbsb DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtbsb01.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL UNIFORM SIZE 128K;

You cannot specify the DEFAULT storage clause, MINIMUM EXTENT, or TEMPORARY when
you explicitly specify EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL. To create a temporary locally
managed tablespace, use the CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE statement.
When you allocate a data file for a locally managed
tablespace, you should allow space for metadata used for space
management (the extent bitmap or space header segment) which
are part of user space. For example, if you specify the UNIFORM
clause in the extent management clause but you omit the SIZE
parameter, then the default extent size is 1MB. In that case, the size
specified for the data file must be larger (at least one block plus
space for the bitmap) than 1MB.
Note:

Specifying Segment Space Management in Locally Managed Tablespaces
In a locally managed tablespace, there are two methods that Oracle Database can use
to manage segment space: automatic and manual. Manual segment space management
uses linked lists called "freelists" to manage free space in the segment, while automatic
segment space management uses bitmaps. Automatic segment space management is
the more efficient method, and is the default for all new permanent, locally managed
tablespaces.

Managing Tablespaces 13-5

Creating Tablespaces

Automatic segment space management delivers better space utilization than manual
segment space management. It is also self-tuning, in that it scales with increasing
number of users or instances. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment,
automatic segment space management allows for a dynamic affinity of space to
instances. In addition, for many standard workloads, application performance with
automatic segment space management is better than the performance of a well-tuned
application using manual segment space management.
Although automatic segment space management is the default for all new permanent,
locally managed tablespaces, you can explicitly enable it with the SEGMENT SPACE
MANAGEMENT AUTO clause.
The following statement creates tablespace lmtbsb with automatic segment space
management:
CREATE TABLESPACE lmtbsb DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtbsb01.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO;

The SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT MANUAL clause disables automatic segment space
management.
The segment space management that you specify at tablespace creation time applies to
all segments subsequently created in the tablespace. You cannot change the segment
space management mode of a tablespace.
Notes:
■

■

■

If you set extent management to LOCAL UNIFORM, then you must
ensure that each extent contains at least 5 database blocks.
If you set extent management to LOCAL AUTOALLOCATE, and if the
database block size is 16K or greater, then Oracle manages
segment space by creating extents with a minimum size of 5
blocks rounded up to 64K.
You cannot specify automatic segment space management for
the SYSTEM tablespace.

Locally managed tablespaces using automatic segment space management can be
created as single-file or bigfile tablespaces, as described in "Bigfile Tablespaces" on
page 13-6.

Bigfile Tablespaces
A bigfile tablespace is a tablespace with a single, but potentially very large (up to 4G
blocks) data file. Traditional smallfile tablespaces, in contrast, can contain multiple
data files, but the files cannot be as large. The benefits of bigfile tablespaces are the
following:
■

■

A bigfile tablespace with 8K blocks can contain a 32 terabyte data file. A bigfile
tablespace with 32K blocks can contain a 128 terabyte data file. The maximum
number of data files in an Oracle Database is limited (usually to 64K files).
Therefore, bigfile tablespaces can significantly enhance the storage capacity of an
Oracle Database.
Bigfile tablespaces can reduce the number of data files needed for a database. An
additional benefit is that the DB_FILES initialization parameter and MAXDATAFILES
parameter of the CREATE DATABASE and CREATE CONTROLFILE statements can be

13-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

adjusted to reduce the amount of SGA space required for data file information and
the size of the control file.
■

Bigfile tablespaces simplify database management by providing data file
transparency. SQL syntax for the ALTER TABLESPACE statement lets you perform
operations on tablespaces, rather than the underlying individual data files.

Bigfile tablespaces are supported only for locally managed tablespaces with automatic
segment space management, with three exceptions: locally managed undo tablespaces,
temporary tablespaces, and the SYSTEM tablespace.
Notes:
■

■

■

Bigfile tablespaces are intended to be used with Automatic
Storage Management (Oracle ASM) or other logical volume
managers that supports striping or RAID, and dynamically
extensible logical volumes.
Avoid creating bigfile tablespaces on a system that does not
support striping because of negative implications for parallel
query execution and RMAN backup parallelization.
Using bigfile tablespaces on platforms that do not support large
file sizes is not recommended and can limit tablespace capacity.
See your operating system specific documentation for
information about maximum supported file sizes.

Creating a Bigfile Tablespace
To create a bigfile tablespace, specify the BIGFILE keyword of the CREATE TABLESPACE
statement (CREATE BIGFILE TABLESPACE ...). Oracle Database automatically creates a
locally managed tablespace with automatic segment space management. You can, but
need not, specify EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL and SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO in this
statement. However, the database returns an error if you specify EXTENT MANAGEMENT
DICTIONARY or SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT MANUAL. The remaining syntax of the
statement is the same as for the CREATE TABLESPACE statement, but you can only
specify one data file. For example:
CREATE BIGFILE TABLESPACE bigtbs
DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/bigtbs01.dbf' SIZE 50G
...

You can specify SIZE in kilobytes (K), megabytes (M), gigabytes (G), or terabytes (T).
If the default tablespace type was set to BIGFILE at database creation, you need not
specify the keyword BIGFILE in the CREATE TABLESPACE statement. A bigfile tablespace
is created by default.
If the default tablespace type was set to BIGFILE at database creation, but you want to
create a traditional (smallfile) tablespace, then specify a CREATE SMALLFILE TABLESPACE
statement to override the default tablespace type for the tablespace that you are
creating.
See Also: "Supporting Bigfile Tablespaces During Database
Creation" on page 2-21

Identifying a Bigfile Tablespace
The following views contain a BIGFILE column that identifies a tablespace as a bigfile
tablespace:
Managing Tablespaces 13-7

Creating Tablespaces

■

DBA_TABLESPACES

■

USER_TABLESPACES

■

V$TABLESPACE

You can also identify a bigfile tablespace by the relative file number of its single data
file. That number is 1024 on most platforms, but 4096 on OS/390.

Compressed Tablespaces
You can specify that all tables created in a tablespace are compressed by default. You
specify the type of table compression using the DEFAULT keyword, followed by one of
the compression type clauses used when creating a table.
The following statement indicates that all tables created in the tablespace are to use
advanced row compression, unless otherwise specified:
CREATE TABLESPACE ... DEFAULT ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED ... ;

You can override the default tablespace compression specification when you create a
table in that tablespace.
See Also:
■

■

"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5 for information
about the various types of table compression
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the exact syntax to use
when creating a tablespace with a default compression type

Encrypted Tablespaces
You can encrypt any permanent tablespace to protect sensitive data. Tablespace
encryption is completely transparent to your applications, so no application
modification is necessary. Encrypted tablespaces primarily protect your data from
unauthorized access by means other than through the database. For example, when
encrypted tablespaces are written to backup media for travel from one Oracle database
to another or for travel to an off-site facility for storage, they remain encrypted. Also,
encrypted tablespaces protect data from users who try to circumvent the security
features of the database and access database files directly through the operating
system file system.
Tablespace encryption does not address all security issues. It does not, for example,
provide access control from within the database. Any user who is granted privileges
on objects stored in an encrypted tablespace can access those objects without
providing any kind of additional password or key.
When you encrypt a tablespace, all tablespace blocks are encrypted. All segment types
are supported for encryption, including tables, clusters, indexes, LOBs (BASICFILE and
SECUREFILE), table and index partitions, and so on.
Note: There is no need to use LOB encryption on SECUREFILE LOBs
stored in an encrypted tablespace.

To maximize security, data from an encrypted tablespace is automatically encrypted
when written to the undo tablespace, to the redo logs, and to any temporary
tablespace. There is no need to explicitly create encrypted undo or temporary
tablespaces, and in fact, you cannot specify encryption for those tablespace types.

13-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

For partitioned tables and indexes that have different partitions in different
tablespaces, it is permitted to use both encrypted and non-encrypted tablespaces in the
same table or index.
Tablespace encryption uses the Transparent Data Encryption feature of Oracle
Database, which requires that you create a keystore to store the master encryption key
for the database. The keystore must be open before you can create the encrypted
tablespace and before you can store or retrieve encrypted data. When you open the
keystore, it is available to all session, and it remains open until you explicitly close it or
until the database is shut down.
To encrypt a tablespace, you must open the database with the COMPATIBLE initialization
parameter set to 11.1.0 or higher. Any user who can create a tablespace can create an
encrypted tablespace.
Transparent Data Encryption supports industry-standard encryption algorithms,
including the following Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Triple Data
Encryption Standard (3DES) algorithms:
■

AES256

■

AES192

■

AES128

■

3DES168

The encryption key length is implied by the algorithm name. For example, the AES128
algorithm uses 128-bit keys. You specify the algorithm to use when you create the
tablespace, and different tablespaces can use different algorithms. Although longer
key lengths theoretically provide greater security, there is a trade-off in CPU overhead.
If you do not specify the algorithm in your CREATE TABLESPACE statement, AES128 is
the default. There is no disk space overhead for encrypting a tablespace.
Examples
The following statement creates an encrypted tablespace with the default encryption
algorithm:
CREATE TABLESPACE securespace
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/secure01.dbf' SIZE 100M
ENCRYPTION
DEFAULT STORAGE(ENCRYPT);

The following statement creates the same tablespace with the AES256 algorithm:
CREATE TABLESPACE securespace
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/secure01.dbf' SIZE 100M
ENCRYPTION USING 'AES256'
DEFAULT STORAGE(ENCRYPT);

Restrictions
The following are restrictions for encrypted tablespaces:
■

■

You cannot encrypt an existing tablespace with an ALTER TABLESPACE statement.
However, you can use Data Pump or SQL statements such as CREATE TABLE AS
SELECT or ALTER TABLE MOVE to move existing table data into an encrypted
tablespace.
Encrypted tablespaces are subject to restrictions when transporting to another
database. See "General Limitations on Transporting Data" on page 15-8.

Managing Tablespaces 13-9

Creating Tablespaces

■

When recovering a database with encrypted tablespaces (for example after a
SHUTDOWN ABORT or a catastrophic error that brings down the database instance),
you must open the keystore after database mount and before database open, so the
recovery process can decrypt data blocks and redo.

In addition, see Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for general restrictions for
Transparent Data Encryption.
Querying Tablespace Encryption Information
The DBA_TABLESPACES and USER_TABLESPACES data dictionary views include a column
named ENCRYPTED. This column contains YES for encrypted tablespaces.
The view V$ENCRYPTED_TABLESPACES lists all currently encrypted tablespaces. The
following query displays the name and encryption algorithm of encrypted tablespaces:
SELECT t.name, e.encryptionalg algorithm
FROM v$tablespace t, v$encrypted_tablespaces e
WHERE t.ts# = e.ts#;
NAME
ALGORITHM
------------------------------ --------SECURESPACE
AES256

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database 2 Day + Security Guide for more information about
Transparent Data Encryption and for instructions for creating and
opening keystores
"Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data" on
page 20-22 for an alternative to encrypting an entire tablespace
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information on using a keystore in an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the
CREATE TABLESPACE statement

Temporary Tablespaces
A temporary tablespace contains transient data that persists only for the duration of
the session. Temporary tablespaces can improve the concurrency of multiple sort
operations that do not fit in memory and can improve the efficiency of space
management operations during sorts.
Temporary tablespaces are used to store the following:
■

Intermediate sort results

■

Temporary tables and temporary indexes

■

Temporary LOBs

■

Temporary B-trees

Within a temporary tablespace, all sort operations for a particular instance share a
single sort segment, and sort segments exist for every instance that performs sort
operations that require temporary space. A sort segment is created by the first
statement after startup that uses the temporary tablespace for sorting, and is released
only at shutdown.

13-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

By default, a single temporary tablespace named TEMP is created for each new Oracle
Database installation. You can create additional temporary tablespaces with the CREATE
TABLESPACE statement. You can assign a temporary tablespace to each database user
with the CREATE USER or ALTER USER statement. A single temporary tablespace can be
shared by multiple users.
You cannot explicitly create objects in a temporary tablespace.
The exception to the preceding statement is a temporary table.
When you create a temporary table, its rows are stored in your default
temporary tablespace, unless you create the table in a new temporary
tablespace. See "Creating a Temporary Table" on page 20-28 for more
information.

Note:

Default Temporary Tablespace
Users who are not explicitly assigned a temporary tablespace use the database default
temporary tablespace, which for new installations is TEMP. You can change the default
temporary tablespace for the database with the following command:
ALTER DATABASE DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tablespace_name;

To determine the current default temporary tablespace for the database, run the
following query:
SELECT PROPERTY_NAME, PROPERTY_VALUE FROM DATABASE_PROPERTIES WHERE
PROPERTY_NAME='DEFAULT_TEMP_TABLESPACE';
PROPERTY_NAME
PROPERTY_VALUE
-------------------------- -----------------------------DEFAULT_TEMP_TABLESPACE
TEMP

Space Allocation in a Temporary Tablespace
You can view the allocation and deallocation of space in a temporary tablespace sort
segment using the V$SORT_SEGMENT view. The V$TEMPSEG_USAGE view identifies the
current sort users in those segments.
When a sort operation that uses temporary space completes, allocated extents in the
sort segment are not deallocated; they are just marked as free and available for reuse.
The DBA_TEMP_FREE_SPACE view displays the total allocated and free space in each
temporary tablespace. See "Viewing Space Usage for Temporary Tablespaces" on
page 13-12 for more information. You can manually shrink a locally managed
temporary tablespace that has a large amount of unused space. See "Shrinking a
Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace" on page 13-23 for details.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating
users and assigning temporary tablespaces
Oracle Database Concepts for more information about the default
temporary tablespace
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
V$SORT_SEGMENT, V$TEMPSEG_USAGE, and DBA_TEMP_FREE_SPACE
views
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for a discussion on
tuning sorts

Managing Tablespaces

13-11

Creating Tablespaces

Creating a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace
Because space management is much simpler and more efficient in locally managed
tablespaces, they are ideally suited for temporary tablespaces. Locally managed
temporary tablespaces use temp files, which do not modify data outside of the
temporary tablespace or generate any redo for temporary tablespace data. Because of
this, they enable you to perform on-disk sorting operations in a read-only or standby
database.
You also use different views for viewing information about temp files than you would
for data files. The V$TEMPFILE and DBA_TEMP_FILES views are analogous to the
V$DATAFILE and DBA_DATA_FILES views.
To create a locally managed temporary tablespace, you use the CREATE TEMPORARY
TABLESPACE statement, which requires that you have the CREATE TABLESPACE system
privilege.
The following statement creates a temporary tablespace in which each extent is 16M.
Each 16M extent (which is the equivalent of 8000 blocks when the standard block size
is 2K) is represented by a bit in the bitmap for the file.
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE lmtemp TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp01.dbf'
SIZE 20M REUSE
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL UNIFORM SIZE 16M;

The extent management clause is optional for temporary tablespaces because all
temporary tablespaces are created with locally managed extents of a uniform size. The
default for SIZE is 1M. To specify another value for SIZE, you can do so as shown in
the preceding statement.
On some operating systems, the database does not allocate
space for the temp file until the temp file blocks are actually
accessed. This delay in space allocation results in faster creation
and resizing of temp files, but it requires that sufficient disk space is
available when the temp files are later used. See your operating
system documentation to determine whether the database allocates
temp file space in this way on your system.

Note:

Creating a Bigfile Temporary Tablespace
Just as for regular tablespaces, you can create single-file (bigfile) temporary
tablespaces. Use the CREATE BIGFILE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE statement to create a
single-temp file tablespace. See the sections "Creating a Bigfile Tablespace" on
page 13-7 and "Altering a Bigfile Tablespace" on page 13-22 for information about
bigfile tablespaces, but consider that you are creating temporary tablespaces that use
temp files instead of data files.

Viewing Space Usage for Temporary Tablespaces
The DBA_TEMP_FREE_SPACE dictionary view contains information about space usage for
each temporary tablespace. The information includes the space allocated and the free
space. You can query this view for these statistics using the following command.
SELECT * from DBA_TEMP_FREE_SPACE;
TABLESPACE_NAME
TABLESPACE_SIZE ALLOCATED_SPACE FREE_SPACE
----------------------------------- --------------- --------------- ---------TEMP
250609664
250609664
249561088

13-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Tablespaces

Multiple Temporary Tablespaces: Using Tablespace Groups
A tablespace group enables a user to consume temporary space from multiple
tablespaces. Using a tablespace group, rather than a single temporary tablespace, can
alleviate problems caused where one tablespace is inadequate to hold the results of a
sort, particularly on a table that has many partitions. A tablespace group enables
parallel execution servers in a single parallel operation to use multiple temporary
tablespaces.
A tablespace group has the following characteristics:
■

■

■

It contains at least one tablespace. There is no explicit limit on the maximum
number of tablespaces that are contained in a group.
It shares the namespace of tablespaces, so its name cannot be the same as any
tablespace.
You can specify a tablespace group name wherever a tablespace name would
appear when you assign a default temporary tablespace for the database or a
temporary tablespace for a user.

You do not explicitly create a tablespace group. Rather, it is created implicitly when
you assign the first temporary tablespace to the group. The group is deleted when the
last temporary tablespace it contains is removed from it.
The view DBA_TABLESPACE_GROUPS lists tablespace groups and their member
tablespaces.
Oracle Database Security Guide for more information
about assigning a temporary tablespace or tablespace group to a
user

See Also:

Creating a Tablespace Group
You create a tablespace group implicitly when you include the TABLESPACE GROUP
clause in the CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE or ALTER TABLESPACE statement and the
specified tablespace group does not currently exist.
For example, if neither group1 nor group2 exists, then the following statements create
those groups, each of which has only the specified tablespace as a member:
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE lmtemp2 TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp201.dbf'
SIZE 50M
TABLESPACE GROUP group1;
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp TABLESPACE GROUP group2;

Changing Members of a Tablespace Group
You can add a tablespace to an existing tablespace group by specifying the existing
group name in the TABLESPACE GROUP clause of the CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE or
ALTER TABLESPACE statement.
The following statement adds a tablespace to an existing group. It creates and adds
tablespace lmtemp3 to group1, so that group1 contains tablespaces lmtemp2 and
lmtemp3.
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE lmtemp3 TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp301.dbf'
SIZE 25M
TABLESPACE GROUP group1;

Managing Tablespaces

13-13

Consider Storing Tablespaces in the In-Memory Column Store

The following statement also adds a tablespace to an existing group, but in this case
because tablespace lmtemp2 already belongs to group1, it is in effect moved from
group1 to group2:
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp2 TABLESPACE GROUP group2;

Now group2 contains both lmtemp and lmtemp2, while group1 consists of only tmtemp3.
You can remove a tablespace from a group as shown in the following statement:
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp3 TABLESPACE GROUP '';

Tablespace lmtemp3 no longer belongs to any group. Further, since there are no longer
any members of group1, this results in the implicit deletion of group1.

Assigning a Tablespace Group as the Default Temporary Tablespace
Use the ALTER DATABASE...DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE statement to assign a
tablespace group as the default temporary tablespace for the database. For example:
ALTER DATABASE DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE group2;

Any user who has not explicitly been assigned a temporary tablespace will now use
tablespaces lmtemp and lmtemp2.
If a tablespace group is specified as the default temporary tablespace, you cannot drop
any of its member tablespaces. You must first remove the tablespace from the
tablespace group. Likewise, you cannot drop a single temporary tablespace as long as
it is the default temporary tablespace.

Consider Storing Tablespaces in the In-Memory Column Store
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The In-Memory Column Store is an optional portion of the system global area (SGA)
that stores copies of tables, table partitions, and other database objects that is
optimized for rapid scans. In the In-Memory Column Store, table data is stored by
column rather than row in the SGA.
You can enable a tablespace for the In-Memory Column Store during tablespace
creation or by altering a tablespace. When this enable a tablespace for the In-Memory
Column Store, all tables in the tablespace are enabled for the In-Memory Column Store
by default.
See Also: "Enabling and Disabling Tablespaces for the IM Column
Store" on page 6-36

Specifying Nonstandard Block Sizes for Tablespaces
You can create tablespaces with block sizes different from the standard database block
size, which is specified by the DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter. This feature lets
you transport tablespaces with unlike block sizes between databases.
Use the BLOCKSIZE clause of the CREATE TABLESPACE statement to create a tablespace
with a block size different from the database standard block size. In order for the

13-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Controlling the Writing of Redo Records

BLOCKSIZE clause to succeed, you must have already set the DB_CACHE_SIZE and at
least one DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter. Further, and the integer you
specify in the BLOCKSIZE clause must correspond with the setting of one DB_nK_CACHE_
SIZE parameter setting. Although redundant, specifying a BLOCKSIZE equal to the
standard block size, as specified by the DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter, is
allowed.
The following statement creates tablespace lmtbsb, but specifies a block size that
differs from the standard database block size (as specified by the DB_BLOCK_SIZE
initialization parameter):
CREATE TABLESPACE lmtbsb DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtbsb01.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL UNIFORM SIZE 128K
BLOCKSIZE 8K;

See Also:
■
■

■

"Specifying Database Block Sizes" on page 2-29
"Setting the Buffer Cache Initialization Parameters" on
page 6-16 for information about the DB_CACHE_SIZE and DB_nK_
CACHE_SIZE parameter settings
"Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23

Controlling the Writing of Redo Records
For some database operations, you can control whether the database generates redo
records. Without redo, no media recovery is possible. However, suppressing redo
generation can improve performance, and may be appropriate for easily recoverable
operations. An example of such an operation is a CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT
statement, which can be repeated in case of database or instance failure.
Specify the NOLOGGING clause in the CREATE TABLESPACE statement to suppress redo
when these operations are performed for objects within the tablespace. If you do not
include this clause, or if you specify LOGGING instead, then the database generates redo
when changes are made to objects in the tablespace. Redo is never generated for
temporary segments or in temporary tablespaces, regardless of the logging attribute.
The logging attribute specified at the tablespace level is the default attribute for objects
created within the tablespace. You can override this default logging attribute by
specifying LOGGING or NOLOGGING at the schema object level--for example, in a CREATE
TABLE statement.
If you have a standby database, NOLOGGING mode causes problems with the availability
and accuracy of the standby database. To overcome this problem, you can specify
FORCE LOGGING mode. When you include the FORCE LOGGING clause in the CREATE
TABLESPACE statement, you force the generation of redo records for all operations that
make changes to objects in a tablespace. This overrides any specification made at the
object level.
If you transport a tablespace that is in FORCE LOGGING mode to another database, the
new tablespace will not maintain the FORCE LOGGING mode.

Managing Tablespaces

13-15

Altering Tablespace Availability

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about
operations that can be done in NOLOGGING mode
"Specifying FORCE LOGGING Mode" on page 2-23 for more
information about FORCE LOGGING mode and for information
about the effects of the FORCE LOGGING clause used with the
CREATE DATABASE statement

Altering Tablespace Availability
You can take an online tablespace offline so that it is temporarily unavailable for
general use. The rest of the database remains open and available for users to access
data. Conversely, you can bring an offline tablespace online to make the schema
objects within the tablespace available to database users. The database must be open to
alter the availability of a tablespace.
To alter the availability of a tablespace, use the ALTER TABLESPACE statement. You must
have the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See Also: "Altering Data File Availability" on page 14-6 for
information about altering the availability of individual data files
within a tablespace

Taking Tablespaces Offline
You may want to take a tablespace offline for any of the following reasons:
■

■

■

■

To make a portion of the database unavailable while allowing normal access to the
remainder of the database
To perform an offline tablespace backup (even though a tablespace can be backed
up while online and in use)
To make an application and its group of tables temporarily unavailable while
updating or maintaining the application
To rename or relocate tablespace data files
See "Renaming and Relocating Data Files" on page 14-8 for details.

When a tablespace is taken offline, the database takes all the associated files offline.
You cannot take the following tablespaces offline:
■

SYSTEM

■

The undo tablespace

■

Temporary tablespaces

Before taking a tablespace offline, consider altering the tablespace allocation of any
users who have been assigned the tablespace as a default tablespace. Doing so is
advisable because those users will not be able to access objects in the tablespace while
it is offline.
You can specify any of the following parameters as part of the ALTER
TABLESPACE...OFFLINE statement:

13-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering Tablespace Availability

Clause

Description

NORMAL

A tablespace can be taken offline normally if no error conditions
exist for any of the data files of the tablespace. No data file in
the tablespace can be currently offline as the result of a write
error. When you specify OFFLINE NORMAL, the database takes a
checkpoint for all data files of the tablespace as it takes them
offline. NORMAL is the default.

TEMPORARY

A tablespace can be taken offline temporarily, even if there are
error conditions for one or more files of the tablespace. When
you specify OFFLINE TEMPORARY, the database takes offline the
data files that are not already offline, checkpointing them as it
does so.
If no files are offline, but you use the temporary clause, media
recovery is not required to bring the tablespace back online.
However, if one or more files of the tablespace are offline
because of write errors, and you take the tablespace offline
temporarily, the tablespace requires recovery before you can
bring it back online.

IMMEDIATE

A tablespace can be taken offline immediately, without the
database taking a checkpoint on any of the data files. When you
specify OFFLINE IMMEDIATE, media recovery for the tablespace is
required before the tablespace can be brought online. You
cannot take a tablespace offline immediately if the database is
running in NOARCHIVELOG mode.

Caution: If you must take a tablespace offline, use the NORMAL
clause (the default) if possible. This setting guarantees that the
tablespace will not require recovery to come back online, even if
after incomplete recovery you reset the redo log sequence using an
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement.

Specify TEMPORARY only when you cannot take the tablespace offline normally. In this
case, only the files taken offline because of errors need to be recovered before the
tablespace can be brought online. Specify IMMEDIATE only after trying both the normal
and temporary settings.
The following example takes the users tablespace offline normally:
ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE NORMAL;

Bringing Tablespaces Online
You can bring any tablespace in an Oracle Database online whenever the database is
open. A tablespace is normally online so that the data contained within it is available
to database users.
If a tablespace to be brought online was not taken offline "cleanly" (that is, using the
NORMAL clause of the ALTER TABLESPACE OFFLINE statement), you must first perform
media recovery on the tablespace before bringing it online. Otherwise, the database
returns an error and the tablespace remains offline.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
information about performing media recovery

The following statement brings the users tablespace online:

Managing Tablespaces

13-17

Using Read-Only Tablespaces

ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE;

Using Read-Only Tablespaces
Making a tablespace read-only prevents write operations on the data files in the
tablespace. The primary purpose of read-only tablespaces is to eliminate the need to
perform backup and recovery of large, static portions of a database. Read-only
tablespaces also provide a way to protecting historical data so that users cannot
modify it. Making a tablespace read-only prevents updates on all tables in the
tablespace, regardless of a user's update privilege level.
Note: Making a tablespace read-only cannot in itself be used to
satisfy archiving or data publishing requirements, because the
tablespace can only be brought online in the database in which it
was created. However, you can meet such requirements by using
the transportable tablespace feature, as described in "Transporting
Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23.

You can drop items, such as tables or indexes, from a read-only tablespace, but you
cannot create or alter objects in a read-only tablespace. You can execute statements that
update the file description in the data dictionary, such as ALTER TABLE...ADD or ALTER
TABLE...MODIFY, but you will not be able to use the new description until the
tablespace is made read/write.
Read-only tablespaces can be transported to other databases. And, since read-only
tablespaces can never be updated, they can reside on CD-ROM or WORM (Write
Once-Read Many) devices.
The following topics are discussed in this section:
■

Making a Tablespace Read-Only

■

Making a Read-Only Tablespace Writable

■

Creating a Read-Only Tablespace on a WORM Device

■

Delaying the Opening of Data Files in Read-Only Tablespaces
See Also: "Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on
page 15-23

Making a Tablespace Read-Only
All tablespaces are initially created as read/write. Use the READ ONLY clause in the
ALTER TABLESPACE statement to change a tablespace to read-only. You must have the
ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
Before you can make a tablespace read-only, the following conditions must be met.
■

■
■

■

The tablespace must be online. This is necessary to ensure that there is no undo
information that must be applied to the tablespace.
The tablespace cannot be the active undo tablespace or SYSTEM tablespace.
The tablespace must not currently be involved in an online backup, because the
end of a backup updates the header file of all data files in the tablespace.
The tablespace cannot be a temporary tablespace.

13-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Read-Only Tablespaces

For better performance while accessing data in a read-only tablespace, you can issue a
query that accesses all of the blocks of the tables in the tablespace just before making it
read-only. A simple query, such as SELECT COUNT (*), executed against each table
ensures that the data blocks in the tablespace can be subsequently accessed most
efficiently. This eliminates the need for the database to check the status of the
transactions that most recently modified the blocks.
The following statement makes the flights tablespace read-only:
ALTER TABLESPACE flights READ ONLY;

You can issue the ALTER TABLESPACE...READ ONLY statement while the database is
processing transactions. After the statement is issued, the tablespace is put into a
transitional read-only state. No transactions are allowed to make further changes
(using DML statements) to the tablespace. If a transaction attempts further changes, it
is terminated and rolled back. However, transactions that already made changes and
that attempt no further changes are allowed to commit or roll back.
The ALTER TABLESPACE...READ ONLY statement waits for the following transactions to
either commit or roll back before returning: transactions that have pending or
uncommitted changes to the tablespace and that were started before you issued the
statement. If a transaction started before the statement remains active, but rolls back to
a savepoint, rolling back its changes to the tablespace, then the statement no longer
waits for this active transaction.
If you find it is taking a long time for the ALTER TABLESPACE statement to complete,
you can identify the transactions that are preventing the read-only state from taking
effect. You can then notify the owners of those transactions and decide whether to
terminate the transactions, if necessary.
The following example identifies the transaction entry for the ALTER
TABLESPACE...READ ONLY statement and displays its session address (saddr):
SELECT SQL_TEXT, SADDR
FROM V$SQLAREA,V$SESSION
WHERE V$SQLAREA.ADDRESS = V$SESSION.SQL_ADDRESS
AND SQL_TEXT LIKE 'alter tablespace%';
SQL_TEXT
SADDR
---------------------------------------- -------alter tablespace tbs1 read only
80034AF0

The start SCN of each active transaction is stored in the V$TRANSACTION view.
Displaying this view sorted by ascending start SCN lists the transactions in execution
order. From the preceding example, you already know the session address of the
transaction entry for the read-only statement, and you can now locate it in the
V$TRANSACTION view. All transactions with smaller start SCN, which indicates an
earlier execution, can potentially hold up the quiesce and subsequent read-only state
of the tablespace.
SELECT SES_ADDR, START_SCNB
FROM V$TRANSACTION
ORDER BY START_SCNB;
SES_ADDR START_SCNB
-------- ---------800352A0
3621
80035A50
3623
80034AF0
3628
80037910
3629

-->
-->
-->
-->

waiting on this txn
waiting on this txn
this is the ALTER TABLESPACE statement
don't care about this txn

Managing Tablespaces

13-19

Using Read-Only Tablespaces

You can now find the owners of the blocking transactions.
SELECT T.SES_ADDR, S.USERNAME, S.MACHINE
FROM V$SESSION S, V$TRANSACTION T
WHERE T.SES_ADDR = S.SADDR
ORDER BY T.SES_ADDR
SES_ADDR
-------800352A0
80035A50
80034AF0
80037910

USERNAME
-------------------DAVIDB
MIKEL
DBA01
NICKD

MACHINE
-------------------DAVIDBLAP
LAB61
STEVEFLAP
NICKDLAP

--> Contact this user
--> Contact this user

After making the tablespace read-only, it is advisable to back it up immediately. As
long as the tablespace remains read-only, no further backups of the tablespace are
necessary, because no changes can be made to it.
See Also:

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making a Read-Only Tablespace Writable
Use the READ WRITE keywords in the ALTER TABLESPACE statement to change a
tablespace to allow write operations. You must have the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE
TABLESPACE system privilege.
A prerequisite to making the tablespace read/write is that all of the data files in the
tablespace, as well as the tablespace itself, must be online. Use the DATAFILE...ONLINE
clause of the ALTER DATABASE statement to bring a data file online. The V$DATAFILE
view lists the current status of data files.
The following statement makes the flights tablespace writable:
ALTER TABLESPACE flights READ WRITE;

Making a read-only tablespace writable updates the control file entry for the data files,
so that you can use the read-only version of the data files as a starting point for
recovery.

Creating a Read-Only Tablespace on a WORM Device
Follow these steps to create a read-only tablespace on a CD-ROM or WORM (Write
Once-Read Many) device.
1.

Create a writable tablespace on another device. Create the objects that belong in
the tablespace and insert your data.

2.

Alter the tablespace to make it read-only.

3.

Copy the data files of the tablespace onto the WORM device. Use operating
system commands to copy the files.

4.

Take the tablespace offline.

5.

Rename the data files to coincide with the names of the data files you copied onto
your WORM device. Use ALTER TABLESPACE with the RENAME DATAFILE clause.
Renaming the data files changes their names in the control file.

6.

Bring the tablespace back online.

13-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces

Delaying the Opening of Data Files in Read-Only Tablespaces
When substantial portions of a very large database are stored in read-only tablespaces
that are located on slow-access devices or hierarchical storage, you should consider
setting the READ_ONLY_OPEN_DELAYED initialization parameter to TRUE. This speeds
certain operations, primarily opening the database, by causing data files in read-only
tablespaces to be accessed for the first time only when an attempt is made to read data
stored within them.
Setting READ_ONLY_OPEN_DELAYED=TRUE has the following side-effects:
■

■
■

■

■
■

■

A missing or bad read-only file is not detected at open time. It is only discovered
when there is an attempt to access it.
ALTER SYSTEM CHECK DATAFILES does not check read-only files.
ALTER TABLESPACE...ONLINE and ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE...ONLINE do not
check read-only files. They are checked only upon the first access.
V$RECOVER_FILE, V$BACKUP, and V$DATAFILE_HEADER do not access read-only files.
Read-only files are indicated in the results list with the error "DELAYED OPEN", with
zeroes for the values of other columns.
V$DATAFILE does not access read-only files. Read-only files have a size of "0" listed.
V$RECOVERY_LOG does not access read-only files. Logs they could need for recovery
are not added to the list.
ALTER DATABASE NOARCHIVELOG does not access read-only files.It proceeds even if
there is a read-only file that requires recovery.
Notes:
■

■

RECOVER DATABASE and ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS
continue to access all read-only data files regardless of the
parameter value. To avoid accessing read-only files for these
operations, take those files offline.
If a backup control file is used, the read-only status of some
files may be inaccurate. This can cause some of these operations
to return unexpected results. Care should be taken in this
situation.

Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces
This section covers various subjects that relate to altering and maintaining tablespaces.
This section covers the following topics:
■

Increasing the Size of a Tablespace

■

Altering a Locally Managed Tablespace

■

Altering a Bigfile Tablespace

■

Altering a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace

■

Shrinking a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace

Increasing the Size of a Tablespace
You can increase the size of a tablespace by either increasing the size of a data file in
the tablespace or adding one. See "Changing Data File Size" on page 14-5 and
Managing Tablespaces

13-21

Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces

"Creating Data Files and Adding Data Files to a Tablespace" on page 14-4 for more
information.
Additionally, you can enable automatic file extension (AUTOEXTEND) to data files and
bigfile tablespaces. See "Enabling and Disabling Automatic Extension for a Data File"
on page 14-5.

Altering a Locally Managed Tablespace
You cannot alter a locally managed tablespace to a locally managed temporary
tablespace, nor can you change its method of segment space management. Coalescing
free extents is unnecessary for locally managed tablespaces. However, you can use the
ALTER TABLESPACE statement on locally managed tablespaces for some operations,
including the following:
■

Adding a data file. For example:
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtbsb
ADD DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtbsb02.dbf' SIZE 1M;

■

■

■

Altering tablespace availability (ONLINE/OFFLINE). See "Altering Tablespace
Availability" on page 13-16.
Making a tablespace read-only or read/write. See "Using Read-Only Tablespaces"
on page 13-18.
Renaming a data file, or enabling or disabling the autoextension of the size of a
data file in the tablespace. See Chapter 14, "Managing Data Files and Temp Files".

Altering a Bigfile Tablespace
Two clauses of the ALTER TABLESPACE statement support data file transparency when
you are using bigfile tablespaces:
■

RESIZE: The RESIZE clause lets you resize the single data file in a bigfile tablespace
to an absolute size, without referring to the data file. For example:
ALTER TABLESPACE bigtbs RESIZE 80G;

■

AUTOEXTEND (used outside of the ADD DATAFILE clause):
With a bigfile tablespace, you can use the AUTOEXTEND clause outside of the ADD
DATAFILE clause. For example:
ALTER TABLESPACE bigtbs AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 20G;

An error is raised if you specify an ADD DATAFILE clause for a bigfile tablespace.

Altering a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace
You cannot use the ALTER TABLESPACE statement, with the
TEMPORARY keyword, to change a locally managed permanent
tablespace into a locally managed temporary tablespace. You must
use the CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE statement to create a locally
managed temporary tablespace.
Note:

You can use ALTER TABLESPACE to add a temp file, take a temp file offline, or bring a
temp file online, as illustrated in the following examples:

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Altering and Maintaining Tablespaces

ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp
ADD TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' SIZE 18M REUSE;
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp TEMPFILE OFFLINE;
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp TEMPFILE ONLINE;

You cannot take a temporary tablespace offline. Instead, you
take its temp file offline. The view V$TEMPFILE displays online status
for a temp file.
Note:

The ALTER DATABASE statement can be used to alter temp files.
The following statements take offline and bring online temp files. They behave
identically to the last two ALTER TABLESPACE statements in the previous example.
ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' OFFLINE;
ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' ONLINE;

The following statement resizes a temp file:
ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' RESIZE 18M;

The following statement drops a temp file and deletes its operating system file:
ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' DROP
INCLUDING DATAFILES;

The tablespace to which this temp file belonged remains. A message is written to the
alert log for the temp file that was deleted. If an operating system error prevents the
deletion of the file, the statement still succeeds, but a message describing the error is
written to the alert log.
It is also possible to use the ALTER DATABASE statement to enable or disable the
automatic extension of an existing temp file, and to rename a temp file. See Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference for the required syntax.
To rename a temp file, you take the temp file offline, use
operating system commands to rename or relocate the temp file, and
then use the ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE command to update the
database control files.
Note:

Shrinking a Locally Managed Temporary Tablespace
Large sort operations performed by the database may result in a temporary tablespace
growing and occupying a considerable amount of disk space. After the sort operation
completes, the extra space is not released; it is just marked as free and available for
reuse. Therefore, a single large sort operation might result in a large amount of
allocated temporary space that remains unused after the sort operation is complete.
For this reason, the database enables you to shrink locally managed temporary
tablespaces and release unused space.
You use the SHRINK SPACE clause of the ALTER TABLESPACE statement to shrink a
temporary tablespace, or the SHRINK TEMPFILE clause of the ALTER TABLESPACE
statement to shrink a specific temp file of a temporary tablespace. Shrinking frees as
much space as possible while maintaining the other attributes of the tablespace or

Managing Tablespaces

13-23

Renaming Tablespaces

temp file. The optional KEEP clause defines a minimum size for the tablespace or temp
file.
Shrinking is an online operation, which means that user sessions can continue to
allocate sort extents if needed, and already-running queries are not affected.
The following example shrinks the locally managed temporary tablespace lmtmp1
while ensuring a minimum size of 20M.
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp1 SHRINK SPACE KEEP 20M;

The following example shrinks the temp file lmtemp02.dbf of the locally managed
temporary tablespace lmtmp2. Because the KEEP clause is omitted, the database
attempts to shrink the temp file to the minimum possible size.
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp2 SHRINK TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf';

Renaming Tablespaces
Using the RENAME TO clause of the ALTER TABLESPACE, you can rename a permanent or
temporary tablespace. For example, the following statement renames the users
tablespace:
ALTER TABLESPACE users RENAME TO usersts;

When you rename a tablespace the database updates all references to the tablespace
name in the data dictionary, control file, and (online) data file headers. The database
does not change the tablespace ID so if this tablespace were, for example, the default
tablespace for a user, then the renamed tablespace would show as the default
tablespace for the user in the DBA_USERS view.
The following affect the operation of this statement:
■

■

■

■

■

If the tablespace being renamed is the SYSTEM tablespace or the SYSAUX tablespace,
then it will not be renamed and an error is raised.
If any data file in the tablespace is offline, or if the tablespace is offline, then the
tablespace is not renamed and an error is raised.
If the tablespace is read only, then data file headers are not updated. This should
not be regarded as corruption; instead, it causes a message to be written to the
alert log indicating that data file headers have not been renamed. The data
dictionary and control file are updated.
If the tablespace is the default temporary tablespace, then the corresponding entry
in the database properties table is updated and the DATABASE_PROPERTIES view
shows the new name.
If the tablespace is an undo tablespace and if the following conditions are met,
then the tablespace name is changed to the new tablespace name in the server
parameter file (SPFILE).
–

The server parameter file was used to start up the database.

–

The tablespace name is specified as the UNDO_TABLESPACE for any instance.

If a traditional initialization parameter file (PFILE) is being used then a message is
written to the alert log stating that the initialization parameter file must be
manually changed.

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Dropping Tablespaces
You can drop a tablespace and its contents (the segments contained in the tablespace)
from the database if the tablespace and its contents are no longer required. You must
have the DROP TABLESPACE system privilege to drop a tablespace.
Caution: Once a tablespace has been dropped, the data in the
tablespace is not recoverable. Therefore, ensure that all data
contained in a tablespace to be dropped will not be required in the
future. Also, immediately before and after dropping a tablespace
from a database, back up the database completely. This is strongly
recommended so that you can recover the database if you mistakenly
drop a tablespace, or if the database experiences a problem in the
future after the tablespace has been dropped.

When you drop a tablespace, the file pointers in the control file of the associated
database are removed. You can optionally direct Oracle Database to delete the
operating system files (data files) that constituted the dropped tablespace. If you do
not direct the database to delete the data files at the same time that it deletes the
tablespace, you must later use the appropriate commands of your operating system to
delete them.
You cannot drop a tablespace that contains any active segments. For example, if a table
in the tablespace is currently being used or the tablespace contains undo data needed
to roll back uncommitted transactions, you cannot drop the tablespace. The tablespace
can be online or offline, but it is best to take the tablespace offline before dropping it.
To drop a tablespace, use the DROP TABLESPACE statement. The following statement
drops the users tablespace, including the segments in the tablespace:
DROP TABLESPACE users INCLUDING CONTENTS;

If the tablespace is empty (does not contain any tables, views, or other structures), you
do not need to specify the INCLUDING CONTENTS clause. Use the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS
clause to drop all referential integrity constraints from tables outside the tablespace
that refer to primary and unique keys of tables inside the tablespace.
To delete the data files associated with a tablespace at the same time that the
tablespace is dropped, use the INCLUDING CONTENTS AND DATAFILES clause. The
following statement drops the users tablespace and its associated data files:
DROP TABLESPACE users INCLUDING CONTENTS AND DATAFILES;

A message is written to the alert log for each data file that is deleted. If an operating
system error prevents the deletion of a file, the DROP TABLESPACE statement still
succeeds, but a message describing the error is written to the alert log.
See Also:

"Dropping Data Files" on page 14-14

Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace
The SYSAUX tablespace was installed as an auxiliary tablespace to the SYSTEM tablespace
when you created your database. Some database components that formerly created
and used separate tablespaces now occupy the SYSAUX tablespace.
If the SYSAUX tablespace becomes unavailable, core database functionality will remain
operational. The database features that use the SYSAUX tablespace could fail, or
function with limited capability.
Managing Tablespaces

13-25

Managing the SYSAUX Tablespace

Monitoring Occupants of the SYSAUX Tablespace
The list of registered occupants of the SYSAUX tablespace are discussed in "About the
SYSAUX Tablespace" on page 2-18. These components can use the SYSAUX tablespace,
and their installation provides the means of establishing their occupancy of the SYSAUX
tablespace.
You can monitor the occupants of the SYSAUX tablespace using the V$SYSAUX_
OCCUPANTS view. This view lists the following information about the occupants of the
SYSAUX tablespace:
■

Name of the occupant

■

Occupant description

■

Schema name

■

Move procedure

■

Current space usage

View information is maintained by the occupants.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for a detailed description of
the V$SYSAUX_OCCUPANTS view

Moving Occupants Out Of or into the SYSAUX Tablespace
You will have an option at component install time to specify that you do not want the
component to reside in SYSAUX. Also, if you later decide that the component should be
relocated to a designated tablespace, you can use the move procedure for that
component, as specified in the V$SYSAUX_OCCUPANTS view, to perform the move.
The move procedure also lets you move a component from another tablespace into the
SYSAUX tablespace.

Controlling the Size of the SYSAUX Tablespace
The SYSAUX tablespace is occupied by several database components, and its total size is
governed by the space consumed by those components. The space consumed by the
components, in turn, depends on which features or functionality are being used and
on the nature of the database workload.
The largest portion of the SYSAUX tablespace is occupied by the Automatic Workload
Repository (AWR). The space consumed by the AWR is determined by several factors,
including the number of active sessions in the system at any given time, the snapshot
interval, and the historical data retention period. A typical system with an average of
10 concurrent active sessions may require approximately 200 to 300 MB of space for its
AWR data.
The following table provides guidelines on sizing the SYSAUX tablespace based on the
system configuration and expected load.
Parameter/Recommendation

Small

Medium

Large

Number of CPUs

2

8

32

Number of concurrently active sessions

10

20

100

Number of user objects: tables and indexes

500

5,000

50,000

Estimated SYSAUX size at steady state with default
configuration

500 MB

2 GB

5 GB

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Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems

You can control the size of the AWR by changing the snapshot interval and historical
data retention period. For more information on managing the AWR snapshot interval
and retention period, see Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide.
Another major occupant of the SYSAUX tablespace is the embedded Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Control repository. This repository is used by Cloud Control to store
its metadata. The size of this repository depends on database activity and on
configuration-related information stored in the repository.
Other database components in the SYSAUX tablespace will grow in size only if their
associated features (for example, Oracle Text and Oracle Streams) are in use. If the
features are not used, then these components do not have any significant effect on the
size of the SYSAUX tablespace.

Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems
Oracle Database includes the DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package, which is a collection of aids
for diagnosing and repairing problems in locally managed tablespaces.
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN Package Procedures
The following table lists the DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package procedures. See Oracle
Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on each procedure.

Procedure

Description

ASSM_SEGMENT_VERIFY

Verifies the integrity of segments created in tablespaces that
have automatic segment space management enabled. Outputs a
dump file named sid_ora_process_id.trc to the location that
corresponds to the Diag Trace entry in the V$DIAG_INFO view.
Use SEGMENT_VERIFY for tablespaces with manual segment space
management.

ASSM_TABLESPACE_VERIFY

Verifies the integrity of tablespaces that have automatic segment
space management enabled. Outputs a dump file named sid_
ora_process_id.trc to the location that corresponds to the Diag
Trace entry in the V$DIAG_INFO view.
Use TABLESPACE_VERIFY for tablespaces with manual segment
space management.

DROP_EMPTY_SEGMENTS

Drops segments from empty tables or table partitions and
dependent objects

MATERIALIZE_DEFERRED_SEGMENTS

Materializes segments for tables and table partitions with
deferred segment creation and their dependent objects.

SEGMENT_CORRUPT

Marks the segment corrupt or valid so that appropriate error
recovery can be done

SEGMENT_DROP_CORRUPT

Drops a segment currently marked corrupt (without reclaiming
space)

SEGMENT_DUMP

Dumps the segment header and bitmap blocks of a specific
segment to a dump file named sid_ora_process_id.trc in the
location that corresponds to the Diag Trace entry in the V$DIAG_
INFO view. Provides an option to select a slightly abbreviated
dump, which includes segment header and includes bitmap
block summaries, without percent-free states of each block.

SEGMENT_VERIFY

Verifies the consistency of the extent map of the segment

TABLESPACE_FIX_BITMAPS

Marks the appropriate DBA range (extent) as free or used in
bitmap

Managing Tablespaces

13-27

Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems

Procedure

Description

TABLESPACE_FIX_SEGMENT_STATES

Fixes the state of the segments in a tablespace in which
migration was stopped

TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_FROM_LOCAL

Migrates a locally managed tablespace to dictionary-managed
tablespace

TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL

Migrates a dictionary-managed tablespace to a locally managed
tablespace

TABLESPACE_REBUILD_BITMAPS

Rebuilds the appropriate bitmaps

TABLESPACE_REBUILD_QUOTAS

Rebuilds quotas for a specific tablespace

TABLESPACE_RELOCATE_BITMAPS

Relocates the bitmaps to the specified destination

TABLESPACE_VERIFY

Verifies that the bitmaps and extent maps for the segments in
the tablespace are synchronized

The following scenarios describe typical situations in which you can use the DBMS_
SPACE_ADMIN package to diagnose and resolve problems.
Some of these procedures can result in lost and
unrecoverable data if not used properly. You should work with
Oracle Support Services if you have doubts about these procedures.

Note:

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details
about the DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package
"Viewing ADR Locations with the V$DIAG_INFO View" on
page 9-10

Scenario 1: Fixing Bitmap When Allocated Blocks are Marked Free (No Overlap)
The TABLESPACE_VERIFY procedure discovers that a segment has allocated blocks that
are marked free in the bitmap, but no overlap between segments is reported.
In this scenario, perform the following tasks:
1.

Call the SEGMENT_DUMP procedure to dump the ranges that the administrator
allocated to the segment.

2.

For each range, call the TABLESPACE_FIX_BITMAPS procedure with the TABLESPACE_
EXTENT_MAKE_USED option to mark the space as used.

3.

Call TABLESPACE_REBUILD_QUOTAS to rebuild quotas.

Scenario 2: Dropping a Corrupted Segment
You cannot drop a segment because the bitmap has segment blocks marked "free". The
system has automatically marked the segment corrupted.
In this scenario, perform the following tasks:
1.

Call the SEGMENT_VERIFY procedure with the SEGMENT_VERIFY_EXTENTS_GLOBAL
option. If no overlaps are reported, then proceed with steps 2 through 5.

2.

Call the SEGMENT_DUMP procedure to dump the DBA ranges allocated to the
segment.

13-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Diagnosing and Repairing Locally Managed Tablespace Problems

3.

For each range, call TABLESPACE_FIX_BITMAPS with the TABLESPACE_EXTENT_MAKE_
FREE option to mark the space as free.

4.

Call SEGMENT_DROP_CORRUPT to drop the SEG$ entry.

5.

Call TABLESPACE_REBUILD_QUOTAS to rebuild quotas.

Scenario 3: Fixing Bitmap Where Overlap is Reported
The TABLESPACE_VERIFY procedure reports some overlapping. Some of the real data
must be sacrificed based on previous internal errors.
After choosing the object to be sacrificed, in this case say, table t1, perform the
following tasks:
1.

Make a list of all objects that t1 overlaps.

2.

Drop table t1. If necessary, follow up by calling the SEGMENT_DROP_CORRUPT
procedure.

3.

Call the SEGMENT_VERIFY procedure on all objects that t1 overlapped. If necessary,
call the TABLESPACE_FIX_BITMAPS procedure to mark appropriate bitmap blocks as
used.

4.

Rerun the TABLESPACE_VERIFY procedure to verify that the problem is resolved.

Scenario 4: Correcting Media Corruption of Bitmap Blocks
A set of bitmap blocks has media corruption.
In this scenario, perform the following tasks:
1.

Call the TABLESPACE_REBUILD_BITMAPS procedure, either on all bitmap blocks, or
on a single block if only one is corrupt.

2.

Call the TABLESPACE_REBUILD_QUOTAS procedure to rebuild quotas.

3.

Call the TABLESPACE_VERIFY procedure to verify that the bitmaps are consistent.

Scenario 5: Migrating from a Dictionary-Managed to a Locally Managed Tablespace
Use the TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL procedure to migrate a dictionary-managed
tablespace to a locally managed tablespace. This operation is done online, but space
management operations are blocked until the migration has been completed.
Therefore, you can read or modify data while the migration is in progress, but if you
are loading a large amount of data that requires the allocation of additional extents,
then the operation may be blocked.
Assume that the database block size is 2K and the existing extent sizes in tablespace
tbs_1 are 10, 50, and 10,000 blocks (used, used, and free). The MINIMUM EXTENT value is
20K (10 blocks). Allow the system to choose the bitmap allocation unit. The value of 10
blocks is chosen, because it is the highest common denominator and does not exceed
MINIMUM EXTENT.
The statement to convert tbs_1 to a locally managed tablespace is as follows:
EXEC DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL ('tbs_1');

If you choose to specify an allocation unit size, it must be a factor of the unit size
calculated by the system.

Managing Tablespaces

13-29

Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally Managed Tablespace

Migrating the SYSTEM Tablespace to a Locally Managed Tablespace
Use the DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL procedure to migrate the
SYSTEM tablespace from dictionary-managed to locally managed.
Before performing the migration the following conditions must be met:
■

The database has a default temporary tablespace that is not SYSTEM.

■

There are no rollback segments in the dictionary-managed tablespace.

■

■

There is at least one online rollback segment in a locally managed tablespace, or if
using automatic undo management, an undo tablespace is online.
All tablespaces other than the tablespace containing the undo space (that is, the
tablespace containing the rollback segment or the undo tablespace) are in
read-only mode.

■

The SYSAUX tablespace is offline.

■

The system is in restricted mode.

■

There is a cold backup of the database.

All of these conditions, except for the cold backup, are enforced by the TABLESPACE_
MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL procedure.
The following statement performs the migration:
SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.TABLESPACE_MIGRATE_TO_LOCAL('SYSTEM');

After the SYSTEM tablespace is migrated to locally managed,
any dictionary-managed tablespaces in the database cannot be
made read/write. If you want to use the dictionary-managed
tablespaces in read/write mode, then Oracle recommends that you
first migrate these tablespaces to locally managed before migrating
the SYSTEM tablespace.

Note:

Tablespace Data Dictionary Views
The following data dictionary and dynamic performance views provide useful
information about the tablespaces of a database.
View

Description

V$TABLESPACE

Name and number of all tablespaces from the control file.

V$ENCRYPTED_TABLESPACES

Name and encryption algorithm of all encrypted tablespaces.

DBA_TABLESPACES, USER_TABLESPACES

Descriptions of all (or user accessible) tablespaces.

DBA_TABLESPACE_GROUPS

Displays the tablespace groups and the tablespaces that
belong to them.

DBA_SEGMENTS, USER_SEGMENTS

Information about segments within all (or user accessible)
tablespaces.

DBA_EXTENTS, USER_EXTENTS

Information about data extents within all (or user accessible)
tablespaces.

DBA_FREE_SPACE, USER_FREE_SPACE

Information about free extents within all (or user accessible)
tablespaces.

13-30 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tablespace Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

DBA_TEMP_FREE_SPACE

Displays the total allocated and free space in each temporary
tablespace.

V$DATAFILE

Information about all data files, including tablespace number
of owning tablespace.

V$TEMPFILE

Information about all temp files, including tablespace number
of owning tablespace.

DBA_DATA_FILES

Shows files (data files) belonging to tablespaces.

DBA_TEMP_FILES

Shows files (temp files) belonging to temporary tablespaces.

V$TEMP_EXTENT_MAP

Information for all extents in all locally managed temporary
tablespaces.

V$TEMP_EXTENT_POOL

For locally managed temporary tablespaces: the state of
temporary space cached and used for by each instance.

V$TEMP_SPACE_HEADER

Shows space used/free for each temp file.

DBA_USERS

Default and temporary tablespaces for all users.

DBA_TS_QUOTAS

Lists tablespace quotas for all users.

V$SORT_SEGMENT

Information about every sort segment in a given instance. The
view is only updated when the tablespace is of the TEMPORARY
type.

V$TEMPSEG_USAGE

Describes temporary (sort) segment usage by user for
temporary or permanent tablespaces.

The following are just a few examples of using some of these views.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for complete description of
these views

Example 1: Listing Tablespaces and Default Storage Parameters
To list the names and default storage parameters of all tablespaces in a database, use
the following query on the DBA_TABLESPACES view:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME "TABLESPACE",
INITIAL_EXTENT "INITIAL_EXT",
NEXT_EXTENT "NEXT_EXT",
MIN_EXTENTS "MIN_EXT",
MAX_EXTENTS "MAX_EXT",
PCT_INCREASE
FROM DBA_TABLESPACES;
TABLESPACE
---------RBS
SYSTEM
TEMP
TESTTBS
USERS

INITIAL_EXT
----------1048576
106496
106496
57344
57344

NEXT_EXT
-------1048576
106496
106496
16384
57344

MIN_EXT
------2
1
1
2
1

MAX_EXT
------40
99
99
10
99

PCT_INCREASE
-----------0
1
0
1
1

Example 2: Listing the Data Files and Associated Tablespaces of a Database
To list the names, sizes, and associated tablespaces of a database, enter the following
query on the DBA_DATA_FILES view:

Managing Tablespaces

13-31

Tablespace Data Dictionary Views

SELECT FILE_NAME, BLOCKS, TABLESPACE_NAME
FROM DBA_DATA_FILES;
FILE_NAME
-----------/U02/ORACLE/IDDB3/DBF/RBS01.DBF
/U02/ORACLE/IDDB3/DBF/SYSTEM01.DBF
/U02/ORACLE/IDDB3/DBF/TEMP01.DBF
/U02/ORACLE/IDDB3/DBF/TESTTBS01.DBF
/U02/ORACLE/IDDB3/DBF/USERS01.DBF

BLOCKS
---------1536
6586
6400
6400
384

TABLESPACE_NAME
------------------RBS
SYSTEM
TEMP
TESTTBS
USERS

Example 3: Displaying Statistics for Free Space (Extents) of Each Tablespace
To produce statistics about free extents and coalescing activity for each tablespace in
the database, enter the following query:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME "TABLESPACE", FILE_ID,
COUNT(*)
"PIECES",
MAX(blocks) "MAXIMUM",
MIN(blocks) "MINIMUM",
AVG(blocks) "AVERAGE",
SUM(blocks) "TOTAL"
FROM DBA_FREE_SPACE
GROUP BY TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_ID;
TABLESPACE
---------RBS
SYSTEM
TEMP
TESTTBS
USERS

FILE_ID
------2
1
4
5
3

PIECES
-----1
1
1
5
1

MAXIMUM
------955
119
6399
6364
363

MINIMUM
------955
119
6399
3
363

AVERAGE
------955
119
6399
1278
363

TOTAL
-----955
119
6399
6390
363

PIECES shows the number of free space extents in the tablespace file, MAXIMUM and
MINIMUM show the largest and smallest contiguous area of space in database blocks,
AVERAGE shows the average size in blocks of a free space extent, and TOTAL shows the
amount of free space in each tablespace file in blocks. This query is useful when you
are going to create a new object or you know that a segment is about to extend, and
you want to ensure that there is enough space in the containing tablespace.

13-32 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

14
Managing Data Files and Temp Files
14

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Guidelines for Managing Data Files

■

Creating Data Files and Adding Data Files to a Tablespace

■

Changing Data File Size

■

Altering Data File Availability

■

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

■

Dropping Data Files

■

Verifying Data Blocks in Data Files

■

Copying Files Using the Database Server

■

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

■

Data Files Data Dictionary Views
Temp files are a special class of data files that are associated
only with temporary tablespaces. Information in this chapter
applies to both data files and temp files except where differences
are noted. Temp files are further described in "Creating a Locally
Managed Temporary Tablespace" on page 13-12

Note:

See Also:
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files" for information
about creating data files and temp files that are both created
and managed by the Oracle Database server
Oracle Database Concepts

Guidelines for Managing Data Files
Data files are physical files of the operating system that store the data of all logical
structures in the database. They must be explicitly created for each tablespace.
Oracle Database assigns each data file two associated file numbers, an absolute file
number and a relative file number, that are used to uniquely identify it. These
numbers are described in the following table:

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-1

Guidelines for Managing Data Files

Type of File Number

Description

Absolute

Uniquely identifies a data file in the database. This file number
can be used in many SQL statements that reference data files in
place of using the file name. The absolute file number can be
found in the FILE# column of the V$DATAFILE or V$TEMPFILE
view, or in the FILE_ID column of the DBA_DATA_FILES or DBA_
TEMP_FILES view.

Relative

Uniquely identifies a data file within a tablespace. For small and
medium size databases, relative file numbers usually have the
same value as the absolute file number. However, when the
number of data files in a database exceeds a threshold (typically
1023), the relative file number differs from the absolute file
number. In a bigfile tablespace, the relative file number is always
1024 (4096 on OS/390 platform).

This section describes aspects of managing data files, and contains the following
topics:
■

Determine the Number of Data Files

■

Determine the Size of Data Files

■

Place Data Files Appropriately

■

Store Data Files Separate from Redo Log Files

Determine the Number of Data Files
At least one data file is required for the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces of a database.
Your database should contain several other tablespaces with their associated data files
or temp files. The number of data files that you anticipate creating for your database
can affect the settings of initialization parameters and the specification of CREATE
DATABASE statement clauses.
Be aware that your operating system might impose limits on the number of data files
contained in your Oracle Database. Also consider that the number of data files, and
how and where they are allocated can affect the performance of your database.
One means of controlling the number of data files in your
database and simplifying their management is to use bigfile
tablespaces. Bigfile tablespaces comprise a single, very large data
file and are especially useful in ultra large databases and where a
logical volume manager is used for managing operating system
files. Bigfile tablespaces are discussed in "Bigfile Tablespaces" on
page 13-6.

Note:

Consider the following guidelines when determining the number of data files for your
database.

Determine a Value for the DB_FILES Initialization Parameter
When starting an Oracle Database instance, the DB_FILES initialization parameter
indicates the amount of SGA space to reserve for data file information and thus, the
maximum number of data files that can be created for the instance. This limit applies
for the life of the instance. You can change the value of DB_FILES (by changing the
initialization parameter setting), but the new value does not take effect until you shut
down and restart the instance.
14-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Data Files

When determining a value for DB_FILES, take the following into consideration:
■

■

If the value of DB_FILES is too low, you cannot add data files beyond the DB_FILES
limit without first shutting down the database.
If the value of DB_FILES is too high, memory is unnecessarily consumed.

Consider Possible Limitations When Adding Data Files to a Tablespace
You can add data files to traditional smallfile tablespaces, subject to the following
limitations:
■

■
■

■

■

Operating systems often impose a limit on the number of files a process can open
simultaneously. More data files cannot be created when the operating system limit
of open files is reached.
Operating systems impose limits on the number and size of data files.
The database imposes a maximum limit on the number of data files for any Oracle
Database opened by any instance. This limit is operating system specific.
You cannot exceed the number of data files specified by the DB_FILES initialization
parameter.
When you issue CREATE DATABASE or CREATE CONTROLFILE statements, the
MAXDATAFILES parameter specifies an initial size of the data file portion of the
control file. However, if you attempt to add a new file whose number is greater
than MAXDATAFILES, but less than or equal to DB_FILES, the control file will expand
automatically so that the data files section can accommodate more files.

Consider the Performance Impact
The number of data files contained in a tablespace, and ultimately the database, can
have an impact upon performance.
Oracle Database allows more data files in the database than the operating system
defined limit. The database DBWn processes can open all online data files. Oracle
Database is capable of treating open file descriptors as a cache, automatically closing
files when the number of open file descriptors reaches the operating system-defined
limit. This can have a negative performance impact. When possible, adjust the
operating system limit on open file descriptors so that it is larger than the number of
online data files in the database.
See Also:
■

■

Your operating system specific Oracle documentation for more
information on operating system limits
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about the MAXDATAFILES parameter of the CREATE DATABASE or
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement

Determine the Size of Data Files
When creating a tablespace, you should estimate the potential size of database objects
and create sufficient data files. Later, if needed, you can create additional data files and
add them to a tablespace to increase the total amount of disk space allocated to it, and
consequently the database. Preferably, place data files on multiple devices to ensure
that data is spread evenly across all devices.

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-3

Creating Data Files and Adding Data Files to a Tablespace

Place Data Files Appropriately
Tablespace location is determined by the physical location of the data files that
constitute that tablespace. Use the hardware resources of your computer appropriately.
For example, if several disk drives are available to store the database, consider placing
potentially contending data files on separate disks.This way, when users query
information, both disk drives can work simultaneously, retrieving data at the same
time.
See Also: Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for
information about I/O and the placement of data files

Store Data Files Separate from Redo Log Files
Data files should not be stored on the same disk drive that stores the database redo log
files. If the data files and redo log files are stored on the same disk drive and that disk
drive fails, the files cannot be used in your database recovery procedures.
If you multiplex your redo log files, then the likelihood of losing all of your redo log
files is low, so you can store data files on the same drive as some redo log files.

Creating Data Files and Adding Data Files to a Tablespace
You can create data files and associate them with a tablespace using any of the
statements listed in the following table. In all cases, you can either specify the file
specifications for the data files being created, or you can use the Oracle Managed Files
feature to create files that are created and managed by the database server. The table
includes a brief description of the statement, as used to create data files, and references
the section of this book where use of the statement is specifically described:
SQL Statement

Description

Additional Information

CREATE TABLESPACE

Creates a tablespace and the data
files that comprise it

"Creating Tablespaces"
on page 13-2

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE

Creates a locally-managed
temporary tablespace and the
tempfiles (temp files are a special
kind of data file) that comprise it

"Creating a Locally
Managed Temporary
Tablespace" on
page 13-12

ALTER TABLESPACE ... ADD DATAFILE

Creates and adds a data file to a
tablespace

"Altering a Locally
Managed Tablespace" on
page 13-22

ALTER TABLESPACE ... ADD TEMPFILE

Creates and adds a temp file to a
temporary tablespace

"Altering a Locally
Managed Temporary
Tablespace" on
page 13-22

CREATE DATABASE

Creates a database and associated
data files

"Creating a Database
with the CREATE
DATABASE Statement"
on page 2-6

ALTER DATABASE ... CREATE DATAFILE

Creates a new empty data file in
place of an old one--useful to
re-create a data file that was lost
with no backup.

See Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery
User's Guide.

If you add new data files to a tablespace and do not fully specify the filenames, the
database creates the data files in the default database directory or the current directory,
14-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Changing Data File Size

depending upon your operating system. Oracle recommends you always specify a
fully qualified name for a data file. Unless you want to reuse existing files, make sure
the new filenames do not conflict with other files. Old files that have been previously
dropped will be overwritten.
If a statement that creates a data file fails, the database removes any created operating
system files. However, because of the large number of potential errors that can occur
with file systems and storage subsystems, there can be situations where you must
manually remove the files using operating system commands.

Changing Data File Size
This section describes the various ways to alter the size of a data file, and contains the
following topics:
■

Enabling and Disabling Automatic Extension for a Data File

■

Manually Resizing a Data File

Enabling and Disabling Automatic Extension for a Data File
You can create data files or alter existing data files so that they automatically increase
in size when more space is needed in the database. The file size increases in specified
increments up to a specified maximum.
Setting your data files to extend automatically provides these advantages:
■
■

Reduces the need for immediate intervention when a tablespace runs out of space
Ensures applications will not halt or be suspended because of failures to allocate
extents

To determine whether a data file is auto-extensible, query the DBA_DATA_FILES view
and examine the AUTOEXTENSIBLE column.
You can specify automatic file extension by specifying an AUTOEXTEND ON clause when
you create data files using the following SQL statements:
■

CREATE DATABASE

■

ALTER DATABASE

■

CREATE TABLESPACE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE

You can enable or disable automatic file extension for existing data files, or manually
resize a data file, using the ALTER DATABASE statement. For a bigfile tablespace, you are
able to perform these operations using the ALTER TABLESPACE statement.
The following example enables automatic extension for a data file added to the users
tablespace:
ALTER TABLESPACE users
ADD DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf' SIZE 10M
AUTOEXTEND ON
NEXT 512K
MAXSIZE 250M;

The value of NEXT is the minimum size of the increments added to the file when it
extends. The value of MAXSIZE is the maximum size to which the file can automatically
extend.

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-5

Altering Data File Availability

The next example disables the automatic extension for the data file.
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf'
AUTOEXTEND OFF;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the SQL statements for creating or altering data
files

Manually Resizing a Data File
You can manually increase or decrease the size of a data file using the ALTER DATABASE
statement. Therefore, you can add more space to your database without adding more
data files. This is beneficial if you are concerned about reaching the maximum number
of data files allowed in your database.
For a bigfile tablespace you can use the ALTER TABLESPACE statement to resize a data
file. You are not allowed to add a data file to a bigfile tablespace.
Manually reducing the sizes of data files enables you to reclaim unused space in the
database. This is useful for correcting errors in estimates of space requirements.
In the next example, assume that the data file /u02/oracle/rbdb1/stuff01.dbf has
extended up to 250M. However, because its tablespace now stores smaller objects, the
data file can be reduced in size.
The following statement decreases the size of data file
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/stuff01.dbf:
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/stuff01.dbf'
RESIZE 100M;

It is not always possible to decrease the size of a file to a
specific value. It could be that the file contains data beyond the
specified decreased size, in which case the database will return an
error.

Note:

Altering Data File Availability
You can alter the availability of individual data files or temp files by taking them
offline or bringing them online. Offline data files are unavailable to the database and
cannot be accessed until they are brought back online.
Reasons for altering data file availability include the following:
■
■

■

■

You want to perform an offline backup of a data file.
You want to rename or relocate a data file. You must first take it offline or take the
tablespace offline.
The database has problems writing to a data file and automatically takes the data
file offline. Later, after resolving the problem, you can bring the data file back
online manually.
A data file becomes missing or corrupted. You must take it offline before you can
open the database.

The data files of a read-only tablespace can be taken offline or brought online, but
bringing a file online does not affect the read-only status of the tablespace. You cannot
write to the data file until the tablespace is returned to the read/write state.

14-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering Data File Availability

You can make all data files of a tablespace temporarily
unavailable by taking the tablespace itself offline. You must leave
these files in the tablespace to bring the tablespace back online,
although you can relocate or rename them following procedures
similar to those shown in "Renaming and Relocating Data Files" on
page 14-8.

Note:

For more information, see "Taking Tablespaces Offline" on
page 13-16.
To take a data file offline or bring it online, you must have the ALTER DATABASE system
privilege. To take all data files or temp files offline using the ALTER TABLESPACE
statement, you must have the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system
privilege. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, the database must be
open in exclusive mode.
This section describes ways to alter data file availability, and contains the following
topics:
■

Bringing Data Files Online or Taking Offline in ARCHIVELOG Mode

■

Taking Data Files Offline in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

■

Altering the Availability of All Data Files or Temp Files in a Tablespace

Bringing Data Files Online or Taking Offline in ARCHIVELOG Mode
To bring an individual data file online, issue the ALTER DATABASE statement and
include the DATAFILE clause. The following statement brings the specified data file
online:
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/stuff01.dbf' ONLINE;

To take the same file offline, issue the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/stuff01.dbf' OFFLINE;

Note: To use this form of the ALTER DATABASE statement, the
database must be in ARCHIVELOG mode. This requirement prevents
you from accidentally losing the data file, since taking the data file
offline while in NOARCHIVELOG mode is likely to result in losing the
file.

Taking Data Files Offline in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
To take a data file offline when the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode, use the ALTER
DATABASE statement with both the DATAFILE and OFFLINE FOR DROP clauses.
■

■

The OFFLINE keyword causes the database to mark the data file OFFLINE, whether
or not it is corrupted, so that you can open the database.
The FOR DROP keywords mark the data file for subsequent dropping. Such a data
file can no longer be brought back online.

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-7

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

This operation does not actually drop the data file. It
remains in the data dictionary, and you must drop it yourself using
one of the following methods:

Note:

■

An ALTER TABLESPACE ... DROP DATAFILE statement.
After an OFFLINE FOR DROP, this method works for dictionary
managed tablespaces only.

■

■

A DROP TABLESPACE ... INCLUDING CONTENTS AND DATAFILES
statement
If the preceding methods fail, an operating system command to
delete the data file. This is the least desirable method, as it
leaves references to the data file in the data dictionary and
control files.

The following statement takes the specified data file offline and marks it to be
dropped:
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf' OFFLINE FOR DROP;

Altering the Availability of All Data Files or Temp Files in a Tablespace
Clauses of the ALTER TABLESPACE statement allow you to change the online or offline
status of all of the data files or temp files within a tablespace. Specifically, the
statements that affect online/offline status are:
■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... DATAFILE {ONLINE|OFFLINE}

■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... TEMPFILE {ONLINE|OFFLINE}

You are required only to enter the tablespace name, not the individual data files or
temp files. All of the data files or temp files are affected, but the online/offline status
of the tablespace itself is not changed.
In most cases the preceding ALTER TABLESPACE statements can be issued whenever the
database is mounted, even if it is not open. However, the database must not be open if
the tablespace is the SYSTEM tablespace, an undo tablespace, or the default temporary
tablespace. The ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE and ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE statements
also have ONLINE/OFFLINE clauses, however in those statements you must enter all of
the filenames for the tablespace.
The syntax is different from the ALTER TABLESPACE...ONLINE|OFFLINE statement that
alters tablespace availability, because that is a different operation. The ALTER
TABLESPACE statement takes data files offline as well as the tablespace, but it cannot be
used to alter the status of a temporary tablespace or its temp file(s).

Renaming and Relocating Data Files
You can rename online or offline data files to either change their names or relocate
them.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Renaming and Relocating Online Data Files

■

Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files

14-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

Renaming and Relocating Online Data Files
You can use the ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE SQL statement to rename or relocate
online data files. This statement enables you to rename or relocate a data file while the
database is open and users are accessing the data file.
When you rename or relocate online data files, the pointers to the data files, as
recorded in the database control file, are changed. The files are also physically
renamed or relocated at the operating system level.
You might rename or relocate online data files because you want to allow users to
access the data files when you perform one of the following tasks:
■

Move the data files from one type of storage to another

■

Move data files that are accessed infrequently to lower cost storage

■

Make a tablespace read-only and move its data files to write-once storage

■

Move a database into Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM)

When you run the ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE statement and a file with the same
name exists in the destination location, you can specify the REUSE option to overwrite
the existing file. When REUSE is not specified, and a file with the same name exists in
the destination location, the existing file is not overwritten, and the statement returns
an error.
By default, when you run the ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE statement and specify a
new location for a data file, the statement moves the data file. However, you can
specify the KEEP option to retain the data file in the old location and copy it to the new
location. In this case, the database only uses the data file in the new location when the
statement completes successfully.
When you rename or relocate a data file with ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE
statement, Oracle Database creates a copy of the data file when it is performing the
operation. Ensure that there is adequate disk space for the original data file and the
copy during the operation.
You can view the name, location, and online status of each data file by querying the
DBA_DATA_FILES view.

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-9

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

Note:
■

■

■

■

The ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE statement raises an error if the
specified data file is offline.
If you are using a standby database, then you can perform an
online move data file operation independently on the primary and
on the standby (either physical or logical). The standby is not
affected when a data file is moved on the primary, and vice versa.
See Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more
information.
A flashback operation does not relocate a moved data file to its
previous location. If you move a data file online from one location
to another and later flash back the database to a point in time
before the move, then the data file remains in the new location,
but the contents of the data file are changed to the contents at the
time specified in the flashback. See Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery User's Guide for more information about flashback
database operations.
When you relocate a data file on the Windows platform, the
original data file might be retained in the old location, even when
the KEEP option is omitted. In this case, the database only uses the
data file in the new location when the statement completes
successfully. You can delete the old data file manually after the
operation completes if necessary.

To rename or relocate online data files:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect to the database as a user with ALTER DATABASE system
privilege.
See "Starting Up a Database Using SQL*Plus" on page 3-2.

2.

Issue the ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE statement and specify the data file.

Examples
The following examples rename or relocate an online data file:
■

Renaming an Online Data File

■

Relocating an Online Data File

■

Copying an Online Data File

■

Relocating an Online Data File and Overwriting an Existing File

■

Relocating an Online Data File to Oracle ASM

Example 14–1

Renaming an Online Data File

This example renames the data file user1.dbf to user01.dbf while keeping the data
file in the same location.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf'
TO '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user01.dbf';

14-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

Example 14–2

Relocating an Online Data File

This example moves the data file user1.dbf from the /u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory to
the /u02/oracle/rbdb1/ directory. After the operation, the file is no longer in the
/u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf'
TO '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf';
Example 14–3

Copying an Online Data File

This example copies the data file user1.dbf from the /u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory to
the /u02/oracle/rbdb1/ directory. After the operation, the old file is retained in the
/u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf'
TO '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf' KEEP;
Example 14–4

Relocating an Online Data File and Overwriting an Existing File

This example moves the data file user1.dbf from the /u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory to
the /u02/oracle/rbdb1/ directory. If a file with the same name exists in the
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/ directory, then the statement overwrites the file.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf'
TO '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf' REUSE;
Example 14–5

Relocating an Online Data File to Oracle ASM

This example moves the data file user1.dbf from the /u01/oracle/rbdb1/ directory to
an Oracle ASM location.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf'
TO '+dgroup_01/data/orcl/datafile/user1.dbf';

Example 14–6

Moving a File from One ASM Location to Another ASM Location

This example moves the data file from one Oracle ASM location to another Oracle
ASM location.
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE '+dgroup_01/data/orcl/datafile/user1.dbf'
TO '+dgroup_02/data/orcl/datafile/user1.dbf';

You also can move an online data file with Oracle ASM by mirroring the data file and
then removing the original file location from the mirror. The online data file move
operation might be faster when you use Oracle ASM to move the file instead of the
ALTER DATABASE MOVE DATAFILE statement.
Video:

Oracle Database 12c: Moving Online Data Files

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the ALTER DATABASE statement
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide

Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files
You can rename and relocate offline data files. Some possible procedures for doing this
are described in the following sections:

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-11

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

■

Procedures for Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace

■

Procedure for Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files in Multiple Tablespaces

When you rename and relocate offline data files with these procedures, only the
pointers to the data files, as recorded in the database control file, are changed. The
procedures do not physically rename any operating system files, nor do they copy files
at the operating system level. Renaming and relocating offline data files involves
several steps. Read the steps and examples carefully before performing these
procedures.

Procedures for Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace
The section suggests some procedures for renaming and relocating offline data files
that can be used for a single tablespace. You must have ALTER TABLESPACE system
privilege to perform these procedures.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Procedure for Renaming Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace

■

Procedure for Relocating Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace
See Also: "Taking Tablespaces Offline" on page 13-16 for more
information about taking tablespaces offline in preparation for
renaming or relocating data files

Procedure for Renaming Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace To rename offline data files
in a single tablespace, complete the following steps:
1.

Take the tablespace that contains the data files offline. The database must be open.
For example:
ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE NORMAL;

2.

Rename the data files using the operating system.

3.

Use the ALTER TABLESPACE statement with the RENAME DATAFILE clause to change
the filenames within the database.
For example, the following statement renames the data files
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf and /u02/oracle/rbdb1/user2.dbf
to/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users01.dbf and /u02/oracle/rbdb1/users02.dbf,
respectively:
ALTER TABLESPACE users
RENAME DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user1.dbf',
'/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user2.dbf'
TO '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users01.dbf',
'/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users02.dbf';

Always provide complete filenames (including their paths) to properly identify
the old and new data files. In particular, specify the old data file name exactly as it
appears in the DBA_DATA_FILES view of the data dictionary.
4.

Back up the database. After making any structural changes to a database, always
perform an immediate and complete backup.

5.

Bring the tablespace back online using an ALTER TABLESPACE statement with the
ONLINE clause:
ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE

14-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Renaming and Relocating Data Files

Procedure for Relocating Offline Data Files in a Single Tablespace Here is a sample procedure
for relocating an offline data file.
Assume the following conditions:
■

■

An open database has a tablespace named users that is made up of data files all
located on the same disk.
The data files of the users tablespace are to be relocated to different and separate
disk drives.

■

You are currently connected with administrator privileges to the open database.

■

You have a current backup of the database.

Complete the following steps:
1.

If you do not know the specific file names or sizes, you can obtain this information
by issuing the following query of the data dictionary view DBA_DATA_FILES:
SQL> SELECT FILE_NAME, BYTES FROM DBA_DATA_FILES
2> WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME = 'USERS';
FILE_NAME
-----------------------------------------/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users01.dbf
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users02.dbf

2.

BYTES
---------------102400000
102400000

Take the tablespace containing the data files offline:
ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE NORMAL;

3.

Copy the data files to their new locations and rename them using the operating
system. You can copy the files using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package discussed
in "Copying Files Using the Database Server" on page 14-16.
You can temporarily exit SQL*Plus to execute an operating
system command to copy a file by using the SQL*Plus HOST
command.
Note:

4.

Rename the data files within the database.
The data file pointers for the files that comprise the users tablespace, recorded in
the control file of the associated database, must now be changed from the old
names to the new names.
Use the ALTER TABLESPACE...RENAME DATAFILE statement.
ALTER TABLESPACE users
RENAME DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users01.dbf',
'/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users02.dbf'
TO '/u03/oracle/rbdb1/users01.dbf',
'/u04/oracle/rbdb1/users02.dbf';

5.

Back up the database. After making any structural changes to a database, always
perform an immediate and complete backup.

6.

Bring the tablespace back online using an ALTER TABLESPACE statement with the
ONLINE clause:
ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-13

Dropping Data Files

Procedure for Renaming and Relocating Offline Data Files in Multiple Tablespaces
You can rename and relocate data files in one or more tablespaces using the ALTER
DATABASE RENAME FILE statement. This method is the only choice if you want to
rename or relocate data files of several tablespaces in one operation. You must have
the ALTER DATABASE system privilege.
Note: To rename or relocate data files of the SYSTEM tablespace, the
default temporary tablespace, or the active undo tablespace you
must use this ALTER DATABASE method because you cannot take
these tablespaces offline.

To rename data files in multiple tablespaces, follow these steps.
1.

Ensure that the database is mounted but closed.
Optionally, the database does not have to be closed, but the
data files (or temp files) must be offline.

Note:

2.

Copy the data files to be renamed to their new locations and new names, using the
operating system. You can copy the files using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
discussed in "Copying Files Using the Database Server" on page 14-16.

3.

Use ALTER DATABASE to rename the file pointers in the database control file.
For example, the following statement renames the data
files/u02/oracle/rbdb1/sort01.dbf and /u02/oracle/rbdb1/user3.dbf to
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/temp01.dbf and /u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf,
respectively:
ALTER DATABASE
RENAME FILE '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/sort01.dbf',
'/u02/oracle/rbdb1/user3.dbf'
TO '/u02/oracle/rbdb1/temp01.dbf',
'/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf';

Always provide complete filenames (including their paths) to properly identify
the old and new data files. In particular, specify the old data file names exactly as
they appear in the DBA_DATA_FILES view.
4.

Back up the database. After making any structural changes to a database, always
perform an immediate and complete backup.

Dropping Data Files
You use the DROP DATAFILE and DROP TEMPFILE clauses of the ALTER TABLESPACE
command to drop a single data file or temp file. The data file must be empty. (A data
file is considered to be empty when no extents remain allocated from it.) When you
drop a data file or temp file, references to the data file or temp file are removed from
the data dictionary and control files, and the physical file is deleted from the file
system or Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) disk group.
The following example drops the data file identified by the alias example_df3.f in the
Oracle ASM disk group DGROUP1. The data file belongs to the example tablespace.
ALTER TABLESPACE example DROP DATAFILE '+DGROUP1/example_df3.f';

14-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Verifying Data Blocks in Data Files

The next example drops the temp file lmtemp02.dbf, which belongs to the lmtemp
tablespace.
ALTER TABLESPACE lmtemp DROP TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf';

This is equivalent to the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE '/u02/oracle/data/lmtemp02.dbf' DROP
INCLUDING DATAFILES;

If there are sessions using a temp file, and you attempt to drop
the temp file, then an error is returned, and the temp file is not
dropped. In this case, the temp file is taken offline, and queries that
attempt to use the temp file will fail while the temp file is offline.

Note:

See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for ALTER TABLESPACE syntax details.
Restrictions for Dropping Data Files
The following are restrictions for dropping data files and temp files:
■

The database must be open.

■

If a data file is not empty, it cannot be dropped.
If you must remove a data file that is not empty and that cannot be made empty
by dropping schema objects, you must drop the tablespace that contains the data
file.

■

You cannot drop the first or only data file in a tablespace.
Therefore, DROP DATAFILE cannot be used with a bigfile tablespace.

■

You cannot drop data files in a read-only tablespace that was migrated from
dictionary managed to locally managed. Dropping a data file from all other
read-only tablespaces is supported.

■

You cannot drop data files in the SYSTEM tablespace.

■

If a data file in a locally managed tablespace is offline, it cannot be dropped.
See Also:

Dropping Tablespaces on page 13-25

Verifying Data Blocks in Data Files
To configure the database to use checksums to verify data blocks, set the initialization
parameter DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM to TYPICAL (the default). This causes the DBWn process
and the direct loader to calculate a checksum for each block and to store the checksum
in the block header when writing the block to disk.
The checksum is verified when the block is read, but only if DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM is
TRUE and the last write of the block stored a checksum. If corruption is detected, the
database returns message ORA-01578 and writes information about the corruption to
the alert log.
The value of the DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM parameter can be changed dynamically using the
ALTER SYSTEM statement. Regardless of the setting of this parameter, checksums are
always used to verify data blocks in the SYSTEM tablespace.

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-15

Copying Files Using the Database Server

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization parameter
See Also:

Copying Files Using the Database Server
You do not necessarily have to use the operating system to copy a file within a
database, or transfer a file between databases as you would do when using the
transportable tablespace feature. You can use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package, or you
can use Streams propagation. Using Streams is not discussed in this book, but an
example of using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package is shown in "Copying a File on a
Local File System" on page 14-16.
The DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package can use a local file system or an Oracle Automatic
Storage Management (Oracle ASM) disk group as the source or destination for a file
transfer. Only Oracle database files (data files, temp files, control files, and so on) can
be involved in transfers to and from Oracle ASM.
Do not use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to copy or
transfer a file that is being modified by a database because doing so
may result in an inconsistent file.

Caution:

On UNIX systems, the owner of a file created by the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package is
the owner of the shadow process running the instance. Normally, this owner is ORACLE.
A file created using DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER is always writable and readable by all
processes in the database, but non privileged users who need to read or write such a
file directly may need access from a system administrator.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Copying a File on a Local File System

■

Third-Party File Transfer

■

File Transfer and the DBMS_SCHEDULER Package

■

Advanced File Transfer Mechanisms
See Also:
■

Oracle Streams Concepts and Administration

■

"Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
description of the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package.

Copying a File on a Local File System
This section includes an example that uses the COPY_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_
TRANSFER package to copy a file on a local file system. The following example copies a
binary file named db1.dat from the /usr/admin/source directory to the
/usr/admin/destination directory as db1_copy.dat on a local file system:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as an administrative user who can grant privileges and
create directory objects using SQL.

2.

Use the SQL command CREATE DIRECTORY to create a directory object for the
directory from which you want to copy the file. A directory object is similar to an
alias for the directory. For example, to create a directory object called SOURCE_DIR

14-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Copying Files Using the Database Server

for the /usr/admin/source directory on your computer system, execute the
following statement:
CREATE DIRECTORY SOURCE_DIR AS '/usr/admin/source';
3.

Use the SQL command CREATE DIRECTORY to create a directory object for the
directory into which you want to copy the binary file. For example, to create a
directory object called DEST_DIR for the /usr/admin/destination directory on
your computer system, execute the following statement:
CREATE DIRECTORY DEST_DIR AS '/usr/admin/destination';

4.

Grant the required privileges to the user who will run the COPY_FILE procedure. In
this example, the strmadmin user runs the procedure.
GRANT EXECUTE ON DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER TO strmadmin;
GRANT READ ON DIRECTORY source_dir TO strmadmin;
GRANT WRITE ON DIRECTORY dest_dir TO strmadmin;

5.

Connect as strmadmin user and provide the user password when prompted:
CONNECT strmadmin

6.

Run the COPY_FILE procedure to copy the file:
BEGIN
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.COPY_FILE(
source_directory_object
source_file_name
destination_directory_object
destination_file_name
END;
/

=>
=>
=>
=>

'SOURCE_DIR',
'db1.dat',
'DEST_DIR',
'db1_copy.dat');

Do not use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to copy or
transfer a file that is being modified by a database because doing so
may result in an inconsistent file.

Caution:

Third-Party File Transfer
Although the procedures in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package typically are invoked as
local procedure calls, they can also be invoked as remote procedure calls. A remote
procedure call lets you copy a file within a database even when you are connected to a
different database. For example, you can make a copy of a file on database DB, even if
you are connected to another database, by executing the following remote procedure
call:
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.COPY_FILE@DB(...)

Using remote procedure calls enables you to copy a file between two databases, even if
you are not connected to either database. For example, you can connect to database A
and then transfer a file from database B to database C. In this example, database A is the
third party because it is neither the source of nor the destination for the transferred
file.
A third-party file transfer can both push and pull a file. Continuing with the previous
example, you can perform a third-party file transfer if you have a database link from A

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-17

Copying Files Using the Database Server

to either B or C, and that database has a database link to the other database. Database A
does not need a database link to both B and C.
For example, if you have a database link from A to B, and another database link from B
to C, then you can run the following procedure at A to transfer a file from B to C:
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.PUT_FILE@B(...)

This configuration pushes the file.
Alternatively, if you have a database link from A to C, and another database link from C
to B, then you can run the following procedure at database A to transfer a file from B to
C:
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.GET_FILE@C(...)

This configuration pulls the file.

File Transfer and the DBMS_SCHEDULER Package
You can use the DBMS_SCHEDULER package to transfer files automatically within a single
database and between databases. Third-party file transfers are also supported by the
DBMS_SCHEDULER package. You can monitor a long-running file transfer done by the
Scheduler using the V$SESSION_LONGOPS dynamic performance view at the databases
reading or writing the file. Any database links used by a Scheduler job must be fixed
user database links.
You can use a restartable Scheduler job to improve the reliability of file transfers
automatically, especially if there are intermittent failures. If a file transfer fails before
the destination file is closed, then you can restart the file transfer from the beginning
once the database has removed any partially written destination file. Hence you
should consider using a restartable Scheduler job to transfer a file if the rest of the job
is restartable. See Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler" for more
information on Scheduler jobs.
If a single restartable job transfers several files, then you
should consider restart scenarios in which some of the files have
been transferred already and some have not been transferred yet.

Note:

Advanced File Transfer Mechanisms
You can create more sophisticated file transfer mechanisms using both the DBMS_FILE_
TRANSFER package and the DBMS_SCHEDULER package. For example, when several
databases have a copy of the file you want to transfer, you can consider factors such as
source availability, source load, and communication bandwidth to the destination
database when deciding which source database to contact first and which source
databases to try if failures occur. In this case, the information about these factors must
be available to you, and you must create the mechanism that considers these factors.
As another example, when early completion time is more important than load, you can
submit several Scheduler jobs to transfer files in parallel. As a final example, knowing
something about file layout on the source and destination databases enables you to
minimize disk contention by performing or scheduling simultaneous transfers only if
they use different I/O devices.

14-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

Mapping Files to Physical Devices
In an environment where data files are file system files, it is relatively straight forward
to see the association between a tablespace and the underlying device. Oracle
Database provides views, such as DBA_TABLESPACES, DBA_DATA_FILES, and V$DATAFILE,
that provide a mapping of files onto devices. These mappings, along with device
statistics can be used to evaluate I/O performance.
However, with the introduction of host based Logical Volume Managers (LVM), and
sophisticated storage subsystems that provide RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive
Disks) features, it is not easy to determine file to device mapping. This poses a
problem because it becomes difficult to determine your "hottest" files when they are
hidden behind a "black box". This section presents the Oracle Database approach to
resolving this problem.
The following topics are contained in this section:
■

Overview of Oracle Database File Mapping Interface

■

How the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface Works

■

Using the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface

■

File Mapping Examples
This section presents an overview of the Oracle Database
file mapping interface and explains how to use the DBMS_STORAGE_
MAP package and dynamic performance views to expose the
mapping of files onto physical devices. You can more easily access
this functionality through the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control. It provides an easy to use graphical interface for mapping
files to physical devices. See the Cloud Control online help for more
information.

Note:

Overview of Oracle Database File Mapping Interface
To acquire an understanding of I/O performance, one must have detailed knowledge
of the storage hierarchy in which files reside. Oracle Database provides a mechanism
to show a complete mapping of a file to intermediate layers of logical volumes to
actual physical devices. This is accomplished though a set of dynamic performance
views (V$ views). Using these views, you can locate the exact disk on which any block
of a file resides.
To build these views, storage vendors must provide mapping libraries that are
responsible for mapping their particular I/O stack elements. The database
communicates with these libraries through an external non-Oracle Database process
that is spawned by a background process called FMON. FMON is responsible for
managing the mapping information. Oracle provides a PL/SQL package, DBMS_
STORAGE_MAP, that you use to invoke mapping operations that populate the mapping
views.
If you are not using Oracle Automatic Storage Management,
then the file mapping interface is not available on Windows platforms.
If you are using Oracle Automatic Storage Management, then the file
mapping interface is available on all platforms.

Note:

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-19

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

See Also: Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide
for information about using file mapping with Oracle ASM

How the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface Works
This section describes the components of the Oracle Database file mapping interface
and how the interface works. It contains the following topics:
■

Components of File Mapping

■

Mapping Structures

■

Example of Mapping Structures

■

Configuration ID

Components of File Mapping
The following figure shows the components of the file mapping mechanism.
Figure 14–1 Components of File Mapping
mapping lib0
Oracle Instance
SGA

FMON

FMPUTL

mapping lib1

External
Process

.
.
.
mapping libn

The following sections briefly describes these components and how they work
together to populate the mapping views:
■

FMON

■

External Process (FMPUTL)

■

Mapping Libraries
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, the FILE_MAPPING
initialization parameter, the FMPUTL process, and the mapping libraries
are deprecated.
Note:

FMON FMON is a background process started by the database whenever the FILE_
MAPPING initialization parameter is set to true. FMON is responsible for:
■

Building mapping information, which is stored in the SGA. This information is
composed of the following structures:
–

Files

–

File system extents

–

Elements

–

Subelements

These structures are explained in "Mapping Structures" on page 14-21.

14-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

■

■

■

Refreshing mapping information when a change occurs because of:
–

Changes to data files (size)

–

Addition or deletion of data files

–

Changes to the storage configuration (not frequent)

Saving mapping information in the data dictionary to maintain a view of the
information that is persistent across startup and shutdown operations
Restoring mapping information into the SGA at instance startup. This avoids the
need for a potentially expensive complete rebuild of the mapping information on
every instance startup.

You help control this mapping using procedures that are invoked with the DBMS_
STORAGE_MAP package.
External Process (FMPUTL) FMON spawns an external non-Oracle Database process
called FMPUTL, that communicates directly with the vendor supplied mapping libraries.
This process obtains the mapping information through all levels of the I/O stack,
assuming that mapping libraries exist for all levels. On some platforms the external
process requires that the SETUID bit is set to ON because root privileges are needed to
map through all levels of the I/O mapping stack.
The external process is responsible for discovering the mapping libraries and
dynamically loading them into its address space.
Mapping Libraries Oracle Database uses mapping libraries to discover mapping
information for the elements that are owned by a particular mapping library. Through
these mapping libraries information about individual I/O stack elements is
communicated. This information is used to populate dynamic performance views that
can be queried by users.
Mapping libraries need to exist for all levels of the stack for the mapping to be
complete, and different libraries may own their own parts of the I/O mapping stack.
For example, a VERITAS VxVM library would own the stack elements related to the
VERITAS Volume Manager, and an EMC library would own all EMC storage specific
layers of the I/O mapping stack.
Mapping libraries are vendor supplied. However, Oracle currently supplies a mapping
library for EMC storage. The mapping libraries available to a database server are
identified in a special file named filemap.ora.

Mapping Structures
The mapping structures and the Oracle Database representation of these structures are
described in this section. You will need to understand this information in order to
interpret the information in the mapping views.
The following are the primary structures that compose the mapping information:
■

Files
A file mapping structure provides a set of attributes for a file, including file size,
number of file system extents that the file is composed of, and the file type.

■

File system extents
A file system extent mapping structure describes a contiguous chunk of blocks
residing on one element. This includes the device offset, the extent size, the file
offset, the type (data or parity), and the name of the element where the extent
resides.
Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-21

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

File system extents are different from Oracle Database
extents. File system extents are physical contiguous blocks of data
written to a device as managed by the file system. Oracle Database
extents are logical structures managed by the database, such as
tablespace extents.

Note:

■

Elements
An element mapping structure is the abstract mapping structure that describes a
storage component within the I/O stack. Elements may be mirrors, stripes,
partitions, RAID5, concatenated elements, and disks. These structures are the
mapping building blocks.

■

Subelements
A subelement mapping structure describes the link between an element and the
next elements in the I/O mapping stack. This structure contains the subelement
number, size, the element name where the subelement exists, and the element
offset.

All of these mapping structures are illustrated in the following example.

Example of Mapping Structures
Consider an Oracle Database which is composed of two data files X and Y. Both files X
and Y reside on a file system mounted on volume A. File X is composed of two extents
while file Y is composed of only one extent.
The two extents of File X and the one extent of File Y both map to Element A. Element
A is striped to Elements B and C. Element A maps to Elements B and C by way of
Subelements B0 and C1, respectively.
Element B is a partition of Element D (a physical disk), and is mapped to Element D by
way of subelement D0.
Element C is mirrored over Elements E and F (both physical disks), and is mirrored to
those physical disks by way of Subelements E0 and F1, respectively.
All of the mapping structures are illustrated in Figure 14–2.

14-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

Figure 14–2 Illustration of Mapping Structures
File X

File Extent 1

File Extent 2

File Extent 1

File Y

Element A

Sub B0

Sub C1

Element B

Element C

Sub D0

Element D

Sub E0

Sub F1

Element E

Element F

Note that the mapping structures represented are sufficient to describe the entire
mapping information for the Oracle Database instance and consequently to map every
logical block within the file into a (element name, element offset) tuple (or more in case
of mirroring) at each level within the I/O stack.

Configuration ID
The configuration ID captures the version information associated with elements or
files. The vendor library provides the configuration ID and updates it whenever a
change occurs. Without a configuration ID, there is no way for the database to tell
whether the mapping has changed.
There are two kinds of configuration IDs:
■

Persistent
These configuration IDs are persistent across instance shutdown

■

Non-persistent
The configuration IDs are not persistent across instance shutdown. The database is
only capable of refreshing the mapping information while the instance is up.

Using the Oracle Database File Mapping Interface
This section discusses how to use the Oracle Database file mapping interface. It
contains the following topics:
■

Enabling File Mapping

■

Using the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP Package

■

Obtaining Information from the File Mapping Views

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-23

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

Enabling File Mapping
The following steps enable the file mapping feature:
1.

Ensure that a valid filemap.ora file exists in the /opt/ORCLfmap/prot1_32/etc
directory for 32-bit platforms, or in the /opt/ORCLfmap/prot1_64/etc directory
for 64-bit platforms.
Caution: While the format and content of the filemap.ora file is
discussed here, it is for informational reasons only. The filemap.ora
file is created by the database when your system is installed. Until
such time that vendors supply their own libraries, there will be
only one entry in the filemap.ora file, and that is the
Oracle-supplied EMC library. This file should be modified
manually by uncommenting this entry only if an EMC Symmetrix
array is available.

The filemap.ora file is the configuration file that describes all of the available
mapping libraries. FMON requires that a filemap.ora file exists and that it points
to a valid path to mapping libraries. Otherwise, it will not start successfully.
The following row must be included in filemap.ora for each library:
lib=vendor_name:mapping_library_path
where:
■

vendor_name should be Oracle for the EMC Symmetric library

■

mapping_library_path is the full path of the mapping library

Note that the ordering of the libraries in this file is extremely important. The
libraries are queried based on their order in the configuration file.
The file mapping service can be started even if no mapping libraries are available.
The filemap.ora file still must be present even though it is empty. In this case, the
mapping service is constrained in the sense that new mapping information cannot
be discovered. Only restore and drop operations are allowed in such a
configuration.
2.

Set the FILE_MAPPING initialization parameter to TRUE.
The instance does not have to be shut down to set this parameter. You can set it
using the following ALTER SYSTEM statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET FILE_MAPPING=TRUE;

3.

Invoke the appropriate DBMS_STORAGE_MAP mapping procedure. You have two
options:
■

■

In a cold startup scenario, the Oracle Database is just started and no mapping
operation has been invoked yet. You execute the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_ALL
procedure to build the mapping information for the entire I/O subsystem
associated with the database.
In a warm start scenario where the mapping information is already built, you
have the option to invoke the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_SAVE procedure to save
the mapping information in the data dictionary. (Note that this procedure is
invoked in DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_ALL() by default.) This forces all of the
mapping information in the SGA to be flushed to disk.

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Mapping Files to Physical Devices

Once you restart the database, use DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.RESTORE() to restore the
mapping information into the SGA. If needed, DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_ALL()
can be called to refresh the mapping information.

Using the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP Package
The DBMS_STORAGE_MAP package enables you to control the mapping operations. The
various procedures available to you are described in the following table.
Procedure

Use to:

MAP_OBJECT

Build the mapping information for the database object
identified by object name, owner, and type

MAP_ELEMENT

Build mapping information for the specified element

MAP_FILE

Build mapping information for the specified filename

MAP_ALL

Build entire mapping information for all types of database files
(excluding archive logs)

DROP_ELEMENT

Drop the mapping information for a specified element

DROP_FILE

Drop the file mapping information for the specified filename

DROP_ALL

Drop all mapping information in the SGA for this instance

SAVE

Save into the data dictionary the required information needed to
regenerate the entire mapping

RESTORE

Load the entire mapping information from the data dictionary
into the shared memory of the instance

LOCK_MAP

Lock the mapping information in the SGA for this instance

UNLOCK_MAP

Unlock the mapping information in the SGA for this instance

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
description of the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP package
"File Mapping Examples" on page 14-26 for an example of
using the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP package

Obtaining Information from the File Mapping Views
Mapping information generated by DBMS_STORAGE_MAP package is captured in dynamic
performance views. Brief descriptions of these views are presented here.
View

Description

V$MAP_LIBRARY

Contains a list of all mapping libraries that have been
dynamically loaded by the external process

V$MAP_FILE

Contains a list of all file mapping structures in the shared
memory of the instance

V$MAP_FILE_EXTENT

Contains a list of all file system extent mapping structures in
the shared memory of the instance

V$MAP_ELEMENT

Contains a list of all element mapping structures in the SGA of
the instance

V$MAP_EXT_ELEMENT

Contains supplementary information for all element mapping

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-25

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

View

Description

V$MAP_SUBELEMENT

Contains a list of all subelement mapping structures in the
shared memory of the instance

V$MAP_COMP_LIST

Contains supplementary information for all element mapping
structures.

V$MAP_FILE_IO_STACK

The hierarchical arrangement of storage containers for the file
displayed as a series of rows. Each row represents a level in
the hierarchy.

Oracle Database Reference for a complete description of
the dynamic performance views

See Also:

However, the information generated by the DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_OBJECT procedure
is captured in a global temporary table named MAP_OBJECT. This table displays the
hierarchical arrangement of storage containers for objects. Each row in the table
represents a level in the hierarchy. A description of the MAP_OBJECT table follows.
Column

Data Type

Description

OBJECT_NAME

VARCHAR2(2000)

Name of the object

OBJECT_OWNER

VARCHAR2(2000)

Owner of the object

OBJECT_TYPE

VARCHAR2(2000)

Object type

FILE_MAP_IDX

NUMBER

File index (corresponds to FILE_MAP_IDX in V$MAP_
FILE)

DEPTH

NUMBER

Element depth within the I/O stack

ELEM_IDX

NUMBER

Index corresponding to element

CU_SIZE

NUMBER

Contiguous set of logical blocks of the file, in HKB
(half KB) units, that is resident contiguously on the
element

STRIDE

NUMBER

Number of HKB between contiguous units (CU) in
the file that are contiguous on this element. Used
in RAID5 and striped files.

NUM_CU

NUMBER

Number of contiguous units that are adjacent to
each other on this element that are separated by
STRIDE HKB in the file. In RAID5, the number of
contiguous units also include the parity stripes.

ELEM_OFFSET

NUMBER

Element offset in HKB units

FILE_OFFSET

NUMBER

Offset in HKB units from the start of the file to the
first byte of the contiguous units

DATA_TYPE

VARCHAR2(2000)

Data type (DATA, PARITY, or DATA AND PARITY)

PARITY_POS

NUMBER

Position of the parity. Only for RAID5. This field is
needed to distinguish the parity from the data part.

PARITY_PERIOD

NUMBER

Parity period. Only for RAID5.

File Mapping Examples
The following examples illustrates some of the powerful capabilities of the Oracle
Database file mapping feature. This includes:
■

The ability to map all the database files that span a particular device

14-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Mapping Files to Physical Devices

■
■

The ability to map a particular file into its corresponding devices
The ability to map a particular database object, including its block distribution at
all levels within the I/O stack

Consider an Oracle Database instance which is composed of two data files:
■

t_db1.f

■

t_db2.f

These files are created on a Solaris UFS file system mounted on a VERITAS VxVM host
based striped volume, /dev/vx/dsk/ipfdg/ipf-vol1, that consists of the following
host devices as externalized from an EMC Symmetrix array:
■

/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d0s2

■

/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2

Note that the following examples require the execution of a MAP_ALL() operation.

Example 1: Map All Database Files that Span a Device
The following query returns all Oracle Database files associated with the
/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2 host device:
SELECT UNIQUE me.ELEM_NAME, mf.FILE_NAME
FROM V$MAP_FILE_IO_STACK fs, V$MAP_FILE mf, V$MAP_ELEMENT me
WHERE mf.FILE_MAP_IDX = fs.FILE_MAP_IDX
AND me.ELEM_IDX = fs.ELEM_IDX
AND me.ELEM_NAME = '/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2';

The query results are:
ELEM_NAME
-----------------------/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2
/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2

FILE_NAME
-------------------------------/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db2.f

Example 2: Map a File into Its Corresponding Devices
The following query displays a topological graph of the /oracle/dbs/t_db1.f data
file:
WITH fv AS
(SELECT FILE_MAP_IDX, FILE_NAME FROM V$MAP_FILE
WHERE FILE_NAME = '/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f')
SELECT fv.FILE_NAME, LPAD(' ', 4 * (LEVEL - 1)) || el.ELEM_NAME ELEM_NAME
FROM V$MAP_SUBELEMENT sb, V$MAP_ELEMENT el, fv,
(SELECT UNIQUE ELEM_IDX FROM V$MAP_FILE_IO_STACK io, fv
WHERE io.FILE_MAP_IDX = fv.FILE_MAP_IDX) fs
WHERE el.ELEM_IDX = sb.CHILD_IDX
AND fs.ELEM_IDX = el.ELEM_IDX
START WITH sb.PARENT_IDX IN
(SELECT DISTINCT ELEM_IDX
FROM V$MAP_FILE_EXTENT fe, fv
WHERE fv.FILE_MAP_IDX = fe.FILE_MAP_IDX)
CONNECT BY PRIOR sb.CHILD_IDX = sb.PARENT_IDX;

The resulting topological graph is:
FILE_NAME
----------------------/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

ELEM_NAME
------------------------------------------------_sym_plex_/dev/vx/rdsk/ipfdg/ipf-vol1_-1_-1
_sym_subdisk_/dev/vx/rdsk/ipfdg/ipf-vol1_0_0_0
Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-27

Data Files Data Dictionary Views

/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d0s2
_sym_symdev_000183600407_00C
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00C_0
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00C_1
_sym_subdisk_/dev/vx/rdsk/ipfdg/ipf-vol1_0_1_0
/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2
_sym_symdev_000183600407_00D
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00D_0
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00D_1

Example 3: Map a Database Object
This example displays the block distribution at all levels within the I/O stack for the
scott.bonus table.
A MAP_OBJECT() operation must first be executed as follows:
EXECUTE DBMS_STORAGE_MAP.MAP_OBJECT('BONUS','SCOTT','TABLE');

The query is as follows:
SELECT io.OBJECT_NAME o_name, io.OBJECT_OWNER o_owner, io.OBJECT_TYPE o_type,
mf.FILE_NAME, me.ELEM_NAME, io.DEPTH,
(SUM(io.CU_SIZE * (io.NUM_CU - DECODE(io.PARITY_PERIOD, 0, 0,
TRUNC(io.NUM_CU / io.PARITY_PERIOD)))) / 2) o_size
FROM MAP_OBJECT io, V$MAP_ELEMENT me, V$MAP_FILE mf
WHERE io.OBJECT_NAME = 'BONUS'
AND
io.OBJECT_OWNER = 'SCOTT'
AND
io.OBJECT_TYPE = 'TABLE'
AND
me.ELEM_IDX = io.ELEM_IDX
AND
mf.FILE_MAP_IDX = io.FILE_MAP_IDX
GROUP BY io.ELEM_IDX, io.FILE_MAP_IDX, me.ELEM_NAME, mf.FILE_NAME, io.DEPTH,
io.OBJECT_NAME, io.OBJECT_OWNER, io.OBJECT_TYPE
ORDER BY io.DEPTH;

The following is the result of the query. Note that the o_size column is expressed in
KB.
O_NAME
-----BONUS
BONUS

O_OWNER
------SCOTT
SCOTT

O_TYPE
-----TABLE
TABLE

FILE_NAME
------------------/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

BONUS

SCOTT

TABLE

/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

BONUS

SCOTT

TABLE

/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

BONUS
BONUS
BONUS
BONUS
BONUS
BONUS
BONUS
BONUS

SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT

TABLE
TABLE
TABLE
TABLE
TABLE
TABLE
TABLE
TABLE

/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f

ELEM_NAME
----------------------------/dev/vx/dsk/ipfdg/ipf-vol1
_sym_plex_/dev/vx/rdsk/ipf
pdg/if-vol1_-1_-1
_sym_subdisk_/dev/vx/rdsk/
ipfdg/ipf-vol1_0_1_0
_sym_subdisk_/dev/vx/rdsk/ipf
dg/ipf-vol1_0_2_0
/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d1s2
/dev/vx/rdmp/c2t1d2s2
_sym_symdev_000183600407_00D
_sym_symdev_000183600407_00E
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00D_0
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00D_1
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00E_0
_sym_hyper_000183600407_00E_1

DEPTH
-----0
1

O_SIZE
-----20
20

2

12

2

8

3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6

12
8
12
8
12
12
8
8

Data Files Data Dictionary Views
The following data dictionary views provide useful information about the data files of
a database:

14-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Data Files Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

DBA_DATA_FILES

Provides descriptive information about each data file,
including the tablespace to which it belongs and the file ID.
The file ID can be used to join with other views for detail
information.

DBA_EXTENTS

DBA view describes the extents comprising all segments in the
database. Contains the file ID of the data file containing the
extent. USER view describes extents of the segments belonging
to objects owned by the current user.

USER_EXTENTS

DBA_FREE_SPACE
USER_FREE_SPACE

DBA view lists the free extents in all tablespaces. Includes the
file ID of the data file containing the extent. USER view lists the
free extents in the tablespaces accessible to the current user.

V$DATAFILE

Contains data file information from the control file

V$DATAFILE_HEADER

Contains information from data file headers

This example illustrates the use of one of these views, V$DATAFILE.
SELECT NAME,
FILE#,
STATUS,
CHECKPOINT_CHANGE# "CHECKPOINT"
FROM
V$DATAFILE;
NAME
-------------------------------/u01/oracle/rbdb1/system01.dbf
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/temp01.dbf
/u02/oracle/rbdb1/users03.dbf

FILE#
----1
2
3

STATUS
------SYSTEM
ONLINE
OFFLINE

CHECKPOINT
---------3839
3782
3782

FILE# lists the file number of each data file; the first data file in the SYSTEM tablespace
created with the database is always file 1. STATUS lists other information about a data
file. If a data file is part of the SYSTEM tablespace, its status is SYSTEM (unless it requires
recovery). If a data file in a non-SYSTEM tablespace is online, its status is ONLINE. If a
data file in a non-SYSTEM tablespace is offline, its status can be either OFFLINE or
RECOVER. CHECKPOINT lists the final SCN (system change number) written for the most
recent checkpoint of a data file.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of

these views

Managing Data Files and Temp Files

14-29

Data Files Data Dictionary Views

14-30 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

15
15

Transporting Data

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Transporting Data

■

Transporting Databases

■

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

■

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

■

Converting Data Between Platforms

■

Guidelines for Transferring Data Files

About Transporting Data
This section provides information about transporting data.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Purpose of Transporting Data

■

Transporting Data: Scenarios

■

Transporting Data Across Platforms

■

General Limitations on Transporting Data

■

Compatibility Considerations for Transporting Data

Purpose of Transporting Data
You can transport data at any of the following levels:
■

Database
You can use the full transportable export/import feature to move an entire
database to a different database instance.

■

Tablespaces
You can use the transportable tablespaces feature to move a set of tablespaces
between databases.

■

Tables, partitions, and subpartitions
You can use the transportable tables feature to move a set of tables, partitions, and
subpartitions between databases.

Transporting data is much faster than performing either an export/import or
unload/load of the same data. It is faster because, for user-defined tablespaces, the
Transporting Data

15-1

About Transporting Data

data files containing all of the actual data are copied to the target location, and you use
Data Pump to transfer only the metadata of the database objects to the new database.
Transportable tablespaces and transportable tables only transports data that resides in
user-defined tablespaces. However, full transportable export/import transports data
that resides in both user-defined and administrative tablespaces, such as SYSTEM and
SYSAUX. Full transportable export/import transports metadata for objects contained
within the user-defined tablespaces and both the metadata and data for user-defined
objects contained within the administrative tablespaces. Specifically, with full
transportable export/import, the export dump file includes only the metadata for
objects contained within the user-defined tablespaces, but it includes both the
metadata and the data for user-defined objects contained within the administrative
tablespaces.

Transporting Data: Scenarios
Transporting data is useful in several scenarios.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Scenarios for Full Transportable Export/import

■

Scenarios for Transportable Tablespaces or Transportable Tables

Scenarios for Full Transportable Export/import
The full transportable export/import feature is useful in several scenarios, including:
■

Moving a Non-CDB Into a CDB

■

Moving a Database to a New Computer System

■

Upgrading to a New Release of Oracle Database

Moving a Non-CDB Into a CDB The multitenant architecture enables an Oracle database to
function as a multitenant container database (CDB) that includes one or many
customer-created pluggable databases (PDBs). You can move a non-CDB into a CDB
by transporting the database. The transported database becomes a pluggable database
(PDB) associated with the CDB. Full transportable export/import can move an Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later database into an Oracle Database 12c CDB
efficiently.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Transporting a Database Using an Export Dump File" on
page 15-12 for instructions that describe transporting a non-CDB
into a PDB in an Oracle Database 12c CDB
"Transporting a Database Over the Network" on page 15-18 for an
example that transports an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3)
database into a PDB in an Oracle Database 12c CDB
"Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB" on page 38-43

Moving a Database to a New Computer System You can use full transportable
export/import to move a database from one computer system to another. You might
want to move a database to a new computer system to upgrade the hardware or to
move the database to a different platform.

15-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Transporting Data

See Also:
■

"Transporting Databases" on page 15-11

■

"Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6

Upgrading to a New Release of Oracle Database You can use full transportable
export/import to upgrade a database from an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3)
or later to Oracle Database 12c. To do so, install Oracle Database 12c and create an
empty database. Next, use full transportable export/import to transport the Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) database into the Oracle Database 12c database.
See Also:
■

"Transporting Databases" on page 15-11

■

Oracle Database Installation Guide

Scenarios for Transportable Tablespaces or Transportable Tables
For some scenarios, either transportable tablespaces or transportable tables can be
useful. For other scenarios, only transportable tablespaces can be useful, or only
transportable tables can be useful. This section describes all of these scenarios in more
detail.
Table 15–1 shows which feature can be used for each scenario.
Table 15–1

Scenarios for Transportable Tablespaces and Transportable Tables
Transportable
Tablespaces

Transportable
Tables

Transporting and Attaching Partitions for Data
Warehousing

Yes

Yes

Publishing Structured Data on CDs

Yes

Yes

Archiving Historical Data

Yes

Yes

Copying the Same Tablespace Read-Only to Multiple
Databases

Yes

No

Using Transportable Tablespaces to Perform TSPITR

Yes

No

Copying or Moving Individual Tables

No

Yes

Scenarios

The following sections describe these scenarios in more detail.
Transporting and Attaching Partitions for Data Warehousing Typical enterprise data
warehouses contain one or more large fact tables. These fact tables can be partitioned
by date, making the enterprise data warehouse a historical database. You can build
indexes to speed up star queries. Oracle recommends that you build local indexes for
such historically partitioned tables to avoid rebuilding global indexes every time you
drop the oldest partition from the historical database.
Suppose every month you would like to load one month of data into the data
warehouse. There is a large fact table in the data warehouse called sales, which has
the following columns:
CREATE TABLE sales (invoice_no NUMBER,
sale_year INT NOT NULL,
sale_month INT NOT NULL,
sale_day
INT NOT NULL)
PARTITION BY RANGE (sale_year, sale_month, sale_day)

Transporting Data

15-3

About Transporting Data

(partition
partition
partition
partition
partition
partition

jan2011
feb2011
mar2011
apr2011
may2011
jun2011

VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES

LESS
LESS
LESS
LESS
LESS
LESS

THAN
THAN
THAN
THAN
THAN
THAN

(2011,
(2011,
(2011,
(2011,
(2011,
(2011,

2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,

1),
1),
1),
1),
1),
1));

You create a local non-prefixed index:
CREATE INDEX sales_index ON sales(invoice_no) LOCAL;

Initially, all partitions are empty, and are in the same default tablespace. Each month,
you want to create one partition and attach it to the partitioned sales table.
Suppose it is July 2011, and you would like to load the July sales data into the
partitioned table. In a staging database, you create a table, jul_sales with the same
column types as the sales table. Optionally, you can create a new tablespace, ts_jul,
before you create the table, and create the table in this tablespace. You can create the
table jul_sales using the CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT statement. After creating and
populating jul_sales, you can also create an index, jul_sale_index, for the table,
indexing the same column as the local index in the sales table. For detailed
information about creating and populating a staging table in a data warehousing
environment, see Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide.
After creating the table and building the index, transport the table’s data to the data
warehouse in one of the following ways:
■

■

You can use transportable tables to transport the jul_sales table to the data
warehouse.
If you created the ts_jul tablespace, then you can use transportable tablespaces to
transport the tablespace ts_jul to the data warehouse.

In the data warehouse, add a partition to the sales table for the July sales data. This
also creates another partition for the local non-prefixed index:
ALTER TABLE sales ADD PARTITION jul2011 VALUES LESS THAN (2011, 8, 1);

Attach the transported table jul_sales to the table sales by exchanging it with the
new partition:
ALTER TABLE sales EXCHANGE PARTITION jul2011 WITH TABLE jul_sales
INCLUDING INDEXES
WITHOUT VALIDATION;

This statement places the July sales data into the new partition jul2011, attaching the
new data to the partitioned table. This statement also converts the index jul_sale_
index into a partition of the local index for the sales table. This statement should
return immediately, because it only operates on the structural information and it
simply switches database pointers. If you know that the data in the new partition does
not overlap with data in previous partitions, you are advised to specify the WITHOUT
VALIDATION clause. Otherwise, the statement goes through all the new data in the new
partition in an attempt to validate the range of that partition.
If all partitions of the sales table came from the same staging database (the staging
database is never destroyed), then the exchange statement always succeeds. In general,
however, if data in a partitioned table comes from different databases, then the
exchange operation might fail. For example, if the jan2011 partition of sales did not
come from the same staging database, then the preceding exchange operation can fail,
returning the following error:
ORA-19728: data object number conflict between table JUL_SALES and partition
15-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Transporting Data

JAN2011 in table SALES

To resolve this conflict, move the offending partition by issuing the following
statement:
ALTER TABLE sales MOVE PARTITION jan2011;

Then retry the exchange operation.
After the exchange succeeds, you can safely drop jul_sales and jul_sale_index
(both are now empty). Thus you have successfully loaded the July sales data into your
data warehouse.
Publishing Structured Data on CDs Transportable tablespaces and transportable tables
both provide a way to publish structured data on CDs. You can copy the data to be
published, including the data files and export dump file, to a CD. This CD can then be
distributed. If you are using transportable tablespaces, then you must generate a
transportable set before copying the data to the CD.
When customers receive this CD, they can add the CD contents to an existing database
without having to copy the data files from the CD to disk storage. For example,
suppose on a Microsoft Windows system D: drive is the CD drive. You can import the
data in data file catalog.f and the export dump file expdat.dmp as follows:
impdp user_name/password DUMPFILE=expdat.dmp DIRECTORY=dpump_dir
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES='D:\catalog.f'

You can remove the CD while the database is still up. Subsequent queries to the data
return an error indicating that the database cannot open the data files on the CD.
However, operations to other parts of the database are not affected. Placing the CD
back into the drive makes the data readable again.
Removing the CD is the same as removing the data files of a read-only tablespace. If
you shut down and restart the database, then the database indicates that it cannot find
the removed data file and does not open the database (unless you set the initialization
parameter READ_ONLY_OPEN_DELAYED to TRUE). When READ_ONLY_OPEN_DELAYED is set to
TRUE, the database reads the file only when someone queries the data. Thus, when
transporting data from a CD, set the READ_ONLY_OPEN_DELAYED initialization parameter
to TRUE, unless the CD is permanently attached to the database.
Archiving Historical Data When you use transportable tablespaces or transportable tables,
the transported data is a self-contained set of files that can be imported into any Oracle
database. Therefore, you can archive old or historical data in an enterprise data
warehouse using the transportable tablespaces and transportable tables procedures
described in this chapter.
See Also:

Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide for more details

Copying the Same Tablespace Read-Only to Multiple Databases You can use transportable
tablespaces to mount a tablespace read-only on multiple databases. In this way,
separate databases can share the same data on disk instead of duplicating data on
separate disks. The tablespace data files must be accessible by all databases. To avoid
database corruption, the tablespace must remain read-only in all the databases
mounting the tablespace.
The following are two scenarios for mounting the same tablespace read-only on
multiple databases:

Transporting Data

15-5

About Transporting Data

■

The tablespace originates in a database that is separate from the databases that will
share the tablespace.
You generate a transportable set in the source database, put the transportable set
onto a disk that is accessible to all databases, and then import the metadata into
each database on which you want to mount the tablespace.

■

The tablespace already belongs to one of the databases that will share the
tablespace.
It is assumed that the data files are already on a shared disk. In the database where
the tablespace already exists, you make the tablespace read-only, generate the
transportable set, and then import the tablespace into the other databases, leaving
the data files in the same location on the shared disk.

You can make a disk accessible by multiple computers in several ways. For example,
you can use a cluster file system. You can also use network file system (NFS), but be
aware that if a user queries the shared tablespace while NFS is down, the database will
hang until the NFS operation times out.
Later, you can drop the read-only tablespace in some of the databases. Doing so does
not modify the data files for the tablespace. Thus, the drop operation does not corrupt
the tablespace. Do not make the tablespace read/write unless only one database is
mounting the tablespace.
Using Transportable Tablespaces to Perform TSPITR You can use transportable tablespaces
to perform tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR).
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
information about how to perform TSPITR using transportable
tablespaces

Copying or Moving Individual Tables You can use transportable tables to move a table or a
set of tables from one database to another without transporting the entire tablespaces
that contain the tables. You can also copy or move individual partitions and
subpartitions from one database to another using transportable tables.
See Also: "Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between
Databases" on page 15-31

Transporting Data Across Platforms
You can transport data across platforms. This capability can be used to:
■
■

■

■

Allow a database to be migrated from one platform to another
Provide an easier and more efficient means for content providers to publish
structured data and distribute it to customers running Oracle Database on
different platforms
Simplify the distribution of data from a data warehouse environment to data
marts, which are often running on smaller platforms
Enable the sharing of read-only tablespaces between Oracle Database installations
on different operating systems or platforms, assuming that your storage system is
accessible from those platforms and the platforms all have the same endianness, as
described in the sections that follow.

Many, but not all, platforms are supported for cross-platform data transport. You can
query the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM view to see the platforms that are supported,

15-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Transporting Data

and to determine each platform's endian format (byte ordering). The following query
displays the platforms that support cross-platform data transport:
COLUMN PLATFORM_NAME FORMAT A40
COLUMN ENDIAN_FORMAT A14
SELECT PLATFORM_ID, PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
ORDER BY PLATFORM_ID;
PLATFORM_ID
----------1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

PLATFORM_NAME
---------------------------------------Solaris[tm] OE (32-bit)
Solaris[tm] OE (64-bit)
HP-UX (64-bit)
HP-UX IA (64-bit)
HP Tru64 UNIX
AIX-Based Systems (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows IA (64-bit)
IBM zSeries Based Linux
Linux IA (32-bit)
Linux IA (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows x86 64-bit
Linux x86 64-bit
HP Open VMS
Apple Mac OS
Solaris Operating System (x86)
IBM Power Based Linux
HP IA Open VMS
Solaris Operating System (x86-64)
Apple Mac OS (x86-64)

ENDIAN_FORMAT
-------------Big
Big
Big
Big
Little
Big
Little
Little
Big
Little
Little
Little
Little
Little
Big
Little
Big
Little
Little
Little

If source platform and the target platform are of the same endianness, then no
conversion is necessary, and data can be transported as if they were on the same
platform.
If the source platform and the target platform are of different endianness, then the data
being transported must be converted to the target platform format. You can convert
the data using one of the following methods:
■

The GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
When you use one of these procedures to move data files between the source
platform and the target platform, each block in each data file is converted to the
target platform’s endianness. The conversion occurs on the target platform.

■

The RMAN CONVERT command
Running the RMAN CONVERT command is an additional step that can be
completed on the source or target platform. It converts the data being transported
to the target platform format.

Before the data in a data file can be transported to a different platform, the data file
header must identify the platform to which it belongs. When you are transporting
read-only tablespaces between Oracle Database installations on different platforms,
you can accomplish this by making the data file read/write at least once.
See Also:

"Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42

Transporting Data

15-7

About Transporting Data

General Limitations on Transporting Data
Be aware of the following general limitations as you plan to transport data:
■

The source and the target databases must use compatible database character sets.
Specifically, one of the following must be true:
–

The database character sets of the source and the target databases are the
same.

–

The source database character set is a strict (binary) subset of the target
database character set, and the following three conditions are true:

–

*

The source database is Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.3) or later.

*

The tablespaces to be transported contain no table columns with character
length semantics or the maximum character width is the same in both the
source and target database character sets.

*

The data to be transported contains no columns with the CLOB data type,
or the source and the target database character sets are both single-byte or
both multibyte.

The source database character set is a strict (binary) subset of the target
database character set, and the following two conditions are true:
*

The source database is before Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.3).

*

The maximum character width is the same in the source and target
database character sets.

The subset-superset relationship between character sets
recognized by Oracle Database is documented in the Oracle Database
Globalization Support Guide.

Note:

■

■

■

The source and the target databases must use compatible national character sets.
Specifically, one of the following must be true:
–

The national character sets of the source and target databases are the same.

–

The source database is Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.3) or later and the
tablespaces to be transported contain no columns with NCHAR, NVARCHAR2, or
NCLOB data type.

When running a transportable export operation, the following limitations apply:
–

The default tablespace of the user running performing the export must not be
one of the tablespaces being transported.

–

The default tablespace of the user running performing the export must be
writable.

In a non-CDB, you cannot transport a tablespace to a target database that contains
a tablespace of the same name.
In a CDB, you cannot transport a tablespace to a target container that contains a
tablespace of the same name. However, different containers can have tablespaces
with the same name.
You can use the REMAP_TABLESPACE import parameter to import the database
objects into a different tablespace. Alternatively, before the transport operation,
you can rename either the tablespace to be transported or the target tablespace.

15-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Transporting Data

■

■

In a CDB, the default Data Pump directory object, DATA_PUMP_DIR, does not work
with PDBs. You must define an explicit directory object within the PDB that you
are using with Data Pump export/import.
Transporting data with XMLTypes has the following limitations:
–

The target database must have XML DB installed.

–

Schemas referenced by XMLType tables cannot be the XML DB standard
schemas.

–

If the schema for a transported XMLType table is not present in the target
database, it is imported and registered. If the schema already exists in the
target database, a message is displayed during import.

–

You must use only Data Pump to export and import the metadata for data that
contains XMLTypes.

The following query returns a list of tablespaces that contain XMLTypes:
select distinct p.tablespace_name from dba_tablespaces p,
dba_xml_tables x, dba_users u, all_all_tables t where
t.table_name=x.table_name and t.tablespace_name=p.tablespace_name
and x.owner=u.username;

See Oracle XML DB Developer's Guide for information on XMLTypes.
■

■

Types whose interpretation is application-specific and opaque to the database
(such as RAW, BFILE, and the AnyTypes) can be transported, but they are not
converted as part of the cross-platform transport operation. Their actual structure
is known only to the application, so the application must address any endianness
issues after these types are moved to the new platform. Types and objects that use
these opaque types, either directly or indirectly, are also subject to this limitation.
When you transport a tablespace containing tables with TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL
TIME ZONE (TSLTZ) data between databases with different time zones, the tables
with the TSLTZ data are not transported. Error messages describe the tables that
were not transported. However, tables in the tablespace that do not contain TSLTZ
data are transported.
You can determine the time zone of a database with the following query:
SELECT DBTIMEZONE FROM DUAL;

You can alter the time zone for a database with an ALTER DATABASE SQL statement.
You can use Data Pump to perform a conventional export/import of tables with
TSLTZ data after the transport operation completes.
■

Analytic workspaces cannot be part of cross-platform transport operations. If the
source platform and target platform are different, then use Data Pump
export/import to export and import analytic workspaces. See Oracle OLAP DML
Reference for more information about analytic workspaces.
Note: Do not invoke Data Pump export utility expdp or import
utility impdp as SYSDBA, except at the request of Oracle technical
support. SYSDBA is used internally and has specialized functions; its
behavior is not the same as for general users.

Certain limitations are specific to full transportable export/import, transportable
tablespaces, or transportable tables. See the appropriate section for information:

Transporting Data

15-9

About Transporting Data

■

"Limitations on Full Transportable Export/import" on page 15-11

■

"Limitations on Transportable Tablespaces" on page 15-24

■

"Limitations on Transportable Tables" on page 15-32

Compatibility Considerations for Transporting Data
When transporting data, Oracle Database computes the lowest compatibility level at
which the target database must run. A tablespace or table can always be transported to
a database with the same or higher compatibility setting using transportable
tablespaces, whether the target database is on the same or a different platform. The
database signals an error if the compatibility level of the source database is higher than
the compatibility level of the target database.
The following table shows the minimum compatibility requirements of the source and
target databases in various scenarios. The source and target database need not have
the same compatibility setting.
Table 15–2

Minimum Compatibility Requirements
Minimum Compatibility Setting

Transport Scenario

Source Database

Transporting a database using full 12.0 (COMPATIBLE
transportable export/import
initialization parameter
setting for an Oracle
Database 12c database

Target Database
12.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

12 (VERSION Data Pump
export parameter setting for
an 11.2.0.3 or later database)
Transporting a tablespace between 8.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
databases on the same platform
setting)
using transportable tablespaces

8.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

Transporting a tablespace with
different database block size than
the target database using
transportable tablespaces

9.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

9.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

Transporting a tablespace between 10.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
databases on different platforms
setting)
using transportable tablespaces

10.0 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

Transporting tables between
databases

11.1.0.6 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting)

11.1.0.6 (COMPATIBLE
initialization parameter
setting for an Oracle
Database 12c database

When you use full transportable export/import, the source database must be an
Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later database, and the target database must
be an Oracle Database 12c database. When transporting a database from Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or a later to Oracle Database 12c, the VERSION Data
Pump export parameter must be set to 12 or higher. When transporting a database
from Oracle Database 12c to Oracle Database 12c, the COMPATIBLE initialization
parameter must be set to 12.0.0 or higher.

15-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Databases

Transporting Databases
This section describes how to transport a database to a new Oracle Database instance,
and contains the following topics:
■

Introduction to Full Transportable Export/Import

■

Limitations on Full Transportable Export/import

■

Transporting a Database Using an Export Dump File

■

Transporting a Database Over the Network

Introduction to Full Transportable Export/Import
You can use the full transportable export/import feature to copy an entire database
from one Oracle Database instance to another. You can use Data Pump to produce an
export dump file, transport the dump file to the target database if necessary, and then
import the export dump file. Alternatively, you can use Data Pump to copy the
database over the network.
The tablespaces in the database being transported can be either dictionary managed or
locally managed. The tablespaces in the database are not required to be of the same
block size as the target database standard block size.
This method for transporting a database requires that you
place the user-defined tablespaces in the database in read-only mode
until you complete the export. If this is undesirable, then you can use
the transportable tablespaces from backup feature described in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide.

Note:

See Also:

"About Transporting Data" on page 15-1

Limitations on Full Transportable Export/import
Be aware of the following limitations on full transportable export/import:
■

■

The general limitations described in "General Limitations on Transporting Data"
on page 15-8 apply to full transportable export/import.
You cannot transport an encrypted tablespace to a platform with different
endianness.
To transport an encrypted tablespace to a platform with the same endianness,
during export set the ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT export utility parameter to YES, or
use the ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD export utility parameter. During import, use the
equivalent import utility parameter, and set the value to the same password that
was used for the export.

■

■

When transporting a database over the network, tables with LONG or LONG RAW
columns that reside in administrative tablespaces (such as SYSTEM or SYSAUX) are
not supported.
Full transportable export/import can export and import user-defined database
objects in administrative tablespaces using conventional Data Pump
export/import, such as direct path or external table. Administrative tablespaces
are non-user tablespaces supplied with Oracle Database, such as the SYSTEM and
SYSAUX tablespaces.

Transporting Data 15-11

Transporting Databases

■

■

Full transportable export/import cannot transport a database object that is defined
in both an administrative tablespace (such as SYSTEM and SYSAUX) and a
user-defined tablespace. For example, a partitioned table might be stored in both a
user-defined tablespace and an administrative tablespace. If you have such
database objects in your database, then you can redefine them before transporting
them so that they are stored entirely in either an administrative tablespace or a
user-defined tablespace. If the database objects cannot be redefined, then you can
use conventional Data Pump export/import.
When transporting a database over the network using full transportable
export/import, auditing cannot be enabled for tables stored in an administrative
tablespace (such as SYSTEM and SYSAUX) when the audit trail information itself is
stored in a user-defined tablespace. See Oracle Database Security Guide for more
information about auditing.

Transporting a Database Using an Export Dump File
The following list of tasks summarizes the process of transporting a database using an
export dump file. Details for each task are provided in the subsequent example.
1.

At the source database, place each of the user-defined tablespaces in read-only
mode and export the database.
Ensure that the following parameters are set to the specified values:
■

TRANSPORTABLE=ALWAYS

■

FULL=Y

If the source database is an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later Oracle
Database 11g database, then you must set the VERSION parameter to 12 or higher.
If the source database contains any encrypted tablespaces or tablespaces
containing tables with encrypted columns, then you must either specify
ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT=YES, or specify the ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD parameter.
The export dump file includes the metadata for objects contained within the
user-defined tablespaces and both the metadata and data for user-defined objects
contained within the administrative tablespaces, such as SYSTEM and SYSAUX.
2.

Transport the export dump file.
Copy the export dump file to a place that is accessible to the target database.

3.

Transport the data files for all of the user-defined tablespaces in the database.
Copy the data files to a place that is accessible to the target database.
If the source platform and target platform are different, then check the endian
format of each platform by running the query on the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view in "Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6.
If the source platform’s endian format is different from the target platform’s
endian format, then use one of the following methods to convert the data files:
■

■

Use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to transfer the data files. These procedures convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format automatically.
Use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format.

See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.

15-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Databases

4.

(Optional) Restore the user-defined tablespaces to read/write mode on the source
database.

5.

At the target database, import the database.
When the import is complete, the user-defined tablespaces are in read/write
mode.

Example
These tasks for transporting a database are illustrated more fully in the example that
follows, where it is assumed the following data files and tablespaces exist:
Tablespace

Type

Data File

sales

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf

customers

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf

employees

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf

SYSTEM

Administrative

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/system01.dbf

SYSAUX

Administrative

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sysaux01.dbf

This example makes the following additional assumptions:
■

■

The target database is a new database that is being populated with the data from
the source database. The name of the source database is mydb.
Both the source database and the target database are Oracle Database 12c
databases.

Complete the following tasks to transport the database using an export dump file:
Task 1 Generate the Export Dump File
Generate the export dump file by completing the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database as an administrator or as a user who
has either the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Make all of the user-defined tablespaces in the database read-only.
ALTER TABLESPACE sales READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE customers READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE employees READ ONLY;

3.

Invoke the Data Pump export utility as a user with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE
role and specify the full transportable export/import options.
SQL> HOST
$ expdp user_name full=y dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transportable=always logfile=export.log
Password: password

You must always specify TRANSPORTABLE=ALWAYS, which determines whether the
transportable option is used.

Transporting Data 15-13

Transporting Databases

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■
■

■

The FULL parameter specifies that the entire database is being exported.
The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the name of the structural information
export dump file to be created, expdat.dmp.
The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that points to the
operating system or Oracle Automatic Storage Management location of the
dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before invoking Data Pump,
and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges on the directory to
the user running the Export utility. See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.
In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically.
Read and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role,
and thus to users SYS and SYSTEM.
However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the
PDB and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by
the export utility. In this example, the log file is written to the same directory
as the dump file, but it can be written to a different location.

To perform a full transportable export on an Oracle Database 11g Release 2
(11.2.0.3) or later Oracle Database 11g database, use the VERSION parameter, as
shown in the following example:
expdp user_name full=y dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transportable=always version=12 logfile=export.log

Full transportable import is supported only for Oracle Database 12c databases.
Notes: In this example, the Data Pump utility is used to export
only data dictionary structural information (metadata) for the
user-defined tablespaces. Actual data is unloaded only for the
administrative tablespaces (SYSTEM and SYSAUX), so this operation
goes relatively quickly even for large user-defined tablespaces.
4.

Check the log file for errors, and take note of the dump file and data files that you
must transport to the target database. expdp outputs the names and paths of these
files in messages like these:
******************************************************************************
Dump file set for SYSTEM.SYS_EXPORT_TRANSPORTABLE_01 is:
/u01/app/oracle/admin/mydb/dpdump/expdat.dmp
******************************************************************************
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace SALES:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace CUSTOMERS:

15-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Databases

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace EMPLOYEES:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf
5.

When finished, exit back to SQL*Plus:
$ exit

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
Data Pump utility

See Also:

Task 2 Transport the Export Dump File
Transport the dump file to the directory pointed to by the DATA_PUMP_DIR directory
object, or to any other directory of your choosing. The new location must be accessible
to the target database.
At the target database, run the following query to determine the location of DATA_
PUMP_DIR:
SELECT * FROM DBA_DIRECTORIES WHERE DIRECTORY_NAME = 'DATA_PUMP_DIR';
OWNER
DIRECTORY_NAME
DIRECTORY_PATH
---------- ---------------- ----------------------------------SYS
DATA_PUMP_DIR
C:\app\orauser\admin\orawin\dpdump\

Task 3 Transport the Data Files for the User-Defined Tablespaces
Transport the data files of the user-defined tablespaces in the database to a place that is
accessible to the target database.
In this example, transfer the following data files from the source database to the target
database:
■

sales01.dbf

■

cust01.dbf

■

emp01.dbf

If you are transporting the database to a platform different from the source platform,
then determine if cross-platform database transport is supported for both the source
and target platforms, and determine the endianness of each platform. If both platforms
have the same endianness, then no conversion is necessary. Otherwise you must do a
conversion of each tablespace in the database either at the source or target database.
If you are transporting the database to a different platform, you can execute the
following query on each platform. If the query returns a row, then the platform
supports cross-platform tablespace transport.
SELECT d.PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM tp, V$DATABASE d
WHERE tp.PLATFORM_NAME = d.PLATFORM_NAME;

The following is the query result from the source platform:
PLATFORM_NAME
ENDIAN_FORMAT
---------------------------------- -------------Solaris[tm] OE (32-bit)
Big

The following is the query result from the target platform:
PLATFORM_NAME

ENDIAN_FORMAT

Transporting Data 15-15

Transporting Databases

---------------------------------- -------------Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)
Little

In this example, you can see that the endian formats are different. Therefore, in this
case, a conversion is necessary for transporting the database. Use either the GET_FILE
or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to transfer the data files.
These procedures convert the data files to the target platform’s endian format
automatically. Transport the data files to the location of the existing data files of the
target database. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, this location is typically
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/dbname/ or +DISKGROUP/dbname/datafile/.
Alternatively, you can use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files. See
"Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
If no endianness conversion of the tablespaces is needed, then
you can transfer the files using any file transfer method.

Note:

See Also:

"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47

Task 4 (Optional) Restore Tablespaces to Read/Write Mode
Make the transported tablespaces read/write again at the source database, as follows:
ALTER TABLESPACE sales READ WRITE;
ALTER TABLESPACE customers READ WRITE;
ALTER TABLESPACE employees READ WRITE;

You can postpone this task to first ensure that the import process succeeds.
Task 5 At the Target Database, Import the Database
Invoke the Data Pump import utility as a user with DATAPUMP_IMP_FULL_DATABASE role
and specify the full transportable export/import options.
impdp user_name full=Y dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transport_datafiles=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf'
logfile=import.log
Password: password

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■

■

■

The FULL parameter specifies that the entire database is being imported in FULL
mode.
The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the exported file containing the metadata for the
user-defined tablespaces and both the metadata and data for the administrative
tablespaces to be imported.
The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that identifies the location
of the export dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before invoking
Data Pump, and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges on the
directory to the user running the Import utility. See Oracle Database SQL Language
Reference for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.

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In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically. Read
and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role, and thus
to users SYS and SYSTEM.
However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the PDB
and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter identifies all of the data files to be imported.
You can specify the TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter multiple times in a
parameter file specified with the PARFILE parameter if there are many data files.

■

The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by the
import utility. In this example, the log file is written to the directory from which
the dump file is read, but it can be written to a different location.

After this statement executes successfully, check the import log file to ensure that no
unexpected error has occurred.
When dealing with a large number of data files, specifying the list of data file names in
the statement line can be a laborious process. It can even exceed the statement line
limit. In this situation, you can use an import parameter file. For example, you can
invoke the Data Pump import utility as follows:
impdp user_name parfile='par.f'

For example, par.f might contain the following lines:
FULL=Y
DUMPFILE=expdat.dmp
DIRECTORY=data_pump_dir
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf'
LOGFILE=import.log

Transporting Data 15-17

Transporting Databases

Note:
■

■

■

During the import, user-defined tablespaces might be temporarily
made read/write for metadata loading. Ensure that no user
changes are made to the data during the import. At the successful
completion of the import, all user-defined tablespaces are made
read/write.
When performing a network database import, the TRANSPORTABLE
parameter must be set to always.
When you are importing into a PDB in a CDB, specify the connect
identifier for the PDB after the user name. For example, if the
connect identifier for the PDB is hrpdb, then enter the following
when you run the Oracle Data Pump Import utility:
impdp user_name@hrpdb ...

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the import
utility
Part VI, "Managing a Multitenant Environment"

Transporting a Database Over the Network
To transport a database over the network, you perform an import using the NETWORK_
LINK parameter, the import is performed using a database link, and there is no dump
file involved.
The following list of tasks summarizes the process of transporting a database over the
network. Details for each task are provided in the subsequent example.
1.

Create a database link from the target database to the source database.
The import operation must be performed by a user on the target database with
DATAPUMP_IMP_FULL_DATABASE role, and the database link must connect to a user
on the source database with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE role. The user on the
source database cannot be a user with SYSDBA administrative privilege. If the
database link is a connected user database link, then the user on the target
database cannot be a user with SYSDBA administrative privilege. See "Users of
Database Links" on page 31-12 for information about connected user database
links.

2.

In the source database, make the user-defined tablespaces in the database
read-only.

3.

Transport the data files for the all of the user-defined tablespaces in the database.
Copy the data files to a place that is accessible to the target database.
If the source platform and target platform are different, then check the endian
format of each platform by running the query on the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view in "Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6.
If the source platform’s endian format is different from the target platform’s
endian format, then use one of the following methods to convert the data files:

15-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Databases

■

■

Use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to transfer the data files. These procedures convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format automatically.
Use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format.

See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
4.

At the target database, import the database.
Invoke the Data Pump utility to import the metadata for the user-defined
tablespaces and both the metadata and data for the administrative tablespaces.
Ensure that the following parameters are set to the specified values:
■

TRANSPORTABLE=ALWAYS

■

TRANSPORT_DATAFILES=list_of_datafiles

■

FULL=Y

■

NETWORK_LINK=source_database_link
Replace source_database_link with the name of the database link to the
source database.

■

VERSION=12
If the source database is an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later
Oracle Database 11g database, then the VERSION parameter is required and
must be set to 12. If the source database is an Oracle Database 12c database,
then the VERSION parameter is not required.

If the source database contains any encrypted tablespaces or tablespaces
containing tables with encrypted columns, then you must either specify
ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT=YES, or specify the ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD parameter.
The Data Pump network import copies the metadata for objects contained within
the user-defined tablespaces and both the metadata and data for user-defined
objects contained within the administrative tablespaces, such as SYSTEM and
SYSAUX.
When the import is complete, the user-defined tablespaces are in read/write
mode.
5.

(Optional) Restore the user-defined tablespaces to read/write mode on the source
database.

Example
These tasks for transporting a database are illustrated more fully in the example that
follows, where it is assumed the following data files and tablespaces exist:
Tablespace

Type

Data File

sales

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf

customers

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf

employees

User-defined

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf

SYSTEM

Administrative

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/system01.dbf

SYSAUX

Administrative

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sysaux01.dbf

Transporting Data 15-19

Transporting Databases

This example makes the following additional assumptions:
■

■

The target database is a new database that is being populated with the data from
the source database. The name of the source database is sourcedb.
The source database and target database are running on the same platform with
the same endianness.
To check the endianness of a platform, run the following query:
SELECT d.PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM tp, V$DATABASE d
WHERE tp.PLATFORM_NAME = d.PLATFORM_NAME;

■
■

The sales tablespace is encrypted. The other tablespaces are not encrypted.
The source database is an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) database and the
target database is an Oracle Database 12c database.
This example illustrates the tasks required to transport an
Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later Oracle Database 11g
database to a new Oracle Database 12c PDB inside of a CDB. See
Part VI, "Managing a Multitenant Environment". These tasks also
illustrate how to transport one non-CDB to another non-CDB.

Note:

Complete the following tasks to transport the database over the network:
Task 1 Create a Database Link from the Target Database to the Source Database
Create a database link from the target database to the source database by completing
the following steps:
1.

Ensure that network connectivity is configured between the source database and
the target database.
See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for instructions.

2.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database as the administrator who will
transport the database with Data Pump import. This user must have DATAPUMP_
IMP_FULL_DATABASE role to transport the database.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

3.

Create the database link:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sourcedb USING 'sourcedb';

Specify the service name for the source database in the using clause.
During the import operation, the database link must connect to a user on the
source database with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE role. The user on the source
database cannot be a user with SYSDBA administrative privilege.
See Also:
■

"Creating Database Links" on page 32-6

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Task 2 Make the User-Defined Tablespaces Read-Only
Complete the following steps:

15-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Databases

1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the source database as an administrator or as a user
who has either the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Make all of the user-defined tablespaces in the database read-only.
ALTER TABLESPACE sales READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE customers READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE employees READ ONLY;

Task 3 Transport the Data Files for the User-Defined Tablespaces
Transport the data files to the location of the existing data files of the target database.
On the UNIX and Linux platforms, this location is typically
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/dbname/ or +DISKGROUP/dbname/datafile/.
In this example, transfer the following data files from the source database to the target
database:
■

sales01.dbf

■

cust01.dbf

■

emp01.dbf
See Also:

"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47

Task 4 At the Target Database, Import the Database
Invoke the Data Pump import utility as a user with DATAPUMP_IMP_FULL_DATABASE role
and specify the full transportable export/import options.
impdp user_name full=Y network_link=sourcedb transportable=always
transport_datafiles=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf'
encryption_pwd_prompt=YES version=12 logfile=import.log
Password: password

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■

■

■

■

The FULL parameter specifies that the entire database is being imported in FULL
mode.
The NETWORK_LINK parameter specifies the database link used for the network
import.
The TRANSPORTABLE parameter specifies that the import uses the transportable
option.
The TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter identifies all of the data files to be imported.
You can specify the TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter multiple times in a
parameter file specified with the PARFILE parameter if there are many data files.

■

The ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT parameter instructs Data Pump to prompt you for
the encryption password, and Data Pump encrypts data and metadata sent over
the network connection. Either the ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT parameter or the

Transporting Data 15-21

Transporting Databases

ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD parameter is required when encrypted tablespaces or tables
with encrypted columns are part of the import operation.
■

■

The VERSION parameter is set to 12 because the source database is an Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) or later Oracle Database 11g database.
The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by the
import utility.

After this statement executes successfully, check the import log file to ensure that no
unexpected error has occurred.
When dealing with a large number of data files, specifying the list of data file names in
the statement line can be a laborious process. It can even exceed the statement line
limit. In this situation, you can use an import parameter file.
Use of an import parameter file is also recommended when encrypted tablespaces or
tables with encrypted columns are part of the import operation. In this case, specify
ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT=YES in the import parameter file.
For example, you can invoke the Data Pump import utility as follows:
impdp user_name parfile='par.f'

For example, par.f might contain the following lines:
FULL=Y
NETWORK_LINK=sourcedb
TRANSPORTABLE=always
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/sales01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/cust01.dbf',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/mydb/emp01.dbf'
ENCRYPTION_PWD_PROMPT=YES
VERSION=12
LOGFILE=import.log

Note:
■

■

During the import, user-defined tablespaces might be temporarily
made read/write for metadata loading. Ensure that no user
changes are made to the data during the import. At the successful
completion of the import, all user-defined tablespaces are made
read/write.
When you are importing into a PDB in a CDB, specify the connect
identifier for the PDB after the user name. For example, if the
connect identifier for the PDB is hrpdb, then enter the following
when you run the Oracle Data Pump Import utility:
impdp user_name@hrpdb ...

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
import utility

See Also:

Task 5 (Optional) Restore User-Defined Tablespaces to Read/Write Mode
Make the user-defined tablespaces read/write again at the source database, as follows:
ALTER TABLESPACE sales READ WRITE;

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Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

ALTER TABLESPACE customers READ WRITE;
ALTER TABLESPACE employees READ WRITE;

You can postpone this task to first ensure that the import process succeeds.

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases
This section describes how to transport tablespaces between databases, and contains
the following topics:
■

Introduction to Transportable Tablespaces

■

Limitations on Transportable Tablespaces

■

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

■

Transporting Data: Scenarios
To import a transportable tablespace set into an Oracle
database on a different platform, both databases must have
compatibility set to at least 10.0.0. See "Compatibility
Considerations for Transporting Data" on page 15-10 for a
discussion of database compatibility for transporting tablespaces
across release levels.

Note:

Introduction to Transportable Tablespaces
You can use the transportable tablespaces feature to copy a set of tablespaces from one
Oracle Database to another.
The tablespaces being transported can be either dictionary managed or locally
managed. The transported tablespaces are not required to be of the same block size as
the target database standard block size. These scenarios are discussed in "Transporting
Data: Scenarios" on page 15-2.
There are two ways to transport a tablespace:
■

■

Manually, following the steps described in this section. This involves issuing
commands to SQL*Plus and Data Pump.
Using the Transport Tablespaces Wizard in Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control
To run the Transport Tablespaces Wizard:
1.

Log in to Cloud Control with a user that has the DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE
role.

2.

Access the Database Home page.

3.

From the Schema menu, select Database Export/Import, then Transport
Tablespaces.

Transporting Data 15-23

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

Note:
■

■

This method for transporting tablespaces requires that you place
the tablespaces to be transported in read-only mode until you
complete the transporting process. If this is undesirable, you can
use the transportable tablespaces from backup feature, described
in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide.
You must use Data Pump for transportable tablespaces. The only
circumstance under which you can use the original import and
export utilities, IMP and EXP, is for a backward migration of
XMLType data to an Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) or earlier
database. See Oracle Database Utilities for more information on
these utilities and to Oracle XML DB Developer's Guide for more
information on XMLTypes.

See Also:
■
■

"About Transporting Data" on page 15-1
Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide for information about
using transportable tablespaces in a data warehousing
environment

Limitations on Transportable Tablespaces
Be aware of the following limitations for transportable tablespaces:
■

■

■

The general limitations described in "General Limitations on Transporting Data"
on page 15-8 apply to transportable tablespaces.
When transporting a tablespace set, objects with underlying objects (such as
materialized views) or contained objects (such as partitioned tables) are not
transportable unless all of the underlying or contained objects are in the tablespace
set.
Transportable tablespaces cannot transport tables with TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE
(TSTZ) data across platforms with different time zone file versions. These tables
are skipped automatically in a transportable tablespaces operation. These tables
can be exported and imported conventionally.
See Oracle Database Utilities for more information.

■

■

The following are limitations related to encryption:
–

Transportable tablespaces cannot transport encrypted tablespaces.

–

Transportable tablespaces cannot transport tablespaces containing tables with
encrypted columns.

Administrative tablespaces, such as SYSTEM and SYSAUX, cannot be included in a
transportable tablespace set.

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases
The following list of tasks summarizes the process of transporting a tablespace. Details
for each task are provided in the subsequent example.
1.

Pick a self-contained set of tablespaces.

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Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

2.

At the source database, place the set of tablespaces in read-only mode and
generate a transportable tablespace set.
A transportable tablespace set (or transportable set) consists of data files for the set
of tablespaces being transported and an export dump file containing structural
information (metadata) for the set of tablespaces. You use Data Pump to perform
the export.

3.

Transport the export dump file.
Copy the export dump file to a place that is accessible to the target database.

4.

Transport the tablespace set.
Copy the data files to a place that is accessible to the target database.
If the source platform and target platform are different, then check the endian
format of each platform by running the query on the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view in "Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6.
If the source platform’s endian format is different from the target platform’s
endian format, then use one of the following methods to convert the data files:
■

■

Use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to transfer the data files. These procedures convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format automatically.
Use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format.

See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
5.

(Optional) Restore tablespaces to read/write mode on the source database.

6.

At the target database, import the tablespace set.
Invoke the Data Pump utility to import the metadata for the tablespace set.

Example
These tasks for transporting a tablespace are illustrated more fully in the example that
follows, where it is assumed the following data files and tablespaces exist:
Tablespace

Data File

sales_1

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_101.dbf

sales_2

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_201.dbf

Task 1: Pick a Self-Contained Set of Tablespaces
There may be logical or physical dependencies between objects in the transportable set
and those outside of the set. You can only transport a set of tablespaces that is
self-contained. In this context "self-contained" means that there are no references from
inside the set of tablespaces pointing outside of the tablespaces. Some examples of self
contained tablespace violations are:
■

An index inside the set of tablespaces is for a table outside of the set of tablespaces.
It is not a violation if a corresponding index for a table is
outside of the set of tablespaces.

Note:

■

A partitioned table is partially contained in the set of tablespaces.
Transporting Data 15-25

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

The tablespace set you want to copy must contain either all partitions of a
partitioned table, or none of the partitions of a partitioned table. To transport a
subset of a partition table, you must exchange the partitions into tables.
See Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for information about exchanging
partitions.
■

A referential integrity constraint points to a table across a set boundary.
When transporting a set of tablespaces, you can choose to include referential
integrity constraints. However, doing so can affect whether a set of tablespaces is
self-contained. If you decide not to transport constraints, then the constraints are
not considered as pointers.

■

■

A table inside the set of tablespaces contains a LOB column that points to LOBs
outside the set of tablespaces.
An XML DB schema (*.xsd) that was registered by user A imports a global schema
that was registered by user B, and the following is true: the default tablespace for
user A is tablespace A, the default tablespace for user B is tablespace B, and only
tablespace A is included in the set of tablespaces.

To determine whether a set of tablespaces is self-contained, you can invoke the
TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK procedure in the Oracle supplied package DBMS_TTS. You must
have been granted the EXECUTE_CATALOG_ROLE role (initially signed to SYS) to execute
this procedure.
When you invoke the DBMS_TTS package, you specify the list of tablespaces in the
transportable set to be checked for self containment. You can optionally specify if
constraints must be included. For strict or full containment, you must additionally set
the TTS_FULL_CHECK parameter to TRUE.
The strict or full containment check is for cases that require capturing not only
references going outside the transportable set, but also those coming into the set.
Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) is one such case where dependent objects
must be fully contained or fully outside the transportable set.
For example, it is a violation to perform TSPITR on a tablespace containing a table t
but not its index i because the index and data will be inconsistent after the transport.
A full containment check ensures that there are no dependencies going outside or
coming into the transportable set. See the example for TSPITR in the Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery User's Guide.
The default for transportable tablespaces is to check for self
containment rather than full containment.

Note:

The following statement can be used to determine whether tablespaces sales_1 and
sales_2 are self-contained, with referential integrity constraints taken into
consideration (indicated by TRUE).
EXECUTE DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK('sales_1,sales_2', TRUE);

After invoking this PL/SQL package, you can see all violations by selecting from the
TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS view. If the set of tablespaces is self-contained, this view
is empty. The following example illustrates a case where there are two violations: a
foreign key constraint, dept_fk, across the tablespace set boundary, and a partitioned
table, jim.sales, that is partially contained in the tablespace set.
SELECT * FROM TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS;

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VIOLATIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Constraint DEPT_FK between table JIM.EMP in tablespace SALES_1 and table
JIM.DEPT in tablespace OTHER
Partitioned table JIM.SALES is partially contained in the transportable set

These violations must be resolved before sales_1 and sales_2 are transportable. As
noted in the next task, one choice for bypassing the integrity constraint violation is to
not export the integrity constraints.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about the DBMS_TTS package
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information
specific to using the DBMS_TTS package for TSPITR

Task 2: Generate a Transportable Tablespace Set
After ensuring you have a self-contained set of tablespaces that you want to transport,
generate a transportable tablespace set by completing the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database as an administrator or as a user who
has either the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Make all tablespaces in the set read-only.
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_1 READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_2 READ ONLY;

3.

Invoke the Data Pump export utility as a user with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE
role and specify the tablespaces in the transportable set.
SQL> HOST
$ expdp user_name dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transport_tablespaces=sales_1,sales_2 logfile=tts_export.log
Password: password

You must always specify TRANSPORT_TABLESPACES, which specifies that the
transportable option is used. This example specifies the following additional Data
Pump parameters:
■

■

The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the name of the structural information
export dump file to be created, expdat.dmp.
The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that points to the
operating system or Oracle Automatic Storage Management location of the
dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before invoking Data Pump,
and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges on the directory to
the user running the Export utility. See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.
In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically.
Read and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role,
and thus to users SYS and SYSTEM.

Transporting Data 15-27

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the
PDB and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by
the export utility. In this example, the log file is written to the same directory
as the dump file, but it can be written to a different location.
Triggers and indexes are included in the export operation by default.

To perform a transport tablespace operation with a strict containment check, use
the TRANSPORT_FULL_CHECK parameter, as shown in the following example:
expdp use_name dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transport_tablespaces=sales_1,sales_2 transport_full_check=y
logfile=tts_export.log

In this case, the Data Pump export utility verifies that there are no dependencies
between the objects inside the transportable set and objects outside the
transportable set. If the tablespace set being transported is not self-contained, then
the export fails and indicates that the transportable set is not self-contained. You
must then return to Task 2 to resolve all violations.
Notes: In this example, the Data Pump utility is used to export
only data dictionary structural information (metadata) for the
tablespaces. No actual data is unloaded, so this operation goes
relatively quickly even for large tablespace sets.
4.

Check the log file for errors, and take note of the dump file and data files that you
must transport to the target database. expdp outputs the names and paths of these
files in messages like these:
*****************************************************************************
Dump file set for SYSTEM.SYS_EXPORT_TRANSPORTABLE_01 is:
/u01/app/oracle/admin/salesdb/dpdump/expdat.dmp
*****************************************************************************
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace SALES_1:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_101.dbf
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace SALES_2:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_201.dbf

5.

When finished, exit back to SQL*Plus:
$ EXIT

See Also: Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
Data Pump utility

15-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

Task 3: Transport the Export Dump File
Transport the dump file to the directory pointed to by the DATA_PUMP_DIR directory
object, or to any other directory of your choosing. The new location must be accessible
to the target database.
At the target database, run the following query to determine the location of DATA_
PUMP_DIR:
SELECT * FROM DBA_DIRECTORIES WHERE DIRECTORY_NAME = 'DATA_PUMP_DIR';
OWNER
DIRECTORY_NAME
DIRECTORY_PATH
---------- ---------------- ----------------------------------SYS
DATA_PUMP_DIR
C:\app\orauser\admin\orawin\dpdump\

Task 4: Transport the Tablespace Set
Transport the data files of the tablespaces to a place that is accessible to the target
database.
In this example, transfer the following files from the source database to the target
database:
■

sales_101.dbf

■

sales_201.dbf

If you are transporting the tablespace set to a platform different from the source
platform, then determine if cross-platform tablespace transport is supported for both
the source and target platforms, and determine the endianness of each platform. If
both platforms have the same endianness, no conversion is necessary. Otherwise you
must do a conversion of the tablespace set either at the source or target database.
If you are transporting sales_1 and sales_2 to a different platform, you can execute
the following query on each platform. If the query returns a row, the platform
supports cross-platform tablespace transport.
SELECT d.PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM tp, V$DATABASE d
WHERE tp.PLATFORM_NAME = d.PLATFORM_NAME;

The following is the query result from the source platform:
PLATFORM_NAME
ENDIAN_FORMAT
---------------------------------- -------------Solaris[tm] OE (32-bit)
Big

The following is the result from the target platform:
PLATFORM_NAME
ENDIAN_FORMAT
---------------------------------- -------------Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)
Little

In this example, you can see that the endian formats are different. Therefore, in this
case, a conversion is necessary for transporting the database. Use either the GET_FILE
or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to transfer the data files.
These procedures convert the data files to the target platform’s endian format
automatically. Transport the data files to the location of the existing data files of the
target database. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, this location is typically
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/dbname/ or +DISKGROUP/dbname/datafile/.
Alternatively, you can use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files. See
"Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
Transporting Data 15-29

Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases

If no endianness conversion of the tablespaces is needed, then
you can transfer the files using any file transfer method.

Note:

See Also:

"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47

Task 5: (Optional) Restore Tablespaces to Read/Write Mode
Make the transported tablespaces read/write again at the source database, as follows:
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_1 READ WRITE;
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_2 READ WRITE;

You can postpone this task to first ensure that the import process succeeds.

Task 6: Import the Tablespace Set
To import a tablespace set, complete the following steps:
1.

Invoke the Data Pump import utility as a user with DATAPUMP_IMP_FULL_DATABASE
role and import the tablespace metadata.
impdp user_name dumpfile=expdat.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transport_datafiles=
'c:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\sales_101.dbf',
'c:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\sales_201.dbf'
remap_schema=sales1:crm1 remap_schema=sales2:crm2
logfile=tts_import.log
Password: password

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■

■

The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the exported file containing the metadata
for the tablespaces to be imported.
The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that identifies the
location of the export dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before
invoking Data Pump, and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges
on the directory to the user running the Import utility. See Oracle Database SQL
Language Reference for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.
In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically.
Read and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role,
and thus to users SYS and SYSTEM.
However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the
PDB and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter identifies all of the data files containing
the tablespaces to be imported.

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You can specify the TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter multiple times in a
parameter file specified with the PARFILE parameter if there are many data
files.
■

■

The REMAP_SCHEMA parameter changes the ownership of database objects. If
you do not specify REMAP_SCHEMA, all database objects (such as tables and
indexes) are created in the same user schema as in the source database, and
those users must already exist in the target database. If they do not exist, then
the import utility returns an error. In this example, objects in the tablespace set
owned by sales1 in the source database will be owned by crm1 in the target
database after the tablespace set is imported. Similarly, objects owned by
sales2 in the source database will be owned by crm2 in the target database. In
this case, the target database is not required to have users sales1 and sales2,
but must have users crm1 and crm2.
The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by
the import utility. In this example, the log file is written to the directory from
which the dump file is read, but it can be written to a different location.

After this statement executes successfully, all tablespaces in the set being copied
remain in read-only mode. Check the import log file to ensure that no error has
occurred.
When dealing with a large number of data files, specifying the list of data file
names in the statement line can be a laborious process. It can even exceed the
statement line limit. In this situation, you can use an import parameter file. For
example, you can invoke the Data Pump import utility as follows:
impdp user_name parfile='par.f'

where the parameter file, par.f contains the following:
DUMPFILE=expdat.dmp
DIRECTORY=data_pump_dir
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES=
'C:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\sales_101.dbf',
'C:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\sales_201.dbf'
REMAP_SCHEMA=sales1:crm1 REMAP_SCHEMA=sales2:crm2
LOGFILE=tts_import.log

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
import utility

See Also:

2.

If required, put the tablespaces into read/write mode on the target database.

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases
This section describes how to transport tables, partitions, and subpartitions between
databases and contains the following topics:
■

Introduction to Transportable Tables

■

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Using an Export Dump File

■

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Over the Network

Introduction to Transportable Tables
You can use the transportable tables feature to copy a set of tables, partitions, or
subpartitions from one Oracle Database to another. A transportable tables operation

Transporting Data 15-31

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

moves metadata for the specified tables, partitions, or subpartitions to the target
database.
A transportable tables operation automatically identifies the tablespaces used by the
specified tables. To move the data, you copy the data files for these tablespaces to the
target database. The Data Pump import automatically frees the blocks in the data files
occupied by tables, partitions, or subpartitions that were not part of the transportable
tables operation. It also frees the blocks occupied by the dependent objects of the tables
that were not part of the transportable tables operation.
You can transport the tables, partitions, and subpartitions in the following ways:
■

Using an export dump file
During the export, specify the TABLES parameter and set the TRANSPORTABLE
parameter to ALWAYS. During import, do not specify the TRANSPORTABLE parameter.
Data Pump import recognizes the transportable tables operation automatically.

■

Over the network
During the import, specify the TABLES parameter, set the TRANSPORTABLE parameter
to ALWAYS, and specify the NETWORK_LINK parameter to identify the source
database.

Limitations on Transportable Tables
Be aware of the following limitations for transportable tables:
■

■

■

■

The general limitations described in "General Limitations on Transporting Data"
on page 15-8 apply to transportable tables.
You cannot transport a table to a target database that contains a table of the same
name in the same schema. However, you can use the REMAP_TABLE import
parameter to import the data into a different table. Alternatively, before the
transport operation, you can rename either the table to be transported or the target
table.
The following are limitations related to encryption:
–

You cannot transport tables that are in encrypted tablespaces.

–

You cannot transport tables with encrypted columns.

You cannot transport tables with TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE (TSTZ) data across
platforms with different time zone file versions.
See Oracle Database Utilities for more information.

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Using an Export Dump File
The following list of tasks summarizes the process of transporting tables between
databases using an export dump file. Details for each task are provided in the
subsequent example.
1.

Pick a set of tables, partitions, or subpartitions.
If you are transporting partitions, then you can specify partitions from only one
table in a transportable tables operation, and no other tables can be transported in
the same operation. Also, if only a subset of a table's partitions are exported in a
transportable tables operation, then on import each partition becomes a
non-partitioned table.

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2.

At the source database, place the tablespaces associated with the data files for the
tables, partitions, or subpartitions in read-only mode.
To view the tablespace for a table, query the DBA_TABLES view. To view the data file
for a tablespace, query the DBA_DATA_FILES view.

3.

Perform the Data Pump export.

4.

Transport the export dump file.
Copy the export dump file to a place that is accessible to the target database.

5.

Transport the data files for the tables, partitions, or subpartitions.
Copy the data files to a place that is accessible to the target database.
If the source platform and target platform are different, then check the endian
format of each platform by running the query on the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view in "Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6.
If the source platform’s endian format is different from the target platform’s
endian format, then use one of the following methods to convert the data files:
■

■

Use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to transfer the data files. These procedures convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format automatically.
Use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format.

See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
6.

(Optional) Restore tablespaces to read/write mode on the source database.

7.

At the target database, perform the import.
Invoke the Data Pump utility to import the metadata for the tables.

Example
These tasks for transporting tables, partitions, and subpartitions using a Data Pump
dump file are illustrated more fully in the example that follows, where it is assumed
that the following partitions exist in the sh.sales_prt table:
■

sales_q1_2000

■

sales_q2_2000

■

sales_q3_2000

■

sales_q4_2000

This example transports two of these partitions to the target database.
The following SQL statements create the sales_prt table and its and partitions in the
sh schema and the tablespace and data file for the table. The statements also insert
data into the partitions by using data in the sh sample schemas.
CREATE TABLESPACE sales_prt_tbs
DATAFILE 'sales_prt.dbf' SIZE 20M
ONLINE;
CREATE TABLE sh.sales_prt
(prod_id
NUMBER(6),
cust_id
NUMBER,
time_id
DATE,
channel_id
CHAR(1),

Transporting Data 15-33

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

promo_id
NUMBER(6),
quantity_sold NUMBER(3),
amount_sold
NUMBER(10,2))
PARTITION BY RANGE (time_id)
(PARTITION SALES_Q1_2000 VALUES LESS THAN
(TO_DATE('01-APR-2000','DD-MON-YYYY','NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE
PARTITION SALES_Q2_2000 VALUES LESS THAN
(TO_DATE('01-JUL-2000','DD-MON-YYYY','NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE
PARTITION SALES_Q3_2000 VALUES LESS THAN
(TO_DATE('01-OCT-2000','DD-MON-YYYY','NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE
PARTITION SALES_Q4_2000 VALUES LESS THAN
(TO_DATE('01-JAN-2001','DD-MON-YYYY','NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE
TABLESPACE sales_prt_tbs;

= American')),
= American')),
= American')),
= American')))

INSERT INTO sh.sales_prt PARTITION(sales_q1_2000)
SELECT * FROM sh.sales PARTITION(sales_q1_2000);
INSERT INTO sh.sales_prt PARTITION(sales_q2_2000)
SELECT * FROM sh.sales PARTITION(sales_q2_2000);
INSERT INTO sh.sales_prt PARTITION(sales_q3_2000)
SELECT * FROM sh.sales PARTITION(sales_q3_2000);
INSERT INTO sh.sales_prt PARTITION(sales_q4_2000)
SELECT * FROM sh.sales PARTITION(sales_q4_2000);
COMMIT;

This example makes the following additional assumptions:
■
■

The name of the source database is sourcedb.
The source database and target database are running on the same platform with
the same endianness. To check the endianness of a platform, run the following
query:
SELECT d.PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM tp, V$DATABASE d
WHERE tp.PLATFORM_NAME = d.PLATFORM_NAME;

■

Only the sales_q1_2000 and sales_q2_2000 partitions are transported to the
target database. The other two partitions are not transported.

Complete the following tasks to transport the partitions using an export dump file:
Task 1 Generate the Export Dump File
Generate the export dump file by completing the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the source database as an administrator or as a user
who has either the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Make all of the tablespaces that contain the tables being transported read-only.
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_prt_tbs READ ONLY;

3.

Invoke the Data Pump export utility as a user with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE
role and specify the transportable tables options.
SQL> HOST

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expdp user_name dumpfile=sales_prt.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
tables=sh.sales_prt:sales_q1_2000,sh.sales_prt:sales_q2_2000
transportable=always logfile=exp.log
Password: password

You must always specify TRANSPORTABLE=ALWAYS, which specifies that the
transportable option is used.
This example specifies the following additional Data Pump parameters:
■

■

The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the name of the structural information
export dump file to be created, sales_prt.dmp.
The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that points to the
operating system or Oracle Automatic Storage Management location of the
dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before invoking Data Pump,
and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges on the directory to
the user running the Export utility. See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.
In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically.
Read and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role,
and thus to users SYS and SYSTEM.
However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the
PDB and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

4.

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The TABLES parameter specifies the tables, partitions, or subpartitions being
exported.
The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by
the export utility. In this example, the log file is written to the same directory
as the dump file, but it can be written to a different location.

Check the log file for unexpected errors, and take note of the dump file and data
files that you must transport to the target database. expdp outputs the names and
paths of these files in messages like these:
Processing object type TABLE_EXPORT/TABLE/PLUGTS_BLK
Processing object type TABLE_EXPORT/TABLE/TABLE
Processing object type TABLE_EXPORT/TABLE/END_PLUGTS_BLK
Master table "SYSTEM"."SYS_EXPORT_TABLE_01" successfully loaded/unloaded
******************************************************************************
Dump file set for SYSTEM.SYS_EXPORT_TABLE_01 is:
/u01/app/oracle/rdbms/log/sales_prt.dmp
******************************************************************************
Datafiles required for transportable tablespace SALES_PRT_TBS:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/sourcedb/sales_prt.dbf
Job "SYSTEM"."SYS_EXPORT_TABLE_01" successfully completed at 11:32:13

5.

When finished, exit back to SQL*Plus:

Transporting Data 15-35

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

$ exit

See Also: Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
Data Pump utility

Task 2 Transport the Export Dump File
Transport the dump file to the directory pointed to by the DATA_PUMP_DIR directory
object on the target database, or to any other directory of your choosing. The new
location must be accessible to the target database.
In this example, transfer the sales_prt.dmp dump file from the source database to the
target database.
At the target database, run the following query to determine the location of DATA_
PUMP_DIR:
SELECT * FROM DBA_DIRECTORIES WHERE DIRECTORY_NAME = 'DATA_PUMP_DIR';
OWNER
DIRECTORY_NAME
DIRECTORY_PATH
---------- ---------------- ----------------------------------SYS
DATA_PUMP_DIR
/u01/app/oracle/rdbms/log/

Task 3 Transport the Data Files for the Tables
Transport the data files of the tablespaces containing the tables being transported to a
place that is accessible to the target database.
Typically, you transport the data files to the location of the existing data files of the
target database. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, this location is typically
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/dbname/ or +DISKGROUP/dbname/datafile/.
In this example, transfer the sales_prt.dbf data file from the source database to the
target database.
See Also:

"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47

Task 4 (Optional) Restore Tablespaces to Read/Write Mode
Make the tablespaces that contain the tables being transported read/write again at the
source database, as follows:
ALTER TABLESPACE sales_prt_tbs READ WRITE;

You can postpone this task to first ensure that the import process succeeds.
Task 5 At the Target Database, Import the Partitions
At the target database, invoke the Data Pump import utility as a user with DATAPUMP_
IMP_FULL_DATABASE role and specify the transportable tables options.
impdp user_name dumpfile=sales_prt.dmp directory=data_pump_dir
transport_datafiles='/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/sales_prt.dbf'
tables=sh.sales_prt:sales_q1_2000,sh.sales_prt:sales_q2_2000
logfile=imp.log
Password: password

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■

The DUMPFILE parameter specifies the exported file containing the metadata for the
data to be imported.

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■

The DIRECTORY parameter specifies the directory object that identifies the location
of the export dump file. You must create the DIRECTORY object before invoking
Data Pump, and you must grant the READ and WRITE object privileges on the
directory to the user running the Import utility. See Oracle Database SQL Language
Reference for information on the CREATE DIRECTORY command.
In a non-CDB, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is created automatically. Read
and write access to this directory is automatically granted to the DBA role, and thus
to users SYS and SYSTEM.
However, the directory object DATA_PUMP_DIR is not created automatically in a
PDB. Therefore, when importing into a PDB, create a directory object in the PDB
and specify the directory object when you run Data Pump.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for information about the default directory
when the DIRECTORY parameter is omitted
Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"
for more information about PDBs

The TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter identifies all of the data files to be imported.
You can specify the TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter multiple times in a
parameter file specified with the PARFILE parameter if there are many data files.

■

■

The TABLES parameter specifies the tables, partitions, or subpartitions being
imported.
The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by the
import utility. In this example, the log file is written to the directory from which
the dump file is read, but it can be written to a different location.

After this statement executes successfully, check the import log file to ensure that no
unexpected error has occurred.
When dealing with a large number of data files, specifying the list of data file names in
the statement line can be a laborious process. It can even exceed the statement line
limit. In this situation, you can use an import parameter file. For example, you can
invoke the Data Pump import utility as follows:
impdp user_name parfile='par.f'

For example, par.f might contain the following lines:
DUMPFILE=sales_prt.dmp
DIRECTORY=data_pump_dir
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES='/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/sales_prt.dbf'
TABLES=sh.sales_prt:sales_q1_2000,sh.sales_prt:sales_q2_2000
LOGFILE=imp.log

Transporting Data 15-37

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

Note:
■

■

■

The partitions are imported as separate tables in the target
database because this example transports a subset of partitions.
During the import, tablespaces might be temporarily made
read/write for metadata loading. Ensure that no user changes are
made to the data during the import. At the successful completion
of the import, all user-defined tablespaces are made read/write.
When performing a network database import, the TRANSPORTABLE
parameter must be set to always.

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
import utility

See Also:

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Over the Network
To transport tables over the network, you perform an import using the NETWORK_LINK
parameter, the import is performed using a database link, and there is no dump file
involved.
The following list of tasks summarizes the process of transporting tables, partitions,
and subpartitions between databases over the network. Details for each task are
provided in the subsequent example.
1.

Pick a set of tables, partitions, or subpartitions.
If you are transporting partitions, then you can specify partitions from only one
table in a transportable tables operation, and no other tables can be transported in
the same operation. Also, if only a subset of a table's partitions are exported in a
transportable tables operation, then on import each partition becomes a
non-partitioned table.

2.

At the source database, place the tablespaces associated with the data files for the
tables, partitions, or subpartitions in read-only mode.
To view the tablespace for a table, query the DBA_TABLES view. To view the data file
for a tablespace, query the DBA_DATA_FILES view.

3.

Transport the data files for the tables, partitions, or subpartitions.
Copy the data files to a place that is accessible to the target database.
If the source platform and target platform are different, then check the endian
format of each platform by running the query on the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view in "Transporting Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6.
If the source platform’s endian format is different from the target platform’s
endian format, then use one of the following methods to convert the data files:
■

■

Use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to transfer the data files. These procedures convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format automatically.
Use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert the data files to the target
platform’s endian format.

See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42 for more information.
4.

At the target database, perform the import.

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Invoke the Data Pump utility to import the metadata for the tables.
5.

(Optional) Restore tablespaces to read/write mode on the source database.

Example
These tasks for transporting tables over the network are illustrated more fully in the
example that follows, where it is assumed that the tables exist in the source database:
Table

Tablespace

Data File

hr.emp_ttbs

emp_tsp

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/sourcedb/emp.dbf

oe.orders_ttbs

orders_tsp

/u01/app/oracle/oradata/sourcedb/orders.dbf

This example transports these tables to the target database. To complete the example,
these tables must exist on the source database.
The following SQL statements create the tables in the hr schema and the tablespaces
and data files for the tables. The statements also insert data into the tables by using
data in the hr and oe sample schemas.
CREATE TABLESPACE emp_tsp
DATAFILE 'emp.dbf' SIZE 1M
ONLINE;
CREATE TABLE hr.emp_ttbs(
employee_id
NUMBER(6),
first_name
VARCHAR2(20),
last_name
VARCHAR2(25),
email
VARCHAR2(25),
phone_number
VARCHAR2(20),
hire_date
DATE,
job_id
VARCHAR2(10),
salary
NUMBER(8,2),
commission_pct NUMBER(2,2),
manager_id
NUMBER(6),
department_id NUMBER(4))
TABLESPACE emp_tsp;
INSERT INTO hr.emp_ttbs SELECT * FROM hr.employees;
CREATE TABLESPACE orders_tsp
DATAFILE 'orders.dbf' SIZE 1M
ONLINE;
CREATE TABLE oe.orders_ttbs(
order_id
NUMBER(12),
order_date
TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE,
order_mode
VARCHAR2(8),
customer_id
NUMBER(6),
order_status NUMBER(2),
order_total
NUMBER(8,2),
sales_rep_id NUMBER(6),
promotion_id NUMBER(6))
TABLESPACE orders_tsp;
INSERT INTO oe.orders_ttbs SELECT * FROM oe.orders;
COMMIT;

Transporting Data 15-39

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

This example makes the following additional assumptions:
■
■

The name of the source database is sourcedb.
The source database and target database are running on the same platform with
the same endianness. To check the endianness of a platform, run the following
query:
SELECT d.PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM tp, V$DATABASE d
WHERE tp.PLATFORM_NAME = d.PLATFORM_NAME;

Complete the following tasks to transport the tables over the network:
Task 1 Create a Database Link from the Target Database to the Source Database
Create a database link from the target database to the source database by completing
the following steps:
1.

Ensure that network connectivity is configured between the source database and
the target database.
See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for instructions.

2.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database as the administrator who will
transport the data with Data Pump import. This user must have DATAPUMP_IMP_
FULL_DATABASE role to transport the data.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

3.

Create the database link:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sourcedb USING 'sourcedb';

Specify the service name for the source database in the using clause.
During the import operation, the database link must connect to a user on the
source database with DATAPUMP_EXP_FULL_DATABASE role. The user on the source
database cannot be a user with SYSDBA administrative privilege.
See Also:
■

"Creating Database Links" on page 32-6

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Task 2 Make the Tablespaces Containing the Tables Read-Only
At the source database, complete the following steps:
1.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the source database as an administrator or as a user
who has either the ALTER TABLESPACE or MANAGE TABLESPACE system privilege.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Make all of the tablespaces that contain data to be transported read-only.
ALTER TABLESPACE emp_tsp READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE orders_tsp READ ONLY;

Task 3 Transport the Data Files for the Tables
Transport the data files of the tablespaces containing the tables being transported to a
place that is accessible to the target database.

15-40 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transporting Tables, Partitions, or Subpartitions Between Databases

Typically, you transport the data files to the location of the existing data files of the
target database. On the UNIX and Linux platforms, this location is typically
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/dbname/ or +DISKGROUP/dbname/datafile/.
In this example, transfer the emp.dbf and orders.dbf data files from the source
database to the target database.
See Also:

"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47

Task 4 At the Target Database, Import the Database
Invoke the Data Pump import utility as a user with DATAPUMP_IMP_FULL_DATABASE role
and specify the full transportable export/import options.
impdp user_name network_link=sourcedb transportable=always
transport_datafiles=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/emp.dbf'
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/orders.dbf'
tables=hr.emp_ttbs,oe.orders_ttbs
logfile=import.log
Password: password

This example specifies the following Data Pump parameters:
■

■

■

The NETWORK_LINK parameter specifies the database link to the source database
used for the network import.
The TRANSPORTABLE parameter specifies that the import uses the transportable
option.
The TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter identifies all of the data files to be imported.
You can specify the TRANSPORT_DATAFILES parameter multiple times in a
parameter file specified with the PARFILE parameter if there are many data files.

■
■

The TABLES parameter specifies the tables to be imported.
The LOGFILE parameter specifies the file name of the log file to be written by the
import utility.

After this statement executes successfully, check the import log file to ensure that no
unexpected error has occurred.
When dealing with a large number of data files, specifying the list of data file names in
the statement line can be a laborious process. It can even exceed the statement line
limit. In this situation, you can use an import parameter file. For example, you can
invoke the Data Pump import utility as follows:
impdp user_name parfile='par.f'

For example, par.f might contain the following lines:
NETWORK_LINK=sourcedb
TRANSPORTABLE=always
TRANSPORT_DATAFILES=
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/emp.dbf'
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/targetdb/orders.dbf'
TABLES=hr.emp_ttbs,oe.orders_ttbs
LOGFILE=import.log

Transporting Data 15-41

Converting Data Between Platforms

During the import, user-defined tablespaces might be
temporarily made read/write for metadata loading. Ensure that no
user changes are made to the data during the import. At the successful
completion of the import, all user-defined tablespaces are made
read/write.

Note:

Oracle Database Utilities for information about using the
import utility

See Also:

Task 5 (Optional) Restore Tablespaces to Read/Write Mode
Make the tables that contain the tables being transported read/write again at the
source database, as follows:
ALTER TABLESPACE emp_tsp READ WRITE;
ALTER TABLESPACE orders_tsp READ WRITE;

Converting Data Between Platforms
When you perform a transportable operation, and the source platform and the target
platform are of different endianness, you must convert the data being transported to
the target format. If they are of the same endianness, then no conversion is necessary
and data can be transported as if they were on the same platform. See "Transporting
Data Across Platforms" on page 15-6 for information about checking the endianness of
platforms.
You can use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package or the RMAN CONVERT command to
convert data. This section contains the following topics:
■

Converting Data Between Platforms Using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER Package

■

Converting Data Between Platforms Using RMAN
Some limitations might apply that are not described in these
sections. Refer to the following documentation for more information:

Note:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about limitations related to the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER
package
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for information
about limitations related to the RMAN CONVERT command

Converting Data Between Platforms Using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER Package
You can use the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to convert data between platforms during the data file transfer. When you use one of
these procedures to move data files between the source platform and the target
platform, each block in each data file is converted to the target platform’s endianness.
This section uses an example to describe how to use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
to convert a data file to a different platform. The example makes the following
assumptions:
■

The GET_FILE procedure will transfer the data file.

■

The mytable.342.123456789 data file is being transferred to a different platform.

15-42 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Converting Data Between Platforms

■

■
■

The endianness of the source platform is different from the endianness of the
target platform.
The global name of the source database is dbsa.example.com.
Both the source database and the target database use Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM).
Note: You can also use the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to transfer
data files between platforms with the same endianness.

Complete the following steps to convert the data file by transferring it with the GET_
FILE procedure:
1.

Connect to the source database as an administrative user that can create directory
objects.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

2.

Create a directory object for the directory that contains the data file that will be
transferred to the target database.
For example, to create a directory object named sales_dir_source for the
+data/dbsa/datafile directory, execute the following SQL statement:
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY sales_dir_source
AS '+data/dbsa/datafile';

The specified file system directory must exist when you create the directory object.
3.

Connect to the target database as an administrative user that can create database
links, create directory objects, and run the procedures in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER
package.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for instructions.

4.

Create a database link from the target database to the source database.
The connected user at the source database must have read privilege on the
directory object you created in Step 2.
See "Creating Database Links" on page 32-6.

5.

Create a directory object to store the data files that will be transferred to the target
database.
The user at the local database who will run the procedure in the DBMS_FILE_
TRANSFER package must have write privilege on the directory object.
For example, to create a directory object named sales_dir_target for the
+data/dbsb/datafile directory, execute the following SQL statement:
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY sales_dir_target
AS '+data/dbsb/datafile';

6.

Run the GET_FILE procedure in the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to transfer the
data file.
For example, run the following procedure to transfer the mytable.342.123456789
data file from the source database to the target database using the database link
you created in Step 4:
BEGIN
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.GET_FILE(
Transporting Data 15-43

Converting Data Between Platforms

source_directory_object
source_file_name
source_database
destination_directory_object
destination_file_name
END;
/

=>
=>
=>
=>
=>

'sales_dir_source',
'mytable.342.123456789',
'dbsa.example.com',
'sales_dir_target',
'mytable');

In this example, the destination data file name is mytable.
Oracle ASM does not allow a fully qualified file name form in the
destination_file_name parameter of the GET_FILE procedure.
Note:

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for
information about fully qualified file name forms in ASM

Converting Data Between Platforms Using RMAN
When you use the RMAN CONVERT command to convert data, you can either convert
the data on the source platform after running Data Pump export, or you can convert it
on the target platform before running Data Pump import. In either case, you must
transfer the data files from the source system to the target system.
You can convert data with the following RMAN CONVERT commands:
■

CONVERT DATAFILE

■

CONVERT TABLESPACE

■

CONVERT DATABASE

This section includes examples that use the CONVERT DATAFILE command and the
CONVERT TABLESPACE command.
The following sections describe how to perform these conversions:
■

Converting Tablespaces on the Source System After Export

■

Converting Data Files on the Target System Before Import
Note:

Datatype restrictions apply to the RMAN CONVERT command.

See Also:
■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Converting Tablespaces on the Source System After Export
This section uses an example to describe how to use the RMAN CONVERT TABLESPACE
command to convert tablespaces to a different platform. The example makes the
following assumptions:

15-44 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Converting Data Between Platforms

■

■

■

■

The sales_1 and sales_2 tablespaces are being transported to a different
platform.
The endianness of the source platform is different from the endianness of the
target platform.
You want to convert the data on the source system, before transporting the
tablespace set to the target system.
You have completed the Data Pump export on the source database.

Complete the following steps to convert the tablespaces on the source system:
1.

At a command prompt, start RMAN and connect to the source database:
$ RMAN TARGET /
Recovery Manager: Release 12.1.0.1.0 - Production
Copyright (c) 1982, 2012, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

All rights reserved.

connected to target database: salesdb (DBID=3295731590)
2.

Use the RMAN CONVERT TABLESPACE command to convert the data files into a
temporary location on the source platform.
In this example, assume that the temporary location, directory /tmp, has already
been created. The converted data files are assigned names by the system.
RMAN> CONVERT TABLESPACE sales_1,sales_2
2> TO PLATFORM 'Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)'
3> FORMAT '/tmp/%U';
Starting conversion at source at 30-SEP-08
using channel ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile file number=00007 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_
101.dbf
converted datafile=/tmp/data_D-SALESDB_I-1192614013_TS-SALES_1_FNO-7_03jru08s
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:45
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile file number=00008 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/salesdb/sales_
201.dbf
converted datafile=/tmp/data_D-SALESDB_I-1192614013_TS-SALES_2_FNO-8_04jru0aa
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:25
Finished conversion at source at 30-SEP-08

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
description of the RMAN CONVERT command
3.

Exit Recovery Manager:
RMAN> exit
Recovery Manager complete.

4.

Transfer the data files to the target system.
See "Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47.

Converting Data Files on the Target System Before Import
This section uses an example to describe how to use the RMAN CONVERT DATAFILE
command to convert data files to a different platform. During the conversion, you

Transporting Data 15-45

Converting Data Between Platforms

identify the data files by filename, not by tablespace name. Until the tablespace
metadata is imported, the target instance has no way of knowing the desired
tablespace names.
The example makes the following assumptions:
■

You have not yet converted the data files for the tablespaces being transported.
If you used the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package to transfer the data files to the target
system, then the data files were converted automatically during the file transfer.
See "Converting Data Between Platforms Using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER
Package" on page 15-42.

■

The following data files are being transported to a different platform:
–

C:\Temp\sales_101.dbf

–

C:\Temp\sales_201.dbf

The data files must be accessible to the target database. If they are not accessible to
the target database, then transfer the data files to the target system. See
"Guidelines for Transferring Data Files" on page 15-47.
■

■

■

The endianness of the source platform is different from the endianness of the
target platform.
You want to convert the data on the target system, before performing the Data
Pump import.
The converted data files are placed in C:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\, which is
the location of the existing data files for the target system:

Complete the following steps to convert the tablespaces on the target system:
1.

If you are in SQL*Plus, then return to the host system:
SQL> HOST

2.

Use the RMAN CONVERT DATAFILE command to convert the data files on the target
platform:
C:\>RMAN TARGET /
Recovery Manager: Release 12.1.0.1.0 - Production
Copyright (c) 1982, 2012, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

All rights reserved.

connected to target database: ORAWIN (DBID=3462152886)
RMAN> CONVERT DATAFILE
2>'C:\Temp\sales_101.dbf',
3>'C:\Temp\sales_201.dbf'
4>TO PLATFORM="Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)"
5>FROM PLATFORM="Solaris[tm] OE (32-bit)"
6>DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=
7>'C:\Temp\', 'C:\app\orauser\oradata\orawin\'
8> PARALLELISM=4;

If the source location, the target location, or both do not use Oracle Automatic
Storage Management (Oracle ASM), then the source and target platforms are
optional. RMAN determines the source platform by examining the data file, and
the target platform defaults to the platform of the host running the conversion.

15-46 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Transferring Data Files

If both the source and target locations use Oracle ASM, then you must specify the
source and target platforms in the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
description of the RMAN CONVERT command
3.

Exit Recovery Manager:
RMAN> exit
Recovery Manager complete.

Guidelines for Transferring Data Files
Follow these guidelines when transferring the data files.
If both the source and target are file systems, then you can transport using:
■

Any facility for copying flat files (for example, an operating system copy utility or
ftp)

■

The DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package

■

RMAN

■

Any facility for publishing on CDs

If either the source or target is an Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle
ASM) disk group, then you can use:
■

ftp to or from the /sys/asm virtual folder in the XML DB repository
See Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more
information.

■

The DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package

■

RMAN

Do not transport the data files for the administrative tablespaces (such as SYSTEM and
SYSAUX) or any undo or temporary tablespaces.
If you are transporting data of a different block size than the standard block size of the
database receiving the data, then you must first have a DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE
initialization parameter entry in the receiving database parameter file.
For example, if you are transporting data with an 8K block size into a database with a
4K standard block size, then you must include a DB_8K_CACHE_SIZE initialization
parameter entry in the parameter file. If it is not already included in the parameter file,
then this parameter can be set using the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement.
See Oracle Database Reference for information about specifying values for the DB_nK_
CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, the GET_FILE or PUT_FILE procedure in the DBMS_
FILE_TRANSFER package can convert data between platforms during the data file
transfer. See "Converting Data Between Platforms" on page 15-42.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, RMAN can transfer files using network-enabled
restore. RMAN restores database files, over the network, from a remote database
instance by using the FROM SERVICE clause of the RESTORE command. The primary
advantage of network-enabled restore is that it eliminates the requirement for a restore
of the backup to a staging area on disk and the need to transfer the copy. Therefore,
network-enabled restore saves disk space and time. This technique can also provide
the following advantages during file transfer: compression, encryption, and transfer of
Transporting Data 15-47

Guidelines for Transferring Data Files

used data blocks only. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for more
information.
Exercise caution when using the UNIX dd utility to copy
raw-device files between databases, and note that Oracle Database
12c does not support raw devices for database files. The dd utility
can be used to copy an entire source raw-device file, or it can be
invoked with options that instruct it to copy only a specific range of
blocks from the source raw-device file.
Caution:

It is difficult to ascertain actual data file size for a raw-device file
because of hidden control information that is stored as part of the
data file. If you must use the dd utility to operate on raw devices,
then specify the entire source raw-device file contents. If you move
database file content from a raw device to either ASM or a file
system to adhere to the desupport of raw devices with Oracle
Database 12c, then use an Oracle-provided tool such as RMAN.
See Also: "Copying Files Using the Database Server" on
page 14-16 for information about using the DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER
package to copy the files that are being transported and their
metadata

15-48 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

16
16

Managing Undo

For a default installation, Oracle Database automatically manages undo. There is
typically no need for DBA intervention. However, if your installation uses Oracle
Flashback operations, you may need to perform some undo management tasks to
ensure the success of these operations.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Is Undo?

■

Introduction to Automatic Undo Management

■

Setting the Minimum Undo Retention Period

■

Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace

■

Managing Undo Tablespaces

■

Migrating to Automatic Undo Management

■

Managing Temporary Undo

■

Undo Space Data Dictionary Views
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"for
information about creating an undo tablespace whose data files are
both created and managed by Oracle Database.

See Also:

What Is Undo?
Oracle Database creates and manages information that is used to roll back, or undo,
changes to the database. Such information consists of records of the actions of
transactions, primarily before they are committed. These records are collectively
referred to as undo.
Undo records are used to:
■

Roll back transactions when a ROLLBACK statement is issued

■

Recover the database

■

Provide read consistency

■

Analyze data as of an earlier point in time by using Oracle Flashback Query

■

Recover from logical corruptions using Oracle Flashback features

When a ROLLBACK statement is issued, undo records are used to undo changes that
were made to the database by the uncommitted transaction. During database recovery,
undo records are used to undo any uncommitted changes applied from the redo log to
the data files. Undo records provide read consistency by maintaining the before image
Managing Undo 16-1

Introduction to Automatic Undo Management

of the data for users who are accessing the data at the same time that another user is
changing it.
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts

Introduction to Automatic Undo Management
This section introduces the concepts of Automatic Undo Management and discusses
the following topics:
■

Overview of Automatic Undo Management

■

About the Undo Retention Period

Overview of Automatic Undo Management
Oracle provides a fully automated mechanism, referred to as automatic undo
management, for managing undo information and space. With automatic undo
management, the database manages undo segments in an undo tablespace. Automatic
undo management is the default mode for a newly installed database. An
auto-extending undo tablespace named UNDOTBS1 is automatically created when you
create the database with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA).
You can also create an undo tablespace explicitly. The methods of creating an undo
tablespace are explained in "Creating an Undo Tablespace" on page 16-8.
When the database instance starts, the database automatically selects the first available
undo tablespace. If no undo tablespace is available, then the instance starts without an
undo tablespace and stores undo records in the SYSTEM tablespace. This is not
recommended, and an alert message is written to the alert log file to warn that the
system is running without an undo tablespace.
If the database contains multiple undo tablespaces, then you can optionally specify at
startup that you want to use a specific undo tablespace. This is done by setting the
UNDO_TABLESPACE initialization parameter, as shown in this example:
UNDO_TABLESPACE = undotbs_01

If the tablespace specified in the initialization parameter does not exist, the STARTUP
command fails. The UNDO_TABLESPACE parameter can be used to assign a specific undo
tablespace to an instance in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment.
The database can also run in manual undo management mode. In this mode, undo space
is managed through rollback segments, and no undo tablespace is used.
Space management for rollback segments is complex. Oracle
strongly recommends leaving the database in automatic undo
management mode.

Note:

The following is a summary of the initialization parameters for undo management:
Initialization Parameter

Description

UNDO_MANAGEMENT

If AUTO or null, enables automatic undo management. If
MANUAL, sets manual undo management mode. The default is
AUTO.

16-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Introduction to Automatic Undo Management

Initialization Parameter

Description

UNDO_TABLESPACE

Optional, and valid only in automatic undo management
mode. Specifies the name of an undo tablespace. Use only
when the database has multiple undo tablespaces and you
want to direct the database instance to use a particular undo
tablespace.

When automatic undo management is enabled, if the initialization parameter file
contains parameters relating to manual undo management, they are ignored.
Earlier releases of Oracle Database default to manual undo
management mode. To change to automatic undo management, you
must first create an undo tablespace and then change the UNDO_
MANAGEMENT initialization parameter to AUTO. If your Oracle Database is
Oracle9i or later and you want to change to automatic undo
management, see Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for instructions.

Note:

A null UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter defaults to automatic
undo management mode in Oracle Database 11g and later, but
defaults to manual undo management mode in earlier releases. You
must therefore use caution when upgrading a previous release to the
current release. Oracle Database Upgrade Guide describes the correct
method of migrating to automatic undo management mode, including
information on how to size the undo tablespace.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of
initialization parameters used in undo management

About the Undo Retention Period
After a transaction is committed, undo data is no longer needed for rollback or
transaction recovery purposes. However, for consistent read purposes, long-running
queries may require this old undo information for producing older images of data
blocks. Furthermore, the success of several Oracle Flashback features can also depend
upon the availability of older undo information. For these reasons, it is desirable to
retain the old undo information for as long as possible.
When automatic undo management is enabled, there is always a current undo
retention period, which is the minimum amount of time that Oracle Database
attempts to retain old undo information before overwriting it. Old (committed) undo
information that is older than the current undo retention period is said to be expired
and its space is available to be overwritten by new transactions. Old undo information
with an age that is less than the current undo retention period is said to be unexpired
and is retained for consistent read and Oracle Flashback operations.
Oracle Database automatically tunes the undo retention period based on undo
tablespace size and system activity. You can optionally specify a minimum undo
retention period (in seconds) by setting the UNDO_RETENTION initialization parameter.
The exact impact this parameter on undo retention is as follows:
■

The UNDO_RETENTION parameter is ignored for a fixed size undo tablespace. The
database always tunes the undo retention period for the best possible retention,
based on system activity and undo tablespace size. See "Automatic Tuning of
Undo Retention" on page 16-4 for more information.

Managing Undo 16-3

Introduction to Automatic Undo Management

■

For an undo tablespace with the AUTOEXTEND option enabled, the database
attempts to honor the minimum retention period specified by UNDO_RETENTION.
When space is low, instead of overwriting unexpired undo information, the
tablespace auto-extends. If the MAXSIZE clause is specified for an auto-extending
undo tablespace, when the maximum size is reached, the database may begin to
overwrite unexpired undo information. The UNDOTBS1 tablespace that is
automatically created by DBCA is auto-extending.

Automatic Tuning of Undo Retention
Oracle Database automatically tunes the undo retention period based on how the
undo tablespace is configured.
■

■

If the undo tablespace is configured with the AUTOEXTEND option, the database
dynamically tunes the undo retention period to be somewhat longer than the
longest-running active query on the system. However, this retention period may
be insufficient to accommodate Oracle Flashback operations. Oracle Flashback
operations resulting in snapshot too old errors are the indicator that you must
intervene to ensure that sufficient undo data is retained to support these
operations. To better accommodate Oracle Flashback features, you can either set
the UNDO_RETENTION parameter to a value equal to the longest expected Oracle
Flashback operation, or you can change the undo tablespace to fixed size.
If the undo tablespace is fixed size, the database dynamically tunes the undo
retention period for the best possible retention for that tablespace size and the
current system load. This best possible retention time is typically significantly
greater than the duration of the longest-running active query.
If you decide to change the undo tablespace to fixed-size, you must choose a
tablespace size that is sufficiently large. If you choose an undo tablespace size that
is too small, the following two errors could occur:
■

■

DML could fail because there is not enough space to accommodate undo for
new transactions.
Long-running queries could fail with a snapshot too old error, which means
that there was insufficient undo data for read consistency.

See "Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace" on page 16-6 for more information.
Automatic tuning of undo retention is not supported for LOBs.
This is because undo information for LOBs is stored in the segment
itself and not in the undo tablespace. For LOBs, the database attempts
to honor the minimum undo retention period specified by UNDO_
RETENTION. However, if space becomes low, unexpired LOB undo
information may be overwritten.

Note:

See Also:

"Setting the Minimum Undo Retention Period" on

page 16-5

Retention Guarantee
To guarantee the success of long-running queries or Oracle Flashback operations, you
can enable retention guarantee. If retention guarantee is enabled, the specified
minimum undo retention is guaranteed; the database never overwrites unexpired
undo data even if it means that transactions fail due to lack of space in the undo
tablespace. If retention guarantee is not enabled, the database can overwrite unexpired

16-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Setting the Minimum Undo Retention Period

undo when space is low, thus lowering the undo retention for the system. This option
is disabled by default.
WARNING: Enabling retention guarantee can cause multiple DML
operations to fail. Use with caution.

You enable retention guarantee by specifying the RETENTION GUARANTEE clause for the
undo tablespace when you create it with either the CREATE DATABASE or CREATE UNDO
TABLESPACE statement. Or, you can later specify this clause in an ALTER TABLESPACE
statement. You disable retention guarantee with the RETENTION NOGUARANTEE clause.
You can use the DBA_TABLESPACES view to determine the retention guarantee setting
for the undo tablespace. A column named RETENTION contains a value of GUARANTEE,
NOGUARANTEE, or NOT APPLY, where NOT APPLY is used for tablespaces other than the
undo tablespace.

Undo Retention Tuning and Alert Thresholds
For a fixed-size undo tablespace, the database calculates the best possible retention
based on database statistics and on the size of the undo tablespace. For optimal undo
management, rather than tuning based on 100% of the tablespace size, the database
tunes the undo retention period based on 85% of the tablespace size, or on the warning
alert threshold percentage for space used, whichever is lower. (The warning alert
threshold defaults to 85%, but can be changed.) Therefore, if you set the warning alert
threshold of the undo tablespace below 85%, this may reduce the tuned size of the
undo retention period. For more information on tablespace alert thresholds, see
"Managing Tablespace Alerts" on page 19-1.

Tracking the Tuned Undo Retention Period
You can determine the current retention period by querying the TUNED_UNDORETENTION
column of the V$UNDOSTAT view. This view contains one row for each 10-minute
statistics collection interval over the last 4 days. (Beyond 4 days, the data is available in
the DBA_HIST_UNDOSTAT view.) TUNED_UNDORETENTION is given in seconds.
select to_char(begin_time, 'DD-MON-RR HH24:MI') begin_time,
to_char(end_time, 'DD-MON-RR HH24:MI') end_time, tuned_undoretention
from v$undostat order by end_time;
BEGIN_TIME
--------------04-FEB-05 00:01
...
07-FEB-05 23:21
07-FEB-05 23:31
07-FEB-05 23:41
07-FEB-05 23:51

END_TIME
TUNED_UNDORETENTION
--------------- ------------------04-FEB-05 00:11
12100
07-FEB-05
07-FEB-05
07-FEB-05
07-FEB-05

23:31
23:41
23:51
23:52

86700
86700
86700
86700

576 rows selected.

See Oracle Database Reference for more information about V$UNDOSTAT.

Setting the Minimum Undo Retention Period
You specify the minimum undo retention period (in seconds) by setting the UNDO_
RETENTION initialization parameter. As described in "About the Undo Retention
Period" on page 16-3, the current undo retention period may be automatically tuned to
Managing Undo 16-5

Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace

be greater than UNDO_RETENTION, or, unless retention guarantee is enabled, less than
UNDO_RETENTION if space in the undo tablespace is low.
To set the minimum undo retention period:
■

Do one of the following:
–

Set UNDO_RETENTION in the initialization parameter file.
UNDO_RETENTION = 1800

–

Change UNDO_RETENTION at any time using the ALTER SYSTEM statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET UNDO_RETENTION = 2400;

The effect of an UNDO_RETENTION parameter change is immediate, but it can only be
honored if the current undo tablespace has enough space.

Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace
Automatic tuning of undo retention typically achieves better results with a fixed-size
undo tablespace. If you decide to use a fixed-size undo tablespace, the Undo Advisor
can help you estimate needed capacity. You can access the Undo Advisor through
Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express (EM Express) or through the DBMS_
ADVISOR PL/SQL package. EM Express is the preferred method of accessing the
advisor. For more information on using the Undo Advisor through EM Express, see
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA.
The Undo Advisor relies for its analysis on data collected in the Automatic Workload
Repository (AWR). It is therefore important that the AWR have adequate workload
statistics available so that the Undo Advisor can make accurate recommendations. For
newly created databases, adequate statistics may not be available immediately. In such
cases, continue to use the default auto-extending undo tablespace until at least one
workload cycle completes.
An adjustment to the collection interval and retention period for AWR statistics can
affect the precision and the type of recommendations that the advisor produces. See
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for more information.
To use the Undo Advisor, you first estimate these two values:
■

The length of your expected longest running query
After the database has completed a workload cycle, you can view the Longest
Running Query field on the System Activity subpage of the Automatic Undo
Management page.

■

The longest interval that you will require for Oracle Flashback operations
For example, if you expect to run Oracle Flashback queries for up to 48 hours in
the past, your Oracle Flashback requirement is 48 hours.

You then take the maximum of these two values and use that value as input to the
Undo Advisor.
Running the Undo Advisor does not alter the size of the undo tablespace. The advisor
just returns a recommendation. You must use ALTER DATABASE statements to change the
tablespace data files to fixed sizes.
The following example assumes that the undo tablespace has one auto-extending data
file named undotbs.dbf. The example changes the tablespace to a fixed size of 300MB.
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/oracle/dbs/undotbs.dbf' RESIZE 300M;

16-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Sizing a Fixed-Size Undo Tablespace

ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/oracle/dbs/undotbs.dbf' AUTOEXTEND OFF;

To make the undo tablespace fixed-size, Oracle suggests that
you first allow enough time after database creation to run a full
workload, thus allowing the undo tablespace to grow to its minimum
required size to handle the workload. Then, you can use the Undo
Advisor to determine, if desired, how much larger to set the size of the
undo tablespace to allow for long-running queries and Oracle
Flashback operations.

Note:

Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for instructions for computing
the minimum undo tablespace size with the Undo Advisor

See Also:

The Undo Advisor PL/SQL Interface
You can activate the Undo Advisor by creating an undo advisor task through the
advisor framework. The following example creates an undo advisor task to evaluate
the undo tablespace. The name of the advisor is 'Undo Advisor'. The analysis is based
on Automatic Workload Repository snapshots, which you must specify by setting
parameters START_SNAPSHOT and END_SNAPSHOT. In the following example, the START_
SNAPSHOT is "1" and END_SNAPSHOT is "2".
DECLARE
tid
NUMBER;
tname VARCHAR2(30);
oid
NUMBER;
BEGIN
DBMS_ADVISOR.CREATE_TASK('Undo Advisor', tid, tname, 'Undo Advisor Task');
DBMS_ADVISOR.CREATE_OBJECT(tname, 'UNDO_TBS', null, null, null, 'null', oid);
DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER(tname, 'TARGET_OBJECTS', oid);
DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER(tname, 'START_SNAPSHOT', 1);
DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER(tname, 'END_SNAPSHOT', 2);
DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER(tname, 'INSTANCE', 1);
DBMS_ADVISOR.execute_task(tname);
END;
/

After you have created the advisor task, you can view the output and
recommendations in the Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor in EM Express. This
information is also available in the DBA_ADVISOR_* data dictionary views (DBA_
ADVISOR_TASKS, DBA_ADVISOR_OBJECTS, DBA_ADVISOR_FINDINGS, DBA_ADVISOR_
RECOMMENDATIONS, and so on).
See Also:
■

■

■

"Using the Segment Advisor" on page 19-14 for an example of
creating an advisor task for a different advisor
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for information about the Automatic
Database Diagnostic Monitor in EM Express
Oracle Database Reference for information about the DBA_
ADVISOR_* data dictionary views

Managing Undo 16-7

Managing Undo Tablespaces

Managing Undo Tablespaces
This section describes the various steps involved in undo tablespace management and
contains the following sections:
■

Creating an Undo Tablespace

■

Altering an Undo Tablespace

■

Dropping an Undo Tablespace

■

Switching Undo Tablespaces

■

Establishing User Quotas for Undo Space

■

Undo Space Data Dictionary Views

Creating an Undo Tablespace
Although Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) automatically creates an undo
tablespace for new installations, there may be occasions when you want to manually
create an undo tablespace.
There are two methods of creating an undo tablespace. The first method creates the
undo tablespace when the CREATE DATABASE statement is issued. This occurs when you
are creating a new database, and the instance is started in automatic undo
management mode (UNDO_MANAGEMENT = AUTO). The second method is used with an
existing database. It uses the CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement.
You cannot create database objects in an undo tablespace. It is reserved for
system-managed undo data.
Oracle Database enables you to create a single-file undo tablespace. Single-file, or
bigfile, tablespaces are discussed in "Bigfile Tablespaces" on page 13-6.

Using CREATE DATABASE to Create an Undo Tablespace
You can create a specific undo tablespace using the UNDO TABLESPACE clause of the
CREATE DATABASE statement.
The following statement illustrates using the UNDO TABLESPACE clause in a CREATE
DATABASE statement. The undo tablespace is named undotbs_01 and one data file,
/u01/oracle/rbdb1/undo0101.dbf, is allocated for it.
CREATE DATABASE rbdb1
CONTROLFILE REUSE
.
.
.
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs_01 DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/undo0101.dbf';

If the undo tablespace cannot be created successfully during CREATE DATABASE, the
entire CREATE DATABASE operation fails. You must clean up the database files, correct
the error and retry the CREATE DATABASE operation.
The CREATE DATABASE statement also lets you create a single-file undo tablespace at
database creation. This is discussed in "Supporting Bigfile Tablespaces During
Database Creation" on page 2-21.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax
for using the CREATE DATABASE statement to create an undo
tablespace

16-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Undo Tablespaces

Using the CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE Statement
The CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement is the same as the CREATE TABLESPACE
statement, but the UNDO keyword is specified. The database determines most of the
attributes of the undo tablespace, but you can specify the DATAFILE clause.
This example creates the undotbs_02 undo tablespace with the AUTOEXTEND option:
CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs_02
DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/undo0201.dbf' SIZE 2M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON;

You can create multiple undo tablespaces, but only one of them can be active at any
one time.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax
for using the CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement to create an undo
tablespace

Altering an Undo Tablespace
Undo tablespaces are altered using the ALTER TABLESPACE statement. However, since
most aspects of undo tablespaces are system managed, you need only be concerned
with the following actions:
■

Adding a data file

■

Renaming a data file

■

Bringing a data file online or taking it offline

■

Beginning or ending an open backup on a data file

■

Enabling and disabling undo retention guarantee

These are also the only attributes you are permitted to alter.
If an undo tablespace runs out of space, or you want to prevent it from doing so, you
can add more files to it or resize existing data files.
The following example adds another data file to undo tablespace undotbs_01:
ALTER TABLESPACE undotbs_01
ADD DATAFILE '/u01/oracle/rbdb1/undo0102.dbf' AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 1M
MAXSIZE UNLIMITED;

You can use the ALTER DATABASE...DATAFILE statement to resize or extend a data file.
See Also:
■
■

"Changing Data File Size" on page 14-5
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for ALTER TABLESPACE
syntax

Dropping an Undo Tablespace
Use the DROP TABLESPACE statement to drop an undo tablespace. The following
example drops the undo tablespace undotbs_01:
DROP TABLESPACE undotbs_01;

An undo tablespace can only be dropped if it is not currently used by any instance. If
the undo tablespace contains any outstanding transactions (for example, a transaction
died but has not yet been recovered), the DROP TABLESPACE statement fails. However,

Managing Undo 16-9

Managing Undo Tablespaces

since DROP TABLESPACE drops an undo tablespace even if it contains unexpired undo
information (within retention period), you must be careful not to drop an undo
tablespace if undo information is needed by some existing queries.
DROP TABLESPACE for undo tablespaces behaves like DROP TABLESPACE...INCLUDING
CONTENTS. All contents of the undo tablespace are removed.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for DROP
TABLESPACE syntax

See Also:

Switching Undo Tablespaces
You can switch from using one undo tablespace to another. Because the UNDO_
TABLESPACE initialization parameter is a dynamic parameter, the ALTER SYSTEM SET
statement can be used to assign a new undo tablespace.
The following statement switches to a new undo tablespace:
ALTER SYSTEM SET UNDO_TABLESPACE = undotbs_02;

Assuming undotbs_01 is the current undo tablespace, after this command successfully
executes, the instance uses undotbs_02 in place of undotbs_01 as its undo tablespace.
If any of the following conditions exist for the tablespace being switched to, an error is
reported and no switching occurs:
■

The tablespace does not exist

■

The tablespace is not an undo tablespace

■

The tablespace is already being used by another instance (in an Oracle RAC
environment only)

The database is online while the switch operation is performed, and user transactions
can be executed while this command is being executed. When the switch operation
completes successfully, all transactions started after the switch operation began are
assigned to transaction tables in the new undo tablespace.
The switch operation does not wait for transactions in the old undo tablespace to
commit. If there are any pending transactions in the old undo tablespace, the old undo
tablespace enters into a PENDING OFFLINE mode (status). In this mode, existing
transactions can continue to execute, but undo records for new user transactions
cannot be stored in this undo tablespace.
An undo tablespace can exist in this PENDING OFFLINE mode, even after the switch
operation completes successfully. A PENDING OFFLINE undo tablespace cannot be used
by another instance, nor can it be dropped. Eventually, after all active transactions
have committed, the undo tablespace automatically goes from the PENDING OFFLINE
mode to the OFFLINE mode. From then on, the undo tablespace is available for other
instances (in an Oracle Real Application Cluster environment).
If the parameter value for UNDO TABLESPACE is set to '' (two single quotes), then the
current undo tablespace is switched out and the next available undo tablespace is
switched in. Use this statement with care because there may be no undo tablespace
available.
The following example unassigns the current undo tablespace:
ALTER SYSTEM SET UNDO_TABLESPACE = '';

16-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Temporary Undo

Establishing User Quotas for Undo Space
The Oracle Database Resource Manager can be used to establish user quotas for undo
space. The Database Resource Manager directive UNDO_POOL allows DBAs to limit the
amount of undo space consumed by a group of users (resource consumer group).
You can specify an undo pool for each consumer group. An undo pool controls the
amount of total undo that can be generated by a consumer group. When the total undo
generated by a consumer group exceeds its undo limit, the current UPDATE transaction
generating the undo is terminated. No other members of the consumer group can
perform further updates until undo space is freed from the pool.
When no UNDO_POOL directive is explicitly defined, users are allowed unlimited undo
space.
See Also: Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager"

Managing Space Threshold Alerts for the Undo Tablespace
Oracle Database also provides proactive help in managing tablespace disk space use
by alerting you when tablespaces run low on available space. See "Managing
Tablespace Alerts" on page 19-1 for information on how to set alert thresholds for the
undo tablespace.
In addition to the proactive undo space alerts, Oracle Database also provides alerts if
your system has long-running queries that cause SNAPSHOT TOO OLD errors. To prevent
excessive alerts, the long query alert is issued at most once every 24 hours. When the
alert is generated, you can check the Undo Advisor Page of EM Express to get more
information about the undo tablespace. For more information on using the Undo
Advisor through EM Express, see Oracle Database 2 Day DBA.

Migrating to Automatic Undo Management
If you are currently using rollback segments to manage undo space, Oracle strongly
recommends that you migrate your database to automatic undo management.
For instructions, see Oracle Database Upgrade Guide.

Managing Temporary Undo
By default, undo records for temporary tables are stored in the undo tablespace and
are logged in the redo, which is the same way undo is managed for persistent tables.
However, you can use the TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter to separate
undo for temporary tables from undo for persistent tables. When this parameter is set
to TRUE, the undo for temporary tables is called temporary undo.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Managing Temporary Undo

■

Enabling and Disabling Temporary Undo

About Managing Temporary Undo
Temporary undo records are stored in the database's temporary tablespaces and thus
are not logged in the redo log. When temporary undo is enabled, some of the segments
used by the temporary tablespaces store the temporary undo, and these segments are
called temporary undo segments. When temporary undo is enabled, it might be
Managing Undo

16-11

Managing Temporary Undo

necessary to increase the size of the temporary tablespaces to account for the undo
records.
Enabling temporary undo provides the following benefits:
■

Temporary undo reduces the amount of undo stored in the undo tablespaces.
Less undo in the undo tablespaces can result in more realistic undo retention
period requirements for undo records.

■

Temporary undo reduces the size of the redo log.
Performance is improved because less data is written to the redo log, and
components that parse redo log records, such as LogMiner, perform better because
there is less redo data to parse.

■

Temporary undo enables data manipulation language (DML) operations on
temporary tables in a physical standby database with the Oracle Active Data
Guard option. However, data definition language (DDL) operations that create
temporary tables must be issued on the primary database.

You can enable temporary undo for a specific session or for the whole system. When
you enable temporary undo for a session using an ALTER SESSION statement, the
session creates temporary undo without affecting other sessions. When you enable
temporary undo for the system using an ALTER SYSTEM statement, all existing sessions
and new sessions create temporary undo.
When a session uses temporary objects for the first time, the current value of the TEMP_
UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter is set for the rest of the session. Therefore, if
temporary undo is enabled for a session and the session uses temporary objects, then
temporary undo cannot be disabled for the session. Similarly, if temporary undo is
disabled for a session and the session uses temporary objects, then temporary undo
cannot be enabled for the session.
Temporary undo is enabled by default for a physical standby database with the Oracle
Active Data Guard option. The TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter has no
effect on a physical standby database with Active Data Guard option because of the
default setting.
Temporary undo can be enabled only if the compatibility level
of the database is 12.0.0 or higher.

Note:

See Also:
■

"Creating a Temporary Table" on page 20-28

■

"About the Undo Retention Period" on page 16-3

■

■
■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the TEMP_
UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration
Oracle Database Concepts for more information about temporary
undo segments

Enabling and Disabling Temporary Undo
You can enable or disable temporary undo for a session or for the system. To do so, set
the TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter.

16-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Undo Space Data Dictionary Views

To enable or disable temporary undo:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect to the database.
If you are enabling or disabling temporary undo for a session, then start the
session in SQL*Plus.
If you are enabling or disabling temporary undo for the system, then connect as an
administrative user with the ALTER SYSTEM system privilege in SQL*Plus.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Set the TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter:
■

To enable temporary undo for a session, run the following SQL statement:
ALTER SESSION SET TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED = TRUE;

■

To disable temporary undo for a session, run the following SQL statement:
ALTER SESSION SET TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED = FALSE;

■

To enable temporary undo for the system, run the following SQL statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED = TRUE;

After temporary undo is enabled for the system, a session can disable
temporary undo using the ALTER SESSION statement.
■

To disable temporary undo for the system, run the following SQL statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED = FALSE;

After temporary undo is disabled for the system, a session can enable
temporary undo using the ALTER SESSION statement.
You can also enable temporary undo for the system by setting TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED to
TRUE in a server parameter file or a text initialization parameter file. In this case, all
new sessions create temporary undo unless temporary undo is disabled for the system
by an ALTER SYSTEM statement or for a session by an ALTER SESSION statement.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the TEMP_
UNDO_ENABLED initialization parameter
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for information
about enabling and disabling temporary undo in an Oracle Data
Guard environment

Undo Space Data Dictionary Views
This section lists views that are useful for viewing information about undo space in the
automatic undo management mode and provides some examples. In addition to views
listed here, you can obtain information from the views available for viewing
tablespace and data file information. See "Data Files Data Dictionary Views" on
page 14-28 for information on getting information about those views.
The following dynamic performance views are useful for obtaining space information
about the undo tablespace:

Managing Undo

16-13

Undo Space Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

V$UNDOSTAT

Contains statistics for monitoring and tuning undo space. Use
this view to help estimate the amount of undo space required
for the current workload. The database also uses this
information to help tune undo usage in the system. This view is
meaningful only in automatic undo management mode.

V$TEMPUNDOSTAT

Contains statistics for monitoring and tuning temporary undo
space. Use this view to help estimate the amount of temporary
undo space required in the temporary tablespaces for the
current workload. The database also uses this information to
help tune temporary undo usage in the system. This view is
meaningful only when temporary undo is enabled.

V$ROLLSTAT

For automatic undo management mode, information reflects
behavior of the undo segments in the undo tablespace

V$TRANSACTION

Contains undo segment information

DBA_UNDO_EXTENTS

Shows the status and size of each extent in the undo tablespace.

DBA_HIST_UNDOSTAT

Contains statistical snapshots of V$UNDOSTAT information.

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of
the views used in automatic undo management mode

The V$UNDOSTAT view is useful for monitoring the effects of transaction execution on
undo space in the current instance. Statistics are available for undo space
consumption, transaction concurrency, the tuning of undo retention, and the length
and SQL ID of long-running queries in the instance.
Each row in the view contains statistics collected in the instance for a ten-minute
interval. The rows are in descending order by the BEGIN_TIME column value. Each row
belongs to the time interval marked by (BEGIN_TIME, END_TIME). Each column
represents the data collected for the particular statistic in that time interval. The first
row of the view contains statistics for the (partial) current time period. The view
contains a total of 576 rows, spanning a 4 day cycle.
The following example shows the results of a query on the V$UNDOSTAT view.
SELECT TO_CHAR(BEGIN_TIME, 'MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS') BEGIN_TIME,
TO_CHAR(END_TIME, 'MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS') END_TIME,
UNDOTSN, UNDOBLKS, TXNCOUNT, MAXCONCURRENCY AS "MAXCON"
FROM v$UNDOSTAT WHERE rownum <= 144;
BEGIN_TIME
------------------10/28/2004 14:25:12
10/28/2004 14:15:12
10/28/2004 14:05:12
10/28/2004 13:55:12
...
10/27/2004 14:45:12
10/27/2004 14:35:12

END_TIME
UNDOTSN
UNDOBLKS
TXNCOUNT
MAXCON
------------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------10/28/2004 14:32:17
8
74
12071108
3
10/28/2004 14:25:12
8
49
12070698
2
10/28/2004 14:15:12
8
125
12070220
1
10/28/2004 14:05:12
8
99
12066511
3
10/27/2004 14:55:12
10/27/2004 14:45:12

8
8

15
154

11831676
11831165

1
2

144 rows selected.

The preceding example shows how undo space is consumed in the system for the
previous 24 hours from the time 14:35:12 on 10/27/2004.

16-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

17
17

Using Oracle Managed Files

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Are Oracle Managed Files?

■

Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files

■

Creating Oracle Managed Files

■

Operation of Oracle Managed Files

■

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

What Are Oracle Managed Files?
Using Oracle Managed Files simplifies the administration of an Oracle Database.
Oracle Managed Files eliminate the need for you, the DBA, to directly manage the
operating system files that comprise an Oracle Database. With Oracle Managed Files,
you specify file system directories in which the database automatically creates, names,
and manages files at the database object level. For example, you need only specify that
you want to create a tablespace; you do not need to specify the name and path of the
tablespace's data file with the DATAFILE clause. This feature works well with a logical
volume manager (LVM).
The database internally uses standard file system interfaces to create and delete files as
needed for the following database structures:
■

Tablespaces

■

Redo log files

■

Control files

■

Archived logs

■

Block change tracking files

■

Flashback logs

■

RMAN backups

Through initialization parameters, you specify the file system directory to be used for
a particular type of file. The database then ensures that a unique file, an Oracle
managed file, is created and deleted when no longer needed.
This feature does not affect the creation or naming of administrative files such as trace
files, audit files, alert logs, and core files.

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-1

What Are Oracle Managed Files?

See Also: Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's
Guide for information about Oracle Automatic Storage
Management (Oracle ASM), the Oracle Database integrated file
system and volume manager that extends the power of Oracle
Managed Files. With Oracle Managed Files, files are created and
managed automatically for you, but with Oracle ASM, you get the
additional benefits of features such as striping, software mirroring,
and dynamic storage configuration, without the need to purchase a
third-party logical volume manager.

Who Can Use Oracle Managed Files?
Oracle Managed Files are most useful for the following types of databases:
■

■

Databases that are supported by the following:
–

A logical volume manager that supports striping/RAID and dynamically
extensible logical volumes

–

A file system that provides large, extensible files

Low end or test databases

Because Oracle Managed Files require that you use the operating system file system,
you lose control over how files are laid out on the disks, and thus, you lose some I/O
tuning ability.

What Is a Logical Volume Manager?
A logical volume manager (LVM) is a software package available with most operating
systems. Sometimes it is called a logical disk manager (LDM). It allows pieces of
multiple physical disks to be combined into a single contiguous address space that
appears as one disk to higher layers of software. An LVM can make the logical volume
have better capacity, performance, reliability, and availability characteristics than any
of the underlying physical disks. It uses techniques such as mirroring, striping,
concatenation, and RAID 5 to implement these characteristics.
Some LVMs allow the characteristics of a logical volume to be changed after it is
created, even while it is in use. The volume may be resized or mirrored, or it may be
relocated to different physical disks.

What Is a File System?
A file system is a data structure built inside a contiguous disk address space. A file
manager (FM) is a software package that manipulates file systems, but it is sometimes
called the file system. All operating systems have file managers. The primary task of a
file manager is to allocate and deallocate disk space into files within a file system.
A file system allows the disk space to be allocated to a large number of files. Each file
is made to appear as a contiguous address space to applications such as Oracle
Database. The files may not actually be contiguous within the disk space of the file
system. Files can be created, read, written, resized, and deleted. Each file has a name
associated with it that is used to refer to the file.
A file system is commonly built on top of a logical volume constructed by an LVM.
Thus all the files in a particular file system have the same performance, reliability, and
availability characteristics inherited from the underlying logical volume. A file system
is a single pool of storage that is shared by all the files in the file system. If a file system
is out of space, then none of the files in that file system can grow. Space available in

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Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files

one file system does not affect space in another file system. However some LVM/FM
combinations allow space to be added or removed from a file system.
An operating system can support multiple file systems. Multiple file systems are
constructed to give different storage characteristics to different files as well as to divide
the available disk space into pools that do not affect each other.

Benefits of Using Oracle Managed Files
Consider the following benefits of using Oracle Managed Files:
■

They make the administration of the database easier.
There is no need to invent filenames and define specific storage requirements. A
consistent set of rules is used to name all relevant files. The file system defines the
characteristics of the storage and the pool where it is allocated.

■

They reduce corruption caused by administrators specifying the wrong file.
Each Oracle managed file and filename is unique. Using the same file in two
different databases is a common mistake that can cause very large down times and
loss of committed transactions. Using two different names that refer to the same
file is another mistake that causes major corruptions.

■

They reduce wasted disk space consumed by obsolete files.
Oracle Database automatically removes old Oracle Managed Files when they are
no longer needed. Much disk space is wasted in large systems simply because no
one is sure if a particular file is still required. This also simplifies the
administrative task of removing files that are no longer required on disk and
prevents the mistake of deleting the wrong file.

■

They simplify creation of test and development databases.
You can minimize the time spent making decisions regarding file structure and
naming, and you have fewer file management tasks. You can focus better on
meeting the actual requirements of your test or development database.

■

Oracle Managed Files make development of portable third-party tools easier.
Oracle Managed Files eliminate the need to put operating system specific file
names in SQL scripts.

Oracle Managed Files and Existing Functionality
Using Oracle Managed Files does not eliminate any existing functionality. Existing
databases are able to operate as they always have. New files can be created as
managed files while old ones are administered in the old way. Thus, a database can
have a mixture of Oracle managed and unmanaged files.

Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files
The following table lists the initialization parameters that enable the use of Oracle
Managed Files.

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-3

Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files

Initialization Parameter

Description

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

Defines the location of the default file system
directory or Oracle ASM disk group where the
database creates data files or temp files when no file
specification is given in the create operation. Also
used as the default location for redo log and control
files if DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n are not
specified.

DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n

Defines the location of the default file system
directory or Oracle ASM disk group for redo log
files and control file creation when no file
specification is given in the create operation. By
changing n, you can use this initialization parameter
multiple times, where n specifies a multiplexed copy
of the redo log or control file. You can specify up to
five multiplexed copies.

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

Defines the location of the Fast Recovery Area,
which is the default file system directory or Oracle
ASM disk group where the database creates RMAN
backups when no format option is used, archived
logs when no other local destination is configured,
and flashback logs. Also used as the default location
for redo log and control files or multiplexed copies
of redo log and control files if DB_CREATE_ONLINE_
LOG_DEST_n are not specified. When this parameter
is specified, the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE
initialization parameter must also be specified.

The file system directories specified by these parameters must already exist; the
database does not create them. The directory must also have permissions to allow the
database to create the files in it.
The default location is used whenever a location is not explicitly specified for the
operation creating the file. The database creates the filename, and a file thus created is
an Oracle managed file.
Both of these initialization parameters are dynamic, and can be set using the ALTER
SYSTEM or ALTER SESSION statement.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for additional information about
initialization parameters
"How Oracle Managed Files Are Named" on page 17-6

Setting the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST Initialization Parameter
Include the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter in your initialization
parameter file to identify the default location for the database server to create:
■

Data files

■

Temp files

■

Redo log files

■

Control files

■

Block change tracking files

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Enabling the Creation and Use of Oracle Managed Files

You specify the name of a file system directory that becomes the default location for
the creation of the operating system files for these entities. The following example sets
/u01/app/oracle/oradata as the default directory to use when creating Oracle
Managed Files:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/oradata'

Setting the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST Parameter
Include the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE parameters in
your initialization parameter file to identify the default location for the Fast Recovery
Area. The Fast Recovery Area contains:
■

Redo log files or multiplexed copies of redo log files

■

Control files or multiplexed copies of control files

■

RMAN backups (data file copies, control file copies, backup pieces, control file
autobackups)

■

Archived logs

■

Flashback logs

You specify the name of file system directory that becomes the default location for
creation of the operating system files for these entities. For example:
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area'
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 20G

Setting the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n Initialization Parameters
Include the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization parameters in your
initialization parameter file to identify the default locations for the database server to
create:
■

Redo log files

■

Control files

You specify the name of a file system directory or Oracle ASM disk group that
becomes the default location for the creation of the files for these entities. You can
specify up to five multiplexed locations.
For the creation of redo log files and control files only, this parameter overrides any default
location specified in the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
initialization parameters. If you do not specify a DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter, but
you do specify the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n parameter, then only redo log files
and control files can be created as Oracle Managed Files.
It is recommended that you specify at least two parameters. For example:
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 = '/u02/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 = '/u03/oradata'

This allows multiplexing, which provides greater fault-tolerance for the redo log and
control file if one of the destinations fails.

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-5

Creating Oracle Managed Files

Creating Oracle Managed Files
If you have met any of the following conditions, then Oracle Database creates Oracle
Managed Files for you, as appropriate, when no file specification is given in the create
operation:
■

■

■

You have included any of the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, or
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization parameters in your initialization
parameter file.
You have issued the ALTER SYSTEM statement to dynamically set any of DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, or DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n
initialization parameters
You have issued the ALTER SESSION statement to dynamically set any of the DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, or DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n
initialization parameters.

If a statement that creates an Oracle managed file finds an error or does not complete
due to some failure, then any Oracle Managed Files created by the statement are
automatically deleted as part of the recovery of the error or failure. However, because
of the large number of potential errors that can occur with file systems and storage
subsystems, there can be situations where you must manually remove the files using
operating system commands.
The following topics are discussed in this section:
■

How Oracle Managed Files Are Named

■

Creating Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation

■

Creating Data Files for Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files

■

Creating Temp Files for Temporary Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files

■

Creating Control Files Using Oracle Managed Files

■

Creating Redo Log Files Using Oracle Managed Files

■

Creating Archived Logs Using Oracle Managed Files

How Oracle Managed Files Are Named
The naming scheme described in this section applies only to
files created in operating system file systems. The naming scheme for
files created in Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM)
disk groups is described in Oracle Automatic Storage Management
Administrator's Guide.

Note:

The filenames of Oracle Managed Files comply with the Optimal Flexible Architecture
(OFA) standard for file naming. The assigned names are intended to meet the
following requirements:
■

Database files are easily distinguishable from all other files.

■

Files of one database type are easily distinguishable from other database types.

■

Files are clearly associated with important attributes specific to the file type. For
example, a data file name may include the tablespace name to allow for easy
association of data file to tablespace, or an archived log name may include the
thread, sequence, and creation date.

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Creating Oracle Managed Files

No two Oracle Managed Files are given the same name. The name that is used for
creation of an Oracle managed file is constructed from three sources:
■
■

■

The default creation location
A file name template that is chosen based on the type of the file. The template also
depends on the operating system platform and whether or not Oracle Automatic
Storage Management is used.
A unique string created by Oracle Database or the operating system. This ensures
that file creation does not damage an existing file and that the file cannot be
mistaken for some other file.

As a specific example, filenames for Oracle Managed Files have the following format
on a Solaris file system:
destination_prefix/o1_mf_%t_%u_.dbf

where:
■

destination_prefix is destination_location/db_unique_name/datafile
where:
–

destination_location is the location specified in DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

–

db_unique_name is the globally unique name (DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization
parameter) of the target database. If there is no DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter,
then the DB_NAME initialization parameter value is used.

■

%t is the tablespace name.

■

%u is an eight-character string that guarantees uniqueness

For example, assume the following parameter settings:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST
= /u01/app/oracle/oradata
DB_UNIQUE_NAME = PAYROLL

Then an example data file name would be:
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PAYROLL/datafile/o1_mf_tbs1_2ixh90q_.dbf

Names for other file types are similar. Names on other platforms are also similar,
subject to the constraints of the naming rules of the platform.
The examples on the following pages use Oracle managed file names as they might
appear with a Solaris file system as an OMF destination.
Caution: Do not rename an Oracle managed file. The database
identifies an Oracle managed file based on its name. If you rename
the file, the database is no longer able to recognize it as an Oracle
managed file and will not manage the file accordingly.

Creating Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation
The actions of the CREATE DATABASE statement when using Oracle Managed Files are
discussed in this section.

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-7

Creating Oracle Managed Files

The rules and defaults in this section also apply to creating a
database with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). With DBCA,
you use a graphical interface to enable Oracle Managed Files and to
specify file locations that correspond to the initialization parameters
described in this section.

Note:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the CREATE DATABASE statement

See Also:

Specifying Control Files at Database Creation
At database creation, the control file is created in the files specified by the CONTROL_
FILES initialization parameter. If the CONTROL_FILES parameter is not set and at least
one of the initialization parameters required for the creation of Oracle Managed Files is
set, then an Oracle managed control file is created in the default control file
destinations. In order of precedence, the default destination is defined as follows:
■

■

■

■

One or more control files as specified in the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n
initialization parameter. The file in the first directory is the primary control file.
When DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n is specified, the database does not create a
control file in DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST or in DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST (the Fast
Recovery Area).
If no value is specified for DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n, but values are set for
both the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, then the database
creates one control file in each location. The location specified in DB_CREATE_FILE_
DEST is the primary control file.
If a value is specified only for DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, then the database creates one
control file in that location.
If a value is specified only for DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, then the database creates
one control file in that location.

If the CONTROL_FILES parameter is not set and none of these initialization parameters
are set, then the Oracle Database default action is operating system dependent. At
least one copy of a control file is created in an operating system dependent default
location. Any copies of control files created in this fashion are not Oracle Managed
Files, and you must add a CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter to any initialization
parameter file.
If the database creates an Oracle managed control file, and if there is a server
parameter file, then the database creates a CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter
entry in the server parameter file. If there is no server parameter file, then you must
manually include a CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter entry in the text
initialization parameter file.
See Also:

Chapter 10, "Managing Control Files"

Specifying Redo Log Files at Database Creation
The LOGFILE clause is not required in the CREATE DATABASE statement, and omitting it
provides a simple means of creating Oracle managed redo log files. If the LOGFILE
clause is omitted, then redo log files are created in the default redo log file
destinations. In order of precedence, the default destination is defined as follows:

17-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Oracle Managed Files

■

■

■

■

If either the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n is set, then the database creates a log
file member in each directory specified, up to the value of the MAXLOGMEMBERS
initialization parameter.
If the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n parameter is not set, but both the DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST initialization parameters are set,
then the database creates one Oracle managed log file member in each of those
locations. The log file in the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST destination is the first member.
If only the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is specified, then the
database creates a log file member in that location.
If only the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is specified, then the
database creates a log file member in that location.

The default size of an Oracle managed redo log file is 100 MB.
Optionally, you can create Oracle managed redo log files, and override default
attributes, by including the LOGFILE clause but omitting a filename. Redo log files are
created the same way, except for the following: If no filename is provided in the
LOGFILE clause of CREATE DATABASE, and none of the initialization parameters required
for creating Oracle Managed Files are provided, then the CREATE DATABASE statement
fails.
See Also:

Chapter 11, "Managing the Redo Log"

Specifying the SYSTEM and SYSAUX Tablespace Data Files at Database Creation
The DATAFILE or SYSAUX DATAFILE clause is not required in the CREATE DATABASE
statement, and omitting it provides a simple means of creating Oracle managed data
files for the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces. If the DATAFILE clause is omitted, then one
of the following actions occurs:
■

■

If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is set, then one Oracle managed data file for the SYSTEM
tablespace and another for the SYSAUX tablespace are created in the DB_CREATE_
FILE_DEST directory.
If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is not set, then the database creates one SYSTEM and one
SYSAUX tablespace data file whose names and sizes are operating system
dependent. Any SYSTEM or SYSAUX tablespace data file created in this manner is not
an Oracle managed file.

By default, Oracle managed data files, including those for the SYSTEM and SYSAUX
tablespaces, are 100MB and autoextensible. When autoextension is required, the
database extends the data file by its existing size or 100 MB, whichever is smaller. You
can also explicitly specify the autoextensible unit using the NEXT parameter of the
STORAGE clause when you specify the data file (in a CREATE or ALTER TABLESPACE
operation).
Optionally, you can create an Oracle managed data file for the SYSTEM or SYSAUX
tablespace and override default attributes. This is done by including the DATAFILE
clause, omitting a filename, but specifying overriding attributes. When a filename is
not supplied and the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter is set, an Oracle managed data
file for the SYSTEM or SYSAUX tablespace is created in the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST
directory with the specified attributes being overridden. However, if a filename is not
supplied and the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter is not set, then the CREATE
DATABASE statement fails.
When overriding the default attributes of an Oracle managed file, if a SIZE value is
specified but no AUTOEXTEND clause is specified, then the data file is not autoextensible.

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-9

Creating Oracle Managed Files

Specifying the Undo Tablespace Data File at Database Creation
The DATAFILE subclause of the UNDO TABLESPACE clause is optional and a filename is
not required in the file specification. If a filename is not supplied and the DB_CREATE_
FILE_DEST parameter is set, then an Oracle managed data file is created in the DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST directory. If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is not set, then the statement
fails with a syntax error.
The UNDO TABLESPACE clause itself is optional in the CREATE DATABASE statement. If it is
not supplied, and automatic undo management mode is enabled (the default), then a
default undo tablespace named SYS_UNDOTS is created and a 20 MB data file that is
autoextensible is allocated as follows:
■

■

If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is set, then an Oracle managed data file is created in the
indicated directory.
If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is not set, then the data file location is operating system
specific.
See Also:

Chapter 16, "Managing Undo"

Specifying the Default Temporary Tablespace Temp File at Database Creation
The TEMPFILE subclause is optional for the DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause and
a filename is not required in the file specification. If a filename is not supplied and the
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter set, then an Oracle managed temp file is created in
the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST directory. If DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is not set, then the CREATE
DATABASE statement fails with a syntax error.
The DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause itself is optional. If it is not specified, then
no default temporary tablespace is created.
The default size for an Oracle managed temp file is 100 MB and the file is
autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size.

CREATE DATABASE Statement Using Oracle Managed Files: Examples
This section contains examples of the CREATE DATABASE statement when using the
Oracle Managed Files feature.
CREATE DATABASE: Example 1

This example creates a database with the following

Oracle Managed Files:
■

■

■

■

■

A SYSTEM tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is
autoextensible up to an unlimited size.
A SYSAUX tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is
autoextensible up to an unlimited size. The tablespace is locally managed with
automatic segment-space management.
Two online log groups with two members of 100 MB each, one each in
/u02/oradata and /u03/oradata.
If automatic undo management mode is enabled (the default), then an undo
tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is 20 MB and
autoextensible up to an unlimited size. An undo tablespace named SYS_UNDOTS is
created.
If no CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter is specified, then two control files,
one each in /u02/oradata and /u03/oradata. The control file in /u02/oradata is
the primary control file.

17-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Oracle Managed Files

The following parameter settings relating to Oracle Managed Files, are included in the
initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 = '/u02/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 = '/u03/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
CREATE DATABASE sample;

To create the database with a locally managed SYSTEM tablespace, add the EXTENT
MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause:
CREATE DATABASE sample EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL;

Without this clause, the SYSTEM tablespace is dictionary managed. Oracle recommends
that you create a locally managed SYSTEM tablespace.
CREATE DATABASE: Example 2

This example creates a database with the following

Oracle Managed Files:
■

■

■

■

■

A SYSTEM tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is
autoextensible up to an unlimited size.
A SYSAUX tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is
autoextensible up to an unlimited size. The tablespace is locally managed with
automatic segment-space management.
Two redo log files of 100 MB each in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata. They
are not multiplexed.
An undo tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata that is 20 MB
and autoextensible up to an unlimited size. An undo tablespace named SYS_
UNDOTS is created.
A control file in /u01/app/oracle/oradata.

In this example, it is assumed that:
■

■

■

No DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization parameters are specified in the
initialization parameter file.
No CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter was specified in the initialization
parameter file.
Automatic undo management mode is enabled.

The following statements are issued at the SQL prompt:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/oradata';
CREATE DATABASE sample2 EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL;

This database configuration is not recommended for a production database. The
example illustrates how a very low-end database or simple test database can easily be
created. To better protect this database from failures, at least one more control file
should be created and the redo log should be multiplexed.
In this example, the file size for the Oracle Managed
Files for the default temporary tablespace and undo tablespace are specified. A
database with the following Oracle Managed Files is created:

CREATE DATABASE: Example 3

■

A 400 MB SYSTEM tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata.
Because SIZE is specified, the file in not autoextensible.
Using Oracle Managed Files 17-11

Creating Oracle Managed Files

■

■

■

■

■

A 200 MB SYSAUX tablespace data file in directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata.
Because SIZE is specified, the file in not autoextensible. The tablespace is locally
managed with automatic segment-space management.
Two redo log groups with two members of 100 MB each, one each in directories
/u02/oradata and /u03/oradata.
For the default temporary tablespace dflt_ts, a 10 MB temp file in directory
/u01/app/oracle/oradata. Because SIZE is specified, the file in not
autoextensible.
For the undo tablespace undo_ts, a 100 MB data file in directory
/u01/app/oracle/oradata. Because SIZE is specified, the file is not autoextensible.
If no CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter was specified, then two control files,
one each in directories /u02/oradata and /u03/oradata. The control file in
/u02/oradata is the primary control file.

The following parameter settings are included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 = '/u02/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 = '/u03/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
CREATE DATABASE sample3
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
DATAFILE SIZE 400M
SYSAUX DATAFILE SIZE 200M
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE dflt_ts TEMPFILE SIZE 10M
UNDO TABLESPACE undo_ts DATAFILE SIZE 100M;

See Also: "Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace" on
page 2-17

Creating Data Files for Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files
The following statements that can create data files are relevant to the discussion in this
section:
■

CREATE TABLESPACE

■

CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... ADD DATAFILE

When creating a tablespace, either a permanent tablespace or an undo tablespace, the
DATAFILE clause is optional. When you include the DATAFILE clause the filename is
optional. If the DATAFILE clause or filename is not provided, then the following rules
apply:
■

■

If the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is specified, then an Oracle
managed data file is created in the location specified by the parameter.
If the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is not specified, then the
statement creating the data file fails.

When you add a data file to a tablespace with the ALTER TABLESPACE...ADD DATAFILE
statement the filename is optional. If the filename is not specified, then the same rules
apply as discussed in the previous paragraph.
By default, an Oracle managed data file for a permanent tablespace is 100 MB and is
autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size. However, if in your DATAFILE clause
17-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Oracle Managed Files

you override these defaults by specifying a SIZE value (and no AUTOEXTEND clause),
then the data file is not autoextensible.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Specifying the SYSTEM and SYSAUX Tablespace Data Files at
Database Creation" on page 17-9
"Specifying the Undo Tablespace Data File at Database
Creation" on page 17-10
Chapter 13, "Managing Tablespaces"

CREATE TABLESPACE: Examples
The following are some examples of creating tablespaces with Oracle Managed Files.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the CREATE TABLESPACE statement

The following example sets the default location
for data file creations to /u01/oradata and then creates a tablespace tbs_1 with a data
file in that location. The data file is 100 MB and is autoextensible with an unlimited
maximum size.
CREATE TABLESPACE: Example 1

SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata';
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_1;

This example creates a tablespace named tbs_2
with a data file in the directory /u01/oradata. The data file initial size is 400 MB, and
because the SIZE clause is specified, the data file is not autoextensible.

CREATE TABLESPACE: Example 2

The following parameter setting is included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_2 DATAFILE SIZE 400M;

This example creates a tablespace named tbs_3
with an autoextensible data file in the directory /u01/oradata with a maximum size of
800 MB and an initial size of 100 MB:
CREATE TABLESPACE: Example 3

The following parameter setting is included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_3 DATAFILE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE 800M;

The following example sets the default location
for data file creations to /u01/oradata and then creates a tablespace named tbs_4 in
that directory with two data files. Both data files have an initial size of 200 MB, and
because a SIZE value is specified, they are not autoextensible

CREATE TABLESPACE: Example 4

SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata';
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_4 DATAFILE SIZE 200M, SIZE 200M;

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-13

Creating Oracle Managed Files

CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE: Example
The following example creates an undo tablespace named undotbs_1 with a data file
in the directory /u01/oradata. The data file for the undo tablespace is 100 MB and is
autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size.
The following parameter setting is included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
SQL> CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs_1;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement

ALTER TABLESPACE: Example
This example adds an Oracle managed autoextensible data file to the tbs_1 tablespace.
The data file has an initial size of 100 MB and a maximum size of 800 MB.
The following parameter setting is included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'

The following statement is entered at the SQL prompt:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE tbs_1 ADD DATAFILE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE 800M;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the ALTER TABLESPACE statement

Creating Temp Files for Temporary Tablespaces Using Oracle Managed Files
The following statements that create temp files are relevant to the discussion in this
section:
■

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... ADD TEMPFILE

When creating a temporary tablespace the TEMPFILE clause is optional. If you include
the TEMPFILE clause, then the filename is optional. If the TEMPFILE clause or filename is
not provided, then the following rules apply:
■

■

If the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is specified, then an Oracle
managed temp file is created in the location specified by the parameter.
If the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is not specified, then the
statement creating the temp file fails.

When you add a temp file to a tablespace with the ALTER TABLESPACE...ADD TEMPFILE
statement the filename is optional. If the filename is not specified, then the same rules
apply as discussed in the previous paragraph.
When overriding the default attributes of an Oracle managed file, if a SIZE value is
specified but no AUTOEXTEND clause is specified, then the data file is not autoextensible.
See Also: "Specifying the Default Temporary Tablespace Temp
File at Database Creation" on page 17-10

17-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Oracle Managed Files

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE: Example
The following example sets the default location for data file creations to /u01/oradata
and then creates a tablespace named temptbs_1 with a temp file in that location. The
temp file is 100 MB and is autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size.
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata';
SQL> CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE temptbs_1;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the CREATE TABLESPACE statement

ALTER TABLESPACE... ADD TEMPFILE: Example
The following example sets the default location for data file creations to /u03/oradata
and then adds a temp file in the default location to a tablespace named temptbs_1. The
temp file initial size is 100 MB. It is autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size.
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u03/oradata';
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE TBS_1 ADD TEMPFILE;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the ALTER TABLESPACE statement

Creating Control Files Using Oracle Managed Files
When you issue the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement, a control file is created (or reused,
if REUSE is specified) in the files specified by the CONTROL_FILES initialization
parameter. If the CONTROL_FILES parameter is not set, then the control file is created in
the default control file destinations. The default destination is determined according to
the precedence documented in "Specifying Control Files at Database Creation" on
page 17-8.
If Oracle Database creates an Oracle managed control file, and there is a server
parameter file, then the database creates a CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter for
the server parameter file. If there is no server parameter file, then you must create a
CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter manually and include it in the initialization
parameter file.
If the data files in the database are Oracle Managed Files, then the database-generated
filenames for the files must be supplied in the DATAFILE clause of the statement.
If the redo log files are Oracle Managed Files, then the NORESETLOGS or RESETLOGS
keyword determines what can be supplied in the LOGFILE clause:
■

■

If the NORESETLOGS keyword is used, then the database-generated filenames for the
Oracle managed redo log files must be supplied in the LOGFILE clause.
If the RESETLOGS keyword is used, then the redo log file names can be supplied as
with the CREATE DATABASE statement. See "Specifying Redo Log Files at Database
Creation" on page 17-8.

The sections that follow contain examples of using the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement
with Oracle Managed Files.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description of the
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement
"Specifying Control Files at Database Creation" on page 17-8

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-15

Creating Oracle Managed Files

CREATE CONTROLFILE Using NORESETLOGS Keyword: Example
The following CREATE CONTROLFILE statement is generated by an ALTER DATABASE
BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE statement for a database with Oracle managed data
files and redo log files:
CREATE CONTROLFILE
DATABASE sample
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_1_o220rtt9_.log',
'/u02/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_1_v2o0b2i3_.log')
SIZE 100M,
GROUP 2 ('/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_2_p22056iw_.log',
'/u02/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_2_p02rcyg3_.log')
SIZE 100M
NORESETLOGS
DATAFILE '/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_system_xu34ybm2_.dbf'
SIZE 100M,
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_aawbmz51_.dbf'
SIZE 100M,
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sys_undo_apqbmz51_.dbf'
SIZE 100M
MAXLOGFILES 5
MAXLOGHISTORY 100
MAXDATAFILES 10
MAXINSTANCES 2
ARCHIVELOG;

CREATE CONTROLFILE Using RESETLOGS Keyword: Example
The following is an example of a CREATE CONTROLFILE statement with the RESETLOGS
option. Some combination of DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, and DB_
CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n or must be set.
CREATE CONTROLFILE
DATABASE sample
RESETLOGS
DATAFILE '/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_system_aawbmz51_.dbf',
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_axybmz51_.dbf',
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sys_undo_azzbmz51_.dbf'
SIZE 100M
MAXLOGFILES 5
MAXLOGHISTORY 100
MAXDATAFILES 10
MAXINSTANCES 2
ARCHIVELOG;

Later, you must issue the ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement to re-create the
redo log files. This is discussed in "Using the ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS
Statement" on page 17-17. If the previous log files are Oracle Managed Files, then they
are not deleted.

Creating Redo Log Files Using Oracle Managed Files
Redo log files are created at database creation time. They can also be created when you
issue either of the following statements:
■

ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS

17-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Oracle Managed Files

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description
of the ALTER DATABASE statement

Using the ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE Statement
The ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE statement lets you later add a new group to your
current redo log. The filename in the ADD LOGFILE clause is optional if you are using
Oracle Managed Files. If a filename is not provided, then a redo log file is created in
the default log file destination. The default destination is determined according to the
precedence documented in "Specifying Redo Log Files at Database Creation" on
page 17-8.
If a filename is not provided and you have not provided one of the initialization
parameters required for creating Oracle Managed Files, then the statement returns an
error.
The default size for an Oracle managed log file is 100 MB.
You continue to add and drop redo log file members by specifying complete filenames.
See Also:
■
■

"Specifying Redo Log Files at Database Creation" on page 17-8
"Creating Control Files Using Oracle Managed Files" on
page 17-15

The following example creates a log group
with a member in /u01/oradata and another member in /u02/oradata. The size of
each log file is 100 MB.

Adding New Redo Log Files: Example

The following parameter settings are included in the initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 = '/u01/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 = '/u02/oradata'

The following statement is issued at the SQL prompt:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE;

Using the ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS Statement
If you previously created a control file specifying RESETLOGS and either did not specify
filenames or specified nonexistent filenames, then the database creates redo log files
for you when you issue the ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement. The rules for
determining the directories in which to store redo log files, when none are specified in
the control file, are the same as those discussed in "Specifying Redo Log Files at
Database Creation" on page 17-8.

Creating Archived Logs Using Oracle Managed Files
Archived logs are created in the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST location when:
■

The ARC or LGWR background process archives an online redo log or

■

An ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT statement is issued.

For example, assume that the following parameter settings are included in the
initialization parameter file:
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 20G
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
= '/u01/oradata'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
= 'LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST'

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-17

Operation of Oracle Managed Files

Operation of Oracle Managed Files
The filenames of Oracle Managed Files are accepted in SQL statements wherever a
filename is used to identify an existing file. These filenames, like other filenames, are
stored in the control file and, if using Recovery Manager (RMAN) for backup and
recovery, in the RMAN catalog. They are visible in all of the usual fixed and dynamic
performance views that are available for monitoring data files and temp files (for
example, V$DATAFILE or DBA_DATA_FILES).
The following are some examples of statements using database-generated filenames:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE
2> RENAME FILE '/u01/oradata/mydb/datafile/o1_mf_tbs01_ziw3bopb_.dbf'
3> TO '/u01/oradata/mydb/tbs0101.dbf';
SQL> ALTER DATABASE
2> DROP LOGFILE '/u01/oradata/mydb/onlinelog/o1_mf_1_wo94n2xi_.log';
SQL> ALTER TABLE emp
2> ALLOCATE EXTENT
3> (DATAFILE '/u01/oradata/mydb/datafile/o1_mf_tbs1_2ixfh90q_.dbf');

You can backup and restore Oracle managed data files, temp files, and control files as
you would corresponding non Oracle Managed Files. Using database-generated
filenames does not impact the use of logical backup files such as export files. This is
particularly important for tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR) and
transportable tablespace export files.
There are some cases where Oracle Managed Files behave differently. These are
discussed in the sections that follow.

Dropping Data Files and Temp Files
Unlike files that are not managed by the database, when an Oracle managed data file
or temp file is dropped, the filename is removed from the control file and the file is
automatically deleted from the file system. The statements that delete Oracle Managed
Files when they are dropped are:
■

DROP TABLESPACE

■

ALTER DATABASE TEMPFILE ... DROP

You can also use these statements, which always delete files, Oracle managed or not:
■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... DROP DATAFILE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... DROP TEMPFILE

Dropping Redo Log Files
When an Oracle managed redo log file is dropped its Oracle Managed Files are
deleted. You specify the group or members to be dropped. The following statements
drop and delete redo log files:
■

ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE MEMBER

17-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

Renaming Files
The following statements are used to rename files:
■

ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE

■

ALTER TABLESPACE ... RENAME DATAFILE

These statements do not actually rename the files on the operating system, but rather,
the names in the control file are changed. If the old file is an Oracle managed file and it
exists, then it is deleted. You must specify each filename using the conventions for
filenames on your operating system when you issue this statement.

Managing Standby Databases
The data files, control files, and redo log files in a standby database can be managed by
the database. This is independent of whether Oracle Managed Files are used on the
primary database.
When recovery of a standby database encounters redo for the creation of a data file, if
the data file is an Oracle managed file, then the recovery process creates an empty file
in the local default file system location. This allows the redo for the new file to be
applied immediately without any human intervention.
When recovery of a standby database encounters redo for the deletion of a tablespace,
it deletes any Oracle managed data files in the local file system. Note that this is
independent of the INCLUDING DATAFILES option issued at the primary database.

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files
This section further demonstrates the use of Oracle Managed Files by presenting
scenarios of their use.

Scenario 1: Create and Manage a Database with Multiplexed Redo Logs
In this scenario, a DBA creates a database where the data files and redo log files are
created in separate directories. The redo log files and control files are multiplexed. The
database uses an undo tablespace, and has a default temporary tablespace. The
following are tasks involved with creating and maintaining this database.
1.

Setting the initialization parameters
The DBA includes three generic file creation defaults in the initialization
parameter file before creating the database. Automatic undo management mode
(the default) is also specified.
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 = '/u02/oradata'
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 = '/u03/oradata'
UNDO_MANAGEMENT = AUTO

The DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter sets the default file system directory for the
data files and temp files.
The DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 and DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2
parameters set the default file system directories for redo log file and control file
creation. Each redo log file and control file is multiplexed across the two
directories.
2.

Creating a database

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-19

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

Once the initialization parameters are set, the database can be created by using this
statement:
SQL> CREATE DATABASE sample
2>
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE dflttmp;

Because a DATAFILE clause is not present and the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST
initialization parameter is set, the SYSTEM tablespace data file is created in the
default file system (/u01/oradata in this scenario). The filename is uniquely
generated by the database. The file is autoextensible with an initial size of 100 MB
and an unlimited maximum size. The file is an Oracle managed file. A similar data
file is created for the SYSAUX tablespace.
Because a LOGFILE clause is not present, two redo log groups are created. Each log
group has two members, with one member in the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1
location and the other member in the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 location. The
filenames are uniquely generated by the database. The log files are created with a
size of 100 MB. The log file members are Oracle Managed Files.
Similarly, because the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter is not present, and
two DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization parameters are specified, two
control files are created. The control file located in the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_
DEST_1 location is the primary control file; the control file located in the DB_
CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_2 location is a multiplexed copy. The filenames are
uniquely generated by the database. They are Oracle Managed Files. Assuming
there is a server parameter file, a CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter is
generated.
Automatic undo management mode is specified, but because an undo tablespace
is not specified and the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is set, a
default undo tablespace named UNDOTBS is created in the directory specified by
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST. The data file is a 20 MB data file that is autoextensible. It is
an Oracle managed file.
Lastly, a default temporary tablespace named dflttmp is specified. Because DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST is included in the parameter file, the temp file for dflttmp is
created in the directory specified by that parameter. The temp file is 100 MB and is
autoextensible with an unlimited maximum size. It is an Oracle managed file.
The resultant file tree, with generated filenames, is as follows:
/u01
/oradata
/SAMPLE
/datafile
/o1_mf_system_cmr7t30p_.dbf
/o1_mf_sysaux_cmr7t88p_.dbf
/o1_mf_sys_undo_2ixfh90q_.dbf
/o1_mf_dflttmp_157se6ff_.tmp
/u02
/oradata
/SAMPLE
/onlinelog
/o1_mf_1_0orrm31z_.log
/o1_mf_2_2xyz16am_.log
/controlfile
/o1_mf_cmr7t30p_.ctl
/u03
/oradata
/SAMPLE
/onlinelog
17-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

/o1_mf_1_ixfvm8w9_.log
/o1_mf_2_q89tmp28_.log
/controlfile
/o1_mf_x1sr8t36_.ctl

The internally generated filenames can be seen when selecting from the usual
views. For example:
SQL> SELECT NAME FROM V$DATAFILE;
NAME
---------------------------------------------------/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_system_cmr7t30p_.dbf
/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_cmr7t88p_.dbf
/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sys_undo_2ixfh90q_.dbf
3 rows selected
3.

Managing control files
The control file was created when generating the database, and a CONTROL_FILES
initialization parameter was added to the parameter file. If needed, then the DBA
can re-create the control file or build a new one for the database using the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement.
The correct Oracle managed filenames must be used in the DATAFILE and LOGFILE
clauses. The ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE statement generates
a script with the correct filenames. Alternatively, the filenames can be found by
selecting from the V$DATAFILE, V$TEMPFILE, and V$LOGFILE views. The following
example re-creates the control file for the sample database:
CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE
DATABASE sample
LOGFILE
GROUP 1('/u02/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_1_0orrm31z_.log',
'/u03/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_1_ixfvm8w9_.log'),
GROUP 2('/u02/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_2_2xyz16am_.log',
'/u03/oradata/SAMPLE/onlinelog/o1_mf_2_q89tmp28_.log')
NORESETLOGS
DATAFILE '/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_system_cmr7t30p_.dbf',
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_cmr7t88p_.dbf',
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_sys_undo_2ixfh90q_.dbf',
'/u01/oradata/SAMPLE/datafile/o1_mf_dflttmp_157se6ff_.tmp'
MAXLOGFILES 5
MAXLOGHISTORY 100
MAXDATAFILES 10
MAXINSTANCES 2
ARCHIVELOG;

The control file created by this statement is located as specified by the CONTROL_
FILES initialization parameter that was generated when the database was created.
The REUSE clause causes any existing files to be overwritten.
4.

Managing the redo log
To create a new group of redo log files, the DBA can use the ALTER DATABASE ADD
LOGFILE statement. The following statement adds a log file with a member in the
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_1 location and a member in the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_
LOG_DEST_2 location. These files are Oracle Managed Files.
SQL> ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE;

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-21

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

Log file members continue to be added and dropped by specifying complete
filenames.
The GROUP clause can be used to drop a log group. In the following example the
operating system file associated with each Oracle managed log file member is
automatically deleted.
SQL> ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE GROUP 3;
5.

Managing tablespaces
The default storage for all data files for future tablespace creations in the sample
database is the location specified by the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter (/u01/oradata in this scenario). Any data files for which no filename is
specified, are created in the file system specified by the initialization parameter
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST. For example:
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_1;

The preceding statement creates a tablespace whose storage is in /u01/oradata. A
data file is created with an initial of 100 MB and it is autoextensible with an
unlimited maximum size. The data file is an Oracle managed file.
When the tablespace is dropped, the Oracle Managed Files for the tablespace are
automatically removed. The following statement drops the tablespace and all the
Oracle Managed Files used for its storage:
SQL> DROP TABLESPACE tbs_1;

Once the first data file is full, the database does not automatically create a new
data file. More space can be added to the tablespace by adding another Oracle
managed data file. The following statement adds another data file in the location
specified by DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE tbs_1 ADD DATAFILE;

The default file system can be changed by changing the initialization parameter.
This does not change any existing data files. It only affects future creations. This
can be done dynamically using the following statement:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST='/u04/oradata';
6.

Archiving redo information
Archiving of redo log files is no different for Oracle Managed Files, than it is for
unmanaged files. A file system location for the archived redo log files can be
specified using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameters. The filenames
are formed based on the LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT parameter or its default. The
archived logs are not Oracle Managed Files.

7.

Backup, restore, and recover
Since an Oracle managed file is compatible with standard operating system files,
you can use operating system utilities to backup or restore Oracle Managed Files.
All existing methods for backing up, restoring, and recovering the database work
for Oracle Managed Files.

Scenario 2: Create and Manage a Database with Database and Fast Recovery Areas
In this scenario, a DBA creates a database where the control files and redo log files are
multiplexed. Archived logs and RMAN backups are created in the Fast Recovery Area.
The following tasks are involved in creating and maintaining this database:
17-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

1.

Setting the initialization parameters
The DBA includes the following generic file creation defaults:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata'
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 10G
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '/u02/oradata'
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION = USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST'

The DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST parameter sets the default file system directory for data
files, temp files, control files, and redo logs.
The DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST parameter sets the default file system directory for
control files, redo logs, and RMAN backups.
The LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 configuration 'LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST'
redirects archived logs to the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST location.
The DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST parameters set the default
directory for log file and control file creation. Each redo log and control file is
multiplexed across the two directories.
2.

Creating a database

3.

Managing control files

4.

Managing the redo log

5.

Managing tablespaces
Tasks 2, 3, 4, and 5 are the same as in Scenario 1, except that the control files and
redo logs are multiplexed across the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_
FILE_DEST locations.

6.

Archiving redo log information
Archiving online logs is no different for Oracle Managed Files than it is for
unmanaged files. The archived logs are created in DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and are
Oracle Managed Files.

7.

Backup, restore, and recover
An Oracle managed file is compatible with standard operating system files, so you
can use operating system utilities to backup or restore Oracle Managed Files. All
existing methods for backing up, restoring, and recovering the database work for
Oracle Managed Files. When no format option is specified, all disk backups by
RMAN are created in the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST location. The backups are
Oracle Managed Files.

Scenario 3: Adding Oracle Managed Files to an Existing Database
Assume in this case that an existing database does not have any Oracle Managed Files,
but the DBA would like to create new tablespaces with Oracle Managed Files and
locate them in directory /u03/oradata.
1.

Setting the initialization parameters
To allow automatic data file creation, set the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter to the file system directory in which to create the data files. This can be
done dynamically as follows:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/u03/oradata';

2.

Creating tablespaces

Using Oracle Managed Files 17-23

Scenarios for Using Oracle Managed Files

Once DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST is set, the DATAFILE clause can be omitted from a
CREATE TABLESPACE statement. The data file is created in the location specified by
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST by default. For example:
SQL> CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_2;

When the tbs_2 tablespace is dropped, its data files are automatically deleted.

17-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Part III
Part III

Schema Objects

Part III describes how to create and manage schema objects in Oracle Database. It
includes the following chapters:
■

Chapter 18, "Managing Schema Objects"

■

Chapter 19, "Managing Space for Schema Objects"

■

Chapter 20, "Managing Tables"

■

Chapter 21, "Managing Indexes"

■

Chapter 22, "Managing Clusters"

■

Chapter 23, "Managing Hash Clusters"

■

Chapter 24, "Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms"

■

Chapter 25, "Repairing Corrupted Data"

18
18

Managing Schema Objects

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Creating Multiple Tables and Views in a Single Operation

■

Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters

■

Truncating Tables and Clusters

■

Enabling and Disabling Triggers

■

Managing Integrity Constraints

■

Renaming Schema Objects

■

Managing Object Dependencies

■

Managing Object Name Resolution

■

Switching to a Different Schema

■

Managing Editions

■

Displaying Information About Schema Objects

Creating Multiple Tables and Views in a Single Operation
You can create several tables and views and grant privileges in one operation using the
CREATE SCHEMA statement. If an individual table, view or grant fails, the entire
statement is rolled back. None of the objects are created, nor are the privileges granted.
Specifically, the CREATE SCHEMA statement can include only CREATE TABLE, CREATE
VIEW, and GRANT statements. You must have the privileges necessary to issue the
included statements. You are not actually creating a schema, that is done when the
user is created with a CREATE USER statement. Rather, you are populating the schema.
The following statement creates two tables and a view that joins data from the two
tables:
CREATE SCHEMA AUTHORIZATION scott
CREATE TABLE dept (
deptno NUMBER(3,0) PRIMARY KEY,
dname VARCHAR2(15),
loc VARCHAR2(25))
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno NUMBER(5,0) PRIMARY KEY,
ename VARCHAR2(15) NOT NULL,
job VARCHAR2(10),
mgr NUMBER(5,0),
hiredate DATE DEFAULT (sysdate),

Managing Schema Objects 18-1

Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters

sal NUMBER(7,2),
comm NUMBER(7,2),
deptno NUMBER(3,0) NOT NULL
CONSTRAINT dept_fkey REFERENCES dept)
CREATE VIEW sales_staff AS
SELECT empno, ename, sal, comm
FROM emp
WHERE deptno = 30
WITH CHECK OPTION CONSTRAINT sales_staff_cnst
GRANT SELECT ON sales_staff TO human_resources;

The CREATE SCHEMA statement does not support Oracle Database extensions to the
ANSI CREATE TABLE and CREATE VIEW statements, including the STORAGE clause.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
other information about the CREATE SCHEMA statement

Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters
You analyze a schema object (table, index, or cluster) to:
■

Collect and manage statistics for it

■

Verify the validity of its storage format

■

Identify migrated and chained rows of a table or cluster
Do not use the COMPUTE and ESTIMATE clauses of ANALYZE to
collect optimizer statistics. These clauses have been deprecated.
Instead, use the DBMS_STATS package, which lets you collect
statistics in parallel, collect global statistics for partitioned objects,
and fine tune your statistics collection in other ways. The
cost-based optimizer, which depends upon statistics, will
eventually use only statistics that have been collected by DBMS_
STATS. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the DBMS_STATS package.
Note:

You must use the ANALYZE statement (rather than DBMS_STATS) for
statistics collection not related to the cost-based optimizer, such as:
■

To use the VALIDATE or LIST CHAINED ROWS clauses

■

To collect information on freelist blocks

The following topics are discussed in this section:
■

Using DBMS_STATS to Collect Table and Index Statistics

■

Validating Tables, Indexes, Clusters, and Materialized Views

■

Listing Chained Rows of Tables and Clusters

Using DBMS_STATS to Collect Table and Index Statistics
You can use the DBMS_STATS package or the ANALYZE statement to gather statistics
about the physical storage characteristics of a table, index, or cluster. These statistics
are stored in the data dictionary and can be used by the optimizer to choose the most
efficient execution plan for SQL statements accessing analyzed objects.

18-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters

Oracle recommends using the more versatile DBMS_STATS package for gathering
optimizer statistics, but you must use the ANALYZE statement to collect statistics
unrelated to the optimizer, such as empty blocks, average space, and so forth.
The DBMS_STATS package allows both the gathering of statistics, including utilizing
parallel execution, and the external manipulation of statistics. Statistics can be stored
in tables outside of the data dictionary, where they can be manipulated without
affecting the optimizer. Statistics can be copied between databases or backup copies
can be made.
The following DBMS_STATS procedures enable the gathering of optimizer statistics:
■

GATHER_INDEX_STATS

■

GATHER_TABLE_STATS

■

GATHER_SCHEMA_STATS

■

GATHER_DATABASE_STATS
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about using
DBMS_STATS to gather statistics for the optimizer
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
description of the DBMS_STATS package

Validating Tables, Indexes, Clusters, and Materialized Views
To verify the integrity of the structure of a table, index, cluster, or materialized view,
use the ANALYZE statement with the VALIDATE STRUCTURE option. If the structure is
valid, then no error is returned. However, if the structure is corrupt, then you receive
an error message.
For example, in rare cases such as hardware or other system failures, an index can
become corrupted and not perform correctly. When validating the index, you can
confirm that every entry in the index points to the correct row of the associated table.
If the index is corrupt, then you can drop and re-create it.
If a table, index, or cluster is corrupt, then drop it and re-create it. If a materialized
view is corrupt, then perform a complete refresh and ensure that you have remedied
the problem. If the problem is not corrected, then drop and re-create the materialized
view.
The following statement analyzes the emp table:
ANALYZE TABLE emp VALIDATE STRUCTURE;

You can validate an object and all dependent objects (for example, indexes) by
including the CASCADE option. The following statement validates the emp table and all
associated indexes:
ANALYZE TABLE emp VALIDATE STRUCTURE CASCADE;

By default the CASCADE option performs a complete validation. Because this operation
can be resource intensive, you can perform a faster version of the validation by using
the FAST clause. This version checks for the existence of corruptions using an
optimized check algorithm, but does not report details about the corruption. If the
FAST check finds a corruption, then you can then use the CASCADE option without the
FAST clause to locate it. The following statement performs a fast validation on the emp
table and all associated indexes:

Managing Schema Objects 18-3

Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters

ANALYZE TABLE emp VALIDATE STRUCTURE CASCADE FAST;

If fast validation takes an inordinate amount of time, then you have the option of
validating individual indexes with a SQL query. See "Cross Validation of a Table and
an Index with a Query" on page 18-4.
You can specify that you want to perform structure validation online while DML is
occurring against the object being validated. Validation is less comprehensive with
ongoing DML affecting the object, but this is offset by the flexibility of being able to
perform ANALYZE online. The following statement validates the emp table and all
associated indexes online:
ANALYZE TABLE emp VALIDATE STRUCTURE CASCADE ONLINE;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information on the ANALYZE statement

Cross Validation of a Table and an Index with a Query
In some cases, an ANALYZE statement takes an inordinate amount of time to complete.
In these cases, you can use a SQL query to validate an index. If the query determines
that there is an inconsistency between a table and an index, then you can use an
ANALYZE statement for a thorough analysis of the index. Since typically most objects in
a database are not corrupt, you can use this quick query to eliminate a number of
tables as candidates for corruption and only use the ANALYZE statement on tables
that might be corrupt.
To validate an index, run the following query:
SELECT /*+ FULL(ALIAS) PARALLEL(ALIAS, DOP) */ SUM(ORA_HASH(ROWID))
FROM table_name ALIAS
WHERE ALIAS.index_column IS NOT NULL
MINUS SELECT /*+ INDEX_FFS(ALIAS index_name)
PARALLEL_INDEX(ALIAS, index_name, DOP) */ SUM(ORA_HASH(ROWID))
FROM table_name ALIAS WHERE ALIAS.index_column IS NOT NULL;

When you run the query, make the following substitutions:
■

Enter the table name for the table_name placeholder.

■

Enter the index column for the index_column placeholder.

■

Enter the index name for the index_name placeholder.

If the query returns any rows, then there is a possible inconsistency, and you can use
an ANALYZE statement for further diagnosis.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the ANALYZE statement

Listing Chained Rows of Tables and Clusters
You can look at the chained and migrated rows of a table or cluster using the ANALYZE
statement with the LIST CHAINED ROWS clause. The results of this statement are stored in
a specified table created explicitly to accept the information returned by the LIST
CHAINED ROWS clause. These results are useful in determining whether you have
enough room for updates to rows.

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Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters

Creating a CHAINED_ROWS Table
To create the table to accept data returned by an ANALYZE...LIST CHAINED ROWS
statement, execute the UTLCHAIN.SQL or UTLCHN1.SQL script. These scripts are provided
by the database. They create a table named CHAINED_ROWS in the schema of the user
submitting the script.
Your choice of script to execute for creating the CHAINED_
ROWS table depends on the compatibility level of your database and
the type of table you are analyzing. See the Oracle Database SQL
Language Reference for more information.
Note:

After a CHAINED_ROWS table is created, you specify it in the INTO clause of the ANALYZE
statement. For example, the following statement inserts rows containing information
about the chained rows in the emp_dept cluster into the CHAINED_ROWS table:
ANALYZE CLUSTER emp_dept LIST CHAINED ROWS INTO CHAINED_ROWS;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for a description of the CHAINED_ROWS
table
"Using the Segment Advisor" on page 19-14 for information on
how the Segment Advisor reports tables with excess row
chaining.

Eliminating Migrated or Chained Rows in a Table
You can use the information in the CHAINED_ROWS table to reduce or eliminate migrated
and chained rows in an existing table. Use the following procedure.
1.

Use the ANALYZE statement to collect information about migrated and chained
rows.
ANALYZE TABLE order_hist LIST CHAINED ROWS;

2.

Query the output table:
SELECT *
FROM CHAINED_ROWS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'ORDER_HIST';
OWNER_NAME
---------SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT

TABLE_NAME
---------ORDER_HIST
ORDER_HIST
ORDER_HIST

CLUST...
-----...
...
...
...

HEAD_ROWID
-----------------AAAAluAAHAAAAA1AAA
AAAAluAAHAAAAA1AAB
AAAAluAAHAAAAA1AAC

TIMESTAMP
--------04-MAR-96
04-MAR-96
04-MAR-96

The output lists all rows that are either migrated or chained.
3.

If the output table shows that you have many migrated or chained rows, then you
can eliminate migrated rows by continuing through the following steps:

4.

Create an intermediate table with the same columns as the existing table to hold
the migrated and chained rows:
CREATE TABLE int_order_hist
AS SELECT *
FROM order_hist
WHERE ROWID IN

Managing Schema Objects 18-5

Truncating Tables and Clusters

(SELECT HEAD_ROWID
FROM CHAINED_ROWS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'ORDER_HIST');
5.

Delete the migrated and chained rows from the existing table:
DELETE FROM order_hist
WHERE ROWID IN
(SELECT HEAD_ROWID
FROM CHAINED_ROWS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'ORDER_HIST');

6.

Insert the rows of the intermediate table into the existing table:
INSERT INTO order_hist
SELECT *
FROM int_order_hist;

7.

Drop the intermediate table:
DROP TABLE int_order_history;

8.

Delete the information collected in step 1 from the output table:
DELETE FROM CHAINED_ROWS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'ORDER_HIST';

9.

Use the ANALYZE statement again, and query the output table.

Any rows that appear in the output table are chained. You can eliminate chained rows
only by increasing your data block size. It might not be possible to avoid chaining in
all situations. Chaining is often unavoidable with tables that have a LONG column or
large CHAR or VARCHAR2 columns.

Truncating Tables and Clusters
You can delete all rows of a table or all rows in a group of clustered tables so that the
table (or cluster) still exists, but is completely empty. For example, consider a table that
contains monthly data, and at the end of each month, you must empty it (delete all
rows) after archiving its data.
To delete all rows from a table, you have the following options:
■

Use the DELETE statement.

■

Use the DROP and CREATE statements.

■

Use the TRUNCATE statement.

These options are discussed in the following sections

Using DELETE
You can delete the rows of a table using the DELETE statement. For example, the
following statement deletes all rows from the emp table:
DELETE FROM emp;

If there are many rows present in a table or cluster when using the DELETE statement,
significant system resources are consumed as the rows are deleted. For example, CPU
time, redo log space, and undo segment space from the table and any associated
indexes require resources. Also, as each row is deleted, triggers can be fired. The space

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Truncating Tables and Clusters

previously allocated to the resulting empty table or cluster remains associated with
that object. With DELETE you can choose which rows to delete, whereas TRUNCATE and
DROP affect the entire object.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
other information about the DELETE statement

Using DROP and CREATE
You can drop a table and then re-create the table. For example, the following
statements drop and then re-create the emp table:
DROP TABLE emp;
CREATE TABLE emp ( ... );

When dropping and re-creating a table or cluster, all associated indexes, integrity
constraints, and triggers are also dropped, and all objects that depend on the dropped
table or clustered table are invalidated. Also, all grants for the dropped table or
clustered table are dropped.

Using TRUNCATE
You can delete all rows of the table using the TRUNCATE statement. For example, the
following statement truncates the emp table:
TRUNCATE TABLE emp;

Using the TRUNCATE statement provides a fast, efficient method for deleting all rows
from a table or cluster. A TRUNCATE statement does not generate any undo information
and it commits immediately. It is a DDL statement and cannot be rolled back. A
TRUNCATE statement does not affect any structures associated with the table being
truncated (constraints and triggers) or authorizations. A TRUNCATE statement also
specifies whether space currently allocated for the table is returned to the containing
tablespace after truncation.
You can truncate any table or cluster in your own schema. Any user who has the DROP
ANY TABLE system privilege can truncate a table or cluster in any schema.
Before truncating a table or clustered table containing a parent key, all referencing
foreign keys in different tables must be disabled. A self-referential constraint does not
have to be disabled.
As a TRUNCATE statement deletes rows from a table, triggers associated with the table
are not fired. Also, a TRUNCATE statement does not generate any audit information
corresponding to DELETE statements if auditing is enabled. Instead, a single audit
record is generated for the TRUNCATE statement being issued.
A hash cluster cannot be truncated, nor can tables within a hash or index cluster be
individually truncated. Truncation of an index cluster deletes all rows from all tables
in the cluster. If all the rows must be deleted from an individual clustered table, use
the DELETE statement or drop and re-create the table.
The TRUNCATE statement has several options that control whether space currently
allocated for a table or cluster is returned to the containing tablespace after truncation.
These options also apply to any associated indexes. When a table or cluster is
truncated, all associated indexes are also truncated. The storage parameters for a
truncated table, cluster, or associated indexes are not changed as a result of the
truncation.
These TRUNCATE options are:
Managing Schema Objects 18-7

Enabling and Disabling Triggers

■

■

DROP STORAGE, the default option, reduces the number of extents allocated to the
resulting table to the original setting for MINEXTENTS. Freed extents are then
returned to the system and can be used by other objects.
DROP ALL STORAGE drops the segment. In addition to the TRUNCATE TABLE statement,
DROP ALL STORAGE also applies to the ALTER TABLE TRUNCATE (SUB)PARTITION
statement. This option also drops any dependent object segments associated with
the partition being truncated.
DROP ALL STORAGE is not supported for clusters.
TRUNCATE TABLE emp DROP ALL STORAGE;

■

REUSE STORAGE specifies that all space currently allocated for the table or cluster
remains allocated to it. For example, the following statement truncates the emp_
dept cluster, leaving all extents previously allocated for the cluster available for
subsequent inserts and deletes:
TRUNCATE CLUSTER emp_dept REUSE STORAGE;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and other
information about the TRUNCATE TABLE and TRUNCATE CLUSTER
statements
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about auditing

Enabling and Disabling Triggers
Database triggers are procedures that are stored in the database and activated ("fired")
when specific conditions occur, such as adding a row to a table. You can use triggers to
supplement the standard capabilities of the database to provide a highly customized
database management system. For example, you can create a trigger to restrict DML
operations against a table, allowing only statements issued during regular business
hours.
Database triggers can be associated with a table, schema, or database. They are
implicitly fired when:
■
■

■

DML statements are executed (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) against an associated table
Certain DDL statements are executed (for example: ALTER, CREATE, DROP) on objects
within a database or schema
A specified database event occurs (for example: STARTUP, SHUTDOWN, SERVERERROR)

This is not a complete list. See the Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a full list
of statements and database events that cause triggers to fire
Create triggers with the CREATE TRIGGER statement. They can be defined as firing
BEFORE or AFTER the triggering event, or INSTEAD OF it. The following statement creates
a trigger scott.emp_permit_changes on table scott.emp. The trigger fires before any
of the specified statements are executed.
CREATE TRIGGER scott.emp_permit_changes
BEFORE
DELETE OR INSERT OR UPDATE
ON scott.emp
.
.
.
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Enabling and Disabling Triggers

pl/sql block
.
.
.

You can later remove a trigger from the database by issuing the DROP TRIGGER
statement.
A trigger can be in either of two distinct modes:
■

Enabled
An enabled trigger executes its trigger body if a triggering statement is issued and
the trigger restriction, if any, evaluates to true. By default, triggers are enabled
when first created.

■

Disabled
A disabled trigger does not execute its trigger body, even if a triggering statement
is issued and the trigger restriction (if any) evaluates to true.

To enable or disable triggers using the ALTER TABLE statement, you must own the
table, have the ALTER object privilege for the table, or have the ALTER ANY TABLE
system privilege. To enable or disable an individual trigger using the ALTER TRIGGER
statement, you must own the trigger or have the ALTER ANY TRIGGER system privilege.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for a more detailed description of
triggers
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the CREATE
TRIGGER statement
Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for information
about creating and using triggers

Enabling Triggers
You enable a disabled trigger using the ALTER TRIGGER statement with the ENABLE
option. To enable the disabled trigger named reorder on the inventory table, enter the
following statement:
ALTER TRIGGER reorder ENABLE;

To enable all triggers defined for a specific table, use the ALTER TABLE statement with
the ENABLE ALL TRIGGERS option. To enable all triggers defined for the INVENTORY
table, enter the following statement:
ALTER TABLE inventory
ENABLE ALL TRIGGERS;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
other information about the ALTER TRIGGER statement

Disabling Triggers
Consider temporarily disabling a trigger if one of the following conditions is true:
■
■

An object that the trigger references is not available.
You must perform a large data load and want it to proceed quickly without firing
triggers.

Managing Schema Objects 18-9

Managing Integrity Constraints

■

You are loading data into the table to which the trigger applies.

You disable a trigger using the ALTER TRIGGER statement with the DISABLE option. To
disable the trigger reorder on the inventory table, enter the following statement:
ALTER TRIGGER reorder DISABLE;

You can disable all triggers associated with a table at the same time using the ALTER
TABLE statement with the DISABLE ALL TRIGGERS option. For example, to disable all
triggers defined for the inventory table, enter the following statement:
ALTER TABLE inventory
DISABLE ALL TRIGGERS;

Managing Integrity Constraints
Integrity constraints are rules that restrict the values for one or more columns in a
table. Constraint clauses can appear in either CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE
statements, and identify the column or columns affected by the constraint and identify
the conditions of the constraint.
This section discusses the concepts of constraints and identifies the SQL statements
used to define and manage integrity constraints. The following topics are contained in
this section:
■

Integrity Constraint States

■

Setting Integrity Constraints Upon Definition

■

Modifying, Renaming, or Dropping Existing Integrity Constraints

■

Deferring Constraint Checks

■

Reporting Constraint Exceptions

■

Viewing Constraint Information
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for a more thorough discussion of
integrity constraints
Oracle Database Development Guide for detailed information and
examples of using integrity constraints in applications

Integrity Constraint States
You can specify that a constraint is enabled (ENABLE) or disabled (DISABLE). If a
constraint is enabled, data is checked as it is entered or updated in the database, and
data that does not conform to the constraint is prevented from being entered. If a
constraint is disabled, then data that does not conform can be allowed to enter the
database.
Additionally, you can specify that existing data in the table must conform to the
constraint (VALIDATE). Conversely, if you specify NOVALIDATE, you are not ensured that
existing data conforms.
An integrity constraint defined on a table can be in one of the following states:
■

ENABLE, VALIDATE

■

ENABLE, NOVALIDATE

■

DISABLE, VALIDATE

18-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Integrity Constraints

■

DISABLE, NOVALIDATE

For details about the meaning of these states and an understanding of their
consequences, see the Oracle Database SQL Language Reference. Some of these
consequences are discussed here.

Disabling Constraints
To enforce the rules defined by integrity constraints, the constraints should always be
enabled. However, consider temporarily disabling the integrity constraints of a table
for the following performance reasons:
■
■

■

When loading large amounts of data into a table
When performing batch operations that make massive changes to a table (for
example, changing every employee's number by adding 1000 to the existing
number)
When importing or exporting one table at a time

In all three cases, temporarily disabling integrity constraints can improve the
performance of the operation, especially in data warehouse configurations.
It is possible to enter data that violates a constraint while that constraint is disabled.
Thus, you should always enable the constraint after completing any of the operations
listed in the preceding bullet list.

Enabling Constraints
While a constraint is enabled, no row violating the constraint can be inserted into the
table. However, while the constraint is disabled such a row can be inserted. This row is
known as an exception to the constraint. If the constraint is in the enable novalidated
state, violations resulting from data entered while the constraint was disabled remain.
The rows that violate the constraint must be either updated or deleted in order for the
constraint to be put in the validated state.
You can identify exceptions to a specific integrity constraint while attempting to enable
the constraint. See "Reporting Constraint Exceptions" on page 18-15. All rows violating
constraints are noted in an EXCEPTIONS table, which you can examine.

Enable Novalidate Constraint State
When a constraint is in the enable novalidate state, all subsequent statements are
checked for conformity to the constraint. However, any existing data in the table is not
checked. A table with enable novalidated constraints can contain invalid data, but it is
not possible to add new invalid data to it. Enabling constraints in the novalidated state
is most useful in data warehouse configurations that are uploading valid OLTP data.
Enabling a constraint does not require validation. Enabling a constraint novalidate is
much faster than enabling and validating a constraint. Also, validating a constraint
that is already enabled does not require any DML locks during validation (unlike
validating a previously disabled constraint). Enforcement guarantees that no
violations are introduced during the validation. Hence, enabling without validating
enables you to reduce the downtime typically associated with enabling a constraint.

Efficient Use of Integrity Constraints: A Procedure
Using integrity constraint states in the following order can ensure the best benefits:
1.

Disable state.

2.

Perform the operation (load, export, import).

Managing Schema Objects

18-11

Managing Integrity Constraints

3.

Enable novalidate state.

4.

Enable state.

Some benefits of using constraints in this order are:
■

No locks are held.

■

All constraints can go to enable state concurrently.

■

Constraint enabling is done in parallel.

■

Concurrent activity on table is permitted.

Setting Integrity Constraints Upon Definition
When an integrity constraint is defined in a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement, it
can be enabled, disabled, or validated or not validated as determined by your
specification of the ENABLE/DISABLE clause. If the ENABLE/DISABLE clause is not
specified in a constraint definition, the database automatically enables and validates
the constraint.

Disabling Constraints Upon Definition
The following CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE statements both define and disable
integrity constraints:
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY DISABLE,

. . . ;

ALTER TABLE emp
ADD PRIMARY KEY (empno) DISABLE;

An ALTER TABLE statement that defines and disables an integrity constraint never fails
because of rows in the table that violate the integrity constraint. The definition of the
constraint is allowed because its rule is not enforced.

Enabling Constraints Upon Definition
The following CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE statements both define and enable
integrity constraints:
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno NUMBER(5) CONSTRAINT emp.pk PRIMARY KEY,

. . . ;

ALTER TABLE emp
ADD CONSTRAINT emp.pk PRIMARY KEY (empno);

An ALTER TABLE statement that defines and attempts to enable an integrity constraint
can fail because rows of the table violate the integrity constraint. If this case, the
statement is rolled back and the constraint definition is not stored and not enabled.
When you enable a UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY constraint an associated index is created.
An efficient procedure for enabling a constraint that can
make use of parallelism is described in "Efficient Use of Integrity
Constraints: A Procedure" on page 18-11.

Note:

See Also: "Creating an Index Associated with a Constraint" on
page 21-11

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Modifying, Renaming, or Dropping Existing Integrity Constraints
You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to enable, disable, modify, or drop a constraint.
When the database is using a UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY index to enforce a constraint, and
constraints associated with that index are dropped or disabled, the index is dropped,
unless you specify otherwise.
While enabled foreign keys reference a PRIMARY or UNIQUE key, you cannot disable or
drop the PRIMARY or UNIQUE key constraint or the index.

Disabling Enabled Constraints
The following statements disable integrity constraints. The second statement specifies
that the associated indexes are to be kept.
ALTER TABLE dept
DISABLE CONSTRAINT dname_ukey;
ALTER TABLE dept
DISABLE PRIMARY KEY KEEP INDEX,
DISABLE UNIQUE (dname, loc) KEEP INDEX;

The following statements enable novalidate disabled integrity constraints:
ALTER TABLE dept
ENABLE NOVALIDATE CONSTRAINT dname_ukey;
ALTER TABLE dept
ENABLE NOVALIDATE PRIMARY KEY,
ENABLE NOVALIDATE UNIQUE (dname, loc);

The following statements enable or validate disabled integrity constraints:
ALTER TABLE dept
MODIFY CONSTRAINT dname_key VALIDATE;
ALTER TABLE dept
MODIFY PRIMARY KEY ENABLE NOVALIDATE;

The following statements enable disabled integrity constraints:
ALTER TABLE dept
ENABLE CONSTRAINT dname_ukey;
ALTER TABLE dept
ENABLE PRIMARY KEY,
ENABLE UNIQUE (dname, loc);

To disable or drop a UNIQUE key or PRIMARY KEY constraint and all dependent FOREIGN
KEY constraints in a single step, use the CASCADE option of the DISABLE or DROP clauses.
For example, the following statement disables a PRIMARY KEY constraint and any
FOREIGN KEY constraints that depend on it:
ALTER TABLE dept
DISABLE PRIMARY KEY CASCADE;

Renaming Constraints
The ALTER TABLE...RENAME CONSTRAINT statement enables you to rename any
currently existing constraint for a table. The new constraint name must not conflict
with any existing constraint names for a user.

Managing Schema Objects

18-13

Managing Integrity Constraints

The following statement renames the dname_ukey constraint for table dept:
ALTER TABLE dept
RENAME CONSTRAINT dname_ukey TO dname_unikey;

When you rename a constraint, all dependencies on the base table remain valid.
The RENAME CONSTRAINT clause provides a means of renaming system generated
constraint names.

Dropping Constraints
You can drop an integrity constraint if the rule that it enforces is no longer true, or if
the constraint is no longer needed. You can drop the constraint using the ALTER TABLE
statement with one of the following clauses:
■

DROP PRIMARY KEY

■

DROP UNIQUE

■

DROP CONSTRAINT

The following two statements drop integrity constraints. The second statement keeps
the index associated with the PRIMARY KEY constraint:
ALTER TABLE dept
DROP UNIQUE (dname, loc);
ALTER TABLE emp
DROP PRIMARY KEY KEEP INDEX,
DROP CONSTRAINT dept_fkey;

If FOREIGN KEYs reference a UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY, you must include the CASCADE
CONSTRAINTS clause in the DROP statement, or you cannot drop the constraint.

Deferring Constraint Checks
When the database checks a constraint, it signals an error if the constraint is not
satisfied. You can defer checking the validity of constraints until the end of a
transaction.
When you issue the SET CONSTRAINTS statement, the SET CONSTRAINTS mode lasts for
the duration of the transaction, or until another SET CONSTRAINTS statement resets the
mode.
Notes:
■
■

You cannot issue a SET CONSTRAINT statement inside a trigger.
Deferrable unique and primary keys must use nonunique
indexes.

Set All Constraints Deferred
Within the application being used to manipulate the data, you must set all constraints
deferred before you actually begin processing any data. Use the following DML
statement to set all deferrable constraints deferred:
SET CONSTRAINTS ALL DEFERRED;

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Managing Integrity Constraints

The SET CONSTRAINTS statement applies only to the current
transaction. The defaults specified when you create a constraint
remain as long as the constraint exists. The ALTER SESSION SET
CONSTRAINTS statement applies for the current session only.

Note:

Check the Commit (Optional)
You can check for constraint violations before committing by issuing the SET
CONSTRAINTS ALL IMMEDIATE statement just before issuing the COMMIT. If there are any
problems with a constraint, this statement fails and the constraint causing the error is
identified. If you commit while constraints are violated, the transaction is rolled back
and you receive an error message.

Reporting Constraint Exceptions
If exceptions exist when a constraint is validated, an error is returned and the integrity
constraint remains novalidated. When a statement is not successfully executed because
integrity constraint exceptions exist, the statement is rolled back. If exceptions exist,
you cannot validate the constraint until all exceptions to the constraint are either
updated or deleted.
To determine which rows violate the integrity constraint, issue the ALTER TABLE
statement with the EXCEPTIONS option in the ENABLE clause. The EXCEPTIONS option
places the rowid, table owner, table name, and constraint name of all exception rows
into a specified table.
You must create an appropriate exceptions report table to accept information from the
EXCEPTIONS option of the ENABLE clause before enabling the constraint. You can create
an exception table by executing the UTLEXCPT.SQL script or the UTLEXPT1.SQL script.
Note: Your choice of script to execute for creating the EXCEPTIONS
table depends on the type of table you are analyzing. See the Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference for more information.

Both of these scripts create a table named EXCEPTIONS. You can create additional
exceptions tables with different names by modifying and resubmitting the script.
The following statement attempts to validate the PRIMARY KEY of the dept table, and if
exceptions exist, information is inserted into a table named EXCEPTIONS:
ALTER TABLE dept ENABLE PRIMARY KEY EXCEPTIONS INTO EXCEPTIONS;

If duplicate primary key values exist in the dept table and the name of the PRIMARY
KEY constraint on dept is sys_c00610, then the following query will display those
exceptions:
SELECT * FROM EXCEPTIONS;

The following exceptions are shown:
fROWID
-----------------AAAAZ9AABAAABvqAAB
AAAAZ9AABAAABvqAAG

OWNER
--------SCOTT
SCOTT

TABLE_NAME
-------------DEPT
DEPT

CONSTRAINT
----------SYS_C00610
SYS_C00610

Managing Schema Objects

18-15

Managing Integrity Constraints

A more informative query would be to join the rows in an exception report table and
the master table to list the actual rows that violate a specific constraint, as shown in the
following statement and results:
SELECT deptno, dname, loc FROM dept, EXCEPTIONS
WHERE EXCEPTIONS.constraint = 'SYS_C00610'
AND dept.rowid = EXCEPTIONS.row_id;
DEPTNO
---------10
10

DNAME
-------------ACCOUNTING
RESEARCH

LOC
----------NEW YORK
DALLAS

All rows that violate a constraint must be either updated or deleted from the table
containing the constraint. When updating exceptions, you must change the value
violating the constraint to a value consistent with the constraint or to a null. After the
row in the master table is updated or deleted, the corresponding rows for the
exception in the exception report table should be deleted to avoid confusion with later
exception reports. The statements that update the master table and the exception
report table should be in the same transaction to ensure transaction consistency.
To correct the exceptions in the previous examples, you might issue the following
transaction:
UPDATE dept SET deptno = 20 WHERE dname = 'RESEARCH';
DELETE FROM EXCEPTIONS WHERE constraint = 'SYS_C00610';
COMMIT;

When managing exceptions, the goal is to eliminate all exceptions in your exception
report table.
While you are correcting current exceptions for a table with
the constraint disabled, it is possible for other users to issue
statements creating new exceptions. You can avoid this by marking
the constraint ENABLE NOVALIDATE before you start eliminating
exceptions.
Note:

Oracle Database Reference for a description of the
EXCEPTIONS table
See Also:

Viewing Constraint Information
Oracle Database provides the following views that enable you to see constraint
definitions on tables and to identify columns that are specified in constraints:
View

Description

DBA_CONSTRAINTS

DBA view describes all constraint definitions in the database. ALL
view describes constraint definitions accessible to current user.
USER view describes constraint definitions owned by the current
user.

ALL_CONSTRAINTS
USER_CONSTRAINTS
DBA_CONS_COLUMNS
ALL_CONS_COLUMNS
USER_CONS_COLUMNS

18-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

DBA view describes all columns in the database that are specified
in constraints. ALL view describes only those columns accessible
to current user that are specified in constraints. USER view
describes only those columns owned by the current user that are
specified in constraints.

Managing Object Dependencies

Oracle Database Reference contains descriptions of the
columns in these views

See Also:

Renaming Schema Objects
To rename an object, it must be in your schema. You can rename schema objects in
either of the following ways:
■

Drop and re-create the object

■

Rename the object using the RENAME statement

■

Rename the object using the ALTER ... RENAME statement (for indexes and triggers)

If you drop and re-create an object, all privileges granted for that object are lost.
Privileges must be regranted when the object is re-created.
A table, view, sequence, or a private synonym of a table, view, or sequence can be
renamed using the RENAME statement. When using the RENAME statement, integrity
constraints, indexes, and grants made for the object are carried forward for the new
name. For example, the following statement renames the sales_staff view:
RENAME sales_staff TO dept_30;

You cannot use RENAME for a stored PL/SQL program unit,
public synonym, or cluster. To rename such an object, you must
drop and re-create it.

Note:

Before renaming a schema object, consider the following effects:
■

■

All views and PL/SQL program units dependent on a renamed object become
invalid, and must be recompiled before next use.
All synonyms for a renamed object return an error when used.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
RENAME statement
See Also:

Managing Object Dependencies
This section provides background information about object dependencies and object
invalidation, and explains how invalid objects can be revalidated. The following topics
are included:
■

About Object Dependencies and Object Invalidation

■

Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with DDL

■

Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with PL/SQL Package Procedures

About Object Dependencies and Object Invalidation
Some types of schema objects reference other objects. For example, a view contains a
query that references tables or other views, and a PL/SQL subprogram might invoke
other subprograms and might use static SQL to reference tables or views. An object
that references another object is called a dependent object, and an object being
referenced is a referenced object. These references are established at compile time, and
if the compiler cannot resolve them, the dependent object being compiled is marked
invalid.

Managing Schema Objects

18-17

Managing Object Dependencies

Oracle Database provides an automatic mechanism to ensure that a dependent object
is always up to date with respect to its referenced objects. When a dependent object is
created, the database tracks dependencies between the dependent object and its
referenced objects. When a referenced object is changed in a way that might affect a
dependent object, the dependent object is marked invalid. An invalid dependent object
must be recompiled against the new definition of a referenced object before the
dependent object can be used. Recompilation occurs automatically when the invalid
dependent object is referenced.
It is important to be aware of changes that can invalidate schema objects, because
invalidation affects applications running on the database. This section describes how
objects become invalid, how you can identify invalid objects, and how you can
validate invalid objects.
Object Invalidation
In a typical running application, you would not expect to see views or stored
procedures become invalid, because applications typically do not change table
structures or change view or stored procedure definitions during normal execution.
Changes to tables, views, or PL/SQL units typically occur when an application is
patched or upgraded using a patch script or ad-hoc DDL statements. Dependent
objects might be left invalid after a patch has been applied to change a set of
referenced objects.
Use the following query to display the set of invalid objects in the database:
SELECT object_name, object_type FROM dba_objects
WHERE status = 'INVALID';

The Database Home page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control displays an
alert when schema objects become invalid.
Object invalidation affects applications in two ways. First, an invalid object must be
revalidated before it can be used by an application. Revalidation adds latency to
application execution. If the number of invalid objects is large, the added latency on
the first execution can be significant. Second, invalidation of a procedure, function or
package can cause exceptions in other sessions concurrently executing the procedure,
function or package. If a patch is applied when the application is in use in a different
session, the session executing the application notices that an object in use has been
invalidated and raises one of the following 4 exceptions: ORA-04061, ORA-04064,
ORA-04065 or ORA-04068. These exceptions must be remedied by restarting
application sessions following a patch.
You can force the database to recompile a schema object using the appropriate SQL
statement with the COMPILE clause. See "Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with
DDL" on page 18-19 for more information.
If you know that there are a large number of invalid objects, use the UTL_RECOMP
PL/SQL package to perform a mass recompilation. See "Manually Recompiling
Invalid Objects with PL/SQL Package Procedures" on page 18-19 for details.
The following are some general rules for the invalidation of schema objects:
■

Between a referenced object and each of its dependent objects, the database tracks
the elements of the referenced object that are involved in the dependency. For
example, if a single-table view selects only a subset of columns in a table, only
those columns are involved in the dependency. For each dependent of an object, if
a change is made to the definition of any element involved in the dependency
(including dropping the element), the dependent object is invalidated. Conversely,

18-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Object Dependencies

if changes are made only to definitions of elements that are not involved in the
dependency, the dependent object remains valid.
In many cases, therefore, developers can avoid invalidation of dependent objects
and unnecessary extra work for the database if they exercise care when changing
schema objects.
■

■

Dependent objects are cascade invalidated. If any object becomes invalid for any
reason, all of that object's dependent objects are immediately invalidated.
If you revoke any object privileges on a schema object, dependent objects are
cascade invalidated.
Oracle Database Concepts for more detailed information
about schema object dependencies

See Also:

Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with DDL
You can use an ALTER statement to manually recompile a single schema object. For
example, to recompile package body Pkg1, you would execute the following DDL
statement:
ALTER PACKAGE pkg1 COMPILE REUSE SETTINGS;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
other information about the various ALTER statements

Manually Recompiling Invalid Objects with PL/SQL Package Procedures
Following an application upgrade or patch, it is good practice to revalidate invalid
objects to avoid application latencies that result from on-demand object revalidation.
Oracle provides the UTL_RECOMP package to assist in object revalidation. The RECOMP_
SERIAL procedure recompiles all invalid objects in a specified schema, or all invalid
objects in the database if you do not supply the schema name argument. The RECOMP_
PARALLEL procedure does the same, but in parallel, employing multiple CPUs.
Examples
Execute the following PL/SQL block to revalidate all invalid objects in the database, in
parallel and in dependency order:
begin
utl_recomp.recomp_parallel();
end;
/

You can also revalidate individual invalid objects using the package DBMS_UTILITY.
The following PL/SQL block revalidates the procedure UPDATE_SALARY in schema HR:
begin
dbms_utility.validate('HR', 'UPDATE_SALARY', namespace=>1);
end;
/

The following PL/SQL block revalidates the package body HR.ACCT_MGMT:
begin
dbms_utility.validate('HR', 'ACCT_MGMT', namespace=>2);
end;
/

Managing Schema Objects

18-19

Managing Object Name Resolution

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the UTL_RECOMP and DBMS_UTILITY packages.

Managing Object Name Resolution
Object names referenced in SQL statements can consist of several pieces, separated by
periods. The following describes how the database resolves an object name.
1.

Oracle Database attempts to qualify the first piece of the name referenced in the
SQL statement. For example, in scott.emp, scott is the first piece. If there is only
one piece, the one piece is considered the first piece.
a.

In the current schema, the database searches for an object whose name
matches the first piece of the object name. If it does not find such an object, it
continues with step b.

b.

The database searches for a public synonym that matches the first piece of the
name. If it does not find one, it continues with step c.

c.

The database searches for a schema whose name matches the first piece of the
object name. If it finds one, then the schema is the qualified schema, and it
continues with step d.
If no schema is found in step c, the object cannot be qualified and the database
returns an error.

d.

In the qualified schema, the database searches for an object whose name
matches the second piece of the object name.
If the second piece does not correspond to an object in the previously qualified
schema or there is not a second piece, then the database returns an error.

2.

A schema object has been qualified. Any remaining pieces of the name must match
a valid part of the found object. For example, if scott.emp.deptno is the name,
scott is qualified as a schema, emp is qualified as a table, and deptno must
correspond to a column (because emp is a table). If emp is qualified as a package,
deptno must correspond to a public constant, variable, procedure, or function of
that package.

When global object names are used in a distributed database, either explicitly or
indirectly within a synonym, the local database resolves the reference locally. For
example, it resolves a synonym to global object name of a remote table. The partially
resolved statement is shipped to the remote database, and the remote database
completes the resolution of the object as described here.
Because of how the database resolves references, it is possible for an object to depend
on the nonexistence of other objects. This situation occurs when the dependent object
uses a reference that would be interpreted differently were another object present. For
example, assume the following:
■
■

At the current point in time, the company schema contains a table named emp.
A PUBLIC synonym named emp is created for company.emp and the SELECT privilege
for company.emp is granted to the PUBLIC role.

■

The jward schema does not contain a table or private synonym named emp.

■

The user jward creates a view in his schema with the following statement:
CREATE VIEW dept_salaries AS
SELECT deptno, MIN(sal), AVG(sal), MAX(sal) FROM emp
GROUP BY deptno
ORDER BY deptno;

18-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Switching to a Different Schema

When jward creates the dept_salaries view, the reference to emp is resolved by first
looking for jward.emp as a table, view, or private synonym, none of which is found,
and then as a public synonym named emp, which is found. As a result, the database
notes that jward.dept_salaries depends on the nonexistence of jward.emp and on the
existence of public.emp.
Now assume that jward decides to create a new view named emp in his schema using
the following statement:
CREATE VIEW emp AS
SELECT empno, ename, mgr, deptno
FROM company.emp;

Notice that jward.emp does not have the same structure as company.emp.
As it attempts to resolve references in object definitions, the database internally makes
note of dependencies that the new dependent object has on "nonexistent"
objects--schema objects that, if they existed, would change the interpretation of the
object's definition. Such dependencies must be noted in case a nonexistent object is
later created. If a nonexistent object is created, all dependent objects must be
invalidated so that dependent objects can be recompiled and verified and all
dependent function-based indexes must be marked unusable.
Therefore, in the previous example, as jward.emp is created, jward.dept_salaries is
invalidated because it depends on jward.emp. Then when jward.dept_salaries is
used, the database attempts to recompile the view. As the database resolves the
reference to emp, it finds jward.emp (public.emp is no longer the referenced object).
Because jward.emp does not have a sal column, the database finds errors when
replacing the view, leaving it invalid.
In summary, you must manage dependencies on nonexistent objects checked during
object resolution in case the nonexistent object is later created.
See Also: "Schema Objects and Database Links" on page 31-14 for
information about name resolution in a distributed database

Switching to a Different Schema
The following statement sets the schema of the current session to the schema name
specified in the statement.
ALTER SESSION SET CURRENT_SCHEMA = 

In subsequent SQL statements, Oracle Database uses this schema name as the schema
qualifier when the qualifier is omitted. In addition, the database uses the temporary
tablespace of the specified schema for sorts, joins, and storage of temporary database
objects. The session retains its original privileges and does not acquire any extra
privileges by the preceding ALTER SESSION statement.
In the following example, provide the password when prompted:
CONNECT scott
ALTER SESSION SET CURRENT_SCHEMA = joe;
SELECT * FROM emp;

Because emp is not schema-qualified, the table name is resolved under schema joe. But
if scott does not have select privilege on table joe.emp, then scott cannot execute the
SELECT statement.

Managing Schema Objects

18-21

Managing Editions

Managing Editions
Application developers who are upgrading their applications using edition-based
redefinition may ask you to perform edition-related tasks that require DBA privileges.
In this section:
■

About Editions and Edition-Based Redefinition

■

DBA Tasks for Edition-Based Redefinition

■

Setting the Database Default Edition

■

Querying the Database Default Edition

■

Setting the Edition Attribute of a Database Service

■

Using an Edition

■

Editions Data Dictionary Views

About Editions and Edition-Based Redefinition
Edition-based redefinition enables you to upgrade an application's database objects
while the application is in use, thus minimizing or eliminating down time. This is
accomplished by changing (redefining) database objects in a private environment
known as an edition. Only when all changes have been made and tested do you make
the new version of the application available to users.
See Also: Oracle Database Development Guide for a complete
discussion of edition-based redefinition

DBA Tasks for Edition-Based Redefinition
Table 18–1 summarizes the edition-related tasks that require privileges typically
granted only to DBAs. Any user that is granted the DBA role can perform these tasks.
Table 18–1

DBA Tasks for Edition-Based Redefinition

Task

See

Grant or revoke privileges to create, alter, and
drop editions

The CREATE EDITION and DROP EDITION
commands in Oracle Database SQL
Language Reference

Enable editions for a schema

Oracle Database Development Guide

Set the database default edition

"Setting the Database Default Edition" on
page 18-22

Set the edition attribute of a database service

"Setting the Edition Attribute of a Database
Service" on page 18-23

Setting the Database Default Edition
There is always a default edition for the database. This is the edition that a database
session initially uses if it does not explicitly indicate an edition when connecting.
To set the database default edition:
1.

Connect to the database as a user with the ALTER DATABASE privilege and USE
privilege WITH GRANT OPTION on the edition.

2.

Enter the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE DEFAULT EDITION = edition_name;

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Managing Editions

See Also:

"Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7

Querying the Database Default Edition
The database default edition is stored as a database property.
To query the database default edition:
1.

Connect to the database as any user.

2.

Enter the following statement:
SELECT PROPERTY_VALUE FROM DATABASE_PROPERTIES WHERE
PROPERTY_NAME = 'DEFAULT_EDITION';
PROPERTY_VALUE
-----------------------------ORA$BASE

The property name DEFAULT_EDITION is case sensitive and
must be supplied as upper case.

Note:

Setting the Edition Attribute of a Database Service
You can set the edition attribute of a database service when you create the service, or
you can modify an existing database service to set its edition attribute. When you set
the edition attribute of a service, all subsequent connections that specify the service,
such as client connections and DBMS_SCHEDULER jobs, use this edition as the initial
session edition. However, if a session connection specifies a different edition, then the
edition specified in the session connection is used for the session edition. To check the
edition attribute of a database service, query the EDITION column in the ALL_SERVICES
view or the DBA_SERVICES view.
The number of database services for an instance has an upper
limit. See Oracle Database Reference for more information about this
limit.

Note:

Setting the Edition Attribute During Database Service Creation
Follow the instructions in "Creating Database Services" on page 2-43 and use the
appropriate option for setting the edition attribute for the database service:
■

If your single-instance database is being managed by Oracle Restart, use the
SRVCTL utility to create the database service and specify the -edition option to set
its edition attribute.
For the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, this example creates a new
database service named crmbatch and sets the edition attribute of the database
service to e2:
srvctl add service -db dbcrm -service crmbatch -edition e2

■

If your single-instance database is not being managed by Oracle Restart, use the
DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE procedure, and specify the edition parameter to
set the edition attribute of the database service.

Managing Schema Objects

18-23

Managing Editions

Setting the Edition Attribute of an Existing Database Service
You can use the SRVCTL utility or the DBMS_SERVICE package to set the edition attribute
of an existing database service.
To set the edition attribute of an existing database service:
1.

Stop the database service.

2.

Set the edition attribute of the database service using the appropriate option:
■

If your single-instance database is being managed by Oracle Restart, use the
SRVCTL utility to modify the database service and specify the -edition option
to set its edition attribute.
For the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of dbcrm, this example modifies a
database service named crmbatch and sets the edition attribute of the service
to e3:
srvctl modify service -db dbcrm -service crmbatch -edition e3

■

3.

If your single-instance database is not being managed by Oracle Restart, use
the DBMS_SERVICE.MODIFY_SERVICE procedure, and specify the edition
parameter to set the edition attribute of the database service. Ensure that the
modify_edition parameter is set to TRUE when you run the MODIFY_SERVICE
procedure.

Start the database service.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database"
for information managing database services using Oracle Restart
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about managing database services using the DBMS_
SERVICE package

Using an Edition
To view or modify objects in a particular edition, you must use the edition first. You
can specify an edition to use when you connect to the database. If you do not specify
an edition, then your session starts in the database default edition. To use a different
edition, submit the following statement:
ALTER SESSION SET EDITION=edition_name;

The following statements first set the current edition to e2 and then to ora$base:
ALTER SESSION SET EDITION=e2;
...
ALTER SESSION SET EDITION=ora$base;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Development Guide for more information about
using editions, and for instructions for determining the current
edition
"Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7

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Displaying Information About Schema Objects

Editions Data Dictionary Views
There are several data dictionary views that aid with managing editions. The
following table lists three of them. For a complete list, see Oracle Database Development
Guide.
View

Description

*_EDITIONS

Lists all editions in the database. (Note: USER_EDITIONS does not exist.)

*_OBJECTS

Describes every object in the database that is visible (actual or inherited) in the
current edition.

*_OBJECTS_AE

Describes every actual object in the database, across all editions.

Displaying Information About Schema Objects
Oracle Database provides a PL/SQL package that enables you to determine the DDL
that created an object and data dictionary views that you can use to display
information about schema objects. Packages and views that are unique to specific
types of schema objects are described in the associated chapters. This section describes
views and packages that are generic in nature and apply to multiple schema objects.

Using a PL/SQL Package to Display Information About Schema Objects
The Oracle-supplied PL/SQL package procedure DBMS_METADATA.GET_DDL lets you
obtain metadata (in the form of DDL used to create the object) about a schema object.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
a description of the DBMS_METADATA package

Example: Using the DBMS_METADATA Package
The DBMS_METADATA package is a powerful tool for obtaining the complete definition of
a schema object. It enables you to obtain all of the attributes of an object in one pass.
The object is described as DDL that can be used to (re)create it.
In the following statements the GET_DDL function is used to fetch the DDL for all tables
in the current schema, filtering out nested tables and overflow segments. The SET_
TRANSFORM_PARAM (with the handle value equal to DBMS_METADATA.SESSION_TRANSFORM
meaning "for the current session") is used to specify that storage clauses are not to be
returned in the SQL DDL. Afterwards, the session-level transform parameters are reset
to their defaults. Once set, transform parameter values remain in effect until
specifically reset to their defaults.
EXECUTE DBMS_METADATA.SET_TRANSFORM_PARAM(
DBMS_METADATA.SESSION_TRANSFORM,'STORAGE',false);
SELECT DBMS_METADATA.GET_DDL('TABLE',u.table_name)
FROM USER_ALL_TABLES u
WHERE u.nested='NO'
AND (u.iot_type is null or u.iot_type='IOT');
EXECUTE DBMS_METADATA.SET_TRANSFORM_PARAM(
DBMS_METADATA.SESSION_TRANSFORM,'DEFAULT');

The output from DBMS_METADATA.GET_DDL is a LONG data type. When using SQL*Plus,
your output may be truncated by default. Issue the following SQL*Plus command
before issuing the DBMS_METADATA.GET_DDL statement to ensure that your output is not
truncated:
SQL> SET LONG 9999

Managing Schema Objects

18-25

Displaying Information About Schema Objects

Schema Objects Data Dictionary Views
These views display general information about schema objects:
View

Description

DBA_OBJECTS

DBA view describes all schema objects in the database. ALL view
describes objects accessible to current user. USER view describes
objects owned by the current user.

ALL_OBJECTS
USER_OBJECTS
DBA_CATALOG
ALL_CATALOG

List the name, type, and owner (USER view does not display
owner) for all tables, views, synonyms, and sequences in the
database.

USER_CATALOG
DBA_DEPENDENCIES
ALL_DEPENDENCIES

List all dependencies between procedures, packages, functions,
package bodies, and triggers, including dependencies on views
without any database links.

USER_DEPENDENCIES

Oracle Database Reference for a complete description of
data dictionary views

See Also:

The following are examples of using some of these views:
■

Example 1: Displaying Schema Objects By Type

■

Example 2: Displaying Dependencies of Views and Synonyms

Example 1: Displaying Schema Objects By Type
The following query lists all of the objects owned by the user issuing the query:
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, OBJECT_TYPE
FROM USER_OBJECTS;

The following is the query output:
OBJECT_NAME
------------------------EMP_DEPT
EMP
DEPT
EMP_DEPT_INDEX
PUBLIC_EMP
EMP_MGR

OBJECT_TYPE
------------------CLUSTER
TABLE
TABLE
INDEX
SYNONYM
VIEW

Example 2: Displaying Dependencies of Views and Synonyms
When you create a view or a synonym, the view or synonym is based on its
underlying base object. The ALL_DEPENDENCIES, USER_DEPENDENCIES, and DBA_
DEPENDENCIES data dictionary views can be used to reveal the dependencies for a view.
The ALL_SYNONYMS, USER_SYNONYMS, and DBA_SYNONYMS data dictionary views can be
used to list the base object of a synonym. For example, the following query lists the
base objects for the synonyms created by user jward:
SELECT TABLE_OWNER, TABLE_NAME, SYNONYM_NAME
FROM DBA_SYNONYMS
WHERE OWNER = 'JWARD';

The following is the query output:

18-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Displaying Information About Schema Objects

TABLE_OWNER
---------------------SCOTT
SCOTT

TABLE_NAME
----------DEPT
EMP

SYNONYM_NAME
----------------DEPT
EMP

Managing Schema Objects

18-27

Displaying Information About Schema Objects

18-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

19
19

Managing Space for Schema Objects

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Managing Tablespace Alerts

■

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

■

Reclaiming Unused Space

■

Dropping Unused Object Storage

■

Understanding Space Usage of Data Types

■

Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects

■

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

Managing Tablespace Alerts
Oracle Database provides proactive help in managing disk space for tablespaces by
alerting you when available space is running low. Two alert thresholds are defined by
default: warning and critical. The warning threshold is the limit at which space is
beginning to run low. The critical threshold is a serious limit that warrants your
immediate attention. The database issues alerts at both thresholds.
There are two ways to specify alert thresholds for both locally managed and dictionary
managed tablespaces:
■

By percent full
For both warning and critical thresholds, when space used becomes greater than
or equal to a percent of total space, an alert is issued.

■

By free space remaining (in kilobytes (KB))
For both warning and critical thresholds, when remaining space falls below an
amount in KB, an alert is issued. Free-space-remaining thresholds are more useful
for very large tablespaces.

Alerts for locally managed tablespaces are server-generated. For dictionary managed
tablespaces, Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control) provides this
functionality. See "Monitoring a Database with Server-Generated Alerts" on page 8-4
for more information.
New tablespaces are assigned alert thresholds as follows:
■

Locally managed tablespace—When you create a new locally managed
tablespace, it is assigned the default threshold values defined for the database. A
newly created database has a default of 85% full for the warning threshold and
97% full for the critical threshold. Defaults for free space remaining thresholds for
Managing Space for Schema Objects 19-1

Managing Tablespace Alerts

a new database are both zero (disabled). You can change these database defaults,
as described later in this section.
■

Dictionary managed tablespace—When you create a new dictionary managed
tablespace, it is assigned the threshold values that Cloud Control lists for "All
others" in the metrics categories "Tablespace Free Space (MB) (dictionary
managed)" and "Tablespace Space Used (%) (dictionary managed)." You change
these values on the Metric and Policy Settings page.
In a database that is upgraded from Oracle 9i or earlier to
Oracle Database 10g or later, database defaults for all locally managed
tablespace alert thresholds are set to zero. This setting effectively
disables the alert mechanism to avoid excessive alerts in a newly
migrated database.

Note:

Setting Alert Thresholds
For each tablespace, you can set just percent-full thresholds, just free-space-remaining
thresholds, or both types of thresholds simultaneously. Setting either type of threshold
to zero disables it.
The ideal setting for the warning threshold is one that issues an alert early enough for
you to resolve the problem before it becomes critical. The critical threshold should be
one that issues an alert still early enough so that you can take immediate action to
avoid loss of service.
To set alert threshold values for locally managed tablespaces:
■

Do one of the following:
–

Use the Tablespaces page of Cloud Control.
See the Cloud Control online help for information about changing the space
usage alert thresholds for a tablespace.

–

Use the DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD package procedure.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details.

To set alert threshold values for dictionary managed tablespaces:
■

Use the Tablespaces page of Cloud Control.
See the Cloud Control online help for information about changing the space usage
alert thresholds for a tablespace.

Example - Setting an Alert Threshold with Cloud Control
You receive an alert in Cloud Control when a space usage threshold for a tablespace is
reached. There are two types of space usage alerts that you can enable: warning, for
when tablespace space is somewhat low, and critical, for when the tablespace is almost
completely full and action must be taken immediately.
For both warning and critical alerts, you can specify alert thresholds in the following
ways:
■

By space used (%)
When space used becomes greater than or equal to a percentage of total space, an
alert is issued.

■

By free space (MB)

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Managing Tablespace Alerts

When remaining space falls below an amount (in MB), an alert is issued.
Free-space thresholds are more useful for large tablespaces. For example, for a 10
TB tablespace, setting the percentage full critical alert to as high as 99 percent
means that the database would issue an alert when there is still 100 GB of free
space remaining. Usually, 100 GB remaining would not be a critical situation, and
the alert would not be useful. For this tablespace, it might be better to use a
free-space threshold, which you could set to issue a critical alert when 5 GB of free
space remains.
For both warning and critical alerts for a tablespace, you can enable either the space
used threshold or the free-space threshold, or you can enable both thresholds.
To change space usage alert thresholds for tablespaces:
1.

Go to the Database Home page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Storage, then Tablespaces.
The Tablespaces page appears.

3.

Select the tablespace whose threshold you want to change, and then click Edit.
The Edit Tablespace page appears, showing the General subpage.

4.

Click the Thresholds tab at the top of the page to display the Thresholds subpage.

5.

In the Space Used (%) section, do one of the following:
■
■

■

6.

Select Specify Thresholds, and then enter a Warning (%) threshold and a
Critical (%) threshold.
Select Disable Thresholds to disable the percentage full thresholds.

In the Free Space (MB) section, do one of the following:
■
■

■

7.

Accept the default thresholds.

Accept the default thresholds.
Select Specify Thresholds, and then enter a Warning (MB) threshold and a
Critical (MB) threshold.
Select Disable Thresholds to disable the threshold for free space remaining.

Click Apply.
A confirmation message appears.

Example—Setting an Alert Threshold Value with a Package Procedure
The following example sets the free-space-remaining thresholds in the USERS
tablespace to 10 MB (warning) and 2 MB (critical), and disables the percent-full
thresholds. The USERS tablespace is a locally managed tablespace.
BEGIN
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD(
metrics_id
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.TABLESPACE_BYT_FREE,
warning_operator
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_LE,
warning_value
=> '10240',
critical_operator
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_LE,
critical_value
=> '2048',
observation_period
=> 1,
consecutive_occurrences => 1,
instance_name
=> NULL,
object_type
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OBJECT_TYPE_TABLESPACE,
object_name
=> 'USERS');

Managing Space for Schema Objects 19-3

Managing Tablespace Alerts

DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD(
metrics_id
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.TABLESPACE_PCT_FULL,
warning_operator
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GT,
warning_value
=> '0',
critical_operator
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GT,
critical_value
=> '0',
observation_period
=> 1,
consecutive_occurrences => 1,
instance_name
=> NULL,
object_type
=> DBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OBJECT_TYPE_TABLESPACE,
object_name
=> 'USERS');
END;
/

When setting nonzero values for percent-full thresholds, use
the greater-than-or-equal-to operator, OPERATOR_GE.

Note:

Restoring a Tablespace to Database Default Thresholds
After explicitly setting values for locally managed tablespace alert thresholds, you can
cause the values to revert to the database defaults by setting them to NULL with DBMS_
SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD.
Modifying Database Default Thresholds
To modify database default thresholds for locally managed tablespaces, invoke DBMS_
SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLD as shown in the previous example, but set object_name
to NULL. All tablespaces that use the database default are then switched to the new
default.

Viewing Alerts
You view alerts by accessing a Database Home page in Cloud Control and viewing the
Incidents and Problems section.

You can also view alerts for locally managed tablespaces with the DBA_OUTSTANDING_
ALERTS view. See "Server-Generated Alerts Data Dictionary Views" on page 8-7 for
more information.

Limitations
Threshold-based alerts have the following limitations:

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Managing Resumable Space Allocation

■

■

Alerts are not issued for locally managed tablespaces that are offline or in
read-only mode. However, the database reactivates the alert system for such
tablespaces after they become read/write or available.
When you take a tablespace offline or put it in read-only mode, you should disable
the alerts for the tablespace by setting the thresholds to zero. You can then
reenable the alerts by resetting the thresholds when the tablespace is once again
online and in read/write mode.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

"Monitoring a Database with Server-Generated Alerts" on
page 8-4 for additional information on server-generated alerts
in general
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on the procedures of the DBMS_SERVER_ALERT
package and how to use them
"Reclaiming Unused Space" on page 19-13 for various ways to
reclaim space that is no longer being used in the tablespace
"Purging Objects in the Recycle Bin" on page 20-88 for
information on reclaiming recycle bin space

Managing Resumable Space Allocation
Oracle Database provides a means for suspending, and later resuming, the execution
of large database operations in the event of space allocation failures. Therefore, you
can take corrective action instead of the Oracle Database server returning an error to
the user. After the error condition is corrected, the suspended operation automatically
resumes. This feature is called resumable space allocation. The statements that are
affected are called resumable statements.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Resumable Space Allocation Overview

■

Enabling and Disabling Resumable Space Allocation

■

Detecting Suspended Statements

■

Operation-Suspended Alert

■

Resumable Space Allocation Example: Registering an AFTER SUSPEND Trigger

Resumable Space Allocation Overview
This section provides an overview of resumable space allocation. It describes how
resumable space allocation works, and specifically defines qualifying statements and
error conditions.

How Resumable Space Allocation Works
The following is an overview of how resumable space allocation works. Details are
contained in later sections.
1.

A statement executes in resumable mode only if its session has been enabled for
resumable space allocation by one of the following actions:

Managing Space for Schema Objects 19-5

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

■

■

2.

3.

The ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE statement is issued in the session
before the statement executes when the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization
parameter is set to a nonzero value.
The ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE TIMEOUT timeout_value statement is
issued in the session before the statement executes, and the timeout_value is a
nonzero value.

A resumable statement is suspended when one of the following conditions occur
(these conditions result in corresponding errors being signalled for non-resumable
statements):
■

Out of space condition

■

Maximum extents reached condition

■

Space quota exceeded condition.

When the execution of a resumable statement is suspended, there are mechanisms
to perform user supplied operations, log errors, and query the status of the
statement execution. When a resumable statement is suspended the following
actions are taken:
■

The error is reported in the alert log.

■

The system issues the Resumable Session Suspended alert.

■

If the user registered a trigger on the AFTER SUSPEND system event, the user
trigger is executed. A user supplied PL/SQL procedure can access the error
message data using the DBMS_RESUMABLE package and the DBA_ or USER_
RESUMABLE view.

4.

Suspending a statement automatically results in suspending the transaction. Thus
all transactional resources are held through a statement suspend and resume.

5.

When the error condition is resolved (for example, as a result of user intervention
or perhaps sort space released by other queries), the suspended statement
automatically resumes execution and the Resumable Session Suspended alert is
cleared.

6.

A suspended statement can be forced to throw the exception using the DBMS_
RESUMABLE.ABORT() procedure. This procedure can be called by a DBA, or by the
user who issued the statement.

7.

A suspension time out interval, specified by the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization
parameter or by the timeout value in the ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE
TIMEOUT statement, is associated with resumable statements. A resumable
statement that is suspended for the timeout interval wakes up and returns the
exception to the user if the error condition is not resolved within the timeout
interval.

8.

A resumable statement can be suspended and resumed multiple times during
execution.

What Operations are Resumable?
The following operations are resumable:
■

Queries
SELECT statements that run out of temporary space (for sort areas) are candidates
for resumable execution. When using OCI, the calls OCIStmtExecute() and
OCIStmtFetch() are candidates.

19-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

■

DML
INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements are candidates. The interface used to
execute them does not matter; it can be OCI, SQLJ, PL/SQL, or another interface.
Also, INSERT INTO...SELECT from external tables can be resumable.

■

Import/Export
As for SQL*Loader, a command line parameter controls whether statements are
resumable after recoverable errors.

■

DDL
The following statements are candidates for resumable execution:
–

CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT

–

CREATE INDEX

–

ALTER INDEX ... REBUILD

–

ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION

–

ALTER TABLE ... SPLIT PARTITION

–

ALTER INDEX ... REBUILD PARTITION

–

ALTER INDEX ... SPLIT PARTITION

–

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW

–

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW LOG

What Errors are Correctable?
There are three classes of correctable errors:
■

Out of space condition
The operation cannot acquire any more extents for a table/index/temporary
segment/undo segment/cluster/LOB/table partition/index partition in a
tablespace. For example, the following errors fall in this category:
ORA-01653 unable to extend table ... in tablespace ...
ORA-01654 unable to extend index ... in tablespace ...

■

Maximum extents reached condition
The number of extents in a table/index/temporary segment/undo
segment/cluster/LOB/table partition/index partition equals the maximum
extents defined on the object. For example, the following errors fall in this
category:
ORA-01631 max # extents ... reached in table ...
ORA-01632 max # extents ... reached in index ...

■

Space quota exceeded condition
The user has exceeded his assigned space quota in the tablespace. Specifically, this
is noted by the following error:
ORA-01536 space quote exceeded for tablespace string

Resumable Space Allocation and Distributed Operations
In a distributed environment, if a user enables or disables resumable space allocation,
or a DBA alters the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization parameter, then the local instance

Managing Space for Schema Objects 19-7

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

is affected. RESUMABLE cannot be enabled remotely. In a distributed transaction,
sessions on remote instances are suspended only if the remote instance has already
enabled RESUMABLE on the instance or sessions at its site.

Parallel Execution and Resumable Space Allocation
In parallel execution, if one of the parallel execution server processes encounters a
correctable error, that server process suspends its execution. Other parallel execution
server processes will continue executing their respective tasks, until either they
encounter an error or are blocked (directly or indirectly) by the suspended server
process. When the correctable error is resolved, the suspended process resumes
execution and the parallel operation continues execution. If the suspended operation is
terminated, then the parallel operation aborts, throwing the error to the user.
Different parallel execution server processes may encounter one or more correctable
errors. This may result in firing an AFTER SUSPEND trigger multiple times, in parallel.
Also, if a parallel execution server process encounters a non-correctable error while
another parallel execution server process is suspended, the suspended statement is
immediately aborted.
For parallel execution, every parallel execution coordinator and server process has its
own entry in the DBA_ or USER_RESUMABLE view.

Enabling and Disabling Resumable Space Allocation
Resumable space allocation is only possible when statements are executed within a
session that has resumable mode enabled.
Resumable space allocation is enabled for a session when the ALTER SESSION ENABLE
RESUMABLE statement is executed, and the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization parameter
is set to a non-zero value for the session. When the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization
parameter is set at the system level, it is the default for an ALTER SESSION ENABLE
RESUMABLE statement that does not specify a timeout value. When an ALTER SESSION
ENABLE RESUMABLE statement specifies a timeout value, it overrides the system default.
Resumable space allocation is disabled for a session in all of the following cases when
the ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE statement is executed
■

The session does not execute an ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE statement.

■

The session executes an ALTER SESSION DISABLE RESUMABLE statement.

■

The session executes an ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE statement, and the
timeout value is zero.
Because suspended statements can hold up some system
resources, users must be granted the RESUMABLE system privilege
before they are allowed to enable resumable space allocation and
execute resumable statements.
Note:

Setting the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT Initialization Parameter
You can specify a default system wide timeout interval by setting the RESUMABLE_
TIMEOUT initialization parameter. For example, the following setting of the RESUMABLE_
TIMEOUT parameter in the initialization parameter file sets the timeout period to 1 hour:
RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT

= 3600

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Managing Resumable Space Allocation

If this parameter is set to 0, then resumable space allocation is disabled even for
sessions that run an ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE statement without a timeout
value.
You can also use the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement to change the value of this
parameter at the system level. For example, the following statement disables
resumable space allocation for all sessions that run an ALTER SESSION ENABLE
RESUMABLE statement without a timeout value:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT=0;

Using ALTER SESSION to Enable and Disable Resumable Space Allocation
Within a session, a user can issue the ALTER SESSION SET statement to set the
RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization parameter and enable resumable space allocation,
change a timeout value, or to disable resumable mode.
A user can enable resumable mode for a session with the default system RESUMABLE_
TIMEOUT value using the following SQL statement:
ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE;

To disable resumable mode, a user issues the following statement:
ALTER SESSION DISABLE RESUMABLE;

The default for a new session is resumable mode disabled.
The user can also specify a timeout interval, and can provide a name used to identify a
resumable statement. These are discussed separately in following sections.
See Also: "Using a LOGON Trigger to Set Default Resumable
Mode" on page 19-10

Specifying a Timeout Interval A timeout period, after which a suspended statement will
error if no intervention has taken place, can be specified when resumable mode is
enabled. The following statement specifies that resumable transactions will time out
and error after 3600 seconds:
ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE TIMEOUT 3600;

The value of TIMEOUT remains in effect until it is changed by another ALTER SESSION
ENABLE RESUMABLE statement, it is changed by another means, or the session ends. If
the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization parameter is not set, then the default timeout
interval when using the ENABLE RESUMABLE TIMEOUT clause to enable resumable mode
is 7200 seconds.
See Also: "Setting the RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT Initialization
Parameter" on page 19-8 for other methods of changing the timeout
interval for resumable space allocation

Naming Resumable Statements Resumable statements can be identified by name. The
following statement assigns a name to resumable statements:
ALTER SESSION ENABLE RESUMABLE TIMEOUT 3600 NAME 'insert into table';

The NAME value remains in effect until it is changed by another ALTER SESSION ENABLE
RESUMABLE statement, or the session ends. The default value for NAME is 'User
username(userid), Session sessionid, Instance instanceid'.

Managing Space for Schema Objects 19-9

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

The name of the statement is used to identify the resumable statement in the DBA_
RESUMABLE and USER_RESUMABLE views.

Using a LOGON Trigger to Set Default Resumable Mode
Another method of setting default resumable mode, other than setting the RESUMABLE_
TIMEOUT initialization parameter, is that you can register a database level LOGON trigger
to alter a user's session to enable resumable and set a timeout interval.
If there are multiple triggers registered that change default
mode and timeout for resumable statements, the result will be
unspecified because Oracle Database does not guarantee the order
of trigger invocation.

Note:

Detecting Suspended Statements
When a resumable statement is suspended, the error is not raised to the client. In order
for corrective action to be taken, Oracle Database provides alternative methods for
notifying users of the error and for providing information about the circumstances.

Notifying Users: The AFTER SUSPEND System Event and Trigger
When a resumable statement encounter a correctable error, the system internally
generates the AFTER SUSPEND system event. Users can register triggers for this event at
both the database and schema level. If a user registers a trigger to handle this system
event, the trigger is executed after a SQL statement has been suspended.
SQL statements executed within a AFTER SUSPEND trigger are always non-resumable
and are always autonomous. Transactions started within the trigger use the SYSTEM
rollback segment. These conditions are imposed to overcome deadlocks and reduce
the chance of the trigger experiencing the same error condition as the statement.
Users can use the USER_RESUMABLE or DBA_RESUMABLE views, or the DBMS_
RESUMABLE.SPACE_ERROR_INFO function, within triggers to get information about the
resumable statements.
Triggers can also call the DBMS_RESUMABLE package to terminate suspended statements
and modify resumable timeout values. In the following example, the default system
timeout is changed by creating a system wide AFTER SUSPEND trigger that calls DBMS_
RESUMABLE to set the timeout to 3 hours:
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER resumable_default_timeout
AFTER SUSPEND
ON DATABASE
BEGIN
DBMS_RESUMABLE.SET_TIMEOUT(10800);
END;
/

Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for
information about triggers and system events

See Also:

Using Views to Obtain Information About Suspended Statements
The following views can be queried to obtain information about the status of
resumable statements:

19-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

View

Description

DBA_RESUMABLE

These views contain rows for all currently executing or suspended
resumable statements. They can be used by a DBA, AFTER SUSPEND
trigger, or another session to monitor the progress of, or obtain
specific information about, resumable statements.

USER_RESUMABLE

V$SESSION_WAIT

When a statement is suspended the session invoking the statement is
put into a wait state. A row is inserted into this view for the session
with the EVENT column containing "statement suspended, wait error
to be cleared".

Oracle Database Reference for specific information about
the columns contained in these views

See Also:

Using the DBMS_RESUMABLE Package
The DBMS_RESUMABLE package helps control resumable space allocation. The following
procedures can be invoked:
Procedure

Description

ABORT(sessionID)

This procedure aborts a suspended resumable statement. The
parameter sessionID is the session ID in which the statement is
executing. For parallel DML/DDL, sessionID is any session ID
which participates in the parallel DML/DDL.
Oracle Database guarantees that the ABORT operation always
succeeds. It may be called either inside or outside of the AFTER
SUSPEND trigger.
The caller of ABORT must be the owner of the session with
sessionID, have ALTER SYSTEM privilege, or have DBA
privileges.

GET_SESSION_
TIMEOUT(sessionID)

This function returns the current timeout value of resumable
space allocation for the session with sessionID. This returned
timeout is in seconds. If the session does not exist, this function
returns -1.

SET_SESSION_
TIMEOUT(sessionID,
timeout)

This procedure sets the timeout interval of resumable space
allocation for the session with sessionID. The parameter
timeout is in seconds. The new timeout setting will applies to
the session immediately. If the session does not exist, no action
is taken.

GET_TIMEOUT()

This function returns the current timeout value of resumable
space allocation for the current session. The returned value is in
seconds.

SET_TIMEOUT(timeout)

This procedure sets a timeout value for resumable space
allocation for the current session. The parameter timeout is in
seconds. The new timeout setting applies to the session
immediately.

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
details about the DBMS_RESUMABLE package.

Operation-Suspended Alert
When a resumable session is suspended, an operation-suspended alert is issued on the
object that needs allocation of resource for the operation to complete. Once the
resource is allocated and the operation completes, the operation-suspended alert is
cleared. See "Managing Tablespace Alerts" on page 19-1 for more information on
Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-11

Managing Resumable Space Allocation

system-generated alerts.

Resumable Space Allocation Example: Registering an AFTER SUSPEND Trigger
In the following example, a system wide AFTER SUSPEND trigger is created and
registered as user SYS at the database level. Whenever a resumable statement is
suspended in any session, this trigger can have either of two effects:
■

■

If an undo segment has reached its space limit, then a message is sent to the DBA
and the statement is aborted.
If any other recoverable error has occurred, the timeout interval is reset to 8 hours.

Here are the statements for this example:
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER resumable_default
AFTER SUSPEND
ON DATABASE
DECLARE
/* declare transaction in this trigger is autonomous */
/* this is not required because transactions within a trigger
are always autonomous */
PRAGMA AUTONOMOUS_TRANSACTION;
cur_sid
NUMBER;
cur_inst
NUMBER;
errno
NUMBER;
err_type
VARCHAR2;
object_owner
VARCHAR2;
object_type
VARCHAR2;
table_space_name VARCHAR2;
object_name
VARCHAR2;
sub_object_name
VARCHAR2;
error_txt
VARCHAR2;
msg_body
VARCHAR2;
ret_value
BOOLEAN;
mail_conn
UTL_SMTP.CONNECTION;
BEGIN
-- Get session ID
SELECT DISTINCT(SID) INTO cur_SID FROM V$MYSTAT;
-- Get instance number
cur_inst := userenv('instance');
-- Get space error information
ret_value :=
DBMS_RESUMABLE.SPACE_ERROR_INFO(err_type,object_type,object_owner,
table_space_name,object_name, sub_object_name);
/*
-- If the error is related to undo segments, log error, send email
-- to DBA, and abort the statement. Otherwise, set timeout to 8 hours.
--- sys.rbs_error is a table which is to be
-- created by a DBA manually and defined as
-- (sql_text VARCHAR2(1000), error_msg VARCHAR2(4000),
-- suspend_time DATE)
*/
IF OBJECT_TYPE = 'UNDO SEGMENT' THEN
/* LOG ERROR */
INSERT INTO sys.rbs_error (
SELECT SQL_TEXT, ERROR_MSG, SUSPEND_TIME

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Reclaiming Unused Space

FROM DBMS_RESUMABLE
WHERE SESSION_ID = cur_sid AND INSTANCE_ID = cur_inst
);
SELECT ERROR_MSG INTO error_txt FROM DBMS_RESUMABLE
WHERE SESSION_ID = cur_sid and INSTANCE_ID = cur_inst;
-- Send email to receipient through UTL_SMTP package
msg_body:='Subject: Space Error Occurred
Space limit reached for undo segment ' || object_name ||
on ' || TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, 'Month dd, YYYY, HH:MIam') ||
'. Error message was ' || error_txt;
mail_conn := UTL_SMTP.OPEN_CONNECTION('localhost', 25);
UTL_SMTP.HELO(mail_conn, 'localhost');
UTL_SMTP.MAIL(mail_conn, 'sender@localhost');
UTL_SMTP.RCPT(mail_conn, 'recipient@localhost');
UTL_SMTP.DATA(mail_conn, msg_body);
UTL_SMTP.QUIT(mail_conn);
-- Abort the statement
DBMS_RESUMABLE.ABORT(cur_sid);
ELSE
-- Set timeout to 8 hours
DBMS_RESUMABLE.SET_TIMEOUT(28800);
END IF;
/* commit autonomous transaction */
COMMIT;
END;
/

Reclaiming Unused Space
This section explains how to reclaim unused space, and also introduces the Segment
Advisor, which is the Oracle Database component that identifies segments that have
space available for reclamation. The following topics are covered:
■

About Reclaimable Unused Space

■

Using the Segment Advisor

■

Shrinking Database Segments Online

■

Deallocating Unused Space

About Reclaimable Unused Space
Over time, updates and deletes on objects within a tablespace can create pockets of
empty space that individually are not large enough to be reused for new data. This
type of empty space is referred to as fragmented free space.
Objects with fragmented free space can result in much wasted space, and can impact
database performance. The preferred way to defragment and reclaim this space is to
perform an online segment shrink. This process consolidates fragmented free space
below the high water mark and compacts the segment. After compaction, the high
water mark is moved, resulting in new free space above the high water mark. That
space above the high water mark is then deallocated. The segment remains available
for queries and DML during most of the operation, and no extra disk space need be
allocated.

Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-13

Reclaiming Unused Space

You use the Segment Advisor to identify segments that would benefit from online
segment shrink. Only segments in locally managed tablespaces with automatic
segment space management (ASSM) are eligible. Other restrictions on segment type
exist. For more information, see "Shrinking Database Segments Online" on page 19-25.
If a table with reclaimable space is not eligible for online segment shrink, or if you
want to make changes to logical or physical attributes of the table while reclaiming
space, then you can use online table redefinition as an alternative to segment shrink.
Online redefinition is also referred to as reorganization. Unlike online segment shrink,
it requires extra disk space to be allocated. See "Redefining Tables Online" on
page 20-49 for more information.

Using the Segment Advisor
The Segment Advisor identifies segments that have space available for reclamation. It
performs its analysis by examining usage and growth statistics in the Automatic
Workload Repository (AWR), and by sampling the data in the segment. It is configured
to run during maintenance windows as an automated maintenance task, and you can
also run it on demand (manually). The Segment Advisor automated maintenance task
is known as the Automatic Segment Advisor. You can use this information for capacity
planning and for arriving at an informed decision about which segments to shrink.
The Segment Advisor generates the following types of advice:
■

■

■

If the Segment Advisor determines that an object has a significant amount of free
space, it recommends online segment shrink. If the object is a table that is not
eligible for shrinking, as in the case of a table in a tablespace without automatic
segment space management, the Segment Advisor recommends online table
redefinition.
If the Segment Advisor determines that a table could benefit from compression
with the advanced row compression method, it makes a recommendation to that
effect. (Automatic Segment Advisor only. See "Automatic Segment Advisor" on
page 19-15.)
If the Segment Advisor encounters a table with row chaining above a certain
threshold, it records that fact that the table has an excess of chained rows.
The Segment Advisor flags only the type of row chaining that
results from updates that increase row length.

Note:

If you receive a space management alert, or if you decide that you want to reclaim
space, you should start with the Segment Advisor.
To use the Segment Advisor:
1.

Check the results of the Automatic Segment Advisor.
To understand the Automatic Segment Advisor, see "Automatic Segment
Advisor", later in this section. For details on how to view results, see "Viewing
Segment Advisor Results" on page 19-19.

2.

(Optional) Obtain updated results on individual segments by rerunning the
Segment Advisor manually.
See "Running the Segment Advisor Manually", later in this section.

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Automatic Segment Advisor
The Automatic Segment Advisor is an automated maintenance task that is configured
to run during all maintenance windows.
The Automatic Segment Advisor does not analyze every database object. Instead, it
examines database statistics, samples segment data, and then selects the following
objects to analyze:
■

Tablespaces that have exceeded a critical or warning space threshold

■

Segments that have the most activity

■

Segments that have the highest growth rate

In addition, the Automatic Segment Advisor evaluates tables that are at least 10MB
and that have at least three indexes to determine the amount of space saved if the
tables are compressed with the advanced row compression method.
If an object is selected for analysis but the maintenance window expires before the
Segment Advisor can process the object, the object is included in the next Automatic
Segment Advisor run.
You cannot change the set of tablespaces and segments that the Automatic Segment
Advisor selects for analysis. You can, however, enable or disable the Automatic
Segment Advisor task, change the times during which the Automatic Segment
Advisor is scheduled to run, or adjust automated maintenance task system resource
utilization. See "Configuring the Automatic Segment Advisor" on page 19-24 for more
information.
See Also:
■

"Viewing Segment Advisor Results" on page 19-19

■

Chapter 26, "Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks"

■

"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5 for more
information on advanced row compression

Running the Segment Advisor Manually
You can manually run the Segment Advisor at any time with Cloud Control or with
PL/SQL package procedure calls. Reasons to manually run the Segment Advisor
include the following:
■

■

You want to analyze a tablespace or segment that was not selected by the
Automatic Segment Advisor.
You want to repeat the analysis of an individual tablespace or segment to get more
up-to-date recommendations.

You can request advice from the Segment Advisor at three levels:
■

■

■

Segment level—Advice is generated for a single segment, such as an
unpartitioned table, a partition or subpartition of a partitioned table, an index, or a
LOB column.
Object level—Advice is generated for an entire object, such as a table or index. If
the object is partitioned, advice is generated on all the partitions of the object. In
addition, if you run Segment Advisor manually from Cloud Control, you can
request advice on the object's dependent objects, such as indexes and LOB
segments for a table.
Tablespace level—Advice is generated for every segment in a tablespace.

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The OBJECT_TYPE column of Table 19–2 on page 19-18 shows the types of objects for
which you can request advice.
Running the Segment Advisor Manually with Cloud Control You must have the OEM_ADVISOR
role to run the Segment Advisor manually with Cloud Control. There are two ways to
run the Segment Advisor:
■

Using the Segment Advisor Wizard
This method enables you to request advice at the tablespace level or object level.
At the object level, you can request advice on tables, indexes, table partitions, and
index partitions. Dependent objects such as LOB segments cannot be included in
the analysis.

■

Using the Run Segment Advisor command on a schema object page.
For example, if you display a list of tables on the Tables page (accessible from the
Schema menu), you can select a table and then select Run Segment Advisor from
the Actions menu.

Figure 19–1 Tables page

This method enables you to include the schema object's dependent objects in the
Segment Advisor run. For example, if you select a table and select Run Segment
Advisor, Cloud Control displays the table's dependent objects, such as partitions,
index segments, LOB segments, and so on. You can then select dependent objects
to include in the run.
In both cases, Cloud Control creates the Segment Advisor task as an Oracle Database
Scheduler job. You can schedule the job to run immediately, or can take advantage of
advanced scheduling features offered by the Scheduler.
To run the Segment Advisor manually with the Segment Advisor Wizard:
1.

Access the Database Home page.

2.

From the Performance menu, select Advisors Home.
The Advisor Central page appears. (See Figure 19–2.)

3.

Under Advisors, click Segment Advisor.
The first page of the Segment Advisor wizard appears.

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4.

Follow the wizard steps to schedule the Segment Advisor job, and then click
Submit on the final wizard page.
The Advisor Central page reappears, with the new Segment Advisor job at the top
of the list under the Results heading. The job status is SCHEDULED or RUNNING. (If
you do not see your job, then use the search fields above the list to display it.)

5.

Check the status of the job. If it is not COMPLETED, then use the Refresh control at
the top of the page to refresh the page. (Do not use your browser's Refresh icon.)
When the job status changes to COMPLETED, select the job by clicking in the Select
column, and then click View Result.

Figure 19–2 Advisor Central page

See Also: Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler" for
more information about the advanced scheduling features of the
Scheduler.

Running the Segment Advisor Manually with PL/SQL You can also run the Segment Advisor
with the DBMS_ADVISOR package. You use package procedures to create a Segment
Advisor task, set task arguments, and then execute the task. You must have the
ADVISOR privilege. Table 19–1 shows the procedures that are relevant for the Segment
Advisor. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more details on
these procedures.

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Reclaiming Unused Space

Table 19–1

DBMS_ADVISOR package procedures relevant to the Segment Advisor

Package Procedure Name

Description

CREATE_TASK

Use this procedure to create the Segment Advisor task. Specify 'Segment Advisor'
as the value of the ADVISOR_NAME parameter.

CREATE_OBJECT

Use this procedure to identify the target object for segment space advice. The
parameter values of this procedure depend upon the object type. Table 19–2 lists
the parameter values for each type of object.
Note: To request advice on an IOT overflow segment, use an object type of TABLE,
TABLE PARTITION, or TABLE SUBPARTITION. Use the following query to find the
overflow segment for an IOT and to determine the overflow segment table name to
use with CREATE_OBJECT:
select table_name, iot_name, iot_type from dba_tables;

SET_TASK_PARAMETER

Use this procedure to describe the segment advice that you need. Table 19–3 shows
the relevant input parameters of this procedure. Parameters not listed here are not
used by the Segment Advisor.

EXECUTE_TASK

Use this procedure to execute the Segment Advisor task.

Table 19–2

Input for DBMS_ADVISOR.CREATE_OBJECT

Input Parameter
OBJECT_TYPE

ATTR1

ATTR2

ATTR3

ATTR4

TABLESPACE

tablespace
name

NULL

NULL

Unused. Specify NULL.

TABLE

schema name

table name

NULL

Unused. Specify NULL.

INDEX

schema name

index name

NULL

Unused. Specify NULL.

TABLE PARTITION

schema name

table name

table partition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

INDEX PARTITION

schema name

index name

index partition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

TABLE SUBPARTITION

schema name

table name

table subpartition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

INDEX SUBPARTITION

schema name

index name

index subpartition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

LOB

schema name

segment name

NULL

Unused. Specify NULL.

LOB PARTITION

schema name

segment name

lob partition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

LOB SUBPARTITION

schema name

segment name

lob subpartition name

Unused. Specify NULL.

Table 19–3

Input for DBMS_ADVISOR.SET_TASK_PARAMETER

Input Parameter

Description

Possible Values

Default Value

time_limit

The time limit for the Segment
Advisor run, specified in
seconds.

Any number of seconds

UNLIMITED

recommend_all

Whether the Segment Advisor TRUE: Findings are generated on all
should generate findings for all segments specified, whether or not space
segments.
reclamation is recommended.

TRUE

FALSE: Findings are generated only for
those objects that generate
recommendations for space reclamation.

Example The example that follows shows how to use the DBMS_ADVISOR procedures
to run the Segment Advisor for the sample table hr.employees. The user executing

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these package procedures must have the EXECUTE object privilege on the package or
the ADVISOR system privilege.
Note that passing an object type of TABLE to DBMS_ADVISOR.CREATE_OBJECT amounts to
an object level request. If the table is not partitioned, the table segment is analyzed
(without any dependent segments like index or LOB segments). If the table is
partitioned, the Segment Advisor analyzes all table partitions and generates separate
findings and recommendations for each.
variable id number;
begin
declare
name varchar2(100);
descr varchar2(500);
obj_id number;
begin
name:='Manual_Employees';
descr:='Segment Advisor Example';
dbms_advisor.create_task (
advisor_name
=> 'Segment Advisor',
task_id
=> :id,
task_name
=> name,
task_desc
=> descr);
dbms_advisor.create_object (
task_name
=> name,
object_type
=> 'TABLE',
attr1
=> 'HR',
attr2
=> 'EMPLOYEES',
attr3
=> NULL,
attr4
=> NULL,
attr5
=> NULL,
object_id
=> obj_id);
dbms_advisor.set_task_parameter(
task_name
=> name,
parameter
=> 'recommend_all',
value
=> 'TRUE');
dbms_advisor.execute_task(name);
end;
end;
/

Viewing Segment Advisor Results
The Segment Advisor creates several types of results: recommendations, findings,
actions, and objects. You can view results in the following ways:
■

With Cloud Control

■

By querying the DBA_ADVISOR_* views

■

By calling the DBMS_SPACE.ASA_RECOMMENDATIONS procedure

Table Table 19–4 describes the various result types and their associated DBA_ADVISOR_*
views.

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Reclaiming Unused Space

Table 19–4

Segment Advisor Result Types

Result Type

Associated View

Description

Recommendations

DBA_ADVISOR_RECOMMENDATIONS

If a segment would benefit from a segment shrink,
reorganization, or compression, the Segment Advisor
generates a recommendation for the segment.
Table 19–5 shows examples of generated findings and
recommendations.

Findings

DBA_ADVISOR_FINDINGS

Findings are a report of what the Segment Advisor
observed in analyzed segments. Findings include
space used and free space statistics for each analyzed
segment. Not all findings result in a
recommendation. (There may be only a few
recommendations, but there could be many findings.)
When running the Segment Advisor manually with
PL/SQL, if you specify 'TRUE' for recommend_all in
the SET_TASK_PARAMETER procedure, then the
Segment Advisor generates a finding for each
segment that qualifies for analysis, whether or not a
recommendation is made for that segment. For row
chaining advice, the Automatic Segment Advisor
generates findings only, and not recommendations. If
the Automatic Segment Advisor has no space
reclamation recommendations to make, it does not
generate findings. However, the Automatic Segment
Advisor may generate findings for tables that could
benefit from advanced row compression.

Actions

DBA_ADVISOR_ACTIONS

Every recommendation is associated with a
suggested action to perform: either segment shrink,
online redefinition (reorganization), or compression.
The DBA_ADVISOR_ACTIONS view provides either the
SQL that you can use to perform a segment shrink or
table compression, or a suggestion to reorganize the
object.

Objects

DBA_ADVISOR_OBJECTS

All findings, recommendations, and actions are
associated with an object. If the Segment Advisor
analyzes multiple segments, as with a tablespace or
partitioned table, then one entry is created in the DBA_
ADVISOR_OBJECTS view for each analyzed segment.
Table 19–2 defines the columns in this view to query
for information on the analyzed segments. You can
correlate the objects in this view with the objects in
the findings, recommendations, and actions views.

See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Reference for details on the DBA_ADVISOR_* views.
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on
the DBMS_SPACE.ASA_RECOMMENDATIONS function.

Viewing Segment Advisor Results with Cloud Control With Cloud Control, you can view
Segment Advisor results for both Automatic Segment Advisor runs and manual
Segment Advisor runs. You can view the following types of results:
■

All recommendations (multiple automatic and manual Segment Advisor runs)

■

Recommendations from the last Automatic Segment Advisor run

■

Recommendations from a specific run

■

Row chaining findings

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You can also view a list of the segments that were analyzed by the last Automatic
Segment Advisor run.
To view Segment Advisor results with Cloud Control—All runs:
1.

Access the Database Home page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Storage, then Segment Advisor.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears. Recommendations are
organized by tablespace.

3.

If any recommendations are present, select a tablespace, and then click
Recommendation Details.
The Recommendation Details page appears. You can initiate the recommended
activity from this page (shrink or reorganize).
Tip: The list entries are sorted in descending order by reclaimable
space. You can click column headings to change the sort order or to
change from ascending to descending order.

To view Segment Advisor results with Cloud Control—Last Automatic Segment
Advisor run:
1.

Access the Database Home page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Storage, then Segment Advisor.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears. Recommendations are
organized by tablespace.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears.

3.

In the View list, select Recommendations from Last Automatic Run.

4.

If any recommendations are present, select a tablespace and click
Recommendation Details.
The Recommendation Details page appears. You can initiate the recommended
activity from this page (shrink or reorganize).

To view Segment Advisor results with Cloud Control—Specific run:
1.

Access the Database Home page.

2.

From the Performance menu, select Advisors Home.
The Advisor Central page appears. (See Figure 19–2 on page 19-17.)

3.

Check that your task appears in the list under the Results heading. If it does not,
complete these steps:
a.

In the Search section of the page, under Advisor Type, select Segment
Advisor.

b.

In the Advisor Runs list, select All or the desired time period.

c.

(Optional) Enter a task name.

d.

Click Go.
Your Segment Advisor task appears in the Results section.

4.

Check the status of the job. If it is not COMPLETED, use the Refresh control at the top
of the page to refresh the page. (Do not use your browser's Refresh icon.)

5.

Click the task name.
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The Segment Advisor Task page appears, with recommendations organized by
tablespace.
6.

Select a tablespace in the list, and then click Recommendation Details.
The Recommendation Details page appears. You can initiate the recommended
activity from this page (shrink or reorganize).

To view row chaining findings:
1.

Access the Database Home page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Storage, then Segment Advisor.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears. Recommendations are
organized by tablespace.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears.

3.

Under the Related Links heading, click Chained Row Analysis.
The Chained Row Analysis page appears, showing all segments that have chained
rows, with a chained rows percentage for each.

Viewing Segment Advisor Results by Querying the DBA_ADVISOR_* Views
The headings of Table 19–5 show the columns in the DBA_ADVISOR_* views that contain
output from the Segment Advisor. See Oracle Database Reference for a description of
these views. The table contents summarize the possible outcomes. In addition,
Table 19–2 on page 19-18 defines the columns in the DBA_ADVISOR_OBJECTS view that
contain information on the analyzed segments.
Before querying the DBA_ADVISOR_* views, you can check that the Segment Advisor
task is complete by querying the STATUS column in DBA_ADVISOR_TASKS.
select task_name, status from dba_advisor_tasks
where owner = 'STEVE' and advisor_name = 'Segment Advisor';
TASK_NAME
STATUS
------------------------------ ----------Manual Employees
COMPLETED

The following example shows how to query the DBA_ADVISOR_* views to retrieve
findings from all Segment Advisor runs submitted by user STEVE:
select af.task_name, ao.attr2 segname, ao.attr3 partition, ao.type, af.message
from dba_advisor_findings af, dba_advisor_objects ao
where ao.task_id = af.task_id
and ao.object_id = af.object_id
and ao.owner = 'STEVE';

TASK_NAME
SEGNAME
PARTITION
TYPE
MESSAGE
------------------ ------------ --------------- ---------------- -------------------------Manual_Employees
EMPLOYEES
TABLE
The free space in the obje
ct is less than 10MB.
Manual_Salestable4 SALESTABLE4

SALESTABLE4_P1

TABLE PARTITION

Perform shrink, estimated
savings is 74444154 bytes.

Manual_Salestable4 SALESTABLE4

SALESTABLE4_P2

TABLE PARTITION

The free space in the obje
ct is less than 10MB.

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Table 19–5

Segment Advisor Outcomes: Summary

MESSAGE column of
MORE_INFO column of
DBA_ADVISOR_FINDINGS DBA_ADVISOR_FINDINGS

BENEFIT_TYPE column of
DBA_ADVISOR_
RECOMMENDATIONS

ATTR1 column of DBA_
ADVISOR_ACTIONS

Insufficient information to
make a recommendation.

-

-

-

The free space in the object
is less than 10MB.

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

-

-

The object has some free
space but cannot be shrunk
because...

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

-

-

The free space in the object
is less than the size of the
last extent.

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

-

-

Perform shrink, estimated
savings is xxx bytes.

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

Perform shrink, estimated
savings is xxx bytes.

The command to execute.
For example: ALTER object
SHRINK SPACE;)

Enable row movement of
the table schema.table and
perform shrink, estimated
savings is xxx bytes.

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

Enable row movement of the
table schema.table and perform
shrink, estimated savings is
xxx bytes

The command to execute.
For example: ALTER object
SHRINK SPACE;)

Perform re-org on the object
object, estimated savings is
xxx bytes.

Allocated Space:xxx: Used
Space:xxx: Reclaimable
Space :xxx

Perform re-org on the object
object, estimated savings is xxx
bytes.

Perform re-org

The object has chained rows
that can be removed by
re-org.

xx percent chained rows can
be removed by re-org.

-

-

Compress object object_
name, estimated savings is
xxx bytes.

Compress object object_name, estimated savings is xxx
bytes.

(Note: This finding is for
objects with reclaimable
space that are not eligible
for online segment shrink.)

(This outcome is generated
by the Automatic Segment
Advisor only)

The command to execute.
For example: ALTER TABLE
T1 ROW STORE COMPRESS
ADVANCED
For this finding, see also the
ATTR2 column of DBA_
ADVISOR_ACTIONS.

Viewing Segment Advisor Results with DBMS_SPACE.ASA_RECOMMENDATIONS
The ASA_RECOMMENDATIONS procedure in the DBMS_SPACE package returns a nested table
object that contains findings or recommendations for Automatic Segment Advisor
runs and, optionally, manual Segment Advisor runs. Calling this procedure may be
easier than working with the DBA_ADVISOR_* views, because the procedure performs
all the required joins for you and returns information in an easily consumable format.
The following query returns recommendations by the most recent run of the Auto
Segment Advisor, with the suggested command to run to follow the
recommendations:
select tablespace_name, segment_name, segment_type, partition_name,
recommendations, c1 from
table(dbms_space.asa_recommendations('FALSE', 'FALSE', 'FALSE'));

TABLESPACE_NAME
SEGMENT_NAME
SEGMENT_TYPE
------------------------------ ------------------------------ -------------PARTITION_NAME
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-----------------------------RECOMMENDATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------C1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------TVMDS_ASSM
ORDERS1
TABLE PARTITION
ORDERS1_P2
Perform shrink, estimated savings is 57666422 bytes.
alter table "STEVE"."ORDERS1" modify partition "ORDERS1_P2" shrink space
TVMDS_ASSM
ORDERS1
TABLE PARTITION
ORDERS1_P1
Perform shrink, estimated savings is 45083514 bytes.
alter table "STEVE"."ORDERS1" modify partition "ORDERS1_P1" shrink space
TVMDS_ASSM_NEW

ORDERS_NEW

TABLE

Perform shrink, estimated savings is 155398992 bytes.
alter table "STEVE"."ORDERS_NEW" shrink space
TVMDS_ASSM_NEW

ORDERS_NEW_INDEX

INDEX

Perform shrink, estimated savings is 102759445 bytes.
alter index "STEVE"."ORDERS_NEW_INDEX" shrink space

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on DBMS_SPACE.ASA_
RECOMMENDATIONS.

Configuring the Automatic Segment Advisor
The Automatic Segment Advisor is an automated maintenance task. As such, you can
use Cloud Control or PL/SQL package procedure calls to modify when (and if) this
task runs. You can also control the resources allotted to it by modifying the
appropriate resource plans.
You can call PL/SQL package procedures to make these changes, but the easier way to
is to use Cloud Control.
To configure the Automatic Segment Advisor task with Cloud Control:
1.

Log in to Cloud Control as user SYSTEM.

2.

Access the Database Home page.

3.

From the Administration menu, select Storage, then Segment Advisor.
The Segment Advisor Recommendations page appears.

4.

Under the Related Links heading, click the link entitled Automated Maintenance
Tasks.
The Automated Maintenance Tasks page appears.

5.

Click Configure.
The Automated Maintenance Tasks Configuration page appears.

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6.

To completely disable the Automatic Segment Advisor, under Task Settings, select
Disabled next to the Segment Advisor label, and then click Apply.

7.

To disable the Automatic Segment Advisor for specific maintenance windows,
clear the desired check boxes under the Segment Advisor column, and then click
Apply.

8.

To modify the start and end times and durations of maintenance windows, click
Edit Window Group.
The Edit Window Group page appears. Click the name of a maintenance window,
and then click Edit to change the window's schedule.
See Also:
■

Chapter 26, "Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks"

Viewing Automatic Segment Advisor Information
The following views display information specific to the Automatic Segment Advisor.
For details, see Oracle Database Reference.
View

Description

DBA_AUTO_SEGADV_SUMMARY

Each row of this view summarizes one Automatic
Segment Advisor run. Fields include number of
tablespaces and segments processed, and number of
recommendations made.

DBA_AUTO_SEGADV_CTL

Contains control information that the Automatic
Segment Advisor uses to select and process segments.
Each row contains information on a single object
(tablespace or segment), including whether the object
has been processed, and if so, the task ID under which it
was processed and the reason for selecting it.

Shrinking Database Segments Online
You use online segment shrink to reclaim fragmented free space below the high water
mark in an Oracle Database segment. The benefits of segment shrink are these:

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Reclaiming Unused Space

■

■

Compaction of data leads to better cache utilization, which in turn leads to better
online transaction processing (OLTP) performance.
The compacted data requires fewer blocks to be scanned in full table scans, which
in turns leads to better decision support system (DSS) performance.

Segment shrink is an online, in-place operation. DML operations and queries can be
issued during the data movement phase of segment shrink. Concurrent DML
operations are blocked for a short time at the end of the shrink operation, when the
space is deallocated. Indexes are maintained during the shrink operation and remain
usable after the operation is complete. Segment shrink does not require extra disk
space to be allocated.
Segment shrink reclaims unused space both above and below the high water mark. In
contrast, space deallocation reclaims unused space only above the high water mark. In
shrink operations, by default, the database compacts the segment, adjusts the high
water mark, and releases the reclaimed space.
Segment shrink requires that rows be moved to new locations. Therefore, you must
first enable row movement in the object you want to shrink and disable any
rowid-based triggers defined on the object. You enable row movement in a table with
the ALTER TABLE ... ENABLE ROW MOVEMENT command.
Shrink operations can be performed only on segments in locally managed tablespaces
with automatic segment space management (ASSM). Within an ASSM tablespace, all
segment types are eligible for online segment shrink except these:
■

IOT mapping tables

■

Tables with rowid based materialized views

■

Tables with function-based indexes

■

SECUREFILE LOBs

■

Tables compressed with the following compression methods:
–

Basic table compression using ROW STORE COMPRESS BASIC

–

Warehouse compression using COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY

–

Archive compression using COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE

However, tables compressed with advanced row compression using ROW STORE
COMPRESS ADVANCED are eligible for online segment shrink. See "Consider Using
Table Compression" on page 20-5 for information about table compression
methods.
Shrinking database segments online might cause dependent
database objects to become invalid. See "About Object Dependencies
and Object Invalidation" on page 18-17.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information on the ALTER TABLE command.

Invoking Online Segment Shrink
Before invoking online segment shrink, view the findings and recommendations of the
Segment Advisor. For more information, see "Using the Segment Advisor" on
page 19-14.

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You invoke online segment shrink with Cloud Control or with SQL commands in
SQL*Plus. The remainder of this section discusses the command line method.
You can invoke segment shrink directly from the
Recommendation Details page in Cloud Control. Or, to invoke
segment shrink for an individual table in Cloud Control, display the
table on the Tables page, select the table, and then click Shrink
Segment in the Actions list. (See Figure 19–1.) Perform a similar
operation in Cloud Control to shrink indexes, materialized views, and
so on.

Note:

You can shrink space in a table, index-organized table, index, partition, subpartition,
materialized view, or materialized view log. You do this using ALTER TABLE, ALTER
INDEX, ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW, or ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW LOG statement with the
SHRINK SPACE clause.
Two optional clauses let you control how the shrink operation proceeds:
■

■

The COMPACT clause lets you divide the shrink segment operation into two phases.
When you specify COMPACT, Oracle Database defragments the segment space and
compacts the table rows but postpones the resetting of the high water mark and
the deallocation of the space until a future time. This option is useful if you have
long-running queries that might span the operation and attempt to read from
blocks that have been reclaimed. The defragmentation and compaction results are
saved to disk, so the data movement does not have to be redone during the second
phase. You can reissue the SHRINK SPACE clause without the COMPACT clause during
off-peak hours to complete the second phase.
The CASCADE clause extends the segment shrink operation to all dependent
segments of the object. For example, if you specify CASCADE when shrinking a table
segment, all indexes of the table will also be shrunk. (You need not specify
CASCADE to shrink the partitions of a partitioned table.) To see a list of dependent
segments of a given object, you can run the OBJECT_DEPENDENT_SEGMENTS
procedure of the DBMS_SPACE package.

As with other DDL operations, segment shrink causes subsequent SQL statements to
be reparsed because of invalidation of cursors unless you specify the COMPACT clause.
Examples
Shrink a table and all of its dependent segments (including BASICFILE LOB segments):
ALTER TABLE employees SHRINK SPACE CASCADE;

Shrink a BASICFILE LOB segment only:
ALTER TABLE employees MODIFY LOB (perf_review) (SHRINK SPACE);

Shrink a single partition of a partitioned table:
ALTER TABLE customers MODIFY PARTITION cust_P1 SHRINK SPACE;

Shrink an IOT index segment and the overflow segment:
ALTER TABLE cities SHRINK SPACE CASCADE;

Shrink an IOT overflow segment only:
ALTER TABLE cities OVERFLOW SHRINK SPACE;

Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-27

Dropping Unused Object Storage

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax and
restrictions of the ALTER TABLE, ALTER INDEX, ALTER MATERIALIZED
VIEW, and ALTER MATERIALIZED VIEW LOG statements with the
SHRINK SPACE clause
Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide for
more information about LOB segments

Deallocating Unused Space
When you deallocate unused space, the database frees the unused space at the unused
(high water mark) end of the database segment and makes the space available for
other segments in the tablespace.
Before deallocation, you can run the UNUSED_SPACE procedure of the DBMS_SPACE
package, which returns information about the position of the high water mark and the
amount of unused space in a segment. For segments in locally managed tablespaces
with automatic segment space management, use the SPACE_USAGE procedure for more
accurate information on unused space.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference
contains the description of the DBMS_SPACE package

The following statements deallocate unused space in a segment (table, index or
cluster):
ALTER TABLE table DEALLOCATE UNUSED KEEP integer;
ALTER INDEX index DEALLOCATE UNUSED KEEP integer;
ALTER CLUSTER cluster DEALLOCATE UNUSED KEEP integer;

The KEEP clause is optional and lets you specify the amount of space retained in the
segment. You can verify that the deallocated space is freed by examining the DBA_
FREE_SPACE view.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for details on the syntax
and semantics of deallocating unused space
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the DBA_
FREE_SPACE view

Dropping Unused Object Storage
The DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package includes the DROP_EMPTY_SEGMENTS procedure, which
enables you to drop segments for empty tables and partitions that have been migrated
from previous releases. This includes segments of dependent objects of the table, such
as index segments, where possible.
The following example drops empty segments from every table in the database.
BEGIN
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.DROP_EMPTY_SEGMENTS();
END;

The following drops empty segments from the HR.EMPLOYEES table, including
dependent objects.
BEGIN
19-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects

DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.DROP_EMPTY_SEGMENTS(
schema_name => 'HR',
table_name
=> 'EMPLOYEES');
END;

This procedure requires 11.2.0 or higher compatibility level.
See Also: See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
details about this procedure

Understanding Space Usage of Data Types
When creating tables and other data structures, you must know how much space they
will require. Each data type has different space requirements. The Oracle Database
PL/SQL Language Reference and Oracle Database SQL Language Reference contain
extensive descriptions of data types and their space requirements.

Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects
Oracle Database provides data dictionary views and PL/SQL packages that allow you
to display information about the space usage of schema objects. Views and packages
that are unique to a particular schema object are described in the chapter of this book
associated with that object. This section describes views and packages that are generic
in nature and apply to multiple schema objects.

Using PL/SQL Packages to Display Information About Schema Object Space Usage
These DBMS_SPACE subprograms provide information about schema objects:
Package and Procedure/Function

Description

DBMS_SPACE.UNUSED_SPACE

Returns information about unused space in an
object (table, index, or cluster).

DBMS_SPACE.FREE_BLOCKS

Returns information about free data blocks in an
object (table, index, or cluster) whose segment free
space is managed by free lists (segment space
management is MANUAL).

DBMS_SPACE.SPACE_USAGE

Returns information about free data blocks in an
object (table, index, or cluster) whose segment space
management is AUTO.

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
a description of the DBMS_SPACE package

Example: Using DBMS_SPACE.UNUSED_SPACE
The following SQL*Plus example uses the DBMS_SPACE package to obtain unused space
information.
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>

VARIABLE total_blocks NUMBER
VARIABLE total_bytes NUMBER
VARIABLE unused_blocks NUMBER
VARIABLE unused_bytes NUMBER
VARIABLE lastextf NUMBER
VARIABLE last_extb NUMBER
VARIABLE lastusedblock NUMBER
exec DBMS_SPACE.UNUSED_SPACE('SCOTT', 'EMP', 'TABLE', :total_blocks, -

Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-29

Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects

>
>

:total_bytes,:unused_blocks, :unused_bytes, :lastextf, :last_extb, :lastusedblock);

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL> PRINT
TOTAL_BLOCKS
-----------5
TOTAL_BYTES
----------10240
...
LASTUSEDBLOCK
------------3

Schema Objects Space Usage Data Dictionary Views
These views display information about space usage in schema objects:
View

Description

DBA_SEGMENTS

DBA view describes storage allocated for all database segments.
User view describes storage allocated for segments for the
current user.

USER_SEGMENTS
DBA_EXTENTS
USER_EXTENTS
DBA_FREE_SPACE
USER_FREE_SPACE

DBA view describes extents comprising all segments in the
database. User view describes extents comprising segments for
the current user.
DBA view lists free extents in all tablespaces. User view shows
free space information for tablespaces for which the user has
quota.

The following sections contain examples of using some of these views.
Oracle Database Reference for a complete description of
data dictionary views

See Also:

Example 1: Displaying Segment Information
The following query returns the name and size of each index segment in schema hr:
SELECT SEGMENT_NAME, TABLESPACE_NAME, BYTES, BLOCKS, EXTENTS
FROM DBA_SEGMENTS
WHERE SEGMENT_TYPE = 'INDEX'
AND OWNER='HR'
ORDER BY SEGMENT_NAME;

The query output is:
SEGMENT_NAME
------------------------COUNTRY_C_ID_PK
DEPT_ID_PK
DEPT_LOCATION_IX
EMP_DEPARTMENT_IX
19-30 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

TABLESPACE_NAME
BYTES BLOCKS EXTENTS
--------------- -------- ------ ------EXAMPLE
65536
32
1
EXAMPLE
65536
32
1
EXAMPLE
65536
32
1
EXAMPLE
65536
32
1

Displaying Information About Space Usage for Schema Objects

EMP_EMAIL_UK
EMP_EMP_ID_PK
EMP_JOB_IX
EMP_MANAGER_IX
EMP_NAME_IX
JHIST_DEPARTMENT_IX
JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX
JHIST_EMP_ID_ST_DATE_PK
JHIST_JOB_IX
JOB_ID_PK
LOC_CITY_IX
LOC_COUNTRY_IX
LOC_ID_PK
LOC_STATE_PROVINCE_IX
REG_ID_PK

EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE

65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536
65536

32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

19 rows selected.

Example 2: Displaying Extent Information
Information about the currently allocated extents in a database is stored in the DBA_
EXTENTS data dictionary view. For example, the following query identifies the extents
allocated to each index segment in the hr schema and the size of each of those extents:
SELECT SEGMENT_NAME, SEGMENT_TYPE, TABLESPACE_NAME, EXTENT_ID, BYTES, BLOCKS
FROM DBA_EXTENTS
WHERE SEGMENT_TYPE = 'INDEX'
AND OWNER='HR'
ORDER BY SEGMENT_NAME;

The query output is:
SEGMENT_NAME
------------------------COUNTRY_C_ID_PK
DEPT_ID_PK
DEPT_LOCATION_IX
EMP_DEPARTMENT_IX
EMP_EMAIL_UK
EMP_EMP_ID_PK
EMP_JOB_IX
EMP_MANAGER_IX
EMP_NAME_IX
JHIST_DEPARTMENT_IX
JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX
JHIST_EMP_ID_ST_DATE_PK
JHIST_JOB_IX
JOB_ID_PK
LOC_CITY_IX
LOC_COUNTRY_IX
LOC_ID_PK
LOC_STATE_PROVINCE_IX
REG_ID_PK

SEGMENT_TYPE
-----------INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX

TABLESPACE_NAME EXTENT_ID
BYTES BLOCKS
--------------- --------- -------- -----EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32
EXAMPLE
0
65536
32

19 rows selected.

For the hr schema, no segment has multiple extents allocated to it.

Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-31

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

Example 3: Displaying the Free Space (Extents) in a Tablespace
Information about the free extents (extents not allocated to any segment) in a database
is stored in the DBA_FREE_SPACE data dictionary view. For example, the following
query reveals the amount of free space available as free extents in the SMUNDO
tablespace:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_ID, BYTES, BLOCKS
FROM DBA_FREE_SPACE
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME='SMUNDO';

The query output is:
TABLESPACE_NAME FILE_ID
BYTES BLOCKS
--------------- -------- -------- -----SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3
131072
64
SMUNDO
3
131072
64
SMUNDO
3
65536
32
SMUNDO
3 3407872
1664
10 rows selected.

Capacity Planning for Database Objects
Oracle Database provides two ways to plan capacity for database objects:
■

With Cloud Control

■

With the DBMS_SPACE PL/SQL package

This section discusses the PL/SQL method. See Cloud Control online help and "Using
the Segment Advisor" on page 19-14 for details on capacity planning with Cloud
Control.
Three procedures in the DBMS_SPACE package enable you to predict the size of new
objects and monitor the size of existing database objects. This section discusses those
procedures and contains the following sections:
■

Estimating the Space Use of a Table

■

Estimating the Space Use of an Index

■

Obtaining Object Growth Trends

Estimating the Space Use of a Table
The size of a database table can vary greatly depending on tablespace storage
attributes, tablespace block size, and many other factors. The CREATE_TABLE_COST
procedure of the DBMS_SPACE package lets you estimate the space use cost of creating a
table. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on the
parameters of this procedure.
The procedure has two variants. The first variant uses average row size to estimate
size. The second variant uses column information to estimate table size. Both variants
require as input the following values:

19-32 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

■

■
■

TABLESPACE_NAME: The tablespace in which the object will be created. The default is
the SYSTEM tablespace.
ROW_COUNT: The anticipated number of rows in the table.
PCT_FREE: The percentage of free space you want to reserve in each block for
future expansion of existing rows due to updates.

In addition, the first variant also requires as input a value for AVG_ROW_SIZE, which is
the anticipated average row size in bytes.
The second variant also requires for each anticipated column values for COLINFOS,
which is an object type comprising the attributes COL_TYPE (the data type of the
column) and COL_SIZE (the number of characters or bytes in the column).
The procedure returns two values:
■

■

USED_BYTES: The actual bytes used by the data, including overhead for block
metadata, PCT_FREE space, and so forth.
ALLOC_BYTES: The amount of space anticipated to be allocated for the object taking
into account the tablespace extent characteristics.
The default size of the first extent of any new segment for a
partitioned table is 8 MB instead of 64 KB. This helps improve
performance of inserts and queries on partitioned tables. Although
partitioned tables will start with a larger initial size, once sufficient
data is inserted, the space consumption will be the same as in
previous releases. You can override this default by setting the INITIAL
size in the storage clause for the table. This new default only applies to
table partitions and LOB partitions.
Note:

Estimating the Space Use of an Index
The CREATE_INDEX_COST procedure of the DBMS_SPACE package lets you estimate the
space use cost of creating an index on an existing table.
The procedure requires as input the following values:
■

■

DDL: The CREATE INDEX statement that would create the index. The table specified
in this DDL statement must be an existing table.
[Optional] PLAN_TABLE: The name of the plan table to use. The default is NULL.

The results returned by this procedure depend on statistics gathered on the segment.
Therefore, be sure to obtain statistics shortly before executing this procedure. In the
absence of recent statistics, the procedure does not issue an error, but it may return
inappropriate results. The procedure returns the following values:
■

USED_BYTES: The number of bytes representing the actual index data.

■

ALLOC_BYTES: The amount of space allocated for the index in the tablespace.

Obtaining Object Growth Trends
The OBJECT_GROWTH_TREND function of the DBMS_SPACE package produces a table of one
or more rows, where each row describes the space use of the object at a specific time.
The function retrieves the space use totals from the Automatic Workload Repository or
computes current space use and combines it with historic space use changes retrieved
from Automatic Workload Repository. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for detailed information on the parameters of this function.
Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-33

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

The function requires as input the following values:
■

OBJECT_OWNER: The owner of the object.

■

OBJECT_NAME: The name of the object.

■

■
■

■

■

■

PARTITION_NAME: The name of the table or index partition, is relevant. Specify NULL
otherwise.
OBJECT_TYPE: The type of the object.
START_TIME: A TIMESTAMP value indicating the beginning of the growth trend
analysis.
END_TIME: A TIMESTAMP value indicating the end of the growth trend analysis. The
default is "NOW".
INTERVAL: The length in minutes of the reporting interval during which the
function should retrieve space use information.
SKIP_INTERPOLATED: Determines whether the function should omit values based
on recorded statistics before and after the INTERVAL ('YES') or not ('NO'). This setting
is useful when the result table will be displayed as a table rather than a chart,
because you can see more clearly how the actual recording interval relates to the
requested reporting interval.

The function returns a table, each of row of which provides space use information on
the object for one interval. If the return table is very large, the results are pipelined so
that another application can consume the information as it is being produced. The
output table has the following columns:
■

TIMEPOINT: A TIMESTAMP value indicating the time of the reporting interval.
Records are not produced for values of TIME that precede the oldest recorded
statistics for the object.

■
■

■

SPACE_USAGE: The number of bytes actually being used by the object data.
SPACE_ALLOC: The number of bytes allocated to the object in the tablespace at that
time.
QUALITY: A value indicating how well the requested reporting interval matches the
actual recording of statistics. This information is useful because there is no
guaranteed reporting interval for object size use statistics, and the actual reporting
interval varies over time and from object to object.
The values of the QUALITY column are:
–

GOOD: The value whenever the value of TIME is based on recorded statistics
with a recorded timestamp within 10% of the INTERVAL specified in the input
parameters.

–

INTERPOLATED: The value did not meet the criteria for GOOD, but was based on
recorded statistics before and after the value of TIME. Current in-memory
statistics can be collected across all instances in a cluster and treated as the
"recorded" value for the present time.

–

PROJECTION: The value of TIME is in the future as of the time the table was
produced. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, the rules for
recording statistics allow each instance to choose independently which objects
will be selected.

The output returned by this function is an aggregation of values recorded across
all instances in an Oracle RAC environment. Each value can be computed from a
combination of GOOD and INTERPOLATED values. The aggregate value returned is
19-34 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

marked GOOD if at least 80% of that value was derived from GOOD instance values.

Managing Space for Schema Objects

19-35

Capacity Planning for Database Objects

19-36 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

20
20

Managing Tables

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Tables

■

Guidelines for Managing Tables

■

Creating Tables

■

Loading Tables

■

Automatically Collecting Statistics on Tables

■

Altering Tables

■

Redefining Tables Online

■

Researching and Reversing Erroneous Table Changes

■

Recovering Tables Using Oracle Flashback Table

■

Dropping Tables

■

Using Flashback Drop and Managing the Recycle Bin

■

Managing Index-Organized Tables

■

Managing External Tables

■

Tables Data Dictionary Views

About Tables
Tables are the basic unit of data storage in an Oracle Database. Data is stored in rows
and columns. You define a table with a table name, such as employees, and a set of
columns. You give each column a column name, such as employee_id, last_name, and
job_id; a data type, such as VARCHAR2, DATE, or NUMBER; and a width. The width can be
predetermined by the data type, as in DATE. If columns are of the NUMBER data type,
define precision and scale instead of width. A row is a collection of column
information corresponding to a single record.
You can specify rules for each column of a table. These rules are called integrity
constraints. One example is a NOT NULL integrity constraint. This constraint forces the
column to contain a value in every row.
You can invoke Transparent Data Encryption to encrypt data before storing it. If users
attempt to circumvent the database access control mechanisms by looking inside
Oracle data files directly with operating system tools, encryption prevents these users
from viewing sensitive data.

Managing Tables 20-1

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Tables can also include virtual columns. A virtual column is like any other table
column, except that its value is derived by evaluating an expression. The expression
can include columns from the same table, constants, SQL functions, and user-defined
PL/SQL functions. You cannot explicitly write to a virtual column.
Some column types, such as LOBs, varrays, and nested tables, are stored in their own
segments. LOBs and varrays are stored in LOB segments, while nested tables are stored
in storage tables. You can specify a STORAGE clause for these segments that will
override storage parameters specified at the table level.
After you create a table, you insert rows of data using SQL statements or using an
Oracle bulk load utility. Table data can then be queried, deleted, or updated using
SQL.
See Also:
■
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of tables
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for descriptions of
Oracle Database data types
Chapter 19, "Managing Space for Schema Objects" for
guidelines for managing space for tables
Chapter 18, "Managing Schema Objects" for information on
additional aspects of managing tables, such as specifying
integrity constraints and analyzing tables
Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for a discussion of
Transparent Data Encryption

Guidelines for Managing Tables
This section describes guidelines to follow when managing tables. Following these
guidelines can make the management of your tables easier and can improve
performance when creating the table, as well as when loading, updating, and querying
the table data.
The following topics are discussed:
■

Design Tables Before Creating Them

■

Specify the Type of Table to Create

■

Specify the Location of Each Table

■

Consider Parallelizing Table Creation

■

Consider Using NOLOGGING When Creating Tables

■

Consider Using Table Compression

■

Consider Using Segment-Level and Row-Level Compression Tiering

■

Consider Using Attribute-Clustered Tables

■

Consider Using Zone Maps

■

Consider Storing Tables in the In-Memory Column Store

■

Understand Invisible Columns

■

Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data

■

Understand Deferred Segment Creation

20-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Tables

■

Estimate Table Size and Plan Accordingly

■

Restrictions to Consider When Creating Tables

Design Tables Before Creating Them
Usually, the application developer is responsible for designing the elements of an
application, including the tables. Database administrators are responsible for
establishing the attributes of the underlying tablespace that will hold the application
tables. Either the DBA or the applications developer, or both working jointly, can be
responsible for the actual creation of the tables, depending upon the practices for a
site.
Working with the application developer, consider the following guidelines when
designing tables:
■
■

Use descriptive names for tables, columns, indexes, and clusters.
Be consistent in abbreviations and in the use of singular and plural forms of table
names and columns.

■

Document the meaning of each table and its columns with the COMMENT command.

■

Normalize each table.

■

Select the appropriate data type for each column.

■

■
■

Consider whether your applications would benefit from adding one or more
virtual columns to some tables.
Define columns that allow nulls last, to conserve storage space.
Cluster tables whenever appropriate, to conserve storage space and optimize
performance of SQL statements.

Before creating a table, you should also determine whether to use integrity constraints.
Integrity constraints can be defined on the columns of a table to enforce the business
rules of your database automatically.

Specify the Type of Table to Create
Here are the types of tables that you can create:
Type of Table

Description

Ordinary
(heap-organized) table

This is the basic, general purpose type of table which is the primary
subject of this chapter. Its data is stored as an unordered collection
(heap).

Clustered table

A clustered table is a table that is part of a cluster. A cluster is a
group of tables that share the same data blocks because they share
common columns and are often used together.
Clusters and clustered tables are discussed in Chapter 22,
"Managing Clusters".

Index-organized table

Unlike an ordinary (heap-organized) table, data for an
index-organized table is stored in a B-tree index structure in a
primary key sorted manner. Besides storing the primary key
column values of an index-organized table row, each index entry in
the B-tree stores the nonkey column values as well.
Index-organized tables are discussed in "Managing
Index-Organized Tables" on page 20-90.

Managing Tables 20-3

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Type of Table

Description

Partitioned table

Partitioned tables enable your data to be broken down into smaller,
more manageable pieces called partitions, or even subpartitions.
Each partition can have separate physical attributes, such as
compression enabled or disabled, type of compression, physical
storage settings, and tablespace, thus providing a structure that can
be better tuned for availability and performance. In addition, each
partition can be managed individually, which can simplify and
reduce the time required for backup and administration.
Partitioned tables are discussed in Oracle Database VLDB and
Partitioning Guide.

Specify the Location of Each Table
It is advisable to specify the TABLESPACE clause in a CREATE TABLE statement to identify
the tablespace that is to store the new table. For partitioned tables, you can optionally
identify the tablespace that is to store each partition. Ensure that you have the
appropriate privileges and quota on any tablespaces that you use. If you do not specify
a tablespace in a CREATE TABLE statement, the table is created in your default
tablespace.
When specifying the tablespace to contain a new table, ensure that you understand
implications of your selection. By properly specifying a tablespace during the creation
of each table, you can increase the performance of the database system and decrease
the time needed for database administration.
The following situations illustrate how not specifying a tablespace, or specifying an
inappropriate one, can affect performance:
■

■

If users' objects are created in the SYSTEM tablespace, the performance of the
database can suffer, since both data dictionary objects and user objects must
contend for the same data files. Users' objects should not be stored in the SYSTEM
tablespace. To avoid this, ensure that all users are assigned default tablespaces
when they are created in the database.
If application-associated tables are arbitrarily stored in various tablespaces, the
time necessary to complete administrative operations (such as backup and
recovery) for the data of that application can be increased.

Consider Parallelizing Table Creation
You can use parallel execution when creating tables using a subquery (AS SELECT) in
the CREATE TABLE statement. Because multiple processes work together to create the
table, performance of the table creation operation is improved.
Parallelizing table creation is discussed in the section "Parallelizing Table Creation" on
page 20-29.

Consider Using NOLOGGING When Creating Tables
To create a table most efficiently use the NOLOGGING clause in the CREATE TABLE...AS
SELECT statement. The NOLOGGING clause causes minimal redo information to be
generated during the table creation. This has the following benefits:
■

Space is saved in the redo log files.

■

The time it takes to create the table is decreased.

■

Performance improves for parallel creation of large tables.

20-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Tables

The NOLOGGING clause also specifies that subsequent direct loads using SQL*Loader
and direct load INSERT operations are not logged. Subsequent DML statements
(UPDATE, DELETE, and conventional path insert) are unaffected by the NOLOGGING
attribute of the table and generate redo.
If you cannot afford to lose the table after you have created it (for example, you will no
longer have access to the data used to create the table) you should take a backup
immediately after the table is created. In some situations, such as for tables that are
created for temporary use, this precaution may not be necessary.
In general, the relative performance improvement of specifying NOLOGGING is greater
for larger tables than for smaller tables. For small tables, NOLOGGING has little effect on
the time it takes to create a table. However, for larger tables the performance
improvement can be significant, especially when also parallelizing the table creation.

Consider Using Table Compression
As your database grows in size, consider using table compression. Compression saves
disk space, reduces memory use in the database buffer cache, and can significantly
speed query execution during reads. Compression has a cost in CPU overhead for data
loading and DML. However, this cost is offset by reduced I/O requirements. Because
compressed table data stays compressed in memory, compression can also improve
performance for DML operations, as more rows can fit in the database buffer cache
(and flash cache if it is enabled).
Table compression is completely transparent to applications. It is useful in decision
support systems (DSS), online transaction processing (OLTP) systems, and archival
systems.
You can specify compression for a tablespace, a table, or a partition. If specified at the
tablespace level, then all tables created in that tablespace are compressed by default.
Oracle Database supports several methods of table compression. They are summarized
in Table 20–1.
Table 20–1

Table Compression Methods

Table Compression Method

Compression
Level

CPU
Overhead

Applications

Notes

Basic table compression

High

Minimal

DSS

None.

Advanced row compression

High

Minimal

OLTP, DSS

None.

Warehouse compression
(Hybrid Columnar
Compression)

Higher

Higher

DSS

The compression level and
CPU overhead depend on
compression level specified
(LOW or HIGH).

Archive compression (Hybrid
Columnar Compression)

Highest

Highest

Archiving

The compression level and
CPU overhead depend on
compression level specified
(LOW or HIGH).

When you use basic table compression, warehouse compression, or archive
compression, compression only occurs when data is bulk loaded into a table.
When you use advanced row compression, compression occurs while data is being
inserted, updated, or bulk loaded into a table. Operations that permit compression
include:
■

Single-row or array inserts and updates

Managing Tables 20-5

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Inserts and updates are not compressed immediately. When updating an already
compressed block, any columns that are not updated usually remain compressed.
Updated columns are stored in an uncompressed format similar to any
uncompressed block. The updated values are re-compressed when the block
reaches a database-controlled threshold. Inserted data is also compressed when
the data in the block reaches a database-controlled threshold.
■

The following direct-path INSERT methods:
–

Direct path SQL*Loader

–

CREATE TABLE AS SELECT statements

–

Parallel INSERT statements

–

INSERT statements with an APPEND or APPEND_VALUES hint

Basic table compression compresses data inserted by direct path load only and
supports limited data types and SQL operations. Advanced row compression is
intended for OLTP applications and compresses data manipulated by any SQL
operation.
Warehouse compression and archive compression achieve the highest compression
levels because they use Hybrid Columnar Compression technology. Hybrid Columnar
Compression technology uses a modified form of columnar storage instead of
row-major storage. This enables the database to store similar data together, which
improves the effectiveness of compression algorithms. For data that is updated,
Hybrid Columnar Compression uses more CPU and moves the updated rows to row
format so that future updates are faster. Because of this optimization, you should use it
only for data that is updated infrequently.
The higher compression levels of Hybrid Columnar Compression are achieved only
with data that is direct-path inserted. Conventional inserts and updates are supported,
but cause rows to be moved from columnar to row format, and reduce the
compression level. You can use Automatic Data Optimization (ADO) policies to move
these rows back to the desired level of Hybrid Columnar Compression automatically.
Regardless of the compression method, DELETE operations on a compressed block are
identical to DELETE operations on a non-compressed block. Any space obtained on a
data block, caused by SQL DELETE operations, is reused by subsequent SQL INSERT
operations. With Hybrid Columnar Compression technology, when all the rows in a
compression unit are deleted, the space in the compression unit is available for reuse.
Table 20–2 lists characteristics of each table compression method.

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Table 20–2

Table Compression Characteristics

CREATE/ALTER
Table Compression Method TABLE Syntax

Direct-Path
INSERT

Basic table compression

Rows are
compressed with
basic table
compression.

ROW STORE COMPRESS and ROW STORE
COMPRESS BASIC are equivalent.

ROW STORE COMPRESS
[BASIC]

Notes

Rows inserted without using
direct-path insert and updated rows
are uncompressed.

Advanced row compression

ROW STORE COMPRESS
ADVANCED

Rows are
compressed with
advanced row
compression.

Rows inserted with or without using
direct-path insert and updated rows
are compressed using advanced row
compression.

Warehouse compression
(Hybrid Columnar
Compression)

COLUMN STORE
COMPRESS FOR QUERY
[LOW|HIGH]

Rows are
compressed with
warehouse
compression.

This compression method can result
in high CPU overhead.

Archive compression (Hybrid COLUMN STORE
COMPRESS FOR
Columnar Compression)
ARCHIVE [LOW|HIGH]

Rows are
compressed with
archive
compression.

This compression method can result
in high CPU overhead.

Updated rows and rows inserted
without using direct-path insert are
stored in row format instead of
column format, and thus have a
lower compression level.

Updated rows and rows inserted
without using direct-path insert are
stored in row format instead of
column format, and thus have a
lower compression level.

You specify table compression with the COMPRESS clause of the CREATE TABLE statement.
You can enable compression for an existing table by using these clauses in an ALTER
TABLE statement. In this case, only data that is inserted or updated after compression is
enabled is compressed. Using the ALTER TABLE MOVE statement also enables
compression for data that is inserted and updated, but it compresses existing data as
well. Similarly, you can disable table compression for an existing compressed table
with the ALTER TABLE...NOCOMPRESS statement. In this case, all data that was already
compressed remains compressed, and new data is inserted uncompressed.
The COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY HIGH option is the default data warehouse
compression mode. It provides good compression and performance when using
Hybrid Columnar Compression on Exadata storage. The COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR
QUERY LOW option should be used in environments where load performance is critical.
It loads faster than data compressed with the COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY
HIGH option.
The COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE LOW option is the default archive
compression mode. It provides a high compression level and is ideal for
infrequently-accessed data. The COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE HIGH option
should be used for data that is rarely accessed.
A compression advisor, provided by the DBMS_COMPRESSION package, helps you
determine the expected compression level for a particular table with a particular
compression method.
Hybrid Columnar Compression is dependent on the
underlying storage system. See Oracle Database Licensing Information
for more information.

Note:

Managing Tables 20-7

Guidelines for Managing Tables

See Also:
■

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of table compression

■

"Compressed Tablespaces" on page 13-8

Examples Related to Table Compression
The following examples are related to table compression:
■

Example 20–1, "Creating a Table with Advanced Row Compression"

■

Example 20–2, "Creating a Table with Basic Table Compression"

■

Example 20–3, "Using Direct-Path Insert to Insert Rows Into a Table"

■

Example 20–4, "Creating a Table with Warehouse Compression"

■

Example 20–5, "Creating a Table with Archive Compression"

Example 20–1

Creating a Table with Advanced Row Compression

The following example enables advanced row compression on the table orders:
CREATE TABLE orders

...

ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED;

Data for the orders table is compressed during both direct-path INSERT and
conventional DML.
Example 20–2

Creating a Table with Basic Table Compression

The following statements, which are equivalent, enable basic table compression on the
sales_history table, which is a fact table in a data warehouse:
CREATE TABLE sales_history

...

ROW STORE COMPRESS BASIC;

CREATE TABLE sales_history

...

ROW STORE COMPRESS;

Frequent queries are run against this table, but no DML is expected.
Example 20–3

Using Direct-Path Insert to Insert Rows Into a Table

This example demonstrates using the APPEND hint to insert rows into the sales_
history table using direct-path INSERT.
INSERT /*+ APPEND */ INTO sales_history SELECT * FROM sales WHERE cust_id=8890;
COMMIT;

Example 20–4

Creating a Table with Warehouse Compression

This example enables Hybrid Columnar Compression on the table sales_history:
CREATE TABLE sales_history

...

COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY;

The table is created with the default COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY HIGH option.
This option provides a higher level of compression than basic table compression or
advanced row compression. It works well when frequent queries are run against this
table and no DML is expected.
Example 20–5

Creating a Table with Archive Compression

The following example enables Hybrid Columnar Compression on the table sales_
history:

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Guidelines for Managing Tables

CREATE TABLE sales_history

...

COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE;

The table is created with the default COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE LOW
option. This option provides a higher level of compression than basic, advanced row,
or warehouse compression. It works well when load performance is critical and data is
accessed infrequently. The default COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE LOW option
provides a lower level of compression than the COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE
HIGH option.

Compression and Partitioned Tables
A table can have both compressed and uncompressed partitions, and different
partitions can use different compression methods. If the compression settings for a
table and one of its partitions do not match, then the partition setting has precedence
for the partition.
To change the compression method for a partition, do one of the following:
■

■

To change the compression method for new data only, use ALTER TABLE ... MODIFY
PARTITION ... COMPRESS ...
To change the compression method for both new and existing data, use either
ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION ... COMPRESS ... or online table redefinition.

When you execute these statements, specify the compression method. For example,
run the following statement to change the compression method to advanced row
compression for both new and existing data:
ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION ... ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED...

Determining If a Table Is Compressed
In the *_TABLES data dictionary views, compressed tables have ENABLED in the
COMPRESSION column. For partitioned tables, this column is null, and the COMPRESSION
column of the *_TAB_PARTITIONS views indicates the partitions that are compressed. In
addition, the COMPRESS_FOR column indicates the compression method in use for the
table or partition.
SQL> SELECT table_name, compression, compress_for FROM user_tables;
TABLE_NAME
---------------T1
T2
T3
T4
T5

COMPRESSION
-----------DISABLED
ENABLED
ENABLED
ENABLED
ENABLED

COMPRESS_FOR
----------------BASIC
ADVANCED
QUERY HIGH
ARCHIVE LOW

SQL> SELECT table_name, partition_name, compression, compress_for
FROM user_tab_partitions;
TABLE_NAME
----------SALES
...
SALES
SALES
SALES
SALES

PARTITION_NAME
COMPRESSION
---------------- ----------Q4_2004
ENABLED

COMPRESS_FOR
-----------------------------ARCHIVE HIGH

Q3_2008
Q4_2008
Q1_2009
Q2_2009

QUERY HIGH
QUERY HIGH
ADVANCED
ADVANCED

ENABLED
ENABLED
ENABLED
ENABLED

Managing Tables 20-9

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Determining Which Rows Are Compressed
To determine the compression level of a row, use the GET_COMPRESSION_TYPE function
in the DBMS_COMPRESSION package.
For example, the following query returns the compression type for a row in the
hr.employees table:
SELECT DECODE(DBMS_COMPRESSION.GET_COMPRESSION_TYPE(
ownname
=> 'HR',
objname
=> 'EMPLOYEES',
subobjname => '',
row_id
=> 'AAAVEIAAGAAAABTAAD'),
1, 'No Compression',
2, 'Advanced Row Compression',
4, 'Hybrid Columnar Compression for Query High',
8, 'Hybrid Columnar Compression for Query Low',
16, 'Hybrid Columnar Compression for Archive High',
32, 'Hybrid Columnar Compression for Archive Low',
4096, 'Basic Table Compression',
'Unknown Compression Type') compression_type
FROM DUAL;

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
additional information about GET_COMPRESSION_TYPE

Changing the Compression Level
You can change the compression level for a partition, table, or tablespace. For example,
suppose a company uses warehouse compression for its sales data, but sales data older
than six months is rarely accessed. If the sales data is stored in a table that is
partitioned based on the age of the data, then the compression level for the older data
can be changed to archive compression to free disk space.
To change the compression level for a partition or subpartition, you can use the
following statements:
■

ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION ... ONLINE

■

ALTER TABLE ... MOVE SUBPARTITION ... ONLINE

These two statements support the ONLINE keyword, which enables DML operations to
run uninterrupted on the partition or subpartition that is being moved. These
statements also automatically keep all the indexes updated while the partition or
subpartition is being moved. You can also use the ALTER TABLE...MODIFY PARTITION
statement or online redefinition to change the compression level for a partition.
If a table is not partitioned, then you can use the ALTER TABLE...MOVE...COMPRESS
FOR... statement to change the compression level. The ALTER TABLE...MOVE statement
does not permit DML statements against the table while the command is running.
However, you can also use online redefinition to compress a table, which keeps the
table available for queries and DML statements during the redefinition.
To change the compression level for a tablespace, use the ALTER TABLESPACE statement.

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See Also:
■

■
■

"Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42
for additional information about the ALTER TABLE command
"Redefining Tables Online" on page 20-49
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for additional
information about the DBMS_REDEFINITION package

Adding and Dropping Columns in Compressed Tables
The following restrictions apply when adding columns to compressed tables:
■
■

Basic table compression: You cannot specify a default value for an added column.
Advanced row compression, warehouse compression, and archive compression: If
a default value is specified for an added column and the table is already
populated, then the conditions for optimized add column behavior must be met.
These conditions are described in Oracle Database SQL Language Reference.

The following restrictions apply when dropping columns in compressed tables:
■
■

Basic table compression: Dropping a column is not supported.
Advanced row compression, warehouse compression, and archive compression:
DROP COLUMN is supported, but internally the database sets the column UNUSED to
avoid long-running decompression and recompression operations.

Exporting and Importing Hybrid Columnar Compression Tables
Hybrid Columnar Compression tables can be imported using the impdp command of
the Data Pump Import utility. By default, the impdp command preserves the table
properties, and the imported table is a Hybrid Columnar Compression table. On
tablespaces not supporting Hybrid Columnar Compression, the impdp command fails
with an error. The tables can also be exported using the expdp command.
You can import the Hybrid Columnar Compression table as an uncompressed table
using the TRANSFORM=SEGMENT_ATTRIBUTES:n option clause of the impdp command.
An uncompressed or advanced row-compressed table can be converted to Hybrid
Columnar Compression format during import. To convert a non-Hybrid Columnar
Compression table to a Hybrid Columnar Compression table, do the following:
1.

Specify default compression for the tablespace using the ALTER TABLESPACE ...
SET DEFAULT COMPRESS command.

2.

Override the SEGMENT_ATTRIBUTES option of the imported table during import.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Utilities for additional information about the Data
Pump Import utility
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for additional information
about the ALTER TABLESPACE command

Restoring a Hybrid Columnar Compression Table
There may be times when a Hybrid Columnar Compression table must be restored
from a backup. The table can be restored to a system that supports Hybrid Columnar
Compression, or to a system that does not support Hybrid Columnar Compression.
When restoring a table with Hybrid Columnar Compression to a system that supports

Managing Tables

20-11

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Hybrid Columnar Compression, restore the file using Oracle Recovery Manager
(RMAN) as usual.
When a Hybrid Columnar Compression table is restored to a system that does not
support Hybrid Columnar Compression, you must convert the table from Hybrid
Columnar Compression to advanced row compression or an uncompressed format. To
restore the table, do the following:
1.

Ensure there is sufficient storage in environment to hold the data in uncompressed
or advanced row compression format.

2.

Use RMAN to restore the Hybrid Columnar Compression tablespace.

3.

Complete one of the following actions to convert the table from Hybrid Columnar
Compression to advanced row compression or an uncompressed format:
■

Use the following statement to change the data compression from Hybrid
Columnar Compression to ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED:
ALTER TABLE table_name MOVE ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED;

■

Use the following statement to change the data compression from Hybrid
Columnar Compression to NOCOMPRESS:
ALTER TABLE table_name MOVE NOCOMPRESS;

■

Use the following statement to change each partition to NOCOMPRESS:
ALTER TABLE table_name MOVE PARTITION partition_name NOCOMPRESS;

Change each partition separately.
If DML is required on the partition while it is being moved, then include the
ONLINE keyword:
ALTER TABLE table_name MOVE PARTITION partition_name NOCOMPRESS ONLINE;

Moving a partition online might take longer than moving a partition offline.
■

Use the following statement to move the data to NOCOMPRESS in parallel:
ALTER TABLE table_name MOVE NOCOMPRESS PARALLEL;

See ALso:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for additional
information about RMAN
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for additional information
about the ALTER TABLE command

Notes and Restrictions for Compressed Tables
The following are notes and restrictions related to compressed tables:
■

Online segment shrink is not supported for tables compressed with the following
compression methods:
–

Basic table compression using ROW STORE COMPRESS BASIC

–

Warehouse compression using COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY

–

Archive compression using COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE

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■

■

■

The table compression methods described in this section do not apply to
SecureFiles large objects (LOBs). SecureFiles LOBs have their own compression
methods. See Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide for
more information.
Compression technology uses CPU. Ensure that you have enough available CPU
to handle the additional load.
Tables created with basic table compression have the PCT_FREE parameter
automatically set to 0 unless you specify otherwise.

Packing Compressed Tables
If you use conventional DML on a table compressed with basic table compression or
Hybrid Columnar Compression, then all inserted and updated rows are stored
uncompressed or in a less-compressed format. To "pack" the compressed table so that
these rows are compressed, use an ALTER TABLE MOVE statement. This operation takes
an exclusive lock on the table, and therefore prevents any updates and loads until it
completes. If this is not acceptable, then you can use online table redefinition.
When you move a partition or subpartition, you can use the ALTER TABLE MOVE
statement to compress the partition or subpartition while still allowing DML
operations to run interrupted on the partition or subpartition that is being moved.
See Also:
■

■

■

■
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more details on the
CREATE TABLE...COMPRESS, ALTER TABLE...COMPRESS, and ALTER
TABLE...MOVE statements, including restrictions
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more information
on table partitioning
"Improving INSERT Performance with Direct-Path INSERT" on
page 20-32
"Redefining Tables Online" on page 20-49
"Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42
for more information about moving a table, partition, or
subpartition

Managing Table Compression Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
Enterprise Manager displays several central compression pages that summarize the
compression features at the database and tablespace levels and contains links to
different compression pages. The Compression pages display summaries of the
compressed storage space at the database level and the tablespace level.
On the database level, the Compression Summary for Database page shows the total
database size (total size of all the objects, both compressed and uncompressed), the
total size of compressed objects in the database, the total size of uncompressed objects
in the database and the ratio of the total size of compressed objects to the total
database size. This provides you with a general idea on how much storage space
within a database is compressed. You can then take action based on the information
displayed.
Likewise on the tablespace level, the Compression Summary for Tablespace page
shows the total tablespace size (total size of all the objects, both compressed and
uncompressed), the total size of compressed objects in the tablespace, the total size of

Managing Tables

20-13

Guidelines for Managing Tables

uncompressed objects in the tablespace and the ratio of the total size of compressed
objects to the total tablespace size.
You can use the Compression feature to perform the following tasks:
■

■

■
■

■

View a summary of the compressed storage space for the top 100 tablespaces at the
database level or the top 100 objects at the tablespace level. You can view a
summary on how much storage space is compressed within each of top 100
tablespaces that use the most database storage, including the total size of the
tablespace, the compressed size of a tablespace, the uncompressed size of
tablespace, and the percentage of compressed storage within a tablespace. You can
the perform compression tasks based on the information displayed.
View the storage size that is compressed by each compression type for four object
types: Table, Index, LOB (Large Objects), and DBFS (Oracle Database File System).
Calculate the compression ratio for a specific object.
Compress an object (tablespace, table, partition or LOB). This allows you to save
storage space. You can run the Compression Advisor to ascertain how much space
can be saved and then perform the compression action on the object.
View compression advice from the Segment Advisor. You can access a link to the
Segment Advisor to compress segments.

Viewing the Compression Summary at the Database Level
You can view the Compression Summary information at the database level using the
following steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.

2.

You can view the summary information about the storage compression at the
database level, including in the Space Usage section the total database size, the
total size of compressed objects in the database, and the ratio of the total size of
compressed objects to the total database size, and the uncompressed objects size.
Similar information for segment counts is also shown here in the Segment Count
section.

3.

You can view the storage size that is used by each compression type for four object
types: Table, Index, LOB (Large Objects), and DBFS (Oracle Database File System).
Clicking each color in the chart displays a Compression Summary of Segments
page, which shows compression information for the top 100 segments by size in
the database for a particular object type and compression type.

Viewing the Compression Summary at the Tablespace Level
You can view the Compression Summary information at the tablespace level using the
following steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.

2.

In the Top 100 Permanent Tablespaces by Size table, click on the row for the
tablespace for which you want to view the compression summary.

3.

Click Show Compression Details.

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Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Objects in
Tablespace page. From this page, you can view the total tablespace size, the total
size of compressed objects in the tablespace, the ratio of the total size of
compressed objects to the total tablespace size, and the uncompressed objects size
in a tablespace.
You can also view the compressed tablespace storage size by each compression
type for four object types: Table, Index, LOB and DBFS. Clicking each color in the
chart displays the Compression Summary of Segments dialog box, which shows
compression information for the top 100 segments by size in the tablespace for a
particular object type and compression type.
Finally, you can view the compression summary for each of the top 100 segments
that use the most tablespace storage.

Estimating the Compression Ratio
You can run the Compression Advisor to calculate the compression ratio for a specific
object using the following steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.

2.

From the Top 100 Permanent Tablespaces by Size table, select a tablespace and
click Show Compression Details to view the compression details for the selected
tablespace.
Enterprise Manager displays the Top 100 Objects By Size table.

3.

Select an object and click Estimate Compression Ratio for the object.
Enterprise Manager displays the Estimate Compression Ratio dialog box. Enter the
following information:
■

■

■
■

■

■

Under the Input Parameters section, enter or select a Temporary Scratch
Tablespace. You can enter the name directly or you can choose from the list
that appears when you click the icon.
Enter the Compression Type. You can choose from Basic, Advanced, Query
Low, Query High, Archive Low, or Archive High. For HCC compression types
(Query Low, Query High, Archive Low, or Archive High.), be sure the table
contains at lease one million rows.
In the Schedule Job section, enter the Name of the job and a Description.
In the Schedule section, enter the job information such as when to Start,
whether or not to Repeat the job, whether or not there should be a Grace
Period, and Duration information.
Enter the Database Credentials and the Host Credentials in their respective
sections.
Click OK.

The job runs either immediately or is scheduled, and you are returned to the
Compression Summary for Top 100 Objects in Tablespace page.

Compressing an Object
You can compress an object such as a table by using the following steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.

Managing Tables

20-15

Guidelines for Managing Tables

Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.
2.

From the Top 100 Permanent Tablespaces by Size table, select a tablespace and
click Show Compression Details to view Compression details for the selected
tablespace.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Objects in
Tablespace page.

3.

Choose an object, such as a table, and click Compress to compress the object.

Viewing Compression Advice
You can view compression advice from the Segment Advisor and enact actions based
on them by using the following steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.

2.

In the Compression Advice section, click the number that displays in the Segments
with Compression Advice field.
Enterprise Manager displays the Segment Advisor Recommendations page. You
can use the Automatic Segment Advisor job to detect segment issues within
maintenance windows. The recommendations are derived from the most recent
runs of automatic and user-scheduled segment advisor jobs.

Initiating Automatic Data Optimization on an Object
To initiate Automatic Data Optimization on an object, follow these steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Storage, then select Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Tablespaces
page.

2.

From the Top 100 Permanent Tablespaces by Size table, select a tablespace and
click Show Compression Details to view the compression details for the selected
tablespace.
Enterprise Manager displays the Compression Summary for Top 100 Objects in
Tablespace page.

3.

From the Top 100 Objects by Size table, select an object and click Automatic Data
Compression.
Enterprise Manager displays the Edit page for the object where you can initiate
Automatic Data Optimization on the object.

Consider Using Segment-Level and Row-Level Compression Tiering
Segment-level compression tiering enables you to specify compression at the segment
level within a table. Row-level compression tiering enables you to specify compression
at the row level within a table. You can use a combination of these on the same table
for fine-grained control over how the data in the table is stored and managed.
As user modifications to segments and rows change over time, it is often beneficial to
change the compression level for them. For example, some segments and rows might
be modified often for a short period of time after they are added to the database, but
modifications might become less frequent over time.

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You can use compression tiering to specify which segments and rows are compressed
based on rules. For example, you can specify that rows that have not been modified in
two weeks are compressed with advanced row compression. You can also specify that
segments that have not been modified in six months are compressed with warehouse
compression.
The following prerequisites must be met before you can use segment-level and
row-level compression tiering:
■

The HEAT_MAP initialization parameter must be set to ON.

■

The COMPATIBLE initialization parameter must be set to 12.0.0 or higher.

To use segment-level compression tiering or row-level compression tiering, execute
one of the following SQL statements and include an Automatic Data Optimization
(ADO) policy that specifies the rules:
■

CREATE TABLE

■

ALTER TABLE

Example 20–6

Row-Level Compression Tiering

This example specifies row-level compression tiering for the oe.orders table. Oracle
Database compresses rows using advanced row compression after 14 days with no
modifications.
ALTER TABLE oe.orders ILM ADD POLICY
ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED
ROW
AFTER 14 DAYS OF NO MODIFICATION;
Example 20–7

Segment-Level Compression Tiering

This example specifies segment-level compression tiering for the oe.order_items
table. Oracle Database compresses segments using warehouse (ARCHIVE HIGH)
compression after six months with no modifications to any rows in the segment and
no queries accessing any rows in the segment.
ALTER TABLE oe.order_items ILM ADD POLICY
COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR ARCHIVE HIGH
SEGMENT
AFTER 6 MONTHS OF NO ACCESS;

See Also:
■

■

"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5 for information
about different compression levels
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more information
about segment-level and row-level compression tiering

Consider Using Attribute-Clustered Tables
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

Managing Tables

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Guidelines for Managing Tables

An attribute-clustered table is a heap-organized table that stores data in close
proximity on disk based on user-specified clustering directives. The directives are as
follows:
■

The CLUSTERING ... BY LINEAR ORDER directive orders data in a table according to
specified columns.
BY LINEAR ORDER clustering, which is the default, is best when queries qualify the
prefix of columns specified in the clustering clause. For example, if queries of
sh.sales often specify either a customer ID or both customer ID and product ID,
then you could cluster data in the table using the linear column order cust_id,
prod_id. Note that the specified columns can be in multiple tables.

■

The CLUSTERING ... BY INTERLEAVED ORDER directive orders data in one or more
tables using a special algorithm, similar to a z-order function, that permits
multicolumn I/O reduction.
BY INTERLEAVED ORDER clustering is best when queries specify a variety of column
combinations. The columns can be in one or more tables. For example, if queries of
sh.sales specify different dimensions in different orders, then you could cluster
data in the sales table according to columns in these dimensions.

Attribute clustering is available for the following types of operations:
■

Direct-path INSERT
See "Improving INSERT Performance with Direct-Path INSERT" on page 20-32.

■

Online redefinition
See "Redefining Tables Online" on page 20-49.

■

Data movement operations, such as ALTER TABLE ... MOVE operations
See "Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42.

■

Partition maintenance operations that create new segments, such as ALTER TABLE
... MERGE PARTITION operations
See Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide.

Attribute clustering is ignored for conventional DML.
An attribute-clustered table has the following advantages:
■

■

■
■

More optimized single block I/O is possible for table lookups when attribute
clustering is aligned with common index access. For example, optimized I/O is
possible for an index range scan on the leading column you chose for attribute
clustering.
Data ordering enables more optimal pruning for Exadata storage indexes and
in-memory min/max pruning.
You can cluster fact tables based on joined attributes from other tables.
Attribute clustering can improve data compression and in this way indirectly
improve table scan costs. When the same values are close to each other on disk, the
database can more easily compress them.

Attribute-clustered tables are often used in data warehousing environments, but they
are useful in any environment that can benefit from these advantages. Use the
CLUSTERING clause in a CREATE TABLE SQL statement to create an attribute-clustered
table.

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See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for conceptual information about
attribute-clustered tables
Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide for information about
using attribute-clustered tables
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Consider Using Zone Maps
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

A zone is a set of contiguous data blocks on disk. A zone map tracks the minimum and
maximum of specified columns for all individual zones.
When a SQL statement contains predicates on columns stored in a zone map, the
database compares the predicate values to the minimum and maximum stored in the
zone to determine which zones to read during SQL execution. The primary benefit of
zone maps is I/O reduction for table scans. I/O is reduced by skipping table blocks
that are not needed in the query result. Use the CREATE MATERIALIZED ZONEMAP SQL
statement to create a zone map.
Whenever attribute clustering is specified on a table, you can automatically create a
zone map on the clustered columns. Due to clustering, minimum and maximum
values of the columns are correlated with consecutive data blocks in the
attribute-clustered table, which allows for more effective I/O pruning using the
associated zone map.
Note: Zone maps and attribute-clustered tables can be used together
or separately.

See Also:
■
■

■

■

"Consider Using Attribute-Clustered Tables" on page 20-17
Oracle Database Concepts for conceptual information about zone
maps
Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide for information about
using zone maps
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the
CREATE MATERIALIZED ZONEMAP statement

Consider Storing Tables in the In-Memory Column Store
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The In-Memory Column Store is an optional portion of the system global area (SGA)
that stores copies of tables, table partitions, and other database objects that is
Managing Tables

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Guidelines for Managing Tables

optimized for rapid scans. In the In-Memory Column Store, table data is stored by
column rather than row in the SGA.
See Also:
■

"Using the In-Memory Column Store" on page 6-27

■

Oracle Database Concepts

Understand Invisible Columns
You can make individual table columns invisible. Any generic access of a table does
not show the invisible columns in the table. For example, the following operations do
not display invisible columns in the output:
■

SELECT * FROM statements in SQL

■

DESCRIBE commands in SQL*Plus

■

%ROWTYPE attribute declarations in PL/SQL

■

Describes in Oracle Call Interface (OCI)

You can use a SELECT statement to display output for an invisible column only if you
explicitly specify the invisible column in the column list. Similarly, you can insert a
value into an invisible column only if you explicitly specify the invisible column in the
column list for the INSERT statement. If you omit the column list in the INSERT
statement, then the statement can only insert values into visible columns.
You can make a column invisible during table creation or when you add a column to a
table, and you can later alter the table to make the same column visible. You can also
alter a table to make a visible column invisible.
You might use invisible columns if you want to make changes to a table without
disrupting applications that use the table. After you add an invisible column to a table,
queries and other operations that must access the invisible column must refer to the
column explicitly by name. When you migrate the application to account for the
invisible columns, you can make the invisible columns visible.
Virtual columns can be invisible. Also, you can use an invisible column as a
partitioning key during table creation.
The following restrictions apply to invisible columns:
■

■

The following types of tables cannot have invisible columns:
–

External tables

–

Cluster tables

–

Temporary tables

Attributes of user-defined types cannot be invisible.
Invisible columns are not the same as system-generated
hidden columns. You can make invisible columns visible, but you
cannot make hidden columns visible.

Note:

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See Also:
■

"Creating Tables" on page 20-26

■

"Adding Table Columns" on page 20-45

■

"Modifying an Existing Column Definition" on page 20-45

Invisible Columns and Column Ordering
The database usually stores columns in the order in which they were listed in the
CREATE TABLE statement. If you add a new column to a table, then the new column
becomes the last column in the table’s column order.
When a table contains one or more invisible columns, the invisible columns are not
included in the column order for the table. Column ordering is important when all of
the columns in a table are accessed. For example, a SELECT * FROM statement displays
columns in the table’s column order. Because invisible columns are not included in this
type of generic access of a table, they are not included in the column order.
When you make an invisible column visible, the column is included in the table’s
column order as the last column. When you make a visible column invisible, the
invisible column is not included in the column order, and the order of the visible
columns in the table might be re-arranged.
For example, consider the following table with an invisible column:
CREATE TABLE mytable (a INT, b INT INVISIBLE, c INT);

Because column b is invisible, this table has the following column order:
Column

Column Order

a

1

c

2

Next, make column b visible:
ALTER TABLE mytable MODIFY (b VISIBLE);

When you make column b visible, it becomes the last column in the table’s column
order. Therefore, the table has the following column order:
Column

Column Order

a

1

c

2

b

3

Consider another example that illustrates column ordering in tables with invisible
columns. The following table does not contain any invisible columns:
CREATE TABLE mytable2 (x INT, y INT, z INT);

This table has the following column order:
Column

Column Order

x

1

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Guidelines for Managing Tables

Column

Column Order

y

2

z

3

Next, make column y invisible:
ALTER TABLE mytable2 MODIFY (y INVISIBLE);

When you make column y invisible, column y is no longer included in the table’s
column order, and it changes the column order of column z. Therefore, the table has
the following column order:
Column

Column Order

x

1

z

2

Make column y visible again:
ALTER TABLE mytable2 MODIFY (y VISIBLE);

Column y is now last in the table’s column order:
Column

Column Order

x

1

z

2

y

3

Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data
You can encrypt individual table columns that contain sensitive data. Examples of
sensitive data include social security numbers, credit card numbers, and medical
records. Column encryption is transparent to your applications, with some restrictions.
Although encryption is not meant to solve all security problems, it does protect your
data from users who try to circumvent the security features of the database and access
database files directly through the operating system file system.
Column encryption uses the Transparent Data Encryption feature of Oracle Database,
which requires that you create a keystore to store the master encryption key for the
database. The keystore must be open before you can create a table with encrypted
columns and before you can store or retrieve encrypted data. When you open the
keystore, it is available to all sessions, and it remains open until you explicitly close it
or until the database is shut down.
Transparent Data Encryption supports industry-standard encryption algorithms,
including the following Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Triple Data
Encryption Standard (3DES) algorithms:
■

AES256

■

AES192

■

AES128

■

3DES168

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You choose the algorithm to use when you create the table. All encrypted columns in
the table use the same algorithm. The default is AES192. The encryption key length is
implied by the algorithm name. For example, the AES128 algorithm uses 128-bit keys.
If you plan on encrypting many columns in one or more tables, you may want to
consider encrypting an entire tablespace instead and storing these tables in that
tablespace. Tablespace encryption, which also uses the Transparent Data Encryption
feature but encrypts at the physical block level, can perform better than encrypting
many columns. Another reason to encrypt at the tablespace level is to address the
following limitations of column encryption:
■

■

■

Certain data types, such as object data types, are not supported for column
encryption.
You cannot use the transportable tablespace feature for a tablespace that includes
tables with encrypted columns.
Other restrictions, which are detailed in Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide.
See Also:
■

"Encrypted Tablespaces" on page 13-8

■

"Example: Creating a Table" on page 20-27

■

■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for more information
about Transparent Data Encryption
Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's Guide for
instructions for creating and opening keystores
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the
CREATE TABLE statement
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information on using a keystore in an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment
"Transporting Tablespaces Between Databases" on page 15-23

Understand Deferred Segment Creation
When you create heap-organized tables in a locally managed tablespace, the database
defers table segment creation until the first row is inserted.
In addition, segment creation is deferred for any LOB columns of the table, any
indexes created implicitly as part of table creation, and any indexes subsequently
explicitly created on the table.
The advantages of this space allocation method are the following:
■

■

It saves a significant amount of disk space in applications that create hundreds or
thousands of tables upon installation, many of which might never be populated.
It reduces application installation time.

There is a small performance penalty when the first row is inserted, because the new
segment must be created at that time.
To enable deferred segment creation, compatibility must be set to 11.2.0 or higher.
The new clauses for the CREATE TABLE statement are:
■

SEGMENT CREATION DEFERRED

■

SEGMENT CREATION IMMEDIATE
Managing Tables

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Guidelines for Managing Tables

These clauses override the default setting of the DEFERRED_SEGMENT_CREATION
initialization parameter, TRUE, which defers segment creation. To disable deferred
segment creation, set this parameter to FALSE.
Note that when you create a table with deferred segment creation, the new table
appears in the *_TABLES views, but no entry for it appears in the *_SEGMENTS views
until you insert the first row.
You can verify deferred segment creation by viewing the SEGMENT_CREATED column in
*_TABLES, *_INDEXES, and *_LOBS views for nonpartitioned tables, and in *_TAB_
PARTITIONS, *_IND_PARTITIONS, and *_LOB_PARTITIONS views for partitioned tables.
With this new allocation method, it is essential that you do
proper capacity planning so that the database has enough disk space
to handle segment creation when tables are populated. See "Capacity
Planning for Database Objects" on page 19-32.

Note:

The following example creates two tables to demonstrate deferred segment creation.
The first table uses the SEGMENT CREATION DEFERRED clause. No segments are created for
it initially. The second table uses the SEGMENT CREATION IMMEDIATE clause and,
therefore, segments are created for it immediately.
CREATE TABLE part_time_employees (
empno NUMBER(8),
name VARCHAR2(30),
hourly_rate NUMBER (7,2)
)
SEGMENT CREATION DEFERRED;
CREATE TABLE hourly_employees (
empno NUMBER(8),
name VARCHAR2(30),
hourly_rate NUMBER (7,2)
)
SEGMENT CREATION IMMEDIATE
PARTITION BY RANGE(empno)
(PARTITION empno_to_100 VALUES LESS THAN (100),
PARTITION empno_to_200 VALUES LESS THAN (200));

The following query against USER_SEGMENTS returns two rows for HOURLY_EMPLOYEES,
one for each partition, but returns no rows for PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES because segment
creation for that table was deferred.
SELECT segment_name, partition_name FROM user_segments;
SEGMENT_NAME
-------------------HOURLY_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES

PARTITION_NAME
-----------------------------EMPNO_TO_100
EMPNO_TO_200

The USER_TABLES view shows that PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES has no segments:
SELECT table_name, segment_created FROM user_tables;
TABLE_NAME
-----------------------------PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES

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SEGMENT_CREATED
---------------------------------------NO
N/A

Guidelines for Managing Tables

For the HOURLY_EMPLOYEES table, which is partitioned, the segment_created column is
N/A because the USER_TABLES view does not provide that information for partitioned
tables. It is available from the USER_TAB_PARTITIONS view, shown below.
SELECT table_name, segment_created, partition_name
FROM user_tab_partitions;
TABLE_NAME
-------------------HOURLY_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES

SEGMENT_CREATED
-------------------YES
YES

PARTITION_NAME
-----------------------------EMPNO_TO_100
EMPNO_TO_200

The following statements add employees to these tables.
INSERT INTO hourly_employees VALUES (99, 'FRose', 20.00);
INSERT INTO hourly_employees VALUES (150, 'LRose', 25.00);
INSERT INTO part_time_employees VALUES (50, 'KReilly', 10.00);

Repeating the same SELECT statements as before shows that PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES
now has a segment, due to the insertion of row data. HOURLY_EMPLOYEES remains as
before.
SELECT segment_name, partition_name FROM user_segments;
SEGMENT_NAME
-------------------PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES

PARTITION_NAME
-----------------------------EMPNO_TO_100
EMPNO_TO_200

SELECT table_name, segment_created FROM user_tables;
TABLE_NAME
-------------------PART_TIME_EMPLOYEES
HOURLY_EMPLOYEES

SEGMENT_CREATED
-------------------YES
N/A

The USER_TAB_PARTITIONS view does not change.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for notes and
restrictions on deferred segment creation

Materializing Segments
The DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package includes the MATERIALIZE_DEFERRED_SEGMENTS()
procedure, which enables you to materialize segments for tables, table partitions, and
dependent objects created with deferred segment creation enabled.
You can add segments as needed, rather than starting with more than you need and
using database resources unnecessarily.
The following example materializes segments for the EMPLOYEES table in the HR
schema.
BEGIN
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN.MATERIALIZE_DEFERRED_SEGMENTS(
schema_name => 'HR',
table_name
=> 'EMPLOYEES');
END;

Managing Tables

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Creating Tables

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
details about this procedure

See Also:

Estimate Table Size and Plan Accordingly
Estimate the sizes of tables before creating them. Preferably, do this as part of database
planning. Knowing the sizes, and uses, for database tables is an important part of
database planning.
You can use the combined estimated size of tables, along with estimates for indexes,
undo space, and redo log files, to determine the amount of disk space that is required
to hold an intended database. From these estimates, you can make correct hardware
purchases.
You can use the estimated size and growth rate of an individual table to better
determine the attributes of a tablespace and its underlying data files that are best
suited for the table. This can enable you to more easily manage the table disk space
and improve I/O performance of applications that use the table.
See Also:

"Capacity Planning for Database Objects" on page 19-32

Restrictions to Consider When Creating Tables
Here are some restrictions that may affect your table planning and usage:
■
■

■

■

Tables containing object types cannot be imported into a pre-Oracle8 database.
You cannot merge an exported table into a preexisting table having the same name
in a different schema.
You cannot move types and extent tables to a different schema when the original
data still exists in the database.
Oracle Database has a limit on the total number of columns that a table (or
attributes that an object type) can have. See Oracle Database Reference for this limit.
Further, when you create a table that contains user-defined type data, the database
maps columns of user-defined type to relational columns for storing the
user-defined type data. This causes additional relational columns to be created.
This results in "hidden" relational columns that are not visible in a DESCRIBE table
statement and are not returned by a SELECT * statement. Therefore, when you
create an object table, or a relational table with columns of REF, varray, nested
table, or object type, be aware that the total number of columns that the database
actually creates for the table can be more than those you specify.
See Also: Oracle Database Object-Relational Developer's Guide for
more information about user-defined types

Creating Tables
To create a new table in your schema, you must have the CREATE TABLE system
privilege. To create a table in another user's schema, you must have the CREATE ANY
TABLE system privilege. Additionally, the owner of the table must have a quota for the
tablespace that contains the table, or the UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege.
Create tables using the SQL statement CREATE TABLE.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Example: Creating a Table

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■

Creating a Temporary Table

■

Parallelizing Table Creation
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for exact syntax
of the CREATE TABLE and other SQL statements discussed in this
chapter

Example: Creating a Table
When you issue the following statement, you create a table named admin_emp in the hr
schema and store it in the admin_tbs tablespace:
CREATE TABLE hr.admin_emp (
empno
NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY,
ename
VARCHAR2(15) NOT NULL,
ssn
NUMBER(9) ENCRYPT USING 'AES256',
job
VARCHAR2(10),
mgr
NUMBER(5),
hiredate
DATE DEFAULT (sysdate),
photo
BLOB,
sal
NUMBER(7,2),
hrly_rate NUMBER(7,2) GENERATED ALWAYS AS (sal/2080),
comm
NUMBER(7,2),
deptno
NUMBER(3) NOT NULL
CONSTRAINT admin_dept_fkey REFERENCES hr.departments
(department_id),
comments
VARCHAR2(32767),
status
VARCHAR2(10) INVISIBLE)
TABLESPACE admin_tbs
STORAGE ( INITIAL 50K);
COMMENT ON TABLE hr.admin_emp IS 'Enhanced employee table';

Note the following about this example:
■
■

■

■

■

■

Integrity constraints are defined on several columns of the table.
The STORAGE clause specifies the size of the first extent. See Oracle Database SQL
Language Reference for details on this clause.
Encryption is defined on one column (ssn), through the Transparent Data
Encryption feature of Oracle Database. The keystore must therefore be open for
this CREATE TABLE statement to succeed.
The photo column is of data type BLOB, which is a member of the set of data types
called large objects (LOBs). LOBs are used to store semi-structured data (such as
an XML tree) and unstructured data (such as the stream of bits in a color image).
One column is defined as a virtual column (hrly_rate). This column computes the
employee's hourly rate as the yearly salary divided by 2,080. See Oracle Database
SQL Language Reference for a discussion of rules for virtual columns.
The comments column is a VARCHAR2 column that is larger than 4000 bytes.
Beginning with Oracle Database 12c, the maximum size for the VARCHAR2,
NVARCHAR2, and RAW data types is increased to 32767 bytes.
To use extended data types, set the MAX_STRING_SIZE initialization parameter to
EXTENDED. See Oracle Database Reference for information about setting this
parameter.

■

The status column is invisible.

Managing Tables

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Creating Tables

■

A COMMENT statement is used to store a comment for the table. You query the *_
TAB_COMMENTS data dictionary views to retrieve such comments. See Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference for more information.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a description of the
data types that you can specify for table columns

■

"Managing Integrity Constraints" on page 18-10

■

"Understand Invisible Columns" on page 20-20

■

■

Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for information about
Transparent Data Encryption
Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide
for more information about LOBs.

Creating a Temporary Table
Temporary tables are useful in applications where a result set is to be buffered
(temporarily persisted), perhaps because it is constructed by running multiple DML
operations. For example, consider the following:
A Web-based airlines reservations application allows a customer to create several
optional itineraries. Each itinerary is represented by a row in a temporary table. The
application updates the rows to reflect changes in the itineraries. When the customer
decides which itinerary she wants to use, the application moves the row for that
itinerary to a persistent table.
During the session, the itinerary data is private. At the end of the session, the optional
itineraries are dropped.
The definition of a temporary table is visible to all sessions, but the data in a
temporary table is visible only to the session that inserts the data into the table.
Use the CREATE GLOBAL TEMPORARY TABLE statement to create a temporary table. The
ON COMMIT clause indicates if the data in the table is transaction-specific (the default)
or session-specific, the implications of which are as follows:
ON COMMIT Setting

Implications

DELETE ROWS

This creates a temporary table that is transaction specific. A
session becomes bound to the temporary table with a
transactions first insert into the table. The binding goes away at
the end of the transaction. The database truncates the table
(delete all rows) after each commit.

PRESERVE ROWS

This creates a temporary table that is session specific. A session
gets bound to the temporary table with the first insert into the
table in the session. This binding goes away at the end of the
session or by issuing a TRUNCATE of the table in the session. The
database truncates the table when you terminate the session.

This statement creates a temporary table that is transaction specific:
CREATE GLOBAL TEMPORARY TABLE admin_work_area
(startdate DATE,
enddate DATE,
class CHAR(20))
ON COMMIT DELETE ROWS;

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Indexes can be created on temporary tables. They are also temporary and the data in
the index has the same session or transaction scope as the data in the underlying table.
By default, rows in a temporary table are stored in the default temporary tablespace of
the user who creates it. However, you can assign a temporary table to another
tablespace upon creation of the temporary table by using the TABLESPACE clause of
CREATE GLOBAL TEMPORARY TABLE. You can use this feature to conserve space used by
temporary tables. For example, if you must perform many small temporary table
operations and the default temporary tablespace is configured for sort operations and
thus uses a large extent size, these small operations will consume lots of unnecessary
disk space. In this case it is better to allocate a second temporary tablespace with a
smaller extent size.
The following two statements create a temporary tablespace with a 64 KB extent size,
and then a new temporary table in that tablespace.
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tbs_t1
TEMPFILE 'tbs_t1.f' SIZE 50m REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON
MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL UNIFORM SIZE 64K;
CREATE GLOBAL TEMPORARY TABLE admin_work_area
(startdate DATE,
enddate DATE,
class CHAR(20))
ON COMMIT DELETE ROWS
TABLESPACE tbs_t1;

See Also:

"Temporary Tablespaces" on page 13-10

Unlike permanent tables, temporary tables and their indexes do not automatically
allocate a segment when they are created. Instead, segments are allocated when the
first INSERT (or CREATE TABLE AS SELECT) is performed. Therefore, if a SELECT, UPDATE,
or DELETE is performed before the first INSERT, then the table appears to be empty.
DDL operations (except TRUNCATE) are allowed on an existing temporary table only if
no session is currently bound to that temporary table.
If you rollback a transaction, the data you entered is lost, although the table definition
persists.
A transaction-specific temporary table allows only one transaction at a time. If there
are several autonomous transactions in a single transaction scope, each autonomous
transaction can use the table only as soon as the previous one commits.
Because the data in a temporary table is, by definition, temporary, backup and
recovery of temporary table data is not available in the event of a system failure. To
prepare for such a failure, you should develop alternative methods for preserving
temporary table data.

Parallelizing Table Creation
When you specify the AS SELECT clause to create a table and populate it with data
from another table, you can use parallel execution. The CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT
statement contains two parts: a CREATE part (DDL) and a SELECT part (query). Oracle
Database can parallelize both parts of the statement. The CREATE part is parallelized if
one of the following is true:

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Loading Tables

■

A PARALLEL clause is included in the CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT statement

■

An ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL DDL statement is specified

The query part is parallelized if all of the following are true:
■

■

The query includes a parallel hint specification (PARALLEL or PARALLEL_INDEX) or
the CREATE part includes the PARALLEL clause or the schema objects referred to in
the query have a PARALLEL declaration associated with them.
At least one of the tables specified in the query requires either a full table scan or
an index range scan spanning multiple partitions.

If you parallelize the creation of a table, that table then has a parallel declaration (the
PARALLEL clause) associated with it. Any subsequent DML or queries on the table, for
which parallelization is possible, will attempt to use parallel execution.
The following simple statement parallelizes the creation of a table and stores the result
in a compressed format, using table compression:
CREATE TABLE hr.admin_emp_dept
PARALLEL COMPRESS
AS SELECT * FROM hr.employees
WHERE department_id = 10;

In this case, the PARALLEL clause tells the database to select an optimum number of
parallel execution servers when creating the table.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for detailed information
on using parallel execution
"Managing Processes for Parallel SQL Execution" on page 5-19

Loading Tables
This section describes techniques for loading data into tables. In contains the following
topics:
■

Methods for Loading Tables

■

Improving INSERT Performance with Direct-Path INSERT

■

Using Conventional Inserts to Load Tables

■

Avoiding Bulk INSERT Failures with DML Error Logging
The default size of the first extent of any new segment for a
partitioned table is 8 MB instead of 64 KB. This helps improve
performance of inserts and queries on partitioned tables. Although
partitioned tables will start with a larger initial size, once sufficient data
is inserted, the space consumption will be the same as in previous
releases. You can override this default by setting the INITIAL size in the
storage clause for the table. This new default only applies to table
partitions and LOB partitions.
Note:

Methods for Loading Tables
There are several means of inserting or initially loading data into your tables. Most
commonly used are the following:

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Method

Description

SQL*Loader

This Oracle utility program loads data from external files into
tables of an Oracle Database.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, SQL*Loader supports
express mode. SQL*Loader express mode eliminates the need
for a control file. Express mode simplifies loading data from
external files. With express mode, SQL*Loader attempts to
use the external table load method. If the external table load
method is not possible, then SQL*Loader attempts to use
direct path. If direct path is not possible, then SQL*Loader
uses conventional path.
SQL*Loader express mode automatically identifies the input
datatypes based on the table column types and controls
parallelism. SQL*Loader uses defaults to simplify usage, but
you can override many of the defaults with command line
parameters. You optionally can specify the direct path or the
conventional path load method instead of using express
mode.
For information about SQL*Loader, see Oracle Database
Utilities.

CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT
statement (CTAS)

Using this SQL statement you can create a table and populate
it with data selected from another existing table, including an
external table.

INSERT statement

The INSERT statement enables you to add rows to a table,
either by specifying the column values or by specifying a
subquery that selects data from another existing table,
including an external table.
One form of the INSERT statement enables direct-path INSERT,
which can improve performance, and is useful for bulk
loading. See "Improving INSERT Performance with
Direct-Path INSERT" on page 20-32.
If you are inserting a lot of data and want to avoid statement
termination and rollback if an error is encountered, you can
insert with DML error logging. See "Avoiding Bulk INSERT
Failures with DML Error Logging" on page 20-37.

MERGE statement

The MERGE statement enables you to insert rows into or
update rows of a table, by selecting rows from another
existing table. If a row in the new data corresponds to an item
that already exists in the table, then an UPDATE is performed,
else an INSERT is performed.

See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for details on the CREATE TABLE ... AS
SELECT, INSERT, and MERGE statements.
Only a few details and examples of inserting data into
tables are included in this book. Oracle documentation specific to
data warehousing and application development provide more
extensive information about inserting and manipulating data in
tables. See:

Note:

■

Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide

■

Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide

See Also:

"Managing External Tables" on page 20-99
Managing Tables

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Improving INSERT Performance with Direct-Path INSERT
When loading large amounts of data, you can improve load performance by using
direct-path INSERT.
This section contains:
■

About Direct-Path INSERT

■

How Direct-Path INSERT Works

■

Loading Data with Direct-Path INSERT

■

Specifying the Logging Mode for Direct-Path INSERT

■

Additional Considerations for Direct-Path INSERT

About Direct-Path INSERT
Oracle Database inserts data into a table in one of two ways:
■

■

During conventional INSERT operations, the database reuses free space in the
table, interleaving newly inserted data with existing data. During such operations,
the database also maintains referential integrity constraints.
During direct-path INSERT operations, the database appends the inserted data
after existing data in the table. Data is written directly into data files, bypassing
the buffer cache. Free space in the table is not reused, and referential integrity
constraints are ignored. Direct-path INSERT can perform significantly better than
conventional insert.

The database can insert data either in serial mode, where one process executes the
statement, or in parallel mode, where multiple processes work together
simultaneously to run a single SQL statement. The latter is referred to as parallel
execution.
The following are benefits of direct-path INSERT:
■

■

During direct-path INSERT, you can disable the logging of redo and undo entries to
reduce load time. Conventional insert operations, in contrast, must always log
such entries, because those operations reuse free space and maintain referential
integrity.
Direct-path INSERT operations ensure atomicity of the transaction, even when run
in parallel mode. Atomicity cannot be guaranteed during parallel direct path loads
(using SQL*Loader).

When performing parallel direct path loads, one notable difference between
SQL*Loader and INSERT statements is the following: If errors occur during parallel
direct path loads with SQL*Loader, the load completes, but some indexes could be
marked UNUSABLE at the end of the load. Parallel direct-path INSERT, in contrast, rolls
back the statement if errors occur during index update.

A conventional INSERT operation checks for violations of NOT
NULL constraints during the insert. Therefore, if a NOT NULL constraint is
violated for a conventional INSERT operation, then the error is
returned during the insert. A direct-path INSERT operation checks for
violations of NOT NULL constraints before the insert. Therefore, if a NOT
NULL constraint is violated for a direct-path INSERT operation, then the
error is returned before the insert.
Note:

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How Direct-Path INSERT Works
You can use direct-path INSERT on both partitioned and nonpartitioned tables.
Serial Direct-Path INSERT into Partitioned or Nonpartitioned Tables The single process inserts
data beyond the current high water mark of the table segment or of each partition
segment. (The high-water mark is the level at which blocks have never been formatted
to receive data.) When a COMMIT runs, the high-water mark is updated to the new
value, making the data visible to users.
Parallel Direct-Path INSERT into Partitioned Tables This situation is analogous to serial
direct-path INSERT. Each parallel execution server is assigned one or more partitions,
with no more than one process working on a single partition. Each parallel execution
server inserts data beyond the current high-water mark of its assigned partition
segment(s). When a COMMIT runs, the high-water mark of each partition segment is
updated to its new value, making the data visible to users.
Parallel Direct-Path INSERT into Nonpartitioned Tables Each parallel execution server
allocates a new temporary segment and inserts data into that temporary segment.
When a COMMIT runs, the parallel execution coordinator merges the new temporary
segments into the primary table segment, where it is visible to users.

Loading Data with Direct-Path INSERT
You can load data with direct-path INSERT by using direct-path INSERT SQL
statements, inserting data in parallel mode, or by using the Oracle SQL*Loader utility
in direct-path mode. A direct-path INSERT can be done in either serial or parallel mode.
Serial Mode Inserts with SQL Statements You can activate direct-path INSERT in serial
mode with SQL in the following ways:
■

■

If you are performing an INSERT with a subquery, specify the APPEND hint in each
INSERT statement, either immediately after the INSERT keyword, or immediately
after the SELECT keyword in the subquery of the INSERT statement.
If you are performing an INSERT with the VALUES clause, specify the APPEND_
VALUES hint in each INSERT statement immediately after the INSERT keyword.
Direct-path INSERT with the VALUES clause is best used when there are hundreds of
thousands or millions of rows to load. The typical usage scenario is for array
inserts using OCI. Another usage scenario might be inserts in a FORALL statement
in PL/SQL.

If you specify the APPEND hint (as opposed to the APPEND_VALUES hint) in an INSERT
statement with a VALUES clause, the APPEND hint is ignored and a conventional insert is
performed.
The following is an example of using the APPEND hint to perform a direct-path INSERT:
INSERT /*+ APPEND */ INTO sales_hist SELECT * FROM sales WHERE cust_id=8890;

The following PL/SQL code fragment is an example of using the APPEND_VALUES hint:
FORALL i IN 1..numrecords
INSERT /*+ APPEND_VALUES */ INTO orderdata
VALUES(ordernum(i), custid(i), orderdate(i),shipmode(i), paymentid(i));
COMMIT;

Parallel Mode Inserts with SQL Statements When you are inserting in parallel mode,
direct-path INSERT is the default. However, you can insert in parallel mode using
conventional INSERT by using the NOAPPEND PARALLEL hint.
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To run in parallel DML mode, the following requirements must be met:
■
■

You must have Oracle Enterprise Edition installed.
You must enable parallel DML in your session. To do this, submit the following
statement:
ALTER SESSION { ENABLE | FORCE } PARALLEL DML;

■

You must meet at least one of the following requirements:
–

Specify the parallel attribute for the target table, either at create time or
subsequently

–

Specify the PARALLEL hint for each insert operation

–

Set the database initialization parameter PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY to AUTO

To disable direct-path INSERT, specify the NOAPPEND hint in each INSERT statement.
Doing so overrides parallel DML mode.
You cannot query or modify data inserted using direct-path
INSERT immediately after the insert is complete. If you attempt to do
so, an ORA-12838 error is generated. You must first issue a COMMIT
statement before attempting to read or modify the newly-inserted
data.
Note:

See Also:
■
■

■

"Using Conventional Inserts to Load Tables" on page 20-36
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information on
using hints
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information on
the subquery syntax of INSERT statements and for additional
restrictions on using direct-path INSERT

Specifying the Logging Mode for Direct-Path INSERT
Direct-path INSERT lets you choose whether to log redo and undo information during
the insert operation.
■

■

■

You can specify logging mode for a table, partition, index, or LOB storage at create
time (in a CREATE statement) or subsequently (in an ALTER statement).
If you do not specify either LOGGING or NOLOGGING at these times:
–

The logging attribute of a partition defaults to the logging attribute of its table.

–

The logging attribute of a table or index defaults to the logging attribute of the
tablespace in which it resides.

–

The logging attribute of LOB storage defaults to LOGGING if you specify CACHE
for LOB storage. If you do not specify CACHE, then the logging attributes
defaults to that of the tablespace in which the LOB values resides.

You set the logging attribute of a tablespace in a CREATE TABLESPACE or ALTER
TABLESPACE statements.

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Note: If the database or tablespace is in FORCE LOGGING mode, then
direct-path INSERT always logs, regardless of the logging setting.

Direct-Path INSERT with Logging In this mode, Oracle Database performs full redo
logging for instance and media recovery. If the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode, then
you can archive redo logs to tape. If the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode, then you
can recover instance crashes but not disk failures.
Direct-Path INSERT without Logging In this mode, Oracle Database inserts data without
redo or undo logging. Instead, the database logs a small number of block range
invalidation redo records and periodically updates the control file with information
about the most recent direct write.
Direct-path INSERT without logging improves performance. However, if you
subsequently must perform media recovery, the invalidation redo records mark a
range of blocks as logically corrupt, because no redo data was logged for them.
Therefore, it is important that you back up the data after such an insert operation.
You can significantly improve the performance of unrecoverable direct-path inserts by
disabling the periodic update of the control files. You do so by setting the initialization
parameter DB_UNRECOVERABLE_SCN_TRACKING to FALSE. However, if you perform an
unrecoverable direct-path insert with these control file updates disabled, you will no
longer be able to accurately query the database to determine if any data files are
currently unrecoverable.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for more
information about unrecoverable data files
The section "Determining If a Backup Is Required After
Unrecoverable Operations" in Oracle Data Guard Concepts and
Administration

Additional Considerations for Direct-Path INSERT
The following are some additional considerations when using direct-path INSERT.
Compressed Tables If a table is created with the basic table compression, then you must
use direct-path INSERT to compress table data as it is loaded. If a table is created with
advanced row, warehouse, or archive compression, then best compression ratios are
achieved with direct-path INSERT.
See "Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5 for more information.
Index Maintenance with Direct-Path INSERT Oracle Database performs index maintenance
at the end of direct-path INSERT operations on tables (partitioned or nonpartitioned)
that have indexes. This index maintenance is performed by the parallel execution
servers for parallel direct-path INSERT or by the single process for serial direct-path
INSERT. You can avoid the performance impact of index maintenance by making the
index unusable before the INSERT operation and then rebuilding it afterward.
See Also:

"Making an Index Unusable" on page 21-20

Space Considerations with Direct-Path INSERT Direct-path INSERT requires more space
than conventional path INSERT.

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All serial direct-path INSERT operations, as well as parallel direct-path INSERT into
partitioned tables, insert data above the high-water mark of the affected segment. This
requires some additional space.
Parallel direct-path INSERT into nonpartitioned tables requires even more space,
because it creates a temporary segment for each degree of parallelism. If the
nonpartitioned table is not in a locally managed tablespace in automatic
segment-space management mode, you can modify the values of the NEXT and
PCTINCREASE storage parameter and MINIMUM EXTENT tablespace parameter to provide
sufficient (but not excess) storage for the temporary segments. Choose values for these
parameters so that:
■

■

The size of each extent is not too small (no less than 1 MB). This setting affects the
total number of extents in the object.
The size of each extent is not so large that the parallel INSERT results in wasted
space on segments that are larger than necessary.

After the direct-path INSERT operation is complete, you can reset these parameters to
settings more appropriate for serial operations.
Locking Considerations with Direct-Path INSERT During direct-path INSERT, the database
obtains exclusive locks on the table (or on all partitions of a partitioned table). As a
result, users cannot perform any concurrent insert, update, or delete operations on the
table, and concurrent index creation and build operations are not permitted.
Concurrent queries, however, are supported, but the query will return only the
information before the insert operation.

Using Conventional Inserts to Load Tables
During conventional INSERT operations, the database reuses free space in the table,
interleaving newly inserted data with existing data. During such operations, the
database also maintains referential integrity constraints. Unlike direct-path INSERT
operations, conventional INSERT operations do not require an exclusive lock on the
table.
Several other restrictions apply to direct-path INSERT operations that do not apply to
conventional INSERT operations. See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for
information about these restrictions.
You can perform a conventional INSERT operation in serial mode or in parallel mode
using the NOAPPEND hint.
The following is an example of using the NOAPPEND hint to perform a conventional
INSERT in serial mode:
INSERT /*+ NOAPPEND */ INTO sales_hist SELECT * FROM sales WHERE cust_id=8890;

The following is an example of using the NOAPPEND hint to perform a conventional
INSERT in parallel mode:
INSERT /*+ NOAPPEND PARALLEL */ INTO sales_hist
SELECT * FROM sales;

To run in parallel DML mode, the following requirements must be met:
■
■

You must have Oracle Enterprise Edition installed.
You must enable parallel DML in your session. To do this, submit the following
statement:
ALTER SESSION { ENABLE | FORCE } PARALLEL DML;

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■

You must meet at least one of the following requirements:
–

Specify the parallel attribute for the target table, either at create time or
subsequently

–

Specify the PARALLEL hint for each insert operation

–

Set the database initialization parameter PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY to AUTO

Avoiding Bulk INSERT Failures with DML Error Logging
When you load a table using an INSERT statement with subquery, if an error occurs, the
statement is terminated and rolled back in its entirety. This can be wasteful of time and
system resources. For such INSERT statements, you can avoid this situation by using
the DML error logging feature.
To use DML error logging, you add a statement clause that specifies the name of an
error logging table into which the database records errors encountered during DML
operations. When you add this error logging clause to the INSERT statement, certain
types of errors no longer terminate and roll back the statement. Instead, each error is
logged and the statement continues. You then take corrective action on the erroneous
rows at a later time.
DML error logging works with INSERT, UPDATE, MERGE, and DELETE statements. This
section focuses on INSERT statements.
To insert data with DML error logging:
1.

Create an error logging table. (Optional)
You can create the table manually or use the DBMS_ERRLOG package to
automatically create it for you. See "Creating an Error Logging Table" on
page 20-39 for details.

2.

Execute an INSERT statement and include an error logging clause. This clause:
■

■

■

Optionally references the error logging table that you created. If you do not
provide an error logging table name, the database logs to an error logging
table with a default name. The default error logging table name is ERR$_
followed by the first 25 characters of the name of the table that is being
inserted into.
Optionally includes a tag (a numeric or string literal in parentheses) that gets
added to the error log to help identify the statement that caused the errors. If
the tag is omitted, a NULL value is used.
Optionally includes a REJECT LIMIT subclause.
This subclause indicates the maximum number of errors that can be
encountered before the INSERT statement terminates and rolls back. You can
also specify UNLIMITED. The default reject limit is zero, which means that upon
encountering the first error, the error is logged and the statement rolls back.
For parallel DML operations, the reject limit is applied to each parallel
execution server.
If the statement exceeds the reject limit and rolls back, the
error logging table retains the log entries recorded so far.

Note:

See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for error logging clause syntax
information.
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3.

Query the error logging table and take corrective action for the rows that
generated errors.
See "Error Logging Table Format", later in this section, for details on the error
logging table structure.

Example The following statement inserts rows into the DW_EMPL table and logs errors
to the ERR_EMPL table. The tag 'daily_load' is copied to each log entry. The statement
terminates and rolls back if the number of errors exceeds 25.
INSERT INTO dw_empl
SELECT employee_id, first_name, last_name, hire_date, salary, department_id
FROM employees
WHERE hire_date > sysdate - 7
LOG ERRORS INTO err_empl ('daily_load') REJECT LIMIT 25

For more examples, see Oracle Database SQL Language Reference and Oracle Database
Data Warehousing Guide.

Error Logging Table Format
The error logging table consists of two parts:
■

A mandatory set of columns that describe the error. For example, one column
contains the Oracle error number.
Table 20–3 lists these error description columns.

■

An optional set of columns that contain data from the row that caused the error.
The column names match the column names from the table being inserted into
(the "DML table").
The number of columns in this part of the error logging table can be zero, one, or
more, up to the number of columns in the DML table. If a column exists in the
error logging table that has the same name as a column in the DML table, the
corresponding data from the offending row being inserted is written to this error
logging table column. If a DML table column does not have a corresponding
column in the error logging table, the column is not logged. If the error logging
table contains a column with a name that does not match a DML table column, the
column is ignored.
Because type conversion errors are one type of error that might occur, the data
types of the optional columns in the error logging table must be types that can
capture any value without data loss or conversion errors. (If the optional log
columns were of the same types as the DML table columns, capturing the
problematic data into the log could suffer the same data conversion problem that
caused the error.) The database makes a best effort to log a meaningful value for
data that causes conversion errors. If a value cannot be derived, NULL is logged for
the column. An error on insertion into the error logging table causes the statement
to terminate.
Table 20–4 lists the recommended error logging table column data types to use for
each data type from the DML table. These recommended data types are used
when you create the error logging table automatically with the DBMS_ERRLOG
package.

Table 20–3

Mandatory Error Description Columns

Column Name

Data Type

Description

ORA_ERR_NUMBER$

NUMBER

Oracle error number

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Table 20–3 (Cont.) Mandatory Error Description Columns
Column Name

Data Type

Description

ORA_ERR_MESG$

VARCHAR2(2000)

Oracle error message text

ORA_ERR_ROWID$

ROWID

Rowid of the row in error (for update and
delete)

ORA_ERR_OPTYP$

VARCHAR2(2)

Type of operation: insert (I), update (U),
delete (D)
Note: Errors from the update clause and
insert clause of a MERGE operation are
distinguished by the U and I values.

ORA_ERR_TAG$

Table 20–4

VARCHAR2(2000)

Value of the tag supplied by the user in
the error logging clause

Error Logging Table Column Data Types

Error Logging Table
DML Table Column Type Column Type

Notes

NUMBER

VARCHAR2(4000)

Able to log conversion errors

CHAR/VARCHAR2(n)

VARCHAR2(4000)

Logs any value without information loss

NCHAR/NVARCHAR2(n)

NVARCHAR2(4000)

Logs any value without information loss

DATE/TIMESTAMP

VARCHAR2(4000)

Logs any value without information loss.
Converts to character format with the
default date/time format mask

RAW

RAW(2000)

Logs any value without information loss

ROWID

UROWID

Logs any rowid type

LONG/LOB

Not supported

User-defined types

Not supported

Creating an Error Logging Table
You can create an error logging table manually, or you can use a PL/SQL package to
automatically create one for you.
Creating an Error Logging Table Automatically You use the DBMS_ERRLOG package to
automatically create an error logging table. The CREATE_ERROR_LOG procedure creates
an error logging table with all of the mandatory error description columns plus all of
the columns from the named DML table, and performs the data type mappings shown
in Table 20–4.
The following statement creates the error logging table used in the previous example.
EXECUTE DBMS_ERRLOG.CREATE_ERROR_LOG('DW_EMPL', 'ERR_EMPL');

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on DBMS_ERRLOG.
Creating an Error Logging Table Manually You use standard DDL to manually create the
error logging table. See "Error Logging Table Format" on page 20-38 for table structure
requirements. You must include all mandatory error description columns. They can be
in any order, but must be the first columns in the table.

Error Logging Restrictions and Caveats
Oracle Database logs the following errors during DML operations:
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Automatically Collecting Statistics on Tables

■

Column values that are too large

■

Constraint violations (NOT NULL, unique, referential, and check constraints)

■

Errors raised during trigger execution

■

■
■

Errors resulting from type conversion between a column in a subquery and the
corresponding column of the table
Partition mapping errors
Certain MERGE operation errors (ORA-30926: Unable to get a stable set of rows for
MERGE operation.)

Some errors are not logged, and cause the DML operation to terminate and roll back.
For a list of these errors and for other DML logging restrictions, see the discussion of
the error_logging_clause in the INSERT section of Oracle Database SQL Language
Reference.
Space Considerations Ensure that you consider space requirements before using DML
error logging. You require available space not only for the table being inserted into, but
also for the error logging table.
Security The user who issues the INSERT statement with DML error logging must have
INSERT privileges on the error logging table.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference and Oracle
Database Data Warehousing Guide for DML error logging examples.

Automatically Collecting Statistics on Tables
The PL/SQL package DBMS_STATS lets you generate and manage statistics for
cost-based optimization. You can use this package to gather, modify, view, export,
import, and delete statistics. You can also use this package to identify or name
statistics that have been gathered.
Formerly, you enabled DBMS_STATS to automatically gather statistics for a table by
specifying the MONITORING keyword in the CREATE (or ALTER) TABLE statement. The
MONITORING and NOMONITORING keywords have been deprecated and statistics are
collected automatically. If you do specify these keywords, they are ignored.
Monitoring tracks the approximate number of INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE operations
for the table since the last time statistics were gathered. Information about how many
rows are affected is maintained in the SGA, until periodically (about every three
hours) SMON incorporates the data into the data dictionary. This data dictionary
information is made visible through the DBA_TAB_MODIFICATIONS,ALL_TAB_
MODIFICATIONS, or USER_TAB_MODIFICATIONS views. The database uses these views to
identify tables with stale statistics.
The default for the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter is TYPICAL, which
enables automatic statistics collection. Automatic statistics collection and the DBMS_
STATS package enable the optimizer to generate accurate execution plans. Setting the
STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter to BASIC disables the collection of many of
the important statistics required by Oracle Database features and functionality. To
disable monitoring of all tables, set the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter to
BASIC. Automatic statistics collection and the DBMS_STATS package enable the
optimizer to generate accurate execution plans.

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See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Reference for detailed information on the
STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information on managing
optimizer statistics
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about using the DBMS_STATS package
"About Automated Maintenance Tasks" on page 26-1 for
information on using the Scheduler to collect statistics
automatically

Altering Tables
You alter a table using the ALTER TABLE statement. To alter a table, the table must be
contained in your schema, or you must have either the ALTER object privilege for the
table or the ALTER ANY TABLE system privilege.
Many of the usages of the ALTER TABLE statement are presented in the following
sections:
■

Reasons for Using the ALTER TABLE Statement

■

Altering Physical Attributes of a Table

■

Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace

■

Manually Allocating Storage for a Table

■

Modifying an Existing Column Definition

■

Adding Table Columns

■

Renaming Table Columns

■

Dropping Table Columns

■

Placing a Table in Read-Only Mode
Caution: Before altering a table, familiarize yourself with the
consequences of doing so. The Oracle Database SQL Language
Reference lists many of these consequences in the descriptions of the
ALTER TABLE clauses.

If a view, materialized view, trigger, domain index, function-based
index, check constraint, function, procedure of package depends on
a base table, the alteration of the base table or its columns can affect
the dependent object. See "Managing Object Dependencies" on
page 18-17 for information about how the database manages
dependencies.

Reasons for Using the ALTER TABLE Statement
You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to perform any of the following actions that
affect a table:
■

Modify physical characteristics (INITRANS or storage parameters)

■

Move the table to a new segment or tablespace

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■
■

Explicitly allocate an extent or deallocate unused space
Add, drop, or rename columns, or modify an existing column definition (data
type, length, default value, NOT NULL integrity constraint, column expression (for
virtual columns), and encryption properties.)

■

Modify the logging attributes of the table

■

Modify the CACHE/NOCACHE attributes

■

Add, modify or drop integrity constraints associated with the table

■

Enable or disable integrity constraints or triggers associated with the table

■

Modify the degree of parallelism for the table

■

Rename a table

■

Put a table in read-only mode and return it to read/write mode

■

Add or modify index-organized table characteristics

■

Alter the characteristics of an external table

■

Add or modify LOB columns

■

Add or modify object type, nested table, or varray columns

■

Modify table partitions
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, you can perform some operations on more than
two partitions or subpartitions at a time, such as split partition and merge
partitions operations. See Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for
information.

Many of these operations are discussed in succeeding sections.

Altering Physical Attributes of a Table
When altering the transaction entry setting INITRANS of a table, note that a new setting
for INITRANS applies only to data blocks subsequently allocated for the table.
The storage parameters INITIAL and MINEXTENTS cannot be altered. All new settings
for the other storage parameters (for example, NEXT, PCTINCREASE) affect only extents
subsequently allocated for the table. The size of the next extent allocated is determined
by the current values of NEXT and PCTINCREASE, and is not based on previous values of
these parameters.
See Also: The discussions of the physical attributes clause and the
storage clause in Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Moving a Table to a New Segment or Tablespace
The ALTER TABLE...MOVE statement enables you to relocate data of a nonpartitioned
table or of a partition of a partitioned table into a new segment, and optionally into a
different tablespace for which you have quota. This statement also lets you modify any
of the storage attributes of the table or partition, including those which cannot be
modified using ALTER TABLE. You can also use the ALTER TABLE...MOVE statement
with a COMPRESS clause to store the new segment using table compression.
Tables are usually moved either to enable compression or to perform data
maintenance. For example, you can move a table from one tablespace to another.
Most ALTER TABLE...MOVE statements do not permit DML against the table while the
statement is executing. The exceptions are the following statements:
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■

ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION ... ONLINE

■

ALTER TABLE ... MOVE SUBPARTITION ... ONLINE

These two statements support the ONLINE keyword, which enables DML operations to
run uninterrupted on the partition or subpartition that is being moved. For operations
that do not move a partition or subpartition, you can use online redefinition to leave
the table available for DML while moving it. See "Redefining Tables Online" on
page 20-49.
This section includes the following topics:
■

Moving a Table

■

Moving a Table Partition or Subpartition Online
See Also:
■

■

"Consider Encrypting Columns That Contain Sensitive Data" on
page 20-22 for more information on Transparent Data Encryption
"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5

Moving a Table
Use the ALTER TABLE...MOVE statement to move a table to a new segment or
tablespace. Moving a table changes the rowids of the rows in the table. This causes
indexes on the table to be marked UNUSABLE, and DML accessing the table using these
indexes receive an ORA-01502 error. The indexes on the table must be dropped or
rebuilt. Likewise, any statistics for the table become invalid, and new statistics should
be collected after moving the table.
If the table includes LOB column(s), then this statement can be used to move the table
along with LOB data and LOB index segments (associated with this table) which the user
explicitly specifies. If not specified, then the default is to not move the LOB data and
LOB index segments.
To move a table:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the necessary privileges to alter the table.
See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the privileges
required to alter a table.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Run the ALTER TABLE ... MOVE statement.

Example 20–8

Moving a Table to a New Segment and Tablespace

The following statement moves the hr.jobs table to a new segment and tablespace,
specifying new storage parameters:
ALTER TABLE hr.jobs MOVE
STORAGE ( INITIAL 20K
NEXT 40K
MINEXTENTS 2
MAXEXTENTS 20
PCTINCREASE 0 )
TABLESPACE hr_tbs;

See Also:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

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Moving a Table Partition or Subpartition Online
Use the ALTER TABLE...MOVE PARTITION statement or ALTER TABLE...MOVE
SUBPARTITION statement to move a table partition or subpartition, respectively. When
you use the ONLINE keyword with either of these statements, DML operations can
continue to run uninterrupted on the partition or subpartition that is being moved. If
you do not include the ONLINE keyword, then DML operations are not permitted on
the data in the partition or subpartition until the move operation is complete.
When you include the UPDATE INDEXES clause, these statements maintain both local
and global indexes during the move. Therefore, using the ONLINE keyword with these
statements eliminates the time it takes to regain partition performance after the move
by maintaining global indexes and manually rebuilding indexes.
Some restrictions apply to moving table partitions and subpartitions. See Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference for information about these restrictions.
To move a table partition or subpartition online:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the necessary privileges to alter the table and
move the partition or subpartition.
See Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about the required
privileges.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Run the ALTER TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION or ALTER TABLE ... MOVE SUBPARTITION
statement.

Example 20–9

Moving a Table Partition to a New Segment

The following statement moves the sales_q4_2003 partition of the sh.sales table to a
new segment with advanced row compression and index maintenance included:
ALTER TABLE sales MOVE PARTITION sales_q4_2003
ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED UPDATE INDEXES ONLINE;

See Also:
■

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Manually Allocating Storage for a Table
Oracle Database dynamically allocates additional extents for the data segment of a
table, as required. However, perhaps you want to allocate an additional extent for a
table explicitly. For example, in an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, an
extent of a table can be allocated explicitly for a specific instance.
A new extent can be allocated for a table using the ALTER TABLE...ALLOCATE EXTENT
clause.
You can also explicitly deallocate unused space using the DEALLOCATE UNUSED clause of
ALTER TABLE. This is described in "Reclaiming Unused Space" on page 19-13.

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Modifying an Existing Column Definition
Use the ALTER TABLE...MODIFY statement to modify an existing column definition.
You can modify column data type, default value, column constraint, column
expression (for virtual columns), column encryption, and visible/invisible property.
You can increase the length of an existing column, or decrease it, if all existing data
satisfies the new length. Beginning with Oracle Database 12c, you can specify a
maximum size of 32767 bytes for the VARCHAR2, NVARCHAR2, and RAW data types. Before
this release, the maximum size was 4000 bytes for the VARCHAR2 and NVARCHAR2 data
types, and 2000 bytes for the RAW data type. To use extended data types, set the MAX_
STRING_SIZE initialization parameter to EXTENDED.
You can change a column from byte semantics to CHAR semantics or vice versa. You
must set the initialization parameter BLANK_TRIMMING=TRUE to decrease the length of a
non-empty CHAR column.
If you are modifying a table to increase the length of a column of data type CHAR, then
realize that this can be a time consuming operation and can require substantial
additional storage, especially if the table contains many rows. This is because the CHAR
value in each row must be blank-padded to satisfy the new column length.
If you modify the visible/invisible property of a column, then you cannot include any
other column modification options in the same SQL statement.
Example 20–10 Changing the Length of a Column to a Size Larger Than 4000 Bytes

This example changes the length of the product_description column in the
oe.product_information table to 32767 bytes.
ALTER TABLE oe.product_information MODIFY(product_description VARCHAR2(32767));

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for additional
information about modifying table columns and additional
restrictions
Oracle Database Reference for information about the MAX_STRING_
SIZE initialization parameter

Adding Table Columns
To add a column to an existing table, use the ALTER TABLE...ADD statement.
The following statement alters the hr.admin_emp table to add a new column named
bonus:
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp
ADD (bonus NUMBER (7,2));

If a new column is added to a table, then the column is initially NULL unless you
specify the DEFAULT clause. If you specify the DEFAULT clause for a nullable column for
some table types, then the default value is stored as metadata, but the column itself is
not populated with data. However, subsequent queries that specify the new column
are rewritten so that the default value is returned in the result set. This behavior
optimizes the resource usage and storage requirements for the operation.
You can add a column with a NOT NULL constraint only if the table does not contain any
rows, or you specify a default value.

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See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for rules and
restrictions for adding table columns

Adding a Column to a Compressed Table
If you enable basic table compression on a table, then you can add columns only if you
do not specify default values.
If you enable advanced row compression on a table, then you can add columns to that
table with or without default values. If a default value is specified, then the column
must be NOT NULL.
See Also:

"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5

Adding a Virtual Column
If the new column is a virtual column, its value is determined by its column
expression. (Note that a virtual column's value is calculated only when it is queried.)
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Concepts
"Example: Creating a Table" on page 20-27 for an example of a
virtual column

Renaming Table Columns
Oracle Database lets you rename existing columns in a table. Use the RENAME COLUMN
clause of the ALTER TABLE statement to rename a column. The new name must not
conflict with the name of any existing column in the table. No other clauses are
allowed with the RENAME COLUMN clause.
The following statement renames the comm column of the hr.admin_emp table.
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp
RENAME COLUMN comm TO commission;

As noted earlier, altering a table column can invalidate dependent objects. However,
when you rename a column, the database updates associated data dictionary tables to
ensure that function-based indexes and check constraints remain valid.
Oracle Database also lets you rename column constraints. This is discussed in
"Renaming Constraints" on page 18-13.
The RENAME TO clause of ALTER TABLE appears similar in
syntax to the RENAME COLUMN clause, but is used for renaming the
table itself.

Note:

Dropping Table Columns
You can drop columns that are no longer needed from a table, including an
index-organized table. This provides a convenient means to free space in a database,
and avoids your having to export/import data then re-create indexes and constraints.
You cannot drop all columns from a table, nor can you drop columns from a table
owned by SYS. Any attempt to do so results in an error.

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See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about additional restrictions and options for dropping columns
from a table

Removing Columns from Tables
When you issue an ALTER TABLE...DROP COLUMN statement, the column descriptor and
the data associated with the target column are removed from each row in the table.
You can drop multiple columns with one statement.
The following statements are examples of dropping columns from the hr.admin_emp
table. The first statement drops only the sal column:
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp DROP COLUMN sal;

The next statement drops both the bonus and comm columns:
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp DROP (bonus, commission);

Marking Columns Unused
If you are concerned about the length of time it could take to drop column data from
all of the rows in a large table, you can use the ALTER TABLE...SET UNUSED statement.
This statement marks one or more columns as unused, but does not actually remove
the target column data or restore the disk space occupied by these columns. However,
a column that is marked as unused is not displayed in queries or data dictionary
views, and its name is removed so that a new column can reuse that name. All
constraints, indexes, and statistics defined on the column are also removed.
To mark the hiredate and mgr columns as unused, execute the following statement:
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp SET UNUSED (hiredate, mgr);

You can later remove columns that are marked as unused by issuing an ALTER
TABLE...DROP UNUSED COLUMNS statement. Unused columns are also removed from the
target table whenever an explicit drop of any particular column or columns of the table
is issued.
The data dictionary views USER_UNUSED_COL_TABS, ALL_UNUSED_COL_TABS, or DBA_
UNUSED_COL_TABS can be used to list all tables containing unused columns. The COUNT
field shows the number of unused columns in the table.
SELECT * FROM DBA_UNUSED_COL_TABS;
OWNER
TABLE_NAME
COUNT
--------------------------- --------------------------- ----HR
ADMIN_EMP
2

For external tables, the SET UNUSED statement is transparently converted into an ALTER
TABLE DROP COLUMN statement. Because external tables consist of metadata only in the
database, the DROP COLUMN statement performs equivalently to the SET UNUSED
statement.

Removing Unused Columns
The ALTER TABLE...DROP UNUSED COLUMNS statement is the only action allowed on
unused columns. It physically removes unused columns from the table and reclaims
disk space.
In the ALTER TABLE statement that follows, the optional clause CHECKPOINT is specified.
This clause causes a checkpoint to be applied after processing the specified number of

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Altering Tables

rows, in this case 250. Checkpointing cuts down on the amount of undo logs
accumulated during the drop column operation to avoid a potential exhaustion of
undo space.
ALTER TABLE hr.admin_emp DROP UNUSED COLUMNS CHECKPOINT 250;

Dropping Columns in Compressed Tables
If you enable advanced row compression on a table, you can drop table columns. If
you enable basic table compression only, you cannot drop columns.
See Also:

"Consider Using Table Compression" on page 20-5

Placing a Table in Read-Only Mode
You can place a table in read-only mode with the ALTER TABLE...READ ONLY statement,
and return it to read/write mode with the ALTER TABLE...READ WRITE statement. An
example of a table for which read-only mode makes sense is a configuration table. If
your application contains configuration tables that are not modified after installation
and that must not be modified by users, your application installation scripts can place
these tables in read-only mode.
To place a table in read-only mode, you must have the ALTER TABLE privilege on the
table or the ALTER ANY TABLE privilege. In addition, the COMPATIBLE initialization
parameter must be set to 11.1.0 or higher.
The following example places the SALES table in read-only mode:
ALTER TABLE SALES READ ONLY;

The following example returns the table to read/write mode:
ALTER TABLE SALES READ WRITE;

When a table is in read-only mode, operations that attempt to modify table data are
disallowed. The following operations are not permitted on a read-only table:
■

All DML operations on the table or any of its partitions

■

TRUNCATE TABLE

■

SELECT FOR UPDATE

■

ALTER TABLE ADD/MODIFY/RENAME/DROP COLUMN

■

ALTER TABLE SET COLUMN UNUSED

■

ALTER TABLE DROP/TRUNCATE/EXCHANGE (SUB)PARTITION

■

ALTER TABLE UPGRADE INCLUDING DATA or ALTER TYPE CASCADE INCLUDING TABLE
DATA for a type with read-only table dependents

■

Online redefinition

■

FLASHBACK TABLE

The following operations are permitted on a read-only table:
■

SELECT

■

CREATE/ALTER/DROP INDEX

■

ALTER TABLE ADD/MODIFY/DROP/ENABLE/DISABLE CONSTRAINT

■

ALTER TABLE for physical property changes

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■

ALTER TABLE DROP UNUSED COLUMNS

■

ALTER TABLE ADD/COALESCE/MERGE/MODIFY/MOVE/RENAME/SPLIT (SUB)PARTITION

■

ALTER TABLE MOVE

■

ALTER TABLE ENABLE ROW MOVEMENT and ALTER TABLE SHRINK

■

RENAME TABLE and ALTER TABLE RENAME TO

■

DROP TABLE

■

ALTER TABLE DEALLOCATE UNUSED

■

ALTER TABLE ADD/DROP SUPPLEMENTAL LOG
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the ALTER TABLE statement

Redefining Tables Online
In any database system, it is occasionally necessary to modify the logical or physical
structure of a table to:
■

Improve the performance of queries or DML

■

Accommodate application changes

■

Manage storage

Oracle Database provides a mechanism to make table structure modifications without
significantly affecting the availability of the table. The mechanism is called online
table redefinition. Redefining tables online provides a substantial increase in
availability compared to traditional methods of redefining tables.
When a table is redefined online, it is accessible to both queries and DML during much
of the redefinition process. Typically, the table is locked in the exclusive mode only
during a very small window that is independent of the size of the table and
complexity of the redefinition, and that is completely transparent to users. However, if
there are many concurrent DML operations during redefinition, then a longer wait
might be necessary before the table can be locked.
Online table redefinition requires an amount of free space that is approximately
equivalent to the space used by the table being redefined. More space may be required
if new columns are added.
You can perform online table redefinition with the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control (Cloud Control) Reorganize Objects wizard or with the DBMS_REDEFINITION
package.
Note:

To invoke the Reorganize Objects wizard:

1.

On the Tables page of Cloud Control, click in the Select column to select
the table to redefine.

2.

In the Actions list, select Reorganize.

3.

Click Go.

This section describes online redefinition with the DBMS_REDEFINITION package. It
contains the following topics:
■

Features of Online Table Redefinition

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Redefining Tables Online

■
■

Performing Online Redefinition with the REDEF_TABLE Procedure
Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in DBMS_
REDEFINITION

■

Results of the Redefinition Process

■

Performing Intermediate Synchronization

■

Aborting Online Table Redefinition and Cleaning Up After Errors

■

Restrictions for Online Redefinition of Tables

■

Online Redefinition of One or More Partitions

■

Online Table Redefinition Examples

■

Privileges Required for the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
a description of the DBMS_REDEFINITION package

Features of Online Table Redefinition
Online table redefinition enables you to:
■

Modify the storage parameters of a table or cluster

■

Move a table or cluster to a different tablespace
If it is not important to keep a table available for DML when
moving it to another tablespace, then you can use the simpler ALTER
TABLE MOVE command. See "Moving a Table to a New Segment or
Tablespace" on page 20-42.
Note:

■

Add, modify, or drop one or more columns in a table or cluster

■

Add or drop partitioning support (non-clustered tables only)

■

Change partition structure

■

Change physical properties of a single table partition or subpartition, including
moving it to a different tablespace in the same schema
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, you can move a partition or subpartition online
without using online table redefinition. DML operations can continue to run
uninterrupted on the partition or subpartition that is being moved. See "Moving a
Table to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42.

■

Change physical properties of a materialized view log or an Oracle Database
Advanced Queuing queue table

■

Add support for parallel queries

■

Re-create a table or cluster to reduce fragmentation
In many cases, online segment shrink is an easier way to
reduce fragmentation. See "Reclaiming Unused Space" on page 19-13.

Note:

■

Change the organization of a normal table (heap organized) to an index-organized
table, or do the reverse.

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■
■

■

■

Convert a relational table into a table with object columns, or do the reverse.
Convert an object table into a relational table or a table with object columns, or do
the reverse.
Compress, or change the compression type for, a table, partition, index key, or LOB
columns.
Convert LOB columns from BasicFiles LOB storage to SecureFiles LOB storage, or
do the reverse.

You can combine two or more of the usage examples above into one operation. See
"Example 8" on page 20-80 in "Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61 for
an example.

Performing Online Redefinition with the REDEF_TABLE Procedure
You can use the REDEF_TABLE procedure in the DBMS_REDEFINITION package to perform
online redefinition of a table’s storage properties. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages
and Types Reference for procedure details.
The REDEF_TABLE procedure enables you to perform online redefinition a table’s
storage properties in a single step when you want to change the following properties:
■

■

■

Tablespace changes, including a tablespace change for a table, partition, index, or
LOB columns
Compression type changes, including a compression type change for a table,
partition, index key, or LOB columns
For LOB columns, a change to SECUREFILE or BASICFILE storage

When your online redefinition operation is not limited to these changes, you must
perform online redefinition of the table using multiple steps. The steps include
invoking multiple procedures in the DBMS_REDEFINITION package, including the
following procedures: CAN_REDEF_TABLE, START_REDEF_TABLE, COPY_TABLE_
DEPENDENTS, and FINISH_REDEF_TABLE.
See Also:
■
■

Example 1 in "Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61
"Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in
DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information

Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION
You use the DBMS_REDEFINITION package to perform online redefinition of a table. See
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for package details.
To redefine a table online using multiple steps:
1. Choose the redefinition method: by key or by rowid
By key—Select a primary key or pseudo-primary key to use for the redefinition.
Pseudo-primary keys are unique keys with all component columns having NOT
NULL constraints. For this method, the versions of the tables before and after
redefinition should have the same primary key columns. This is the preferred and
default method of redefinition.
By rowid—Use this method if no key is available. In this method, a hidden
column named M_ROW$$ is added to the post-redefined version of the table. It is
recommended that this column be dropped or marked as unused after the
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redefinition is complete. The final phase of redefinition automatically sets this
column unused. You can then use the ALTER TABLE ... DROP UNUSED COLUMNS
statement to drop it.
You cannot use this method on index-organized tables.
2.

Verify that the table can be redefined online by invoking the CAN_REDEF_TABLE
procedure. If the table is not a candidate for online redefinition, then this
procedure raises an error indicating why the table cannot be redefined online.

3.

Create an empty interim table (in the same schema as the table to be redefined)
with all of the desired logical and physical attributes. If columns are to be
dropped, then do not include them in the definition of the interim table. If a
column is to be added, then add the column definition to the interim table. If a
column is to be modified, then create it in the interim table with the properties that
you want.
It is not necessary to create the interim table with all the indexes, constraints,
grants, and triggers of the table being redefined, because these will be defined in
step 7 when you copy dependent objects.

4.

If you are redefining a partitioned table with the rowid method, then enable row
movement on the interim table.
ALTER TABLE ... ENABLE ROW MOVEMENT;

5.

(Optional) If you are redefining a large table and want to improve the performance
of the next step by running it in parallel, issue the following statements:
ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL DML PARALLEL degree-of-parallelism;
ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL QUERY PARALLEL degree-of-parallelism;

6.

Start the redefinition process by calling START_REDEF_TABLE, providing the
following:
■

■
■

The schema and table name of the table to be redefined in the uname and orig_
table parameters, respectively
The interim table name in the int_table parameter
A column mapping string that maps the columns of table to be redefined to
the columns of the interim table in the col_mapping parameter
See "Constructing a Column Mapping String" on page 20-54 for details.

■

The redefinition method in the options_flag parameter
Package constants are provided for specifying the redefinition method. DBMS_
REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK is used to indicate that the redefinition should be
done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys. DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_
USE_ROWID is use to indicate that the redefinition should be done using rowids.
If this argument is omitted, the default method of redefinition (CONS_USE_PK)
is assumed.

■

■

Optionally, the columns to be used in ordering rows in the orderby_cols
parameter
The partition name or names in the part_name parameter when redefining one
partition or multiple partitions of a partitioned table
See "Online Redefinition of One or More Partitions" on page 20-60 for details.

■

The method for handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) policies defined on
the table in the copy_vpd_opt parameter

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See "Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) Policies During Online
Redefinition" on page 20-55 for details.
Because this process involves copying data, it may take a while. The table being
redefined remains available for queries and DML during the entire process.
Note:
■

■

7.

You can query the DBA_REDEFINITION_OBJECTS view to list the
objects currently involved in online redefinition.
If START_REDEF_TABLE fails for any reason, you must call ABORT_
REDEF_TABLE, otherwise subsequent attempts to redefine the table
will fail.

Copy dependent objects (such as triggers, indexes, materialized view logs, grants,
and constraints) and statistics from the table being redefined to the interim table,
using one of the following two methods. Method 1 is the preferred method
because it is more automatic, but there may be times that you would choose to use
method 2. Method 1 also enables you to copy table statistics to the interim table.
■

Method 1: Automatically Creating Dependent Objects
Use the COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure to automatically create dependent
objects on the interim table. This procedure also registers the dependent
objects. Registering the dependent objects enables the identities of these
objects and their copied counterparts to be automatically swapped later as
part of the redefinition completion process. The result is that when the
redefinition is completed, the names of the dependent objects will be the same
as the names of the original dependent objects.
For more information, see "Creating Dependent Objects Automatically" on
page 20-56.

■

Method 2: Manually Creating Dependent Objects
You can manually create dependent objects on the interim table and then
register them. For more information, see "Creating Dependent Objects
Manually" on page 20-56.
Note: In Oracle9i, you were required to manually create the
triggers, indexes, grants, and constraints on the interim table, and
there may still be situations where you want to or must do so. In
such cases, any referential constraints involving the interim table
(that is, the interim table is either a parent or a child table of the
referential constraint) must be created disabled. When online
redefinition completes, the referential constraint is automatically
enabled. In addition, until the redefinition process is either
completed or aborted, any trigger defined on the interim table does
not execute.

8.

Execute the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure to complete the redefinition of the
table. During this procedure, the original table is locked in exclusive mode for a
very short time, independent of the amount of data in the original table. However,
FINISH_REDEF_TABLE will wait for all pending DML to commit before completing
the redefinition.

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You can use the dml_lock_timeout parameter in the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE
procedure to specify how long the procedure waits for pending DML to commit.
The parameter specifies the number of seconds to wait before the procedure ends
gracefully. When you specify a non-NULL value for this parameter, you can restart
the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure, and it continues from the point at which it
timed out. When the parameter is set to NULL, the procedure does not time out. In
this case, if you stop the procedure manually, then you must abort the online table
redefinition using the ABORT_REDEF_TABLE procedure and start over from step 6.
9.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then
drop the interim table.
If you drop the interim table while there are active queries running against it, you
may encounter an ORA-08103 error ("object no longer exists").
See Also:

"Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61

Constructing a Column Mapping String
The column mapping string that you pass as an argument to START_REDEF_TABLE
contains a comma-delimited list of column mapping pairs, where each pair has the
following syntax:
[expression]

column_name

The column_name term indicates a column in the interim table. The optional
expression can include columns from the table being redefined, constants, operators,
function or method calls, and so on, in accordance with the rules for expressions in a
SQL SELECT statement. However, only simple deterministic subexpressions—that is,
subexpressions whose results do not vary between one evaluation and the next—plus
sequences and SYSDATE can be used. No subqueries are permitted. In the simplest case,
the expression consists of just a column name from the table being redefined.
If an expression is present, its value is placed in the designated interim table column
during redefinition. If the expression is omitted, it is assumed that both the table being
redefined and the interim table have a column named column_name, and the value of
that column in the table being redefined is placed in the same column in the interim
table.
For example, if the override column in the table being redefined is to be renamed to
override_commission, and every override commission is to be raised by 2%, the
correct column mapping pair is:
override*1.02

override_commission

If you supply '*' or NULL as the column mapping string, it is assumed that all the
columns (with their names unchanged) are to be included in the interim table.
Otherwise, only those columns specified explicitly in the string are considered. The
order of the column mapping pairs is unimportant.
For examples of column mapping strings, see "Online Table Redefinition Examples" on
page 20-61.
Data Conversions When mapping columns, you can convert data types, with some
restrictions.

If you provide '*' or NULL as the column mapping string, only the implicit conversions
permitted by SQL are supported. For example, you can convert from CHAR to VARCHAR2,
from INTEGER to NUMBER, and so on.

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To perform other data type conversions, including converting from one object type to
another or one collection type to another, you must provide a column mapping pair
with an expression that performs the conversion. The expression can include the CAST
function, built-in functions like TO_NUMBER, conversion functions that you create, and
so on.

Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) Policies During Online Redefinition
If the original table being redefined has VPD policies specified for it, then you can use
the copy_vpd_opt parameter in the START_REDEF_TABLE procedure to handle these
policies during online redefinition.
You can specify the following values for this parameter:
Parameter Value

Description

DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_NONE

Specify this value if there are no VPD policies on the
original table. This value is the default.
If this value is specified, and VPD policies exist for
the original table, then an error is raised.

DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO

Specify this value to copy the VPD policies
automatically from the original table to the new
table during online redefinition.

DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_MANUAL

Specify this value to copy the VPD policies
manually from the original table to the new table
during online redefinition.

If there are no VPD policies specified for the original table, then specify the default
value of DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_NONE for the copy_vpd_opt parameter.
Specify DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO for the copy_vpd_opt parameter when the
column names and column types are the same for the original table and the interim
table. To use this value, the column mapping string between original table and interim
table must be NULL or '*'. When you use DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO for the
copy_vpd_opt parameter, only the table owner and the user invoking online
redefinition can access the interim table during online redefinition.
Specify DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_MANUAL for the copy_vpd_opt parameter when
either of the following conditions are true:
■

■

There are VPD policies specified for the original table, and there are column
mappings between the original table and the interim table.
You want to add or modify VPD policies during online redefinition of the table.

To copy the VPD policies manually, you specify the VPD policies for the interim table
before you run the START_REDEF_TABLE procedure. When online redefinition of the
table is complete, the redefined table has the modified policies.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Restrictions for Online Redefinition of Tables" on page 20-58 for
restrictions related to tables with VPD policies
"Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61 for an
example that redefines a table with VPD policies
Oracle Database Security Guide

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Creating Dependent Objects Automatically
You use the COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure to automatically create dependent
objects on the interim table.
You can discover if errors occurred while copying dependent objects by checking the
num_errors output argument. If the ignore_errors argument is set to TRUE, the COPY_
TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure continues copying dependent objects even if an error is
encountered when creating an object. You can view these errors by querying the DBA_
REDEFINITION_ERRORS view.
Reasons for errors include:
■
■

A lack of system resources
A change in the logical structure of the table that would require recoding the
dependent object.
See Example 3 in "Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61 for a
discussion of this type of error.

If ignore_errors is set to FALSE, the COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure stops copying
objects as soon as any error is encountered.
After you correct any errors you can again attempt to copy the dependent objects by
reexecuting the COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure. Optionally you can create the
objects manually and then register them as explained in "Creating Dependent Objects
Manually". The COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure can be used multiple times as
necessary. If an object has already been successfully copied, it is not copied again.

Creating Dependent Objects Manually
If you manually create dependent objects on the interim table with SQL*Plus or Cloud
Control, then you must use the REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT procedure to register the
dependent objects. Registering dependent objects enables the redefinition completion
process to restore dependent object names to what they were before redefinition.
The following are examples changes that require you to create dependent objects
manually:
■

Moving an index to another tablespace

■

Modifying the columns of an index

■

Modifying a constraint

■

Modifying a trigger

■

Modifying a materialized view log

When you run the REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT procedure, you must specify that type
of the dependent object with the dep_type parameter. You can specify the following
constants in this parameter:
■
■

■
■

DEMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_INDEX when the dependent object is an index
DEMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_CONSTRAINT when the dependent object type is a
constraint
DEMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_TRIGGER when the dependent object is a trigger
DEMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_MVLOG when the dependent object is a materialized view
log

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You would also use the REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT procedure if the COPY_TABLE_
DEPENDENTS procedure failed to copy a dependent object and manual intervention is
required.
You can query the DBA_REDEFINITION_OBJECTS view to determine which dependent
objects are registered. This view shows dependent objects that were registered
explicitly with the REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT procedure or implicitly with the COPY_
TABLE_DEPENDENTS procedure. Only current information is shown in the view.
The UNREGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT procedure can be used to unregister a dependent
object on the table being redefined and on the interim table.
Note:
■

■

Manually created dependent objects do not have to be identical to
their corresponding original dependent objects. For example,
when manually creating a materialized view log on the interim
table, you can log different columns. In addition, the interim table
can have more or fewer dependent objects.
If the table being redefined includes named LOB segments, then
the LOB segment names are replaced by system-generated names
during online redefinition. To avoid this, you can create the
interim table with new LOB segment names.

Example 4 in "Online Table Redefinition Examples" on
page 20-61 for an example that registers a dependent object

See Also:

Results of the Redefinition Process
The following are the end results of the redefinition process:
■

■

The original table is redefined with the columns, indexes, constraints, grants,
triggers, and statistics of the interim table, assuming that either REDEF_TABLE or
COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS was used.
Dependent objects that were registered, either explicitly using REGISTER_
DEPENDENT_OBJECT or implicitly using COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS, are renamed
automatically so that dependent object names on the redefined table are the same
as before redefinition.
If no registration is done or no automatic copying is done,
then you must manually rename the dependent objects.

Note:

■

■

■

The referential constraints involving the interim table now involve the redefined
table and are enabled.
Any indexes, triggers, materialized view logs, grants, and constraints defined on
the original table (before redefinition) are transferred to the interim table and are
dropped when the user drops the interim table. Any referential constraints
involving the original table before the redefinition now involve the interim table
and are disabled.
Some PL/SQL objects, views, synonyms, and other table-dependent objects may
become invalidated. Only those objects that depend on elements of the table that
were changed are invalidated. For example, if a PL/SQL procedure queries only
columns of the redefined table that were unchanged by the redefinition, the
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procedure remains valid. See "Managing Object Dependencies" on page 18-17 for
more information about schema object dependencies.

Performing Intermediate Synchronization
After the redefinition process has been started by calling START_REDEF_TABLE and
before FINISH_REDEF_TABLE has been called, a large number of DML statements might
have been executed on the original table. If you know that this is the case, then it is
recommended that you periodically synchronize the interim table with the original
table. This is done by calling the SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE procedure. Calling this
procedure reduces the time taken by FINISH_REDEF_TABLE to complete the redefinition
process. There is no limit to the number of times that you can call SYNC_INTERIM_
TABLE.
The small amount of time that the original table is locked during FINISH_REDEF_TABLE
is independent of whether SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE has been called.

Aborting Online Table Redefinition and Cleaning Up After Errors
In the event that an error is raised during the redefinition process, or if you choose to
terminate the redefinition process manually, call ABORT_REDEF_TABLE. This procedure
drops temporary logs and tables associated with the redefinition process. After this
procedure is called, you can drop the interim table and its dependent objects.
If the online redefinition process must be restarted, if you do not first call ABORT_
REDEF_TABLE, then subsequent attempts to redefine the table will fail.

It is not necessary to call the ABORT_REDEF_TABLE procedure if
the redefinition process stops because the FINISH_REDEF_TABLE
procedure has timed out. The dml_lock_timeout parameter in the
FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure controls the time-out period. See
step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple Procedures in
DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information
Note:

Restrictions for Online Redefinition of Tables
The following restrictions apply to the online redefinition of tables:
■

■

■

■

■

■

If the table is to be redefined using primary key or pseudo-primary keys (unique
keys or constraints with all component columns having not null constraints), then
the post-redefinition table must have the same primary key or pseudo-primary
key columns. If the table is to be redefined using rowids, then the table must not
be an index-organized table.
After redefining a table that has a materialized view log, the subsequent refresh of
any dependent materialized view must be a complete refresh.
Tables that are replicated in an n-way master configuration can be redefined, but
horizontal subsetting (subset of rows in the table), vertical subsetting (subset of
columns in the table), and column transformations are not allowed.
The overflow table of an index-organized table cannot be redefined online
independently.
Tables for which Flashback Data Archive is enabled cannot be redefined online.
You cannot enable Flashback Data Archive for the interim table.
Tables with BFILE columns cannot be redefined online.

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■

■

Tables with LONG columns can be redefined online, but those columns must be
converted to CLOBS. Also, LONG RAW columns must be converted to BLOBS. Tables
with LOB columns are acceptable.
On a system with sufficient resources for parallel execution, and in the case where
the interim table is not partitioned, redefinition of a LONG column to a LOB column
can be executed in parallel, provided that:
–

The segment used to store the LOB column in the interim table belongs to a
locally managed tablespace with Automatic Segment Space Management
(ASSM) enabled.

–

There is a simple mapping from one LONG column to one LOB column, and the
interim table has only one LOB column.

In the case where the interim table is partitioned, the normal methods for parallel
execution for partitioning apply.
■

Tables in the SYS and SYSTEM schema cannot be redefined online.

■

Temporary tables cannot be redefined.

■

A subset of rows in the table cannot be redefined.

■

■

■

■
■

■

■

■

■

Only simple deterministic expressions, sequences, and SYSDATE can be used when
mapping the columns in the interim table to those of the original table. For
example, subqueries are not allowed.
If new columns are being added as part of the redefinition and there are no
column mappings for these columns, then they must not be declared NOT NULL
until the redefinition is complete.
There cannot be any referential constraints between the table being redefined and
the interim table.
Table redefinition cannot be done NOLOGGING.
For materialized view logs and queue tables, online redefinition is restricted to
changes in physical properties. No horizontal or vertical subsetting is permitted,
nor are any column transformations. The only valid value for the column mapping
string is NULL.
You cannot perform online redefinition on a table that is partitioned if the table
includes one or more nested tables.
You can convert a VARRAY to a nested table with the CAST operator in the column
mapping. However, you cannot convert a nested table to a VARRAY.
When the columns in the col_mapping parameter of the DBMS_
REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE procedure include a sequence, the orderby_
cols parameter must be NULL.
For tables with a Virtual Private Database (VPD) security policy, when the copy_
vpd_opt parameter is specified as DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO, the
following restrictions apply:
–

The column mapping string between the original table and interim table must
be NULL or '*'.

–

No VPD policies can exist on the interim table.

See "Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) Policies During Online
Redefinition" on page 20-55. Also, see Oracle Database Security Guide for
information about VPD policies.

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■

Online redefinition cannot run on multiple tables concurrently in separate DBMS_
REDEFINITION sessions if the tables are related by reference partitioning.
See Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more information about
reference partitioning.

Online Redefinition of One or More Partitions
You can redefine online one or more partitions of a table. This is useful if, for example,
you want to move partitions to a different tablespace and keep the partitions available
for DML during the operation.
You can redefine multiple partitions in a table at one time. If you do, then multiple
interim tables are required during the table redefinition process. Ensure that you have
enough free space and undo space to complete the table redefinition.
When you redefine multiple partitions, you can specify that the redefinition continues
even if it encounters an error for a particular partition. To do so, set the continue_
after_errors parameter to TRUE in redefinition procedures in the DBMS_REDEFINITION
package. You can check the DBA_REDEFINITION_STATUS view to see if any errors were
encountered during the redefinition process. The STATUS column in this view shows
whether the redefinition process succeeded or failed for each partition.
You can also redefine an entire table one partition at a time to reduce resource
requirements. For example, to move a very large table to a different tablespace, you
can move it one partition at a time to minimize the free space and undo space required
to complete the move.
Redefining partitions differs from redefining a table in the following ways:
■

■

There is no need to copy dependent objects. It is not valid to use the COPY_TABLE_
DEPENDENTS procedure when redefining a single partition.
You must manually create and register any local indexes on the interim table.
See "Creating Dependent Objects Manually" on page 20-56.

■

The column mapping string for START_REDEF_TABLE must be NULL.
Starting with Oracle Database 12c, you can use the simpler
ALTER TABLE...MOVE PARTITION ... ONLINE statement to move a
partition or subpartition online without using online table
redefinition. DML operations can continue to run uninterrupted on
the partition or subpartition that is being moved. See "Moving a Table
to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42.
Note:

See Also:

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide

Rules for Online Redefinition of a Single Partition
The underlying mechanism for redefinition of a single partition is the exchange
partition capability of the database (ALTER TABLE...EXCHANGE PARTITION). Rules and
restrictions for online redefinition of a single partition are therefore governed by this
mechanism. Here are some general restrictions:
■
■

No logical changes (such as adding or dropping a column) are permitted.
No changes to the partitioning method (such as changing from range partitioning
to hash partitioning) are permitted.

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Here are the rules for defining the interim table:
■

■

■

■

■

If the partition being redefined is a range, hash, or list partition, then the interim
table must be nonpartitioned.
If the partition being redefined is a range partition of a composite range-hash
partitioned table, then the interim table must be a hash partitioned table. In
addition, the partitioning key of the interim table must be identical to the
subpartitioning key of the range-hash partitioned table, and the number of
partitions in the interim table must be identical to the number of subpartitions in
the range partition being redefined.
If the partition being redefined is a hash partition that uses the rowid redefinition
method, then row movement must be enabled on the interim table before
redefinition starts.
If the partition being redefined is a range partition of a composite range-list
partitioned table, then the interim table must be a list partitioned table. In
addition, the partitioning key of the interim table must be identical to the
subpartitioning key of the range-list partitioned table, and the values lists of the
interim table's list partitions must exactly match the values lists of the list
subpartitions in the range partition being redefined.
If you define the interim table as compressed, then you must use the by-key
method of redefinition, not the by-rowid method.

These additional rules apply if the table being redefined is a partitioned
index-organized table:
■
■

■

■

■

The interim table must also be index-organized.
The original and interim tables must have primary keys on the same columns, in
the same order.
If prefix compression is enabled, then it must be enabled for both the original and
interim tables, with the same prefix length.
Both the original and interim tables must have overflow segments, or neither can
have them. Likewise for mapping tables.
Both the original and interim tables must have identical storage attributes for any
LOB columns.
See Also:
■

■

The section "Exchanging Partitions" in Oracle Database VLDB and
Partitioning Guide
"Online Table Redefinition Examples" on page 20-61 for examples
that redefine tables with partitions

Online Table Redefinition Examples
For the following examples, see Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
descriptions of all DBMS_REDEFINITION subprograms.
Example

Description

Example 1

Redefines a table’s storage properties in a single step with the REDEF_
TABLE procedure.

Example 2

Redefines a table by adding new columns and adding partitioning.

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Example

Description

Example 3

Demonstrates redefinition with object data types.

Example 4

Demonstrates redefinition with manually registered dependent objects.

Example 5

Redefines multiple partitions, moving them to different tablespaces.

Example 6

Redefines a table with virtual private database (VPD) policies without
changing the properties of any of the table’s columns.

Example 7

Redefines a table with VPD policies and changes the properties of one of
the table’s columns.

Example 8

Redefines a table by making multiple changes using online redefinition.

Example 1
This example illustrates online redefinition of a table’s storage properties using the
REDEF_TABLE procedure.
The original table, named print_ads, is defined in the pm schema as follows:
Name
Null?
----------------------------------------- -------AD_ID
AD_TEXT

Type
---------------------------NUMBER(6)
CLOB

In this table, the LOB column ad_text uses BasicFiles LOB storage.
An index for the table was created with the following SQL statement:
CREATE INDEX pm.print_ads_ix
ON print_ads (ad_id)
TABLESPACE example;

The table is redefined as follows:
■
■

■
■

■
■

■

The table is compressed with advanced row compression.
The table’s tablespace is changed from EXAMPLE to NEWTBS. This example assumes
that the NEWTBS tablespace exists.
The index is compressed with COMPRESS 1 compression.
The index’s tablespace is changed from EXAMPLE to NEWIDXTBS. This example
assumes that the NEWIDXTBS tablespace exists.
The LOB column in the table is compressed with COMPRESS HIGH compression.
The tablespace for the LOB column is changed from EXAMPLE to NEWLOBTBS. This
example assumes that the NEWLOBTBS tablespace exists.
The LOB column is changed to SecureFiles LOB storage.

The steps in this redefinition are illustrated below.
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Run the REDEF_TABLE procedure:
BEGIN

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DBMS_REDEFINITION.REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=>
tname
=>
table_compression_type
=>
table_part_tablespace
=>
index_key_compression_type =>
index_tablespace
=>
lob_compression_type
=>
lob_tablespace
=>
lob_store_as
=>
END;
/

'PM',
'PRINT_ADS',
'ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED',
'NEWTBS',
'COMPRESS 1',
'NEWIDXTBS',
'COMPRESS HIGH',
'NEWLOBTBS',
'SECUREFILE');

If an errors occurs, then the interim table is dropped, and the
REDEF_TABLE procedure must be re-executed.
Note:

Example 2
This example illustrates online redefinition of a table by adding new columns and
adding partitioning.
The original table, named emp_redef, is defined in the hr schema as follows:
Name
--------EMPNO
ENAME
JOB
DEPTNO

Type
---------------------------NUMBER(5)
<- Primary key
VARCHAR2(15)
VARCHAR2(10)
NUMBER(3)

The table is redefined as follows:
■

New columns mgr, hiredate, sal, and bonus are added.

■

The new column bonus is initialized to 0 (zero).

■

The column deptno has its value increased by 10.

■

The redefined table is partitioned by range on empno.

The steps in this redefinition are illustrated below.
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Verify that the table is a candidate for online redefinition. In this case you specify
that the redefinition is to be done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
tname
=>'emp_redef',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);
END;
/

3.

Create an interim table hr.int_emp_redef.
CREATE TABLE hr.int_emp_redef
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(empno
NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY,
ename
VARCHAR2(15) NOT NULL,
job
VARCHAR2(10),
mgr
NUMBER(5),
hiredate
DATE DEFAULT (sysdate),
sal
NUMBER(7,2),
deptno
NUMBER(3) NOT NULL,
bonus
NUMBER (7,2) DEFAULT(0))
PARTITION BY RANGE(empno)
(PARTITION emp1000 VALUES LESS THAN (1000) TABLESPACE admin_tbs,
PARTITION emp2000 VALUES LESS THAN (2000) TABLESPACE admin_tbs2);

Ensure that the specified tablespaces exist.
4.

Start the redefinition process.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table
=> 'emp_redef',
int_table
=> 'int_emp_redef',
col_mapping => 'empno empno, ename ename, job job, deptno+10 deptno,
0 bonus',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);
END;
/

5.

Copy dependent objects. (Automatically create any triggers, indexes, materialized
view logs, grants, and constraints on hr.int_emp_redef.)
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table
=> 'emp_redef',
int_table
=> 'int_emp_redef',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,
copy_constraints => TRUE,
copy_privileges => TRUE,
ignore_errors
=> TRUE,
num_errors
=> num_errors);
END;
/

Note that the ignore_errors argument is set to TRUE for this call. The reason is
that the interim table was created with a primary key constraint, and when COPY_
TABLE_DEPENDENTS attempts to copy the primary key constraint and index from the
original table, errors occur. You can ignore these errors, but you must run the
query shown in the next step to see if there are other errors.
6.

Query the DBA_REDEFINITION_ERRORS view to check for errors.
SET LONG 8000
SET PAGES 8000
COLUMN OBJECT_NAME HEADING 'Object Name' FORMAT A20
COLUMN BASE_TABLE_NAME HEADING 'Base Table Name' FORMAT A10
COLUMN DDL_TXT HEADING 'DDL That Caused Error' FORMAT A40
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, BASE_TABLE_NAME, DDL_TXT FROM
DBA_REDEFINITION_ERRORS;

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Object Name
Base Table DDL That Caused Error
-------------------- ---------- ---------------------------------------SYS_C006796
EMP_REDEF CREATE UNIQUE INDEX "HR"."TMP$$_SYS_C006
7960" ON "HR"."INT_EMP_REDEF" ("EMPNO")
PCTFREE 10 INITRANS 2 MAXTRANS 255
STORAGE(INITIAL 65536 NEXT 1048576 MIN
EXTENTS 1 MAXEXTENTS 2147483645
PCTINCREASE 0 FREELISTS 1 FREELIST GRO
UPS 1
BUFFER_POOL DEFAULT)
TABLESPACE "ADMIN_TBS"
SYS_C006794
EMP_REDEF ALTER TABLE "HR"."INT_EMP_REDEF" MODIFY
("ENAME" CONSTRAINT "TMP$$_SYS_C0067940"
NOT NULL ENABLE NOVALIDATE)
SYS_C006795
EMP_REDEF ALTER TABLE "HR"."INT_EMP_REDEF" MODIFY
("DEPTNO" CONSTRAINT "TMP$$_SYS_C0067950
" NOT NULL ENABLE NOVALIDATE)
SYS_C006796
EMP_REDEF ALTER TABLE "HR"."INT_EMP_REDEF" ADD CON
STRAINT "TMP$$_SYS_C0067960" PRIMARY KEY
("EMPNO")
USING INDEX PCTFREE 10 INITRANS 2 MAXT
RANS 255
STORAGE(INITIAL 65536 NEXT 1048576 MIN
EXTENTS 1 MAXEXTENTS 2147483645
PCTINCREASE 0 FREELISTS 1 FREELIST GRO
UPS 1
BUFFER_POOL DEFAULT)
TABLESPACE "ADMIN_TBS" ENABLE NOVALID
ATE

These errors are caused by the existing primary key constraint on the interim table
and can be ignored. Note that with this approach, the names of the primary key
constraint and index on the post-redefined table are changed. An alternate
approach, one that avoids errors and name changes, would be to define the
interim table without a primary key constraint. In this case, the primary key
constraint and index are copied from the original table.
The best approach is to define the interim table with a primary
key constraint, use REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT to register the
primary key constraint and index, and then copy the remaining
dependent objects with COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS. This approach
avoids errors and ensures that the redefined table always has a
primary key and that the dependent object names do not change.
Note:

7.

(Optional) Synchronize the interim table hr.int_emp_redef.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table => 'emp_redef',
int_table => 'int_emp_redef');
END;
/

8.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN

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DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table => 'emp_redef',
int_table => 'int_emp_redef');
END;
/

The table hr.emp_redef is locked in the exclusive mode only for a small window
toward the end of this step. After this call the table hr.emp_redef is redefined such
that it has all the attributes of the hr.int_emp_redef table.
Consider specifying a non-NULL value for the dml_lock_timeout parameter in this
procedure. See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple
Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information.
9.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then
drop the interim table.

Example 3
This example redefines a table to change columns into object attributes. The redefined
table gets a new column that is an object type.
The original table, named customer, is defined as follows:
Name
-----------CID
NAME
STREET
CITY
STATE
ZIP

Type
------------NUMBER
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(100)
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(2)
NUMBER(5)

<- Primary key

The type definition for the new object is:
CREATE TYPE addr_t AS OBJECT (
street VARCHAR2(100),
city VARCHAR2(30),
state VARCHAR2(2),
zip NUMBER(5, 0) );
/

Here are the steps for this redefinition:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Verify that the table is a candidate for online redefinition. Specify that the
redefinition is to be done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
tname
=>'customer',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);
END;
/

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3.

Create the interim table int_customer.
CREATE TABLE int_customer(
CID
NUMBER,
NAME VARCHAR2(30),
ADDR addr_t);

Note that no primary key is defined on the interim table. When dependent objects
are copied in step 6, the primary key constraint and index are copied.
4.

Because customer is a very large table, specify parallel operations for the next step.
ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL DML PARALLEL 4;
ALTER SESSION FORCE PARALLEL QUERY PARALLEL 4;

5.

Start the redefinition process using primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 'customer',
int_table
=> 'int_customer',
col_mapping => 'cid cid, name name,
addr_t(street, city, state, zip) addr');
END;
/

Note that addr_t(street, city, state, zip) is a call to the object constructor.
6.

Copy dependent objects.
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table
=> 'customer',
int_table
=> 'int_customer',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,
copy_constraints => TRUE,
copy_privileges => TRUE,
ignore_errors
=> FALSE,
num_errors
=> num_errors,
copy_statistics => TRUE);
END;
/

Note that for this call, the final argument indicates that table statistics are to be
copied to the interim table.
7.

Optionally synchronize the interim table.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 'customer',
int_table => 'int_customer');
END;
/

8.

Complete the redefinition.
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BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 'customer',
int_table => 'int_customer');
END;
/

Consider specifying a non-NULL value for the dml_lock_timeout parameter in this
procedure. See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple
Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information.
9.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then
drop the interim table.

Example 4
This example addresses the situation where a dependent object must be manually
created and registered.
The table to be redefined is defined as follows:
CREATE TABLE steve.t1
(c1 NUMBER);

The table has an index for column c1:
CREATE INDEX steve.index1 ON steve.t1(c1);

Consider the case where column c1 becomes column c2 after the redefinition. In this
case, COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS tries to create an index on the interim table
corresponding to index1, and tries to create it on a column c1, which does not exist in
the interim table. This results in an error. You must therefore manually create the index
on column c2 and register it.
Here are the steps for this redefinition:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Ensure that t1 is a candidate for online redefinition with CAN_REDEF_TABLE, and
then begin the redefinition process with START_REDEF_TABLE.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
tname
=> 't1',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_ROWID);
END;
/

3.

Create the interim table int_t1 and create an index int_index1 on column c2.
CREATE TABLE steve.int_t1
(c2 NUMBER);
CREATE INDEX steve.int_index1 ON steve.int_t1(c2);

4.

Start the redefinition process.

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BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table
=> 't1',
int_table
=> 'int_t1',
col_mapping => 'c1 c2',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_ROWID);
END;
/
5.

Register the original (index1) and interim (int_index1) dependent objects.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.REGISTER_DEPENDENT_OBJECT(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table
=> 't1',
int_table
=> 'int_t1',
dep_type
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_INDEX,
dep_owner
=> 'steve',
dep_orig_name => 'index1',
dep_int_name => 'int_index1');
END;
/

6.

Copy the dependent objects.
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table
=> 't1',
int_table
=> 'int_t1',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,
copy_constraints => TRUE,
copy_privileges => TRUE,
ignore_errors
=> TRUE,
num_errors
=> num_errors);
END;
/

7.

Optionally synchronize the interim table.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 't1',
int_table => 'int_t1');
END;
/

8.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 't1',
int_table => 'int_t1');
END;
/

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9.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then
drop the interim table.

Example 5
This example demonstrates redefining multiple partitions. It moves two of the
partitions of a range-partitioned sales table to new tablespaces. The table containing
the partitions to be redefined is defined as follows:
CREATE TABLE steve.salestable
(s_productid NUMBER,
s_saledate DATE,
s_custid NUMBER,
s_totalprice NUMBER)
TABLESPACE users
PARTITION BY RANGE(s_saledate)
(PARTITION sal10q1 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE('01-APR-2010', 'DD-MON-YYYY')),
PARTITION sal10q2 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE('01-JUL-2010', 'DD-MON-YYYY')),
PARTITION sal10q3 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE('01-OCT-2010', 'DD-MON-YYYY')),
PARTITION sal10q4 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE('01-JAN-2011', 'DD-MON-YYYY')));

This example moves the sal10q1 partition to the sales1 tablespace and the sal10q2
partition to the sales2 tablespace. The sal10q3 and sal10q4 partitions are not moved.
To move the partitions, the tablespaces sales1 and sales2 must exist. The following
examples create these tablespaces:
CREATE TABLESPACE sales1 DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/sales01.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL AUTOALLOCATE;
CREATE TABLESPACE sales2 DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/data/sales02.dbf' SIZE 50M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL AUTOALLOCATE;

You can also complete this operation by executing two ALTER
TABLE ... MOVE PARTITION ... ONLINE statements. See "Moving a Table
to a New Segment or Tablespace" on page 20-42.
Note:

The table has a local partitioned index that is defined as follows:
CREATE INDEX steve.sales_index ON steve.salestable
(s_saledate, s_productid, s_custid) LOCAL;

Here are the steps. In the following procedure calls, note the extra argument: partition
name (part_name).
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Ensure that salestable is a candidate for redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
tname
=> 'salestable',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_ROWID,

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part_name
END;
/
3.

=> 'sal10q1, sal10q2');

Create the interim tables in the new tablespaces. Because this is a redefinition of a
range partition, the interim tables are nonpartitioned.
CREATE TABLE steve.int_salestb1
(s_productid NUMBER,
s_saledate DATE,
s_custid NUMBER,
s_totalprice NUMBER)
TABLESPACE sales1;
CREATE TABLE steve.int_salestb2
(s_productid NUMBER,
s_saledate DATE,
s_custid NUMBER,
s_totalprice NUMBER)
TABLESPACE sales2;

4.

Start the redefinition process using rowid.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table
=> 'salestable',
int_table
=> 'int_salestb1, int_salestb2',
col_mapping => NULL,
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_ROWID,
part_name
=> 'sal10q1, sal10q2',
continue_after_errors => TRUE);
END;
/

Notice that the part_name parameter specifies both of the partitions and that the
int_table parameter specifies the interim table for each partition. Also, the
continue_after_errors parameter is set to TRUE so that the redefinition process
continues even if it encounters an error for a particular partition.
5.

Manually create any local indexes on the interim tables.
CREATE INDEX steve.int_sales1_index ON steve.int_salestb1
(s_saledate, s_productid, s_custid)
TABLESPACE sales1;
CREATE INDEX steve.int_sales2_index ON steve.int_salestb2
(s_saledate, s_productid, s_custid)
TABLESPACE sales2;

6.

Optionally synchronize the interim tables.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 'salestable',
int_table => 'int_salestb1, int_salestb2',
part_name
=> 'sal10q1, sal10q2',
continue_after_errors => TRUE);
END;
/

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7.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'steve',
orig_table => 'salestable',
int_table => 'int_salestb1, int_salestb2',
part_name
=> 'sal10q1, sal10q2',
continue_after_errors => TRUE);
END;
/

Consider specifying a non-NULL value for the dml_lock_timeout parameter in this
procedure. See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple
Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information.
8.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim tables to complete, and then
drop the interim tables.

9.

(Optional) Query the DBA_REDEFINITION_STATUS view to ensure that the
redefinition succeeded for each partition.
SELECT BASE_TABLE_OWNER, BASE_TABLE_NAME, PREV_OPERATION, STATUS
FROM DBA_REDEFINITION_STATUS;

If redefinition failed for any partition, then query the DBA_REDEFINITION_ERRORS
view to determine the cause of the failure. Correct the conditions that caused the
failure, and rerun online redefinition.
The following query shows that two of the partitions in the table have been moved to
the new tablespaces:
SELECT PARTITION_NAME, TABLESPACE_NAME FROM DBA_TAB_PARTITIONS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'SALESTABLE';
PARTITION_NAME
-----------------------------SAL10Q1
SAL10Q2
SAL10Q3
SAL10Q4

TABLESPACE_NAME
-----------------------------SALES1
SALES2
USERS
USERS

4 rows selected.

Example 6
This example illustrates online redefinition of a table with virtual private database
(VPD) policies. The example disables all triggers for a table without changing any of
the column names or column types in the table.
The table to be redefined is defined as follows:
CREATE TABLE hr.employees(
employee_id
NUMBER(6) PRIMARY KEY,
first_name
VARCHAR2(20),
last_name
VARCHAR2(25)
CONSTRAINT
emp_last_name_nn NOT NULL,
email
VARCHAR2(25)
CONSTRAINT
emp_email_nn NOT NULL,
phone_number
VARCHAR2(20),
hire_date
DATE
CONSTRAINT
emp_hire_date_nn NOT NULL,
job_id
VARCHAR2(10)

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CONSTRAINT
emp_job_nn NOT NULL,
salary
NUMBER(8,2),
commission_pct NUMBER(2,2),
manager_id
NUMBER(6),
department_id NUMBER(4),
CONSTRAINT
emp_salary_min
CHECK (salary > 0),
CONSTRAINT
emp_email_uk
UNIQUE (email));

If you installed the Oracle-supplied sample schemas when you created your Oracle
database, then this table exists in your database.
Assume that the following auth_emp_dep_100 function is created for the VPD policy:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION hr.auth_emp_dep_100(
schema_var IN VARCHAR2,
table_var IN VARCHAR2
)
RETURN VARCHAR2
AS
return_val VARCHAR2 (400);
unm
VARCHAR2(30);
BEGIN
SELECT USER INTO unm FROM DUAL;
IF (unm = 'HR') THEN
return_val := NULL;
ELSE
return_val := 'DEPARTMENT_ID = 100';
END IF;
RETURN return_val;
END auth_emp_dep_100;
/

The following ADD_POLICY procedure specifies a VPD policy for the original table
hr.employees using the auth_emp_dep_100 function:
BEGIN
DBMS_RLS.ADD_POLICY (
object_schema
=>
object_name
=>
policy_name
=>
function_schema =>
policy_function =>
statement_types =>
);
END;
/

'hr',
'employees',
'employees_policy',
'hr',
'auth_emp_dep_100',
'select, insert, update, delete'

In this example, the hr.employees table is redefined to disable all of its triggers. No
column names or column types are changed during redefinition. Therefore, specify
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO for the copy_vpd_opt in the START_REFEF_TABLE
procedure.
The steps in this redefinition are illustrated below.
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table and the required privileges for managing VPD policies.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82 and EXECUTE privilege on the
DBMS_RLS package.
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See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.
2.

Verify that the table is a candidate for online redefinition. In this case you specify
that the redefinition is to be done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE('hr','employees',
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);
END;
/

3.

Create an interim table hr.int_employees.
CREATE TABLE hr.int_employees(
employee_id
NUMBER(6),
first_name
VARCHAR2(20),
last_name
VARCHAR2(25),
email
VARCHAR2(25),
phone_number
VARCHAR2(20),
hire_date
DATE,
job_id
VARCHAR2(10),
salary
NUMBER(8,2),
commission_pct NUMBER(2,2),
manager_id
NUMBER(6),
department_id NUMBER(4));

4.

Start the redefinition process.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE (
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table
=> 'employees',
int_table
=> 'int_employees',
col_mapping
=> NULL,
options_flag
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK,
orderby_cols
=> NULL,
part_name
=> NULL,
copy_vpd_opt
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO);
END;
/

When the copy_vpd_opt parameter is set to DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO,
only the table owner and the user invoking online redefinition can access the
interim table during online redefinition.
Also, notice that the col_mapping parameter is set to NULL. When the copy_vpd_
opt parameter is set to DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_AUTO, the col_mapping
parameter must be NULL or '*'. See "Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD)
Policies During Online Redefinition" on page 20-55.
5.

Copy dependent objects. (Automatically create any triggers, indexes, materialized
view logs, grants, and constraints on hr.int_employees.)
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table
=> 'employees',
int_table
=> 'int_employees',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,

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copy_constraints
copy_privileges
ignore_errors
num_errors
END;
/
6.

=>
=>
=>
=>

TRUE,
TRUE,
FALSE,
num_errors);

Disable all of the triggers on the interim table.
ALTER TABLE hr.int_employees
DISABLE ALL TRIGGERS;

7.

(Optional) Synchronize the interim table hr.int_employees.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table => 'employees',
int_table => 'int_employees');
END;
/

8.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'hr',
orig_table => 'employees',
int_table => 'int_employees');
END;
/

The table hr.employees is locked in the exclusive mode only for a small window
toward the end of this step. After this call the table hr.employees is redefined such
that it has all the attributes of the hr.int_employees table.
Consider specifying a non-NULL value for the dml_lock_timeout parameter in this
procedure. See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple
Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information.
9.

Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then
drop the interim table.

Example 7
This example illustrates online redefinition of a table with virtual private database
(VPD) policies. The example changes the name of a column in the table.
The table to be redefined is defined as follows:
CREATE TABLE oe.orders(
order_id
NUMBER(12) PRIMARY KEY,
order_date
TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE CONSTRAINT order_date_nn NOT NULL,
order_mode
VARCHAR2(8),
customer_id
NUMBER(6) CONSTRAINT order_customer_id_nn NOT NULL,
order_status NUMBER(2),
order_total
NUMBER(8,2),
sales_rep_id NUMBER(6),
promotion_id NUMBER(6),
CONSTRAINT
order_mode_lov
CHECK (order_mode in ('direct','online')),
CONSTRAINT
order_total_min
check (order_total >= 0));
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If you installed the Oracle-supplied sample schemas when you created your Oracle
database, then this table exists in your database.
Assume that the following auth_orders function is created for the VPD policy:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION oe.auth_orders(
schema_var IN VARCHAR2,
table_var IN VARCHAR2
)
RETURN VARCHAR2
AS
return_val VARCHAR2 (400);
unm
VARCHAR2(30);
BEGIN
SELECT USER INTO unm FROM DUAL;
IF (unm = 'OE') THEN
return_val := NULL;
ELSE
return_val := 'SALES_REP_ID = 159';
END IF;
RETURN return_val;
END auth_orders;
/

The following ADD_POLICY procedure specifies a VPD policy for the original table
oe.orders using the auth_orders function:
BEGIN
DBMS_RLS.ADD_POLICY (
object_schema
=>
object_name
=>
policy_name
=>
function_schema =>
policy_function =>
statement_types =>
END;
/

'oe',
'orders',
'orders_policy',
'oe',
'auth_orders',
'select, insert, update, delete');

In this example, the table is redefined to change the sales_rep_id column to sale_
pid. When one or more column names or column types change during redefinition,
you must specify DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_MANUAL for the copy_vpd_opt in the
START_REFEF_TABLE procedure.
The steps in this redefinition are illustrated below.
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table and the required privileges for managing VPD policies.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82 and EXECUTE privilege on the
DBMS_RLS package.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Verify that the table is a candidate for online redefinition. In this case you specify
that the redefinition is to be done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'oe',
tname
=> 'orders',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);

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END;
/
3.

Create an interim table oe.int_orders.
CREATE TABLE oe.int_orders(
order_id
NUMBER(12),
order_date
TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE,
order_mode
VARCHAR2(8),
customer_id
NUMBER(6),
order_status NUMBER(2),
order_total
NUMBER(8,2),
sales_pid
NUMBER(6),
promotion_id NUMBER(6));

Note that the sales_rep_id column is changed to the sales_pid column in the
interim table.
4.

Start the redefinition process.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE (
uname
=> 'oe',
orig_table
=> 'orders',
int_table
=> 'int_orders',
col_mapping
=> 'order_id order_id, order_date order_date, order_mode
order_mode, customer_id customer_id, order_status
order_status, order_total order_total, sales_rep_id
sales_pid, promotion_id promotion_id',
options_flag
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK,
orderby_cols
=> NULL,
part_name
=> NULL,
copy_vpd_opt
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_MANUAL);
END;
/

Because a column name is different in the original table and the interim table,
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_VPD_MANUAL must be specified for the copy_vpd_opt
parameter. See "Handling Virtual Private Database (VPD) Policies During Online
Redefinition" on page 20-55.
5.

Create the VPD policy on the interim table.
In this example, complete the following steps:
a.

Create a new function called auth_orders_sales_pid for the VPD policy that
specifies the sales_pid column instead of the sales_rep_id column:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION oe.auth_orders_sales_pid(
schema_var IN VARCHAR2,
table_var IN VARCHAR2
)
RETURN VARCHAR2
AS
return_val VARCHAR2 (400);
unm
VARCHAR2(30);
BEGIN
SELECT USER INTO unm FROM DUAL;
IF (unm = 'OE') THEN
return_val := NULL;
ELSE
return_val := 'SALES_PID = 159';

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END IF;
RETURN return_val;
END auth_orders_sales_pid;
/
b.

Run the ADD_POLICY procedure and specify the new function auth_orders_
sales_pid and the interim table int_orders:
BEGIN
DBMS_RLS.ADD_POLICY (
object_schema
=>
object_name
=>
policy_name
=>
function_schema =>
policy_function =>
statement_types =>
END;
/

6.

'oe',
'int_orders',
'orders_policy',
'oe',
'auth_orders_sales_pid',
'select, insert, update, delete');

Copy dependent objects. (Automatically create any triggers, indexes, materialized
view logs, grants, and constraints on oe.int_orders.)
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'oe',
orig_table
=> 'orders',
int_table
=> 'int_orders',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,
copy_constraints => TRUE,
copy_privileges => TRUE,
ignore_errors
=> TRUE,
num_errors
=> num_errors);
END;
/

Note that the ignore_errors argument is set to TRUE for this call. The reason is
that the original table has an index and a constraint related to the sales_rep_id
column, and this column is changed to sales_pid in the interim table. The next
step shows the errors and describes how to create the index and the constraint on
the interim table.
7.

Query the DBA_REDEFINITION_ERRORS view to check for errors.
SET LONG 8000
SET PAGES 8000
COLUMN OBJECT_NAME HEADING 'Object Name' FORMAT A20
COLUMN BASE_TABLE_NAME HEADING 'Base Table Name' FORMAT A10
COLUMN DDL_TXT HEADING 'DDL That Caused Error' FORMAT A40
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, BASE_TABLE_NAME, DDL_TXT FROM
DBA_REDEFINITION_ERRORS;
Object Name
Base Table DDL That Caused Error
-------------------- ---------- ---------------------------------------ORDERS_SALES_REP_FK ORDERS
ALTER TABLE "OE"."INT_ORDERS" ADD CONSTR
AINT "TMP$$_ORDERS_SALES_REP_FK1" FOREIG
N KEY ("SALES_REP_ID")
REFERENCES "HR"."EMPLOYEES"

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ORD_SALES_REP_IX

ORDERS

TMP$$_ORDERS_SALES_R ORDERS
EP_FK0

("EMPLOYE
E_ID") ON DELETE SET NULL DISABLE
CREATE INDEX "OE"."TMP$$_ORD_SALES_REP_I
X0" ON "OE"."INT_ORDERS" ("SALES_REP_ID"
)
PCTFREE 10 INITRANS 2 MAXTRANS 255 COM
PUTE STATISTICS
STORAGE(INITIAL 65536 NEXT 1048576 MIN
EXTENTS 1 MAXEXTENTS 2147483645
PCTINCREASE 0 FREELISTS 1 FREELIST GRO
UPS 1
BUFFER_POOL DEFAULT)
TABLESPACE "EXAMPLE"
ALTER TABLE "OE"."INT_ORDERS" ADD CONSTR
AINT "TMP$$_TMP$$_ORDERS_SALES_RE0" FORE
IGN KEY ("SALES_REP_ID")
REFERENCES "HR"."INT_EMPLOYEES"
("EMP
LOYEE_ID") ON DELETE SET NULL DISABLE

If necessary, correct the errors reported in the output.
In this example, original table has an index and a foreign key constraint on the
sales_rep_id column. The index and the constraint could not be copied to the
interim table because the name of the column changed from sales_rep_id to
sales_pid.
To correct the problems, add the index and the constraint on the interim table by
completing the following steps:
a.

Add the index:
ALTER TABLE oe.int_orders
ADD (CONSTRAINT orders_sales_pid_fk
FOREIGN KEY (sales_pid)
REFERENCES hr.employees(employee_id)
ON DELETE SET NULL);

b.

Add the foreign key constraint:
CREATE INDEX ord_sales_pid_ix ON oe.int_orders (sales_pid);

8.

(Optional) Synchronize the interim table oe.int_orders.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'oe',
orig_table => 'orders',
int_table => 'int_orders');
END;
/

9.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'oe',
orig_table => 'orders',
int_table => 'int_orders');
END;
/

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The table oe.orders is locked in the exclusive mode only for a small window
toward the end of this step. After this call the table oe.orders is redefined such
that it has all the attributes of the oe.int_orders table.
Consider specifying a non-NULL value for the dml_lock_timeout parameter in this
procedure. See step 8 in "Performing Online Redefinition with Multiple
Procedures in DBMS_REDEFINITION" on page 20-51 for more information.
10. Wait for any long-running queries against the interim table to complete, and then

drop the interim table.
Example 8
This example illustrates making multiple changes to a table using online redefinition.
The table to be redefined is defined as follows:
CREATE TABLE testredef.original(
col1 NUMBER PRIMARY KEY,
col2 VARCHAR2(10),
col3 CLOB,
col4 DATE)
ORGANIZATION INDEX;

The table is redefined as follows:
■

The table is compressed with advanced row compression.

■

The LOB column is changed to SecureFiles LOB storage.

■

The table’s tablespace is changed from example to testredeftbs, and the table’s
block size is changed from 8KB to 16KB.
This example assumes that the database block size is 8KB. This example also
assumes that the DB_16K_CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter is set and that the
testredef tablespace was created with a 16KB block size. For example:
CREATE TABLESPACE testredeftbs
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/testredef01.dbf' SIZE 500M
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL AUTOALLOCATE
SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO
BLOCKSIZE 16384;

■

The table is partitioned on the col1 column.

■

The col5 column is added.

■

The col2 column is dropped.

■

Columns col3 and col4 are renamed, and their position in the table is changed.

■

The type of the col3 column is changed from DATE to TIMESTAMP.

■

■

The table is changed from an index-organized table (IOT) to a heap-organized
table.
The table is defragmented.
To demonstrate defragmentation, the table must be populated. For the purposes of
this example, you can use this PL/SQL block to populate the table:
DECLARE
V_CLOB CLOB;
BEGIN
FOR I IN 0..999 LOOP
V_CLOB := NULL;

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FOR J IN 1..1000 LOOP
V_CLOB := V_CLOB||TO_CHAR(I,'0000');
END LOOP;
INSERT INTO testredef.original VALUES(I,TO_CHAR(I),V_CLOB,SYSDATE+I);
COMMIT;
END LOOP;
COMMIT;
END;
/

Run the following SQL statement to fragment the table by deleting every third
row:
DELETE FROM testredef.original WHERE (COL1/3) <> TRUNC(COL1/3);

You can confirm the fragmentation by using the DBMS_SPACE.SPACE_USAGE
procedure.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about the DBMS_SPACE.SPACE_USAGE procedure

The steps in this redefinition are illustrated below.
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect as a user with the required privileges for performing online
redefinition of a table.
Specifically, the user must have the privileges described in "Privileges Required for
the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package" on page 20-82.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Verify that the table is a candidate for online redefinition. In this case you specify
that the redefinition is to be done using primary keys or pseudo-primary keys.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CAN_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'testredef',
tname
=> 'original',
options_flag => DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);
END;
/

3.

Create an interim table testredef.interim.
CREATE TABLE testredef.interim(
col1 NUMBER,
col3 TIMESTAMP,
col4 CLOB,
col5 VARCHAR2(3))
LOB(col4) STORE AS SECUREFILE
PARTITION BY RANGE (COL1) (
PARTITION par1 VALUES LESS
PARTITION par2 VALUES LESS
PARTITION par3 VALUES LESS
TABLESPACE testredeftbs
ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED;

4.

(NOCACHE FILESYSTEM_LIKE_LOGGING)
THAN (333),
THAN (666),
THAN (MAXVALUE))

Start the redefinition process.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.START_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'testredef',

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orig_table
int_table
col_mapping
options_flag

=>
=>
=>
=>

'original',
'interim',
'col1 col1, TO_TIMESTAMP(col4) col3, col3 col4',
DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_USE_PK);

END;
/
5.

Copy the dependent objects.
DECLARE
num_errors PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS(
uname
=> 'testredef',
orig_table
=> 'original',
int_table
=> 'interim',
copy_indexes
=> DBMS_REDEFINITION.CONS_ORIG_PARAMS,
copy_triggers
=> TRUE,
copy_constraints => TRUE,
copy_privileges => TRUE,
ignore_errors
=> TRUE,
num_errors
=> num_errors);
END;
/

6.

Optionally synchronize the interim table.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.SYNC_INTERIM_TABLE(
uname
=> 'testredef',
orig_table => 'original',
int_table
=> 'interim');
END;
/

7.

Complete the redefinition.
BEGIN
DBMS_REDEFINITION.FINISH_REDEF_TABLE(
uname
=> 'testredef',
orig_table => 'original',
int_table
=> 'interim');
END;
/

Privileges Required for the DBMS_REDEFINITION Package
Execute privileges on the DBMS_REDEFINITION package are required to run
subprograms in the package. Execute privileges on the DBMS_REDEFINITION package
are granted to EXECUTE_CATALOG_ROLE.
In addition, for a user to redefine a table in the user’s schema using the package, the
user must be granted the following privileges:
■

CREATE TABLE

■

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW

The CREATE TRIGGER privilege is also required to execute the COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS
procedure.

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For a user to redefine a table in other schemas using the package, the user must be
granted the following privileges:
■

CREATE ANY TABLE

■

ALTER ANY TABLE

■

DROP ANY TABLE

■

LOCK ANY TABLE

■

SELECT ANY TABLE

The following additional privileges are required to execute COPY_TABLE_DEPENDENTS on
tables in other schemas:
■

CREATE ANY TRIGGER

■

CREATE ANY INDEX

Researching and Reversing Erroneous Table Changes
To enable you to research and reverse erroneous changes to tables, Oracle Database
provides a a group of features that you can use to view past states of database objects
or to return database objects to a previous state without using point-in-time media
recovery. These features are known as Oracle Flashback features, and are described in
Oracle Database Development Guide.
To research an erroneous change, you can use multiple Oracle Flashback queries to
view row data at specific points in time. A more efficient approach would be to use
Oracle Flashback Version Query to view all changes to a row over a period of time.
With this feature, you append a VERSIONS clause to a SELECT statement that specifies a
system change number (SCN) or timestamp range between which you want to view
changes to row values. The query also can return associated metadata, such as the
transaction responsible for the change.
After you identify an erroneous transaction, you can use Oracle Flashback Transaction
Query to identify other changes that were made by the transaction. You can then use
Oracle Flashback Transaction to reverse the erroneous transaction. (Note that Oracle
Flashback Transaction must also reverse all dependent transactions—subsequent
transactions involving the same rows as the erroneous transaction.) You also have the
option of using Oracle Flashback Table, described in "Recovering Tables Using Oracle
Flashback Table" on page 20-83.
You must be using automatic undo management to use
Oracle Flashback features. See "Introduction to Automatic Undo
Management" on page 16-2.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database Development Guide for information about
Oracle Flashback features.

Recovering Tables Using Oracle Flashback Table
Oracle Flashback Table enables you to restore a table to its state as of a previous point
in time. It provides a fast, online solution for recovering a table that has been
accidentally modified or deleted by a user or application. In many cases, Oracle
Flashback Table eliminates the need for you to perform more complicated
point-in-time recovery operations.

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Oracle Flashback Table:
■

■
■

■

■

■

Restores all data in a specified table to a previous point in time described by a
timestamp or SCN.
Performs the restore operation online.
Automatically maintains all of the table attributes, such as indexes, triggers, and
constraints that are necessary for an application to function with the flashed-back
table.
Maintains any remote state in a distributed environment. For example, all of the
table modifications required by replication if a replicated table is flashed back.
Maintains data integrity as specified by constraints. Tables are flashed back
provided none of the table constraints are violated. This includes any referential
integrity constraints specified between a table included in the FLASHBACK TABLE
statement and another table that is not included in the FLASHBACK TABLE
statement.
Even after a flashback operation, the data in the original table is not lost. You can
later revert to the original state.
You must be using automatic undo management to use
Oracle Flashback Table. See "Introduction to Automatic Undo
Management" on page 16-2.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for
more information about the FLASHBACK TABLE statement.

Dropping Tables
To drop a table that you no longer need, use the DROP TABLE statement. The table must
be contained in your schema or you must have the DROP ANY TABLE system privilege.
Caution: Before dropping a table, familiarize yourself with the
consequences of doing so:
■

■
■

■

■

Dropping a table removes the table definition from the data
dictionary. All rows of the table are no longer accessible.
All indexes and triggers associated with a table are dropped.
All views and PL/SQL program units dependent on a dropped
table remain, yet become invalid (not usable). See "Managing
Object Dependencies" on page 18-17 for information about how
the database manages dependencies.
All synonyms for a dropped table remain, but return an error
when used.
All extents allocated for a table that is dropped are returned to
the free space of the tablespace and can be used by any other
object requiring new extents or new objects. All rows
corresponding to a clustered table are deleted from the blocks
of the cluster. Clustered tables are the subject of Chapter 22,
"Managing Clusters".

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The following statement drops the hr.int_admin_emp table:
DROP TABLE hr.int_admin_emp;

If the table to be dropped contains any primary or unique keys referenced by foreign
keys of other tables and you intend to drop the FOREIGN KEY constraints of the child
tables, then include the CASCADE clause in the DROP TABLE statement, as shown below:
DROP TABLE hr.admin_emp CASCADE CONSTRAINTS;

When you drop a table, normally the database does not immediately release the space
associated with the table. Rather, the database renames the table and places it in a
recycle bin, where it can later be recovered with the FLASHBACK TABLE statement if you
find that you dropped the table in error. If you should want to immediately release the
space associated with the table at the time you issue the DROP TABLE statement, include
the PURGE clause as shown in the following statement:
DROP TABLE hr.admin_emp PURGE;

Perhaps instead of dropping a table, you want to truncate it. The TRUNCATE statement
provides a fast, efficient method for deleting all rows from a table, but it does not affect
any structures associated with the table being truncated (column definitions,
constraints, triggers, and so forth) or authorizations. The TRUNCATE statement is
discussed in "Truncating Tables and Clusters" on page 18-6.

Using Flashback Drop and Managing the Recycle Bin
When you drop a table, the database does not immediately remove the space
associated with the table. The database renames the table and places it and any
associated objects in a recycle bin, where, in case the table was dropped in error, it can
be recovered at a later time. This feature is called Flashback Drop, and the FLASHBACK
TABLE statement is used to restore the table. Before discussing the use of the FLASHBACK
TABLE statement for this purpose, it is important to understand how the recycle bin
works, and how you manage its contents.
This section contains the following topics:
■

What Is the Recycle Bin?

■

Viewing and Querying Objects in the Recycle Bin

■

Purging Objects in the Recycle Bin

■

Restoring Tables from the Recycle Bin

What Is the Recycle Bin?
The recycle bin is actually a data dictionary table containing information about
dropped objects. Dropped tables and any associated objects such as indexes,
constraints, nested tables, and the likes are not removed and still occupy space. They
continue to count against user space quotas, until specifically purged from the recycle
bin or the unlikely situation where they must be purged by the database because of
tablespace space constraints.
Each user can be thought of as having his own recycle bin, because, unless a user has
the SYSDBA privilege, the only objects that the user has access to in the recycle bin are
those that the user owns. A user can view his objects in the recycle bin using the
following statement:
SELECT * FROM RECYCLEBIN;

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Using Flashback Drop and Managing the Recycle Bin

Only the DROP TABLE SQL statement places objects in the recycle bin. It adds the table
and its associated objects so that they can be recovered as a group. In addition to the
table itself, the associated objects that are added to the recycle bin can include the
following types of objects:
■

Nested tables

■

LOB segments

■

Indexes

■

Constraints (excluding foreign key constraints)

■

Triggers

■

Clusters

When you drop a tablespace including its contents, the objects in the tablespace are not
placed in the recycle bin and the database purges any entries in the recycle bin for
objects located in the tablespace. The database also purges any recycle bin entries for
objects in a tablespace when you drop the tablespace, not including contents, and the
tablespace is otherwise empty. Likewise:
■

■

■

When you drop a user, any objects belonging to the user are not placed in the
recycle bin and any objects in the recycle bin are purged.
When you drop a cluster, its member tables are not placed in the recycle bin and
any former member tables in the recycle bin are purged.
When you drop a type, any dependent objects such as subtypes are not placed in
the recycle bin and any former dependent objects in the recycle bin are purged.

Object Naming in the Recycle Bin
When a dropped table is moved to the recycle bin, the table and its associated objects
are given system-generated names. This is necessary to avoid name conflicts that may
arise if multiple tables have the same name. This could occur under the following
circumstances:
■

A user drops a table, re-creates it with the same name, then drops it again.

■

Two users have tables with the same name, and both users drop their tables.

The renaming convention is as follows:
BIN$unique_id$version

where:
■

■

unique_id is a 26-character globally unique identifier for this object, which makes
the recycle bin name unique across all databases
version is a version number assigned by the database

Enabling and Disabling the Recycle Bin
When the recycle bin is enabled, dropped tables and their dependent objects are
placed in the recycle bin. When the recycle bin is disabled, dropped tables and their
dependent objects are not placed in the recycle bin; they are just dropped, and you
must use other means to recover them (such as recovering from backup).
Disabling the recycle bin does not purge or otherwise affect objects already in the
recycle bin. The recycle bin is enabled by default.

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You enable and disable the recycle bin by changing the recyclebin initialization
parameter. This parameter is not dynamic, so a database restart is required when you
change it with an ALTER SYSTEM statement.
To disable the recycle bin:
1.

Issue one of the following statements:
ALTER SESSION SET recyclebin = OFF;
ALTER SYSTEM SET recyclebin = OFF SCOPE = SPFILE;

2.

If you used ALTER SYSTEM, restart the database.

To enable the recycle bin:
1.

Issue one of the following statements:
ALTER SESSION SET recyclebin = ON;
ALTER SYSTEM SET recyclebin = ON SCOPE = SPFILE;

2.

If you used ALTER SYSTEM, restart the database.
See Also:
■

■

"About Initialization Parameters and Initialization Parameter
Files" on page 2-25 for more information on initialization
parameters
"Changing Initialization Parameter Values" on page 2-36 for a
description of dynamic and static initialization parameters

Viewing and Querying Objects in the Recycle Bin
Oracle Database provides two views for obtaining information about objects in the
recycle bin:
View

Description

USER_RECYCLEBIN

This view can be used by users to see their own dropped objects
in the recycle bin. It has a synonym RECYCLEBIN, for ease of use.

DBA_RECYCLEBIN

This view gives administrators visibility to all dropped objects
in the recycle bin

One use for these views is to identify the name that the database has assigned to a
dropped object, as shown in the following example:
SELECT object_name, original_name FROM dba_recyclebin
WHERE owner = 'HR';
OBJECT_NAME
ORIGINAL_NAME
------------------------------ -------------------------------BIN$yrMKlZaLMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0 EMPLOYEES

You can also view the contents of the recycle bin using the SQL*Plus command SHOW
RECYCLEBIN.
SQL> show recyclebin
ORIGINAL NAME
RECYCLEBIN NAME
OBJECT TYPE DROP TIME
---------------- ------------------------------ ------------ -------------------

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Using Flashback Drop and Managing the Recycle Bin

EMPLOYEES

BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0 TABLE

2003-10-27:14:00:19

You can query objects that are in the recycle bin, just as you can query other objects.
However, you must specify the name of the object as it is identified in the recycle bin.
For example:
SELECT * FROM "BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0";

Purging Objects in the Recycle Bin
If you decide that you are never going to restore an item from the recycle bin, you can
use the PURGE statement to remove the items and their associated objects from the
recycle bin and release their storage space. You need the same privileges as if you were
dropping the item.
When you use the PURGE statement to purge a table, you can use the name that the
table is known by in the recycle bin or the original name of the table. The recycle bin
name can be obtained from either the DBA_ or USER_RECYCLEBIN view as shown in
"Viewing and Querying Objects in the Recycle Bin" on page 20-87. The following
hypothetical example purges the table hr.int_admin_emp, which was renamed to
BIN$jsleilx392mk2=293$0 when it was placed in the recycle bin:
PURGE TABLE "BIN$jsleilx392mk2=293$0";

You can achieve the same result with the following statement:
PURGE TABLE int_admin_emp;

You can use the PURGE statement to purge all the objects in the recycle bin that are from
a specified tablespace or only the tablespace objects belonging to a specified user, as
shown in the following examples:
PURGE TABLESPACE example;
PURGE TABLESPACE example USER oe;

Users can purge the recycle bin of their own objects, and release space for objects, by
using the following statement:
PURGE RECYCLEBIN;

If you have the SYSDBA privilege or the PURGE DBA_RECYCLEBIN system privilege, then
you can purge the entire recycle bin by specifying DBA_RECYCLEBIN, instead of
RECYCLEBIN in the previous statement.
You can also use the PURGE statement to purge an index from the recycle bin or to
purge from the recycle bin all objects in a specified tablespace.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information on the PURGE statement

Restoring Tables from the Recycle Bin
Use the FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP statement to recover objects from the
recycle bin. You can specify either the name of the table in the recycle bin or the
original table name. An optional RENAME TO clause lets you rename the table as you
recover it. The recycle bin name can be obtained from either the DBA_ or USER_
RECYCLEBIN view as shown in "Viewing and Querying Objects in the Recycle Bin" on
page 20-87. To use the FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP statement, you need the
same privileges required to drop the table.
The following example restores int_admin_emp table and assigns to it a new name:
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FLASHBACK TABLE int_admin_emp TO BEFORE DROP
RENAME TO int2_admin_emp;

The system-generated recycle bin name is very useful if you have dropped a table
multiple times. For example, suppose you have three versions of the int2_admin_emp
table in the recycle bin and you want to recover the second version. You can do this by
issuing two FLASHBACK TABLE statements, or you can query the recycle bin and then
flashback to the appropriate system-generated name, as shown in the following
example. Including the create time in the query can help you verify that you are
restoring the correct table.
SELECT object_name, original_name, createtime FROM recyclebin;
OBJECT_NAME
-----------------------------BIN$yrMKlZaLMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0
BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0
BIN$yrMKlZaQMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0

ORIGINAL_NAME
--------------INT2_ADMIN_EMP
INT2_ADMIN_EMP
INT2_ADMIN_EMP

CREATETIME
------------------2006-02-05:21:05:52
2006-02-05:21:25:13
2006-02-05:22:05:53

FLASHBACK TABLE "BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0" TO BEFORE DROP;

Restoring Dependent Objects
When you restore a table from the recycle bin, dependent objects such as indexes do
not get their original names back; they retain their system-generated recycle bin
names. You must manually rename dependent objects to restore their original names.
If you plan to manually restore original names for dependent objects, ensure that you
make note of each dependent object's system-generated recycle bin name before you
restore the table.
The following is an example of restoring the original names of some of the indexes of
the dropped table JOB_HISTORY, from the HR sample schema. The example assumes
that you are logged in as the HR user.
1.

After dropping JOB_HISTORY and before restoring it from the recycle bin, run the
following query:
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, ORIGINAL_NAME, TYPE FROM RECYCLEBIN;
OBJECT_NAME
-----------------------------BIN$DBo9UChtZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChuZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChvZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChwZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChxZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0

2.

ORIGINAL_NAME
------------------------JHIST_JOB_IX
JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX
JHIST_DEPARTMENT_IX
JHIST_EMP_ID_ST_DATE_PK
JOB_HISTORY

TYPE
-------INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
TABLE

Restore the table with the following command:
FLASHBACK TABLE JOB_HISTORY TO BEFORE DROP;

3.

Run the following query to verify that all JOB_HISTORY indexes retained their
system-generated recycle bin names:
SELECT INDEX_NAME FROM USER_INDEXES WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'JOB_HISTORY';
INDEX_NAME
-----------------------------BIN$DBo9UChwZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChtZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChuZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
BIN$DBo9UChvZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0
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Managing Index-Organized Tables

4.

Restore the original names of the first two indexes as follows:
ALTER INDEX "BIN$DBo9UChtZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0" RENAME TO JHIST_JOB_IX;
ALTER INDEX "BIN$DBo9UChuZSbgQFeMiAdCcQ==$0" RENAME TO JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX;

Note that double quotes are required around the system-generated names.

Managing Index-Organized Tables
This section describes aspects of managing index-organized tables, and contains the
following topics:
■

What Are Index-Organized Tables?

■

Creating Index-Organized Tables

■

Maintaining Index-Organized Tables

■

Creating Secondary Indexes on Index-Organized Tables

■

Analyzing Index-Organized Tables

■

Using the ORDER BY Clause with Index-Organized Tables

■

Converting Index-Organized Tables to Regular Tables

What Are Index-Organized Tables?
An index-organized table has a storage organization that is a variant of a primary
B-tree. Unlike an ordinary (heap-organized) table whose data is stored as an
unordered collection (heap), data for an index-organized table is stored in a B-tree
index structure in a primary key sorted manner. Each leaf block in the index structure
stores both the key and nonkey columns.
The structure of an index-organized table provides the following benefits:
■

■

■

Fast random access on the primary key because an index-only scan is sufficient.
And, because there is no separate table storage area, changes to the table data
(such as adding new rows, updating rows, or deleting rows) result only in
updating the index structure.
Fast range access on the primary key because the rows are clustered in primary
key order.
Lower storage requirements because duplication of primary keys is avoided. They
are not stored both in the index and underlying table, as is true with
heap-organized tables.

Index-organized tables have full table functionality. They support features such as
constraints, triggers, LOB and object columns, partitioning, parallel operations, online
reorganization, and replication. And, they offer these additional features:
■

Prefix compression

■

Overflow storage area and specific column placement

■

Secondary indexes, including bitmap indexes.

Index-organized tables are ideal for OLTP applications, which require fast primary key
access and high availability. For example, queries and DML on an orders table used in
electronic order processing are predominantly based on primary key access, and heavy
volume of concurrent DML can cause row chaining and inefficient space usage in
indexes, resulting in a frequent need to reorganize. Because an index-organized table
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can be reorganized online and without invalidating its secondary indexes, the window
of unavailability is greatly reduced or eliminated.
Index-organized tables are suitable for modeling application-specific index structures.
For example, content-based information retrieval applications containing text, image
and audio data require inverted indexes that can be effectively modeled using
index-organized tables. A fundamental component of an internet search engine is an
inverted index that can be modeled using index-organized tables.
These are but a few of the applications for index-organized tables.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for a more thorough description of
index-organized tables
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for information
about partitioning index-organized tables

Creating Index-Organized Tables
You use the CREATE TABLE statement to create index-organized tables, but you must
provide additional information:
■

■

An ORGANIZATION INDEX qualifier, which indicates that this is an index-organized
table
A primary key, specified through a column constraint clause (for a single column
primary key) or a table constraint clause (for a multiple-column primary key).

Optionally, you can specify the following:
■

■

■

An OVERFLOW clause, which preserves dense clustering of the B-tree index by
enabling the storage of some of the nonkey columns in a separate overflow data
segment.
A PCTTHRESHOLD value, which, when an overflow segment is being used, defines
the maximum size of the portion of the row that is stored in the index block, as a
percentage of block size. Rows columns that would cause the row size to exceed
this maximum are stored in the overflow segment. The row is broken at a column
boundary into two pieces, a head piece and tail piece. The head piece fits in the
specified threshold and is stored along with the key in the index leaf block. The
tail piece is stored in the overflow area as one or more row pieces. Thus, the index
entry contains the key value, the nonkey column values that fit the specified
threshold, and a pointer to the rest of the row.
An INCLUDING clause, which can be used to specify the nonkey columns that are to
be stored in the index block with the primary key.

Example: Creating an Index-Organized Table
The following statement creates an index-organized table:
CREATE TABLE admin_docindex(
token char(20),
doc_id NUMBER,
token_frequency NUMBER,
token_offsets VARCHAR2(2000),
CONSTRAINT pk_admin_docindex PRIMARY KEY (token, doc_id))
ORGANIZATION INDEX
TABLESPACE admin_tbs
PCTTHRESHOLD 20

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OVERFLOW TABLESPACE admin_tbs2;

This example creates an index-organized table named admin_docindex, with a primary
key composed of the columns token and doc_id. The OVERFLOW and PCTTHRESHOLD
clauses specify that if the length of a row exceeds 20% of the index block size, then the
column that exceeded that threshold and all columns after it are moved to the
overflow segment. The overflow segment is stored in the admin_tbs2 tablespace.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the syntax to create an index-organized table

Restrictions for Index-Organized Tables
The following are restrictions on creating index-organized tables.
■
■

The maximum number of columns is 1000.
The maximum number of columns in the index portion of a row is 255, including
both key and nonkey columns. If more than 255 columns are required, you must
use an overflow segment.

■

The maximum number of columns that you can include in the primary key is 32.

■

PCTTHRESHOLD must be in the range of 1–50. The default is 50.

■

All key columns must fit within the specified threshold.

■

■

If the maximum size of a row exceeds 50% of the index block size and you do not
specify an overflow segment, the CREATE TABLE statement fails.
Index-organized tables cannot have virtual columns.

Creating Index-Organized Tables that Contain Object Types
Index-organized tables can store object types. The following example creates object
type admin_typ, then creates an index-organized table containing a column of object
type admin_typ:
CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE admin_typ AS OBJECT
(col1 NUMBER, col2 VARCHAR2(6));
CREATE TABLE admin_iot (c1 NUMBER primary key, c2 admin_typ)
ORGANIZATION INDEX;

You can also create an index-organized table of object types. For example:
CREATE TABLE admin_iot2 OF admin_typ (col1 PRIMARY KEY)
ORGANIZATION INDEX;

Another example, that follows, shows that index-organized tables store nested tables
efficiently. For a nested table column, the database internally creates a storage table to
hold all the nested table rows.
CREATE TYPE project_t AS OBJECT(pno NUMBER, pname VARCHAR2(80));
/
CREATE TYPE project_set AS TABLE OF project_t;
/
CREATE TABLE proj_tab (eno NUMBER, projects PROJECT_SET)
NESTED TABLE projects STORE AS emp_project_tab
((PRIMARY KEY(nested_table_id, pno))
ORGANIZATION INDEX)
RETURN AS LOCATOR;

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The rows belonging to a single nested table instance are identified by a nested_table_
id column. If an ordinary table is used to store nested table columns, the nested table
rows typically get de-clustered. But when you use an index-organized table, the nested
table rows can be clustered based on the nested_table_id column.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for details of the syntax
used for creating index-organized tables
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for information
about creating partitioned index-organized tables
Oracle Database Object-Relational Developer's Guide for
information about object types

Choosing and Monitoring a Threshold Value
Choose a threshold value that can accommodate your key columns, as well as the first
few nonkey columns (if they are frequently accessed).
After choosing a threshold value, you can monitor tables to verify that the value you
specified is appropriate. You can use the ANALYZE TABLE ... LIST CHAINED ROWS
statement to determine the number and identity of rows exceeding the threshold
value.
See Also:
■

■

"Listing Chained Rows of Tables and Clusters" on page 18-4 for
more information about chained rows
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
ANALYZE statement

Using the INCLUDING Clause
In addition to specifying PCTTHRESHOLD, you can use the INCLUDING clause to control
which nonkey columns are stored with the key columns. The database accommodates
all nonkey columns up to and including the column specified in the INCLUDING clause
in the index leaf block, provided it does not exceed the specified threshold. All nonkey
columns beyond the column specified in the INCLUDING clause are stored in the
overflow segment. If the INCLUDING and PCTTHRESHOLD clauses conflict, PCTTHRESHOLD
takes precedence.
Oracle Database moves all primary key columns of an
indexed-organized table to the beginning of the table (in their key
order) to provide efficient primary key–based access. As an
example:

Note:

CREATE TABLE admin_iot4(a INT, b INT, c INT, d INT,
primary key(c,b))
ORGANIZATION INDEX;

The stored column order is: c b a d (instead of: a b c d). The last
primary key column is b, based on the stored column order. The
INCLUDING column can be the last primary key column (b in this
example), or any nonkey column (that is, any column after b in the
stored column order).

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The following CREATE TABLE statement is similar to the one shown earlier in "Example:
Creating an Index-Organized Table" on page 20-91 but is modified to create an
index-organized table where the token_offsets column value is always stored in the
overflow area:
CREATE TABLE admin_docindex2(
token CHAR(20),
doc_id NUMBER,
token_frequency NUMBER,
token_offsets VARCHAR2(2000),
CONSTRAINT pk_admin_docindex2 PRIMARY KEY (token, doc_id))
ORGANIZATION INDEX
TABLESPACE admin_tbs
PCTTHRESHOLD 20
INCLUDING token_frequency
OVERFLOW TABLESPACE admin_tbs2;

Here, only nonkey columns before token_offsets (in this case a single column only)
are stored with the key column values in the index leaf block.

Parallelizing Index-Organized Table Creation
The CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT statement enables you to create an index-organized
table and load data from an existing table into it. By including the PARALLEL clause, the
load can be done in parallel.
The following statement creates an index-organized table in parallel by selecting rows
from the conventional table hr.jobs:
CREATE TABLE admin_iot3(i PRIMARY KEY, j, k, l)
ORGANIZATION INDEX
PARALLEL
AS SELECT * FROM hr.jobs;

This statement provides an alternative to parallel bulk-load using SQL*Loader.

Using Prefix Compression
Creating an index-organized table using prefix compression (also known as key
compression) enables you to eliminate repeated occurrences of key column prefix
values.
Prefix compression breaks an index key into a prefix and a suffix entry. Compression is
achieved by sharing the prefix entries among all the suffix entries in an index block.
This sharing can lead to huge savings in space, allowing you to store more keys in
each index block while improving performance.
You can enable prefix compression using the COMPRESS clause while:
■

Creating an index-organized table

■

Moving an index-organized table

You can also specify the prefix length (as the number of key columns), which identifies
how the key columns are broken into a prefix and suffix entry.
CREATE TABLE admin_iot5(i INT, j INT, k INT, l INT, PRIMARY KEY (i, j, k))
ORGANIZATION INDEX COMPRESS;

The preceding statement is equivalent to the following statement:
CREATE TABLE admin_iot6(i INT, j INT, k INT, l INT, PRIMARY KEY(i, j, k))
ORGANIZATION INDEX COMPRESS 2;

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For the list of values (1,2,3), (1,2,4), (1,2,7), (1,3,5), (1,3,4), (1,4,4) the repeated
occurrences of (1,2), (1,3) are compressed away.
You can also override the default prefix length used for compression as follows:
CREATE TABLE admin_iot7(i INT, j INT, k INT, l INT, PRIMARY KEY (i, j, k))
ORGANIZATION INDEX COMPRESS 1;

For the list of values (1,2,3), (1,2,4), (1,2,7), (1,3,5), (1,3,4), (1,4,4), the repeated
occurrences of 1 are compressed away.
You can disable compression as follows:
ALTER TABLE admin_iot5 MOVE NOCOMPRESS;

One application of prefix compression is in a time-series application that uses a set of
time-stamped rows belonging to a single item, such as a stock price. Index-organized
tables are attractive for such applications because of the ability to cluster rows based
on the primary key. By defining an index-organized table with primary key (stock
symbol, time stamp), you can store and manipulate time-series data efficiently. You
can achieve more storage savings by compressing repeated occurrences of the item
identifier (for example, the stock symbol) in a time series by using an index-organized
table with prefix compression.
See Also: Oracle Database Concepts for more information about
prefix compression

Maintaining Index-Organized Tables
Index-organized tables differ from ordinary tables only in physical organization.
Logically, they are manipulated in the same manner as ordinary tables. You can specify
an index-organized table just as you would specify a regular table in INSERT, SELECT,
DELETE, and UPDATE statements.

Altering Index-Organized Tables
All of the alter options available for ordinary tables are available for index-organized
tables. This includes ADD, MODIFY, and DROP COLUMNS and CONSTRAINTS. However, the
primary key constraint for an index-organized table cannot be dropped, deferred, or
disabled
You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to modify physical and storage attributes for
both primary key index and overflow data segments. All the attributes specified before
the OVERFLOW keyword are applicable to the primary key index segment. All attributes
specified after the OVERFLOW key word are applicable to the overflow data segment. For
example, you can set the INITRANS of the primary key index segment to 4 and the
overflow of the data segment INITRANS to 6 as follows:
ALTER TABLE admin_docindex INITRANS 4 OVERFLOW INITRANS 6;

You can also alter PCTTHRESHOLD and INCLUDING column values. A new setting is used
to break the row into head and overflow tail pieces during subsequent operations. For
example, the PCTHRESHOLD and INCLUDING column values can be altered for the admin_
docindex table as follows:
ALTER TABLE admin_docindex PCTTHRESHOLD 15 INCLUDING doc_id;

By setting the INCLUDING column to doc_id, all the columns that follow token_
frequency and token_offsets, are stored in the overflow data segment.

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For index-organized tables created without an overflow data segment, you can add an
overflow data segment by using the ADD OVERFLOW clause. For example, you can add
an overflow segment to table admin_iot3 as follows:
ALTER TABLE admin_iot3 ADD OVERFLOW TABLESPACE admin_tbs2;

Moving (Rebuilding) Index-Organized Tables
Because index-organized tables are primarily stored in a B-tree index, you can
encounter fragmentation as a consequence of incremental updates. However, you can
use the ALTER TABLE...MOVE statement to rebuild the index and reduce this
fragmentation.
The following statement rebuilds the index-organized table admin_docindex:
ALTER TABLE admin_docindex MOVE;

You can rebuild index-organized tables online using the ONLINE keyword. The
overflow data segment, if present, is rebuilt when the OVERFLOW keyword is specified.
For example, to rebuild the admin_docindex table but not the overflow data segment,
perform a move online as follows:
ALTER TABLE admin_docindex MOVE ONLINE;

To rebuild the admin_docindex table along with its overflow data segment perform the
move operation as shown in the following statement. This statement also illustrates
moving both the table and overflow data segment to new tablespaces.
ALTER TABLE admin_docindex MOVE TABLESPACE admin_tbs2
OVERFLOW TABLESPACE admin_tbs3;

In this last statement, an index-organized table with a LOB column (CLOB) is created.
Later, the table is moved with the LOB index and data segment being rebuilt and
moved to a new tablespace.
CREATE TABLE admin_iot_lob
(c1 number (6) primary key,
admin_lob CLOB)
ORGANIZATION INDEX
LOB (admin_lob) STORE AS (TABLESPACE admin_tbs2);
.
.
.
ALTER TABLE admin_iot_lob MOVE LOB (admin_lob) STORE AS (TABLESPACE admin_tbs3);

See Also: Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's
Guide for information about LOBs in index-organized tables

Creating Secondary Indexes on Index-Organized Tables
You can create secondary indexes on an index-organized tables to provide multiple
access paths. Secondary indexes on index-organized tables differ from indexes on
ordinary tables in two ways:
■

They store logical rowids instead of physical rowids. This is necessary because the
inherent movability of rows in a B-tree index results in the rows having no
permanent physical addresses. If the physical location of a row changes, its logical
rowid remains valid. One effect of this is that a table maintenance operation, such
as ALTER TABLE ... MOVE, does not make the secondary index unusable.

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■

The logical rowid also includes a physical guess which identifies the database
block address at which the row is likely to be found. If the physical guess is
correct, a secondary index scan would incur a single additional I/O once the
secondary key is found. The performance would be similar to that of a secondary
index-scan on an ordinary table.

Unique and non-unique secondary indexes, function-based secondary indexes, and
bitmap indexes are supported as secondary indexes on index-organized tables.

Syntax for Creating the Secondary Index
The following statement shows the creation of a secondary index on the docindex
index-organized table where doc_id and token are the key columns:
CREATE INDEX Doc_id_index on Docindex(Doc_id, Token);

This secondary index allows the database to efficiently process a query, such as the
following, the involves a predicate on doc_id:
SELECT Token FROM Docindex WHERE Doc_id = 1;

Maintaining Physical Guesses in Logical Rowids
A logical rowid can include a guess, which identifies the block location of a row at the
time the guess is made. Instead of doing a full key search, the database uses the guess
to search the block directly. However, as new rows are inserted, guesses can become
stale. The indexes are still usable through the primary key-component of the logical
rowid, but access to rows is slower.
Collect index statistics with the DBMS_STATS package to monitor the staleness of
guesses. The database checks whether the existing guesses are still valid and records
the percentage of rows with valid guesses in the data dictionary. This statistic is stored
in the PCT_DIRECT_ACCESS column of the DBA_INDEXES view (and related views).
To obtain fresh guesses, you can rebuild the secondary index. Note that rebuilding a
secondary index on an index-organized table involves reading the base table, unlike
rebuilding an index on an ordinary table. A quicker, more light weight means of fixing
the guesses is to use the ALTER INDEX ... UPDATE BLOCK REFERENCES statement. This
statement is performed online, while DML is still allowed on the underlying
index-organized table.
After you rebuild a secondary index, or otherwise update the block references in the
guesses, collect index statistics again.

Bitmap Indexes
Bitmap indexes on index-organized tables are supported, provided the
index-organized table is created with a mapping table. This is done by specifying the
MAPPING TABLE clause in the CREATE TABLE statement that you use to create the
index-organized table, or in an ALTER TABLE statement to add the mapping table later.
See Also: Oracle Database Concepts for a description of mapping
tables

Analyzing Index-Organized Tables
Just like ordinary tables, index-organized tables are analyzed using the DBMS_STATS
package, or the ANALYZE statement.

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Collecting Optimizer Statistics for Index-Organized Tables
To collect optimizer statistics, use the DBMS_STATS package.
For example, the following statement gathers statistics for the index-organized
countries table in the hr schema:
EXECUTE DBMS_STATS.GATHER_TABLE_STATS ('HR','COUNTRIES');

The DBMS_STATS package analyzes both the primary key index segment and the
overflow data segment, and computes logical as well as physical statistics for the table.
■

■

The logical statistics can be queried using USER_TABLES, ALL_TABLES or DBA_
TABLES.
You can query the physical statistics of the primary key index segment using
USER_INDEXES, ALL_INDEXES or DBA_INDEXES (and using the primary key index
name). For example, you can obtain the primary key index segment physical
statistics for the table admin_docindex as follows:
SELECT LAST_ANALYZED, BLEVEL,LEAF_BLOCKS, DISTINCT_KEYS
FROM DBA_INDEXES WHERE INDEX_NAME= 'PK_ADMIN_DOCINDEX';

■

You can query the physical statistics for the overflow data segment using the
USER_TABLES, ALL_TABLES or DBA_TABLES. You can identify the overflow entry by
searching for IOT_TYPE = 'IOT_OVERFLOW'. For example, you can obtain overflow
data segment physical attributes associated with the admin_docindex table as
follows:
SELECT LAST_ANALYZED, NUM_ROWS, BLOCKS, EMPTY_BLOCKS
FROM DBA_TABLES WHERE IOT_TYPE='IOT_OVERFLOW'
and IOT_NAME= 'ADMIN_DOCINDEX';

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information about
collecting optimizer statistics
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about of the DBMS_STATS package

Validating the Structure of Index-Organized Tables
Use the ANALYZE statement to validate the structure of your index-organized table or to
list any chained rows. These operations are discussed in the following sections located
elsewhere in this book:
■

"Validating Tables, Indexes, Clusters, and Materialized Views" on page 18-3

■

"Listing Chained Rows of Tables and Clusters" on page 18-4
There are special considerations when listing chained rows
for index-organized tables. These are discussed in the Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference.

Note:

Using the ORDER BY Clause with Index-Organized Tables
If an ORDER BY clause only references the primary key column or a prefix of it, then the
optimizer avoids the sorting overhead, as the rows are returned sorted on the primary
key columns.

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The following queries avoid sorting overhead because the data is already sorted on the
primary key:
SELECT * FROM admin_docindex2 ORDER BY token, doc_id;
SELECT * FROM admin_docindex2 ORDER BY token;

If, however, you have an ORDER BY clause on a suffix of the primary key column or
non-primary-key columns, additional sorting is required (assuming no other
secondary indexes are defined).
SELECT * FROM admin_docindex2 ORDER BY doc_id;
SELECT * FROM admin_docindex2 ORDER BY token_frequency;

Converting Index-Organized Tables to Regular Tables
You can convert index-organized tables to regular (heap organized) tables using the
Oracle import or export utilities, or the CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT statement.
To convert an index-organized table to a regular table:
■

Export the index-organized table data using conventional path.

■

Create a regular table definition with the same definition.

■

Import the index-organized table data, making sure IGNORE=y (ensures that object
exists error is ignored).
Before converting an index-organized table to a regular
table, be aware that index-organized tables cannot be exported
using pre-Oracle8 versions of the Export utility.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database Utilities for more details about using the
original IMP and EXP utilities and the Data Pump import and export
utilities

Managing External Tables
This section contains:
■

About External Tables

■

Creating External Tables

■

Altering External Tables

■

Preprocessing External Tables

■

Dropping External Tables

■

System and Object Privileges for External Tables

About External Tables
Oracle Database allows you read-only access to data in external tables. External tables
are defined as tables that do not reside in the database, and can be in any format for
which an access driver is provided. By providing the database with metadata
describing an external table, the database is able to expose the data in the external
table as if it were data residing in a regular database table. The external data can be
queried directly and in parallel using SQL.

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You can, for example, select, join, or sort external table data. You can also create views
and synonyms for external tables. However, no DML operations (UPDATE, INSERT, or
DELETE) are possible, and no indexes can be created, on external tables.
External tables provide a framework to unload the result of an arbitrary SELECT
statement into a platform-independent Oracle-proprietary format that can be used by
Oracle Data Pump. External tables provide a valuable means for performing basic
extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) tasks that are common for data
warehousing.
The means of defining the metadata for external tables is through the CREATE
TABLE...ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL statement. This external table definition can be
thought of as a view that allows running any SQL query against external data without
requiring that the external data first be loaded into the database. An access driver is
the actual mechanism used to read the external data in the table. When you use
external tables to unload data, the metadata is automatically created based on the data
types in the SELECT statement.
Oracle Database provides two access drivers for external tables. The default access
driver is ORACLE_LOADER, which allows the reading of data from external files using the
Oracle loader technology. The ORACLE_LOADER access driver provides data mapping
capabilities which are a subset of the control file syntax of SQL*Loader utility. The
second access driver, ORACLE_DATAPUMP, lets you unload data—that is, read data from
the database and insert it into an external table, represented by one or more external
files—and then reload it into an Oracle Database.
The ANALYZE statement is not supported for gathering statistics
for external tables. Use the DBMS_STATS package instead.

Note:

See Also:
■

■
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for restrictions that
apply to external tables
Oracle Database Utilities for information about access drivers
Oracle Database Data Warehousing Guide for information about
using external tables for ETL in a data warehousing
environment
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about using
the DBMS_STATS package

Creating External Tables
You create external tables using the CREATE TABLE statement with an ORGANIZATION
EXTERNAL clause. This statement creates only metadata in the data dictionary.
Note:

External tables cannot have virtual columns.

The following example creates an external table and then uploads the data to a
database table. Alternatively, you can unload data through the external table
framework by specifying the AS subquery clause of the CREATE TABLE statement.
External table data pump unload can use only the ORACLE_DATAPUMP access driver.

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EXAMPLE: Creating an External Table and Loading Data
In this example, the data for the external table resides in the two text files empxt1.dat
and empxt2.dat.
The file empxt1.dat contains the following sample data:
360,Jane,Janus,ST_CLERK,121,17-MAY-2001,3000,0,50,jjanus
361,Mark,Jasper,SA_REP,145,17-MAY-2001,8000,.1,80,mjasper
362,Brenda,Starr,AD_ASST,200,17-MAY-2001,5500,0,10,bstarr
363,Alex,Alda,AC_MGR,145,17-MAY-2001,9000,.15,80,aalda

The file empxt2.dat contains the following sample data:
401,Jesse,Cromwell,HR_REP,203,17-MAY-2001,7000,0,40,jcromwel
402,Abby,Applegate,IT_PROG,103,17-MAY-2001,9000,.2,60,aapplega
403,Carol,Cousins,AD_VP,100,17-MAY-2001,27000,.3,90,ccousins
404,John,Richardson,AC_ACCOUNT,205,17-MAY-2001,5000,0,110,jrichard

The following SQL statements create an external table named admin_ext_employees in
the hr schema and load data from the external table into the hr.employees table.
CONNECT / AS SYSDBA;
-- Set up directories and grant access to hr
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY admin_dat_dir
AS '/flatfiles/data';
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY admin_log_dir
AS '/flatfiles/log';
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY admin_bad_dir
AS '/flatfiles/bad';
GRANT READ ON DIRECTORY admin_dat_dir TO hr;
GRANT WRITE ON DIRECTORY admin_log_dir TO hr;
GRANT WRITE ON DIRECTORY admin_bad_dir TO hr;
-- hr connects. Provide the user password (hr) when prompted.
CONNECT hr
-- create the external table
CREATE TABLE admin_ext_employees
(employee_id
NUMBER(4),
first_name
VARCHAR2(20),
last_name
VARCHAR2(25),
job_id
VARCHAR2(10),
manager_id
NUMBER(4),
hire_date
DATE,
salary
NUMBER(8,2),
commission_pct
NUMBER(2,2),
department_id
NUMBER(4),
email
VARCHAR2(25)
)
ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL
(
TYPE ORACLE_LOADER
DEFAULT DIRECTORY admin_dat_dir
ACCESS PARAMETERS
(
records delimited by newline
badfile admin_bad_dir:'empxt%a_%p.bad'
logfile admin_log_dir:'empxt%a_%p.log'
fields terminated by ','
missing field values are null
( employee_id, first_name, last_name, job_id, manager_id,
hire_date char date_format date mask "dd-mon-yyyy",
salary, commission_pct, department_id, email

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)
)
LOCATION ('empxt1.dat', 'empxt2.dat')
)
PARALLEL
REJECT LIMIT UNLIMITED;
-- enable parallel for loading (good if lots of data to load)
ALTER SESSION ENABLE PARALLEL DML;
-- load the data in hr employees table
INSERT INTO employees (employee_id, first_name, last_name, job_id, manager_id,
hire_date, salary, commission_pct, department_id, email)
SELECT * FROM admin_ext_employees;

The following paragraphs contain descriptive information about this example.
The first few statements in this example create the directory objects for the operating
system directories that contain the data sources, and for the bad record and log files
specified in the access parameters. You must also grant READ or WRITE directory object
privileges, as appropriate.
When creating a directory object or BFILEs, ensure that the
following conditions are met:

Note:
■
■

■

The operating system file must not be a symbolic or hard link.
The operating system directory path named in the Oracle
Database directory object must be an existing OS directory
path.
The operating system directory path named in the directory
object should not contain any symbolic links in its components.

The TYPE specification indicates the access driver of the external table. The access
driver is the API that interprets the external data for the database. If you omit the TYPE
specification, ORACLE_LOADER is the default access driver. You must specify the ORACLE_
DATAPUMP access driver if you specify the AS subquery clause to unload data from one
Oracle Database and reload it into the same or a different Oracle Database.
The access parameters, specified in the ACCESS PARAMETERS clause, are opaque to the
database. These access parameters are defined by the access driver, and are provided
to the access driver by the database when the external table is accessed. See Oracle
Database Utilities for a description of the ORACLE_LOADER access parameters.
The PARALLEL clause enables parallel query on the data sources. The granule of
parallelism is by default a data source, but parallel access within a data source is
implemented whenever possible. For example, if PARALLEL=3 were specified, then
multiple parallel execution servers could be working on a data source. But, parallel
access within a data source is provided by the access driver only if all of the following
conditions are met:
■

The media allows random positioning within a data source

■

It is possible to find a record boundary from a random position

■

The data files are large enough to make it worthwhile to break up into multiple
chunks

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Note: Specifying a PARALLEL clause is of value only when dealing
with large amounts of data. Otherwise, it is not advisable to specify
a PARALLEL clause, and doing so can be detrimental.

The REJECT LIMIT clause specifies that there is no limit on the number of errors that
can occur during a query of the external data. For parallel access, the REJECT LIMIT
applies to each parallel execution server independently. For example, if a REJECT LIMIT
of 10 is specified, then each parallel query process can allow up to 10 rejections.
Therefore, with a parallel degree of two and a REJECT LIMIT of 10, the statement might
fail with between 10 and 20 rejections. If one parallel server processes all 10 rejections,
then the limit is reached, and the statement is terminated. However, one parallel
execution server could process nine rejections and another parallel execution server
could process nine rejections and the statement will succeed with 18 rejections. Hence,
the only precisely enforced values for REJECT LIMIT on parallel query are 0 and
UNLIMITED.
In this example, the INSERT INTO TABLE statement generates a dataflow from the
external data source to the Oracle Database SQL engine where data is processed. As
data is parsed by the access driver from the external table sources and provided to the
external table interface, the external data is converted from its external representation
to its Oracle Database internal data type.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference provides details
of the syntax of the CREATE TABLE statement for creating external
tables and specifies restrictions on the use of clauses

Altering External Tables
You can use any of the ALTER TABLE clauses shown in Table 20–5 to change the
characteristics of an external table. No other clauses are permitted.
Table 20–5

ALTER TABLE Clauses for External Tables

ALTER TABLE
Clause

Description

Example

REJECT LIMIT

Changes the reject limit. The default value is 0. ALTER TABLE admin_ext_employees
REJECT LIMIT 100;

PROJECT COLUMN

Determines how the access driver validates
rows in subsequent queries:
■

■

DEFAULT
DIRECTORY

ALTER TABLE admin_ext_employees
PROJECT COLUMN REFERENCED;

PROJECT COLUMN REFERENCED: the access
ALTER TABLE admin_ext_employees
driver processes only the columns in the
PROJECT COLUMN ALL;
select list of the query. This setting may
not provide a consistent set of rows when
querying a different column list from the
same external table.
PROJECT COLUMN ALL: the access driver
processes all of the columns defined on
the external table. This setting always
provides a consistent set of rows when
querying an external table. This is the
default.

Changes the default directory specification

ALTER TABLE admin_ext_employees
DEFAULT DIRECTORY admin_dat2_dir;

Managing Tables

20-103

Managing External Tables

Preprocessing External Tables
There are security implications to consider when using the
PREPROCESSOR clause. See Oracle Database Security Guide for more
information.
Caution:

External tables can be preprocessed by user-supplied preprocessor programs. By using
a preprocessing program, users can use data from a file that is not in a format
supported by the driver. For example, a user may want to access data stored in a
compressed format. Specifying a decompression program for the ORACLE_LOADER
access driver allows the data to be decompressed as the access driver processes the
data.
To use the preprocessing feature, you must specify the PREPROCESSOR clause in the
access parameters of the ORACLE_LOADER access driver. The preprocessor must be a
directory object, and the user accessing the external table must have EXECUTE
privileges for the directory object. The following example includes the PREPROCESSOR
clause and specifies the directory and preprocessor program.
CREATE TABLE sales_transactions_ext
(PROD_ID NUMBER,
CUST_ID NUMBER,
TIME_ID DATE,
CHANNEL_ID CHAR,
PROMO_ID NUMBER,
QUANTITY_SOLD NUMBER,
AMOUNT_SOLD NUMBER(10,2),
UNIT_COST NUMBER(10,2),
UNIT_PRICE NUMBER(10,2))
ORGANIZATION external
(TYPE oracle_loader
DEFAULT DIRECTORY data_file_dir
ACCESS PARAMETERS
(RECORDS DELIMITED BY NEWLINE
CHARACTERSET AL32UTF8
PREPROCESSOR exec_file_dir:'zcat'
BADFILE log_file_dir:'sh_sales.bad_xt'
LOGFILE log_file_dir:'sh_sales.log_xt'
FIELDS TERMINATED BY "|" LDRTRIM
( PROD_ID,
CUST_ID,
TIME_ID,
CHANNEL_ID,
PROMO_ID,
QUANTITY_SOLD,
AMOUNT_SOLD,
UNIT_COST,
UNIT_PRICE))
location ('sh_sales.dat.gz')
)REJECT LIMIT UNLIMITED;

The PREPROCESSOR clause is not available for databases that use Oracle Database Vault.

20-104 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tables Data Dictionary Views

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Utilities provides information more information
about the PREPROCESSOR clause
Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about the
security implications of the PREPROCESSOR clause

Dropping External Tables
For an external table, the DROP TABLE statement removes only the table metadata in the
database. It has no affect on the actual data, which resides outside of the database.

System and Object Privileges for External Tables
System and object privileges for external tables are a subset of those for regular table.
Only the following system privileges are applicable to external tables:
■

ALTER ANY TABLE

■

CREATE ANY TABLE

■

DROP ANY TABLE

■

READ ANY TABLE

■

SELECT ANY TABLE

Only the following object privileges are applicable to external tables:
■

ALTER

■

READ

■

SELECT

However, object privileges associated with a directory are:
■

READ

■

WRITE

For external tables, READ privileges are required on directory objects that contain data
sources, while WRITE privileges are required for directory objects containing bad, log,
or discard files.

Tables Data Dictionary Views
The following views allow you to access information about tables.
View

Description

DBA_TABLES

DBA view describes all relational tables in the database. ALL view describes all
tables accessible to the user. USER view is restricted to tables owned by the
user. Some columns in these views contain statistics that are generated by the
DBMS_STATS package or ANALYZE statement.

ALL_TABLES
USER_TABLES
DBA_TAB_COLUMNS
ALL_TAB_COLUMNS

These views describe the columns of tables, views, and clusters in the
database. Some columns in these views contain statistics that are generated
by the DBMS_STATS package or ANALYZE statement.

USER_TAB_COLUMNS

Managing Tables

20-105

Tables Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

DBA_ALL_TABLES

These views describe all relational and object tables in the database. Object
tables are not specifically discussed in this book.

ALL_ALL_TABLES
USER_ALL_TABLES
DBA_TAB_COMMENTS
ALL_TAB_COMMENTS

These views display comments for tables and views. Comments are entered
using the COMMENT statement.

USER_TAB_COMMENTS
DBA_COL_COMMENTS
ALL_COL_COMMENTS

These views display comments for table and view columns. Comments are
entered using the COMMENT statement.

USER_COL_COMMENTS
DBA_EXTERNAL_TABLES

These views list the specific attributes of external tables in the database.

ALL_EXTERNAL_TABLES
USER_EXTERNAL_TABLES
DBA_EXTERNAL_LOCATIONS

These views list the data sources for external tables.

ALL_EXTERNAL_LOCATIONS
USER_EXTERNAL_LOCATIONS
DBA_TAB_HISTOGRAMS

These views describe histograms on tables and views.

ALL_TAB_HISTOGRAMS
USER_TAB_HISTOGRAMS
DBA_TAB_STATISTICS

These views contain optimizer statistics for tables.

ALL_TAB_STATISTICS
USER_TAB_STATISTICS
DBA_TAB_COL_STATISTICS
ALL_TAB_COL_STATISTICS

These views provide column statistics and histogram information extracted
from the related TAB_COLUMNS views.

USER_TAB_COL_STATISTICS
DBA_TAB_MODIFICATIONS
ALL_TAB_MODIFICATIONS

These views describe tables that have been modified since the last time table
statistics were gathered on them. They are not populated immediately, but
after a time lapse (usually 3 hours).

USER_TAB_MODIFICATIONS
DBA_ENCRYPTED_COLUMNS
USER_ENCRYPTED_COLUMNS

These views list table columns that are encrypted, and for each column, lists
the encryption algorithm in use.

ALL_ENCRYPTED_COLUMNS
DBA_UNUSED_COL_TABS
ALL_UNUSED_COL_TABS

These views list tables with unused columns, as marked by the ALTER TABLE
... SET UNUSED statement.

USER_UNUSED_COL_TABS
DBA_PARTIAL_DROP_TABS
ALL_PARTIAL_DROP_TABS

These views list tables that have partially completed DROP COLUMN operations.
These operations could be incomplete because the operation was interrupted
by the user or a system failure.

USER_PARTIAL_DROP_TABS

Example: Displaying Column Information
Column information, such as name, data type, length, precision, scale, and default
data values can be listed using one of the views ending with the _COLUMNS suffix. For
example, the following query lists all of the default column values for the emp and dept
tables:

20-106 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

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SELECT TABLE_NAME, COLUMN_NAME, DATA_TYPE, DATA_LENGTH, LAST_ANALYZED
FROM DBA_TAB_COLUMNS
WHERE OWNER = 'HR'
ORDER BY TABLE_NAME;

The following is the output from the query:
TABLE_NAME
-------------------COUNTRIES
COUNTRIES
COUNTRIES
DEPARTMENTS
DEPARTMENTS
DEPARTMENTS
DEPARTMENTS
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES
.
.
.
LOCATIONS
REGIONS
REGIONS

COLUMN_NAME
-------------------COUNTRY_ID
COUNTRY_NAME
REGION_ID
DEPARTMENT_ID
DEPARTMENT_NAME
MANAGER_ID
LOCATION_ID
EMPLOYEE_ID
FIRST_NAME
LAST_NAME
EMAIL

DATA_TYPE
DATA_LENGTH LAST_ANALYZED
---------- ------------ ------------CHAR
2 05-FEB-03
VARCHAR2
40 05-FEB-03
NUMBER
22 05-FEB-03
NUMBER
22 05-FEB-03
VARCHAR2
30 05-FEB-03
NUMBER
22 05-FEB-03
NUMBER
22 05-FEB-03
NUMBER
22 05-FEB-03
VARCHAR2
20 05-FEB-03
VARCHAR2
25 05-FEB-03
VARCHAR2
25 05-FEB-03

COUNTRY_ID
REGION_ID
REGION_NAME

CHAR
NUMBER
VARCHAR2

2 05-FEB-03
22 05-FEB-03
25 05-FEB-03

51 rows selected.

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of these
views
Oracle Database Object-Relational Developer's Guide for
information about object tables
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about
histograms and generating statistics for tables
"Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters" on page 18-2

Managing Tables

20-107

Tables Data Dictionary Views

20-108 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

21
Managing Indexes
21

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Indexes

■

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

■

Creating Indexes

■

Altering Indexes

■

Monitoring Space Use of Indexes

■

Dropping Indexes

■

Indexes Data Dictionary Views

About Indexes
Indexes are optional structures associated with tables and clusters that allow SQL
queries to execute more quickly against a table. Just as the index in this manual helps
you locate information faster than if there were no index, an Oracle Database index
provides a faster access path to table data. You can use indexes without rewriting any
queries. Your results are the same, but you see them more quickly.
Oracle Database provides several indexing schemes that provide complementary
performance functionality. These are:
■

B-tree indexes: the default and the most common

■

B-tree cluster indexes: defined specifically for cluster

■

Hash cluster indexes: defined specifically for a hash cluster

■

Global and local indexes: relate to partitioned tables and indexes

■

Reverse key indexes: most useful for Oracle Real Application Clusters applications

■

Bitmap indexes: compact; work best for columns with a small set of values

■

Function-based indexes: contain the precomputed value of a function/expression

■

Domain indexes: specific to an application or cartridge.

Indexes are logically and physically independent of the data in the associated table.
Being independent structures, they require storage space. You can create or drop an
index without affecting the base tables, database applications, or other indexes. The
database automatically maintains indexes when you insert, update, and delete rows of
the associated table. If you drop an index, all applications continue to work. However,
access to previously indexed data might be slower.

Managing Indexes 21-1

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

See Also:
■

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of indexes

■

Chapter 19, "Managing Space for Schema Objects"

Guidelines for Managing Indexes
This section discusses guidelines for managing indexes and contains the following
topics:
■

Create Indexes After Inserting Table Data

■

Index the Correct Tables and Columns

■

Order Index Columns for Performance

■

Limit the Number of Indexes for Each Table

■

Drop Indexes That Are No Longer Required

■

Indexes and Deferred Segment Creation

■

Estimate Index Size and Set Storage Parameters

■

Specify the Tablespace for Each Index

■

Consider Parallelizing Index Creation

■

Consider Creating Indexes with NOLOGGING

■

Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes

■

Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns

■

Consider Costs and Benefits of Coalescing or Rebuilding Indexes

■

Consider Cost Before Disabling or Dropping Constraints

■

Consider Using the In-Memory Column Store to Reduce the Number of Indexes
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for conceptual information about
indexes and indexing, including descriptions of the various
indexing schemes offered by Oracle
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide and Oracle Database Data
Warehousing Guide for information about bitmap indexes
Oracle Database Data Cartridge Developer's Guide for information
about defining domain-specific operators and indexing
schemes and integrating them into the Oracle Database server

Create Indexes After Inserting Table Data
Data is often inserted or loaded into a table using either the SQL*Loader or an import
utility. It is more efficient to create an index for a table after inserting or loading the
data. If you create one or more indexes before loading data, then the database must
update every index as each row is inserted.
Creating an index on a table that already has data requires sort space. Some sort space
comes from memory allocated for the index creator. The amount for each user is
determined by the initialization parameter SORT_AREA_SIZE. The database also swaps
sort information to and from temporary segments that are only allocated during the
index creation in the user’s temporary tablespace.
21-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

Under certain conditions, data can be loaded into a table with SQL*Loader direct-path
load, and an index can be created as data is loaded.
See Also: Oracle Database Utilities for information about using
SQL*Loader for direct-path load

Index the Correct Tables and Columns
Use the following guidelines for determining when to create an index:
■

■

Create an index if you frequently want to retrieve less than 15% of the rows in a
large table. The percentage varies greatly according to the relative speed of a table
scan and how the row data is distributed in relation to the index key. The faster the
table scan, the lower the percentage; the more clustered the row data, the higher
the percentage.
To improve performance on joins of multiple tables, index columns used for joins.
Primary and unique keys automatically have indexes, but
you might want to create an index on a foreign key.

Note:

■

Small tables do not require indexes. If a query is taking too long, then the table
might have grown from small to large.

Columns That Are Suitable for Indexing
Some columns are strong candidates for indexing. Columns with one or more of the
following characteristics are candidates for indexing:
■

Values are relatively unique in the column.

■

There is a wide range of values (good for regular indexes).

■

There is a small range of values (good for bitmap indexes).

■

The column contains many nulls, but queries often select all rows having a value.
In this case, use the following phrase:
WHERE COL_X > -9.99 * power(10,125)

Using the preceding phrase is preferable to:
WHERE COL_X IS NOT NULL

This is because the first uses an index on COL_X (assuming that COL_X is a numeric
column).
Columns That Are Not Suitable for Indexing
Columns with the following characteristics are less suitable for indexing:
■

There are many nulls in the column, and you do not search on the not null values.

LONG and LONG RAW columns cannot be indexed.
Virtual Columns
You can create unique or non-unique indexes on virtual columns. A table index
defined on a virtual column is equivalent to a function-based index on the table.
See Also:

"Creating a Function-Based Index" on page 21-13

Managing Indexes 21-3

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

Order Index Columns for Performance
The order of columns in the CREATE INDEX statement can affect query performance. In
general, specify the most frequently used columns first.
If you create a single index across columns to speed up queries that access, for
example, col1, col2, and col3; then queries that access just col1, or that access just
col1 and col2, are also speeded up. But a query that accessed just col2, just col3, or
just col2 and col3 does not use the index.
In some cases, such as when the leading column has very low
cardinality, the database may use a skip scan of this type of index. See
Oracle Database Concepts for more information about index skip scan.

Note:

Limit the Number of Indexes for Each Table
A table can have any number of indexes. However, the more indexes there are, the
more overhead is incurred as the table is modified. Specifically, when rows are
inserted or deleted, all indexes on the table must be updated as well. Also, when a
column is updated, all indexes that contain the column must be updated.
Thus, there is a trade-off between the speed of retrieving data from a table and the
speed of updating the table. For example, if a table is primarily read-only, then having
more indexes can be useful; but if a table is heavily updated, then having fewer
indexes could be preferable.

Drop Indexes That Are No Longer Required
Consider dropping an index if:
■

It does not speed up queries. The table could be very small, or there could be
many rows in the table but very few index entries.

■

The queries in your applications do not use the index.

■

The index must be dropped before being rebuilt.
See Also:

"Monitoring Index Usage" on page 21-23

Indexes and Deferred Segment Creation
Index segment creation is deferred when the associated table defers segment creation.
This is because index segment creation reflects the behavior of the table with which it
is associated.
See Also: "Understand Deferred Segment Creation" on page 20-23
for further information

Estimate Index Size and Set Storage Parameters
Estimating the size of an index before creating one can facilitate better disk space
planning and management. You can use the combined estimated size of indexes, along
with estimates for tables, the undo tablespace, and redo log files, to determine the
amount of disk space that is required to hold an intended database. From these
estimates, you can make correct hardware purchases and other decisions.
Use the estimated size of an individual index to better manage the disk space that the
index uses. When an index is created, you can set appropriate storage parameters and
improve I/O performance of applications that use the index. For example, assume that
21-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

you estimate the maximum size of an index before creating it. If you then set the
storage parameters when you create the index, then fewer extents are allocated for the
table data segment, and all of the index data is stored in a relatively contiguous section
of disk space. This decreases the time necessary for disk I/O operations involving this
index.
The maximum size of a single index entry is approximately one-half the data block
size.
Storage parameters of an index segment created for the index used to enforce a
primary key or unique key constraint can be set in either of the following ways:
■

In the ENABLE ... USING INDEX clause of the CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement

■

In the STORAGE clause of the ALTER INDEX statement

Specify the Tablespace for Each Index
Indexes can be created in any tablespace. An index can be created in the same or
different tablespace as the table it indexes. If you use the same tablespace for a table
and its index, then it can be more convenient to perform database maintenance (such
as tablespace or file backup) or to ensure application availability. All the related data is
always online together.
Using different tablespaces (on different disks) for a table and its index produces better
performance than storing the table and index in the same tablespace. Disk contention
is reduced. But, if you use different tablespaces for a table and its index, and one
tablespace is offline (containing either data or index), then the statements referencing
that table are not guaranteed to work.

Consider Parallelizing Index Creation
You can parallelize index creation, much the same as you can parallelize table creation.
Because multiple processes work together to create the index, the database can create
the index more quickly than if a single server process created the index sequentially.
When creating an index in parallel, storage parameters are used separately by each
query server process. Therefore, an index created with an INITIAL value of 5M and a
parallel degree of 12 consumes at least 60M of storage during index creation.
See Also: Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for
information about using parallel execution

Consider Creating Indexes with NOLOGGING
You can create an index and generate minimal redo log records by specifying
NOLOGGING in the CREATE INDEX statement.
Because indexes created using NOLOGGING are not archived,
perform a backup after you create the index.

Note:

Creating an index with NOLOGGING has the following benefits:
■

Space is saved in the redo log files.

■

The time it takes to create the index is decreased.

■

Performance improves for parallel creation of large indexes.

Managing Indexes 21-5

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

In general, the relative performance improvement is greater for larger indexes created
without LOGGING than for smaller ones. Creating small indexes without LOGGING has
little effect on the time it takes to create an index. However, for larger indexes the
performance improvement can be significant, especially when you are also
parallelizing the index creation.

Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes
Use unusable or invisible indexes when you want to improve the performance of bulk
loads, test the effects of removing an index before dropping it, or otherwise suspend
the use of an index by the optimizer.
Unusable indexes
An unusable index is ignored by the optimizer and is not maintained by DML. One
reason to make an index unusable is to improve bulk load performance. (Bulk loads go
more quickly if the database does not need to maintain indexes when inserting rows.)
Instead of dropping the index and later re-creating it, which requires you to recall the
exact parameters of the CREATE INDEX statement, you can make the index unusable,
and then rebuild it.
You can create an index in the unusable state, or you can mark an existing index or
index partition unusable. In some cases the database may mark an index unusable,
such as when a failure occurs while building the index. When one partition of a
partitioned index is marked unusable, the other partitions of the index remain valid.
An unusable index or index partition must be rebuilt, or dropped and re-created,
before it can be used. Truncating a table makes an unusable index valid.
When you make an existing index unusable, its index segment is dropped.
The functionality of unusable indexes depends on the setting of the SKIP_UNUSABLE_
INDEXES initialization parameter. When SKIP_UNUSABLE_INDEXES is TRUE (the default),
then:
■

■

■

■

DML statements against the table proceed, but unusable indexes are not
maintained.
DML statements terminate with an error if there are any unusable indexes that are
used to enforce the UNIQUE constraint.
For nonpartitioned indexes, the optimizer does not consider any unusable indexes
when creating an access plan for SELECT statements. The only exception is when an
index is explicitly specified with the INDEX() hint.
For a partitioned index where one or more of the partitions is unusable, the
optimizer can use table expansion. With table expansion, the optimizer transforms
the query into a UNION ALL statement, with some subqueries accessing indexed
partitions and other subqueries accessing partitions with unusable indexes. The
optimizer can choose the most efficient access method available for a partition. See
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information about table expansion.

When SKIP_UNUSABLE_INDEXES is FALSE, then:
■

■

If any unusable indexes or index partitions are present, then any DML statements
that would cause those indexes or index partitions to be updated are terminated
with an error.
For SELECT statements, if an unusable index or unusable index partition is present,
but the optimizer does not choose to use it for the access plan, then the statement

21-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

proceeds. However, if the optimizer does choose to use the unusable index or
unusable index partition, then the statement terminates with an error.
Invisible Indexes
You can create invisible indexes or make an existing index invisible. An invisible
index is ignored by the optimizer unless you explicitly set the OPTIMIZER_USE_
INVISIBLE_INDEXES initialization parameter to TRUE at the session or system level.
Unlike unusable indexes, an invisible index is maintained during DML statements.
Although you can make a partitioned index invisible, you cannot make an individual
index partition invisible while leaving the other partitions visible.
Using invisible indexes, you can do the following:
■
■

■

Test the removal of an index before dropping it.
Use temporary index structures for certain operations or modules of an
application without affecting the overall application.
Add an index to a set of columns on which an index already exists.
See Also:
■

"Creating an Unusable Index" on page 21-16

■

"Creating an Invisible Index" on page 21-17

■

"Making an Index Unusable" on page 21-20

■

"Making an Index Invisible or Visible" on page 21-22

Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns
You can create multiple indexes on the same set of columns when the indexes are
different in some way. For example, you can create a B-tree index and a bitmap index
on the same set of columns. When you have multiple indexes on the same set of
columns, only one of these indexes can be visible at a time, and any other indexes
must be invisible.
You might create different indexes on the same set of columns because they provide
the flexibility to meet your requirements. You can also create multiple indexes on the
same set of columns to perform application migrations without dropping an existing
index and recreating it with different attributes.
Different types of indexes are useful in different scenarios. For example, B-tree indexes
are often used in online transaction processing (OLTP) systems with many concurrent
transactions, while bitmap indexes are often used in data warehousing systems that
are mostly used for queries. Similarly, locally and globally partitioned indexes are
useful in different scenarios. Locally partitioned indexes are easy to manage because
partition maintenance operations automatically apply to them. Globally partitioned
indexes are useful when you want the partitioning scheme of an index to be different
from its table’s partitioning scheme.
You can create multiple indexes on the same set of columns when at least one of the
following index characteristics is different:
■

The indexes are of different types.
See "About Indexes" on page 21-1 and Oracle Database Concepts for information
about the different types of indexes.
However, the following exceptions apply:

Managing Indexes 21-7

Guidelines for Managing Indexes

■

–

You cannot create a B-tree index and a B-tree cluster index on the same set of
columns.

–

You cannot create a B-tree index and an index-organized table on the same set
of columns.

The indexes use different partitioning.
Partitioning can be different in any of the following ways:

■

–

Indexes that are not partitioned and indexes that are partitioned

–

Indexes that are locally partitioned and indexes that are globally partitioned

–

Indexes that differ in partitioning type (range or hash)

The indexes have different uniqueness properties.
You can create both a unique and a non-unique index on the same set of columns.
See Also:
■

■

"Creating Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns" on
page 21-18
"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6

Consider Costs and Benefits of Coalescing or Rebuilding Indexes
Improper sizing or increased growth can produce index fragmentation. To eliminate or
reduce fragmentation, you can rebuild or coalesce the index. But before you perform
either task weigh the costs and benefits of each option and choose the one that works
best for your situation. Table 21–1 is a comparison of the costs and benefits associated
with rebuilding and coalescing indexes.
Table 21–1

Costs and Benefits of Coalescing or Rebuilding Indexes

Rebuild Index

Coalesce Index

Quickly moves index to another tablespace Cannot move index to another tablespace
Higher costs: requires more disk space

Lower costs: does not require more disk space

Creates new tree, shrinks height if
applicable

Coalesces leaf blocks within same branch of
tree

Enables you to quickly change storage and
tablespace parameters without having to
drop the original index

Quickly frees up index leaf blocks for use

In situations where you have B-tree index leaf blocks that can be freed up for reuse,
you can merge those leaf blocks using the following statement:
ALTER INDEX vmoore COALESCE;

Figure 21–1 illustrates the effect of an ALTER INDEX COALESCE on the index vmoore.
Before performing the operation, the first two leaf blocks are 50% full. Therefore, you
have an opportunity to reduce fragmentation and completely fill the first block, while
freeing up the second.

21-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Indexes

Figure 21–1 Coalescing Indexes
B-tree Index

Before ALTER INDEX vmoore COALESCE;

B-tree Index

After ALTER INDEX vmoore COALESCE;

Consider Cost Before Disabling or Dropping Constraints
Because unique and primary keys have associated indexes, you should factor in the
cost of dropping and creating indexes when considering whether to disable or drop a
UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY constraint. If the associated index for a UNIQUE key or PRIMARY
KEY constraint is extremely large, then you can save time by leaving the constraint
enabled rather than dropping and re-creating the large index. You also have the option
of explicitly specifying that you want to keep or drop the index when dropping or
disabling a UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY constraint.
See Also:

"Managing Integrity Constraints" on page 18-10

Consider Using the In-Memory Column Store to Reduce the Number of Indexes
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The In-Memory Column Store is an optional portion of the system global area (SGA)
that stores copies of tables, table partitions, and other database objects that is
optimized for rapid scans. In the In-Memory Column Store, table data is stored by
column rather than row in the SGA.
For tables used in OLTP or data warehousing environments, multiple indexes typically
are created to improve the performance of analytic and reporting queries. These
indexes can impede the performance of data manipulation language (DML)
statements. When a table is stored in the In-Memory Column Store, indexes used for
analytic or reporting queries can be greatly reduced or eliminated without affecting
query performance. Eliminating these indexes can improve the performance of
transactions and data loading operations.
See Also:

"Using the In-Memory Column Store" on page 6-27

Creating Indexes
This section describes how to create indexes.

Managing Indexes 21-9

Creating Indexes

Note:

These operations also collect index statistics.

To create an index in your own schema, at least one of the following prerequisites must
be met:
■

The table or cluster to be indexed is in your own schema.

■

You have INDEX privilege on the table to be indexed.

■

You have CREATE ANY INDEX system privilege.

To create an index in another schema, all of the following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

You have CREATE ANY INDEX system privilege.
The owner of the other schema has a quota for the tablespaces to contain the index
or index partitions, or UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege.

This section contains the following topics:
■

Creating an Index Explicitly

■

Creating a Unique Index Explicitly

■

Creating an Index Associated with a Constraint

■

Creating a Large Index

■

Creating an Index Online

■

Creating a Function-Based Index

■

Creating a Compressed Index

■

Creating an Unusable Index

■

Creating an Invisible Index

■

Creating Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns

Creating an Index Explicitly
You can create indexes explicitly (outside of integrity constraints) using the SQL
statement CREATE INDEX. The following statement creates an index named emp_ename
for the ename column of the emp table:
CREATE INDEX emp_ename ON emp(ename)
TABLESPACE users
STORAGE (INITIAL 20K
NEXT 20k);

Notice that several storage settings and a tablespace are explicitly specified for the
index. If you do not specify storage options (such as INITIAL and NEXT) for an index,
then the default storage options of the default or specified tablespace are automatically
used.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
restrictions on the use of the CREATE INDEX statement

21-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Indexes

Creating a Unique Index Explicitly
Indexes can be unique or non-unique. Unique indexes guarantee that no two rows of a
table have duplicate values in the key column (or columns). Non-unique indexes do
not impose this restriction on the column values.
Use the CREATE UNIQUE INDEX statement to create a unique index. The following
example creates a unique index:
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX dept_unique_index ON dept (dname)
TABLESPACE indx;

Alternatively, you can define UNIQUE integrity constraints on the desired columns. The
database enforces UNIQUE integrity constraints by automatically defining a unique
index on the unique key. This is discussed in the following section. However, it is
advisable that any index that exists for query performance, including unique indexes,
be created explicitly.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information
about creating an index for performance

Creating an Index Associated with a Constraint
Oracle Database enforces a UNIQUE key or PRIMARY KEY integrity constraint on a table
by creating a unique index on the unique key or primary key. This index is
automatically created by the database when the constraint is enabled. No action is
required by you when you issue the CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement to create
the index, but you can optionally specify a USING INDEX clause to exercise control over
its creation. This includes both when a constraint is defined and enabled, and when a
defined but disabled constraint is enabled.
To enable a UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY constraint, thus creating an associated index, the
owner of the table must have a quota for the tablespace intended to contain the index,
or the UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege. The index associated with a constraint
always takes the name of the constraint, unless you optionally specify otherwise.
An efficient procedure for enabling a constraint that can
make use of parallelism is described in "Efficient Use of Integrity
Constraints: A Procedure" on page 18-11.

Note:

Specifying Storage Options for an Index Associated with a Constraint
You can set the storage options for the indexes associated with UNIQUE and PRIMARY
KEY constraints using the USING INDEX clause. The following CREATE TABLE statement
enables a PRIMARY KEY constraint and specifies the storage options of the associated
index:
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY, age INTEGER)
ENABLE PRIMARY KEY USING INDEX
TABLESPACE users;

Specifying the Index Associated with a Constraint
If you require more explicit control over the indexes associated with UNIQUE and
PRIMARY KEY constraints, the database lets you:
■

Specify an existing index that the database is to use to enforce the constraint

Managing Indexes 21-11

Creating Indexes

■

Specify a CREATE INDEX statement that the database is to use to create the index and
enforce the constraint

These options are specified using the USING INDEX clause. The following statements
present some examples.
Example 1:
CREATE TABLE a (
a1 INT PRIMARY KEY USING INDEX (create index ai on a (a1)));

Example 2:
CREATE TABLE b(
b1 INT,
b2 INT,
CONSTRAINT bu1 UNIQUE (b1, b2)
USING INDEX (create unique index bi on b(b1, b2)),
CONSTRAINT bu2 UNIQUE (b2, b1) USING INDEX bi);

Example 3:
CREATE TABLE c(c1 INT, c2 INT);
CREATE INDEX ci ON c (c1, c2);
ALTER TABLE c ADD CONSTRAINT cpk PRIMARY KEY (c1) USING INDEX ci;

If a single statement creates an index with one constraint and also uses that index for
another constraint, the system will attempt to rearrange the clauses to create the index
before reusing it.
See Also:

"Managing Integrity Constraints" on page 18-10

Creating a Large Index
When creating an extremely large index, consider allocating a larger temporary
tablespace for the index creation using the following procedure:
1.

Create a new temporary tablespace using the CREATE TABLESPACE or CREATE
TEMPORARY TABLESPACE statement.

2.

Use the TEMPORARY TABLESPACE option of the ALTER USER statement to make this
your new temporary tablespace.

3.

Create the index using the CREATE INDEX statement.

4.

Drop this tablespace using the DROP TABLESPACE statement. Then use the ALTER
USER statement to reset your temporary tablespace to your original temporary
tablespace.

Using this procedure can avoid the problem of expanding your usual, and usually
shared, temporary tablespace to an unreasonably large size that might affect future
performance.

Creating an Index Online
You can create and rebuild indexes online. Therefore, you can update base tables at the
same time you are building or rebuilding indexes on that table. You can perform DML
operations while the index build is taking place, but DDL operations are not allowed.
Parallel execution is not supported when creating or rebuilding an index online.
The following statements illustrate online index build operations:
CREATE INDEX emp_name ON emp (mgr, emp1, emp2, emp3) ONLINE;

21-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Indexes

Keep in mind that the time that it takes on online index
build to complete is proportional to the size of the table and the
number of concurrently executing DML statements. Therefore, it is
best to start online index builds when DML activity is low.

Note:

See Also:

"Rebuilding an Existing Index" on page 21-20

Creating a Function-Based Index
Function-based indexes facilitate queries that qualify a value returned by a function
or expression. The value of the function or expression is precomputed and stored in
the index.
In addition to the prerequisites for creating a conventional index, if the index is based
on user-defined functions, then those functions must be marked DETERMINISTIC. Also,
you just have the EXECUTE object privilege on any user-defined function(s) used in the
function-based index if those functions are owned by another user.
Note: CREATE INDEX stores the timestamp of the most recent
function used in the function-based index. This timestamp is
updated when the index is validated. When performing tablespace
point-in-time recovery of a function-based index, if the timestamp
on the most recent function used in the index is newer than the
timestamp stored in the index, then the index is marked invalid.
You must use the ANALYZE INDEX...VALIDATE STRUCTURE statement
to validate this index.

To illustrate a function-based index, consider the following statement that defines a
function-based index (area_index) defined on the function area(geo):
CREATE INDEX area_index ON rivers (area(geo));

In the following SQL statement, when area(geo) is referenced in the WHERE clause, the
optimizer considers using the index area_index.
SELECT id, geo, area(geo), desc
FROM rivers
WHERE Area(geo) >5000;

Table owners should have EXECUTE privileges on the functions used in function-based
indexes.
Because a function-based index depends upon any function it is using, it can be
invalidated when a function changes. If the function is valid, then you can use an
ALTER INDEX...ENABLE statement to enable a function-based index that has been
disabled. The ALTER INDEX...DISABLE statement lets you disable the use of a
function-based index. Consider doing this if you are working on the body of the
function.
An alternative to creating a function-based index is to add a
virtual column to the target table and index the virtual column. See
"About Tables" on page 20-1 for more information.

Note:

Managing Indexes 21-13

Creating Indexes

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about
function-based indexes
Oracle Database Development Guide for information about using
function-based indexes in applications and examples of their
use

Creating a Compressed Index
As your database grows in size, consider using index compression to save disk space.
■

Creating an Index Using Prefix Compression

■

Creating an Index Using Advanced Index Compression

Creating an Index Using Prefix Compression
Creating an index using prefix compression (also known as key compression)
eliminates repeated occurrences of key column prefix values. Prefix compression is
most useful for non-unique indexes with a large number of duplicates on the leading
columns.
Prefix compression breaks an index key into a prefix and a suffix entry. Compression is
achieved by sharing the prefix entries among all the suffix entries in an index block.
This sharing can lead to substantial savings in space, allowing you to store more keys
for each index block while improving performance.
Prefix compression can be useful in the following situations:
■

■

You have a non-unique index where ROWID is appended to make the key unique. If
you use prefix compression here, then the duplicate key is stored as a prefix entry
on the index block without the ROWID. The remaining rows become suffix entries
consisting of only the ROWID.
You have a unique multicolumn index.

You enable prefix compression using the COMPRESS clause. The prefix length (as the
number of key columns) can also be specified to identify how the key columns are
broken into a prefix and suffix entry. For example, the following statement compresses
duplicate occurrences of a key in the index leaf block:
CREATE INDEX hr.emp_ename ON emp(ename)
TABLESPACE users
COMPRESS 1;

You can also specify the COMPRESS clause during rebuild. For example, during rebuild,
you can disable compression as follows:
ALTER INDEX hr.emp_ename REBUILD NOCOMPRESS;

The COMPRESSION column in the ALL_INDEXES view and ALL_PART_INDEXES views
shows whether an index is compressed, and, if it is compressed, the type of
compression enabled for the index.
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
Oracle Database Concepts for a more detailed discussion of prefix
compression

21-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Indexes

Creating an Index Using Advanced Index Compression

This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

Creating an index using advanced index compression reduces the size of all supported
unique and non-unique indexes. Advanced index compression improves the
compression ratios significantly while still providing efficient access to the indexes.
Therefore, advanced index compression works well on all supported indexes,
including those indexes that are not good candidates for prefix compression.
For a partitioned index, you can specify the compression type on a partition by
partition basis. You can also specify advanced index compression on index partitions
even when the parent index is not compressed.
Advanced index compression works at the block level to provide the best compression
for each block. When a CREATE INDEX DDL statement is executed, a block is filled with
rows. When it is full, it is compressed with advanced index compression if enough
space is saved to insert the next row. When DML statements or other types of DDL
statements are executed, and a block becomes full and is about to be split, the block
might be recompressed using advanced index compression to avoid the split if enough
space is saved to insert the incoming key.
Before enabling advanced index compression, the database must be at 12.1.0 or higher
compatibility level. You enable advanced index compression using the COMPRESS
ADVANCED LOW clause. For example, the following statement enables advanced index
compression during the creation of the hr.emp_mndp_ix index:
CREATE INDEX hr.emp_mndp_ix ON hr.employees(manager_id, department_id)
COMPRESS ADVANCED LOW;

You can also specify the COMPRESS ADVANCED LOW clause during an index rebuild. For
example, during rebuild, you can enable advanced index compression for the hr.emp_
manager_ix index as follows:
ALTER INDEX hr.emp_manager_ix REBUILD COMPRESS ADVANCED LOW;

The COMPRESSION column in the ALL_INDEXES, ALL_IND_PARTITIONS, and ALL_IND_
SUBPARTITIONS views shows whether an index is compressed, and, if it is compressed,
the type of compression enabled for the index.
Note:
■

■

Advanced index compression is not supported for bitmap indexes
or index-organized tables.
Advanced index compression cannot be specified on a single
column unique index.

Managing Indexes 21-15

Creating Indexes

See Also:
■

■
■

■

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information about the
database compatibility level
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
Oracle Database Concepts for a more detailed discussion of index
compression
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for information about
advanced index compression and partitioned indexes

Creating an Unusable Index
When you create an index in the UNUSABLE state, it is ignored by the optimizer and is
not maintained by DML. An unusable index must be rebuilt, or dropped and
re-created, before it can be used.
If the index is partitioned, then all index partitions are marked UNUSABLE.
The database does not create an index segment when creating an unusable index.
The following procedure illustrates how to create unusable indexes and query the
database for details about the index.
To create an unusable index:
1.

If necessary, create the table to be indexed.
For example, create a hash-partitioned table called hr.employees_part as follows:
sh@PROD> CONNECT hr
Enter password: **
Connected.
hr@PROD> CREATE TABLE employees_part
2
PARTITION BY HASH (employee_id) PARTITIONS 2
3
AS SELECT * FROM employees;
Table created.
hr@PROD> SELECT COUNT(*) FROM employees_part;
COUNT(*)
---------107

2.

Create an index with the keyword UNUSABLE.
The following example creates a locally partitioned index on employees_part,
naming the index partitions p1_i_emp_ename and p2_i_emp_ename, and making
p1_i_emp_ename unusable:
hr@PROD> CREATE INDEX i_emp_ename ON employees_part (employee_id)
2
LOCAL (PARTITION p1_i_emp_ename UNUSABLE, PARTITION p2_i_emp_ename);
Index created.

3.

(Optional) Verify that the index is unusable by querying the data dictionary.
The following example queries the status of index i_emp_ename and its two
partitions, showing that only partition p2_i_emp_ename is unusable:
hr@PROD> SELECT INDEX_NAME AS "INDEX OR PARTITION NAME", STATUS

21-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Indexes

2
3
4
5
6
7

FROM
USER_INDEXES
WHERE INDEX_NAME = 'I_EMP_ENAME'
UNION ALL
SELECT PARTITION_NAME AS "INDEX OR PARTITION NAME", STATUS
FROM
USER_IND_PARTITIONS
WHERE PARTITION_NAME LIKE '%I_EMP_ENAME%';

INDEX OR PARTITION NAME
-----------------------------I_EMP_ENAME
P1_I_EMP_ENAME
P2_I_EMP_ENAME
4.

STATUS
-------N/A
UNUSABLE
USABLE

(Optional) Query the data dictionary to determine whether storage exists for the
partitions.
For example, the following query shows that only index partition p2_i_emp_ename
occupies a segment. Because you created p1_i_emp_ename as unusable, the
database did not allocate a segment for it.
hr@PROD> COL PARTITION_NAME FORMAT a14
hr@PROD> COL SEG_CREATED FORMAT a11
hr@PROD> SELECT p.PARTITION_NAME, p.STATUS AS "PART_STATUS",
2
p.SEGMENT_CREATED AS "SEG_CREATED",
3 FROM
USER_IND_PARTITIONS p, USER_SEGMENTS s
4 WHERE s.SEGMENT_NAME = 'I_EMP_ENAME';
PARTITION_NAME
-------------P2_I_EMP_ENAME
P1_I_EMP_ENAME

PART_STA
-------USABLE
UNUSABLE

SEG_CREATED
----------YES
NO

See Also:
■

■
■

"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6
"Making an Index Unusable" on page 21-20
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information on
creating unusable indexes, including restrictions.

Creating an Invisible Index
An invisible index is an index that is ignored by the optimizer unless you explicitly set
the OPTIMIZER_USE_INVISIBLE_INDEXES initialization parameter to TRUE at the session
or system level.
To create an invisible index:
■

Use the CREATE INDEX statement with the INVISIBLE keyword.
The following statement creates an invisible index named emp_ename for the ename
column of the emp table:
CREATE INDEX emp_ename ON emp(ename)
TABLESPACE users
STORAGE (INITIAL 20K
NEXT 20k)
INVISIBLE;

Managing Indexes 21-17

Creating Indexes

See Also:
■

■
■

"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6
"Making an Index Invisible or Visible" on page 21-22
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information on
creating invisible indexes

Creating Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns
You can create multiple indexes on the same set of columns when the indexes are
different in some way. See "Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same
Set of Columns" on page 21-7 for information.
To create multiple indexes on the same set of columns, the following prerequisites
must be met:
■

The prerequisites for required privileges in "Creating Indexes" on page 21-9.

■

Only one index on the same set of columns can be visible at any point in time.
If you are creating a visible index, then any existing indexes on the set of columns
must be invisible. See "Making an Index Invisible or Visible" on page 21-22.
Alternatively, you can create an invisible index on the set of columns. See
"Creating an Invisible Index" on page 21-17.

For example, the following steps create a B-tree index and a bitmap index on the same
set of columns in the oe.orders table:
1.

Create a B-tree index on the customer_id and sales_rep_id columns in the
oe.orders table:
CREATE INDEX oe.ord_customer_ix1
ON oe.orders (customer_id, sales_rep_id);

The oe.ord_customer_ix1 index is visible by default.
2.

Alter the index created in Step 1 to make it invisible:
ALTER INDEX oe.ord_customer_ix1 INVISIBLE;

Alternatively, you can add the INVISIBLE clause in Step 1 to avoid this step.
3.

Create a bitmap index on the customer_id and sales_rep_id columns in the
oe.orders table:
CREATE BITMAP INDEX oe.ord_customer_ix2
ON oe.orders (customer_id, sales_rep_id);

The oe.ord_customer_ix2 index is visible by default.
If the oe.ord_customer_ix1 index created in Step 1 is visible, then the CREATE
BITMAP INDEX statement in this step returns an error.
See Also:
■

■

"Understand When to Create Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of
Columns" on page 21-7
"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6

21-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering Indexes

Altering Indexes
To alter an index, your schema must contain the index, or you must have the ALTER
ANY INDEX system privilege. With the ALTER INDEX statement, you can:
■

Rebuild or coalesce an existing index

■

Deallocate unused space or allocate a new extent

■

Specify parallel execution (or not) and alter the degree of parallelism

■

Alter storage parameters or physical attributes

■

Specify LOGGING or NOLOGGING

■

Enable or disable prefix compression

■

Mark the index unusable

■

Make the index invisible

■

Rename the index

■

Start or stop the monitoring of index usage

You cannot alter index column structure.
More detailed discussions of some of these operations are contained in the following
sections:
■

Altering Storage Characteristics of an Index

■

Rebuilding an Existing Index

■

Making an Index Unusable

■

Making an Index Invisible or Visible

■

Monitoring Index Usage
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for details on the ALTER
INDEX statement

Altering Storage Characteristics of an Index
Alter the storage parameters of any index, including those created by the database to
enforce primary and unique key integrity constraints, using the ALTER INDEX
statement. For example, the following statement alters the emp_ename index:
ALTER INDEX emp_ename
STORAGE (NEXT 40);

The parameters INITIAL and MINEXTENTS cannot be altered. All new settings for the
other storage parameters affect only extents subsequently allocated for the index.
For indexes that implement integrity constraints, you can adjust storage parameters by
issuing an ALTER TABLE statement that includes the USING INDEX subclause of the
ENABLE clause. For example, the following statement changes the storage options of the
index created on table emp to enforce the primary key constraint:
ALTER TABLE emp
ENABLE PRIMARY KEY USING INDEX;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
restrictions on the use of the ALTER INDEX statement
Managing Indexes 21-19

Altering Indexes

Rebuilding an Existing Index
Before rebuilding an existing index, compare the costs and benefits associated with
rebuilding to those associated with coalescing indexes as described in Table 21–1 on
page 21-8.
When you rebuild an index, you use an existing index as the data source. Creating an
index in this manner enables you to change storage characteristics or move to a new
tablespace. Rebuilding an index based on an existing data source removes intra-block
fragmentation. Compared to dropping the index and using the CREATE INDEX
statement, rebuilding an existing index offers better performance.
The following statement rebuilds the existing index emp_name:
ALTER INDEX emp_name REBUILD;

The REBUILD clause must immediately follow the index name, and precede any other
options. It cannot be used with the DEALLOCATE UNUSED clause.
You have the option of rebuilding the index online. Rebuilding online enables you to
update base tables at the same time that you are rebuilding. The following statement
rebuilds the emp_name index online:
ALTER INDEX emp_name REBUILD ONLINE;

To rebuild an index in a different user's schema online, the following additional system
privileges are required:
■

CREATE ANY TABLE

■

CREATE ANY INDEX
Online index rebuilding has stricter limitations on the
maximum key length that can be handled, compared to other methods
of rebuilding an index. If an ORA-1450 (maximum key length
exceeded) error occurs when rebuilding online, try rebuilding offline,
coalescing, or dropping and recreating the index.

Note:

If you do not have the space required to rebuild an index, you can choose instead to
coalesce the index. Coalescing an index is an online operation.
See Also:
■

"Creating an Index Online" on page 21-12

■

"Monitoring Space Use of Indexes" on page 21-23

Making an Index Unusable
When you make an index unusable, it is ignored by the optimizer and is not
maintained by DML. When you make one partition of a partitioned index unusable,
the other partitions of the index remain valid.
You must rebuild or drop and re-create an unusable index or index partition before
using it.
The following procedure illustrates how to make an index and index partition
unusable, and how to query the object status.
To make an index unusable:

21-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Altering Indexes

1.

Query the data dictionary to determine whether an existing index or index
partition is usable or unusable.
For example, issue the following query (output truncated to save space):
hr@PROD> SELECT INDEX_NAME AS "INDEX OR PART NAME", STATUS, SEGMENT_CREATED
2 FROM
USER_INDEXES
3 UNION ALL
4 SELECT PARTITION_NAME AS "INDEX OR PART NAME", STATUS, SEGMENT_CREATED
5 FROM
USER_IND_PARTITIONS;
INDEX OR PART NAME
-----------------------------I_EMP_ENAME
JHIST_EMP_ID_ST_DATE_PK
JHIST_JOB_IX
JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX
JHIST_DEPARTMENT_IX
EMP_EMAIL_UK
.
.
.
COUNTRY_C_ID_PK
REG_ID_PK
P2_I_EMP_ENAME
P1_I_EMP_ENAME

STATUS
-------N/A
VALID
VALID
VALID
VALID
VALID

SEG
--N/A
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO

VALID
VALID
USABLE
UNUSABLE

YES
YES
YES
NO

22 rows selected.

The preceding output shows that only index partition p1_i_emp_ename is
unusable.
2.

Make an index or index partition unusable by specifying the UNUSABLE keyword.
The following example makes index emp_email_uk unusable:
hr@PROD> ALTER INDEX emp_email_uk UNUSABLE;
Index altered.

The following example makes index partition p2_i_emp_ename unusable:
hr@PROD> ALTER INDEX i_emp_ename MODIFY PARTITION p2_i_emp_ename UNUSABLE;
Index altered.
3.

(Optional) Query the data dictionary to verify the status change.
For example, issue the following query (output truncated to save space):
hr@PROD> SELECT INDEX_NAME AS "INDEX OR PARTITION NAME", STATUS,
2 SEGMENT_CREATED
3 FROM
USER_INDEXES
4 UNION ALL
5 SELECT PARTITION_NAME AS "INDEX OR PARTITION NAME", STATUS,
6 SEGMENT_CREATED
7 FROM
USER_IND_PARTITIONS;
INDEX OR PARTITION NAME
-----------------------------I_EMP_ENAME
JHIST_EMP_ID_ST_DATE_PK
JHIST_JOB_IX

STATUS
-------N/A
VALID
VALID

SEG
--N/A
YES
YES

Managing Indexes 21-21

Altering Indexes

JHIST_EMPLOYEE_IX
JHIST_DEPARTMENT_IX
EMP_EMAIL_UK
.
.
.
COUNTRY_C_ID_PK
REG_ID_PK
P2_I_EMP_ENAME
P1_I_EMP_ENAME

VALID
YES
VALID
YES
UNUSABLE NO

VALID
VALID
UNUSABLE
UNUSABLE

YES
YES
NO
NO

22 rows selected.

A query of space consumed by the i_emp_ename and emp_email_uk segments
shows that the segments no longer exist:
hr@PROD> SELECT SEGMENT_NAME, BYTES
2 FROM
USER_SEGMENTS
3 WHERE SEGMENT_NAME IN ('I_EMP_ENAME', 'EMP_EMAIL_UK');
no rows selected

See Also:
■

■
■

"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6
"Creating an Unusable Index" on page 21-16
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the UNUSABLE keyword, including restrictions

Making an Index Invisible or Visible
An invisible index is ignored by the optimizer unless you explicitly set the OPTIMIZER_
USE_INVISIBLE_INDEXES initialization parameter to TRUE at the session or system level.
Making an index invisible is an alternative to making it unusable or dropping it. You
cannot make an individual index partition invisible. Attempting to do so produces an
error.
To make an index invisible:
■

Submit the following SQL statement:
ALTER INDEX index INVISIBLE;

To make an invisible index visible again:
■

Submit the following SQL statement:
ALTER INDEX index VISIBLE;

If there are multiple indexes on the same set of columns, then
only one of these indexes can be visible at any point in time. If you try
to make an index on a set of columns visible, and another index on the
same set of columns is visible, then an error is returned.

Note:

To determine whether an index is visible or invisible:
■

Query the dictionary views USER_INDEXES, ALL_INDEXES, or DBA_INDEXES.

21-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Monitoring Space Use of Indexes

For example, to determine if the index ind1 is invisible, issue the following query:
SELECT INDEX_NAME, VISIBILITY FROM USER_INDEXES
WHERE INDEX_NAME = 'IND1';
INDEX_NAME
---------IND1

VISIBILITY
---------VISIBLE

See Also:
■

■
■

"Understand When to Use Unusable or Invisible Indexes" on
page 21-6
"Creating an Invisible Index" on page 21-17
"Creating Multiple Indexes on the Same Set of Columns" on
page 21-18

Renaming an Index
To rename an index, issue this statement:
ALTER INDEX index_name RENAME TO new_name;

Monitoring Index Usage
Oracle Database provides a means of monitoring indexes to determine whether they
are being used. If an index is not being used, then it can be dropped, eliminating
unnecessary statement overhead.
To start monitoring the usage of an index, issue this statement:
ALTER INDEX index MONITORING USAGE;

Later, issue the following statement to stop the monitoring:
ALTER INDEX index NOMONITORING USAGE;

The view USER_OBJECT_USAGE can be queried for the index being monitored to see if
the index has been used. The view contains a USED column whose value is YES or NO,
depending upon if the index has been used within the time period being monitored.
The view also contains the start and stop times of the monitoring period, and a
MONITORING column (YES/NO) to indicate if usage monitoring is currently active.
Each time that you specify MONITORING USAGE, the USER_OBJECT_USAGE view is reset for
the specified index. The previous usage information is cleared or reset, and a new start
time is recorded. When you specify NOMONITORING USAGE, no further monitoring is
performed, and the end time is recorded for the monitoring period. Until the next
ALTER INDEX...MONITORING USAGE statement is issued, the view information is left
unchanged.

Monitoring Space Use of Indexes
If key values in an index are inserted, updated, and deleted frequently, the index can
lose its acquired space efficiency over time. Monitor index efficiency of space usage at
regular intervals by first analyzing the index structure, using the ANALYZE
INDEX...VALIDATE STRUCTURE statement, and then querying the INDEX_STATS view:
SELECT PCT_USED FROM INDEX_STATS WHERE NAME = 'index';

Managing Indexes 21-23

Dropping Indexes

The percentage of index space usage varies according to how often index keys are
inserted, updated, or deleted. Develop a history of average efficiency of space usage
for an index by performing the following sequence of operations several times:
■

Analyzing statistics

■

Validating the index

■

Checking PCT_USED

■

Dropping and rebuilding (or coalescing) the index

When you find that index space usage drops below its average, you can condense the
index space by dropping the index and rebuilding it, or coalescing it.
See Also:

"Analyzing Tables, Indexes, and Clusters" on page 18-2

Dropping Indexes
To drop an index, the index must be contained in your schema, or you must have the
DROP ANY INDEX system privilege.
Some reasons for dropping an index include:
■
■

The index is no longer required.
The index is not providing anticipated performance improvements for queries
issued against the associated table. For example, the table might be very small, or
there might be many rows in the table but very few index entries.

■

Applications do not use the index to query the data.

■

The index has become invalid and must be dropped before being rebuilt.

■

The index has become too fragmented and must be dropped before being rebuilt.

When you drop an index, all extents of the index segment are returned to the
containing tablespace and become available for other objects in the tablespace.
How you drop an index depends on whether you created the index explicitly with a
CREATE INDEX statement, or implicitly by defining a key constraint on a table. If you
created the index explicitly with the CREATE INDEX statement, then you can drop the
index with the DROP INDEX statement. The following statement drops the emp_ename
index:
DROP INDEX emp_ename;

You cannot drop only the index associated with an enabled UNIQUE key or PRIMARY KEY
constraint. To drop a constraints associated index, you must disable or drop the
constraint itself.
If a table is dropped, all associated indexes are dropped
automatically.

Note:

21-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Indexes Data Dictionary Views

See Also:
■

■
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
restrictions on the use of the DROP INDEX statement
"Managing Integrity Constraints" on page 18-10
"Making an Index Invisible or Visible" on page 21-22 for an
alternative to dropping indexes

Indexes Data Dictionary Views
The following views display information about indexes:
View

Description

DBA_INDEXES

DBA view describes indexes on all tables in the database. ALL view describes
indexes on all tables accessible to the user. USER view is restricted to indexes
owned by the user. Some columns in these views contain statistics that are
generated by the DBMS_STATS package or ANALYZE statement.

ALL_INDEXES
USER_INDEXES
DBA_IND_COLUMNS
ALL_IND_COLUMNS

These views describe the columns of indexes on tables. Some columns in these
views contain statistics that are generated by the DBMS_STATS package or
ANALYZE statement.

USER_IND_COLUMNS
DBA_IND_PARTITIONS
ALL_IND_PARTITIONS

These views display, for each index partition, the partition-level partitioning
information, the storage parameters for the partition, and various partition
statistics that are generated by the DBMS_STATS package.

USER_IND_PARTITIONS
DBA_IND_EXPRESSIONS

These views describe the expressions of function-based indexes on tables.

ALL_IND_EXPRESSIONS
USER_IND_EXPRESSIONS
DBA_IND_STATISTICS

These views contain optimizer statistics for indexes.

ALL_IND_STATISTICS
USER_IND_STATISTICS
INDEX_STATS

Stores information from the last ANALYZE INDEX...VALIDATE STRUCTURE
statement.

INDEX_HISTOGRAM

Stores information from the last ANALYZE INDEX...VALIDATE STRUCTURE
statement.

USER_OBJECT_USAGE

Contains index usage information produced by the ALTER
INDEX...MONITORING USAGE functionality.

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for a complete description of

these views

Managing Indexes 21-25

Indexes Data Dictionary Views

21-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

22
Managing Clusters
22

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Clusters

■

Guidelines for Managing Clusters

■

Creating Clusters

■

Altering Clusters

■

Dropping Clusters

■

Clusters Data Dictionary Views

About Clusters
A cluster provides an optional method of storing table data. A cluster is made up of a
group of tables that share the same data blocks. The tables are grouped together
because they share common columns and are often used together. For example, the
emp and dept table share the deptno column. When you cluster the emp and dept tables
(see Figure 22–1), Oracle Database physically stores all rows for each department from
both the emp and dept tables in the same data blocks.
Because clusters store related rows of different tables together in the same data blocks,
properly used clusters offer two primary benefits:
■
■

Disk I/O is reduced and access time improves for joins of clustered tables.
The cluster key is the column, or group of columns, that the clustered tables have
in common. You specify the columns of the cluster key when creating the cluster.
You subsequently specify the same columns when creating every table added to
the cluster. Each cluster key value is stored only once each in the cluster and the
cluster index, no matter how many rows of different tables contain the value.
Therefore, less storage might be required to store related table and index data in a
cluster than is necessary in non-clustered table format. For example, in
Figure 22–1, notice how each cluster key (each deptno) is stored just once for many
rows that contain the same value in both the emp and dept tables.

After creating a cluster, you can create tables in the cluster. However, before any rows
can be inserted into the clustered tables, a cluster index must be created. Using clusters
does not affect the creation of additional indexes on the clustered tables; they can be
created and dropped as usual.
You should not use clusters for tables that are frequently accessed individually.

Managing Clusters 22-1

Guidelines for Managing Clusters

Figure 22–1

Clustered Table Data

Clustered Key
(DEPTO)
10

EMP TABLE

DNAME

LOC

SALES

BOSTON

EMPNO

ENAME

. . .

1000
1321
1841

SMITH
JONES
WARD

. . .
. . .
. . .

DNAME

LOC

ADMIN

NEW YORK

EMPNO

ENAME

DEPTNO

. . .

932
1000
1139
1277
1321
1841

KEHR
SMITH
WILSON
NORMAN
JONES
WARD

20
10
20
20
10
10

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

DEPT Table
20

EMPNO

ENAME

. . .

932
1139
1277

KEHR
WILSON
NORMAN

. . .
. . .
. . .

DEPTNO

DNAME

LOC

10
20

SALES
ADMIN

BOSTON
NEW YORK

Clustered Tables

Unclustered Tables

Related data stored
together, more
efficiently

Related data stored
apart, taking up
more space

See Also:
■

■

Chapter 23, "Managing Hash Clusters" for a description of
another type of cluster: a hash cluster
Chapter 19, "Managing Space for Schema Objects" is
recommended reading before attempting tasks described in this
chapter

Guidelines for Managing Clusters
The following sections describe guidelines to consider when managing clusters, and
contains the following topics:
■

Choose Appropriate Tables for the Cluster

■

Choose Appropriate Columns for the Cluster Key

■

Specify the Space Required by an Average Cluster Key and Its Associated Rows

22-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Guidelines for Managing Clusters

■

Specify the Location of Each Cluster and Cluster Index Rows

■

Estimate Cluster Size and Set Storage Parameters
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about clusters
Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for guidelines on when to use
clusters

Choose Appropriate Tables for the Cluster
Use clusters for tables for which the following conditions are true:
■

■

The tables are primarily queried--that is, tables that are not predominantly inserted
into or updated.
Records from the tables are frequently queried together or joined.

Choose Appropriate Columns for the Cluster Key
Choose cluster key columns carefully. If multiple columns are used in queries that join
the tables, make the cluster key a composite key. In general, the characteristics that
indicate a good cluster index are the same as those for any index. For information
about characteristics of a good index, see "Guidelines for Managing Indexes" on
page 21-2.
A good cluster key has enough unique values so that the group of rows corresponding
to each key value fills approximately one data block. Having too few rows for each
cluster key value can waste space and result in negligible performance gains. Cluster
keys that are so specific that only a few rows share a common value can cause wasted
space in blocks, unless a small SIZE was specified at cluster creation time (see "Specify
the Space Required by an Average Cluster Key and Its Associated Rows" on
page 22-3).
Too many rows for each cluster key value can cause extra searching to find rows for
that key. Cluster keys on values that are too general (for example, male and female)
result in excessive searching and can result in worse performance than with no
clustering.
A cluster index cannot be unique or include a column defined as long.

Specify the Space Required by an Average Cluster Key and Its Associated Rows
The CREATE CLUSTER statement has an optional clause, SIZE, which is the estimated
number of bytes required by an average cluster key and its associated rows. The
database uses the SIZE parameter when performing the following tasks:
■

■

Estimating the number of cluster keys (and associated rows) that can fit in a
clustered data block
Limiting the number of cluster keys placed in a clustered data block. This
maximizes the storage efficiency of keys within a cluster.

SIZE does not limit the space that can be used by a given cluster key. For example, if
SIZE is set such that two cluster keys can fit in one data block, any amount of the
available data block space can still be used by either of the cluster keys.
By default, the database stores only one cluster key and its associated rows in each
data block of the cluster data segment. Although block size can vary from one

Managing Clusters 22-3

Creating Clusters

operating system to the next, the rule of one key for each block is maintained as
clustered tables are imported to other databases on other systems.
If all the rows for a given cluster key value cannot fit in one block, the blocks are
chained together to speed access to all the values with the given key. The cluster index
points to the beginning of the chain of blocks, each of which contains the cluster key
value and associated rows. If the cluster SIZE is such that multiple keys fit in a block,
then blocks can belong to multiple chains.

Specify the Location of Each Cluster and Cluster Index Rows
If you have the proper privileges and tablespace quota, you can create a new cluster
and the associated cluster index in any tablespace that is currently online. Always
specify the TABLESPACE clause in a CREATE CLUSTER/INDEX statement to identify the
tablespace to store the new cluster or index.
The cluster and its cluster index can be created in different tablespaces. In fact, creating
a cluster and its index in different tablespaces that are stored on different storage
devices allows table data and index data to be retrieved simultaneously with minimal
disk contention.

Estimate Cluster Size and Set Storage Parameters
The following are benefits of estimating cluster size before creating the cluster:
■

■

You can use the combined estimated size of clusters, along with estimates for
indexes and redo log files, to determine the amount of disk space that is required
to hold an intended database. From these estimates, you can make correct
hardware purchases and other decisions.
You can use the estimated size of an individual cluster to better manage the disk
space that the cluster will use. When a cluster is created, you can set appropriate
storage parameters and improve I/O performance of applications that use the
cluster.

Set the storage parameters for the data segments of a cluster using the STORAGE clause
of the CREATE CLUSTER or ALTER CLUSTER statement, rather than the individual CREATE
or ALTER statements that put tables into the cluster. Storage parameters specified when
creating or altering a clustered table are ignored. The storage parameters set for the
cluster override the table storage parameters.

Creating Clusters
To create a cluster in your schema, you must have the CREATE CLUSTER system
privilege and a quota for the tablespace intended to contain the cluster or the
UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege.
To create a cluster in another user's schema you must have the CREATE ANY CLUSTER
system privilege, and the owner must have a quota for the tablespace intended to
contain the cluster or the UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege.
You create a cluster using the CREATE CLUSTER statement. The following statement
creates a cluster named emp_dept, which stores the emp and dept tables, clustered by
the deptno column:
CREATE CLUSTER emp_dept (deptno NUMBER(3))
SIZE 600
TABLESPACE users
STORAGE (INITIAL 200K

22-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Clusters

NEXT 300K
MINEXTENTS 2
PCTINCREASE 33);

If no INDEX keyword is specified, as is true in this example, an index cluster is created
by default. You can also create a HASH cluster, when hash parameters (HASHKEYS, HASH
IS, or SINGLE TABLE HASHKEYS) are specified. Hash clusters are described in
Chapter 23, "Managing Hash Clusters".

Creating Clustered Tables
To create a table in a cluster, you must have either the CREATE TABLE or CREATE ANY
TABLE system privilege. You do not need a tablespace quota or the UNLIMITED
TABLESPACE system privilege to create a table in a cluster.
You create a table in a cluster using the CREATE TABLE statement with the CLUSTER
clause. The emp and dept tables can be created in the emp_dept cluster using the
following statements:
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno NUMBER(5) PRIMARY KEY,
ename VARCHAR2(15) NOT NULL,
. . .
deptno NUMBER(3) REFERENCES dept)
CLUSTER emp_dept (deptno);
CREATE TABLE dept (
deptno NUMBER(3) PRIMARY KEY, . . . )
CLUSTER emp_dept (deptno);

You can specify the schema for a clustered table in the
CREATE TABLE statement. A clustered table can be in a different
schema than the schema containing the cluster. Also, the names of
the columns are not required to match, but their structure must
match.
Note:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
CREATE TABLE statement for creating cluster tables
See Also:

Creating Cluster Indexes
To create a cluster index, one of the following conditions must be true:
■

Your schema contains the cluster.

■

You have the CREATE ANY INDEX system privilege.

In either case, you must also have either a quota for the tablespace intended to contain
the cluster index, or the UNLIMITED TABLESPACE system privilege.
A cluster index must be created before any rows can be inserted into any clustered
table. The following statement creates a cluster index for the emp_dept cluster:
CREATE INDEX emp_dept_index
ON CLUSTER emp_dept
TABLESPACE users
STORAGE (INITIAL 50K
NEXT 50K
MINEXTENTS 2

Managing Clusters 22-5

Altering Clusters

MAXEXTENTS 10
PCTINCREASE 33);

The cluster index clause (ON CLUSTER) identifies the cluster, emp_dept, for which the
cluster index is being created. The statement also explicitly specifies several storage
settings for the cluster and cluster index.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
CREATE INDEX statement for creating cluster indexes
See Also:

Altering Clusters
To alter a cluster, your schema must contain the cluster or you must have the ALTER
ANY CLUSTER system privilege. You can alter an existing cluster to change the following
settings:
■
■

■

Physical attributes (INITRANS and storage characteristics)
The average amount of space required to store all the rows for a cluster key value
(SIZE)
The default degree of parallelism

Additionally, you can explicitly allocate a new extent for the cluster, or deallocate any
unused extents at the end of the cluster. The database dynamically allocates additional
extents for the data segment of a cluster as required. In some circumstances, however,
you might want to explicitly allocate an additional extent for a cluster. For example,
when using Real Application Clusters, you can allocate an extent of a cluster explicitly
for a specific instance. You allocate a new extent for a cluster using the ALTER CLUSTER
statement with the ALLOCATE EXTENT clause.
When you alter the cluster size parameter (SIZE) of a cluster, the new settings apply to
all data blocks used by the cluster, including blocks already allocated and blocks
subsequently allocated for the cluster. Blocks already allocated for the table are
reorganized when necessary (not immediately).
When you alter the transaction entry setting INITRANS of a cluster, the new setting for
INITRANS applies only to data blocks subsequently allocated for the cluster.
The storage parameters INITIAL and MINEXTENTS cannot be altered. All new settings
for the other storage parameters affect only extents subsequently allocated for the
cluster.
To alter a cluster, use the ALTER CLUSTER statement.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
ALTER CLUSTER statement
See Also:

Altering Clustered Tables
You can alter clustered tables using the ALTER TABLE statement. However, any data
block space parameters, transaction entry parameters, or storage parameters you set in
an ALTER TABLE statement for a clustered table generate an error message (ORA-01771,
illegal option for a clustered table). The database uses the parameters of the
cluster for all clustered tables. Therefore, you can use the ALTER TABLE statement only
to add or modify columns, drop non-cluster-key columns, or add, drop, enable, or
disable integrity constraints or triggers for a clustered table. For information about
altering tables, see "Altering Tables" on page 20-41.

22-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Dropping Clusters

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
ALTER TABLE statement
See Also:

Altering Cluster Indexes
You alter cluster indexes exactly as you do other indexes. See "Altering Indexes" on
page 21-19.
When estimating the size of cluster indexes, remember that
the index is on each cluster key, not the actual rows. Therefore, each
key appears only once in the index.

Note:

Dropping Clusters
A cluster can be dropped if the tables within the cluster are no longer needed. When a
cluster is dropped, so are the tables within the cluster and the corresponding cluster
index. All extents belonging to both the cluster data segment and the index segment of
the cluster index are returned to the containing tablespace and become available for
other segments within the tablespace.
To drop a cluster that contains no tables, and its cluster index, use the DROP CLUSTER
statement. For example, the following statement drops the empty cluster named emp_
dept:
DROP CLUSTER emp_dept;

If the cluster contains one or more clustered tables and you intend to drop the tables as
well, add the INCLUDING TABLES clause of the DROP CLUSTER statement, as follows:
DROP CLUSTER emp_dept INCLUDING TABLES;

If the INCLUDING TABLES clause is not included and the cluster contains tables, an error
is returned.
If one or more tables in a cluster contain primary or unique keys that are referenced by
FOREIGN KEY constraints of tables outside the cluster, the cluster cannot be dropped
unless the dependent FOREIGN KEY constraints are also dropped. This can be easily
done using the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS clause of the DROP CLUSTER statement, as shown
in the following example:
DROP CLUSTER emp_dept INCLUDING TABLES CASCADE CONSTRAINTS;

The database returns an error if you do not use the CASCADE CONSTRAINTS clause and
constraints exist.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
DROP CLUSTER statement
See Also:

Dropping Clustered Tables
To drop a cluster, your schema must contain the cluster or you must have the DROP ANY
CLUSTER system privilege. You do not need additional privileges to drop a cluster that
contains tables, even if the clustered tables are not owned by the owner of the cluster.
Clustered tables can be dropped individually without affecting the cluster, other
clustered tables, or the cluster index. A clustered table is dropped just as a
nonclustered table is dropped, with the DROP TABLE statement. See "Dropping Table
Columns" on page 20-46.

Managing Clusters 22-7

Clusters Data Dictionary Views

When you drop a single table from a cluster, the database
deletes each row of the table individually. To maximize efficiency
when you intend to drop an entire cluster, drop the cluster
including all tables by using the DROP CLUSTER statement with the
INCLUDING TABLES clause. Drop an individual table from a cluster
(using the DROP TABLE statement) only if you want the rest of the
cluster to remain.
Note:

Dropping Cluster Indexes
A cluster index can be dropped without affecting the cluster or its clustered tables.
However, clustered tables cannot be used if there is no cluster index; you must
re-create the cluster index to allow access to the cluster. Cluster indexes are sometimes
dropped as part of the procedure to rebuild a fragmented cluster index.
Note:

Hash cluster indexes cannot be dropped.

See Also:

"Dropping Indexes" on page 21-24

Clusters Data Dictionary Views
The following views display information about clusters:
View

Description

DBA_CLUSTERS

USER_CLUSTERS

DBA view describes all clusters in the database. ALL view describes all clusters
accessible to the user. USER view is restricted to clusters owned by the user.
Some columns in these views contain statistics that are generated by the
DBMS_STATS package or ANALYZE statement.

DBA_CLU_COLUMNS

These views map table columns to cluster columns

ALL_CLUSTERS

USER_CLU_COLUMNS

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of

these views

22-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

23
23

Managing Hash Clusters

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Hash Clusters

■

When to Use Hash Clusters

■

Creating Hash Clusters

■

Altering Hash Clusters

■

Dropping Hash Clusters

■

Hash Clusters Data Dictionary Views

About Hash Clusters
Storing a table in a hash cluster is an optional way to improve the performance of data
retrieval. A hash cluster provides an alternative to a non-clustered table with an index
or an index cluster. With an indexed table or index cluster, Oracle Database locates the
rows in a table using key values that the database stores in a separate index. To use
hashing, you create a hash cluster and load tables into it. The database physically
stores the rows of a table in a hash cluster and retrieves them according to the results
of a hash function.
Oracle Database uses a hash function to generate a distribution of numeric values,
called hash values, that are based on specific cluster key values. The key of a hash
cluster, like the key of an index cluster, can be a single column or composite key
(multiple column key). To find or store a row in a hash cluster, the database applies the
hash function to the cluster key value of the row. The resulting hash value corresponds
to a data block in the cluster, which the database then reads or writes on behalf of the
issued statement.
To find or store a row in an indexed table or cluster, a minimum of two (there are
usually more) I/Os must be performed:
■

One or more I/Os to find or store the key value in the index

■

Another I/O to read or write the row in the table or cluster

In contrast, the database uses a hash function to locate a row in a hash cluster; no I/O
is required. As a result, a minimum of one I/O operation is necessary to read or write
a row in a hash cluster.
See Also: Chapter 19, "Managing Space for Schema Objects" is
recommended reading before attempting tasks described in this
chapter.

Managing Hash Clusters 23-1

When to Use Hash Clusters

When to Use Hash Clusters
This section helps you decide when to use hash clusters by contrasting situations
where hashing is most useful against situations where there is no advantage. If you
find your decision is to use indexing rather than hashing, then you should consider
whether to store a table individually or as part of a cluster.
Even if you decide to use hashing, a table can still have
separate indexes on any columns, including the cluster key.

Note:

Situations Where Hashing Is Useful
Hashing is useful when you have the following conditions:
■

Most queries are equality queries on the cluster key:
SELECT ... WHERE cluster_key = ...;

In such cases, the cluster key in the equality condition is hashed, and the
corresponding hash key is usually found with a single read. In comparison, for an
indexed table the key value must first be found in the index (usually several
reads), and then the row is read from the table (another read).
■

The tables in the hash cluster are primarily static in size so that you can determine
the number of rows and amount of space required for the tables in the cluster. If
tables in a hash cluster require more space than the initial allocation for the cluster,
performance degradation can be substantial because overflow blocks are required.

Situations Where Hashing Is Not Advantageous
Hashing is not advantageous in the following situations:
■

Most queries on the table retrieve rows over a range of cluster key values. For
example, in full table scans or queries such as the following, a hash function
cannot be used to determine the location of specific hash keys. Instead, the
equivalent of a full table scan must be done to fetch the rows for the query.
SELECT . . . WHERE cluster_key < . . . ;

With an index, key values are ordered in the index, so cluster key values that
satisfy the WHERE clause of a query can be found with relatively few I/Os.
■

■

■

The table is not static, but instead is continually growing. If a table grows without
limit, the space required over the life of the table (its cluster) cannot be
predetermined.
Applications frequently perform full-table scans on the table and the table is
sparsely populated. A full-table scan in this situation takes longer under hashing.
You cannot afford to preallocate the space that the hash cluster will eventually
need.

Creating Hash Clusters
You create a hash cluster using a CREATE CLUSTER statement, but you specify a
HASHKEYS clause. The following statement creates a cluster named trial_cluster,
clustered by the trialno column (the cluster key):
CREATE CLUSTER trial_cluster ( trialno NUMBER(5,0) )

23-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Hash Clusters

TABLESPACE users
STORAGE ( INITIAL 250K
NEXT 50K
MINEXTENTS 1
MAXEXTENTS 3
PCTINCREASE 0 )
HASH IS trialno
HASHKEYS 150;

The following statement creates the trial table in the trial_cluster hash cluster:
CREATE TABLE trial (
trialno NUMBER(5,0) PRIMARY KEY,
... )
CLUSTER trial_cluster (trialno);

As with index clusters, the key of a hash cluster can be a single column or a composite
key (multiple column key). In the preceding example, the key is the trialno column.
The HASHKEYS value, in this case 150, specifies and limits the number of unique hash
values that the hash function can generate. The database rounds the number specified
to the nearest prime number.
If no HASH IS clause is specified, then the database uses an internal hash function. If
the cluster key is already a unique identifier that is uniformly distributed over its
range, then you can bypass the internal hash function and specify the cluster key as
the hash value, as in the preceding example. You can also use the HASH IS clause to
specify a user-defined hash function.
You cannot create a cluster index on a hash cluster, and you need not create an index
on a hash cluster key.
The following sections explain and provide guidelines for setting the parameters of the
CREATE CLUSTER statement specific to hash clusters:
■

Creating a Sorted Hash Cluster

■

Creating Single-Table Hash Clusters

■

Controlling Space Use Within a Hash Cluster

■

Estimating Size Required by Hash Clusters
See Also: Chapter 22, "Managing Clusters" for additional
information about creating tables in a cluster, guidelines for setting
parameters of the CREATE CLUSTER statement common to index and
hash clusters, and the privileges required to create any cluster

Creating a Sorted Hash Cluster
A sorted hash cluster stores the rows corresponding to each value of the hash function
in such a way that the database can efficiently return them in sorted order. For
applications that always consume data in sorted order, sorted hash clusters can
retrieve data faster by minimizing logical I/Os.
Assume that a telecommunications company stores detailed call records for a fixed
number of originating telephone numbers through a telecommunications switch. From
each originating telephone number there can be an unlimited number of calls.
The application stores calls records as calls are made. Each call has a detailed call
record identified by a timestamp. For example, the application stores a call record with
timestamp 0, then a call record with timestamp 1, and so on.

Managing Hash Clusters 23-3

Creating Hash Clusters

When generating bills for each originating phone number, the application processes
them in first-in, first-out (FIFO) order. The following table shows sample details for
three originating phone numbers:
telephone_number

call_timestamp

6505551212

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...

6505551213

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...

6505551214

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...

In the following SQL statements, the telephone_number column is the hash key. The
hash cluster is sorted on the call_timestamp and call_duration columns. The
example uses the same names for the clustering and sorting columns in the table
definition as in the cluster definition, but this is not required. The number of hash keys
is based on 10-digit telephone numbers.
CREATE CLUSTER call_detail_cluster (
telephone_number NUMBER,
call_timestamp
NUMBER SORT,
call_duration
NUMBER SORT )
HASHKEYS 10000
HASH IS telephone_number
SIZE 256;
CREATE TABLE call_detail (
telephone_number
NUMBER,
call_timestamp
NUMBER
SORT,
call_duration
NUMBER
SORT,
other_info
VARCHAR2(30) )
CLUSTER call_detail_cluster (
telephone_number, call_timestamp, call_duration );

Suppose that you seed the call_detail table with the rows in FIFO order as shown in
Example 23–1.
Example 23–1
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
COMMIT;

Data Inserted in Sequential Order

call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail
call_detail

VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES

(6505551212,
(6505551212,
(6505551212,
(6505551212,
(6505551213,
(6505551213,
(6505551213,
(6505551213,
(6505551214,
(6505551214,
(6505551214,
(6505551214,

0,
1,
2,
3,
0,
1,
2,
3,
0,
1,
2,
3,

9, 'misc info');
17, 'misc info');
5, 'misc info');
90, 'misc info');
35, 'misc info');
6, 'misc info');
4, 'misc info');
4, 'misc info');
15, 'misc info');
20, 'misc info');
1, 'misc info');
25, 'misc info');

In Example 23–2, you SET AUTOTRACE ON, and then query the call_detail table for the
call details for the phone number 6505551212.
Example 23–2

Querying call_detail

SQL> SET AUTOTRACE ON;
SQL> SELECT * FROM call_detail WHERE telephone_number = 6505551212;

23-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Hash Clusters

TELEPHONE_NUMBER CALL_TIMESTAMP CALL_DURATION OTHER_INFO
---------------- -------------- ------------- -----------------------------6505551212
0
9 misc info
6505551212
1
17 misc info
6505551212
2
5 misc info
6505551212
3
90 misc info
Execution Plan
---------------------------------------------------------Plan hash value: 2118876266
---------------------------------------------------------------------| Id | Operation
| Name
| Rows | Bytes | Cost (%CPU)|
---------------------------------------------------------------------|
0 | SELECT STATEMENT |
|
1 |
56 |
0
(0)|
|* 1 | TABLE ACCESS HASH| CALL_DETAIL |
1 |
56 |
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Example 23–2 shows that the query retrieves the rows ordered by timestamp even
though no sort appears in the query plan.
Suppose you then delete the existing rows and insert the same rows out of sequence:
DELETE FROM
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
INSERT INTO
COMMIT;

call_detail;
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES
call_detail VALUES

(6505551213,
(6505551214,
(6505551212,
(6505551214,
(6505551214,
(6505551213,
(6505551213,
(6505551214,
(6505551212,
(6505551212,
(6505551212,
(6505551213,

3,
0,
0,
1,
2,
1,
2,
3,
1,
2,
3,
0,

4, 'misc info');
15, 'misc info');
9, 'misc info');
20, 'misc info');
1, 'misc info');
6, 'misc info');
4, 'misc info');
25, 'misc info');
17, 'misc info');
5, 'misc info');
90, 'misc info');
35, 'misc info');

If you rerun the same query of call_detail, the database again retrieves the rows in
sorted order even though no ORDER BY clause is specified. No SORT ORDER BY
operation appears in the query plan because the database performs an internal sort.
Now assume that you create a nonclustered table call_detail_nonclustered and
then load it with the same sample values in Example 23–1. To retrieve the data in
sorted order, you must use an ORDER BY clause as follows:
SQL> SELECT * FROM call_detail_nonclustered WHERE telephone_number = 6505551212
2 ORDER BY call_timestamp, call_duration;
TELEPHONE_NUMBER CALL_TIMESTAMP CALL_DURATION OTHER_INFO
---------------- -------------- ------------- -----------------------------6505551212
0
9 misc info
6505551212
1
17 misc info
6505551212
2
5 misc info
6505551212
3
90 misc info
Execution Plan
---------------------------------------------------------Plan hash value: 2555750302

Managing Hash Clusters 23-5

Creating Hash Clusters

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|Id| Operation
| Name
|Rows|Bytes|Cost (%CPU)|Time |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 0| SELECT STATEMENT
|
| 4 | 224 | 4 (25)| 00:00:01 |
| 1| SORT ORDER BY
|
| 4 | 224 | 4 (25)| 00:00:01 |
|*2|
TABLE ACCESS FULL| CALL_DETAIL_NONCLUSTERED | 4 | 224 | 3 (0)| 00:00:01 |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The preceding plan shows that in the nonclustered case the sort is more expensive
than in the clustered case. The rows, bytes, cost, and time are all greater in the case of
the table that is not stored in a sorted hash cluster.

Creating Single-Table Hash Clusters
You can also create a single-table hash cluster, which provides fast access to rows in a
table. However, this table must be the only table in the hash cluster. Essentially, there
must be a one-to-one mapping between hash keys and data rows. The following
statement creates a single-table hash cluster named peanut with the cluster key
variety:
CREATE CLUSTER peanut (variety NUMBER)
SIZE 512 SINGLE TABLE HASHKEYS 500;

The database rounds the HASHKEYS value up to the nearest prime number, so this
cluster has a maximum of 503 hash key values, each of size 512 bytes. The SINGLE
TABLE clause is valid only for hash clusters. HASHKEYS must also be specified.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of
the CREATE CLUSTER statement

Controlling Space Use Within a Hash Cluster
When creating a hash cluster, it is important to choose the cluster key correctly and set
the HASH IS, SIZE, and HASHKEYS parameters so that performance and space use are
optimal. The following guidelines describe how to set these parameters.

Choosing the Key
Choosing the correct cluster key is dependent on the most common types of queries
issued against the clustered tables. For example, consider the emp table in a hash
cluster. If queries often select rows by employee number, the empno column should be
the cluster key. If queries often select rows by department number, the deptno column
should be the cluster key. For hash clusters that contain a single table, the cluster key is
typically the entire primary key of the contained table.
The key of a hash cluster, like that of an index cluster, can be a single column or a
composite key (multiple column key). A hash cluster with a composite key must use
the internal hash function of the database.

Setting HASH IS
Specify the HASH IS parameter only if the cluster key is a single column of the NUMBER
data type, and contains uniformly distributed integers. If these conditions apply, you
can distribute rows in the cluster so that each unique cluster key value hashes, with no
collisions (two cluster key values having the same hash value), to a unique hash value.
If these conditions do not apply, omit this clause so that you use the internal hash
function.

23-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Hash Clusters

Setting SIZE
SIZE should be set to the average amount of space required to hold all rows for any
given hash key. Therefore, to properly determine SIZE, you must be aware of the
characteristics of your data:
■

■

If the hash cluster is to contain only a single table and the hash key values of the
rows in that table are unique (one row for each value), SIZE can be set to the
average row size in the cluster.
If the hash cluster is to contain multiple tables, SIZE can be set to the average
amount of space required to hold all rows associated with a representative hash
value.

Further, once you have determined a (preliminary) value for SIZE, consider the
following. If the SIZE value is small (more than four hash keys can be assigned for
each data block) you can use this value for SIZE in the CREATE CLUSTER statement.
However, if the value of SIZE is large (four or fewer hash keys can be assigned for each
data block), then you should also consider the expected frequency of collisions and
whether performance of data retrieval or efficiency of space usage is more important
to you.
■

■

If the hash cluster does not use the internal hash function (if you specified HASH
IS) and you expect few or no collisions, you can use your preliminary value of
SIZE. No collisions occur and space is used as efficiently as possible.
If you expect frequent collisions on inserts, the likelihood of overflow blocks being
allocated to store rows is high. To reduce the possibility of overflow blocks and
maximize performance when collisions are frequent, you should adjust SIZE as
shown in the following chart.

Available Space for each Block /
Calculated SIZE

Setting for SIZE

1

SIZE

2

SIZE + 15%

3

SIZE + 12%

4

SIZE + 8%

>4

SIZE

Overestimating the value of SIZE increases the amount of unused space in the
cluster. If space efficiency is more important than the performance of data
retrieval, disregard the adjustments shown in the preceding table and use the
original value for SIZE.

Setting HASHKEYS
For maximum distribution of rows in a hash cluster, the database rounds the HASHKEYS
value up to the nearest prime number.

Controlling Space in Hash Clusters
The following examples show how to correctly choose the cluster key and set the HASH
IS, SIZE, and HASHKEYS parameters. For all examples, assume that the data block size is
2K and that on average, 1950 bytes of each block is available data space (block size
minus overhead).

Managing Hash Clusters 23-7

Creating Hash Clusters

Controlling Space in Hash Clusters: Example 1 You decide to load the emp table into a hash
cluster. Most queries retrieve employee records by their employee number. You
estimate that the maximum number of rows in the emp table at any given time is 10000
and that the average row size is 55 bytes.
In this case, empno should be the cluster key. Because this column contains integers that
are unique, the internal hash function can be bypassed. SIZE can be set to the average
row size, 55 bytes. Note that 34 hash keys are assigned for each data block. HASHKEYS
can be set to the number of rows in the table, 10000. The database rounds this value up
to the next highest prime number: 10007.
CREATE CLUSTER emp_cluster (empno
NUMBER)
. . .
SIZE 55
HASH IS empno HASHKEYS 10000;

Controlling Space in Hash Clusters: Example 2 Conditions similar to the previous example
exist. In this case, however, rows are usually retrieved by department number. At
most, there are 1000 departments with an average of 10 employees for each
department. Department numbers increment by 10 (0, 10, 20, 30, . . .).
In this case, deptno should be the cluster key. Since this column contains integers that
are uniformly distributed, the internal hash function can be bypassed. A preliminary
value of SIZE (the average amount of space required to hold all rows for each
department) is 55 bytes * 10, or 550 bytes. Using this value for SIZE, only three hash
keys can be assigned for each data block. If you expect some collisions and want
maximum performance of data retrieval, slightly alter your estimated SIZE to prevent
collisions from requiring overflow blocks. By adjusting SIZE by 12%, to 620 bytes (see
"Setting SIZE" on page 23-7), there is more space for rows from expected collisions.
HASHKEYS can be set to the number of unique department numbers, 1000. The database
rounds this value up to the next highest prime number: 1009.
CREATE CLUSTER emp_cluster (deptno NUMBER)
. . .
SIZE 620
HASH IS deptno HASHKEYS 1000;

Estimating Size Required by Hash Clusters
As with index clusters, it is important to estimate the storage required for the data in a
hash cluster.
Oracle Database guarantees that the initial allocation of space is sufficient to store the
hash table according to the settings SIZE and HASHKEYS. If settings for the storage
parameters INITIAL, NEXT, and MINEXTENTS do not account for the hash table size,
incremental (additional) extents are allocated until at least SIZE*HASHKEYS is reached.
For example, assume that the data block size is 2K, the available data space for each
block is approximately 1900 bytes (data block size minus overhead), and that the
STORAGE and HASH parameters are specified in the CREATE CLUSTER statement as
follows:
STORAGE (INITIAL 100K
NEXT 150K
MINEXTENTS 1
PCTINCREASE 0)
SIZE 1500
HASHKEYS 100

23-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Hash Clusters Data Dictionary Views

In this example, only one hash key can be assigned for each data block. Therefore, the
initial space required for the hash cluster is at least 100*2K or 200K. The settings for the
storage parameters do not account for this requirement. Therefore, an initial extent of
100K and a second extent of 150K are allocated to the hash cluster.
Alternatively, assume the HASH parameters are specified as follows:
SIZE 500 HASHKEYS 100

In this case, three hash keys are assigned to each data block. Therefore, the initial space
required for the hash cluster is at least 34*2K or 68K. The initial settings for the storage
parameters are sufficient for this requirement (an initial extent of 100K is allocated to
the hash cluster).

Altering Hash Clusters
You can alter a hash cluster with the ALTER CLUSTER statement:
ALTER CLUSTER emp_dept . . . ;

The implications for altering a hash cluster are identical to those for altering an index
cluster, described in "Altering Clusters" on page 22-6. However, the SIZE, HASHKEYS,
and HASH IS parameters cannot be specified in an ALTER CLUSTER statement. To
change these parameters, you must re-create the cluster, then copy the data from the
original cluster.

Dropping Hash Clusters
You can drop a hash cluster using the DROP CLUSTER statement:
DROP CLUSTER emp_dept;

A table in a hash cluster is dropped using the DROP TABLE statement. The implications
of dropping hash clusters and tables in hash clusters are the same as those for
dropping index clusters.
See Also:

"Dropping Clusters" on page 22-7

Hash Clusters Data Dictionary Views
The following views display information about hash clusters:
View

Description

DBA_CLUSTERS

DBA view describes all clusters (including hash clusters) in the
database. ALL view describes all clusters accessible to the user. USER
view is restricted to clusters owned by the user. Some columns in
these views contain statistics that are generated by the DBMS_STATS
package or ANALYZE statement.

ALL_CLUSTERS
USER_CLUSTERS
DBA_CLU_COLUMNS

These views map table columns to cluster columns.

USER_CLU_COLUMNS
DBA_CLUSTER_HASH_EXPRESSIONS

These views list hash functions for hash clusters.

ALL_CLUSTER_HASH_EXPRESSIONS
USER_CLUSTER_HASH_EXPRESSIONS

Managing Hash Clusters 23-9

Hash Clusters Data Dictionary Views

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of

these views

23-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

24
24

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Managing Views

■

Managing Sequences

■

Managing Synonyms

■

Views, Synonyms, and Sequences Data Dictionary Views

Managing Views
This section describes aspects of managing views, and contains the following topics:
■

About Views

■

Creating Views

■

Replacing Views

■

Using Views in Queries

■

Updating a Join View

■

Altering Views

■

Dropping Views

About Views
A view is a logical representation of a table or combination of tables. In essence, a view
is a stored query. A view derives its data from the tables on which it is based. These
tables are called base tables. Base tables might in turn be actual tables or might be
views themselves. All operations performed on a view actually affect the base table of
the view. You can use views in almost the same way as tables. You can query, update,
insert into, and delete from views, just as you can standard tables.
Views can provide a different representation (such as subsets or supersets) of the data
that resides within other tables and views. Views are very powerful because they
allow you to tailor the presentation of data to different types of users.

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms 24-1

Managing Views

One special type of view is the editioning view, which is used
only to support online upgrade of applications using edition-based
redefinition. The remainder of this section on managing views
describes all views except editioning views. See Oracle Database
Development Guide for a discussion of editioning views and
edition-based redefinition.

Note:

See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of views

Creating Views
To create a view, you must meet the following requirements:
■

■

■

To create a view in your schema, you must have the CREATE VIEW privilege. To
create a view in another user's schema, you must have the CREATE ANY VIEW
system privilege. You can acquire these privileges explicitly or through a role.
The owner of the view (whether it is you or another user) must have been
explicitly granted privileges to access all objects referenced in the view definition.
The owner cannot have obtained these privileges through roles. Also, the
functionality of the view depends on the privileges of the view owner. For
example, if the owner of the view has only the INSERT privilege for Scott's emp
table, then the view can be used only to insert new rows into the emp table, not to
SELECT, UPDATE, or DELETE rows.
If the owner of the view intends to grant access to the view to other users, the
owner must have received the object privileges to the base objects with the GRANT
OPTION or the system privileges with the ADMIN OPTION.

You can create views using the CREATE VIEW statement. Each view is defined by a
query that references tables, materialized views, or other views. As with all
subqueries, the query that defines a view cannot contain the FOR UPDATE clause.
The following statement creates a view on a subset of data in the hr.departments
table:
CREATE VIEW departments_hq AS
SELECT department_id, department_name, location_id
FROM hr.departments
WHERE location_id = 1700
WITH CHECK OPTION CONSTRAINT departments_hq_cnst;

The query that defines the departments_hq view references only rows in location 1700.
Furthermore, the CHECK OPTION creates the view with the constraint (named
departments_hq_cnst) so that INSERT and UPDATE statements issued against the view
cannot result in rows that the view cannot select. For example, the following INSERT
statement successfully inserts a row into the departments table with the departments_
hq view, which contains all rows with location 1700:
INSERT INTO departments_hq VALUES (300, 'NETWORKING', 1700);

However, the following INSERT statement returns an error because it attempts to insert
a row for location 2700, which cannot be selected using the departments_hq view:
INSERT INTO departments_hq VALUES (301, 'TRANSPORTATION', 2700);

The view could have been constructed specifying the WITH READ ONLY clause, which
prevents any updates, inserts, or deletes from being done to the base table through the

24-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Views

view. If no WITH clause is specified, the view, with some restrictions, is inherently
updatable.
You can also create views with invisible columns. For example, the following
statements creates the departments_hq_man view and makes the manager_id column
invisible:
CREATE VIEW departments_hq_man
(department_id, department_name, manager_id INVISIBLE, location_id)
AS SELECT department_id, department_name, manager_id, location_id
FROM hr.departments
WHERE location_id = 1700
WITH CHECK OPTION CONSTRAINT departments_hq_man_cnst;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
semantics of the CREATE VIEW statement
"Understand Invisible Columns" on page 20-20

Join Views
You can also create views that specify multiple base tables or views in the FROM clause.
These are called join views. The following statement creates the division1_staff
view that joins data from the emp and dept tables:
CREATE VIEW division1_staff AS
SELECT ename, empno, job, dname
FROM emp, dept
WHERE emp.deptno IN (10, 30)
AND emp.deptno = dept.deptno;

An updatable join view is a join view where UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE operations
are allowed. See "Updating a Join View" on page 24-6 for further discussion.

Expansion of Defining Queries at View Creation Time
When a view is created, Oracle Database expands any wildcard (*) in a top-level view
query into a column list. The resulting query is stored in the data dictionary; any
subqueries are left intact. The column names in an expanded column list are enclosed
in quotation marks to account for the possibility that the columns of the base object
were originally entered with quotes and require them for the query to be syntactically
correct.
As an example, assume that the dept view is created as follows:
CREATE VIEW dept AS SELECT * FROM scott.dept;

The database stores the defining query of the dept view as:
SELECT "DEPTNO", "DNAME", "LOC" FROM scott.dept;

Views created with errors do not have wildcards expanded. However, if the view is
eventually compiled without errors, wildcards in the defining query are expanded.

Creating Views with Errors
If there are no syntax errors in a CREATE VIEW statement, the database can create the
view even if the defining query of the view cannot be executed. In this case, the view is
considered "created with errors." For example, when a view is created that refers to a

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms 24-3

Managing Views

nonexistent table or an invalid column of an existing table, or when the view owner
does not have the required privileges, the view can be created anyway and entered
into the data dictionary. However, the view is not yet usable.
To create a view with errors, you must include the FORCE clause of the CREATE VIEW
statement.
CREATE FORCE VIEW AS ...;

By default, views with errors are created as INVALID. When you try to create such a
view, the database returns a message indicating the view was created with errors. If
conditions later change so that the query of an invalid view can be executed, the view
can be recompiled and be made valid (usable). For information changing conditions
and their impact on views, see "Managing Object Dependencies" on page 18-17.

Replacing Views
To replace a view, you must have all of the privileges required to drop and create a
view. If the definition of a view must change, the view must be replaced; you cannot
use an ALTER VIEW statement to change the definition of a view. You can replace views
in the following ways:
■

You can drop and re-create the view.
Caution: When a view is dropped, all grants of corresponding
object privileges are revoked from roles and users. After the view is
re-created, privileges must be regranted.

■

You can redefine the view with a CREATE VIEW statement that contains the OR
REPLACE clause. The OR REPLACE clause replaces the current definition of a view
and preserves the current security authorizations. For example, assume that you
created the sales_staff view as shown earlier, and, in addition, you granted
several object privileges to roles and other users. However, now you must redefine
the sales_staff view to change the department number specified in the WHERE
clause. You can replace the current version of the sales_staff view with the
following statement:
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW sales_staff AS
SELECT empno, ename, deptno
FROM emp
WHERE deptno = 30
WITH CHECK OPTION CONSTRAINT sales_staff_cnst;

Before replacing a view, consider the following effects:
■

■

■

Replacing a view replaces the view definition in the data dictionary. All
underlying objects referenced by the view are not affected.
If a constraint in the CHECK OPTION was previously defined but not included in the
new view definition, the constraint is dropped.
All views dependent on a replaced view become invalid (not usable). In addition,
dependent PL/SQL program units may become invalid, depending on what was
changed in the new version of the view. For example, if only the WHERE clause of
the view changes, dependent PL/SQL program units remain valid. However, if
any changes are made to the number of view columns or to the view column
names or data types, dependent PL/SQL program units are invalidated. See
"Managing Object Dependencies" on page 18-17 for more information on how the

24-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Views

database manages such dependencies.

Using Views in Queries
To issue a query or an INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statement against a view, you must
have the SELECT, READ, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE object privilege for the view,
respectively, either explicitly or through a role.
Views can be queried in the same manner as tables. For example, to query the
Division1_staff view, enter a valid SELECT statement that references the view:
SELECT * FROM Division1_staff;
ENAME
EMPNO
JOB
DNAME
-----------------------------------------------------CLARK
7782
MANAGER
ACCOUNTING
KING
7839
PRESIDENT
ACCOUNTING
MILLER
7934
CLERK
ACCOUNTING
ALLEN
7499
SALESMAN
SALES
WARD
7521
SALESMAN
SALES
JAMES
7900
CLERK
SALES
TURNER
7844
SALESMAN
SALES
MARTIN
7654
SALESMAN
SALES
BLAKE
7698
MANAGER
SALES

With some restrictions, rows can be inserted into, updated in, or deleted from a base
table using a view. The following statement inserts a new row into the emp table using
the sales_staff view:
INSERT INTO sales_staff
VALUES (7954, 'OSTER', 30);

Restrictions on DML operations for views use the following criteria in the order listed:
1.

If a view is defined by a query that contains SET or DISTINCT operators, a GROUP BY
clause, or a group function, then rows cannot be inserted into, updated in, or
deleted from the base tables using the view.

2.

If a view is defined with WITH CHECK OPTION, a row cannot be inserted into, or
updated in, the base table (using the view), if the view cannot select the row from
the base table.

3.

If a NOT NULL column that does not have a DEFAULT clause is omitted from the view,
then a row cannot be inserted into the base table using the view.

4.

If the view was created by using an expression, such as DECODE(deptno, 10,
"SALES", ...), then rows cannot be inserted into or updated in the base table
using the view.

The constraint created by WITH CHECK OPTION of the sales_staff view only allows
rows that have a department number of 30 to be inserted into, or updated in, the emp
table. Alternatively, assume that the sales_staff view is defined by the following
statement (that is, excluding the deptno column):
CREATE VIEW sales_staff AS
SELECT empno, ename
FROM emp
WHERE deptno = 10
WITH CHECK OPTION CONSTRAINT sales_staff_cnst;

Considering this view definition, you can update the empno or ename fields of existing
records, but you cannot insert rows into the emp table through the sales_staff view
Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms 24-5

Managing Views

because the view does not let you alter the deptno field. If you had defined a DEFAULT
value of 10 on the deptno field, then you could perform inserts.
When a user attempts to reference an invalid view, the database returns an error
message to the user:
ORA-04063: view 'view_name' has errors

This error message is returned when a view exists but is unusable due to errors in its
query (whether it had errors when originally created or it was created successfully but
became unusable later because underlying objects were altered or dropped).

Updating a Join View
An updatable join view (also referred to as a modifiable join view) is a view that
contains multiple tables in the top-level FROM clause of the SELECT statement, and is not
restricted by the WITH READ ONLY clause.
The rules for updatable join views are shown in the following table. Views that meet
these criteria are said to be inherently updatable.
Rule

Description

General Rule

Any INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operation on a join view can modify
only one underlying base table at a time.

UPDATE Rule

All updatable columns of a join view must map to columns of a
key-preserved table. See "Key-Preserved Tables" on page 24-7 for a
discussion of key-preserved tables. If the view is defined with the
WITH CHECK OPTION clause, then all join columns and all columns of
repeated tables are not updatable.

DELETE Rule

Rows from a join view can be deleted as long as there is exactly one
key-preserved table in the join. The key preserved table can be
repeated in the FROM clause. If the view is defined with the WITH
CHECK OPTION clause and the key preserved table is repeated, then
the rows cannot be deleted from the view.

INSERT Rule

An INSERT statement must not explicitly or implicitly refer to the
columns of a non-key-preserved table. If the join view is defined
with the WITH CHECK OPTION clause, INSERT statements are not
permitted.

There are data dictionary views that indicate whether the columns in a join view are
inherently updatable. See "Using the UPDATABLE_ COLUMNS Views" on page 24-12
for descriptions of these views.

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There are some additional restrictions and conditions that
can affect whether a join view is inherently updatable. Specifics are
listed in the description of the CREATE VIEW statement in the Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference.
Note:

If a view is not inherently updatable, it can be made updatable by
creating an INSTEAD OF trigger on it. See Oracle Database PL/SQL
Language Reference for information about triggers.
Additionally, if a view is a join on other nested views, then the
other nested views must be mergeable into the top level view. For a
discussion of mergeable and unmergeable views, and more
generally, how the optimizer optimizes statements that reference
views, see the Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide.
Examples illustrating the rules for inherently updatable join views, and a discussion of
key-preserved tables, are presented in following sections. The examples in these
sections work only if you explicitly define the primary and foreign keys in the tables,
or define unique indexes. The following statements create the appropriately
constrained table definitions for emp and dept.
CREATE TABLE dept (
deptno
NUMBER(4) PRIMARY KEY,
dname
VARCHAR2(14),
loc
VARCHAR2(13));
CREATE TABLE emp (
empno
NUMBER(4) PRIMARY KEY,
ename
VARCHAR2(10),
job
VARCHAR2(9),
mgr
NUMBER(4),
sal
NUMBER(7,2),
comm
NUMBER(7,2),
deptno
NUMBER(2),
FOREIGN KEY (DEPTNO) REFERENCES DEPT(DEPTNO));

You could also omit the primary and foreign key constraints listed in the preceding
example, and create a UNIQUE INDEX on dept (deptno) to make the following
examples work.
The following statement created the emp_dept join view which is referenced in the
examples:
CREATE VIEW emp_dept AS
SELECT emp.empno, emp.ename, emp.deptno, emp.sal, dept.dname, dept.loc
FROM emp, dept
WHERE emp.deptno = dept.deptno
AND dept.loc IN ('DALLAS', 'NEW YORK', 'BOSTON');

Key-Preserved Tables
The concept of a key-preserved table is fundamental to understanding the restrictions
on modifying join views. A table is key-preserved if every key of the table can also be
a key of the result of the join. So, a key-preserved table has its keys preserved through
a join.

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Managing Views

Note: It is not necessary that the key or keys of a table be selected
for it to be key preserved. It is sufficient that if the key or keys were
selected, then they would also be keys of the result of the join.

The key-preserving property of a table does not depend on the actual data in the table.
It is, rather, a property of its schema. For example, if in the emp table there was at most
one employee in each department, then deptno would be unique in the result of a join
of emp and dept, but dept would still not be a key-preserved table.
If you select all rows from emp_dept, the results are:
EMPNO
ENAME
DEPTNO
---------- ---------- ------7782 CLARK
10
7839 KING
10
7934 MILLER
10
7369 SMITH
20
7876 ADAMS
20
7902 FORD
20
7788 SCOTT
20
7566 JONES
20
8 rows selected.

DNAME
-------------ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTING
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH

LOC
----------NEW YORK
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS

In this view, emp is a key-preserved table, because empno is a key of the emp table, and
also a key of the result of the join. dept is not a key-preserved table, because although
deptno is a key of the dept table, it is not a key of the join.

DML Statements and Join Views
The general rule is that any UPDATE, DELETE, or INSERT statement on a join view can
modify only one underlying base table. The following examples illustrate rules specific
to UPDATE, DELETE, and INSERT statements.
UPDATE Statements The following example shows an UPDATE statement that
successfully modifies the emp_dept view:
UPDATE emp_dept
SET sal = sal * 1.10
WHERE deptno = 10;

The following UPDATE statement would be disallowed on the emp_dept view:
UPDATE emp_dept
SET loc = 'BOSTON'
WHERE ename = 'SMITH';

This statement fails with an error (ORA-01779 cannot modify a column which maps
to a non key-preserved table), because it attempts to modify the base dept table,
and the dept table is not key-preserved in the emp_dept view.
In general, all updatable columns of a join view must map to columns of a
key-preserved table. If the view is defined using the WITH CHECK OPTION clause, then
all join columns and all columns taken from tables that are referenced more than once
in the view are not modifiable.
So, for example, if the emp_dept view were defined using WITH CHECK OPTION, the
following UPDATE statement would fail:
UPDATE emp_dept

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SET deptno = 10
WHERE ename = 'SMITH';

The statement fails because it is trying to update a join column.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the UPDATE statement

DELETE Statements You can delete from a join view provided there is one and only one
key-preserved table in the join. The key-preserved table can be repeated in the FROM
clause.
The following DELETE statement works on the emp_dept view:
DELETE FROM emp_dept
WHERE ename = 'SMITH';

This DELETE statement on the emp_dept view is legal because it can be translated to a
DELETE operation on the base emp table, and because the emp table is the only
key-preserved table in the join.
In the following view, a DELETE operation is permitted, because although there are two
key-preserved tables, they are the same table. That is, the key-preserved table is
repeated. In this case, the delete statement operates on the first table in the FROM list
(e1, in this example):
CREATE VIEW emp_emp AS
SELECT e1.ename, e2.empno, e2.deptno
FROM emp e1, emp e2
WHERE e1.empno = e2.empno;

If a view is defined using the WITH CHECK OPTION clause and the key-preserved table is
repeated, rows cannot be deleted from such a view.
CREATE VIEW emp_mgr AS
SELECT e1.ename, e2.ename mname
FROM emp e1, emp e2
WHERE e1.mgr = e2.empno
WITH CHECK OPTION;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the DELETE statement

INSERT Statements The following INSERT statement on the emp_dept view succeeds:
INSERT INTO emp_dept (ename, empno, deptno)
VALUES ('KURODA', 9010, 40);

This statement works because only one key-preserved base table is being modified
(emp), and 40 is a valid deptno in the dept table (thus satisfying the FOREIGN KEY
integrity constraint on the emp table).
An INSERT statement, such as the following, would fail for the same reason that such
an UPDATE on the base emp table would fail: the FOREIGN KEY integrity constraint on the
emp table is violated (because there is no deptno 77).
INSERT INTO emp_dept (ename, empno, deptno)
VALUES ('KURODA', 9010, 77);

The following INSERT statement would fail with an error (ORA-01776 cannot modify
more than one base table through a join view):

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Managing Views

INSERT INTO emp_dept (empno, ename, loc)
VALUES (9010, 'KURODA', 'BOSTON');

An INSERT cannot implicitly or explicitly refer to columns of a non-key-preserved
table. If the join view is defined using the WITH CHECK OPTION clause, then you cannot
perform an INSERT to it.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the INSERT statement

Updating Views That Involve Outer Joins
Views that involve outer joins are modifiable in some cases. For example:
CREATE VIEW emp_dept_oj1 AS
SELECT empno, ename, e.deptno, dname, loc
FROM emp e, dept d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno (+);

The statement:
SELECT * FROM emp_dept_oj1;

Results in:
EMPNO
------7369
7499
7566
7654
7698
7782
7788
7839
7844
7876
7900
7902
7934
7521
14 rows

ENAME
---------SMITH
ALLEN
JONES
MARTIN
BLAKE
CLARK
SCOTT
KING
TURNER
ADAMS
JAMES
FORD
MILLER
WARD
selected.

DEPTNO
------40
30
20
30
30
10
20
10
30
20
30
20
10
30

DNAME
-------------OPERATIONS
SALES
RESEARCH
SALES
SALES
ACCOUNTING
RESEARCH
ACCOUNTING
SALES
RESEARCH
SALES
RESEARCH
ACCOUNTING
SALES

LOC
------------BOSTON
CHICAGO
DALLAS
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
NEW YORK
DALLAS
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
DALLAS
CHICAGO
DALLAS
NEW YORK
CHICAGO

Columns in the base emp table of emp_dept_oj1 are modifiable through the view,
because emp is a key-preserved table in the join.
The following view also contains an outer join:
CREATE VIEW emp_dept_oj2 AS
SELECT e.empno, e.ename, e.deptno, d.dname, d.loc
FROM emp e, dept d
WHERE e.deptno (+) = d.deptno;

The following statement:
SELECT * FROM emp_dept_oj2;

Results in:
EMPNO
---------7782
7839

ENAME
---------CLARK
KING

DEPTNO
--------10
10

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DNAME
-------------ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTING

LOC
---NEW YORK
NEW YORK

Managing Views

7934
7369
7876
7902
7788
7566
7499
7698
7654
7900
7844
7521

MILLER
SMITH
ADAMS
FORD
SCOTT
JONES
ALLEN
BLAKE
MARTIN
JAMES
TURNER
WARD

10
20
20
20
20
20
30
30
30
30
30
30

ACCOUNTING
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
SALES
SALES
SALES
SALES
SALES
SALES
OPERATIONS

NEW YORK
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS
DALLAS
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
CHICAGO
BOSTON

15 rows selected.

In this view, emp is no longer a key-preserved table, because the empno column in the
result of the join can have nulls (the last row in the preceding SELECT statement). So,
UPDATE, DELETE, and INSERT operations cannot be performed on this view.
In the case of views containing an outer join on other nested views, a table is key
preserved if the view or views containing the table are merged into their outer views,
all the way to the top. A view which is being outer-joined is currently merged only if it
is "simple." For example:
SELECT col1, col2, ... FROM T;

The select list of the view has no expressions, and there is no WHERE clause.
Consider the following set of views:
CREATE VIEW emp_v AS
SELECT empno, ename, deptno
FROM emp;
CREATE VIEW emp_dept_oj1 AS
SELECT e.*, Loc, d.dname
FROM emp_v e, dept d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno (+);

In these examples, emp_v is merged into emp_dept_oj1 because emp_v is a simple view,
and so emp is a key-preserved table. But if emp_v is changed as follows:
CREATE VIEW emp_v_2 AS
SELECT empno, ename, deptno
FROM emp
WHERE sal > 1000;

Then, because of the presence of the WHERE clause, emp_v_2 cannot be merged into emp_
dept_oj1, and hence emp is no longer a key-preserved table.
If you are in doubt whether a view is modifiable, then you can select from the USER_
UPDATABLE_COLUMNS view to see if it is. For example:
SELECT owner, table_name, column_name, updatable FROM USER_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'EMP_DEPT_VIEW';

This returns output similar to the following:
OWNER
---------SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT

TABLE_NAME
---------EMP_DEPT_V
EMP_DEPT_V
EMP_DEPT_V

COLUMN_NAM
---------EMPNO
ENAME
DEPTNO

UPD
--NO
NO
NO

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Managing Views

SCOTT
EMP_DEPT_V
SCOTT
EMP_DEPT_V
5 rows selected.

DNAME
LOC

NO
NO

Using the UPDATABLE_ COLUMNS Views
The views described in the following table can assist you to identify inherently
updatable join views.
View

Description

DBA_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS

Shows all columns in all tables and views that are modifiable.

ALL_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS

Shows all columns in all tables and views accessible to the user that
are modifiable.

USER_UPDATABLE_
COLUMNS

Shows all columns in all tables and views in the user's schema that
are modifiable.

The updatable columns in view emp_dept are shown below.
SELECT COLUMN_NAME, UPDATABLE
FROM USER_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'EMP_DEPT';
COLUMN_NAME
-----------------------------EMPNO
ENAME
DEPTNO
SAL
DNAME
LOC

UPD
--YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO

6 rows selected.

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of
the updatable column views

Altering Views
You use the ALTER VIEW statement only to explicitly recompile a view that is invalid.
To change the definition of a view, see "Replacing Views" on page 24-4.
The ALTER VIEW statement lets you locate recompilation errors before run time. To
ensure that the alteration does not affect the view or other objects that depend on it,
you can explicitly recompile a view after altering one of its base tables.
To use the ALTER VIEW statement, the view must be in your schema, or you must have
the ALTER ANY TABLE system privilege.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the ALTER VIEW statement

Dropping Views
You can drop any view contained in your schema. To drop a view in another user's
schema, you must have the DROP ANY VIEW system privilege. Drop a view using the
DROP VIEW statement. For example, the following statement drops the emp_dept view:
DROP VIEW emp_dept;

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See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the DROP VIEW statement

Managing Sequences
This section describes aspects of managing sequences, and contains the following
topics:
■

About Sequences

■

Creating Sequences

■

Altering Sequences

■

Using Sequences

■

Dropping Sequences

About Sequences
Sequences are database objects from which multiple users can generate unique
integers. The sequence generator generates sequential numbers, which can be used to
generate unique primary keys automatically, and to coordinate keys across multiple
rows or tables.
Without sequences, sequential values can only be produced programmatically. A new
primary key value can be obtained by selecting the most recently produced value and
incrementing it. This method requires a lock during the transaction and causes
multiple users to wait for the next value of the primary key; this waiting is known as
serialization. If developers have such constructs in applications, then you should
encourage the developers to replace them with access to sequences. Sequences
eliminate serialization and improve the concurrency of an application.
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of sequences

Creating Sequences
To create a sequence in your schema, you must have the CREATE SEQUENCE system
privilege. To create a sequence in another user's schema, you must have the CREATE
ANY SEQUENCE privilege.
Create a sequence using the CREATE SEQUENCE statement. For example, the following
statement creates a sequence used to generate employee numbers for the empno
column of the emp table:
CREATE SEQUENCE emp_sequence
INCREMENT BY 1
START WITH 1
NOMAXVALUE
NOCYCLE
CACHE 10;

Notice that several parameters can be specified to control the function of sequences.
You can use these parameters to indicate whether the sequence is ascending or
descending, the starting point of the sequence, the minimum and maximum values,
and the interval between sequence values. The NOCYCLE option indicates that the
sequence cannot generate more values after reaching its maximum or minimum value.

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms

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Managing Sequences

The CACHE clause preallocates a set of sequence numbers and keeps them in memory so
that sequence numbers can be accessed faster. When the last of the sequence numbers
in the cache has been used, the database reads another set of numbers into the cache.
The database might skip sequence numbers if you choose to cache a set of sequence
numbers. For example, when an instance abnormally shuts down (for example, when
an instance failure occurs or a SHUTDOWN ABORT statement is issued), sequence numbers
that have been cached but not used are lost. Also, sequence numbers that have been
used but not saved are lost as well. The database might also skip cached sequence
numbers after an export and import. See Oracle Database Utilities for details.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the CREATE SEQUENCE
statement syntax
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information about using sequences in an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment

Altering Sequences
To alter a sequence, your schema must contain the sequence, you must have the ALTER
object privilege on the sequence, or you must have the ALTER ANY SEQUENCE system
privilege. You can alter a sequence to change any of the parameters that define how it
generates sequence numbers except the sequence starting number. To change the
starting point of a sequence, drop the sequence and then re-create it.
Alter a sequence using the ALTER SEQUENCE statement. For example, the following
statement alters the emp_sequence:
ALTER SEQUENCE emp_sequence
INCREMENT BY 10
MAXVALUE 10000
CYCLE
CACHE 20;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the ALTER SEQUENCE statement

Using Sequences
To use a sequence, your schema must contain the sequence or you must have been
granted the SELECT object privilege for another user's sequence. Once a sequence is
defined, it can be accessed and incremented by multiple users (who have SELECT object
privilege for the sequence containing the sequence) with no waiting. The database
does not wait for a transaction that has incremented a sequence to complete before that
sequence can be incremented again.
The examples outlined in the following sections show how sequences can be used in
master/detail table relationships. Assume an order entry system is partially comprised
of two tables, orders_tab (master table) and line_items_tab (detail table), that hold
information about customer orders. A sequence named order_seq is defined by the
following statement:
CREATE SEQUENCE Order_seq
START WITH 1
INCREMENT BY 1
NOMAXVALUE
NOCYCLE

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CACHE 20;

Referencing a Sequence
A sequence is referenced in SQL statements with the NEXTVAL and CURRVAL
pseudocolumns; each new sequence number is generated by a reference to the
sequence pseudocolumn NEXTVAL, while the current sequence number can be
repeatedly referenced using the pseudo-column CURRVAL.
NEXTVAL and CURRVAL are not reserved words or keywords and can be used as
pseudocolumn names in SQL statements such as SELECT, INSERT, or UPDATE.
Generating Sequence Numbers with NEXTVAL To generate and use a sequence number,
reference seq_name.NEXTVAL. For example, assume a customer places an order. The
sequence number can be referenced in a values list. For example:
INSERT INTO Orders_tab (Orderno, Custno)
VALUES (Order_seq.NEXTVAL, 1032);

Or, the sequence number can be referenced in the SET clause of an UPDATE statement.
For example:
UPDATE Orders_tab
SET Orderno = Order_seq.NEXTVAL
WHERE Orderno = 10112;

The sequence number can also be referenced outermost SELECT of a query or subquery.
For example:
SELECT Order_seq.NEXTVAL FROM dual;

As defined, the first reference to order_seq.NEXTVAL returns the value 1. Each
subsequent statement that references order_seq.NEXTVAL generates the next sequence
number (2, 3, 4,. . .). The pseudo-column NEXTVAL can be used to generate as many new
sequence numbers as necessary. However, only a single sequence number can be
generated for each row. In other words, if NEXTVAL is referenced more than once in a
single statement, then the first reference generates the next number, and all subsequent
references in the statement return the same number.
Once a sequence number is generated, the sequence number is available only to the
session that generated the number. Independent of transactions committing or rolling
back, other users referencing order_seq.NEXTVAL obtain unique values. If two users
are accessing the same sequence concurrently, then the sequence numbers each user
receives might have gaps because sequence numbers are also being generated by the
other user.
Using Sequence Numbers with CURRVAL To use or refer to the current sequence value of
your session, reference seq_name.CURRVAL. CURRVAL can only be used if seq_
name.NEXTVAL has been referenced in the current user session (in the current or a
previous transaction). CURRVAL can be referenced as many times as necessary, including
multiple times within the same statement. The next sequence number is not generated
until NEXTVAL is referenced. Continuing with the previous example, you would finish
placing the customer's order by inserting the line items for the order:
INSERT INTO Line_items_tab (Orderno, Partno, Quantity)
VALUES (Order_seq.CURRVAL, 20321, 3);
INSERT INTO Line_items_tab (Orderno, Partno, Quantity)
VALUES (Order_seq.CURRVAL, 29374, 1);

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms

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Managing Sequences

Assuming the INSERT statement given in the previous section generated a new
sequence number of 347, both rows inserted by the statements in this section insert
rows with order numbers of 347.
Uses and Restrictions of NEXTVAL and CURRVAL CURRVAL and NEXTVAL can be used in the
following places:
■

VALUES clause of INSERT statements

■

The SELECT list of a SELECT statement

■

The SET clause of an UPDATE statement

CURRVAL and NEXTVAL cannot be used in these places:
■

A subquery

■

A view query or materialized view query

■

A SELECT statement with the DISTINCT operator

■

A SELECT statement with a GROUP BY or ORDER BY clause

■

A SELECT statement that is combined with another SELECT statement with the
UNION, INTERSECT, or MINUS set operator

■

The WHERE clause of a SELECT statement

■

The condition of a CHECK constraint

Caching Sequence Numbers
Sequence numbers can be kept in the sequence cache in the System Global Area (SGA).
Sequence numbers can be accessed more quickly in the sequence cache than they can
be read from disk.
The sequence cache consists of entries. Each entry can hold many sequence numbers
for a single sequence.
Follow these guidelines for fast access to all sequence numbers:
■

■

Be sure the sequence cache can hold all the sequences used concurrently by your
applications.
Increase the number of values for each sequence held in the sequence cache.

The Number of Entries in the Sequence Cache When an application accesses a sequence in
the sequence cache, the sequence numbers are read quickly. However, if an application
accesses a sequence that is not in the cache, then the sequence must be read from disk
to the cache before the sequence numbers are used.
If your applications use many sequences concurrently, then your sequence cache might
not be large enough to hold all the sequences. In this case, access to sequence numbers
might often require disk reads. For fast access to all sequences, be sure your cache has
enough entries to hold all the sequences used concurrently by your applications.
The Number of Values in Each Sequence Cache Entry When a sequence is read into the
sequence cache, sequence values are generated and stored in a cache entry. These
values can then be accessed quickly. The number of sequence values stored in the
cache is determined by the CACHE parameter in the CREATE SEQUENCE statement. The
default value for this parameter is 20.
This CREATE SEQUENCE statement creates the seq2 sequence so that 50 values of the
sequence are stored in the SEQUENCE cache:

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CREATE SEQUENCE seq2
CACHE 50;

The first 50 values of seq2 can then be read from the cache. When the 51st value is
accessed, the next 50 values will be read from disk.
Choosing a high value for CACHE lets you access more successive sequence numbers
with fewer reads from disk to the sequence cache. However, if there is an instance
failure, then all sequence values in the cache are lost. Cached sequence numbers also
could be skipped after an export and import if transactions continue to access the
sequence numbers while the export is running.
If you use the NOCACHE option in the CREATE SEQUENCE statement, then the values of the
sequence are not stored in the sequence cache. In this case, every access to the
sequence requires a disk read. Such disk reads slow access to the sequence. This
CREATE SEQUENCE statement creates the SEQ3 sequence so that its values are never
stored in the cache:
CREATE SEQUENCE seq3
NOCACHE;

Dropping Sequences
You can drop any sequence in your schema. To drop a sequence in another schema,
you must have the DROP ANY SEQUENCE system privilege. If a sequence is no longer
required, you can drop the sequence using the DROP SEQUENCE statement. For example,
the following statement drops the order_seq sequence:
DROP SEQUENCE order_seq;

When a sequence is dropped, its definition is removed from the data dictionary. Any
synonyms for the sequence remain, but return an error when referenced.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the DROP SEQUENCE statement

Managing Synonyms
This section describes aspects of managing synonyms, and contains the following
topics:
■

About Synonyms

■

Creating Synonyms

■

Using Synonyms in DML Statements

■

Dropping Synonyms

About Synonyms
A synonym is an alias for a schema object. Synonyms can provide a level of security by
masking the name and owner of an object and by providing location transparency for
remote objects of a distributed database. Also, they are convenient to use and reduce
the complexity of SQL statements for database users.
Synonyms allow underlying objects to be renamed or moved, where only the synonym
must be redefined and applications based on the synonym continue to function
without modification.

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms

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Managing Synonyms

You can create both public and private synonyms. A public synonym is owned by the
special user group named PUBLIC and is accessible to every user in a database. A
private synonym is contained in the schema of a specific user and available only to the
user and to grantees for the underlying object.
Synonyms themselves are not securable. When you grant object privileges on a
synonym, you are really granting privileges on the underlying object, and the
synonym is acting only as an alias for the object in the GRANT statement.
Oracle Database Concepts for a more complete
description of synonyms

See Also:

Creating Synonyms
To create a private synonym in your own schema, you must have the CREATE SYNONYM
privilege. To create a private synonym in another user's schema, you must have the
CREATE ANY SYNONYM privilege. To create a public synonym, you must have the CREATE
PUBLIC SYNONYM system privilege.
Create a synonym using the CREATE SYNONYM statement. The underlying schema object
need not exist, nor do you need privileges to access the object for the CREATE SYNONYM
statement to succeed. The following statement creates a public synonym named
public_emp on the emp table contained in the schema of jward:
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM public_emp FOR jward.emp

When you create a synonym for a remote procedure or function, you must qualify the
remote object with its schema name. Alternatively, you can create a local public
synonym on the database where the remote object resides, in which case the database
link must be included in all subsequent calls to the procedure or function.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the CREATE SYNONYM statement

Using Synonyms in DML Statements
You can successfully use any private synonym contained in your schema or any public
synonym, assuming that you have the necessary privileges to access the underlying
object, either explicitly, from an enabled role, or from PUBLIC. You can also reference
any private synonym contained in another schema if you have been granted the
necessary object privileges for the underlying object.
You can reference another user's synonym using only the object privileges that you
have been granted. For example, if you have only the SELECT privilege on the
jward.emp table, and the synonym jward.employee is created for jward.emp, you can
query the jward.employee synonym, but you cannot insert rows using the
jward.employee synonym.
A synonym can be referenced in a DML statement the same way that the underlying
object of the synonym can be referenced. For example, if a synonym named employee
refers to a table or view, then the following statement is valid:
INSERT INTO employee (empno, ename, job)
VALUES (emp_sequence.NEXTVAL, 'SMITH', 'CLERK');

If the synonym named fire_emp refers to a standalone procedure or package
procedure, then you could execute it with the command
EXECUTE Fire_emp(7344);

24-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Views, Synonyms, and Sequences Data Dictionary Views

Dropping Synonyms
You can drop any private synonym in your own schema. To drop a private synonym in
another user's schema, you must have the DROP ANY SYNONYM system privilege. To
drop a public synonym, you must have the DROP PUBLIC SYNONYM system privilege.
Drop a synonym that is no longer required using DROP SYNONYM statement. To drop a
private synonym, omit the PUBLIC keyword. To drop a public synonym, include the
PUBLIC keyword.
For example, the following statement drops the private synonym named emp:
DROP SYNONYM emp;

The following statement drops the public synonym named public_emp:
DROP PUBLIC SYNONYM public_emp;

When you drop a synonym, its definition is removed from the data dictionary. All
objects that reference a dropped synonym remain. However, they become invalid (not
usable). For more information about how dropping synonyms can affect other schema
objects, see "Managing Object Dependencies".
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax and
additional information about the DROP SYNONYM statement

Views, Synonyms, and Sequences Data Dictionary Views
The following views display information about views, synonyms, and sequences:
View

Description

DBA_VIEWS

DBA view describes all views in the database. ALL view is restricted to
views accessible to the current user. USER view is restricted to views owned
by the current user.

ALL_VIEWS
USER_VIEWS
DBA_SYNONYMS

These views describe synonyms.

ALL_SYNONYMS
USER_SYNONYMS
DBA_SEQUENCES

These views describe sequences.

ALL_SEQUENCES
USER_SEQUENCES
DBA_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS

These views describe all columns in join views that are updatable.

ALL_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS
USER_UPDATABLE_COLUMNS

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for complete descriptions of

these views

Managing Views, Sequences, and Synonyms

24-19

Views, Synonyms, and Sequences Data Dictionary Views

24-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

25
25

Repairing Corrupted Data

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Options for Repairing Data Block Corruption

■

About the DBMS_REPAIR Package

■

Using the DBMS_REPAIR Package

■

DBMS_REPAIR Examples
Note: If you are not familiar with the DBMS_REPAIR package, then
it is recommended that you work with an Oracle Support Services
analyst when performing any of the repair procedures included in
this package.

Options for Repairing Data Block Corruption
Oracle Database provides different methods for detecting and correcting data block
corruption. One method of correction is to drop and re-create an object after the
corruption is detected. However, this is not always possible or desirable. If data block
corruption is limited to a subset of rows, then another option is to rebuild the table by
selecting all data except for the corrupt rows.
Another way to manage data block corruption is to use the DBMS_REPAIR package. You
can use DBMS_REPAIR to detect and repair corrupt blocks in tables and indexes. You can
continue to use objects while you attempt to rebuild or repair them.
You can also use the Recovery Manager (RMAN) command RECOVER BLOCK to recover
a corrupt data block or set of data blocks.
Any corruption that involves the loss of data requires
analysis and understanding of how that data fits into the overall
database system. Depending on the nature of the repair, you might
lose data, and logical inconsistencies can be introduced. You must
determine whether the repair approach provided by this package is
the appropriate tool for each specific corruption problem.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for more
information about the RECOVER BLOCK RMAN command

Repairing Corrupted Data 25-1

About the DBMS_REPAIR Package

About the DBMS_REPAIR Package
This section describes the procedures contained in the DBMS_REPAIR package and notes
some limitations and restrictions on their use.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on the syntax, restrictions, and exceptions for the
DBMS_REPAIR procedures

DBMS_REPAIR Procedures
The following table lists the procedures included in the DBMS_REPAIR package.
Procedure Name

Description

ADMIN_TABLES

Provides administrative functions (create, drop, purge) for
repair or orphan key tables.
Note: These tables are always created in the SYS schema.

CHECK_OBJECT

Detects and reports corruptions in a table or index

DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS

Reports on index entries that point to rows in corrupt data
blocks

FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS

Marks blocks as software corrupt that have been previously
identified as corrupt by the CHECK_OBJECT procedure

REBUILD_FREELISTS

Rebuilds the free lists of the object

SEGMENT_FIX_STATUS

Provides the capability to fix the corrupted state of a bitmap
entry when segment space management is AUTO

SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS

When used, ignores blocks marked corrupt during table and
index scans. If not used, you get error ORA-01578 when
encountering blocks marked corrupt.

These procedures are further described, with examples of their use, in "DBMS_REPAIR
Examples" on page 25-5.

Limitations and Restrictions
DBMS_REPAIR procedures have the following limitations:
■

■

■
■

■

Tables with LOB data types, nested tables, and varrays are supported, but the
out-of-line columns are ignored.
Clusters are supported in the SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS and REBUILD_FREELISTS
procedures, but not in the CHECK_OBJECT procedure.
Index-organized tables and LOB indexes are not supported.
The DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure does not operate on bitmap indexes or
function-based indexes.
The DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure processes keys that are no more than 3,950 bytes
long.

Using the DBMS_REPAIR Package
The following approach is recommended when considering DBMS_REPAIR for
addressing data block corruption:
■

Task 1: Detect and Report Corruptions

25-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the DBMS_REPAIR Package

■

Task 2: Evaluate the Costs and Benefits of Using DBMS_REPAIR

■

Task 3: Make Objects Usable

■

Task 4: Repair Corruptions and Rebuild Lost Data

Task 1: Detect and Report Corruptions
The first task is the detection and reporting of corruptions. Reporting not only
indicates what is wrong with a block, but also identifies the associated repair directive.
There are several ways to detect corruptions. Table 25–1 describes the different
detection methodologies.
Table 25–1

Comparison of Corruption Detection Methods

Detection Method

Description

DBMS_REPAIR PL/SQL
package

Performs block checking for a specified table, partition, or index. It
populates a repair table with results.

DB_VERIFY utility

Performs block checking on an offline database

ANALYZE TABLE SQL
statement

Used with the VALIDATE STRUCTURE option, the ANALYZE TABLE
statement verifies the integrity of the structure of an index, table, or
cluster; checks or verifies that tables and indexes are synchronized.

DB_BLOCK_CHECKING
initialization parameter

When DB_BLOCK_CHECKING=TRUE, corrupt blocks are identified
before they are marked corrupt. Checks are performed when
changes are made to a block.

DBMS_REPAIR: Using the CHECK_OBJECT and ADMIN_TABLES Procedures
The CHECK_OBJECT procedure checks and reports block corruptions for a specified
object. Similar to the ANALYZE...VALIDATE STRUCTURE statement for indexes and
tables, block checking is performed for index and data blocks.
Not only does CHECK_OBJECT report corruptions, but it also identifies any fixes that
would occur if FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS is subsequently run on the object. This
information is made available by populating a repair table, which must first be created
by the ADMIN_TABLES procedure.
After you run the CHECK_OBJECT procedure, a simple query on the repair table shows
the corruptions and repair directives for the object. With this information, you can
assess how best to address the reported problems.

DB_VERIFY: Performing an Offline Database Check
Use DB_VERIFY as an offline diagnostic utility when you encounter data corruption.
See Also:

Oracle Database Utilities for more information about DB_

VERIFY

ANALYZE: Reporting Corruption
The ANALYZE TABLE...VALIDATE STRUCTURE statement validates the structure of the
analyzed object. If the database encounters corruption in the structure of the object,
then an error message is returned. In this case, drop and re-create the object.
You can use the CASCADE clause of the ANALYZE TABLE statement to check the structure
of the table and all of its indexes in one operation. Because this operation can consume
significant resources, there is a FAST option that performs a lightweight check. See
"Validating Tables, Indexes, Clusters, and Materialized Views" on page 18-3 for details.

Repairing Corrupted Data 25-3

Using the DBMS_REPAIR Package

See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about the ANALYZE statement

DB_BLOCK_CHECKING Initialization Parameter
You can enable database block checking by setting the DB_BLOCK_CHECKING
initialization parameter to TRUE. This checks data and index blocks for internal
consistency whenever they are modified. DB_BLOCK_CHECKING is a dynamic parameter,
modifiable by the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement. Block checking is always enabled for
the system tablespace.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
DB_BLOCK_CHECKING initialization parameter
See Also:

Task 2: Evaluate the Costs and Benefits of Using DBMS_REPAIR
Before using DBMS_REPAIR you must weigh the benefits of its use in relation to the
liabilities. You should also examine other options available for addressing corrupt
objects. Begin by answering the following questions:
■

What is the extent of the corruption?
To determine if there are corruptions and repair actions, execute the CHECK_OBJECT
procedure and query the repair table.

■

■

What other options are available for addressing block corruptions? Consider the
following:
–

If the data is available from another source, then drop, re-create, and
repopulate the object.

–

Issue the CREATE TABLE...AS SELECT statement from the corrupt table to
create a new one.

–

Ignore the corruption by excluding corrupt rows from SELECT statements.

–

Perform media recovery.

What logical corruptions or side effects are introduced when you use DBMS_REPAIR
to make an object usable? Can these be addressed? What is the effort required to
do so?
You might not have access to rows in blocks marked corrupt. However, a block can
be marked corrupt even if there are rows that you can validly access.
It is also possible that referential integrity constraints are broken when blocks are
marked corrupt. If this occurs, then disable and reenable the constraint; any
inconsistencies are reported. After fixing all problems, you should be able to
reenable the constraint.
Logical corruption can occur when there are triggers defined on the table. For
example, if rows are reinserted, should insert triggers be fired or not? You can
address these issues only if you understand triggers and their use in your
installation.
If indexes and tables are not synchronized, then execute the DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS
procedure to obtain information from the keys that might be useful in rebuilding
corrupted data. Then issue the ALTER INDEX...REBUILD ONLINE statement to
synchronize the table with its indexes.

■

If repair involves loss of data, can this data be retrieved?

25-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

You can retrieve data from the index when a data block is marked corrupt. The
DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure can help you retrieve this information.

Task 3: Make Objects Usable
DBMS_REPAIR makes the object usable by ignoring corruptions during table and index
scans.

Corruption Repair: Using the FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS and SKIP_CORRUPT_
BLOCKS Procedures
You can make a corrupt object usable by establishing an environment that skips
corruptions that remain outside the scope of DBMS_REPAIR capabilities.
If corruptions involve a loss of data, such as a bad row in a data block, all such blocks
are marked corrupt by the FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure. Then you can run the
SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure, which skips blocks that are marked as corrupt.
When the SKIP_FLAG parameter in the procedure is set, table and index scans skip all
blocks marked corrupt. This applies to both media and software corrupt blocks.

Implications when Skipping Corrupt Blocks
If an index and table are not synchronized, then a SET TRANSACTION READ ONLY
transaction can be inconsistent in situations where one query probes only the index,
and a subsequent query probes both the index and the table. If the table block is
marked corrupt, then the two queries return different results, thereby breaking the
rules of a read-only transaction. One way to approach this is not to skip corruptions in
a SET TRANSACTION READ ONLY transaction.
A similar issue occurs when selecting rows that are chained. A query of the same row
may or may not access the corruption, producing different results.

Task 4: Repair Corruptions and Rebuild Lost Data
After making an object usable, perform the following repair activities.

Recover Data Using the DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS Procedures
The DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure reports on index entries that point to rows in
corrupt data blocks. All such index entries are inserted into an orphan key table that
stores the key and rowid of the corruption.
After the index entry information has been retrieved, you can rebuild the index using
the ALTER INDEX...REBUILD ONLINE statement.

Fix Segment Bitmaps Using the SEGMENT_FIX_STATUS Procedure
Use this procedure if free space in segments is being managed by using bitmaps
(SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO).
This procedure recalculates the state of a bitmap entry based on the current contents of
the corresponding block. Alternatively, you can specify that a bitmap entry be set to a
specific value. Usually the state is recalculated correctly and there is no need to force a
setting.

DBMS_REPAIR Examples
This section includes the following topics:

Repairing Corrupted Data 25-5

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

■

Examples: Building a Repair Table or Orphan Key Table

■

Example: Detecting Corruption

■

Example: Fixing Corrupt Blocks

■

Example: Finding Index Entries Pointing to Corrupt Data Blocks

■

Example: Skipping Corrupt Blocks

Examples: Building a Repair Table or Orphan Key Table
The ADMIN_TABLE procedure is used to create, purge, or drop a repair table or an
orphan key table.
A repair table provides information about the corruptions that were found by the
CHECK_OBJECT procedure and how these will be addressed if the FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS
procedure is run. Further, it is used to drive the execution of the FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS
procedure.
An orphan key table is used when the DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure is executed and it
discovers index entries that point to corrupt rows. The DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure
populates the orphan key table by logging its activity and providing the index
information in a usable manner.

Example: Creating a Repair Table
The following example creates a repair table for the users tablespace.
BEGIN
DBMS_REPAIR.ADMIN_TABLES (
TABLE_NAME => 'REPAIR_TABLE',
TABLE_TYPE => dbms_repair.repair_table,
ACTION
=> dbms_repair.create_action,
TABLESPACE => 'USERS');
END;
/

For each repair or orphan key table, a view is also created that eliminates any rows
that pertain to objects that no longer exist. The name of the view corresponds to the
name of the repair or orphan key table and is prefixed by DBA_ (for example, DBA_
REPAIR_TABLE or DBA_ORPHAN_KEY_TABLE).
The following query describes the repair table that was created for the users
tablespace.
DESC REPAIR_TABLE
Name
---------------------------OBJECT_ID
TABLESPACE_ID
RELATIVE_FILE_ID
BLOCK_ID
CORRUPT_TYPE
SCHEMA_NAME
OBJECT_NAME
BASEOBJECT_NAME
PARTITION_NAME
CORRUPT_DESCRIPTION
REPAIR_DESCRIPTION
MARKED_CORRUPT

25-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Null?
-------NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL

Type
-------------NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(2000)
VARCHAR2(200)
NOT NULL VARCHAR2(10)

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

CHECK_TIMESTAMP
FIX_TIMESTAMP
REFORMAT_TIMESTAMP

NOT NULL DATE
DATE
DATE

Example: Creating an Orphan Key Table
This example illustrates the creation of an orphan key table for the users tablespace.
BEGIN
DBMS_REPAIR.ADMIN_TABLES (
TABLE_NAME => 'ORPHAN_KEY_TABLE',
TABLE_TYPE => dbms_repair.orphan_table,
ACTION
=> dbms_repair.create_action,
TABLESPACE => 'USERS');
END;
/

The orphan key table is described in the following query:
DESC ORPHAN_KEY_TABLE
Name
---------------------------SCHEMA_NAME
INDEX_NAME
IPART_NAME
INDEX_ID
TABLE_NAME
PART_NAME
TABLE_ID
KEYROWID
KEY
DUMP_TIMESTAMP

Null?
-------NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT
NOT
NOT
NOT

NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL

Type
----------------VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
NUMBER
VARCHAR2(30)
VARCHAR2(30)
NUMBER
ROWID
ROWID
DATE

Example: Detecting Corruption
The CHECK_OBJECT procedure checks the specified object, and populates the repair
table with information about corruptions and repair directives. You can optionally
specify a range, partition name, or subpartition name when you want to check a
portion of an object.
Validation consists of checking all blocks in the object that have not previously been
marked corrupt. For each block, the transaction and data layer portions are checked
for self consistency. During CHECK_OBJECT, if a block is encountered that has a corrupt
buffer cache header, then that block is skipped.
The following is an example of executing the CHECK_OBJECT procedure for the
scott.dept table.
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
DECLARE num_corrupt INT;
BEGIN
num_corrupt := 0;
DBMS_REPAIR.CHECK_OBJECT (
SCHEMA_NAME => 'SCOTT',
OBJECT_NAME => 'DEPT',
REPAIR_TABLE_NAME => 'REPAIR_TABLE',
CORRUPT_COUNT => num_corrupt);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('number corrupt: ' || TO_CHAR (num_corrupt));
END;
/

Repairing Corrupted Data 25-7

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

SQL*Plus outputs the following line, indicating one corruption:
number corrupt: 1

Querying the repair table produces information describing the corruption and
suggesting a repair action.
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, BLOCK_ID, CORRUPT_TYPE, MARKED_CORRUPT,
CORRUPT_DESCRIPTION, REPAIR_DESCRIPTION
FROM REPAIR_TABLE;
OBJECT_NAME
BLOCK_ID CORRUPT_TYPE MARKED_COR
------------------------------ ---------- ------------ ---------CORRUPT_DESCRIPTION
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------REPAIR_DESCRIPTION
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------DEPT
3
1 FALSE
kdbchk: row locked by non-existent transaction
table=0
slot=0
lockid=32
ktbbhitc=1
mark block software corrupt

The corrupted block has not yet been marked corrupt, so this is the time to extract any
meaningful data. After the block is marked corrupt, the entire block must be skipped.

Example: Fixing Corrupt Blocks
Use the FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure to fix the corrupt blocks in specified objects
based on information in the repair table that was generated by the CHECK_OBJECT
procedure. Before changing a block, the block is checked to ensure that the block is still
corrupt. Corrupt blocks are repaired by marking the block software corrupt. When a
repair is performed, the associated row in the repair table is updated with a
timestamp.
This example fixes the corrupt block in table scott.dept that was reported by the
CHECK_OBJECT procedure.
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
DECLARE num_fix INT;
BEGIN
num_fix := 0;
DBMS_REPAIR.FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS (
SCHEMA_NAME => 'SCOTT',
OBJECT_NAME=> 'DEPT',
OBJECT_TYPE => dbms_repair.table_object,
REPAIR_TABLE_NAME => 'REPAIR_TABLE',
FIX_COUNT=> num_fix);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('num fix: ' || TO_CHAR(num_fix));
END;
/

SQL*Plus outputs the following line:
num fix: 1

The following query confirms that the repair was done.
SELECT OBJECT_NAME, BLOCK_ID, MARKED_CORRUPT
FROM REPAIR_TABLE;

25-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

OBJECT_NAME
BLOCK_ID MARKED_COR
------------------------------ ---------- ---------DEPT
3 TRUE

Example: Finding Index Entries Pointing to Corrupt Data Blocks
The DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure reports on index entries that point to rows in
corrupt data blocks. For each index entry, a row is inserted into the specified orphan
key table. The orphan key table must have been previously created.
This information can be useful for rebuilding lost rows in the table and for diagnostic
purposes.
This should be run for every index associated with a table
identified in the repair table.

Note:

In this example, pk_dept is an index on the scott.dept table. It is scanned to
determine if there are any index entries pointing to rows in the corrupt data block.
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
DECLARE num_orphans INT;
BEGIN
num_orphans := 0;
DBMS_REPAIR.DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS (
SCHEMA_NAME => 'SCOTT',
OBJECT_NAME => 'PK_DEPT',
OBJECT_TYPE => dbms_repair.index_object,
REPAIR_TABLE_NAME => 'REPAIR_TABLE',
ORPHAN_TABLE_NAME=> 'ORPHAN_KEY_TABLE',
KEY_COUNT => num_orphans);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('orphan key count: ' || TO_CHAR(num_orphans));
END;
/

The following output indicates that there are three orphan keys:
orphan key count: 3

Index entries in the orphan key table implies that the index should be rebuilt. This
guarantees that a table probe and an index probe return the same result set.

Example: Skipping Corrupt Blocks
The SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure enables or disables the skipping of corrupt
blocks during index and table scans of the specified object. When the object is a table,
skipping applies to the table and its indexes. When the object is a cluster, it applies to
all of the tables in the cluster, and their respective indexes.
The following example enables the skipping of software corrupt blocks for the
scott.dept table:
BEGIN
DBMS_REPAIR.SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS (
SCHEMA_NAME => 'SCOTT',
OBJECT_NAME => 'DEPT',
OBJECT_TYPE => dbms_repair.table_object,
FLAGS => dbms_repair.skip_flag);
END;

Repairing Corrupted Data 25-9

DBMS_REPAIR Examples

/

Querying scott's tables using the DBA_TABLES view shows that SKIP_CORRUPT is
enabled for table scott.dept.
SELECT OWNER, TABLE_NAME, SKIP_CORRUPT FROM DBA_TABLES
WHERE OWNER = 'SCOTT';
OWNER
-----------------------------SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
SCOTT
10 rows selected.

25-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

TABLE_NAME
-----------------------------ACCOUNT
BONUS
DEPT
DOCINDEX
EMP
RECEIPT
SALGRADE
SCOTT_EMP
SYS_IOT_OVER_12255
WORK_AREA

SKIP_COR
-------DISABLED
DISABLED
ENABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED

Part IV
Database Resource Management and
Task Scheduling

Part IV

Part IV discusses automated database maintenance tasks, database resource
management, and task scheduling. It contains the following chapters:
■

Chapter 26, "Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks"

■

Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager"

■

Chapter 28, "Oracle Scheduler Concepts"

■

Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler"

■

Chapter 30, "Administering Oracle Scheduler"

26
26

Managing Automated Database Maintenance
Tasks
Oracle Database has automated several common maintenance tasks typically
performed by database administrators. These automated maintenance tasks are
performed when the system load is expected to be light. You can enable and disable
individual maintenance tasks, and can configure when these tasks run and what
resource allocations they are allotted.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Automated Maintenance Tasks

■

About Maintenance Windows

■

Configuring Automated Maintenance Tasks

■

Configuring Maintenance Windows

■

Configuring Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks

■

Automated Maintenance Tasks Reference
This chapter explains how to administer automated
maintenance tasks using PL/SQL packages. An easier way is to use
the graphical interface of Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
(Cloud Control).

Note:

To manage automatic maintenance tasks with Cloud Control:
1.

Access the Database Home Page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Oracle Scheduler, then
Automated Maintenance Tasks.

3.

On the Automated Maintenance Tasks page, click Configure.

About Automated Maintenance Tasks
Automated maintenance tasks are tasks that are started automatically at regular
intervals to perform maintenance operations on the database. An example is a task
that gathers statistics on schema objects for the query optimizer. Automated
maintenance tasks run in maintenance windows, which are predefined time intervals
that are intended to occur during a period of low system load. You can customize
maintenance windows based on the resource usage patterns of your database, or
disable certain default windows from running. You can also create your own
maintenance windows.

Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks 26-1

About Maintenance Windows

Oracle Database has these predefined automated maintenance tasks:
■

Automatic Optimizer Statistics Collection—Collects optimizer statistics for all
schema objects in the database for which there are no statistics or only stale
statistics. The statistics gathered by this task are used by the SQL query optimizer
to improve the performance of SQL execution.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information
on automatic statistics collection

■

Automatic Segment Advisor—Identifies segments that have space available for
reclamation, and makes recommendations on how to defragment those segments.
You can also run the Segment Advisor manually to obtain more up-to-the-minute
recommendations or to obtain recommendations on segments that the Automatic
Segment Advisor did not examine for possible space reclamation.
See Also: "Using the Segment Advisor" on page 19-14 for more
information.

■

Automatic SQL Tuning Advisor—Examines the performance of high-load SQL
statements, and makes recommendations on how to tune those statements. You
can configure this advisor to automatically implement SQL profile
recommendations.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information on
SQL Tuning Advisor

■

SQL Plan Management (SPM) Evolve Advisor—Evolves plans that have recently
been added to the SQL plan baseline. The advisor simplifies plan evolution by
eliminating the requirement to do it manually.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information on
SPM Evolve Advisor

By default, all of these automated maintenance tasks are configured to run in all
maintenance windows.

About Maintenance Windows
A maintenance window is a contiguous time interval during which automated
maintenance tasks are run. Maintenance windows are Oracle Scheduler windows that
belong to the window group named MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP. A Scheduler
window can be a simple repeating interval (such as "between midnight and 6 a.m.,
every Saturday"), or a more complex interval (such as "between midnight and 6 a.m.,
on the last workday of every month, excluding company holidays").
When a maintenance window opens, Oracle Database creates an Oracle Scheduler job
for each maintenance task that is scheduled to run in that window. Each job is assigned
a job name that is generated at run time. All automated maintenance task job names
begin with ORA$AT. For example, the job for the Automatic Segment Advisor might be
called ORA$AT_SA_SPC_SY_26. When an automated maintenance task job finishes, it is
deleted from the Oracle Scheduler job system. However, the job can still be found in
the Scheduler job history.

26-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Automated Maintenance Tasks

Note:

To view job history, you must log in as the SYS user.

In the case of a very long maintenance window, all automated maintenance tasks
except Automatic SQL Tuning Advisor are restarted every four hours. This feature
ensures that maintenance tasks are run regularly, regardless of window size.
The framework of automated maintenance tasks relies on maintenance windows being
defined in the database. Table 26–1 on page 26-7 lists the maintenance windows that
are automatically defined with each new Oracle Database installation.
See Also:
■

"About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects" on page 28-3 for
more information on windows and groups.

Configuring Automated Maintenance Tasks
To enable or disable specific maintenance tasks in any subset of maintenance
windows, you can use the DBMS_AUTO_TASK_ADMIN PL/SQL package.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for all Maintenance Windows

■

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for Specific Maintenance Windows

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for all Maintenance Windows
You can disable a particular automated maintenance task for all maintenance windows
with a single operation. You do so by calling the DISABLE procedure of the DBMS_AUTO_
TASK_ADMIN PL/SQL package without supplying the window_name argument. For
example, you can completely disable the Automatic SQL Tuning Advisor task as
follows:
BEGIN
dbms_auto_task_admin.disable(
client_name => 'sql tuning advisor',
operation
=> NULL,
window_name => NULL);
END;
/

To enable this maintenance task again, use the ENABLE procedure, as follows:
BEGIN
dbms_auto_task_admin.enable(
client_name => 'sql tuning advisor',
operation
=> NULL,
window_name => NULL);
END;
/

The task names to use for the client_name argument are listed in the DBA_AUTOTASK_
CLIENT database dictionary view.
To enable or disable all automated maintenance tasks for all windows, call the ENABLE
or DISABLE procedure with no arguments.
EXECUTE DBMS_AUTO_TASK_ADMIN.DISABLE;

Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks 26-3

Configuring Maintenance Windows

See Also:
■

■

"Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views" on
page 26-7
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information on the DBMS_AUTO_TASK_ADMIN PL/SQL package.

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Tasks for Specific Maintenance Windows
By default, all maintenance tasks run in all predefined maintenance windows. You can
disable a maintenance task for a specific window. The following example disables the
Automatic SQL Tuning Advisor from running in the window MONDAY_WINDOW:
BEGIN
dbms_auto_task_admin.disable(
client_name => 'sql tuning advisor',
operation
=> NULL,
window_name => 'MONDAY_WINDOW');
END;
/

Configuring Maintenance Windows
You may want to adjust the predefined maintenance windows to a time suitable to
your database environment or create a new maintenance window. You can customize
maintenance windows using the DBMS_SCHEDULER PL/SQL package.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Modifying a Maintenance Window

■

Creating a New Maintenance Window

■

Removing a Maintenance Window

Modifying a Maintenance Window
The DBMS_SCHEDULER PL/SQL package includes a SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure for
modifying the attributes of a window. For example, the following script changes the
duration of the maintenance window SATURDAY_WINDOW to 4 hours:
BEGIN
dbms_scheduler.disable(
name => 'SATURDAY_WINDOW');
dbms_scheduler.set_attribute(
name
=> 'SATURDAY_WINDOW',
attribute => 'DURATION',
value
=> numtodsinterval(4, 'hour'));
dbms_scheduler.enable(
name => 'SATURDAY_WINDOW');
END;
/

Note that you must use the DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE subprogram to disable the
window before making changes to it, and then re-enable the window with DBMS_
SCHEDULER.ENABLE when you are finished. If you change a window when it is
currently open, the change does not take effect until the next time the window opens.

26-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Maintenance Windows

See Also: "Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with
Windows" on page 29-56 for more information about modifying
windows.

Creating a New Maintenance Window
To create a new maintenance window, you must create an Oracle Scheduler window
object and then add it to the window group MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP. You use the
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW package procedure to create the window, and the
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_GROUP_MEMBER procedure to add the new window to the window
group.
The following example creates a maintenance window named EARLY_MORNING_WINDOW.
This window runs for one hour daily between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW(
window_name
=> 'EARLY_MORNING_WINDOW',
duration
=> NUMTODSINTERVAL(1, 'hour'),
resource_plan
=> 'DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN',
repeat_interval => 'FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=5;BYMINUTE=0;BYSECOND=0');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_GROUP_MEMBER(
group_name => 'MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP',
member
=> 'EARLY_MORNING_WINDOW');
END;
/

See Also:
■
■

"Creating Windows" on page 29-57
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on the DBMS_SCHEDULER package

Removing a Maintenance Window
To remove an existing maintenance window, remove it from the MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_
GROUP window group. The window continues to exist but no longer runs automated
maintenance tasks. Any other Oracle Scheduler jobs assigned to this window continue
to run as usual.
The following example removes EARLY_MORNING_WINDOW from the window group:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.REMOVE_GROUP_MEMBER(
group_name => 'MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP',
member
=> 'EARLY_MORNING_WINDOW');
END;
/

See Also:
■

"Removing a Member from a Window Group" on page 29-62

■

"Dropping Windows" on page 29-59

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on the DBMS_SCHEDULER package

Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks 26-5

Configuring Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks

Configuring Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks
This section contains the following topics on resource allocation for maintenance
windows:
■

About Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks

■

Changing Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks
See Also: Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager"

About Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks
By default, all predefined maintenance windows use the resource plan DEFAULT_
MAINTENANCE_PLAN. Automated maintenance tasks run under its subplan
ORA$AUTOTASK. This subplan divides its portion of total resource allocation equally
among the maintenance tasks.
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN defines the following resource allocations:
Consumer Group/subplan

Level 1

Maximum Utilization Limit

ORA$AUTOTASK

5%

90

OTHER_GROUPS

20%

-

SYS_GROUP

75%

-

In this plan, any sessions in the SYS_GROUP consumer group get priority. (Sessions in
this group are sessions created by user accounts SYS and SYSTEM.) Any resource
allocation that is unused by sessions in SYS_GROUP is then shared by sessions belonging
to the other consumer groups and subplans in the plan. Of that allocation, 5% goes to
maintenance tasks and 20% goes to user sessions. The maximum utilization limit for
ORA$AUTOTASK is 90. Therefore, even if the CPU is idle, this group/plan cannot be
allocated more than 90% of the CPU resources.
To reduce or increase resource allocation to the automated maintenance tasks, you
make adjustments to DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN. See "Changing Resource Allocations
for Automated Maintenance Tasks" on page 26-6 for more information.
Note that as with any resource plan, the portion of an allocation that is not used by a
consumer group or subplan is available for other consumer groups or subplans. Note
also that the Database Resource Manager does not begin to limit resource allocations
according to resource plans until 100% of CPU is being used.
Although DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN is the default, you can
assign any resource plan to any maintenance window. If you do
change a maintenance window resource plan, ensure that you include
the subplan ORA$AUTOTASK in the new plan.

Note:

See Also: Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager" for more information on resource plans.

Changing Resource Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks
To change the resource allocation for automated maintenance tasks within a
maintenance window, you must change the percentage of resources allocated to the

26-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Automated Maintenance Tasks Reference

subplan ORA$AUTOTASK in the resource plan for that window. (By default, the resource
plan for each predefined maintenance window is DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN.) You
must also adjust the resource allocation for one or more other subplans or consumer
groups in the window's resource plan such that the resource allocation at the top level
of the plan adds up to 100%. For information on changing resource allocations, see
Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager".

Automated Maintenance Tasks Reference
This section contains the following reference topics for automated maintenance tasks:
■

Predefined Maintenance Windows

■

Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views

Predefined Maintenance Windows
By default there are seven predefined maintenance windows, each one representing a
day of the week. The weekend maintenance windows, SATURDAY_WINDOW and SUNDAY_
WINDOW, are longer in duration than the weekday maintenance windows. The window
group MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP consists of these seven windows. The list of
predefined maintenance windows is given in Table 26–1.
Table 26–1

Predefined Maintenance Windows

Window Name

Description

MONDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 10 p.m. on Monday and ends at 2 a.m.

TUESDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and ends at 2 a.m.

WEDNESDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 10 p.m. on Wednesday and ends at 2 a.m.

THURSDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 10 p.m. on Thursday and ends at 2 a.m.

FRIDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 10 p.m. on Friday and ends at 2 a.m.

SATURDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 6 a.m. on Saturday and is 20 hours long.

SUNDAY_WINDOW

Starts at 6 a.m. on Sunday and is 20 hours long.

Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views
Table 26–2 displays information about database dictionary views for automated
maintenance tasks:
Table 26–2

Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views

View Name

Description

DBA_AUTOTASK_CLIENT_JOB

Contains information about currently running Scheduler jobs created
for automated maintenance tasks. It provides information about some
objects targeted by those jobs, as well as some additional statistics from
previous instantiations of the same task. Some of this additional data is
taken from generic Scheduler views.

DBA_AUTOTASK_CLIENT

Provides statistical data for each automated maintenance task over
7-day and 30-day periods.

Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks 26-7

Automated Maintenance Tasks Reference

Table 26–2 (Cont.) Automated Maintenance Tasks Database Dictionary Views
View Name

Description

DBA_AUTOTASK_JOB_HISTORY

Lists the history of automated maintenance task job runs. Jobs are
added to this view after they finish executing.

DBA_AUTOTASK_WINDOW_CLIENTS

Lists the windows that belong to MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP, along
with the Enabled or Disabled status for the window for each
maintenance task. Primarily used by Cloud Control.

DBA_AUTOTASK_CLIENT_HISTORY

Provides per-window history of job execution counts for each
automated maintenance task. This information is viewable in the Job
History page of Cloud Control.

"Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views" on page 27-65
for column descriptions for views.

See Also:

26-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

27
Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager
27

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

■

The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

■

Creating a Simple Resource Plan

■

Creating a Complex Resource Plan

■

Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans

■

Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples

■

Managing Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server

■

Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives

■

Viewing Database Resource Manager Configuration and Status

■

Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

Interacting with Operating-System Resource Control

■

Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference
This chapter discusses using PL/SQL package procedures
to administer the Resource Manager. An easier way to administer
the Resource Manager is with the graphical user interface of Oracle
Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control). For
instructions about administering Resource Manager with Cloud
Control, see the Cloud Control online help.

Note:

To use Resource Manager with Cloud Control:
1.

Access the Database Home Page.

2.

From the Administration menu, select Resource Manager.

About Oracle Database Resource Manager
Oracle Database Resource Manager (the Resource Manager) enables you to manage
multiple workloads within a database that are contending for system and database
resources.
The following sections provide an overview of the Resource Manager:
Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager 27-1

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

What Solutions Does the Resource Manager Provide for Workload Management?

■

Elements of the Resource Manager

■

The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

■

About Resource Manager Administration Privileges

What Solutions Does the Resource Manager Provide for Workload Management?
When database resource allocation decisions are left to the operating system, you may
encounter the following problems with workload management:
■

Excessive overhead
Excessive overhead results from operating system context switching between
Oracle Database server processes when the number of server processes is high.

■

Inefficient scheduling
The operating system deschedules database servers while they hold latches, which
is inefficient.

■

Inappropriate allocation of resources
The operating system distributes resources equally among all active processes and
cannot prioritize one task over another.

■

Inability to manage database-specific resources, such as parallel execution servers
and active sessions

The Resource Manager helps to overcome these problems by allowing the database
more control over how hardware resources are allocated. In an environment with
multiple concurrent user sessions that run jobs with differing priorities, all sessions
should not be treated equally. The Resource Manager enables you to classify sessions
into groups based on session attributes, and to then allocate resources to those groups
in a way that optimizes hardware utilization for your application environment.
With the Resource Manager, you can:
■

■

■

■

■

■

Guarantee certain sessions a minimum amount of CPU regardless of the load on
the system and the number of users.
Distribute available CPU by allocating percentages of CPU time to different users
and applications. In a data warehouse, a higher percentage can be given to ROLAP
(relational online analytical processing) applications than to batch jobs.
Limit the degree of parallelism of any operation performed by members of a group
of users.
Manage the order of parallel statements in the parallel statement queue. Parallel
statements from a critical application can be enqueued ahead of parallel
statements from a low priority group of users.
Limit the number of parallel execution servers that a group of users can use. This
ensures that all the available parallel execution servers are not allocated to only
one group of users.
Create an active session pool. An active session pool consists of a specified
maximum number of user sessions allowed to be concurrently active within a
group of users. Additional sessions beyond the maximum are queued for
execution, but you can specify a timeout period, after which queued jobs will
terminate. The active session pool limits the total number of sessions actively
competing for resources, thereby enabling active sessions to make faster progress.

27-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

Monitor resources
When Resource Manager is enabled, Resource Manager automatically records
statistics about resource usage, and you can examine these statistics using
real-time SQL monitoring and the Resource Manager dynamic performance views
(the V$RSRC_* views). See "Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager" on
page 27-56 for information about using real-time SQL monitoring and the
Resource Manager dynamic performance views.

■

Manage runaway sessions or calls in the following ways:
–

By detecting when a session or call consumes more than a specified amount of
CPU, physical I/O, logical I/O, or elapsed time, and then automatically either
terminating the session or call, or switching to a consumer group with a lower
resource allocation or a limit on the percentage of CPU that the group can use
A logical I/O, also known as a buffer I/O, refers to reads and writes of buffers
in the buffer cache. When a requested buffer is not found in memory, the
database performs a physical I/O to copy the buffer from either disk or the
flash cache into memory, and then a logical I/O to read the cached buffer.

■

■

■

–

By recording detailed information about SQL statements that consume more
than a specified amount of CPU, physical I/O, logical I/O, or elapsed time
with real-time SQL monitoring

–

By using the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) to analyze a persistent
record of SQL statements that consume more than a specified amount of CPU,
physical I/O, logical I/O, or elapsed time

–

By logging information about a runaway session without taking any other
action related to the session

Prevent the execution of operations that the optimizer estimates will run for a
longer time than a specified limit.
Limit the amount of time that a session can be idle. This can be further defined to
mean only sessions that are blocking other sessions.
Allow a database to use different resource plans, based on changing workload
requirements. You can dynamically change the resource plan, for example, from a
daytime resource plan to a nighttime resource plan, without having to shut down
and restart the instance. You can also schedule a resource plan change with Oracle
Scheduler. See Chapter 28, "Oracle Scheduler Concepts" for more information.

Elements of the Resource Manager
The elements of the Resource Manager are described in the following table.
Element

Description

Resource consumer group

A group of sessions that are grouped together based on
resource requirements. The Resource Manager allocates
resources to resource consumer groups, not to individual
sessions.

Resource plan

A container for directives that specify how resources are
allocated to resource consumer groups. You specify how the
database allocates resources by activating a specific resource
plan.

Resource plan directive

Associates a resource consumer group with a particular plan
and specifies how resources are to be allocated to that
resource consumer group.

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager 27-3

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

You use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package to create and maintain these
elements. The elements are stored in tables in the data dictionary. You can view
information about them with data dictionary views.
See Also:

"Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views" on

page 27-65

About Resource Consumer Groups
A resource consumer group (consumer group) is a collection of user sessions that are
grouped together based on their processing needs. When a session is created, it is
automatically mapped to a consumer group based on mapping rules that you set up.
As a database administrator (DBA), you can manually switch a session to a different
consumer group. Similarly, an application can run a PL/SQL package procedure that
switches its session to a particular consumer group.
Because the Resource Manager allocates resources (such as CPU) only to consumer
groups, when a session becomes a member of a consumer group, its resource
allocation is determined by the allocation for the consumer group.
There are special consumer groups that are always present in the data dictionary. They
cannot be modified or deleted. They are:
■

SYS_GROUP
This is the initial consumer group for all sessions created by user accounts SYS or
SYSTEM. This initial consumer group can be overridden by session-to–consumer
group mapping rules.

■

OTHER_GROUPS
This consumer group contains all sessions that have not been assigned to a
consumer group. Every resource plan must contain a directive to OTHER_GROUPS.

There can be no more than 28 resource consumer groups in any active plan.
See Also:
■

■

Table 27–5, " Predefined Resource Consumer Groups" on
page 27-64
"Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on
page 27-9

About Resource Plan Directives
The Resource Manager allocates resources to consumer groups according to the set of
resource plan directives (directives) that belong to the currently active resource plan.
There is a parent-child relationship between a resource plan and its resource plan
directives. Each directive references one consumer group, and no two directives for the
currently active plan can reference the same consumer group.
A directive has several ways in which it can limit resource allocation for a consumer
group. For example, it can control how much CPU the consumer group gets as a
percentage of total CPU, and it can limit the total number of sessions that can be active
in the consumer group. See "The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource
Manager" on page 27-19 for more information.

About Resource Plans
In addition to the resource plans that are predefined for each Oracle database, you can
create any number of resource plans. However, only one resource plan is active at a

27-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

time. When a resource plan is active, each of its child resource plan directives controls
resource allocation for a different consumer group. Each plan must include a directive
that allocates resources to the consumer group named OTHER_GROUPS. OTHER_GROUPS
applies to all sessions that belong to a consumer group that is not part of the currently
active plan.
Although the term "resource plan" (or just "plan") denotes one
element of the Resource Manager, in this chapter it is also used to refer
to a complete resource plan schema, which includes the resource plan
element itself, its resource plan directives, and the consumer groups
that the directives reference. For example, when this chapter refers to
the DAYTIME resource plan, it could mean either the resource plan
element named DAYTIME, or the particular resource allocation schema
that the DAYTIME resource plan and its directives define. Thus, for
brevity, it is acceptable to say, "the DAYTIME plan favors interactive
applications over batch applications."
Note:

Example: A Simple Resource Plan
Figure 27–1 shows a simple resource plan for an organization that runs online
transaction processing (OLTP) applications and reporting applications simultaneously
during the daytime. The currently active plan, DAYTIME, allocates CPU resources
among three resource consumer groups. Specifically, OLTP is allotted 75% of the CPU
time, REPORTS is allotted 15%, and OTHER_GROUPS receives the remaining 10%. Any
group can use more resources than it is guaranteed if there is no resource contention.
For example, OLTP is guaranteed 75% of the CPU, but if there is no resource contention,
it can use up to 100% of the CPU.
Figure 27–1 A Simple Resource Plan
Resource Plan
"DAYTIME"

Directive 1
75% of CPU

Directive 2
15% of CPU

Directive 3
10% of CPU

Consumer Group
"OLTP"

Consumer Group
"REPORTING"

Consumer Group
"OTHER_GROUPS"

Oracle Database provides a procedure (CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN) that enables you to
quickly create a simple resource plan. This procedure is discussed in "Creating a
Simple Resource Plan" on page 27-27.

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager 27-5

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

The currently active resource plan does not enforce allocations
until CPU usage is at 100%. If the CPU usage is below 100%, the
database is not CPU-bound and hence there is no need to enforce
allocations to ensure that all sessions get their designated resource
allocation.

Note:

In addition, when allocations are enforced, unused allocation by any
consumer group can be used by other consumer groups. In the
previous example, if the OLTP group does not use all of its allocation,
the Resource Manager permits the REPORTS group or OTHER_GROUPS
group to use the unused allocation.

About Subplans
Instead of referencing a consumer group, a resource plan directive (directive) can
reference another resource plan. In this case, the plan is referred to as a subplan. The
subplan itself has directives that allocate resources to consumer groups and other
subplans. The resource allocation scheme then works like this: The top resource plan
(the currently active plan) divides resources among consumer groups and subplans.
Each subplan allocates its portion of the total resource allocation among its consumer
groups and subplans. You can create hierarchical plans with any number of subplans.
You create a resource subplan in the same way that you create a resource plan. To
create a plan that is to be used only as a subplan, you use the SUB_PLAN argument in
the package procedure DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN.
In any top level plan, you can reference a subplan only once. A subplan is not required
to have a directive to OTHER_GROUPS and cannot be set as a resource plan.

Example: A Resource Plan with Subplans
In this example, the Great Bread Company allocates the CPU resource as shown in
Figure 27–2. The figure illustrates a top plan (GREAT_BREAD) and all of its descendents.
For simplicity, the requirement to include the OTHER_GROUPS consumer group is
ignored, and resource plan directives are not shown, even though they are part of the
plan. Rather, the CPU percentages that the directives allocate are shown along the
connecting lines between plans, subplans, and consumer groups.
Figure 27–2 A Resource Plan With Subplans
GREAT_BREAD
plan
20%
CPU

60%
CPU
SALES_TEAM
plan

50%
CPU
WHOLESALE
group

20%
CPU

MARKET
group

50%
CPU
RETAIL
group

DEVELOP_TEAM
plan

50%
CPU
BREAD
group

50%
CPU
MUFFIN
group

The GREAT_BREAD plan allocates resources as follows:
■

20% of CPU resources to the consumer group MARKET

27-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

■

60% of CPU resources to subplan SALES_TEAM, which in turn divides its share
equally between the WHOLESALE and RETAIL consumer groups
20% of CPU resources to subplan DEVELOP_TEAM, which in turn divides its
resources equally between the BREAD and MUFFIN consumer groups

It is possible for a subplan or consumer group to have multiple parents. An example
would be if the MARKET group were included in the SALES_TEAM subplan. However, a
plan cannot contain any loops. For example, the SALES_TEAM subplan cannot have a
directive that references the GREAT_BREAD plan.
See Also: "Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource
Manager Examples" on page 27-40 for an example of a more complex
resource plan.

About Resource Manager Administration Privileges
You must have the system privilege ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER to administer the
Resource Manager. This privilege (with the ADMIN option) is granted to database
administrators through the DBA role.
Being an administrator for the Resource Manager enables you to execute all of the
procedures in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package.
You may, as an administrator with the ADMIN option, choose to grant the administrative
privilege to other users or roles. To do so, use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS
PL/SQL package. The relevant package procedures are listed in the following table.
Procedure

Description

GRANT_SYSTEM_PRIVILEGE

Grants the ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER system privilege to
a user or role.

REVOKE_SYSTEM_PRIVILEGE

Revokes the ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER system privilege
from a user or role.

The following PL/SQL block grants the administrative privilege to user HR, but does
not grant HR the ADMIN option. Therefore, HR can execute all of the procedures in the
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package, but HR cannot use the GRANT_SYSTEM_PRIVILEGE
procedure to grant the administrative privilege to others.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS.GRANT_SYSTEM_PRIVILEGE(
GRANTEE_NAME
=> 'HR',
PRIVILEGE_NAME => 'ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER',
ADMIN_OPTION
=> FALSE);
END;
/

You can revoke this privilege using the REVOKE_SYSTEM_PRVILEGE procedure.
Note: The ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER system privilege can
only be granted or revoked using the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_
PRIVS package. It cannot be granted or revoked through the SQL
GRANT or REVOKE statements.

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager 27-7

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.
contains detailed information about the Resource Manager
packages:
■

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER

■

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS

Oracle Database Security Guide contains information about the ADMIN
option.

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups
This section describes the automatic and manual methods that database
administrators, users, and applications can use to assign sessions to resource consumer
groups. When a session is assigned to a resource consumer group, Oracle Database
Resource Manager (the Resource Manager) can manage resource allocation for it.
Sessions that are not assigned to a consumer group are placed in
the consumer group OTHER_GROUPS.

Note:

This section includes the following topics:
■

Overview of Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

■

Assigning an Initial Resource Consumer Group

■

Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules

■

Switching Resource Consumer Groups

■

Specifying Automatic Consumer Group Switching

■

Granting and Revoking the Switch Privilege

Overview of Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups
Before you enable the Resource Manager, you must specify how user sessions are
assigned to resource consumer groups. You do this by creating mapping rules that
enable the Resource Manager to automatically assign each session to a consumer
group upon session startup, based upon session attributes. After a session is assigned
to its initial consumer group and is running, you can call a procedure to manually
switch the session to a different consumer group. You would typically do this if the
session is using excessive resources and must be moved to a consumer group that is
more limited in its resource allocation. You can also grant the switch privilege to users
and to applications so that they can switch their sessions from one consumer group to
another.
The database can also automatically switch a session from one consumer group to
another (typically lower priority) consumer group when there are changes in session
attributes or when a session exceeds designated resource consumption limits.

Assigning an Initial Resource Consumer Group
The initial consumer group of a session is determined by the mapping rules that you
configure. For information on how to configure mapping rules, see "Specifying
Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on page 27-9.

27-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules
This section provides background information about session-to–consumer group
mapping rules, and describes how to create and prioritize them. The following topics
are covered:
■

About Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules

■

Creating Consumer Group Mapping Rules

■

Modifying and Deleting Consumer Group Mapping Rules

■

Creating Mapping Rule Priorities

About Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules
By creating session-to–consumer group mapping rules, you can:
■
■

Specify the initial consumer group for a session based on session attributes.
Enable the Resource Manager to dynamically switch a running session to another
consumer group based on changing session attributes.

The mapping rules are based on session attributes such as the user name, the service
that the session used to connect to the database, or the name of the client program.
To resolve conflicts among mapping rules, the Resource Manager orders the rules by
priority. For example, suppose user SCOTT connects to the database with the SALES
service. If one mapping rule states that user SCOTT starts in the MED_PRIORITY
consumer group, and another states that sessions that connect with the SALES service
start in the HIGH_PRIORITY consumer group, mapping rule priorities resolve this
conflict.
There are two types of session attributes upon which mapping rules are based: login
attributes and run-time attributes. The login attributes are meaningful only at session
login time, when the Resource Manager determines the initial consumer group of the
session. Run-time attributes apply any time during and after session login. You can
reassign a logged in session to another consumer group by changing any of its
run-time attributes.
You use the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING and SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING_PRI
procedures to configure the automatic assignment of sessions to consumer groups. You
must use a pending area for these procedures. (You must create the pending area, run
the procedures, optionally validate the pending area, and then submit the pending
area. For examples of using the pending area, see "Creating a Complex Resource Plan"
on page 27-28.)
A session is automatically switched to a consumer group through mapping rules at
distinct points in time:
■

■

When the session first logs in, the mapping rules are evaluated to determine the
initial group of the session.
If a session attribute is dynamically changed to a new value (which is only
possible for run-time attributes), then the mapping rules are reevaluated, and the
session might be switched to another consumer group.

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules
Each Oracle database comes with a set of predefined consumer group mapping rules:
■

As described in "About Resource Consumer Groups" on page 27-4, all sessions
created by user accounts SYS or SYSTEM are initially mapped to the SYS_GROUP
consumer group.
Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager 27-9

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

■

Sessions performing a data load with Data Pump or performing backup or copy
operations with RMAN are automatically mapped to the predefined consumer
groups designated in Table 27–6 on page 27-64.

You can use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING procedure to
modify or delete any of these predefined mapping rules.
See Also:
■
■

"Assigning an Initial Resource Consumer Group" on page 27-8
"Specifying Automatic Switching with Mapping Rules" on
page 27-15

Creating Consumer Group Mapping Rules
You use the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING procedure to map a session attribute/value
pair to a consumer group. The parameters for this procedure are the following:
Parameter

Description

ATTRIBUTE

The session attribute type, specified as a package constant

VALUE

The value of the attribute

CONSUMER_GROUP

The consumer group to map to for this attribute/value pair

ATTRIBUTE can be one of the following:
Attribute

Type

Description

ORACLE_USER

Login

The Oracle Database user name

SERVICE_NAME

Login

The database service name used by the client to
establish a connection

CLIENT_OS_USER

Login

The operating system user name of the client that is
logging in

CLIENT_PROGRAM

Login

The name of the client program used to log in to the
server

CLIENT_MACHINE

Login

The name of the computer from which the client is
making the connection

CLIENT_ID

Login

The client identifier for the session
The client identifier session attribute is set by the
DBMS_SESSION.SET_IDENTIFIER procedure.

MODULE_NAME

Run-time

The module name in the currently running
application as set by the DBMS_APPLICATION_
INFO.SET_MODULE procedure or the equivalent OCI
attribute setting

MODULE_NAME_ACTION

Run-time

A combination of the current module and the action
being performed as set by either of the following
procedures or their equivalent OCI attribute setting:
■

DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO.SET_MODULE

■

DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO.SET_ACTION

The attribute is specified as the module name
followed by a period (.), followed by the action name
(module_name.action_name).

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Attribute

Type

Description

SERVICE_MODULE

Run-time

A combination of service and module names in this
form: service_name.module_name

SERVICE_MODULE_ACTION

Run-time

A combination of service name, module name, and
action name, in this form: service_name.module_
name.action_name

ORACLE_FUNCTION

Run-time

An RMAN or Data Pump operation. Valid values are
DATALOAD, BACKUP, and COPY. There are predefined
mappings for each of these values. If your session is
performing any of these functions, it is automatically
mapped to a predefined consumer group. See
Table 27–6 on page 27-64 for details.

For example, the following PL/SQL block causes user SCOTT to map to the DEV_GROUP
consumer group every time that he logs in:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
(DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.ORACLE_USER, 'SCOTT', 'DEV_GROUP');
END;
/

Again, you must create a pending area before running the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_
MAPPING procedure.
You can use wildcards for the value of most attributes in the value parameter in the
SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING procedure. To specify values with wildcards, use the
same semantics as the SQL LIKE operator. Specifically, wildcards use the following
semantics:
■

% for a multicharacter wildcard

■

_ for a single character wildcard

■

\ to escape the wildcards

Wildcards can only be used if the attribute is one of the following:
■

CLIENT_OS_USER

■

CLIENT_PROGRAM

■

CLIENT_MACHINE

■

MODULE_NAME

■

MODULE_NAME_ACTION

■

SERVICE_MODULE

■

SERVICE_MODULE_ACTION

Modifying and Deleting Consumer Group Mapping Rules
To modify a consumer group mapping rule, run the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
procedure against the desired attribute/value pair, specifying a new consumer group.
To delete a rule, run the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING procedure against the desired
attribute/value pair and specify a NULL consumer group.

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Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

Creating Mapping Rule Priorities
To resolve conflicting mapping rules, you can establish a priority ordering of the
session attributes from most important to least important. You use the SET_CONSUMER_
GROUP_MAPPING_PRI procedure to set the priority of each attribute to a unique integer
from 1 (most important) to 12 (least important). The following example illustrates this
setting of priorities:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING_PRI(
EXPLICIT => 1,
SERVICE_MODULE_ACTION => 2,
SERVICE_MODULE => 3,
MODULE_NAME_ACTION => 4,
MODULE_NAME => 5,
SERVICE_NAME => 6,
ORACLE_USER => 7,
CLIENT_PROGRAM => 8,
CLIENT_OS_USER => 9,
CLIENT_MACHINE => 10,
CLIENT_ID => 11);
END;
/

In this example, the priority of the database user name is set to 7 (less important),
while the priority of the module name is set to 5 (more important).
Note: SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING_PRI requires that you include the
pseudo-attribute EXPLICIT as an argument. It must be set to 1. It indicates
that explicit consumer group switches have the highest priority. You
explicitly switch consumer groups with these package procedures, which are
described in detail in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference:
■

DBMS_SESSION.SWITCH_CURRENT_CONSUMER_GROUP

■

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_SESS

■

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_USER

To illustrate how mapping rule priorities work, continuing with the previous example,
assume that in addition to the mapping of user SCOTT to the DEV_GROUP consumer
group, there is also a module name mapping rule as follows:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
(DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.MODULE_NAME, 'EOD_REPORTS', 'LOW_PRIORITY');
END;
/

Now if the application in user SCOTT's session sets its module name to EOD_REPORTS,
the session is reassigned to the LOW_PRIORITY consumer group, because module name
mapping has a higher priority than database user mapping.
You can query the view DBA_RSRC_MAPPING_PRIORITY to see the current priority
ordering of session attributes.

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See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about setting the module name with the DBMS_
APPLICATION_INFO.SET_MODULE procedure
"Granting and Revoking the Switch Privilege" on page 27-18

Switching Resource Consumer Groups
This section describes ways to switch the resource consumer group of a session.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Manually Switching Resource Consumer Groups

■

Enabling Users or Applications to Manually Switch Consumer Groups

Manually Switching Resource Consumer Groups
The DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package provides two procedures that enable
you to change the resource consumer group of running sessions. Both of these
procedures can also change the consumer group of any parallel execution server
sessions associated with the coordinator session. The changes made by these
procedures pertain to current sessions only; they are not persistent. They also do not
change the initial consumer groups for users.
Instead of killing (terminating) a session of a user who is using excessive CPU, you can
change that user's consumer group to one that is allocated fewer resources.
Switching a Single Session The SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_SESS procedure causes the
specified session to immediately be moved into the specified resource consumer
group. In effect, this procedure can raise or lower priority of the session.
The following PL/SQL block switches a specific session to a new consumer group. The
session identifier (SID) is 17, the session serial number (SERIAL#) is 12345, and the new
consumer group is the HIGH_PRIORITY consumer group.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_SESS ('17', '12345',
'HIGH_PRIORITY');
END;
/

The SID, session serial number, and current resource consumer group for a session are
viewable using the V$SESSION view.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for details about the V$SESSION
view.

Switching All Sessions for a User The SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_USER procedure
changes the resource consumer group for all sessions pertaining to the specified user
name. The following PL/SQL block switches all sessions that belong to user HR to the
LOW_GROUP consumer group:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP_FOR_USER ('HR',
'LOW_GROUP');
END;
/

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Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

Enabling Users or Applications to Manually Switch Consumer Groups
You can grant a user the switch privilege so that he can switch his current consumer
group using the SWITCH_CURRENT_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure in the DBMS_SESSION
package. A user can run this procedure from an interactive session, for example from
SQL*Plus, or an application can call this procedure to switch its session, effectively
dynamically changing its priority.
The SWITCH_CURRENT_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure enables users to switch to only those
consumer groups for which they have the switch privilege. If the caller is another
procedure, then this procedure enables users to switch to a consumer group for which
the owner of that procedure has switch privileges.
The parameters for this procedure are the following:
Parameter

Description

NEW_CONSUMER_GROUP

The consumer group to which the user is switching.

OLD_CONSUMER_GROUP

Returns the name of the consumer group from which the
user switched. Can be used to switch back later.

INITIAL_GROUP_ON_ERROR

Controls behavior if a switching error occurs.
If TRUE, in the event of an error, the user is switched to the
initial consumer group.
If FALSE, raises an error.

The following SQL*Plus session illustrates switching to a new consumer group. By
printing the value of the output parameter old_group, the example illustrates how the
old consumer group name is saved.
SET serveroutput on
DECLARE
old_group varchar2(30);
BEGIN
DBMS_SESSION.SWITCH_CURRENT_CONSUMER_GROUP('BATCH_GROUP', old_group, FALSE);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('OLD GROUP = ' || old_group);
END;
/

The following line is output:
OLD GROUP = OLTP_GROUP

Note that the Resource Manager considers a switch to have taken place even if the
SWITCH_CURRENT_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure is called to switch the session to the
consumer group that it is already in.
The Resource Manager also works in environments where a
generic database user name is used to log on to an application. The
DBMS_SESSION package can be called to switch the consumer group
assignment of a session at session startup, or as particular modules
are called.
Note:

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See Also:
■
■

"Granting and Revoking the Switch Privilege" on page 27-18
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
additional examples and more information about the DBMS_
SESSION package

Specifying Automatic Consumer Group Switching
You can configure the Resource Manager to automatically switch a session to another
consumer group when a certain condition is met. Automatic switching can occur
when:
■
■

A session attribute changes, causing a new mapping rule to take effect.
A session exceeds the CPU, physical I/O, or logical I/O resource consumption
limits set by its consumer group, or it exceeds the elapsed time limit set by its
consumer group.

The following sections provide details:
■

Specifying Automatic Switching with Mapping Rules

■

Specifying Automatic Switching by Setting Resource Limits

Specifying Automatic Switching with Mapping Rules
If a session attribute changes while the session is running, then the
session-to–consumer group mapping rules are reevaluated. If a new rule takes effect,
then the session might be moved to a different consumer group. See "Specifying
Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on page 27-9 for more information.

Specifying Automatic Switching by Setting Resource Limits
This section describes managing runaway sessions or calls that use CPU, physical I/O,
or logical I/O resources beyond a specified limit. A runaway session is a SQL query,
while a runaway call is a PL/SQL call.
When you create a resource plan directive for a consumer group, you can specify
limits for CPU, physical I/O, or logical I/O resource consumption for sessions in that
group. You can specify limits for physical I/O and logical I/O separately. You can also
specify a limit for elapsed time. If the SWITCH_FOR_CALL resource plan directive is set to
FALSE, then Resource Manager enforces these limits from the start of the session. If the
SWITCH_FOR_CALL resource plan directive is set to TRUE, then Resource Manager
enforces these limits from the start of the SQL operation or PL/SQL block.
You can then specify the action that is to be taken if any single session or call exceeds
one of these limits. The possible actions are the following:
■

The session is dynamically switched to a designated consumer group.
The target consumer group is typically one that has lower resource allocations.

■

The session is killed (terminated).

■

The session's current SQL statement is aborted.

■

Information about the session is logged, but no other action is taken for the
session.

The following are the resource plan directive attributes that are involved in this type of
automatic session switching.

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

27-15

Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

■

SWITCH_GROUP

■

SWITCH_TIME

■

SWITCH_ESTIMATE

■

SWITCH_IO_MEGABYTES

■

SWITCH_IO_REQS

■

SWITCH_FOR_CALL

■

SWITCH_IO_LOGICAL

■

SWITCH_ELAPSED_TIME

See "Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32 for descriptions of these
attributes.
Switches occur for sessions that are running and consuming resources, not waiting for
user input or waiting for CPU cycles. After a session is switched, it continues in the
target consumer group until it becomes idle, at which point it is switched back to its
original consumer group. However, if SWITCH_FOR_CALL is set to TRUE, then the
Resource Manager does not wait until the session is idle to return it to its original
resource consumer group. Instead, the session is returned when the current top-level
call completes. A top-level call in PL/SQL is an entire PL/SQL block treated as one
call. A top-level call in SQL is an individual SQL statement.
SWITCH_FOR_CALL is useful for three-tier applications where the middle tier server is
using session pooling.
A switched session is allowed to continue running even if the active session pool for
the new group is full. Under these conditions, a consumer group can have more
sessions running than specified by its active session pool.
When SWITCH_FOR_CALL is FALSE, the Resource Manager views a session as idle if a
certain amount of time passes between calls. This time interval is a few seconds and is
not configurable.
The following are examples of automatic switching based on resource limits. You must
create a pending area before running these examples.
Example 1
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for the OLTP group that
switches any session in that group to the LOW_GROUP consumer group if a call in the
sessions exceeds 5 seconds of CPU time. This example prevents unexpectedly long
queries from consuming too many resources. The switched-to consumer group is
typically one with lower resource allocations.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
SWITCH_GROUP
=> 'LOW_GROUP',
SWITCH_TIME
=> 5);
END;
/

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Example 2
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for the OLTP group that
temporarily switches any session in that group to the LOW_GROUP consumer group if the
session exceeds 10,000 physical I/O requests or exceeds 2,500 Megabytes of data
transferred. The session is returned to its original group after the offending top call is
complete.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
SWITCH_GROUP
=> 'LOW_GROUP',
SWITCH_IO_REQS
=> 10000,
SWITCH_IO_MEGABYTES => 2500,
SWITCH_FOR_CALL
=> TRUE);
END;
/

Example 3
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for the REPORTING group
that kills (terminates) any session that exceeds 60 seconds of CPU time. This example
prevents runaway queries from consuming too many resources.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'REPORTING',
COMMENT
=> 'Reporting group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
SWITCH_GROUP
=> 'KILL_SESSION',
SWITCH_TIME
=> 60);
END;
/

In this example, the reserved consumer group name KILL_SESSION is specified for
SWITCH_GROUP. Therefore, the session is terminated when the switch criteria is met.
Other reserved consumer group names are CANCEL_SQL and LOG_ONLY. When CANCEL_
SQL is specified, the current call is canceled when switch criteria are met, but the
session is not terminated. When LOG_ONLY is specified, information about the session is
recorded in real-time SQL monitoring, but no specific action is taken for the session.
Example 4
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for the OLTP group that
temporarily switches any session in that group to the LOW_GROUP consumer group if the
session exceeds 100 logical I/O requests. The session is returned to its original group
after the offending top call is complete.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
SWITCH_GROUP
=> 'LOW_GROUP',
SWITCH_IO_LOGICAL
=> 100,
SWITCH_FOR_CALL
=> TRUE);
END;
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Assigning Sessions to Resource Consumer Groups

/

Example 5
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for the OLTP group that
temporarily switches any session in that group to the LOW_GROUP consumer group if a
call in a session exceeds five minutes (300 seconds). The session is returned to its
original group after the offending top call is complete.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
SWITCH_GROUP
=> 'LOW_GROUP',
SWITCH_FOR_CALL
=> TRUE,
SWITCH_ELAPSED_TIME => 300);
END;
/

See Also:
■
■

"Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32
"What Solutions Does the Resource Manager Provide for
Workload Management?" on page 27-2 for information about
logical I/O

Granting and Revoking the Switch Privilege
Using the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS PL/SQL package, you can grant or revoke
the switch privilege to a user, role, or PUBLIC. The switch privilege enables a user or
application to switch a session to a specified resource consumer group. The package
also enables you to revoke the switch privilege. The relevant package procedures are
listed in the following table.
Procedure

Description

GRANT_SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP

Grants permission to a user, role, or PUBLIC to switch to a
specified resource consumer group.

REVOKE_SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP

Revokes permission for a user, role, or PUBLIC to switch to a
specified resource consumer group.

OTHER_GROUPS has switch privileges granted to PUBLIC. Therefore, all users are
automatically granted the switch privilege for this consumer group.
The following switches do not require explicit switch privilege:
■

■

There is a consumer group mapping specified by the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_
MAPPING procedure in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package, and a session is
switching to a different consumer group due to the mapping. See "Creating
Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on page 27-10.
There is an automatic consumer group switch when a switch condition is met
based on the setting of the switch_group parameter of a resource plan directive.

Explicit switch privilege is required for a user to switch a session to a consumer group
in all other cases.

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See Also:
■

■

"Enabling Users or Applications to Manually Switch Consumer
Groups" on page 27-14
"Specifying Automatic Consumer Group Switching" on page 27-15

Granting the Switch Privilege
The following example grants user SCOTT the privilege to switch to consumer group
OLTP.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS.GRANT_SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP (
GRANTEE_NAME
=> 'SCOTT',
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'OLTP',
GRANT_OPTION
=> TRUE);
END;
/

User SCOTT is also granted permission to grant switch privileges for OLTP to others.
If you grant permission to a role to switch to a particular resource consumer group,
then any user who is granted that role and has enabled that role can switch his session
to that consumer group.
If you grant PUBLIC the permission to switch to a particular consumer group, then any
user can switch to that group.
If the GRANT_OPTION argument is TRUE, then users granted switch privilege for the
consumer group can also grant switch privileges for that consumer group to others.

Revoking Switch Privileges
The following example revokes user SCOTT's privilege to switch to consumer group
OLTP.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS.REVOKE_SWITCH_CONSUMER_GROUP (
REVOKEE_NAME
=> 'SCOTT',
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'OLTP');
END;
/

If you revoke a user's switch privileges for a particular consumer group, any
subsequent attempts by that user to switch to that consumer group manually will fail.
The user's session will then be automatically assigned to OTHER_GROUPS.
If you revoke from a role the switch privileges to a consumer group, any users who
had switch privileges for the consumer group only through that role are no longer able
to switch to that consumer group.
If you revoke switch privileges to a consumer group from PUBLIC, any users other than
those who are explicitly assigned switch privileges either directly or through a role are
no longer able to switch to that consumer group.

The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager
Resource plan directives specify how resources are allocated to resource consumer
groups or subplans. Each directive can specify several different methods for allocating

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

resources to its consumer group or subplan. The following sections summarize these
resource allocation methods:
■

CPU

■

Exadata I/O

■

Parallel Execution Servers

■

Runaway Queries

■

Active Session Pool with Queuing

■

Undo Pool

■

Idle Time Limit

CPU
To manage CPU resources, Resource Manager allocates resources among consumer
groups and redistributes CPU resources that were allocated but were not used. You
can also set a limit on the amount of CPU resources that can be allocated to a
particular consumer group.
Resource Manager provides the following resource plan directive attributes to control
CPU resource allocation:
■

Management Attributes

■

Utilization Limit

Management Attributes
Management attributes enable you to specify how CPU resources are to be allocated
among consumer groups and subplans. Multiple levels of CPU resource allocation (up
to eight levels) provide a means of prioritizing CPU usage within a plan. Consumer
groups and subplans at level 2 get resources that were not allocated at level 1 or that
were allocated at level 1 but were not completely consumed by a consumer group or
subplan at level 1. Similarly, resource consumers at level 3 are allocated resources only
when some allocation remains from levels 1 and 2. The same rules apply to levels 4
through 8. Multiple levels not only provide a way of prioritizing, but they provide a
way of explicitly specifying how all primary and leftover resources are to be used.
Use the management attributes MGMT_Pn, where n is an integer between 1 and 8, to
specify multiple levels of CPU resource allocation. For example, use the MGMT_P1
directive attribute to specify CPU resource allocation at level 1 and MGMT_P2 directive
attribute to specify resource allocation at level 2.
Use management attributes with parallel statement directive attributes, such as Degree
of Parallelism Limit and Parallel Server Limit, to control parallel statement queuing.
When parallel statement queuing is used, management attributes are used to
determine which consumer group is allowed to issue the next parallel statement. For
example, if you set the MGMT_P1 directive attribute for a consumer group to 80, that
group has an 80% chance of issuing the next parallel statement.
See Also: Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for
information about parallel statement queuing

Table 27–1 illustrates a simple resource plan with three levels.

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Table 27–1

A Simple Three-Level Resource Plan

Consumer Group

Level 1 CPU
Allocation

HIGH_GROUP

80%

Level 2 CPU
Allocation

LOW_GROUP

50%

MAINT_SUBPLAN

50%

OTHER_GROUPS

Level 3 CPU
Allocation

100%

High priority applications run within HIGH_GROUP, which is allocated 80% of CPU.
Because HIGH_GROUP is at level one, it gets priority for CPU utilization, but only up to
80% of CPU. This leaves a remaining 20% of CPU to be shared 50-50 by LOW_GROUP and
the MAINT_SUPLAN at level 2. Any unused allocation from levels 1 and 2 are then
available to OTHER_GROUPS at level 3. Because OTHER_GROUPS has no sibling consumer
groups or subplans at its level, 100% is specified.
Within a particular level, CPU allocations are not fixed. If there is not sufficient load in
a particular consumer group or subplan, residual CPU can be allocated to remaining
consumer groups or subplans. Thus, when there is only one level, unused allocation
by any consumer group or subplan can be redistributed to other "sibling" consumer
groups or subplans. If there are multiple levels, then the unused allocation is
distributed to the consumer groups or subplans at the next level. If the last level has
unused allocations, these allocations can be redistributed to all other levels in
proportion to their designated allocations.
As an example of redistribution of unused allocations from one level to another, if
during a particular period, HIGH_GROUP consumes only 25% of CPU, then 75% is
available to be shared by LOW_GROUP and MAINT_SUBPLAN. Any unused portion of the
75% at level 2 is then made available to OTHER_GROUPS at level 3. However, if OTHER_
GROUPS has no session activity at level 3, then the 75% at level 2 can be redistributed to
all other consumer groups and subplans in the plan proportionally.

Utilization Limit
In the previous scenario, suppose that due to inactivity elsewhere, LOW_GROUP acquires
90% of CPU. Suppose that you do not want to allow LOW_GROUP to use 90% of the
server because you do not want non-critical sessions to inundate the CPUs. The
UTILIZATION_LIMIT attribute of resource plan directives can prevent this situation.
Use the UTILIZATION_LIMIT attribute to impose an absolute upper limit on CPU
utilization for a resource consumer group. This absolute limit overrides any
redistribution of CPU within a plan.
Setting the UTILIZATION_LIMIT attribute is optional. If you omit this attribute for a
consumer group, there is no limit on the amount of CPU that the consumer group can
use. Therefore, if all the other applications are idle, a consumer group that does not
have UTILIZATION_LIMIT set can be allocated 100% of the CPU resources.
You can also use the UTILIZATION_LIMIT attribute as the sole means of limiting CPU
utilization for consumer groups, without specifying level limits.
Table 27–2 shows a variation of the previous plan. In this plan, using UTILIZATION_
LIMIT, CPU utilization is capped at 75% for LOW_GROUP, 50% for MAINT_SUBPLAN, and
75% for OTHER_GROUPS. (Note that the sum of all utilization limits can exceed 100%.
Each limit is applied independently.)

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The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

Table 27–2

A Three-Level Resource Plan with Utilization Limits

Consumer Group

Level 1 CPU
Allocation

HIGH_GROUP

80%

Level 2 CPU
Allocation

Level 3 CPU
Allocation

Utilization
Limit

LOW_GROUP

50%

75%

MAINT_SUBPLAN

50%

50%

OTHER_GROUPS

100%

75%

In the example described in Table 27–2, if HIGH_GROUP is using only 10% of the CPU at
a given time, then the remaining 90% is available to LOW_GROUP and the consumer
groups in MAINT_SUBPLAN at level 2. If LOW_GROUP uses only 20% of the CPU, then 70%
can be allocated to MAINT_SUBPLAN. However, MAINT_SUBPLAN has a UTILIZATION_LIMIT
of 50%. Therefore, even though more CPU resources are available, the server cannot
allocate more than 50% of the CPU to the consumer groups that belong to the subplan
MAINT_SUBPLAN.
You can set UTILIZATION_LIMIT for both a subplan and the consumer groups that the
subplan contains. In such cases, the limit for a consumer group is computed using the
limits specified for the subplan and that consumer group. For example, the MAINT_
SUBPLAN contains the consumer groups MAINT_GROUP1 and MAINT_GROUP2. MAINT_
GROUP1 has UTILIZATION_LIMIT set to 40%. However, the limit for MAINT_SUBPLAN is set
to 50%. Therefore, the limit for consumer group MAINT_GROUP1 is computed as 40% of
50%, or 20%. For an example of how to compute UTILIZATION_LIMIT for a consumer
group when limits are specified for both the consumer group and the subplan to which
the group belongs, see "Example 4 - Specifying a Utilization Limit for Consumer
Groups and Subplans" on page 27-46.
See Also:
■
■

"Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32
"Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager
Examples" on page 27-40

Exadata I/O
Management attributes enable you to specify CPU resource allocation for Exadata I/O.
See Also: The Exadata documentation for information about using
management attributes for Exadata I/O

Parallel Execution Servers
Resource Manager can manage usage of the available parallel execution servers for a
database.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Degree of Parallelism Limit

■

Parallel Server Limit

■

Parallel Queue Timeout

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Degree of Parallelism Limit
You can limit the maximum degree of parallelism for any operation within a consumer
group. Use the PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 directive attribute to specify the degree of
parallelism for a consumer group.
See Also: Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more
information about degree of parallelism in producer/consumer
operations

The degree of parallelism limit applies to one operation within a consumer group; it
does not limit the total degree of parallelism across all operations within the consumer
group. However, you can combine both the PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 and the
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT directive attributes to achieve the desired control. For more
information about the PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT attribute, see "Parallel Server Limit" on
page 27-23.

Parallel Server Limit
It is possible for a single consumer group to launch enough parallel statements to use
all of the available parallel execution servers. If this happens when a high-priority
parallel statement from a different consumer group is run, then no parallel execution
servers are available to allocate to this group. You can avoid such a scenario by
limiting the number of parallel execution servers that can be used by a particular
consumer group. You can also set the directive PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL to BYPASS_
QUEUE for the high-priority consumer group so that parallel statements from the
consumer group bypass the parallel statement queue.
Use the PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT directive attribute to specify the maximum
percentage of the parallel execution server pool that a particular consumer group can
use. The number of parallel execution servers used by a particular consumer group is
counted as the sum of the parallel execution servers used by all sessions in that
consumer group.
For example, assume that the total number of parallel execution servers is 32, as set by
the PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET initialization parameter, and the PARALLEL_SERVER_
LIMIT directive attribute for the consumer group MY_GROUP is set to 50%. This
consumer group can use a maximum of 50% of 32, or 16 parallel execution servers.
If your resource plan has management attributes (MGMT_P1, MGMT_P2, and so on), then a
separate parallel statement queue is managed as a First In First Out (FIFO) queue for
each management attribute.
If your resource plan does not have any management attributes, then a single parallel
statement queue is managed as a FIFO queue.
In the case of an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, the
target number of parallel execution servers is the sum of (PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT *
PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET / 100) across all Oracle RAC instances. If a consumer group
is using the number of parallel execution servers computed above or more, then it has
exceeded its limit, and its parallel statements will be queued.
If a consumer group does not have any parallel statements running within an Oracle
RAC database, then the first parallel statement is allowed to exceed the limit specified
by PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT.

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The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)
environment, the PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT attribute applies to the
entire cluster and not to a single instance.
Note:

See Also:
■
■

■

"Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32
"Managing Parallel Statement Queuing Using Parallel Server
Limit" on page 27-24
Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for information about
parallel statement queuing

Managing Parallel Statement Queuing Using Parallel Server Limit The PARALLEL_SERVER_
LIMIT attribute enables you to specify when parallel statements from a consumer
group can be queued. Oracle Database maintains a separate parallel statement queue
for each consumer group.
A parallel statement from a consumer group is not run and instead is added to the
parallel statement queue of that consumer group if the following conditions are met:
■

PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY is set to AUTO.
Setting this initialization parameter to AUTO enables automatic degree of
parallelism (Auto DOP), parallel statement queuing, and in-memory parallel
execution.
Note that parallel statements which have PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY set to MANUAL
or LIMITED are executed immediately and are not added to the parallel statement
queue.

■

■

The number of active parallel execution servers across all consumer groups
exceeds the PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET initialization parameter setting. This
condition applies regardless of whether you specify PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT. If
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT is not specified, then it defaults to 100%.
The sum of the number of active parallel execution servers for the consumer group
and the degree of parallelism of the parallel statement exceeds the target number
of active parallel execution servers.
The target number of active parallel execution servers is computed as follows:
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT/100 * PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET
See Also:

"Parallel Server Limit" on page 27-23

Parallel Queue Timeout
When you use parallel statement queuing, if the database does not have sufficient
resources to execute a parallel statement, the statement is queued until the required
resources become available. However, there is a chance that a parallel statement may
be waiting in the parallel statement queue for longer than is desired. You can prevent
such scenarios by specifying the maximum time a parallel statement can wait in the
parallel statement queue.
The PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT directive attribute enables you to specify the maximum
time, in seconds, that a parallel statement can wait in the parallel statement queue
before it is timed out. The PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT attribute can be set for each

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The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

consumer group. This attribute is applicable even if you do not specify other
management attributes (MGMT_P1, MGMT_P2, and so on) in your resource plan.
See Also: Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide for more
information about parallel statement queuing

Because the parallel statement queue is clusterwide, all
directives related to the parallel statement queue are also clusterwide.

Note:

When a parallel statement is timed out, the statement execution ends with the
following error message:
ORA-07454: queue timeout, n second(s), exceeded

If you want more per-workload management, then you must use the following
directive attributes:
■

MGMT_Pn
Management attributes control how a parallel statement is selected from the
parallel statement queue for execution. You can prioritize the parallel statements
of one consumer group over another by setting a higher value for the management
attributes of that group.

■

PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT

■

PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT

■

PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1
See Also: "Example of Managing Parallel Statements Using
Directive Attributes" on page 27-49 for more information about the
combined use of all the parallel execution server directive attributes

Although parallel execution server usage is monitored for all sessions, the parallel
execution server directive attributes you set affect only sessions for which parallel
statement queuing is enabled (PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY is set to AUTO). If a session has
the PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY set to MANUAL, parallel statements from this session are
not queued. However, any parallel execution servers used by such sessions are
included in the count that is used to determine the limit for PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT.
Even if this limit is exceeded, parallel statements from this session are not queued.

Runaway Queries
Runaway sessions and calls can adversely impact overall performance if they are not
managed properly. Resource Manager can take action when a session or call consumes
more than a specified amount of CPU, physical I/O, logical I/O, or elapsed time.
Resource Manager can either switch the session or call to a consumer group that is
allocated a small amount of CPU or terminate the session or call.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Automatic Consumer Group Switching

■

Canceling SQL and Terminating Sessions

■

Execution Time Limit

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The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource Manager

Automatic Consumer Group Switching
This method enables you to control resource allocation by specifying criteria that, if
met, causes the automatic switching of a session to a specified consumer group.
Typically, this method is used to switch a session from a high-priority consumer
group—one that receives a high proportion of system resources—to a lower priority
consumer group because that session exceeded the expected resource consumption for
a typical session in the group.
See "Specifying Automatic Switching by Setting Resource Limits" on page 27-15 for
more information.

Canceling SQL and Terminating Sessions
You can also specify directives to cancel long-running SQL queries or to terminate
long-running sessions based on the amount of system resources consumed. See
"Specifying Automatic Switching by Setting Resource Limits" on page 27-15 for more
information.

Execution Time Limit
You can specify a maximum execution time allowed for an operation. If the database
estimates that an operation will run longer than the specified maximum execution
time, then the operation is terminated with an error. This error can be trapped and the
operation rescheduled.

Active Session Pool with Queuing
You can control the maximum number of concurrently active sessions allowed within
a consumer group. This maximum defines the active session pool. An active session
is a session that is actively processing a transaction or SQL statement. Specifically, an
active session is either in a transaction, holding a user enqueue, or has an open cursor
and has not been idle for over 5 seconds. An active session is considered active even if
it is blocked, for example waiting for an I/O request to complete. When the active
session pool is full, a session that is trying to process a call is placed into a queue.
When an active session completes, the first session in the queue can then be removed
from the queue and scheduled for execution. You can also specify a period after which
a session in the execution queue times out, causing the call to terminate with an error.
Active session limits should not be used for OLTP workloads. In addition, active
session limits should not be used to implement connection pooling or parallel
statement queuing.
To manage parallel statements, you must use parallel statement queuing with the
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT attribute and management attributes (MGMT_P1, MGMT_P2, and
so on).

Undo Pool
You can specify an undo pool for each consumer group. An undo pool controls the
total amount of undo for uncommitted transactions that can be generated by a
consumer group. When the total undo generated by a consumer group exceeds its
undo limit, the current DML statement generating the undo is terminated. No other
members of the consumer group can perform further data manipulation until undo
space is freed from the pool.

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Idle Time Limit
You can specify an amount of time that a session can be idle, after which it is
terminated. You can also specify a more stringent idle time limit that applies to
sessions that are idle and blocking other sessions.

Creating a Simple Resource Plan
You can quickly create a simple resource plan that is adequate for many situations
using the CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure. This procedure enables you to both create
consumer groups and allocate resources to them by executing a single procedure call.
Using this procedure, you are not required to invoke the procedures that are described
in succeeding sections for creating a pending area, creating each consumer group
individually, specifying resource plan directives, and so on.
You specify the following arguments for the CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure:
Parameter

Description

SIMPLE_PLAN

Name of the plan

CONSUMER_GROUP1

Consumer group name for first group

GROUP1_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP2

Consumer group name for second group

GROUP2_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP3

Consumer group name for third group

GROUP3_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP4

Consumer group name for fourth group

GROUP4_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP5

Consumer group name for fifth group

GROUP5_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP6

Consumer group name for sixth group

GROUP6_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP7

Consumer group name for seventh group

GROUP7_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

CONSUMER_GROUP8

Consumer group name for eighth group

GROUP8_PERCENT

CPU resource allocated to this group

You can specify up to eight consumer groups with this procedure. The only resource
allocation method supported is CPU. The plan uses the EMPHASIS CPU allocation
policy (the default) and each consumer group uses the ROUND_ROBIN scheduling policy
(also the default). Each consumer group specified in the plan is allocated its CPU
percentage at level 2. Also implicitly included in the plan are SYS_GROUP (a
system-defined group that is the initial consumer group for the users SYS and SYSTEM)
and OTHER_GROUPS. The SYS_GROUP consumer group is allocated 100% of the CPU at
level 1, and OTHER_GROUPS is allocated 100% of the CPU at level 3.
Example: Creating a Simple Plan with the CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN Procedure
The following PL/SQL block creates a simple resource plan with two user-specified
consumer groups:
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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN(SIMPLE_PLAN => 'SIMPLE_PLAN1',
CONSUMER_GROUP1 => 'MYGROUP1', GROUP1_PERCENT => 80,
CONSUMER_GROUP2 => 'MYGROUP2', GROUP2_PERCENT => 20);
END;
/

Executing the preceding statements creates the following plan:
Consumer Group

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

SYS_GROUP

100%

-

-

MYGROUP1

-

80%

-

MYGROUP2

-

20%

-

OTHER_GROUPS

-

-

100%

See Also:
■

■

■

"Creating a Resource Plan" on page 27-31 for more information on
the EMPHASIS CPU allocation policy
"Creating Resource Consumer Groups" on page 27-30 for more
information on the ROUND_ROBIN scheduling policy
"Elements of the Resource Manager" on page 27-3

Creating a Complex Resource Plan
When your situation calls for a more complex resource plan, you must create the plan,
with its directives and consumer groups, in a staging area called the pending area, and
then validate the plan before storing it in the data dictionary.
The following is a summary of the steps required to create a complex resource plan.
A complex resource plan is any resource plan that is not created
with the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure.

Note:

Step 1: Create a pending area.
Step 2: Create, modify, or delete consumer groups.
Step 3: Map sessions to consumer groups.
Step 4: Create the resource plan.
Step 5: Create resource plan directives.
Step 6: Validate the pending area.
Step 7: Submit the pending area.
You use procedures in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package to complete these
steps. The following sections provide details:
■

About the Pending Area

■

Creating a Pending Area

■

Creating Resource Consumer Groups

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

■

Map Sessions to Consumer Groups

■

Creating a Resource Plan

■

Creating Resource Plan Directives

■

Validating the Pending Area

■

Submitting the Pending Area

■

Clearing the Pending Area
See Also:
■
■

■

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules on page 27-64
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on
the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package.
"Elements of the Resource Manager" on page 27-3

About the Pending Area
The pending area is a staging area where you can create a new resource plan, update
an existing plan, or delete a plan without affecting currently running applications.
When you create a pending area, the database initializes it and then copies existing
plans into the pending area so that they can be updated.
Tip: After you create the pending area, if you list all plans by
querying the DBA_RSRC_PLANS data dictionary view, you see two
copies of each plan: one with the PENDING status, and one without. The
plans with the PENDING status reflect any changes you made to the
plans since creating the pending area. Pending changes can also be
viewed for consumer groups using DBA_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUPS and
for resource plan directives using DBA_RSRC_PLAN_DIRECTIVES. See
Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views on page 27-65 for more
information.

After you make changes in the pending area, you validate the pending area and then
submit it. Upon submission, all pending changes are applied to the data dictionary,
and the pending area is cleared and deactivated.
If you attempt to create, update, or delete a plan (or create, update, or delete consumer
groups or resource plan directives) without first creating the pending area, you receive
an error message.
Submitting the pending area does not activate any new plan that you create; it just
stores new or updated plan information in the data dictionary. However, if you modify
a plan that is currently active, the plan is reactivated with the new plan definition. See
"Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans" on page 27-39 for
information about activating a resource plan.
When you create a pending area, no other users can create one until you submit or
clear the pending area or log out.

Creating a Pending Area
You create a pending area with the CREATE_PENDING_AREA procedure.
Example: Creating a pending area:
The following PL/SQL block creates and initializes a pending area:
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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

Creating Resource Consumer Groups
You create a resource consumer group using the CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure.
You can specify the following parameters:
Parameter

Description

CONSUMER_GROUP

Name to assign to the consumer group.

COMMENT

Any comment.

CPU_MTH

Deprecated. Use MGMT_MTH.

MGMT_MTH

The resource allocation method for distributing
CPU among sessions in the consumer group.
The default is 'ROUND-ROBIN', which uses a
round-robin scheduler to ensure that sessions
are fairly executed. 'RUN-TO-COMPLETION'
specifies that long-running sessions are
scheduled ahead of other sessions. This setting
helps long-running sessions (such as batch
processes) complete sooner.

Example: Creating a Resource Consumer Group
The following PL/SQL block creates a consumer group called OLTP with the default
(ROUND-ROBIN) method of allocating resources to sessions in the group:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP applications');
END;
/

See Also:
■

"Updating a Consumer Group" on page 27-53

■

"Deleting a Consumer Group" on page 27-53

Map Sessions to Consumer Groups
You can map sessions to consumer groups using the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
procedure. You can specify the following parameters:
Parameter

Description

ATTRIBUTE

Session attribute type, specified as a package
constant.

VALUE

Value of the attribute.

CONSUMER_GROUP

Name of the consumer group.

Example: Mapping a Session to a Consumer Group
The following PL/SQL block maps the oe user to the OLTP consumer group:

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BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING(
ATTRIBUTE
=> DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.ORACLE_USER,
VALUE
=> 'OE',
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'OLTP');
END;
/

See Also: "Creating Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on
page 27-10

Creating a Resource Plan
You create a resource plan with the CREATE_PLAN procedure. You can specify the
parameters shown in the following table. The first two parameters are required. The
remainder are optional.
Parameter

Description

PLAN

Name to assign to the plan.

COMMENT

Any descriptive comment.

CPU_MTH

Deprecated. Use MGMT_MTH.

ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_MTH

Active session pool resource allocation method.
ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_ABSOLUTE is the default and
only method available.

PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_MTH

Resource allocation method for specifying a
limit on the degree of parallelism of any
operation. PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_ABSOLUTE is
the default and only method available.

QUEUEING_MTH

Queuing resource allocation method. Controls
the order in which queued inactive sessions are
removed from the queue and added to the
active session pool. FIFO_TIMEOUT is the default
and only method available.

MGMT_MTH

Resource allocation method for specifying how
much CPU each consumer group or subplan
gets. 'EMPHASIS', the default method, is for
single-level or multilevel plans that use
percentages to specify how CPU is distributed
among consumer groups. 'RATIO' is for
single-level plans that use ratios to specify how
CPU is distributed.

SUB_PLAN

If TRUE, the plan cannot be used as the top plan;
it can be used as a subplan only. Default is
FALSE.

Example: Creating a Resource Plan
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan named DAYTIME:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
COMMENT => 'More resources for OLTP applications');
END;
/

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

About the RATIO CPU Allocation Method
The RATIO method is an alternate CPU allocation method intended for simple plans
that have only a single level of CPU allocation. Instead of percentages, you specify
numbers corresponding to the ratio of CPU that you want to give to each consumer
group. To use the RATIO method, you set the MGMT_MTH argument for the CREATE_PLAN
procedure to 'RATIO'. See "Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32 for an
example of a plan that uses this method.
See Also:
■

"Updating a Plan" on page 27-53

■

"Deleting a Plan" on page 27-54

Creating Resource Plan Directives
You use the CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure to create resource plan directives. Each
directive belongs to a plan or subplan and allocates resources to either a consumer
group or subplan.
The set of directives for a resource plan and its subplans can
name a particular subplan only once.

Note:

You can specify directives for a particular consumer group in a top
plan and its subplans. However, Oracle recommends that the set of
directives for a resource plan and its subplans name a particular
consumer group only once.
You can specify the following parameters:

Parameter

Description

PLAN

Name of the resource plan to which the directive
belongs.

GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN

Name of the consumer group or subplan to which to
allocate resources.

COMMENT

Any comment.

CPU_P1

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P1.

CPU_P2

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P2.

CPU_P3

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P3.

CPU_P4

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P4.

CPU_P5

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P5.

CPU_P6

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P6.

CPU_P7

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P7.

CPU_P8

Deprecated. Use MGMT_P8.

ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_P1

Specifies the maximum number of concurrently active
sessions for a consumer group. Other sessions await
execution in an inactive session queue. Default is
UNLIMITED.

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Parameter

Description

QUEUEING_P1

Specifies time (in seconds) after which a session in an
inactive session queue (waiting for execution) times out
and the call is aborted. Default is UNLIMITED.

PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1

Specifies a limit on the degree of parallelism for any
operation. Default is UNLIMITED.

SWITCH_GROUP

Specifies the consumer group to which a session is
switched if switch criteria are met.
If the group name is CANCEL_SQL, then the current call is
canceled when switch criteria are met. If the group name
is CANCEL_SQL, then the SWITCH_FOR_CALL parameter is
always set to TRUE, overriding the user-specified setting.
If the group name is KILL_SESSION, then the session is
killed when switch criteria are met.
If the group name is LOG_ONLY, then information about
the session is recorded in real-time SQL monitoring, but
no specific action is taken for the session.
If NULL, then the session is not switched and no
additional logging is performed. The default is NULL. An
error is returned if this parameter is set to NULL and any
other switch parameter is set to non-NULL.
Note: The following consumer group names are
reserved: CANCEL_SQL, KILL_SESSION, and LOG_ONLY. An
error results if you attempt to create a consumer group
with one of these names.

SWITCH_TIME

Specifies the time (in CPU seconds) that a call can
execute before an action is taken. Default is UNLIMITED.
The action is specified by SWITCH_GROUP.

SWITCH_ESTIMATE

If TRUE, the database estimates the execution time of each
call, and if estimated execution time exceeds SWITCH_
TIME, the session is switched to the SWITCH_GROUP before
beginning the call. Default is FALSE.
The execution time estimate is obtained from the
optimizer. The accuracy of the estimate is dependent on
many factors, especially the quality of the optimizer
statistics. In general, you should expect statistics to be no
more accurate than ± 10 minutes.

MAX_EST_EXEC_TIME

Specifies the maximum execution time (in CPU seconds)
allowed for a call. If the optimizer estimates that a call
will take longer than MAX_EST_EXEC_TIME, the call is not
allowed to proceed and ORA-07455 is issued. If the
optimizer does not provide an estimate, this directive has
no effect. Default is UNLIMITED.
The accuracy of the estimate is dependent on many
factors, especially the quality of the optimizer statistics.
In general, you should expect statistics to be no more
accurate than ± 10 minutes.

UNDO_POOL

Sets a maximum in kilobytes (K) on the total amount of
undo for uncommitted transactions that can be
generated by a consumer group. Default is UNLIMITED.

MAX_IDLE_TIME

Indicates the maximum session idle time, in seconds.
Default is NULL, which implies unlimited.

MAX_IDLE_BLOCKER_TIME

Indicates the maximum session idle time of a blocking
session, in seconds. Default is NULL, which implies
unlimited.

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

Parameter

Description

SWITCH_TIME_IN_CALL

Deprecated. Use SWITCH_FOR_CALL.

MGMT_P1

For a plan with the MGMT_MTH parameter set to EMPHASIS,
specifies the CPU percentage to allocate at the first level.
For MGMT_MTH set to RATIO, specifies the weight of CPU
usage. Default is NULL for all MGMT_Pn parameters.

MGMT_P2

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
second level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P3

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
third level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P4

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
fourth level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P5

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
fifth level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P6

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
sixth level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P7

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
seventh level. Not applicable for RATIO.

MGMT_P8

For EMPHASIS, specifies CPU percentage to allocate at the
eighth level. Not applicable for RATIO.

SWITCH_IO_MEGABYTES

Specifies the number of megabytes of physical I/O that a
session can transfer (read and write) before an action is
taken. Default is UNLIMITED. The action is specified by
SWITCH_GROUP.

SWITCH_IO_REQS

Specifies the number of physical I/O requests that a
session can execute before an action is taken. Default is
UNLIMITED. The action is specified by SWITCH_GROUP.

SWITCH_FOR_CALL

If TRUE, a session that was automatically switched to
another consumer group (according to SWITCH_TIME,
SWITCH_IO_MEGABYTES, or SWITCH_IO_REQS) is returned to
its original consumer group when the top level call
completes. Default is NULL.

PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT

Specifies the maximum time, in seconds, that a parallel
statement can wait in the parallel statement queue before
it is timed out.

PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT

Specifies the maximum percentage of the parallel
execution server pool that a particular consumer group
can use. The number of parallel execution servers used
by a particular consumer group is counted as the sum of
the parallel execution servers used by all sessions in that
consumer group.

UTILIZATION_LIMIT

Specifies the maximum CPU utilization percentage
permitted for the consumer group. This value overrides
any level allocations for CPU (MGMT_P1 through MGMT_P8),
and also imposes a limit on total CPU utilization when
unused allocations are redistributed. You can specify this
attribute and leave MGMT_P1 through MGMT_P8 NULL.

SWITCH_IO_LOGICAL

Number of logical I/O requests that will trigger the
action specified by SWITCH_GROUP. As with other switch
directives, if SWITCH_FOR_CALL is TRUE, then the number
of logical I/O requests is accumulated from the start of a
call. Otherwise, the number of logical I/O requests is
accumulated for the length of the session.

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

Parameter

Description

SWITCH_ELAPSED_TIME

Elapsed time, in seconds, that will trigger the action
specified by SWITCH_GROUP. As with other switch
directives, if SWITCH_FOR_CALL is TRUE, then the elapsed
time is accumulated from the start of a call. Otherwise,
the elapsed time is accumulated for the length of the
session.

SHARES

Allocates resources among pluggable databases (PDBs)
in a multitenant container database (CDB). Also allocates
resources among consumer groups in a non-CDB or in a
PDB.
See "CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3.

PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL

Specifies whether parallel statements from the consumer
group are critical.
When BYPASS_QUEUE is specified, parallel statements
from the consumer group are critical. These statements
bypass the parallel queue and are executed immediately.
When FALSE or NULL (the default) is specified, parallel
statements from the consumer group are not critical.
These statements are added to the parallel queue when
necessary.

Example 1
The following PL/SQL block creates a resource plan directive for plan DAYTIME. (It
assumes that the DAYTIME plan and OLTP consumer group are already created in the
pending area.)
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OLTP',
COMMENT
=> 'OLTP group',
MGMT_P1
=> 75);
END;
/

This directive assigns 75% of CPU resources to the OLTP consumer group at level 1.
To complete the plan shown in Figure 27–1 on page 27-5, you would create the
REPORTING consumer group, and then execute the following PL/SQL block:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'REPORTING',
COMMENT
=> 'Reporting group',
MGMT_P1
=> 15,
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 => 8,
ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_P1
=> 4);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'DAYTIME',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'This one is required',
MGMT_P1
=> 10);
END;
/

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

In this plan, consumer group REPORTING has a maximum degree of parallelism of 8 for
any operation, while none of the other consumer groups are limited in their degree of
parallelism. In addition, the REPORTING group has a maximum of 4 concurrently active
sessions.
Example 2
This example uses the RATIO method to allocate CPU, which uses ratios instead of
percentages. Suppose your application suite offers three service levels to clients: Gold,
Silver, and Bronze. You create three consumer groups named GOLD_CG, SILVER_CG, and
BRONZE_CG, and you create the following resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN
(PLAN
=> 'SERVICE_LEVEL_PLAN',
MGMT_MTH
=> 'RATIO',
COMMENT
=> 'Plan that supports three service levels');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
(PLAN
=> 'SERVICE_LEVEL_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'GOLD_CG',
COMMENT
=> 'Gold service level customers',
MGMT_P1
=> 10);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
(PLAN
=> 'SERVICE_LEVEL_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'SILVER_CG',
COMMENT
=> 'Silver service level customers',
MGMT_P1
=> 5);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
(PLAN
=> 'SERVICE_LEVEL_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'BRONZE_CG',
COMMENT
=> 'Bronze service level customers',
MGMT_P1
=> 2);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
(PLAN
=> 'SERVICE_LEVEL_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'Lowest priority sessions',
MGMT_P1
=> 1);
END;
/

The ratio of CPU allocation is 10:5:2:1 for the GOLD_CG, SILVER_CG, BRONZE_CG, and
OTHER_GROUPS consumer groups, respectively.
If sessions exist only in the GOLD_CG and SILVER_CG consumer groups, then the ratio of
CPU allocation is 10:5 between the two groups.

Conflicting Resource Plan Directives
You may have occasion to reference the same consumer group from the top plan and
any number of subplans. This results in multiple resource plan directives referring to
the same consumer group. Although this is allowed, Oracle strongly recommends that
you avoid referencing the same consumer group from a top plan and any of its
subplans.
Similarly, when multiple resource plan directives refer to the same consumer group,
they have conflicting directives. Although this is allowed, Oracle strongly
recommends that you avoid multiple resource plan directives that refer to the same
consumer group.

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See Also:
■

"Updating a Resource Plan Directive" on page 27-54

■

"Deleting a Resource Plan Directive" on page 27-55

Validating the Pending Area
At any time when you are making changes in the pending area, you can call VALIDATE_
PENDING_AREA to ensure that the pending area is valid so far.
The following rules must be adhered to, and are checked by the validate procedure:
■

■
■

■
■

■

■

■
■

No plan can contain any loops. A loop occurs when a subplan contains a directive
that references a plan that is above the subplan in the plan hierarchy. For example,
a subplan cannot reference the top plan.
All plans and resource consumer groups referred to by plan directives must exist.
All plans must have plan directives that point to either plans or resource consumer
groups.
All percentages in any given level must not add up to greater than 100.
A plan that is currently being used as a top plan by an active instance cannot be
deleted.
The following parameters can appear only in plan directives that refer to resource
consumer groups, not other resource plans:
–

PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1

–

ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_P1

–

QUEUEING_P1

–

SWITCH_GROUP

–

SWITCH_TIME

–

SWITCH_ESTIMATE

–

SWITCH_IO_REQS

–

SWITCH_IO_MEGABYTES

–

MAX_EST_EXEC_TIME

–

UNDO_POOL

–

MAX_IDLE_TIME

–

MAX_IDLE_BLOCKER_TIME

–

SWITCH_FOR_CALL

–

UTILIZATION_LIMIT

There can be no more than 28 resource consumer groups in any active plan. Also,
at most, a plan can have 28 children.
Plans and resource consumer groups cannot have the same name.
There must be a plan directive for OTHER_GROUPS somewhere in any active plan.
This ensures that a session that is not part of any of the consumer groups included
in the currently active plan is allocated resources (as specified by the directive for
OTHER_GROUPS).

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Creating a Complex Resource Plan

VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA raises an error if any of the preceding rules are violated. You
can then make changes to fix any problems and call the procedure again.
It is possible to create "orphan" consumer groups that have no plan directives referring
to them. This allows the creation of consumer groups that will not currently be used,
but might be part of some plan to be implemented in the future.
Example: Validating the Pending Area:
The following PL/SQL block validates the pending area.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

See Also:

"About the Pending Area" on page 27-29

Submitting the Pending Area
After you have validated your changes, call the SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA procedure to
make your changes active.
The submit procedure also performs validation, so you do not necessarily need to
make separate calls to the validate procedure. However, if you are making major
changes to plans, debugging problems is often easier if you incrementally validate
your changes. No changes are submitted (made active) until validation is successful on
all of the changes in the pending area.
The SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA procedure clears (deactivates) the pending area after
successfully validating and committing the changes.
A call to SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA might fail even if VALIDATE_
PENDING_AREA succeeds. This can happen if, for example, a plan
being deleted is loaded by an instance after a call to VALIDATE_
PENDING_AREA, but before a call to SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA.

Note:

Example: Submitting the Pending Area:
The following PL/SQL block submits the pending area:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

See Also:

"About the Pending Area" on page 27-29

Clearing the Pending Area
There is also a procedure for clearing the pending area at any time. This PL/SQL block
causes all of your changes to be cleared from the pending area and deactivates the
pending area:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CLEAR_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

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After calling CLEAR_PENDING_AREA, you must call the CREATE_PENDING_AREA procedure
before you can again attempt to make changes.
See Also:

"About the Pending Area" on page 27-29

Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans
You enable Oracle Database Resource Manager (the Resource Manager) by setting the
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization parameter. This parameter specifies the top
plan, identifying the plan to be used for the current instance. If no plan is specified
with this parameter, the Resource Manager is not enabled.
By default the Resource Manager is not enabled, except during preconfigured
maintenance windows, described later in this section.
The following statement in a text initialization parameter file activates the Resource
Manager upon database startup and sets the top plan as mydb_plan.
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = mydb_plan

You can also activate or deactivate the Resource Manager, or change the current top
plan, using the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN package procedure or the ALTER
SYSTEM statement.
The following SQL statement sets the top plan to mydb_plan, and activates the
Resource Manager if it is not already active:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = 'mydb_plan';

An error message is returned if the specified plan does not exist in the data dictionary.
Automatic Enabling of the Resource Manager by Oracle Scheduler Windows
The Resource Manager automatically activates if an Oracle Scheduler window that
specifies a resource plan opens. When the Scheduler window closes, the resource plan
associated with the window is disabled, and the resource plan that was running before
the Scheduler window opened is reenabled. (If no resource plan was enabled before
the window opened, then the Resource Manager is disabled.) In an Oracle Real
Application Clusters environment, a Scheduler window applies to all instances, so the
window's resource plan is enabled on every instance.
Note that by default a set of automated maintenance tasks run during maintenance
windows, which are predefined Scheduler windows that are members of the
MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP window group and which specify the DEFAULT_
MAINTENANCE_PLAN resource plan. Thus, the Resource Manager activates by default
during maintenance windows. You can modify these maintenance windows to use a
different resource plan, if desired.
Note: If you change the plan associated with maintenance windows,
then ensure that you include the subplan ORA$AUTOTASK in the new
plan.

See Also:
■

"Windows" on page 28-11

■

Chapter 26, "Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks"

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

27-39

Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples

Disabling Plan Switches by Oracle Scheduler Windows
In some cases, the automatic change of Resource Manager plans at Scheduler window
boundaries may be undesirable. For example, if you have an important task to finish,
and if you set the Resource Manager plan to give your task priority, then you expect
that the plan will remain the same until you change it. However, because a Scheduler
window could activate after you have set your plan, the Resource Manager plan might
change while your task is running.
To prevent this situation, you can set the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter to the name of the plan that you want for the system and prepend "FORCE:"
to the name, as shown in the following SQL statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = 'FORCE:mydb_plan';

Using the prefix FORCE: indicates that the current resource plan can be changed only
when the database administrator changes the value of the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter. This restriction can be lifted by rerunning the command
without preceding the plan name with "FORCE:".
The DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN package procedure has a similar capability.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information on DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN.

Disabling the Resource Manager
To disable the Resource Manager, complete the following steps:
1.

Issue the following SQL statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = '';

2.

Disassociate the Resource Manager from all Oracle Scheduler windows.
To do so, for any Scheduler window that references a resource plan in its
resource_plan attribute, use the DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure to set
resource_plan to the empty string (''). Qualify the window name with the SYS
schema name if you are not logged in as user SYS. You can view Scheduler
windows with the DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS data dictionary view. See "Altering
Windows" on page 29-57 and Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference
for more information.
By default, all maintenance windows reference the DEFAULT_
MAINTENANCE_PLAN resource plan. To completely disable the Resource
Manager, you must alter all maintenance windows to remove this
plan. However, use caution, because resource consumption by
automated maintenance tasks will no longer be regulated, which may
adversely affect the performance of your other sessions. See
Chapter 26, "Managing Automated Database Maintenance Tasks" for
more information on maintenance windows.

Note:

Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples
This section provides some examples of resource plans. The following examples are
presented:
■

Multilevel Plan Example

■

Examples of Using the Utilization Limit Attribute

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■

Example of Using Several Resource Allocation Methods

■

Example of Managing Parallel Statements Using Directive Attributes

■

An Oracle-Supplied Mixed Workload Plan

Multilevel Plan Example
The following PL/SQL block creates a multilevel plan as illustrated in Figure 27–3 on
page 27-42. Default resource allocation method settings are used for all plans and
resource consumer groups.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(PLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
COMMENT => 'Resource plan/method for bug users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(PLAN => 'maildb_plan',
COMMENT => 'Resource plan/method for mail users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(PLAN => 'mydb_plan',
COMMENT => 'Resource plan/method for bug and mail users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Online_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for online bug users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Batch_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for batch job bug users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Bug_Maint_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for users sessions for bug db maint');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Users_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for mail users sessions');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Postman_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for mail postman');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'Mail_Maint_group',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for users sessions for mail db maint');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Online_group',
COMMENT => 'online bug users sessions at level 1', MGMT_P1 => 80, MGMT_P2=> 0);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Batch_group',
COMMENT => 'batch bug users sessions at level 1', MGMT_P1 => 20, MGMT_P2 => 0,
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 => 8);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Bug_Maint_group',
COMMENT => 'bug maintenance users sessions at level 2', MGMT_P1 => 0, MGMT_P2 => 100);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT => 'all other users sessions at level 3', MGMT_P1 => 0, MGMT_P2 => 0,
MGMT_P3 => 100);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'maildb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Postman_group',
COMMENT => 'mail postman at level 1', MGMT_P1 => 40, MGMT_P2 => 0);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'maildb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Users_group',
COMMENT => 'mail users sessions at level 2', MGMT_P1 => 0, MGMT_P2 => 80);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'maildb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'Mail_Maint_group',
COMMENT => 'mail maintenance users sessions at level 2', MGMT_P1 => 0, MGMT_P2 => 20);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'maildb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT => 'all other users sessions at level 3', MGMT_P1 => 0, MGMT_P2 => 0,
MGMT_P3 => 100);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'mydb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'maildb_plan',
COMMENT=> 'all mail users sessions at level 1', MGMT_P1 => 30);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'mydb_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'bugdb_plan',
COMMENT => 'all bug users sessions at level 1', MGMT_P1 => 70);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

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Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

The preceding call to VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA is optional because the validation is
implicitly performed in SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA.
Figure 27–3 Multilevel Plan Schema
MYDB
PLAN
30% @
Level 1

70% @
Level 1

MAILDB
PLAN

40% @
Level 1

80% @
Level 2

BUGDB
PLAN

20% @
Level 2

100% @
Level 3

POSTMAN
GROUP

100% @
Level 3

80% @
Level 1

ONLINE
GROUP
USERS
GROUP

MAIL MAINT
GROUP

20% @
Level 1

100% @
Level 2

BATCH
GROUP
BUG MAINT
GROUP

OTHER
GROUPS

In this plan schema, CPU resources are allocated as follows:
■

■

■

■

■

Under mydb_plan, 30% of CPU is allocated to the maildb_plan subplan, and 70% is
allocated to the bugdb_plan subplan. Both subplans are at level 1. Because mydb_
plan itself has no levels below level 1, any resource allocations that are unused by
either subplan at level 1 can be used by its sibling subplan. Thus, if maildb_plan
uses only 20% of CPU, then 80% of CPU is available to bugdb_plan.
maildb_plan and bugdb_plan define allocations at levels 1, 2, and 3. The levels in
these subplans are independent of levels in their parent plan, mydb_plan. That is,
all plans and subplans in a plan schema have their own level 1, level 2, level 3, and
so on.
Of the 30% of CPU allocated to maildb_plan, 40% of that amount (effectively 12%
of total CPU) is allocated to Postman_group at level 1. Because Postman_group has
no siblings at level 1, there is an implied 60% remaining at level 1. This 60% is then
shared by Users_group and Mail_Maint_group at level 2, at 80% and 20%,
respectively. In addition to this 60%, Users_group and Mail_Maint_group can also
use any of the 40% not used by Postman_group at level 1.
CPU resources not used by either Users_group or Mail_Maint_group at level 2 are
allocated to OTHER_GROUPS, because in multilevel plans, unused resources are
reallocated to consumer groups or subplans at the next lower level, not to siblings
at the same level. Thus, if Users_group uses only 70% instead of 80%, the
remaining 10% cannot be used by Mail_Maint_group. That 10% is available only to
OTHER_GROUPS at level 3.
The 70% of CPU allocated to the bugdb_plan subplan is allocated to its consumer
groups in a similar fashion. If either Online_group or Batch_group does not use its
full allocation, the remainder may be used by Bug_Maint_group. If Bug_Maint_
group does not use all of that allocation, the remainder goes to OTHER_GROUPS.

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Examples of Using the Utilization Limit Attribute
You can use the UTILIZATION_LIMIT directive attribute to limit the CPU utilization for
applications. One of the most common scenarios in which this attribute can be used is
for database consolidation.
During database consolidation, you may need to be able to do the following:
■

Manage the performance impact that one application can have on another.
One method of managing this performance impact is to create a consumer group
for each application and allocate resources to each consumer group.

■

Limit the utilization of each application.
Typically, in addition to allocating a specific percentage of the CPU resources to
each consumer group, you may need to limit the maximum CPU utilization for
each group. This limit prevents a consumer group from using all of the CPU
resources when all the other consumer groups are idle.
In some cases, you may want all application users to experience consistent
performance regardless of the workload from other applications. This can be
achieved by specifying a utilization limit for each consumer group in a resource
plan.

The following examples demonstrate how to use the UTILIZATION_LIMIT resource plan
directive attribute to:
■

Restrict total database CPU utilization

■

Quarantine runaway queries

■

Limit CPU usage for applications

■

Limit CPU utilization during maintenance windows

Example 1 - Restricting Overall Database CPU Utilization
In this example, regardless of database load, system workload from Oracle Database
never exceeds 90% of CPU, leaving 10% of CPU for other applications sharing the
server.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'MAXCAP_PLAN',
COMMENT => 'Limit overall database CPU');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'MAXCAP_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'This group is mandatory',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT => 90);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

Because there is no plan directive other than the one for OTHER_GROUPS, all sessions are
mapped to OTHER_GROUPS.

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Example 2 - Quarantining Runaway Queries
In this example, runaway queries are switched to a consumer group with a utilization
limit of 20%, limiting the amount of resources that they can consume until you can
intervene. A runaway query is characterized here as one that takes more than 10
minutes of CPU time. Assume that session mapping rules start all sessions in START_
GROUP.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'START_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Sessions start here');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'QUARANTINE_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Sessions switched here to quarantine them');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'Quarantine_plan',
COMMENT => 'Quarantine runaway queries');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'Quarantine_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'START_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Max CPU 10 minutes before switch',
MGMT_P1
=> 75,
switch_group
=> 'QUARANTINE_GROUP',
switch_time
=> 600);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'Quarantine_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'Mandatory',
MGMT_P1
=> 25);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'Quarantine_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'QUARANTINE_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Limited CPU',
MGMT_P2
=> 100,
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 20);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

Although you could set the utilization limit to zero for
QUARANTINE_GROUP, thus completely quarantining runaway queries, it
is recommended that you avoid doing this. If the runaway query is
holding any resources—PGA memory, locks, and so on—required by
any other session, then a zero allocation setting could lead to a
deadlock.
Caution:

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Example 3 - LImiting CPU for Applications
In this example, assume that mapping rules map application sessions into one of four
application groups. Each application group is allocated a utilization limit of 30%. This
limits CPU utilization of any one application to 30%. The sum of the UTILIZATION_
LIMIT values exceeds 100%, which is permissible and acceptable in a situation where
all applications are not active simultaneously.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP1_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 1');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP2_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 2');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP3_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 3');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP4_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 4');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
COMMENT => 'Application consolidation');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP1_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 1',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 30);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 2',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 30);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP3_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 3',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 30);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP4_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Apps group 4',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 30);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
PLAN
=> 'apps_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'Mandatory',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 20);

(

(

(

(

(

DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

If all four application groups can fully use the CPU allocated to them (30% in this
case), then the minimum CPU that is allocated to each application group is computed
Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples

as a ratio of the application group's limit to the total of the limits of all application
groups. In this example, all four application groups are allocated a utilization limit of
30%. Therefore, when all four groups fully use their limits, the CPU allocation to each
group is 30/(30+30+30+30) = 25%.
Example 4 - Specifying a Utilization Limit for Consumer Groups and Subplans
The following example describes how the utilization limit is computed for scenarios,
such as the one in Figure 27–4, where you set UTILIZATION_LIMIT for a subplan and
for consumer groups within the subplan. For simplicity, the requirement to include the
OTHER_GROUPS consumer group is ignored, and resource plan directives are not shown,
even though they are part of the plan.
Figure 27–4 Resource Plan with Maximum Utilization for Subplan and Consumer Groups
APPS PLAN

UTILIZATION_LIMIT=40%

APP1 GROUP

UTILIZATION_LIMIT=40%

APP2 SUBPLAN

APP3 GROUP

UTILIZATION_LIMIT=90%

APP2 REPORTS
SUBPLAN

APP2 OLTP GROUP

UTILIZATION_LIMIT=50%

UTILIZATION_LIMIT=50%

APP2 ADHOC GROUP

APP2 REPORT GROUP

The following PL/SQL block creates the plan described in Figure 27–4.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP1_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Group for application #1');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP2_OLTP_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Group for OLTP activity in application #2');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP2_ADHOC_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Group for ad-hoc queries in application #2');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP (
CONSUMER_GROUP => 'APP2_REPORT_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Group for reports in application #2');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'APPS_PLAN',
COMMENT => 'Plan for managing 3 applications');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(

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PLAN
=> 'APP2_SUBPLAN',
COMMENT => 'Subplan for managing application #2',
SUB_PLAN => TRUE);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(
PLAN
=> 'APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN',
COMMENT => 'Subplan for managing reports in application #2',
SUB_PLAN => TRUE);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APPS_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP1_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Limit CPU for application #1 to 40%',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 40);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APPS_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_SUBPLAN',
COMMENT
=> 'Limit CPU for application #2 to 40%',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 40);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APP2_SUBPLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_OLTP_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Limit CPU for OLTP to 90% of application #2',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 90);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APP2_SUBPLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN',
COMMENT
=> 'Subplan for ad-hoc and normal reports for
application #2');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_ADHOC_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Limit CPU for ad-hoc queries to 50% of application
#2 reports',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 50);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'APP2_REPORT_GROUP',
COMMENT
=> 'Limit CPU for reports to 50% of application #2
reports',
UTILIZATION_LIMIT
=> 50);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE (
PLAN
=> 'APPS_PLAN',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'OTHER_GROUPS',
COMMENT
=> 'No directives for default users');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

In this example, the maximum CPU utilization for the consumer group APP1_GROUP
and subplan APP2_SUBPLAN is set to 40%. The limit for the consumer groups APP2_
ADHOC_GROUP and APP2_REPORT_GROUP is set to 50%.
Because there is no limit specified for the subplan APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN, it inherits
the limit of its parent subplan APP2_SUBPLAN, which is 40%. The absolute limit for the
consumer group APP2_REPORT_GROUP is computed as 50% of its parent subplan, which
is 50% of 40%, or 20%.

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Similarly, because the consumer group APP2_ADHOC_GROUP is contained in the subplan
APP2_REPORTS_SUBPLAN, its limit is computed as a percentage of its parent subplan. The
utilization limit for the consumer group APP2_ADHOC_GROUP is 50% of 40%, or 20%.
The maximum CPU utilization for the consumer group APP2_OLTP_GROUP is set to 90%.
The parent subplan of APP2_OLTP_GROUP, APP2_SUBPLAN, has a limit of 40%. Therefore,
the absolute limit for the group APP2_OLTP_GROUP is 90% of 40%, or 36%.

Example of Using Several Resource Allocation Methods
The example presented here could represent a plan for a database supporting a
packaged ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) application. The work in such an environment can be highly varied.
There may be a mix of short transactions and quick queries, in combination with
longer running batch jobs that include large parallel queries. The goal is to give good
response time to OLTP (Online Transaction Processing), while allowing batch jobs to
run in parallel.
The plan is summarized in the following table.

Group

CPU
Resource
Allocation %

oltp

60%

Parallel Statement
Queuing

Automatic Consumer
Group Switching

Maximum
Estimated
Execution
Time

Undo Pool
200K

Switch to group: batch
Switch time: 3 secs

batch

30%

Parallel server
limit: 8

--

3600 secs

--

Parallel queue
timeout: 600 secs
OTHER_GROUPS

10%

--

--

--

The following statements create the preceding plan, which is named erp_plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN(PLAN => 'erp_plan',
COMMENT => 'Resource plan/method for ERP Database');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'oltp',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for OLTP jobs');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP(CONSUMER_GROUP => 'batch',
COMMENT => 'Resource consumer group/method for BATCH jobs');
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'erp_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'oltp', COMMENT => 'OLTP sessions', MGMT_P1 => 60,
SWITCH_GROUP => 'batch', SWITCH_TIME => 3, UNDO_POOL => 200,
SWITCH_FOR_CALL => TRUE);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'erp_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'batch', COMMENT => 'BATCH sessions', MGMT_P1 => 30,
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT => 8, PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT => 600,
MAX_EST_EXEC_TIME => 3600);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(PLAN => 'erp_plan',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'OTHER_GROUPS', COMMENT => 'mandatory', MGMT_P1 => 10);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

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Example of Managing Parallel Statements Using Directive Attributes
A typical data warehousing environment consists of different types of users with
varying resource requirements. Users with common processing needs are grouped into
a consumer group. The consumer group URGENT_GROUP consists of users who run
reports that provide important information to top management. This group generates
a large number of parallel queries. Users from the consumer group ETL_GROUP import
data from source systems and perform extract, transform, and load (ETL) operations.
The group OTHER_GROUPS contains users who execute ad-hoc queries. You must
manage the requirements of these diverse groups of users while optimizing
performance.
You can use the following directive attributes to manage and optimize the execution of
parallel statements:
■

MGMT_Pn

■

PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT

■

PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL

■

PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT

■

PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1

Table 27–3 describes the resource allocations of the plan DW_PLAN, which can be used to
manage the needs of the data warehouse users. This plan contains the consumer
groups URGENT_GROUP, ETL_GROUP, and OTHER_GROUPS. This example demonstrates the
use of directive attributes in ensuring that one application or consumer group does not
use all the available parallel execution servers.
Table 27–3

Resource Plan with Parallel Statement Directives

Consumer Group

Level 1 CPU
Allocation

URGENT_GROUP

100%

ETL_GROUP
OTHER_GROUPS

Level 2 CPU
Allocation

Level 3 CPU
Allocation

PARALLEL_
DEGREE_
LIMIT_P1

PARALLEL_
SERVER_LIMIT

PARALLEL_
QUEUE_
TIMEOUT

12
100%
100%

8

50%

2

50%

360

In this example, the parameter PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET initialization parameter is
set to 64, which means that the number of parallel execution servers available is 64.
The total number of parallel execution servers that can be used for parallel statement
execution before URGENT_GROUP sessions with PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY set to AUTO are
added to the parallel statement queue is equal to 64. Because the PARALLEL_SERVER_
LIMIT attribute of ETL_GROUP and OTHER_GROUPS is 50%, the maximum number of
parallel execution servers that can be used by these groups is 50% of 64, or 32 parallel
execution servers each.
Note that parallel statements from a consumer group will only be queued if the
PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY parameter is set to AUTO and the total number of active
servers for the consumer group is higher than PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET. If PARALLEL_
DEGREE_POLICY is set to MANUAL or LIMITED, then the statements are run provided there
are enough parallel execution servers available. The parallel execution servers used by
such a statement will count toward the total number of parallel execution servers used
by the consumer group. However, the parallel statement will not be added to the
parallel statement queue.
Tip: For low-priority applications, it is a common practice to set low
values for PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 and PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT.

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Putting It All Together: Oracle Database Resource Manager Examples

Because URGENT_GROUP has 100% of the allocation at level 1, its parallel statements will
always be dequeued ahead of the other consumer groups from the parallel statement
queue. Although URGENT_GROUP has no PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT directive attribute, a
statement issued by a session in this group might still be queued if there are not
enough available parallel execution servers to run it.
When you create the resource plan directive for the URGENT_GROUP, you can set the
PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL parameter to BYPASS_QUEUE. With this setting, parallel
statements from the consumer group bypass the parallel statements queue and are
executed immediately. However, the number of parallel execution servers might
exceed the setting of the PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET initialization parameter, and the
degree of parallelism might be lower if the limit set by the PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS
initialization parameter is reached.
The degree of parallelism, represented by PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1, is set to 12 for
URGENT_GROUP. Therefore, each parallel statement from URGENT_GROUP can use a
maximum of 12 parallel execution servers. Similarly, each parallel statement from the
ETL_GROUP can use a maximum of 8 parallel execution servers and each parallel
statement from the OTHER_GROUPS can use 2 parallel execution servers.
Suppose, at a given time, the only parallel statements are from the ETL_GROUP, and
they are using 26 out of the 32 parallel execution servers available to this group.
Sessions from this consumer group have PARALLEL_DEGREE_POLICY set to AUTO. If
another parallel statement with the PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1 attribute set to 8 is
launched from ETL_GROUP, then this query cannot be run immediately because the
available parallel execution servers in the ETL_GROUP is 32-26=6 parallel execution
servers. The new parallel statement is queued until the number of parallel execution
servers it requires is available in ETL_GROUP.
While the parallel statements in ETL_GROUP are being executed, suppose a parallel
statement is launched from OTHER_GROUPS. This group still has 32 parallel execution
servers available and so the parallel statement is executed.
The PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT attribute for OTHER_GROUPS is set to 360. Therefore, any
parallel statement from this group can remain in the parallel execution server queue
for 360 seconds only. After this time, the parallel statement is removed from the queue
and the error ORA-07454 is returned.
See Also:
■

"Parallel Execution Servers" on page 27-22

■

"Creating Resource Plan Directives" on page 27-32

An Oracle-Supplied Mixed Workload Plan
Oracle Database includes a predefined resource plan, MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN, that
prioritizes interactive operations over batch operations, and includes the required
subplans and consumer groups recommended by Oracle. MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN is
defined as follows:
CPU Resource Allocation
Group or Subplan

Level 1

Level 2

BATCH_GROUP

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Level 3
100%

Automatic Consumer Group
Switching

Max Degree of
Parallelism

Managing Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server

CPU Resource Allocation
Group or Subplan

Level 1

Level 2
85%

INTERACTIVE_GROUP

Level 3

Automatic Consumer Group
Switching

Max Degree of
Parallelism

Switch to group: BATCH_GROUP

1

Switch time: 60 seconds
Switch for call: TRUE
ORA$AUTOTASK

5%

OTHER_GROUPS

5%
100%

SYS_GROUP

In this plan, because INTERACTIVE_GROUP is intended for short transactions, any call
that consumes more than 60 seconds of CPU time is automatically switched to BATCH_
GROUP, which is intended for longer batch operations.
You can use this predefined plan if it is appropriate for your environment. (You can
modify the plan, or delete it if you do not intend to use it.) Note that there is nothing
special about the names BATCH_GROUP and INTERACTIVE_GROUP. The names reflect only
the intended purposes of the groups, and it is up to you to map application sessions to
these groups and adjust CPU resource allocation percentages accordingly so that you
achieve proper resource management for your interactive and batch applications. For
example, to ensure that your interactive applications run under the INTERACTIVE_
GROUP consumer group, you must map your interactive applications' user sessions to
this consumer group based on user name, service name, program name, module name,
or action, as described in "Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules" on
page 27-9. You must map your batch applications to the BATCH_GROUP in the same way.
Finally, you must enable this plan as described in "Enabling Oracle Database Resource
Manager and Switching Plans" on page 27-39.
See Table 27–4 on page 27-63 and Table 27–5 on page 27-64 for explanations of the
other resource consumer groups and subplans in this plan.

Managing Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server
Oracle Database provides a method for managing CPU allocations on a multi-CPU
server running multiple database instances. This method is called instance caging.
Instance caging and Oracle Database Resource Manager (the Resource Manager) work
together to support desired levels of service across multiple instances.
This section contains:
■

About Instance Caging

■

Enabling Instance Caging

About Instance Caging
You might decide to run multiple Oracle database instances on a single multi-CPU
server. A typical reason to do so would be server consolidation—using available
hardware resources more efficiently. When running multiple instances on a single
server, the instances compete for CPU. One resource-intensive database instance could
significantly degrade the performance of the other instances. For example, on a
16-CPU system with four database instances, the operating system might be running
one database instance on the majority of the CPUs during a period of heavy load for
that instance. This could degrade performance in the other three instances. CPU

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Managing Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server

allocation decisions such as this are made solely by the operating system; the user
generally has no control over them.
A simple way to limit CPU consumption for each database instance is to use instance
caging. Instance caging is a method that uses an initialization parameter to limit the
number of CPUs that an instance can use simultaneously. In the previous example, if
you use instance caging to limit the number of CPUs to four for each of the four
instances, there is less likelihood that one instance can interfere with the others. When
constrained to four CPUs, an instance might become CPU-bound. This is when the
Resource Manager begins to do its work to allocate CPU among the various database
sessions according to the resource plan that you set for the instance. Thus, instance
caging and the Resource Manager together provide a simple, effective way to manage
multiple instances on a single server.
There are two typical approaches to instance caging for a server:
■

■

Over-subscribing—You would use this approach for non-critical databases such as
development and test systems, or low-load non-critical production systems. In this
approach, the sum of the CPU limits for each instance exceeds the actual number
of CPUs on the system. For example, on a 4-CPU system with four database
instances, you might limit each instance to three CPUs. When a server is
over-subscribed in this way, the instances can impact each other's performance.
However, instance caging limits the impact and helps provide somewhat
predictable performance. However, if one of the instances has a period of high
load, the CPUs are available to handle it. This is a reasonable approach for
non-critical systems, because one or more of the instances may frequently be idle
or at a very low load.
Partitioning—This approach is for critical production systems, where you want to
prevent instances from interfering with each other. You allocate CPUs such that
the sum of all allocations is equal to the number of CPUs on the server. For
example, on a 16-server system, you might allocate 8 CPUs to the first instance, 4
CPUs to the second, and 2 each to the remaining two instances. By dedicating CPU
resources to each database instance, the load on one instance cannot affect
another's, and each instance performs predictably.

Using Instance Caging with Utilization Limit
If you enable instance caging and set a utilization limit in your resource plan, then the
absolute limit is computed as a percentage of the allocated CPU resources.
For example, if you enable instance caging and set the CPU_COUNT to 4, and a consumer
group has a utilization limit of 50%, then the consumer group can use a maximum of
50% of 4 CPUs, which is 2 CPUs.

Enabling Instance Caging
To enable instance caging, do the following for each instance on the server:
1.

Enable the Resource Manager by assigning a resource plan, and ensure that the
resource plan has CPU directives, using the MGMT_P1 through MGMT_P8 parameters.
See "Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans" on
page 27-39 for instructions.

2.

Set the cpu_count initialization parameter.
This is a dynamic parameter, and can be set with the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET CPU_COUNT = 4;

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Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives

Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives
This section provides instructions for maintaining consumer groups, resource plans,
and resource plan directives for Oracle Database Resource Manager (the Resource
Manager). You perform maintenance tasks using the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL
package. The following topics are covered:
■

Updating a Consumer Group

■

Deleting a Consumer Group

■

Updating a Plan

■

Deleting a Plan

■

Updating a Resource Plan Directive

■

Deleting a Resource Plan Directive
See Also:
■
■

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules on page 27-64
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on
the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package.

Updating a Consumer Group
You use the UPDATE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure to update consumer group
information. The pending area must be created first, and then submitted after the
consumer group is updated. If you do not specify the arguments for the UPDATE_
CONSUMER_GROUP procedure, then they remain unchanged in the data dictionary.

Deleting a Consumer Group
The DELETE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure deletes the specified consumer group. The
pending area must be created first, and then submitted after the consumer group is
deleted. Upon deletion of a consumer group, all users having the deleted group as
their initial consumer group are assigned the OTHER_GROUPS as their initial consumer
group. All currently running sessions belonging to a deleted consumer group are
assigned to a new consumer group, based on the consumer group mapping rules. If no
consumer group is found for a session through mapping, the session is switched to the
OTHER_GROUPS.
You cannot delete a consumer group if it is referenced by a resource plan directive.

Updating a Plan
You use the UPDATE_PLAN procedure to update plan information. The pending area
must be created first, and then submitted after the plan is updated. If you do not
specify the arguments for the UPDATE_PLAN procedure, they remain unchanged in the
data dictionary. The following PL/SQL block updates the COMMENT parameter.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_PLAN(
PLAN => 'DAYTIME',
NEW_COMMENT => '50% more resources for OLTP applications');
END;
/

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives

Deleting a Plan
The DELETE_PLAN procedure deletes the specified plan as well as all the plan directives
associated with it. The pending area must be created first, and then submitted after the
plan is deleted.
The following PL/SQL block deletes the great_bread plan and its directives.
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.DELETE_PLAN(PLAN => 'great_bread');
END;
/

The resource consumer groups referenced by the deleted directives are not deleted, but
they are no longer associated with the great_bread plan.
The DELETE_PLAN_CASCADE procedure deletes the specified plan as well as all its
descendants: plan directives and those subplans and resource consumer groups that
are not marked by the database as mandatory. If DELETE_PLAN_CASCADE encounters an
error, then it rolls back, leaving the plan unchanged.
You cannot delete the currently active plan.

Updating a Resource Plan Directive
Use the UPDATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure to update plan directives. The pending
area must be created first, and then submitted after the resource plan directive is
updated. If you do not specify an argument for the UPDATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
procedure, then its corresponding parameter in the directive remains unchanged.
The following example adds a comment to a directive:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CLEAR_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'SIMPLE_PLAN1',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN => 'MYGROUP1',
NEW_COMMENT
=> 'Higher priority'
);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

To clear (nullify) a comment, pass a null string (''). To clear (zero or nullify) any
numeric directive parameter, set its new value to -1:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CLEAR_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
PLAN
=> 'SIMPLE_PLAN1',
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
=> 'MYGROUP1',
NEW_MAX_EST_EXEC_TIME => -1
);
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();
END;
/

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Viewing Database Resource Manager Configuration and Status

Deleting a Resource Plan Directive
To delete a resource plan directive, use the DELETE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure. The
pending area must be created first, and then submitted after the resource plan
directive is deleted.

Viewing Database Resource Manager Configuration and Status
You can use several static data dictionary views and dynamic performance views to
view the current configuration and status of Oracle Database Resource Manager (the
Resource Manager). This section provides the following examples:
■

Viewing Consumer Groups Granted to Users or Roles

■

Viewing Plan Information

■

Viewing Current Consumer Groups for Sessions

■

Viewing the Currently Active Plans
Oracle Database Reference for details on all static data
dictionary views and dynamic performance views

See Also:

Viewing Consumer Groups Granted to Users or Roles
The DBA_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP_PRIVS view displays the consumer groups granted to
users or roles. Specifically, it displays the groups to which a user or role is allowed to
belong or be switched. For example, in the view shown below, user SCOTT always
starts in the SALES consumer group, can switch to the MARKETING group through a
specific grant, and can switch to the DEFAULT_CONSUMER_GROUP (OTHER_GROUPS) and
LOW_GROUP groups because they are granted to PUBLIC. SCOTT also can grant the SALES
group but not the MARKETING group to other users.
SELECT * FROM dba_rsrc_consumer_group_privs;
GRANTEE
-----------------PUBLIC
PUBLIC
SCOTT
SCOTT
SYSTEM

GRANTED_GROUP
-----------------------------DEFAULT_CONSUMER_GROUP
LOW_GROUP
MARKETING
SALES
SYS_GROUP

GRANT_OPTION
-----------YES
NO
NO
YES
NO

INITIAL_GROUP
------------YES
NO
NO
YES
YES

SCOTT was granted the ability to switch to these groups using the DBMS_RESOURCE_
MANAGER_PRIVS package.

Viewing Plan Information
This example uses the DBA_RSRC_PLANS view to display all of the resource plans
defined in the database. All plans have a NULL status, meaning that they are not in the
pending area.
Plans in the pending area have a status of PENDING. Plans in
the pending area are being edited.

Note:

SELECT plan,status,comments FROM dba_rsrc_plans;
PLAN

STATUS

COMMENTS

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

27-55

Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

--------------------------- -------- ---------------------------------------DSS_PLAN
Example plan for DSS workloads that prio...
ETL_CRITICAL_PLAN
Example plan for DSS workloads that prio...
MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN
Example plan for a mixed workload that p...
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
Default plan for maintenance windows tha...
DEFAULT_PLAN
Default, basic, pre-defined plan that pr...
INTERNAL_QUIESCE
Plan for quiescing the database. This p...
INTERNAL_PLAN
Internally-used plan for disabling the r...
.
.
.

Viewing Current Consumer Groups for Sessions
You can use the V$SESSION view to display the consumer groups that are currently
assigned to sessions.
SELECT sid,serial#,username,resource_consumer_group FROM v$session;
SID
SERIAL#
----- ------11
136
13
16570
...

USERNAME
-----------------------SYS
SCOTT

RESOURCE_CONSUMER_GROUP
-------------------------------SYS_GROUP
SALES

Viewing the Currently Active Plans
This example sets mydb_plan, as created by the example shown earlier in "Multilevel
Plan Example" on page 27-41, as the top level plan. It then queries the V$RSRC_PLAN
view to display the currently active plans. The view displays the current top level plan
and all of its descendent subplans.
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = mydb_plan;
System altered.
SELECT name, is_top_plan FROM v$rsrc_plan;
NAME
IS_TOP_PLAN
---------------------------MYDB_PLAN
TRUE
MAILDB_PLAN
FALSE
BUGDB_PLAN
FALSE

Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager
Use the following dynamic performance views to help you monitor the results of your
Oracle Database Resource Manager settings:
■

V$RSRC_PLAN

■

V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP

■

V$RSRC_SESSION_INFO

■

V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY

■

V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY

■

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC

■

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY

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Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

These views provide:
■

Current status information

■

History of resource plan activations

■

Current and historical statistics on resource consumption and CPU waits by both
resource consumer group and session

In addition, historical statistics are available through the DBA_HIST_RSRC_PLAN and
DBA_HIST_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP views, which contain Automatic Workload
Repository (AWR) snapshots of the V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY and V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_
HISTORY, respectively.
For assistance with tuning, the views V$RSRCMGRMETRIC and V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY
show how much time was spent waiting for CPU and how much CPU was consumed
per minute for every consumer group for the past hour. These metrics can also be
viewed graphically with Cloud Control, on the Resource Manager Statistics page.
When Resource Manager is enabled, Resource Manager automatically records statistics
about resource usage, and you can examine these statistics using real-time SQL
monitoring and Resource Manager dynamic performance views.
You can use real-time SQL monitoring by accessing the SQL Monitor page in Cloud
Control or by querying the V$SQL_MONITOR view and other related views. The V$SQL_
MONITOR view also includes information about the last action performed by Resource
Manager for a consumer group in the following columns: RM_CONSUMER_GROUP, RM_
LAST_ACTION, RM_LAST_ACTION_REASON, and RM_LAST_ACTION_TIME.
In addition, the following dynamic performance views contain statistics about
resource usage:
■

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC

■

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY

■

V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP

■

V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information
about real-time SQL monitoring

V$RSRC_PLAN This view displays the currently active resource plan and its
subplans.
SELECT name, is_top_plan FROM v$rsrc_plan;
NAME
-------------------------------DEFAULT_PLAN
ORA$AUTOTASK
ORA$AUTOTASK_HIGH_SUB_PLAN

IS_TOP_PLAN
----------TRUE
FALSE
FALSE

The plan for which IS_TOP_PLAN is TRUE is the currently active (top) plan, and the other
plans are subplans of either the top plan or of other subplans in the list.
This view also contains other information, including the following:
■

The INSTANCE_CAGING column shows whether instance caging is enabled.

■

The CPU_MANAGED column shows whether CPU is being managed.

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

■

The PARALLEL_EXECUTION_MANAGED column shows whether parallel statement
queuing is enabled.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

Use the V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP view to monitor
resources consumed, including CPU, I/O, and parallel execution servers. It can also be
used to monitor statistics related to CPU resource management, runaway query
management, parallel statement queuing, and so on. All of the statistics are cumulative
from the time when the plan was activated.

V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP

SELECT name, active_sessions, queue_length,
consumed_cpu_time, cpu_waits, cpu_wait_time
FROM v$rsrc_consumer_group;
NAME
ACTIVE_SESSIONS QUEUE_LENGTH CONSUMED_CPU_TIME CPU_WAITS CPU_WAIT_TIME
------------------ --------------- ------------ ----------------- ---------- ------------OLTP_ORDER_ENTRY
1
0
29690
467
6709
OTHER_GROUPS
0
0
5982366
4089
60425
SYS_GROUP
1
0
2420704
914
19540
DSS_QUERIES
4
2
4594660
3004
55700

In the preceding query results, the DSS_QUERIES consumer group has four sessions in
its active session pool and two more sessions queued for activation.
A key measure in this view is CPU_WAIT_TIME. This indicates the total time that
sessions in the consumer group waited for CPU because of resource management. Not
included in this measure are waits due to latch or enqueue contention, I/O waits, and
so on.
The V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP view records statistics for
resources that are not currently being managed by Resource Manager.
when the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter is set to ALL or
TYPICAL.
Note:

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

V$RSRC_SESSION_INFO Use this view to monitor the status of one or more
sessions. The view shows how the session has been affected by the Resource Manager.
It provides information such as:
■

The consumer group that the session currently belongs to.

■

The consumer group that the session originally belonged to.

■

The session attribute that was used to map the session to the consumer group.

■

Session state (RUNNING, WAIT_FOR_CPU, QUEUED, and so on).

■

Current and cumulative statistics for metrics, such as CPU consumed, wait times,
queued time, and number of active parallel servers used. Current statistics reflect
statistics for the session since it joined its current consumer group. Cumulative
statistics reflect statistics for the session in all consumer groups to which it has
belonged since it was created.

SELECT se.sid sess_id, co.name consumer_group,
se.state, se.consumed_cpu_time cpu_time, se.cpu_wait_time, se.queued_time
FROM v$rsrc_session_info se, v$rsrc_consumer_group co
WHERE se.current_consumer_group_id = co.id;

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Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

SESS_ID
------113
135
124
114
102
147

CONSUMER_GROUP
-----------------OLTP_ORDER_ENTRY
OTHER_GROUPS
OTHER_GROUPS
SYS_GROUP
SYS_GROUP
DSS_QUERIES

STATE
CPU_TIME CPU_WAIT_TIME QUEUED_TIME
-------- --------- ------------- ----------WAITING
137947
28846
0
IDLE
785669
11126
0
WAITING
50401
14326
0
RUNNING
495
0
0
IDLE
88054
80
0
WAITING
460910
512154
0

CPU_WAIT_TIME in this view has the same meaning as in the V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP
view, but applied to an individual session.
You can join this view with the V$SESSION view for more information about a session.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Reference

■

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide

V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY This view shows when resource plans were enabled or
disabled on the instance. Each resource plan activation or deactivation is assigned a
sequence number. For each entry in the view, the V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY view
has a corresponding entry for each consumer group in the plan that shows the
cumulative statistics for the consumer group. The two views are joined by the
SEQUENCE# column in each.
SELECT sequence# seq, name plan_name,
to_char(start_time, 'DD-MON-YY HH24:MM') start_time,
to_char(end_time, 'DD-MON-YY HH24:MM') end_time, window_name
FROM v$rsrc_plan_history;
SEQ
---1
2
3
4
5
6

PLAN_NAME
START_TIME
-------------------------- --------------29-MAY-07 23:05
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
29-MAY-07 23:05
30-MAY-07 02:05
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
30-MAY-07 22:05
31-MAY-07 02:05
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
31-MAY-07 22:05

END_TIME
--------------29-MAY-07 23:05
30-MAY-07 02:05
30-MAY-07 22:05
31-MAY-07 02:05
31-MAY-07 22:05

WINDOW_NAME
---------------TUESDAY_WINDOW
WEDNESDAY_WINDOW
THURSDAY_WINDOW

A null value under PLAN_NAME indicates that no plan was active.
AWR snapshots of this view are stored in the DBA_HIST_RSRC_PLAN view.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY This view helps you understand how resources

were shared among the consumer groups over time. The sequence# column
corresponds to the column of the same name in the V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY view.
Therefore, you can determine the plan that was active for each row of consumer group
statistics.
SELECT sequence# seq, name, cpu_wait_time, cpu_waits,
consumed_cpu_time FROM v$rsrc_cons_group_history;
SEQ
---2
2

NAME
CPU_WAIT_TIME CPU_WAITS CONSUMED_CPU_TIME
------------------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------SYS_GROUP
18133
691
33364431
OTHER_GROUPS
51252
825
181058333

Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager

2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4

ORA$AUTOTASK_MEDIUM_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_URGENT_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_STATS_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_SPACE_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_SQL_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_HEALTH_GROUP
SYS_GROUP
OTHER_GROUPS
ORA$AUTOTASK_MEDIUM_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_URGENT_GROUP
ORA$AUTOTASK_STATS_GROUP
.
.

21
35
0
0
0
0
40344
123295
1
22959
0

5
1
0
0
0
0
85
1040
4
158
0

4019709
198760
0
0
0
0
42519265
371481422
7433002
19964703
0

AWR snapshots of this view are stored in the DBA_HIST_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP view.
Use DBA_HIST_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP with DBA_HIST_RSRC_PLAN to determine the plan
that was active for each historical set of consumer group statistics.
The V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY view records statistics for
resources that are not currently being managed by Resource Manager.
when the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter is set to ALL or
TYPICAL.
Note:

See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Reference
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for information about the
AWR.

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC This view enables you to track CPU metrics in milliseconds, in
terms of number of sessions, or in terms of utilization for the past one minute. It
provides real-time metrics for each consumer group and is very useful in scenarios
where you are running workloads and want to continuously monitor CPU resource
utilization.

Use this view to compare the maximum possible CPU utilization and average CPU
utilization percentage for consumer groups with other consumer group settings such
as CPU time used, time waiting for CPU, average number of sessions that are
consuming CPU, and number of sessions that are waiting for CPU allocation. For
example, you can view the amount of CPU resources a consumer group used and how
long it waited for resource allocation. Or, you can view how many sessions from each
consumer group are executed against the total number of active sessions.
To track CPU consumption in terms of CPU utilization, use the CPU_UTILIZATION_
LIMIT and AVG_CPU_UTILIZATION columns. AVG_CPU_UTILIZATION lists the average
percentage of the server's CPU that is consumed by a consumer group. CPU_
UTILIZATION_LIMIT represents the maximum percentage of the server's CPU that a
consumer group can use. This limit is set using the UTILIZATION_LIMIT directive
attribute.
SELECT consumer_group_name, cpu_utilization_limit,
avg_cpu_utilization FROM v$rsrcmgrmetric;

Use the CPU_CONSUMED_TIME and CPU_TIME_WAIT columns to track CPU consumption
and throttling in milliseconds. The column NUM_CPUS represents the number of CPUs
that Resource Manager is managing.

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Interacting with Operating-System Resource Control

SELECT consumer_group_name, cpu_consumed_time,
cpu_wait_time, num_cpus FROM v$rsrcmgrmetric;

To track the CPU consumption and throttling in terms of number of sessions, use the
RUNNING_SESSIONS_LIMIT, AVG_RUNNING_SESSIONS, and AVG_WAITING_SESSIONS
columns. RUNNING_SESSIONS_LIMIT lists the maximum number of sessions, from a
particular consumer group, that can be running at any time. This limit is defined by
the UTILIZATION_LIMIT directive attribute that you set either for the consumer group
or for a subplan that contains the consumer group. For each consumer group, AVG_
RUNNING_SESSIONS lists the average number of sessions that are consuming CPU and
AVG_WAITING_SESSIONS lists the average number of sessions that are waiting for CPU.
SELECT sequence#, consumer_group_name, running_sessions_limit,
avg_running_sessions, avg_waiting_sessions FROM v$rsrcmgrmetric;

To track parallel statements and parallel server use for a consumer group, use the AVG_
ACTIVE_PARALLEL_STMTS, AVG_QUEUED_PARALLEL_STMTS, AVG_ACTIVE_PARALLEL_
SERVERS, AVG_QUEUED_PARALLEL_SERVERS, and PARALLEL_SERVERS_LIMIT columns. AVG_
ACTIVE_PARALLEL_STMTS and AVG_ACTIVE_PARALLEL_SERVERS list the average number
of parallel statements running and the average number of parallel servers used by the
parallel statements. AVG_QUEUED_PARALLEL_STMTS and AVG_QUEUED_PARALLEL_SERVERS
list the average number of parallel statements queued and average number of parallel
servers that were requested by queued parallel statements. PARALLEL_SERVERS_LIMIT
lists the number of parallel servers allowed to be used by the consumer group.
SELECT avg_active_parallel_stmts, avg_queued_parallel_stmts,
avg_active_parallel_servers, avg_queued_parallel_servers, parallel_servers_limit
FROM v$rsrcmgrmetric;

The V$RSRCMGRMETRIC view records statistics for resources that
are not currently being managed by Resource Manager. when the
STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter is set to ALL or TYPICAL.
Note:

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY
The columns in the V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY are the same view as
V$RSRCMGRMETRIC. The only difference between these views is that
V$RSRCMGRMETRIC contains metrics for the past one minute only, whereas
V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY contains metrics for the last 60 minutes.
Note: The V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY view records statistics for
resources that are not currently being managed by Resource Manager.
when the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter is set to ALL or
TYPICAL.

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

Interacting with Operating-System Resource Control
Many operating systems provide tools for resource management. These tools often
contain "workload manager" or "resource manager" in their names, and are intended
to allow multiple applications to share the resources of a single server, using an
Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager

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Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference

administrator-defined policy. Examples are Hewlett Packard's Process Resource
Manager or Solaris Containers, Zones, and Resource Pools.

Guidelines for Using Operating-System Resource Control
If you choose to use operating-system resource control with Oracle Database, then you
must use it judiciously, according to the following guidelines:
■

■

■

If you have multiple instances on a node, and you want to distribute resources
among them, then each instance should be assigned to a dedicated
operating-system resource manager group or managed entity. To run multiple
instances in the managed entity, use instance caging to manage how the CPU
resources within the managed entity should be distributed among the instances.
When Oracle Database Resource Manager is managing CPU resources, it expects a
fixed amount of CPU resources for the instance. Without instance caging, it
expects the available CPU resources to be equal to the number of CPUs in the
managed entity. With instance caging, it expects the available CPU resources to be
equal to the value of the CPU_COUNT initialization parameter. If there are less CPU
resources than expected, then the Oracle Database Resource Manager is not as
effective at enforcing the resource allocations in the resource plan. See "Managing
Multiple Database Instances on a Single Server" on page 27-51 for information
about instance caging.
The dedicated entity running all the instance's processes must run at one priority
(or resource consumption) level.
The CPU resources assigned to the dedicated entity cannot be changed more
frequently than once every few minutes.
If the operating-system resource manager is rapidly changing the CPU resources
allocated to an Oracle instance, then the Oracle Database Resource Manager might
not manage CPU resources effectively. In particular, if the CPU resources allocated
to the Oracle instance changes more frequently than every couple of minutes, then
these changes might not be observed by Oracle because it only checks for such
changes every couple of minutes. In these cases, Oracle Database Resource
Manager can over-schedule processes if it concludes that more CPU resources are
available than there actually are, and it can under-schedule processes if it
concludes that less CPU resources are available than there actually are. If it
over-schedules processes, then the UTILIZATION_LIMIT directives might be
exceeded, and the CPU directives might not be accurately enforced. If it
under-schedules processes, then the Oracle instance might not fully use the
server's resources.

■
■

Process priority management must not be enabled.
Management of individual database processes at different priority levels (for
example, using the nice command on UNIX platforms) is not supported. Severe
consequences, including instance crashes, can result. Similar undesirable results
are possible if operating-system resource control is permitted to manage the
memory to which an Oracle Database instance is pinned.

Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference
The following sections provide reference information for Oracle Database Resource
Manager (the Resource Manager):
■

Predefined Resource Plans and Consumer Groups

■

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules

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Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference

■

Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views

Predefined Resource Plans and Consumer Groups
Table 27–4 lists the resource plans and Table 27–5 lists the resource consumer groups
that are predefined in each Oracle database. You can verify these by querying the
views DBA_RSRC_PLANS and DBA_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUPS.
The following query displays the CPU allocations in the example plan DSS_PLAN:
SELECT group_or_subplan, mgmt_p1, mgmt_p2, mgmt_p3, mgmt_p4
FROM dba_rsrc_plan_directives WHERE plan = 'DSS_PLAN';
GROUP_OR_SUBPLAN
MGMT_P1
MGMT_P2
MGMT_P3
MGMT_P4
------------------------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------SYS_GROUP
75
0
0
0
DSS_CRITICAL_GROUP
18
0
0
0
DSS_GROUP
3
0
0
0
ETL_GROUP
1
0
0
0
BATCH_GROUP
1
0
0
0
ORA$AUTOTASK
1
0
0
0
OTHER_GROUPS
1
0
0
0

Table 27–4

Predefined Resource Plans

Resource Plan

Description

DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN

Default plan for maintenance windows. See "About Resource
Allocations for Automated Maintenance Tasks" on page 26-6 for
details of this plan. Because maintenance windows are regular
Oracle Scheduler windows, you can change the resource plan
associated with them, if desired. If you do change a
maintenance window resource plan, ensure that you include the
subplan ORA$AUTOTASK in the new plan.

DEFAULT_PLAN

Basic default plan that prioritizes SYS_GROUP operations and
allocates minimal resources for automated maintenance and
diagnostics operations.

DSS_PLAN

Example plan for a data warehouse that prioritizes critical DSS
queries over non-critical DSS queries and ETL operations.

ETL_CRITICAL_PLAN

Example plan for a data warehouse that prioritizes ETL
operations over DSS queries.

INTERNAL_PLAN

For disabling the resource manager. For internal use only.

INTERNAL_QUIESCE

For quiescing the database. This plan cannot be activated
directly. To activate, use the QUIESCE command.

MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN

Example plan for a mixed workload that prioritizes interactive
operations over batch operations. See "An Oracle-Supplied
Mixed Workload Plan" on page 27-50 for details.

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Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference

Table 27–5

Predefined Resource Consumer Groups

Resource Consumer Group

Description

BATCH_GROUP

Consumer group for batch operations. Referenced by the
example plan MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN.

DSS_CRITICAL_GROUP

Consumer group for critical DSS queries. Referenced by the
example plans DSS_PLAN and ETL_CRITICAL_PLAN.

DSS_GROUP

Consumer group for non-critical DSS queries. Referenced by the
example plans DSS_PLAN and ETL_CRITICAL_PLAN.

ETL_GROUP

Consumer group for ETL jobs. Referenced by the example plans
DSS_PLAN and ETL_CRITICAL_PLAN.

INTERACTIVE_GROUP

Consumer group for interactive, OLTP operations. Referenced
by the example plan MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN.

LOW_GROUP

Consumer group for low-priority sessions.

ORA$AUTOTASK

Consumer group for maintenance tasks.

OTHER_GROUPS

Default consumer group for all sessions that do not have an
explicit initial consumer group, are not mapped to a consumer
group with session-to–consumer group mapping rules, or are
mapped to a consumer group that is not in the currently active
resource plan.
OTHER_GROUPS must have a resource plan directive specified in
every plan. It cannot be assigned explicitly to sessions through
mapping rules.
Consumer group for system administrators. It is the initial
consumer group for all sessions created by user accounts SYS or
SYSTEM. This initial consumer group can be overridden by
session-to–consumer group mapping rules.

SYS_GROUP

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules
Table 27–6 summarizes the consumer group mapping rules that are predefined in
Oracle Database. You can verify these rules by querying the view DBA_RSRC_GROUP_
MAPPINGS. You can use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
procedure to modify or delete any of these mapping rules.
Table 27–6

Predefined Consumer Group Mapping Rules

Attribute

Value

Mapped
Consumer
Group

ORACLE_USER

SYS

SYS_GROUP

ORACLE_USER

SYSTEM

SYS_GROUP

ORACLE_FUNCTION

BACKUP

BATCH_GROUP

The session is running a backup operation with RMAN.
The session is automatically switched to BATCH_GROUP
when the operation begins.

ORACLE_FUNCTION

COPY

BATCH_GROUP

The session is running a copy operation with RMAN.
The session is automatically switched to BATCH_GROUP
when the operation begins.

ORACLE_FUNCTION

DATALOAD

ETL_GROUP

The session is performing a data load operation with
Data Pump. The session is automatically switched to
ETL_GROUP when the operation begins.

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Notes

Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference

See Also: "Specifying Session-to–Consumer Group Mapping Rules"
on page 27-9

Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views
Table 27–7 lists views that are associated with the Resource Manager.
Table 27–7

Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views

View

Description

DBA_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP_PRIVS

DBA view lists all resource consumer groups and the users and
roles to which they have been granted. USER view lists all
resource consumer groups granted to the user.

USER_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP_PRIVS
DBA_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUPS

Lists all resource consumer groups that exist in the database.

DBA_RSRC_MANAGER_SYSTEM_PRIVS
USER_RSRC_MANAGER_SYSTEM_PRIVS

DBA view lists all users and roles that have been granted
Resource Manager system privileges. USER view lists all the
users that are granted system privileges for the DBMS_
RESOURCE_MANAGER package.

DBA_RSRC_PLAN_DIRECTIVES

Lists all resource plan directives that exist in the database.

DBA_RSRC_PLANS

Lists all resource plans that exist in the database.

DBA_RSRC_GROUP_MAPPINGS

Lists all of the various mapping pairs for all of the session
attributes.

DBA_RSRC_MAPPING_PRIORITY

Lists the current mapping priority of each attribute.

DBA_HIST_RSRC_PLAN

Displays historical information about resource plan activation.
This view contains AWR snapshots of V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY.

DBA_HIST_RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP

Displays historical statistical information about consumer
groups. This view contains AWR snapshots of V$RSRC_CONS_
GROUP_HISTORY.

DBA_USERS

DBA view contains information about all users of the database.
It contains the initial resource consumer group for each user.
USER view contains information about the current user. It
contains the current user's initial resource consumer group.

USER_USERS

V$RSRC_CONS_GROUP_HISTORY

For each entry in the view V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY, contains an
entry for each consumer group in the plan showing the
cumulative statistics for the consumer group.

V$RSRC_CONSUMER_GROUP

Displays information about active resource consumer groups.
This view can be used for tuning.

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC

Displays a history of resources consumed and cumulative CPU
wait time (due to resource management) per consumer group
for the past minute.

V$RSRCMGRMETRIC_HISTORY

Displays a history of resources consumed and cumulative CPU
wait time (due to resource management) per consumer group
for the past hour on a minute-by-minute basis. If a new
resource plan is enabled, the history is cleared.

V$RSRC_PLAN

Displays the names of all currently active resource plans.

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Oracle Database Resource Manager Reference

Table 27–7 (Cont.) Resource Manager Data Dictionary Views
View

Description

V$RSRC_PLAN_HISTORY

Shows when Resource Manager plans were enabled or
disabled on the instance. It helps you understand how
resources were shared among the consumer groups over time.

V$RSRC_SESSION_INFO

Displays Resource Manager statistics for each session. Shows
how the session has been affected by the Resource Manager.
Can be used for tuning.

V$SESSION

Lists session information for each current session. Specifically,
lists the name of the resource consumer group of each current
session.

Oracle Database Reference for detailed information about
the contents of each of these views

See Also:

27-66 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

28
28

Oracle Scheduler Concepts

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of Oracle Scheduler

■

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

■

More About Jobs

■

Scheduler Architecture

■

Scheduler Support for Oracle Data Guard

Overview of Oracle Scheduler
Oracle Database includes Oracle Scheduler, an enterprise job scheduler to help you
simplify the scheduling of hundreds or even thousands of tasks. Oracle Scheduler (the
Scheduler) is implemented by the procedures and functions in the DBMS_SCHEDULER
PL/SQL package.
The Scheduler enables you to control when and where various computing tasks take
place in the enterprise environment. The Scheduler helps you effectively manage and
plan these tasks. By ensuring that many routine computing tasks occur without
manual intervention, you can lower operating costs, implement more reliable routines,
minimize human error, and shorten the time windows needed.
The Scheduler provides sophisticated, flexible enterprise scheduling functionality,
which you can use to:
■

Run database program units
You can run program units, that is, PL/SQL anonymous blocks, PL/SQL stored
procedures, and Java stored procedures on the local database or on one or more
remote Oracle databases.

■

Run external executables, (executables that are external to the database)
You can run external executables, such as applications, shell scripts, and batch
files, on the local system or on one or more remote systems. Remote systems do
not require an Oracle Database installation; they require only a Scheduler agent.
Scheduler agents are available for all platforms supported by Oracle Database and
some additional platforms.

■

Schedule job execution using the following methods:
–

Time-based scheduling
You can schedule a job to run at a particular date and time, either once or on a
repeating basis. You can define complex repeat intervals, such as "every

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-1

Overview of Oracle Scheduler

Monday and Thursday at 3:00 a.m. except on public holidays" or "the last
Wednesday of each business quarter." See "Creating, Running, and Managing
Jobs" on page 29-2 for more information.
–

Event-based scheduling
You can start jobs in response to system or business events. Your applications
can detect events and then signal the Scheduler. Depending on the type of
signal sent, the Scheduler starts a specific job. Examples of event-based
scheduling include starting jobs when a file arrives on a system, when
inventory falls below predetermined levels, or when a transaction fails.
Beginning with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), a Scheduler object called
a file watcher simplifies the task of configuring a job to start when a file
arrives on a local or remote system. See "Using Events to Start Jobs" on
page 29-29 for more information.

–

Dependency scheduling
You can set the Scheduler to run tasks based on the outcome of one or more
previous tasks. You can define complex dependency chains that include
branching and nested chains. See "Creating and Managing Job Chains" on
page 29-41 for more information.

■

Prioritize jobs based on business requirements.
The Scheduler provides control over resource allocation among competing jobs,
thus aligning job processing with your business needs. This is accomplished in the
following ways:
–

Controlling Resources by Job Class
You can group jobs that share common characteristics and behavior into larger
entities called job classes. You can prioritize among the classes by controlling
the resources allocated to each class. Therefore, you can ensure that your
critical jobs have priority and enough resources to complete. For example, for
a critical project to load a data warehouse, you can combine all the data
warehousing jobs into one class and give it priority over other jobs by
allocating a high percentage of the available resources to it. You can also
assign relative priorities to the jobs within a job class.

–

Controlling Job Prioritization based on Schedules
You can change job priorities based on a schedule. Because your definition of a
critical job can change over time, the Scheduler also enables you to change the
priority among your jobs over that time frame. For example, extract, transfer,
and load (ETL) jobs used to load a data warehouse may be critical during
non-peak hours but not during peak hours. Additionally, jobs that must run
during the close of a business quarter may need to take priority over the ETL
jobs. In these cases, you can change the priority among the job classes by
changing the resources allocated to each class. See "Creating Job Classes" on
page 29-54 and "Creating Windows" on page 29-57 for more information.

■

Manage and monitor jobs
You can manage and monitor the multiple states that jobs go through, from
creation to completion. The Scheduler logs activity so that you can easily track
information such as the status of the job and the last run time of the job by
querying views using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control or SQL. These
views provide valuable information about jobs and their execution that can help
you schedule and better manage your jobs. For example, a DBA can easily track all
jobs that failed for a particular user. See "Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on

28-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

page 30-24.
When you create a multiple-destination job, a job that is defined at one database
but that runs on multiple remote hosts, you can monitor the status of the job at
each destination individually or the overall status of the parent job as a whole.
For advanced job monitoring, your applications can subscribe to job state change
notifications that the Scheduler delivers in event queues. The Scheduler can also
send e-mail notifications when a job changes state.
See "Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler" on page 30-10.
■

Execute and manage jobs in a clustered environment
A cluster is a set of database instances that cooperates to perform the same task.
Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) provides scalability and reliability
without any change to your applications. The Scheduler fully supports execution
of jobs in such a clustered environment. To balance the load on your system and
for better performance, you can also specify the database service where you want
a job to run. See "Using the Scheduler in Real Application Clusters Environments"
on page 28-27 for more information.

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects
To use the Scheduler, you create Scheduler objects. Schema objects define the what,
when, and where for job scheduling. Scheduler objects enable a modular approach to
managing tasks. One advantage of the modular approach is that objects can be reused
when creating new tasks that are similar to existing tasks.
The principal Scheduler object is the job. A job defines the action to perform, the
schedule for the action, and the location or locations where the action takes place.
Most other scheduler objects are created to support jobs.

The Oracle Scheduler job replaces the DBMS_JOB package,
which is still supported for backward compatibility. This chapter
assumes that you are only using Scheduler jobs. If you are using both
at once, or migrating from DBMS_JOB to Scheduler jobs, see
Appendix A, "Support for DBMS_JOB."
Note:

The Scheduler objects include:
■

Programs

■

Schedules

■

Jobs

■

Destinations

■

Chains

■

File Watchers

■

Credentials

■

Job Classes

■

Windows

■

Groups

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-3

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Each of these objects is described in detail later in this section.
Because Scheduler objects belong to schemas, you can grant object privileges on them.
Some Scheduler objects, including job classes, windows, and window groups, are
always created in the SYS schema, even if the user is not SYS. All other objects are
created in the user’s own schema or in a designated schema.
See Also:

"Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23

Programs
A program object (program) describes what is to be run by the Scheduler. A program
includes:
■

■

■

An action: For example, the name of a stored procedure, the name of an executable
found in the operating system file system (an "external executable"), or the text of
a PL/SQL anonymous block.
A type: STORED_PROCEDURE, PLSQL_BLOCK, SQL_SCRIPT, EXTERNAL_SCRIPT,
BACKUP_SCRIPT, or EXECUTABLE, where EXECUTABLE indicates an external
executable.
Number of arguments: The number of arguments that the stored procedure or
external executable accepts.

A program is a separate entity from a job. A job runs at a certain time or because a
certain event occurred, and invokes a certain program. You can create jobs that point
to existing program objects, which means that different jobs can use the same program
and run the program at different times and with different settings. With the right
privileges, different users can use the same program without having to redefine it.
Therefore, you can create program libraries, where users can select from a list of
existing programs.
If a stored procedure or external executable referenced by the program accepts
arguments, you define these arguments in a separate step after creating the program.
You can optionally define a default value for each argument.
See Also:
■

"Creating Programs" on page 29-21

■

"Jobs" on page 28-5 for an overview of jobs

Schedules
A schedule object (schedule) specifies when and how many times a job is run.
Schedules can be shared by multiple jobs. For example, the end of a business quarter
may be a common time frame for many jobs. Rather than defining an end-of-quarter
schedule each time a new job is defined, job creators can point to a named schedule.
There are two types of schedules:
■

time schedules
With time schedules, you can schedule jobs to run immediately or at a later time.
Time schedules include a start date and time, optional end date and time, and
optional repeat interval.

■

event schedules
With event schedules, you can specify that a job executes when a certain event
occurs, such as inventory falling below a threshold or a file arriving on a system.

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About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

For more information on events, see "Using Events to Start Jobs" on page 29-29.
See Also:

"Creating Schedules" on page 29-24

Jobs
A job object (job) is a collection of metadata that describes a user-defined task. It
defines what must be executed (the action), when (the one-time or recurring schedule
or a triggering event), where (the destinations), and with what credentials. A job has
an owner, which is the schema in which it is created.
A job that runs a database program unit is known as a database job. A job that runs an
external executable is known as an external job.
Jobs that run database program units at one or more remote locations are called
remote database jobs. Jobs that run external executables at one or more remote
locations are called remote external jobs.
You define where a job runs by specifying a one or more destinations. Destinations are
also Scheduler objects and are described later in this section. If you do not specify a
destination, it is assumed that the job runs on the local database.

Specifying a Job Action
You specify the job action in one of the following ways:
■

■

By specifying as a job attribute the database program unit or external executable to
be run. This is known as specifying the job action inline.
By specifying as a job attribute the name of an existing program object (program),
that specifies the database program unit or external executable to be run. The job
owner must have the EXECUTE privilege on the program or the EXECUTE ANY
PROGRAM system privilege.

Specifying a Job Schedule
You specify the job schedule in one of the following ways:
■

■

By setting attributes of the job object to define start and end dates and a repeat
interval, or to define an event that starts the job. This is known as specifying the
schedule inline.
By specifying as a job attribute the name of an existing schedule object (schedule),
which defines start and end dates and a repeat interval, or defines an event.

Specifying a Job Destination
You specify the job destinations in one of the following ways:
■

■

■

By specifying as a job attribute a single named destination object. In this case, the
job runs on one remote location.
By specifying as a job attribute a named destination group, which is equivalent to
a list of remote locations. In this case, the job runs on all remote locations.
By not specifying a destination attribute, in which case the job runs locally. The job
runs either of the following:
–

A database program unit on the local database (the database on which the job
is created)

–

An external executable on the local host, depending on the job action type

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-5

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Specifying a Job Credential
You specify the job credentials in one of the following ways:
■

By specifying as a job attribute a named credential object, which contains a
database user name and password (for database jobs).
The job runs as the user named in the credential.

■

By allowing the credential attribute of the job to remain NULL, in which case a local
database job runs as the job owner. (See Table 28–1 on page 28-18.) The job owner
is the schema in which the job was created.
A local database job always runs as the user is who is the job
owner and will ignore any named credential.

Note:

After you create a job and enable it, the Scheduler automatically runs the job according
to its schedule or when the specified event is detected. You can view the run status of
job and its job log by querying data dictionary views. If a job runs on multiple
destinations, you can query the status of the job at each destination.
See Also:
■

"Destinations" on page 28-6

■

"More About Jobs" on page 28-15

■

"Creating Jobs" on page 29-2

■

"Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on page 30-24

Destinations
A destination object (destination) defines a location for running a job.
There are two types of destinations:
■

■

External destination: Specifies a remote host name and IP address for running a
remote external job.
Database destination: Specifies a remote database instance for running a remote
database job.

Jobs that run external executables (external jobs) must specify external destinations,
and jobs that run database program units (database jobs) must specify database
destinations.
If you specify a destination when you create a job, the job runs on that destination. If
you do not specify a destination, the job runs locally, on the system on which it is
created.
You can also create a destination group, which consists of a list of destinations, and
reference this destination group when creating a job. In this case, the job runs on all
destinations in the group.
Note: Destination groups can also include the keyword LOCAL as a
group member, indicating that the job also runs on the local host or
local database.

See Also:

"Groups" on page 28-14

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No object privileges are required to use a destination created by another user.

About Destinations and Scheduler Agents
The remote location specified in a destination object must have a Scheduler agent
running, and the agent must be registered with the database creating the job. The
Scheduler agent enables the local Scheduler to communicate with the remote host,
start and stop jobs there, and return remote job status to the local database. For
complete details, see "Specifying Destinations" on page 29-6.
External Destinations You cannot explicitly create external destinations. They are created
in your local database when you register a Scheduler agent with that database. The
name assigned to the external destination is the name of the agent. You can configure
an agent name after you install it, or you can accept the default agent name, which is
the first part of the host name (before the first dot separator). For example, if you
install an agent on the host dbhost1.us.example.com, the agent name defaults to
DBHOST1.
Database Destinations You create database destinations with the DBMS_
SCHEDULER.CREATE_DATABASE_DESTINATION procedure.
If you have multiple database instances running on the local
host, you can run jobs on the other instances by creating database
destinations for those instances. Thus, "remote" database instances do
not necessarily have to reside on remote hosts. The local host must be
running a Scheduler agent to support running remote database jobs
on these additional instances.

Note:

See Also:
■
■

"Specifying Destinations" on page 29-6
"Installing and Configuring the Scheduler Agent on a Remote
Host" on page 30-7

File Watchers
A file watcher object (file watcher) defines the location, name, and other properties of a
file whose arrival on a system causes the Scheduler to start a job. You create a file
watcher and then create any number of event-based jobs or event schedules that
reference the file watcher. When the file watcher detects the arrival of the designated
file, it raises a file arrival event. The job started by the file arrival event can retrieve the
event message to learn about the newly arrived file.
A file watcher can watch for a file on the local system (the same host computer
running Oracle Database) or a remote system, provided that the remote system is
running the Scheduler agent.
To use file watchers, the database Java virtual machine (JVM) component must be
installed.
See "About File Watchers" on page 29-35 for more information.
See Also: "Creating File Watchers and File Watcher Jobs" on
page 29-36

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-7

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Credentials
Credentials are user name and password pairs stored in a dedicated database object.
Scheduler jobs use credentials to authenticate themselves with a database instance or
the operating system in order to run. You use credentials for:
■

■

■

Remote database jobs: The credential contains a database user name and
password. The stored procedure or PL/SQL block specified in the remote database
job runs as this database user.
External jobs (local or remote): The credential contains a host operating system
user name and password. The external executable of the job then runs with this
user name and password.
File watchers: The credential contains a host operating system user name and
password. The job that processes the file arrival event uses this user name and
password to access the arrived file.

You can query the *_CREDENTIALS views to see a list of credentials in the database.
Credential passwords are stored obfuscated, and are not displayed in these views.
See Also:
■
■

"Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials" on page 29-6
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating a
credential using the DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL
procedure

Chains
Chains are the means by which you can implement dependency scheduling, in which
job starts depend on the outcomes of one or more previous jobs. A chain consists of
multiple steps that are combined using dependency rules. The dependency rules
define the conditions that can be used to start or stop a step or the chain itself.
Conditions can include the success, failure, or completion- or exit-codes of previous
steps. Logical expressions, such as AND/OR, can be used in the conditions. In a sense,
a chain resembles a decision tree, with many possible paths for selecting which tasks
run and when.
In its simplest form, a chain consists of two or more Scheduler program objects
(programs) that are linked together for a single, combined objective. An example of a
chain might be "run program A followed by program B, and then run program C only
if programs A and B complete successfully, otherwise wait an hour and then run
program D."
As an example, you might want to create a chain to combine the different programs
necessary for a successful financial transaction, such as validating and approving a
loan application, and then funding the loan.
A Scheduler job can point to a chain instead of pointing to a single program object. The
job then serves to start the chain. This job is referred to as the chain job. Multiple chain
jobs can point to the same chain, and more than one of these jobs can run
simultaneously, thereby creating multiple instances of the same chain, each at a
different point of progress in the chain.
Each position within a chain is referred to as a step. Typically, after an initial set of
chain steps has started, the execution of successive steps depends on the completion of
one or more previous steps. Each step can point to one of the following:
■

A program object (program)

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The program can run a database program unit (such as a stored procedure or
PL/SQL anonymous block) or an external executable.
■

Another chain (a nested chain)
Chains can be nested to any level.

■

An event schedule, inline event, or file watcher
After starting a step that points to an event schedule or that has an inline event
specification, the step waits until the specified event is raised. Likewise, a step that
references a file watcher inline or that points to an event schedule that references a
file watcher waits until the file arrival event is raised. For a file arrival event or any
other type of event, when the event occurs, the step completes, and steps that are
dependent on the event step can run. A common example of an event in a chain is
a user intervention, such an approval or rejection.

Multiple steps in the chain can invoke the same program or nested chain.
For each step, you can specify either a database destination or an external destination
on which the step should run. If a destination is not specified, the step runs on the
originating (local) database or the local host. Each step in a chain can run on a different
destination.
Figure 28–1 on page 28-9 shows a chain with multiple branches. The figure makes use
of icons to indicate BEGIN, END, and a nested chain, which is Step 7, in the lower
subbranch.
In this figure, rules could be defined as follows:
■

If Step 1 completes successfully, start Step 2.

■

If Step 1 fails with error code 20100, start Step 3.

■

If Step 1 fails with any other error code, end the chain.

Additional rules govern the running of steps 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Figure 28–1 Chain with Multiple Branches

Step 3

Step 5

Begin

End
Step 1

Step 7

Step 2

Step 6

Step 4

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-9

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

While a job pointing to a chain is running, the current state of all steps of the running
chain can be monitored. For every step, the Scheduler creates a step job with the same
job name and owner as the chain job. Each step job additionally has a step job
subname to uniquely identify it. The step job subname is included as the JOB_SUBNAME
column in the views *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS, *_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG, and *_
SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS, and as the STEP_JOB_SUBNAME column in the *_
SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS views.
See Also:

"Creating and Managing Job Chains" on page 29-41

Job Classes
You typically create job classes only when you are in the role of Scheduler
administrator.
Job classes provide a way to:
■

Assign the same set of attribute values to member jobs
Each job class specifies a set of attributes, such as logging level. When you assign a
job to a job class, the job inherits those attributes. For example, you can specify the
same policy for purging log entries for all payroll jobs.

■

Set service affinity for member jobs
You can set the service attribute of a job class to a desired database service name.
This determines the instances in a Real Application Clusters environment that run
the member jobs, and optionally, the system resources that are assigned to member
jobs. See "Service Affinity when Using the Scheduler" on page 28-27 for more
information.

■

Set resource allocation for member jobs
Job classes provide the link between the Database Resource Manager and the
Scheduler, because each job class can specify a resource consumer group as an
attribute. Member jobs then belong to the specified consumer group and are
assigned resources according to settings in the current resource plan.
Alternatively, you can leave the resource_consumer_group attribute NULL and set
the service attribute of a job class to a desired database service name. That service
can in turn be mapped to a resource consumer group. If both the resource_
consumer_group and service attributes are set, and the designated service maps
to a resource consumer group, the resource consumer group named in the
resource_consumer_group attribute takes precedence.
See Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager"
for more information on mapping services to consumer groups.

■

Group jobs for prioritization
Within the same job class, you can assign priority values of 1-5 to individual jobs
so that if two jobs in the class are scheduled to start at the same time, the one with
the higher priority takes precedence. This ensures that you do not have a less
important job preventing the timely completion of a more important one.
If two jobs have the same assigned priority value, the job with the earlier start date
takes precedence. If no priority is assigned to a job, its priority defaults to 3.

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About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Job priorities are used only to prioritize among jobs in the
same class.

Note:

There is no guarantee that a high priority job in class A will be
started before a low priority job in class B, even if they share the
same schedule. Prioritizing among jobs of different classes depends
on the current resource plan and on the designated resource
consumer group or service name of each job class.
When defining job classes, try to classify jobs by functionality. Consider dividing jobs
into groups that access similar data, such as marketing, production, sales, finance, and
human resources.
Some of the restrictions to keep in mind are:
■

■

A job must be part of exactly one class. When you create a job, you can specify
which class the job is part of. If you do not specify a class, the job automatically
becomes part of the class DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS.
Dropping a class while there are still jobs in that class results in an error. You can
force a class to be dropped even if there are still jobs that are members of that class,
but all jobs referring to that class are then automatically disabled and assigned to
the class DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS. Jobs belonging to the dropped class that are already
running continue to run under class settings determined at the start of the job.
See Also:
■

"Creating Job Classes" on page 29-54

■

Oracle Database Reference to view job classes

Windows
You typically create windows only when you are in the role of Scheduler
administrator.
You create windows to automatically start jobs or to change resource allocation among
jobs during various time periods of the day, week, and so on. A window is represented
by an interval of time with a well-defined beginning and end, such as "from
12am-6am".
Windows work with job classes to control resource allocation. Each window specifies
the resource plan to activate when the window opens (becomes active), and each job
class specifies a resource consumer group or specifies a database service, which can
map to a consumer group. A job that runs within a window, therefore, has resources
allocated to it according to the consumer group of its job class and the resource plan of
the window.
Figure 28–2 shows a workday that includes two windows. In this configuration, jobs
belonging to the job class that links to Consumer Group 1 get more resources in the
morning than in the afternoon. The opposite is true for jobs in the job class that links to
Consumer Group 2.

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-11

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Figure 28–2 Windows help define the resources that are allocated to jobs
Resource Plan A
Consumer Group 1 - 90%
Consumer Group 2 - 10%

Resource Plan B
Consumer Group 1 - 10%
Consumer Group 2 - 90%

Window 1

Window 2

0

24

6 am

11 am

2 pm

8pm

See Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource Manager" for
more information on resource plans and consumer groups.
You can assign a priority to each window. If windows overlap, the window with the
highest priority is chosen over other windows with lower priorities. The Scheduler
automatically opens and closes windows as window start times and end times come
and go.
A job can name a window in its schedule_name attribute. The Scheduler then starts the
job when the window opens. If a window is already open, and a new job is created
that points to that window, the new job does not start until the next time the window
opens.
Note: If necessary, you can temporarily block windows from
switching the current resource plan. For more information, see
"Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans"
on page 27-39, or the discussion of the DBMS_RESOURCE_
MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN package procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL
Packages and Types Reference.

See Also:

"Creating Windows" on page 29-57

Overlapping Windows
Although Oracle does not recommend it, windows can overlap.
Because only one window can be active at one time, the following rules are used to
determine which window is active when windows overlap:
■

■

■

If windows of the same priority overlap, the window that is active will stay open.
However, if the overlap is with a window of higher priority, the lower priority
window will close and the window with the higher priority will open. Jobs
currently running that had a schedule naming the low priority window may be
stopped depending on the behavior you assigned when you created the job.
If, at the end of a window, there are multiple windows defined, the window with
the highest priority opens. If all windows have the same priority, the window that
has the highest percentage of time remaining opens.
An open window that is dropped automatically closes. At that point, the previous
rule applies.

Whenever two windows overlap, an entry is written in the Scheduler log.

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Examples of Overlapping Windows Figure 28–3 illustrates a typical example of how
windows, resource plans, and priorities might be determined for a 24 hour schedule.
In the following two examples, assume that Window1 has been associated with
Resource Plan1, Window2 with Resource Plan2, and so on.
Figure 28–3 Windows and Resource Plans (Example 1)
Default
Resource
Plan

Resource
Plan
1

Resource
Plan
3

Resource Default
Plan
Resource
1
Plan

Window 3
(High Priority)

4 am

6 am

9 am

Default
Resource
Plan

Window 4
(High Priority)

Window 1
(Low Priority)

12 am

Resource
Plan
4

Resource
Plan 2

Window 2
(High Priority)

11 am

2 pm 3 pm

8 pm

10 pm

12 am

In Figure 28–3, the following occurs:
■

From 12AM to 4AM
No windows are open, so a default resource plan is in effect.

■

From 4AM to 6AM
Window1 has been assigned a low priority, but it opens because there are no high
priority windows. Therefore, Resource Plan 1 is in effect.

■

From 6AM to 9AM
Window3 will open because it has a higher priority than Window1, so Resource
Plan 3 is in effect. The dotted line indicates Window1 is inactive.

■

From 9AM to 11AM
Even though Window1 was closed at 6AM because of a higher priority window
opening, at 9AM, this higher priority window is closed and Window1 still has two
hours remaining on its original schedule. It will be reopened for these remaining
two hours and resource plan will be in effect.

■

From 11AM to 2PM
A default resource plan is in effect because no windows are open.

■

From 2PM to 3PM
Window2 will open so Resource Plan 2 is in effect.

■

From 3PM to 8PM
Window4 is of the same priority as Window2, so it does not interrupt Window2
and Resource Plan 2 is in effect. The dotted line indicates Window4 is inactive.

■

From 8PM to 10PM
Window4 will open so Resource Plan 4 is in effect.

■

From 10PM to 12AM
A default resource plan is in effect because no windows are open.

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-13

About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects

Figure 28–4 illustrates another example of how windows, resource plans, and
priorities might be determined for a 24 hour schedule.
Figure 28–4 Windows and Resource Plans (Example 2)
Default Resource
Plan

Resource
Plan 1

Resource
Plan 3
Window 6
(High Priority)

Resource
Plan 5
Window 5
(Low Priority)

Window 3
(High Priority)
Window 1
(Low Priority)

12 am

4 am

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

11 am

In Figure 28–4, the following occurs:
■

From 12AM to 4AM
A default resource plan is in effect.

■

From 4AM to 6AM
Window1 has been assigned a low priority, but it opens because there are no high
priority windows, so Resource Plan 1 is in effect.

■

From 6AM to 9AM
Window3 will open because it has a higher priority than Window1. Note that
Window6 does not open because another high priority window is already in effect.

■

From 9AM to 11AM
At 9AM, Window5 or Window1 are the two possibilities. They both have low
priorities, so the choice is made based on which has a greater percentage of its
duration remaining. Window5 has a larger percentage of time remaining
compared to the total duration than Window1. Even if Window1 were to extend
to, say, 11:30AM, Window5 would have 2/3 * 100% of its duration remaining,
while Window1 would have only 2.5/7 * 100%, which is smaller. Thus, Resource
Plan 5 will be in effect.

Groups
A group designates a list of Scheduler objects. Instead of passing a list of objects as an
argument to a DBMS_SCHEDULER package procedure, you create a group that has those
objects as its members, and then pass the group name to the procedure.
There are three types of groups:
■

■

Database destination groups: Members are database destinations, for running
remote database jobs.
External destination groups: Members are external destinations, for running
remote external jobs.

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More About Jobs

■

Window groups: Members are Scheduler windows.

All members of a group must be of the same type and each member must be unique.
You create a group with the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_GROUP procedure.

Destination Groups
When you want a job to run at multiple destinations, you create a database destination
group or external destination group and assign it to the destination_name attribute of
the job. Specifying a destination group as the destination_name attribute of a job is
the only valid way to specify multiple destinations for the job.

Window Groups
You typically create window groups only when you are in the role of Scheduler
administrator.
You can group windows for ease of use in scheduling jobs. If a job must run during
multiple time periods throughout the day, week, and so on, you can create a window
for each time period, and then add the windows to a window group. You can then set
the schedule_name attribute of the job to the name of this window group, and the job
executes during all the time periods specified by the windows in the window group.
For example, if you had a window called "Weekends" and a window called
"Weeknights," you could add these two windows to a window group called
"Downtime." The data warehousing staff could then create a job to run queries
according to this Downtime window group—on weeknights and weekends—when
the queries could be assigned a high percentage of available resources.
If a window in a window group is already open, and a new job is created that points to
that window group, the job is not started until the next window in the window group
opens.
See Also:
■

"Creating Destination Groups for Multiple-Destination Jobs" on
page 29-8

■

"Creating Window Groups" on page 29-61

■

"Windows" on page 28-11

More About Jobs
This section contains:
■

Job Categories

■

Job Instances

■

Job Arguments

■

How Programs, Jobs, and Schedules are Related
See Also:
■

"Creating Jobs" on page 29-2

■

"Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-15

More About Jobs

Job Categories
The Scheduler supports the following types of jobs:
■

Database Jobs

■

External Jobs

■

Multiple-Destination Jobs

■

Chain Jobs

■

Detached Jobs

■

Lightweight Jobs

■

Script Jobs

Database Jobs
Database jobs run Oracle Database program units, including PL/SQL anonymous
blocks, PL/SQL stored procedures, and Java stored procedures. For a database job
where the action is specified inline, job_type is set to 'PLSQL_BLOCK' or 'STORED_
PROCEDURE', and job_action contains either the text of a PL/SQL anonymous block or
the name of a stored procedure. (If a program is a named program object rather than
program action specified inline, the corresponding program_type and program_action
must be set accordingly.)
Database jobs that run on the originating database—the database on which they were
created—are known as local database jobs, or just jobs. Database jobs that run on a
target database other than the originating database are known as remote database
jobs.
You can view run results for both local database and remote database jobs in the job
log views on the originating database.
Local Database Jobs A local database job runs on the originating database, as the
database user who is the job owner. The job owner is the name of the schema in which
the job was created.
Remote Database Job The target database for a remote database job can be an Oracle
database on a remote host or another database instance on the same host as the
originating database. You identify a remote database job by specifying the name of an
existing database destination object in the destination_name attribute of the job.
Creating a remote database job requires Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) or later.
However, the target database for the job can be any release of Oracle Database. No
patch is required for the target database; you only need to install a Scheduler agent on
the target database host (even if the target database host is the same as the originating
database host) and register the agent with the originating database. The agent must be
installed from Oracle Client 11g Release 2 (11.2) or later.
Remote database jobs must run as a user that is valid on the target database. You
specify the required user name and password with a credential object that you assign
to the remote database job.

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See Also:
■

"Credentials" on page 28-8

■

"Creating Jobs" on page 29-2

■

■

"Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs" on
page 30-4
"Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65

External Jobs
External jobs run external executables. An external executable is an operating system
executable that runs outside the database, that is, external to the database. For an
external job, job_type is specified as 'EXECUTABLE'. (If using named programs, the
corresponding program_type would be 'EXECUTABLE'.) The job_action (or
corresponding program_action) is the full operating system–dependent path of the
desired external executable, excluding any command line arguments. An example
might be /usr/local/bin/perl or C:\perl\bin\perl.
Note that a Windows batch file is not directly executable and must be run a command
prompt (cmd.exe).
Like a database job, you can assign a schema when you create the external job. That
schema then becomes the job owner. Although it is possible to create an external job in
the SYS schema, Oracle recommends against this practice.
Both the CREATE JOB and CREATE EXTERNAL JOB privileges are required to create local or
remote external jobs.
External executables must run as some operating system user. Thus, the Scheduler
enables you to assign operating system credentials to any external job that you create.
Like remote database jobs, you specify these credentials with a credential object (a
credential) and assign the credential to the external job.
There are two types of external jobs: local external jobs and remote external jobs. A
local external job runs its external executable on the same computer as the database
that schedules the job. A remote external job runs its executable on a remote host. The
remote host does not need to have an Oracle database; you need only install and
register a Scheduler agent.
On Windows, the host user that runs the external executable
must be assigned the Log on as a batch job logon privilege.

Note:

The following sections provide more details on local external jobs and remote external
jobs:
■

About Local External Jobs

■

About Remote External Jobs
See Also:
■
■

"Credentials" on page 28-8
"Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs" on
page 30-4

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-17

More About Jobs

About Local External Jobs A local external job runs its external executable on the same
computer as the Oracle database that schedules the job. For such a job, the
destination_name job attribute is NULL.
Local external jobs write stdout and stderr output to log files in the directory
ORACLE_HOME/scheduler/log. You can retrieve the contents of these files with
DBMS_SCHEDULER.GET_FILE.
You do not have to assign a credential to a local external job, although Oracle strongly
recommends that you do so for improved security. If you do not assign a credential,
the job runs with default credentials. Table 28–1 shows the default credentials for
different platforms and different job owners.
Table 28–1

Default Credentials for Local External Jobs

Job in SYS
Schema?

Platform

Default Credentials

Yes

All

User who installed Oracle Database.

No

UNIX and Linux Values of the run-user and run-group attributes
specified in the file ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin/externaljob.ora

No

Windows

User that the OracleJobSchedulerSID Windows
service runs as (either the Local System account or a
named local or domain user).
Note: You must manually enable and start this
service. For improved security, Oracle recommends
using a named user instead of the Local System
account.

Note: Default credentials are included for compatibility with
previous releases of Oracle Database, and may be deprecated in a
future release. It is, therefore, best to assign a credential to every local
external job.

To disable the running of local external jobs that were not assigned credentials, remove
the run_user attribute from the ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/externaljob.ora file
(UNIX and Linux) or stop the OracleJobScheduler service (Windows). These steps do
not disable the running of local external jobs in the SYS schema.
See Also:
■

■

Your operating system–specific documentation for any
post-installation configuration steps to support local external jobs
Example 29–8, "Creating a Local External Job and Viewing the Job
Output" on page 29-14

About Remote External Jobs A remote external job runs its external executable on a
remote host. The remote host may or may not have Oracle Database installed. To
enable remote external jobs to run on a specific remote host, you must install a
Scheduler agent on the remote host and register it with the local database. The
database communicates with the agent to start external executables and to retrieve
execution results.
When creating a remote external job, you specify the name of an existing external
destination object in the destination_name attribute of the job.

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Remote external jobs write stdout and stderr output to log files in the directory
AGENT_HOME/data/log. You can retrieve the contents of these files with DBMS_
SCHEDULER.GET_FILE. Example 29–8, "Creating a Local External Job and Viewing the
Job Output" on page 29-14 illustrates how to retrieve stdout output. Although this
example is for a local external job, the method is the same for remote external jobs.
See Also:
■
■

"Credentials" on page 28-8
"Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs" on
page 30-4

Multiple-Destination Jobs
A multiple-destination job is a job whose instances run on multiple target databases or
hosts, but can be controlled and monitored from one central database. For DBAs or
system administrators who must manage multiple databases or multiple hosts, a
multiple-destination job can make administration considerably easier. With a
multiple-destination job, you can:
■

Specify several databases or hosts on which a job must run.

■

Modify a job that is scheduled on multiple targets with a single operation.

■

Stop jobs running on one or more remote targets.

■

■

Determine the status (running, completed, failed, and so on) of the job instance at
each of the remote targets.
Determine the overall status of the collection of job instances.

A multiple-destination job can be viewed as a single entity for certain purposes and as
a collection of independently running jobs for other purposes. When creating or
altering the job metadata, the multiple-destination job looks like a single entity.
However, when the job instances are running, they are better viewed as a collection of
jobs that are nearly identical copies of each other. The job created at the source
database is known as the parent job, and the job instances that run at the various
destinations are known as child jobs.
You create a multiple-destination job by assigning a destination group to the
destination_name attribute of the job. The job runs at all destinations in the group at
its scheduled time, or upon the detection of a specified event. The local host can be
included as one of the destinations on which the job runs.
For a job whose action is a database program unit, you must specify a database
destination group in the destination_name attribute. The members of a database
destination group include database destinations and the keyword LOCAL, which
indicates the originating (local) database. For a job whose action is an external
executable, you must specify an external destination group in the destination_name
attribute. The members of an external destination group include external destinations
and the keyword LOCAL, which indicates the local host.
Database destinations do not necessarily have to reference
remote databases; they can reference additional database instances
running on the same host as the database that creates the job.

Note:

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-19

More About Jobs

Multiple-Destination Jobs and Time Zones
Some job destinations might be in time zones that are different from that of the
database on which the parent job is created (the originating database). In this case, the
start time of the job is always based on the time zone of the originating database. So, if
you create the parent job in London, England, specify a start time of 8:00 p.m., and
specify destinations at Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York, then all child jobs start at
8:00 p.m. London time. Start times at all destinations may not be exact, due to varying
system loads, issues that require retries, and so on.
Event-Based Multiple-Destination Jobs
In the case of a multiple-destination job that is event-based, when the parent job
detects the event at its host, it starts all the child jobs at all destinations. The child jobs
themselves do not detect events at their respective hosts.
See Also:
■

"Creating Multiple-Destination Jobs" on page 29-10

■

"Monitoring Multiple Destination Jobs" on page 29-67

■

"Destination Groups" on page 28-15

■

"Using Events to Start Jobs" on page 29-29

Chain Jobs
The chain is the Scheduler mechanism that enables dependency-based scheduling. In
its simplest form, it defines a group of program objects and the dependencies among
them. A job can point to a chain instead of pointing to a single program object. The job
then serves to start the chain. For a chain job, job_type is set to 'CHAIN'.
See Also:
■

"Chains" on page 28-8

■

"Creating and Managing Job Chains" on page 29-41

Detached Jobs
You use a detached job to start a script or application that runs in a separate process,
independently and asynchronously to the Scheduler. A detached job typically starts
another process and then exits. Upon exit (when the job action is completed) a
detached job remains in the running state. The running state indicates that the
asynchronous process that the job started is still active. When the asynchronous
process finishes its work, it must connect to the database and call DBMS_
SCHEDULER.END_DETACHED_JOB_RUN, which ends the job.
Detached jobs cannot be executed using run_job to manually trigger execution, when
the use_current_session parameter set to TRUE.
A job is detached if it points to a program object (program) that has its detached
attribute set to TRUE (a detached program).
You use a detached job under the following two circumstances:
■

When it is impractical to wait for the launched asynchronous process to complete
because would hold resources unnecessarily.
An example is sending a request to an asynchronous Web service. It could take
hours or days for the Web service to respond, and you do not want to hold a
Scheduler job slave while waiting for the response. (See "Scheduler Architecture"
on page 28-24 for information about job slaves.)

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■

When it is impossible to wait for the launched asynchronous process to complete
because the process shuts down the database.
An example would be using a Scheduler job to launch an RMAN script that shuts
down the database, makes a cold backup, and then restarts the database. See
Example 29–5 on page 29-11.

A detached job works as follows:
1.

When it is time for the job to start, the job coordinator assigns a job slave to the job,
and the job slave runs the program action defined in the detached program. The
program action can be a PL/SQL block, a stored procedure, or an external
executable.

2.

The program action performs an immediate-return call of another script or
executable, referred to here as Process A, and then exits. Because the work of the
program action is complete, the job slave exits, but leaves the job in a running
state.

3.

Process A performs its processing. If it runs any DML against the database, it must
commit its work. When processing is complete, Process A logs in to the database
and calls END_DETACHED_JOB_RUN.

4.

The detached job is logged as completed.

You can also call STOP_JOB to end a running detached job.
See Also: "Creating Detached Jobs" on page 29-11 for an example of
performing a cold backup of the database with a detached job

Lightweight Jobs
Use lightweight jobs when you have many short-duration jobs that run frequently.
Under certain circumstances, using lightweight jobs can deliver a small performance
gain.
Lightweight jobs have the following characteristics:
■
■

Unlike regular jobs, they are not schema objects.
They have significantly better create and drop times over regular jobs because they
do not have the overhead of creating a schema object.

■

They have lower average session create time than regular jobs.

■

They have a small footprint on disk for job metadata and run-time data.

You designate a lightweight job by setting the job_style job attribute to 'LIGHTWEIGHT'.
The other job styles is 'REGULAR', which is the default
Before Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1), the only job style supported by the
Scheduler was regular.
Like programs and schedules, regular jobs are schema objects. A regular job offers the
maximum flexibility but does entail some overhead when it is created or dropped. The
user has fine-grained control of the privileges on the job, and the job can have as its
action a program or a stored procedure owned by another user.
If a relatively small number of jobs that run infrequently need to be created, then
regular jobs are preferred over lightweight jobs.
A lightweight job must reference a program object (program) to specify a job action.
The program must be already enabled when the lightweight job is created, and the
program type must be either 'PLSQL_BLOCK' or 'STORED_PROCEDURE'. Because

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-21

More About Jobs

lightweight jobs are not schema objects, you cannot grant privileges on them. A
lightweight job inherits privileges from its specified program. Thus, any user who has
a certain set of privileges on the program has corresponding privileges on the
lightweight job.
See Also: "Creating Jobs Using a Named Program and Job Styles" on
page 29-5

Script Jobs
Beginning with Oracle Database 12c, you can use several new script jobs to run custom
user scripts with SQL*Plus, the RMAN interpreter, or a command shell such as
cmd.exe for Windows and the sh shell or another interpreter for UNIX based systems.
These executables all require OS credentials.
These script jobs are:
■

SQL Script Jobs: Requires a database destination.
SQL script jobs use the SQL*Plus interpreter to run Scheduler jobs. Therefore, you
can now use all SQL*Plus features, including query output formatting.
In order to connect to the database after spawning, SQL script jobs need an
authentication step. Users can authenticate inline, in the job action, or using the
connect_credential functionality provided by the Scheduler. To use the connect_
credential functionality, the user sets the connect_credential_name attribute of a
job. Then, the job attempts to connect to the database using the username,
password, and role of that connect_credential.

■

External Script Jobs: requires a normal destination
External script jobs spawn a new shell interpreter, allowing a simple way to run
command line scripts.

■

Backup Script Jobs: Requires a database destination.
Backup script jobs provide a more direct way to specify RMAN scripts that create
and execute backup tasks.
In order to connect to the database after spawning, backup script jobs need an
authentication step. Users can authenticate inline, in the job action, or using the
connect_credential functionality provided by the Scheduler. To use the connect_
credential functionality, the user sets the connect_credential_name attribute of a
job. Then, the job attempts to connect to the database using the username,
password, and role of that connect_credential.

Note that job or program actions must point to an appropriate script for each
interpreter or have an appropriate inline script. For further details, see the job_action
parameters for the CREATE_JOB subprogram or the program_action parameters for the
CREATE_PROGRAM subprogram.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for the
CREATE_JOB parameters
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for CREATE_
PROGRAM parameters

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Job Instances
A job instance represents a specific run of a job. Jobs that are scheduled to run only
once have only one instance. Jobs that have a repeating schedule or that run each time
an event occurs have multiple instances, each run of the job representing an instance.
For example, a job that is scheduled to run only on Tuesday, Oct. 8th 2009 has
one instance, a job that runs daily at noon for a week has seven instances, and a job
that runs when a file arrives on a remote system has one instance for each file arrival
event.
Multiple-destination jobs have one instance for each destination. If a
multiple-destination job has a repeating schedule, then there is one instance for each
run of the job at each destination.
When a job is created, only one entry is added to the Scheduler's job table to represent
the job. Depending on the logging level set, each time the job runs, an entry is added to
the job log. Therefore, if you create a job that has a repeating schedule, there is one
entry in the job views (*_SCHEDULER_JOBS) and multiple entries in the job log. Each job
instance log entry provides information about a particular run, such as the job
completion status and the start and end time. Each run of the job is assigned a unique
log id that appears in both the job log and job run details views (*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG
and *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS).
See Also:
■

"Monitoring Jobs" on page 29-64

■

"Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on page 30-24

Job Arguments
When a job references a program object (program), you can supply job arguments to
override the default program argument values, or provide values for program
arguments that have no default value. You can also provide argument values to an
inline action (for example, a stored procedure) that the job specifies.
A job cannot be enabled until all required program argument values are defined, either
as defaults in a referenced program object, or as job arguments.
A common example of a job is one that runs a set of nightly reports. If different
departments require different reports, you can create a program for this task that can
be shared among different users from different departments. The program action runs
a reports script, and the program has one argument: the department number. Each
user can then create a job that points to this program and can specify the department
number as a job argument.
See Also:
■

"Setting Job Arguments" on page 29-10

■

"Defining Program Arguments" on page 29-21

■

"Creating Jobs" on page 29-2

How Programs, Jobs, and Schedules are Related
To define what is executed and when, you assign relationships among programs, jobs,
and schedules. Figure 28–5 illustrates examples of such relationships.

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-23

Scheduler Architecture

Figure 28–5 Relationships Among Programs, Jobs, and Schedules

P1

J1

P2

J2

J3

P3

...

P8

J4

...

J20

S1

S2

P9

J21

P10

J22

J23

S3

J24

S4

To understand Figure 28–5, consider a situation where tables are being analyzed. In
this example, program P1 analyzes a table using the DBMS_STATS package. The program
has an input parameter for the table name. Two jobs, J1 and J2, both point to the same
program, but each supplies a different table name. Additionally, schedule S1 specifies
a run time of 2:00 a.m. every day. The end result is that the two tables named in J1 and
J2 are analyzed daily at 2:00 a.m.
Note that J4 points to no other entity, so it is self-contained with all relevant
information defined in the job itself. P2, P9 and S2 illustrate that you can leave a
program or schedule unassigned if you want. You can, for example, create a program
that calculates a year-end inventory and temporarily leave it unassigned to any job.

Scheduler Architecture
This section discusses the Scheduler architecture, and describes:
■

The Job Table

■

The Job Coordinator

■

How Jobs Execute

■

After Jobs Complete

■

Using the Scheduler in Real Application Clusters Environments

Figure 28–6 illustrates how jobs are handled by the database.

28-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Scheduler Architecture

Figure 28–6 Scheduler Components
Client

Database
Job Table
Job1
Job2
Job3
Job4
Job5
Job6

Job Coordinator

JS

JS

JS

Job Slaves

The Job Table
The job table is a container for all the jobs, with one table for each database. The job
table stores information for all jobs such as the owner name or the level of logging. You
can find this information in the *_SCHEDULER_JOBS views.
Jobs are database objects, and therefore, can accumulate and take up too much space.
To avoid this, job objects are automatically dropped by default after completion. This
behavior is controlled by the auto_drop job attribute.
See "Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on page 30-24 for the available job views and
administration.

The Job Coordinator
The job coordinator, under the control of the database, controls and starts job slaves,
making use of the information in the job table.
The job coordinator background process (cjqNNN) starts automatically and stops on an
as-needed basis. At database startup, the job coordinator is not started, but the
database does monitor whether there are any jobs to be executed, or windows to be
opened in the near future. If so, it starts the coordinator.
As long as there are jobs or windows running, the coordinator continues to run. After
there has been a certain period of Scheduler inactivity and there are no jobs or
windows scheduled in the near future, the coordinator is automatically stopped.
When the database determines whether to start the job coordinator, it takes the service
affinity of jobs into account. For example, if there is only one job scheduled in the near
future and this job belongs to a job class that has service affinity for only two out of the
four Oracle RAC instances, only the job coordinators for those two instances are
started. See "Service Affinity when Using the Scheduler" on page 28-27 for more
information.

Job Coordinator Actions
The job coordinator:
■

Controls and spawns the job slaves

■

Queries the job table
Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-25

Scheduler Architecture

■

Picks up jobs from the job table on a regular basis and places them in a memory
cache. This improves performance by reducing trips to the disk

■

Takes jobs from the memory cache and passes them to job slaves for execution

■

Cleans up the job slave pool when slaves are no longer needed

■

Goes to sleep when no jobs are scheduled

■

■

Wakes up when a new job is about to be executed or a job was created using the
CREATE_JOB procedure
Upon database, startup after an abnormal database shutdown, recovers any jobs
that were running.

You do not need to set the time that the job coordinator checks the job table; the system
chooses the time frame automatically.
One job coordinator is used per instance. This is also the case in Oracle RAC
environments.
See Also: "Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on page 30-24 for
job coordinator administration and "Using the Scheduler in Real
Application Clusters Environments" on page 28-27 for Oracle RAC
information

Maximum Number of Scheduler Job Processes
The coordinator automatically determines how many job slaves to start based on CPU
load and the number of outstanding jobs. The JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization
parameter can be used to limit the number of job slaves that the Scheduler can start.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization parameter
See Also:

How Jobs Execute
Job slaves actually execute the jobs you submit. They are awakened by the job
coordinator when it is time for a job to be executed. They gather metadata to run the
job from the job table.
When a job is picked for processing, the job slave does the following:
1.

Gathers all the metadata needed to run the job, for example, program arguments
and privilege information.

2.

Starts a database session as the owner of the job, starts a transaction, and then
starts executing the job.

3.

Once the job is complete, the slave commits and ends the transaction.

4.

Closes the session.

After Jobs Complete
When a job is done, the slaves do the following:
■
■

■

Reschedule the job if required.
Update the state in the job table to reflect whether the job has completed or is
scheduled to run again.
Insert an entry into the job log table.

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Scheduler Architecture

■

Update the run count, and if necessary, failure and retry counts.

■

Clean up.

■

Look for new work (if none, they go to sleep).

The Scheduler dynamically sizes the slave pool as required.

Using the Scheduler in Real Application Clusters Environments
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, the Scheduler uses
one job table for each database and one job coordinator for each instance. The job
coordinators communicate with each other to keep information current. The Scheduler
attempts to balance the load of the jobs of a job class across all available instances
when the job class has no service affinity, or across the instances assigned to a
particular service when the job class does have service affinity.
Figure 28–7 illustrates a typical Oracle RAC architecture, with the job coordinator for
each instance exchanging information with the others.
Figure 28–7 Oracle RAC Architecture and the Scheduler
Job Slaves
JS

JS

Job Slaves
JS

JS

JS

Job Slaves
JS

JS

JS

JS

Job Coordinator 1

Job Coordinator 2

Job Coordinator 3

Instance 1

Instance 2

Instance 3

Database
Job Table
Job1
Job2
Job3
Job4
Job5
Job6

Service Affinity when Using the Scheduler
The Scheduler enables you to specify the database service under which a job should be
run (service affinity). This ensures better availability than instance affinity because it
guarantees that other nodes can be dynamically assigned to the service if an instance
goes down. Instance affinity does not have this capability, so, when an instance goes
down, none of the jobs with an affinity to that instance can run until the instance
comes back up. Figure 28–8 illustrates a typical example of how services and instances
could be used.

Oracle Scheduler Concepts 28-27

Scheduler Support for Oracle Data Guard

Figure 28–8 Service Affinity and the Scheduler
Service A

Instance
1

Service B

Instance
2

Service C

Instance
3

Instance
4

Instance
5

Service D

Instance
6

Instance
7

Service E

Instance
8

Database

In Figure 28–8, you could change the properties of the services and the Scheduler
automatically recognizes the change.
Each job class can specify a database service. If a service is not specified, the job class
belongs to an internal service that is guaranteed to be mapped to every running
instance.

Scheduler Support for Oracle Data Guard
Beginning with Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1), the Scheduler can run jobs based
on whether a database is a primary database or a logical standby in an Oracle Data
Guard environment.
For a physical standby database, any changes made to Scheduler objects or any
database changes made by Scheduler jobs on the primary database are applied to the
physical standby like any other database changes.
For the primary database and logical standby databases, there is additional
functionality that enables you to specify that a job can run only when the database is in
the role of the primary database or a logical standby. You do this using the DBMS_
SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure to set the database_role job attribute to one of
two values: 'PRIMARY' or 'LOGICAL STANDBY'. (To run a job in both roles, you can make
a copy of the job and set database_role to 'PRIMARY' for one job and to 'LOGICAL
STANDBY' for the other). On switchover or failover, the Scheduler automatically
switches to running jobs specific to the new role. DML is replicated to the job event log
so that on failover, there is an available record of what ran successfully on the primary
database until it failed.
Replication of scheduler jobs from a primary to a logical standby is limited to the
upgrade target in a rolling upgrade done using the DBMS_ROLLING package.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Examples of Setting Attributes" on page 30-18 for an example of
setting the database_role attribute
"Example of Creating a Job In an Oracle Data Guard
Environment" on page 30-22
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

28-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

29
92

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Scheduler Objects and Their Naming

■

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs

■

Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

■

Using Events to Start Jobs

■

Creating and Managing Job Chains

■

Prioritizing Jobs

■

Monitoring Jobs
This chapter describes how to use the DBMS_SCHEDULER
package to work with Scheduler objects. You can accomplish the same
tasks using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control and many of
these tasks with Oracle SQL Developer.

Note:

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for DBMS_
SCHEDULER information and the Cloud Control online help for
information on Oracle Scheduler pages.

About Scheduler Objects and Their Naming
You operate Oracle Scheduler by creating and managing a set of Scheduler objects.
Each Scheduler object is a complete database schema object of the form
[schema.]name. Scheduler objects follow the naming rules for database objects exactly
and share the SQL namespace with other database objects.
Follow SQL naming rules to name Scheduler objects in the DBMS_SCHEDULER package.
By default, Scheduler object names are uppercase unless they are surrounded by
double quotes. For example, when creating a job, job_name => 'my_job' is the same
as job_name => 'My_Job' and job_name => 'MY_JOB', but different from job_name =>
'"my_job"'. These naming rules are also followed in those cases where
comma-delimited lists of Scheduler object names are used within the DBMS_SCHEDULER
package.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-1

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for details regarding
naming objects
"About Jobs and Supporting Scheduler Objects" on page 28-3

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs
A job is the combination of a schedule and a program, along with any additional
arguments required by the program. This section introduces you to basic job tasks, and
discusses the following topics:
■

Job Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Jobs

■

Altering Jobs

■

Running Jobs

■

Stopping Jobs

■

Dropping Jobs

■

Disabling Jobs

■

Enabling Jobs

■

Copying Jobs

■

Viewing the Job Log
See Also:

"Jobs" on page 28-5 for an overview of jobs.

Job Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–1 illustrates common job tasks and their appropriate procedures and
privileges:
Table 29–1

Job Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a job

CREATE_JOB or
CREATE_JOBS

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Alter a job

SET_ATTRIBUTE or
SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Run a job

RUN_JOB

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Copy a job

COPY_JOB

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Drop a job

DROP_JOB

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Stop a job

STOP_JOB

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Disable a job

DISABLE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Enable a job

ENABLE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information regarding privileges.

Creating Jobs
This section contains:
29-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

Overview of Creating Jobs

■

Specifying Job Actions, Schedules, Programs, and Styles

■

Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials

■

Specifying Destinations

■

Creating Multiple-Destination Jobs

■

Setting Job Arguments

■

Setting Additional Job Attributes

■

Creating Detached Jobs

■

Creating Multiple Jobs in a Single Transaction

■

Techniques for External Jobs

Overview of Creating Jobs
You create one or more jobs using the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB or DBMS_
SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOBS procedures or Cloud Control. You use the CREATE_JOB
procedure to create a single job. This procedure is overloaded to enable you to create
different types of jobs that are based on different objects. You can create multiple jobs
in a single transaction using the CREATE_JOBS procedure.
You must have the CREATE JOB privilege to create a job in your own schema, and the
CREATE ANY JOB privilege to create a job in any schema except SYS.
For each job being created, you specify a job type, an action, and a schedule. You can
also optionally specify a credential name, a destination or destination group name, a
job class, and other attributes. As soon as you enable a job, it is automatically run by
the Scheduler at its next scheduled date and time. By default, jobs are disabled when
created and must be enabled with DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE to run. You can also set the
enabled argument of the CREATE_JOB procedure to TRUE, in which case the job is ready
to be automatically run, according to its schedule, as soon as you create it.
Some job attributes cannot be set with CREATE_JOB, and instead must be set with DBMS_
SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE. For example, to set the logging_level attribute for a job,
you must call SET_ATTRIBUTE after calling CREATE_JOB.
You can create a job in another schema by specifying schema.job_name. The creator of
a job is, therefore, not necessarily the job owner. The job owner is the user in whose
schema the job is created. The NLS environment of the job, when it runs, is the existing
environment at the time the job was created.
Example 29–1 demonstrates creating a database job called update_sales, which calls a
package procedure in the OPS schema that updates a sales summary table:
Example 29–1

Creating a Job

BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'update_sales',
job_type
=> 'STORED_PROCEDURE',
job_action
=> 'OPS.SALES_PKG.UPDATE_SALES_SUMMARY',
start_date
=> '28-APR-08 07.00.00 PM Australia/Sydney',
repeat_interval
=> 'FREQ=DAILY;INTERVAL=2', /* every other day */
end_date
=> '20-NOV-08 07.00.00 PM Australia/Sydney',
auto_drop
=>
FALSE,
job_class
=> 'batch_update_jobs',
comments
=> 'My new job');

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-3

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

END;
/

Because no destination_name attribute is specified, the job runs on the originating
(local) database. The job runs as the user who created the job.
The repeat_interval argument specifies that this job runs every other day until it
reaches the end date and time. Another way to limit the number of times that a
repeating job runs is to set its max_runs attribute to a positive number.
The job is disabled when it is created, by default. You must enable it with DBMS_
SCHEDULER.ENABLE before the Scheduler will automatically run it.
Jobs are set to be automatically dropped by default after they complete. Setting the
auto_drop attribute to FALSE causes the job to persist. Note that repeating jobs are not
auto-dropped unless the job end date passes, the maximum number of runs (max_
runs) is reached, or the maximum number of failures is reached (max_failures).
After a job is created, it can be queried using the *_SCHEDULER_JOBS views.
See Also:

"Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials" on page 29-6

Specifying Job Actions, Schedules, Programs, and Styles
Because the CREATE_JOB procedure is overloaded, there are several different ways of
using it. In addition to specifying the job action and job repeat interval as job attributes
as shown in Example 29–1, known as specifying the job action and job schedule inline,
you can create a job that points to a program object (program) to specify the job action,
a schedule object (schedule) to specify the repeat interval, or both a program and
schedule. You can also create jobs by specifying job programs and job styles.
These are discussed in the following sections:
■

Creating Jobs Using a Named Program

■

Creating Jobs Using a Named Program and Job Styles

■

Creating Jobs Using a Named Schedule

■

Creating Jobs Using Named Programs and Schedules
See Also:
■

"Programs" on page 28-4

■

"Schedules" on page 28-4

Creating Jobs Using a Named Program You can create a job by pointing to a named
program instead of inlining its action. To create a job using a named program, you
specify the value for program_name in the CREATE_JOB procedure when creating the job
and do not specify the values for job_type, job_action, and number_of_arguments.
To use an existing program when creating a job, the owner of the job must be the
owner of the program or have EXECUTE privileges on it. The following PL/SQL block is
an example of a CREATE_JOB procedure with a named program that creates a regular
job called my_new_job1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'my_new_job1',
program_name
=> 'my_saved_program',
repeat_interval
=> 'FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=12',
comments
=> 'Daily at noon');

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Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

END;
/

Creating Jobs Using a Named Program and Job Styles You can create jobs using named
programs and job styles. There are two job styles, 'REGULAR' and 'LIGHTWEIGHT'.
The default job style is 'REGULAR' which is implied if no job style is provided. An
example of LIGHTWEIGHT follows:
LIGHTWEIGHT Jobs
The following PL/SQL block creates a lightweight job. Lightweight jobs must
reference a program, and the program type must be 'PLSQL_BLOCK' or 'STORED_
PROCEDURE'. In addition, the program must be already enabled when you create the job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'my_lightweight_job1',
program_name
=> 'polling_prog_n2',
repeat_interval => 'FREQ=SECONDLY;INTERVAL=10',
end_date
=> '30-APR-09 04.00.00 AM Australia/Sydney',
job_style
=> 'LIGHTWEIGHT',
comments
=> 'Job that polls device n2 every 10 seconds');
END;
/

Creating Jobs Using a Named Schedule You can also create a job by pointing to a named
schedule instead of inlining its schedule. To create a job using a named schedule, you
specify the value for schedule_name in the CREATE_JOB procedure when creating the
job and do not specify the values for start_date, repeat_interval, and end_date.
You can use any named schedule to create a job because all schedules are created with
access to PUBLIC. The following CREATE_JOB procedure has a named schedule and
creates a regular job called my_new_job2:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB
job_name
job_type
job_action
schedule_name
END;
/

(
=>
=>
=>
=>

'my_new_job2',
'PLSQL_BLOCK',
'BEGIN SALES_PKG.UPDATE_SALES_SUMMARY; END;',
'my_saved_schedule');

Creating Jobs Using Named Programs and Schedules A job can also be created by pointing
to both a named program and a named schedule. For example, the following CREATE_
JOB procedure creates a regular job called my_new_job3, based on the existing program,
my_saved_program1, and the existing schedule, my_saved_schedule1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'my_new_job3',
program_name
=> 'my_saved_program1',
schedule_name
=> 'my_saved_schedule1');
END;
/

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-5

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

See Also:
■

"Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs" on page 29-20

■

"Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs" on page 29-24

■

"Using Events to Start Jobs" on page 29-29

Specifying Scheduler Job Credentials
Oracle Scheduler requires job credentials to authenticate with an Oracle database or
the operating system before running.
For local external jobs, remote external jobs, and remote database jobs, you must
specify the credentials under which the job runs. You do so by creating a credential
object and assigning it to the credential_name job attribute.
A local database job always runs as the user is who is the job
owner and will ignore any named credential.

Note:

To create a credential, call the DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL procedure.
You must have the CREATE CREDENTIAL privilege to create a credential in your own
schema, and the CREATE ANY CREDENTIAL privilege to create a credential in any schema
except SYS. A credential can be used only by a job whose owner has EXECUTE privileges
on the credential or whose owner also owns the credential. Because a credential
belongs to a schema like any other schema object, you use the GRANT SQL statement to
grant privileges on a credential.
Example 29–2

Creating a Credential

BEGIN
DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL('DW_CREDENTIAL', 'dwuser', 'dW001515');
END;
/
GRANT EXECUTE ON DW_CREDENTIAL TO salesuser;

You can query the *_CREDENTIALS views to see a list of credentials in the database.
Credential passwords are stored obfuscated and are not displayed in these views.
Note: *_SCHEDULER_CREDENTIALS is deprecated in Oracle Database
12c, but remains available, for reasons of backward compatibility.

See Also: Oracle Database Security Guide for information about
creating a credential using the DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL
procedure

Specifying Destinations
For remote external jobs and remote database jobs, you specify the job destination by
creating a destination object and assigning it to the destination_name job attribute. A
job with a NULL destination_name attribute runs on the host where the job is created.
This section contains:
■

Destination Tasks and Their Procedures

29-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

Creating Destinations

■

Creating Destination Groups for Multiple-Destination Jobs

■

Example: Creating a Remote Database Job

Destination Tasks and Their Procedures Table 29–2 illustrates destination tasks and their
procedures and privileges:
Table 29–2

Destination Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create an external destination

(none)

See "Creating Destinations" on page 29-7

Drop an external destination

DROP_AGENT_DESTINATION

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Create a database destination

CREATE_DATABASE_DESTINATION

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Drop a database destination

DROP_DATABASE_DESTINATION

CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Create a destination group

CREATE_GROUP

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Drop a destination group

DROP_GROUP

CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Add members to a destination ADD_GROUP_MEMBER
group

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Remove members from a
destination group

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

REMOVE_GROUP_MEMBER

Creating Destinations A destination is a Scheduler object that defines a location for
running a job. You designate the locations where a job runs by specifying either a
single destination or a destination group in the destination_name attribute of the job.
If you leave the destination_name attribute NULL, the job runs on the local host (the
host where the job was created).
Use external destinations to specify locations where remote external jobs run. Use
database destinations to specify locations where remote database jobs run.
You do not need object privileges to use a destination created by another user.
To create an external destination, register a remote Scheduler agent with the database.
See "Installing and Configuring the Scheduler Agent on a Remote Host" on page 30-7
for instructions.
Note: There is no DBMS_SCHEDULER package procedure to create an
external destination. You create an external destination implicitly by
registering a remote agent.

You can also register a local Scheduler agent if you have other
database instances on the same host that are targets for remote jobs.
This creates an external destination that references the local host.
The external destination name is automatically set to the agent name. To verify that the
external destination was created, query the views DBA_SCHEDULER_EXTERNAL_DESTS or
ALL_SCHEDULER_EXTERNAL_DESTS.
To create a database destination, call the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_DATABASE_
DESTINATION procedure.
You must specify the name of an external destination as a procedure argument. This
designates the remote host that the database destination points to. You also specify a
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-7

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

net service name or complete connect descriptor that identifies the database instance
being connected to. If you specify a net service name, it must be resolved by the local
tnsnames.ora file. If you do not specify a database instance, the remote Scheduler
agent connects to its default database, which is specified in the agent configuration
file.
To create a database destination, you must have the CREATE JOB system privilege. To
create a database destination in a schema other than your own, you must have the
CREATE ANY JOB privilege.
Example 29–3

Creating a Database Destination

The following example creates a database destination named DBHOST1_ORCLDW. For this
example, assume the following:
■

■

■

You installed a Scheduler agent on the remote host dbhost1.example.com, and you
registered the agent with the local database.
You did not modify the agent configuration file to set the agent name. Therefore
the agent name and the external destination name default to DBHOST1.
You used Net Configuration Assistant on the local host to create a connect
descriptor in tnsnames.ora for the Oracle Database instance named orcldw, which
resides on the remote host dbhost1.example.com. You assigned a net service name
(alias) of ORCLDW to this connect descriptor.

BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_DATABASE_DESTINATION (
destination_name
=> 'DBHOST1_ORCLDW',
agent
=> 'DBHOST1',
tns_name
=> 'ORCLDW',
comments
=> 'Instance named orcldw on host dbhost1.example.com');
END;
/

To verify that the database destination was created, query the views *_SCHEDULER_DB_
DESTS.
See Also:
■

■

"Destinations" on page 28-6 for more information about
destinations
"Jobs" on page 28-5 to learn about remote external jobs and remote
database jobs

Creating Destination Groups for Multiple-Destination Jobs To create a job that runs on
multiple destinations, you must create a destination group and assign that group to
the destination_name attribute of the job. You can specify group members
(destinations) when you create the group, or you can add group members at a later
time.
To create a destination group, call the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_GROUP procedure.
For remote external jobs you must specify a group of type 'EXTERNAL_DEST', and all
group members must be external destinations. For remote database jobs, you must
specify a group of type 'DB_DEST', and all members must be database destinations.
Members of destination groups have the following format:
[[schema.]credential@][schema.]destination

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Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

where:
■
■

credential is the name of an existing credential.
destination is the name of an existing database destination or external
destination

The credential portion of a destination member is optional. If omitted, the job using
this destination member uses its default credential.
You can include another group of the same type as a member of a destination group.
Upon group creation, the Scheduler expands the included group into its members.
If you want the local host to be one of many destinations on which a job runs, you can
include the keyword LOCAL as a group member for either type of destination group.
LOCAL can be preceded by a credential only in an external destination group.
A group is owned by the user who creates it. You must have the CREATE JOB system
privilege to create a group in your own schema, and the CREATE ANY JOB system
privilege to create a group in another schema. You can grant object privileges on a
group to other users by granting SELECT on the group.
Example 29–4

Creating a Database Destination Group

This example creates a database destination group. Because some members do not
include a credential, a job using this destination group must have default credentials.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_GROUP(
GROUP_NAME
=> 'all_dbs',
GROUP_TYPE
=> 'DB_DEST',
MEMBER
=> 'oltp_admin@orcl, orcldw1, LOCAL',
COMMENTS
=> 'All databases managed by me');
END;
/

The following code adds another member to the group.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_GROUP_MEMBER(
GROUP_NAME
=> 'all_dbs',
MEMBER
=> 'dw_admin@orcldw2');
END;
/

See Also:

"Groups" on page 28-14 for an overview of groups.

Example: Creating a Remote Database Job The following example creates a remote
database job by specifying a database destination object in the destination_name
object of the job. A credential must also be specified so the job can authenticate with
the remote database. The example uses the credential created in Example 29–2 on
page 29-6 and the database destination created in Example 29–3 on page 29-8.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB
job_name
=>
job_type
=>
job_action
=>
start_date
=>
repeat_interval
=>
credential_name
=>
destination_name
=>

(
'SALES_SUMMARY1',
'STORED_PROCEDURE',
'SALES.SALES_REPORT1',
'15-JUL-09 11.00.00 PM Europe/Warsaw',
'FREQ=DAILY',
'DW_CREDENTIAL',
'DBHOST1_ORCLDW');

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-9

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

END;
/

Creating Multiple-Destination Jobs
You can create a job that runs on multiple destinations, but that is managed from a
single location. A typical reason to do this is to run a database maintenance job on all
of the databases that you administer. Rather than create the job on each database, you
create the job once and designate multiple destinations for the job. From the database
where you created the job (the local database), you can monitor the state and results of
all instances of the job at all locations.
To create a multiple-destination job:
■

Call the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB procedure and set the destination_name
attribute of the job to the name of database destination group or external
destination group.
If not all destination group members include a credential prefix (the schema),
assign a default credential to the job.
To include the local host or local database as one of the destinations on which the
job runs, ensure that the keyword LOCAL is one of the members of the destination
group.

To obtain a list of destination groups, submit this query:
SELECT owner, group_name, group_type, number_of_members FROM all_scheduler_groups
WHERE group_type = 'DB_DEST' or group_type = 'EXTERNAL_DEST';
OWNER
--------------DBA1
DBA1

GROUP_NAME
--------------ALL_DBS
ALL_HOSTS

GROUP_TYPE
NUMBER_OF_MEMBERS
------------- ----------------DB_DEST
4
EXTERNAL_DEST
4

The following example creates a multiple-destination database job, using the database
destination group created in Example 29–4 on page 29-9. The user specified in the
credential should have sufficient privileges to perform the job action.
BEGIN
DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL('DBA_CREDENTIAL', 'dba1', 'sYs040533');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'MAINT_SET1',
job_type
=> 'STORED_PROCEDURE',
job_action
=> 'MAINT_PROC1',
start_date
=> '15-JUL-09 11.00.00 PM Europe/Warsaw',
repeat_interval
=> 'FREQ=DAILY',
credential_name
=> 'DBA_CREDENTIAL',
destination_name
=> 'ALL_DBS');
END;
/

See Also:
■

"Multiple-Destination Jobs" on page 28-19

■

"Monitoring Multiple Destination Jobs" on page 29-67

■

"Groups" on page 28-14

Setting Job Arguments
After creating a job, you may need to set job arguments if:

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Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

■

■

The inline job action is a stored procedure or other executable that requires
arguments
The job references a named program object and you want to override one or more
default program arguments
The job references a named program object and one or more of the program
arguments were not assigned a default value

To set job arguments, use the SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE or SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE
procedures or Cloud Control. SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE is used for complex data types
that cannot be represented as a VARCHAR2 string.
An example of a job that might need arguments is one that starts a reporting program
that requires a start date and end date. The following code example sets the end date
job argument, which is the second argument expected by the reporting program:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE (
job_name
=> 'ops_reports',
argument_position
=> 2,
argument_value
=> '12-DEC-03');
END;
/

If you use this procedure on an argument whose value has already been set, it will be
overwritten. You can set argument values using either the argument name or the
argument position. To use argument name, the job must reference a named program
object, and the argument must have been assigned a name in the program object. If a
program is inlined, only setting by position is supported. Arguments are not
supported for jobs of type 'PLSQL_BLOCK'.
To remove a value that has been set, use the RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT procedure. This
procedure can be used for both regular and ANYDATA arguments.
SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE only supports arguments of SQL type. Therefore, argument
values that are not of SQL type, such as booleans, are not supported as program or job
arguments.
See Also:

"Defining Program Arguments" on page 29-21

Setting Additional Job Attributes
After creating a job, you can set additional job attributes or change attribute values by
using the SET_ATTRIBUTE or SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES procedures. You can also set job
attributes with Cloud Control. Although many job attributes can be set with the call to
CREATE_JOB, some attributes, such as destination and credential_name, can be set
only with SET_ATTRIBUTE or SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES after the job has been created.

Creating Detached Jobs
A detached job must point to a program object (program) that has its detached
attribute set to TRUE.
Example 29–5

Creating a Detached Job That Performs a Cold Backup

This example for Linux and UNIX creates a nightly job that performs a cold backup of
the database. It contains three steps.
Step 1—Create the Script That Invokes RMAN

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-11

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

Create a shell script that calls an RMAN script to perform a cold backup. The shell
script is in $ORACLE_HOME/scripts/coldbackup.sh. It must be executable by the
user who installed Oracle Database (typically the user oracle).
#!/bin/sh
export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/db_1
export ORACLE_SID=orcl
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/rman TARGET / @$ORACLE_HOME/scripts/coldbackup.rman
trace /u01/app/oracle/backup/coldbackup.out &
exit 0

Step 2—Create the RMAN Script
Create an RMAN script that performs the cold backup and then ends the job. The
script is in $ORACLE_HOME/scripts/coldbackup.rman.
run {
# Shut down database for backups and put into MOUNT mode
shutdown immediate
startup mount
# Perform full database backup
backup full format "/u01/app/oracle/backup/%d_FULL_%U" (database) ;
# Open database after backup
alter database open;
# Call notification routine to indicate job completed successfully
sql " BEGIN DBMS_SCHEDULER.END_DETACHED_JOB_RUN(''sys.backup_job'', 0,
null); END; ";
}

Step 3—Create the Job and Use a Detached Program
Submit the following PL/SQL block:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM(
program_name
=> 'sys.backup_program',
program_type
=> 'executable',
program_action => '?/scripts/coldbackup.sh',
enabled
=> TRUE);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('sys.backup_program', 'detached', TRUE);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'sys.backup_job',
program_name
=> 'sys.backup_program',
repeat_interval => 'FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=1;BYMINUTE=0');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('sys.backup_job');
END;
/

See Also:

"Detached Jobs" on page 28-20

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Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

Creating Multiple Jobs in a Single Transaction
If you must create many jobs, you may be able to reduce transaction overhead and
experience a performance gain if you use the CREATE_JOBS procedure. Example 29–6
demonstrates how to use this procedure to create multiple jobs in a single transaction.
Example 29–6

Creating Multiple Jobs in a Single Transaction

DECLARE
newjob sys.job_definition;
newjobarr sys.job_definition_array;
BEGIN
-- Create an array of JOB_DEFINITION object types
newjobarr := sys.job_definition_array();
-- Allocate sufficient space in the array
newjobarr.extend(5);
-- Add definitions for 5 jobs
FOR i IN 1..5 LOOP
-- Create a JOB_DEFINITION object type
newjob := sys.job_definition(job_name => 'TESTJOB' || to_char(i),
job_style => 'REGULAR',
program_name => 'PROG1',
repeat_interval => 'FREQ=HOURLY',
start_date => systimestamp + interval '600' second,
max_runs => 2,
auto_drop => FALSE,
enabled => TRUE
);
-- Add it to the array
newjobarr(i) := newjob;
END LOOP;
-- Call CREATE_JOBS to create jobs in one transaction
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOBS(newjobarr, 'TRANSACTIONAL');
END;
/
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SELECT JOB_NAME FROM USER_SCHEDULER_JOBS;
JOB_NAME
-----------------------------TESTJOB1
TESTJOB2
TESTJOB3
TESTJOB4
TESTJOB5
5 rows selected.

See Also:

"Lightweight Jobs" on page 28-21

Techniques for External Jobs
This section contains the following examples, which demonstrate some practical
techniques for external jobs:

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-13

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

Creating a Local External Job That Runs a Command Interpreter

■

Creating a Local External Job and Viewing the Job Output

Example 29–7

Creating a Local External Job That Runs a Command Interpreter

This example demonstrates how to create a local external job on Windows that runs an
interpreter command (in this case, mkdir). The job runs cmd.exe with the /c option.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'MKDIR_JOB',
job_type
=> 'EXECUTABLE',
number_of_arguments => 3,
job_action
=> '\windows\system32\cmd.exe',
auto_drop
=> FALSE,
credential_name
=> 'TESTCRED');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE('mkdir_job',1,'/c');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE('mkdir_job',2,'mkdir');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE('mkdir_job',3,'\temp\extjob_test_dir');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('MKDIR_JOB');
END;
/
Example 29–8

Creating a Local External Job and Viewing the Job Output

This example for Linux and UNIX shows how to create and run a local external job
and then view the job output. When an external job runs, the Scheduler automatically
retrieves the output from the job and stores it inside the database.
To see the output, query *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS views.
-- User scott must have CREATE JOB, CREATE CREDENTIAL, and CREATE EXTERNAL JOB
-- privileges
GRANT CREATE JOB, CREATE EXTERNAL JOB TO scott ;
CONNECT scott/password
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
-- Create a credential for the job to use
exec DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL('my_cred','host_username','host_passwd')
-- Create a job that lists a directory. After running, the job is dropped.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'lsdir',
job_type
=> 'EXECUTABLE',
job_action
=> '/bin/ls',
number_of_arguments => 1,
enabled
=> false,
auto_drop
=> true,
credential_name
=> 'my_cred');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE('lsdir',1,'/tmp');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('lsdir');
END;
/
-- Wait a bit for the job to run, and then check the job results.
SELECT job_name, status, error#, actual_start_date, additional_info
FROM user_scheduler_job_run_details WHERE job_name='LSDIR';

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-- Now use the external log id from the additional_info column to
-- formulate the log file name and retrieve the output
DECLARE
my_clob clob;
log_id varchar2(50);
BEGIN
SELECT regexp_substr(additional_info,'job[_0-9]*') INTO log_id
FROM user_scheduler_job_run_details WHERE job_name='LSDIR';
DBMS_LOB.CREATETEMPORARY(my_clob, false);
SELECT job_name, status, error#, errors, output FROM user_scheduler_job_run_
details WHERE job_name = 'LSDIR';
END;
/

See Also:
■

Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about external
authentication

■

"External Jobs" on page 28-17

■

"Stopping External Jobs" on page 29-17

■

"Troubleshooting Remote Jobs" on page 30-16

Altering Jobs
You alter a job by modifying its attributes. You do so using the SET_ATTRIBUTE, SET_
ATTRIBUTE_NULL, or SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES package procedures or Cloud Control. See
the CREATE_JOB procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
details on job attributes.
All jobs can be altered, and, except for the job name, all job attributes can be changed.
If there is a running instance of the job when the change is made, it is not affected by
the call. The change is only seen in future runs of the job.
In general, you should not alter a job that was automatically created for you by the
database. Jobs that were created by the database have the column SYSTEM set to TRUE in
job views. The attributes of a job are available in the *_SCHEDULER_JOBS views.
It is valid for running jobs to alter their own job attributes. However, these changes do
not take effect until the next scheduled run of the job.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the SET_ATTRIBUTE, SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL, and SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES procedures.
The following example changes the repeat_interval of the job update_sales to once
per week on Wednesday.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (
name
=> 'update_sales',
attribute
=> 'repeat_interval',
value
=> 'freq=weekly; byday=wed');
END;
/

Running Jobs
There are three ways in which a job can be run:

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-15

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

■

■

■

According to the job schedule—In this case, provided that the job is enabled, the
job is automatically picked up by the Scheduler job coordinator and run under the
control of a job slave. The job runs as the user who is the job owner, or in the case
of a local external job with a credential, as the user named in the credential. To find
out whether the job succeeded, you must query the job views (*_SCHEDULER_JOBS)
or the job log (*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG and *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS). See
"How Jobs Execute" on page 28-26 for more information job slaves and the
Scheduler architecture.
When an event occurs—Enabled event-based jobs start when a specified event is
received on an event queue or when a file watcher raises a file arrival event. (See
"Using Events to Start Jobs" on page 29-29.) Event-based jobs also run under the
control of a job slave and run as the user who owns the job, or in the case of a local
external job with a credential, as the user named in the credential. To find out
whether the job succeeded, you must query the job views or the job log.
By calling DBMS_SCHEDULER.RUN_JOB—You can use the RUN_JOB procedure to test a
job or to run it outside of its specified schedule. You can run the job
asynchronously, which is similar to the previous two methods of running a job, or
synchronously, in which the job runs in the session that called RUN_JOB, and as the
user logged in to that session. The use_current_session argument of RUN_JOB
determines whether a job runs synchronously or asynchronously.
RUN_JOB accepts a comma-delimited list of job names.
The following example asynchronously runs two jobs:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.RUN_JOB(
JOB_NAME
=> 'DSS.ETLJOB1, DSS.ETLJOB2',
USE_CURRENT_SESSION => FALSE);
END;
/

It is not necessary to call RUN_JOB to run a job according to its
schedule. Provided that job is enabled, the Scheduler runs it
automatically.

Note:

Stopping Jobs
You stop one or more running jobs using the STOP_JOB procedure or Cloud Control.
STOP_JOB accepts a comma-delimited list of jobs, job classes, and job destination IDs. A
job destination ID is a number, assigned by the Scheduler, that represents a unique
combination of a job, a credential, and a destination. It serves as a convenient method
for identifying a particular child job of a multiple-destination job and for stopping just
that child. You obtain the job destination ID for a child job from the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_
DESTS views.
If a job class is supplied, all running jobs in the job class are stopped. For example, the
following statement stops job job1, all jobs in the job class dw_jobs, and two child jobs
of a multiple-destination job:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.STOP_JOB('job1, sys.dw_jobs, 984, 1223');
END;
/

All instances of the designated jobs are stopped. After stopping a job, the state of a
one-time job is set to STOPPED, and the state of a repeating job is set to SCHEDULED
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(because the next run of the job is scheduled). In addition, an entry is made in the job
log with OPERATION set to 'STOPPED', and ADDITIONAL_INFO set to 'REASON="Stop job
called by user: username"'.
By default, the Scheduler tries to gracefully stop a job using an interrupt mechanism.
This method gives control back to the slave process, which can collect statistics of the
job run. If the force option is set to TRUE, the job is abruptly terminated and certain
run-time statistics might not be available for the job run.
Stopping a job that is running a chain automatically stops all running steps (by calling
STOP_JOB with the force option set to TRUE on each step).
You can use the commit_semantics argument of STOP_JOB to control the outcome if
multiple jobs are specified and errors occur when trying to stop one or more jobs. If
you set this argument to ABSORB_ERRORS, the procedure may be able to continue after
encountering an error and attempt to stop the remaining jobs. If the procedure
indicates that errors occurred, you can query the view SCHEDULER_BATCH_ERRORS to
determine the nature of the errors. See "Dropping Jobs" on page 29-17 for a more
detailed discussion of commit semantics.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the STOP_JOB procedure.
Caution: When a job is stopped, only the current transaction is
rolled back. This can cause data inconsistency.

Stopping External Jobs
The Scheduler offers implementors of external jobs a mechanism to gracefully clean up
after their external jobs when STOP_JOB is called with force set to FALSE.
The mechanism described in this section applies only to remote external jobs on the
UNIX and Linux platforms.
On UNIX and Linux, a SIGTERM signal is sent to the process launched by the Scheduler.
The implementor of the external job is expected to trap the SIGTERM in an interrupt
handler, clean up whatever work the job has done, and exit.
On Windows, STOP_JOB with force set to FALSE is supported. The process launched by
the Scheduler is a console process. To stop it, the Scheduler sends a CTRL+BREAK to the
process. The CTRL+BREAK can be handled by registering a handler with the
SetConsoleCtrlHandler() routine.

Stopping a Chain Job
If a job that points to a running chain is stopped, all steps of the chain that are running
are stopped.
See "Stopping Individual Chain Steps" on page 29-50 for information about stopping
individual chain steps.

Dropping Jobs
You drop one or more jobs using the DROP_JOB procedure or Cloud Control. DROP_JOB
accepts a comma-delimited list of jobs and job classes. If a job class is supplied, all jobs
in the job class are dropped, although the job class itself is not dropped. You cannot
use job destination IDs with DROP_JOB to drop the child of a multiple-destination job.
Use the DROP_JOB_CLASS procedure to drop a job class, as described in "Dropping Job
Classes" on page 29-55.
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-17

Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

The following statement drops jobs job1 and job3, and all jobs in job classes
jobclass1 and jobclass2:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB ('job1, job3, sys.jobclass1, sys.jobclass2');
END;
/

Dropping Running Jobs
If a job is running at the time of the DROP_JOB procedure call, attempting to drop the
job fails. You can modify this default behavior by setting either the force or defer
option.
When you set the force option to TRUE, the Scheduler first attempts to stop the
running job by using an interrupt mechanism, calling STOP_JOB with the force option
set to FALSE. If the job stops successfully, it is then dropped. Alternatively, you can first
call STOP_JOB to stop the job and then call DROP_JOB. If STOP_JOB fails, you can call
STOP_JOB with the force option, provided you have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.
You can then drop the job. By default, force is set to FALSE for both the STOP_JOB and
DROP_JOB procedures.
When you set the defer option to TRUE, the running job is allowed to complete and
then dropped. The force and defer options are mutually exclusive; setting both
results in an error.

Dropping Multiple Jobs
When you specify multiple jobs to drop, the commit_semantics argument determines
the outcome if an error occurs on one of the jobs. Possible values for this argument are:
■

■

■

STOP_ON_FIRST_ERROR, the default—The call returns on the first error and commits
previous successful drop operations to disk.
TRANSACTIONAL—The call returns on the first error and rolls back previous drop
operations before the error. force must be FALSE.
ABSORB_ERRORS—The call tries to absorb any errors, attempts to drop the rest of the
jobs, and commits all the drops that were successful.

Setting commit_semantics is valid only when no job classes are included in the job_
name list. When you include job classes, default commit semantics (STOP_ON_FIRST_
ERROR) are in effect.
The following example drops the jobs myjob1 and myjob2 with the defer option and
uses transactional commit semantics:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB(
job_name
=> 'myjob1, myjob2',
defer
=> TRUE,
commit_semantics => 'TRANSACTIONAL');
END;
/

This next example illustrates the ABSORB_ERRORS commit semantics. Assume that
myjob1 is running when the procedure is called and that myjob2 is not.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB(
job_name
=> 'myjob1, myjob2',
commit_semantics => 'ABSORB_ERRORS');
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Creating, Running, and Managing Jobs

END;
/
Error report:
ORA-27362: batch API call completed with errors

You can query the view SCHEDULER_BATCH_ERRORS to determine the nature of the
errors.
SELECT object_name, error_code, error_message FROM scheduler_batch_errors;
OBJECT_NAME
ERROR CODE ERROR_MESSAGE
-------------- ---------- --------------------------------------------------STEVE.MYJOB1
27478 "ORA-27478: job "STEVE.MYJOB1" is running

Checking USER_SCHEDULER_JOBS, you would find that myjob2 was successfully
dropped and that myjob1 is still present.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DROP_JOB procedure.

Disabling Jobs
You disable one or more jobs using the DISABLE procedure or Cloud Control. Jobs can
also become disabled by other means. For example, dropping a job class disables the
class jobs. Dropping either the program or the schedule that jobs point to, disables the
jobs. However, disabling either the program or the schedule that jobs point to does not
disable the jobs, and therefore, results in errors when the Scheduler tries to run them.
Disabling a job means that, although the metadata of the job is there, it should not run
and the job coordinator does not pick up these jobs for processing. When a job is
disabled, its state in the job table is changed to disabled.
When a currently running job is disabled with the force option set to FALSE, an error
returns. When force is set to TRUE, the job is disabled, but the currently running
instance is allowed to finish.
If commit_semantics is set to STOP_ON_FIRST_ERROR, then the call returns on the first
error and the previous successful disable operations are committed to disk. If commit_
semantics is set to TRANSACTIONAL and force is set to FALSE, then the call returns on
the first error and rolls back the previous disable operations before the error. If
commit_semantics is set to ABSORB_ERRORS, then the call tries to absorb any errors and
attempts to disable the rest of the jobs and commits all the successful disable
operations. If the procedure indicates that errors occurred, you can query the view
SCHEDULER_BATCH_ERRORS to determine the nature of the errors.
By default, commit_semantics is set to STOP_ON_FIRST_ERROR.
You can also disable several jobs in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of job
names or job class names to the DISABLE procedure call. For example, the following
statement combines jobs with job classes:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE('job1, job2, job3, sys.jobclass1, sys.jobclass2');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DISABLE procedure.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-19

Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs

Enabling Jobs
You enable one or more jobs by using the ENABLE procedure or Cloud Control. The
effect of this procedure is that the job will be picked up by the job coordinator for
processing. Jobs are created disabled by default, so you must enable them before they
can run. When a job is enabled, a validity check is performed. If the check fails, the job
is not enabled.
If you enable a disabled job, it begins to run immediately according to its schedule.
Enabling a disabled job also resets the job RUN_COUNT, FAILURE_COUNT, and RETRY_
COUNT attributes.
If commit_semantics is set to STOP_ON_FIRST_ERROR, then the call returns on the first
error and the previous successful enable operations are committed to disk. If commit_
semantics is set to TRANSACTIONAL, then the call returns on the first error and the
previous enable operations before the error are rolled back. If commit_semantics is set
to ABSORB_ERRORS, then the call tries to absorb any errors and attempts to enable the
rest of the jobs and commits all the successful enable operations. If the procedure
indicates that errors occurred, you can query the view SCHEDULER_BATCH_ERRORS to
determine the nature of the errors.
By default, commit_semantics is set to STOP_ON_FIRST_ERROR.
You can enable several jobs in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of job
names or job class names to the ENABLE procedure call. For example, the following
statement combines jobs with job classes:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE ('job1, job2, job3,
sys.jobclass1, sys.jobclass2, sys.jobclass3');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the ENABLE procedure.

Copying Jobs
You copy a job using the COPY_JOB procedure or Cloud Control. This call copies all the
attributes of the old job to the new job (except job name). The new job is created
disabled.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the COPY_JOB procedure.

Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs
A program is a collection of metadata about a particular task. You optionally use a
program to help define a job. This section introduces you to basic program tasks, and
discusses the following topics:
■

Program Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Programs

■

Altering Programs

■

Dropping Programs

■

Disabling Programs

■

Enabling Programs

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See Also:

"Programs" on page 28-4 for an overview of programs.

Program Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–3 illustrates common program tasks and their appropriate procedures and
privileges:
Table 29–3

Program Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a program

CREATE_PROGRAM

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Alter a program

SET_ATTRIBUTE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Drop a program

DROP_PROGRAM

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Disable a program

DISABLE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Enable a program

ENABLE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information regarding privileges.

Creating Programs
You create programs by using the CREATE_PROGRAM procedure or Cloud Control. By
default, programs are created in the schema of the creator. To create a program in
another user's schema, you must qualify the program name with the schema name.
For other users to use your programs, they must have EXECUTE privileges on the
program, therefore, once a program has been created, you must grant the EXECUTE
privilege on it.
The following example creates a program called my_program1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM (
program_name
=> 'my_program1',
program_action
=> '/usr/local/bin/date',
program_type
=> 'EXECUTABLE',
comments
=> 'My comments here');
END;
/

Programs are created in the disabled state by default; you must enable them before
you can enable jobs that point to them.
Do not attempt to enable a program that requires arguments before you define all
program arguments, which you must do in a DEFINE_XXX_ARGUMENT procedure as
described in "Defining Program Arguments" on page 29-21.

Defining Program Arguments
After creating a program, you can define program arguments. You can define
arguments by position in the calling sequence, with an optional argument name and
optional default value. If no default value is defined for a program argument, the job
that references the program must supply an argument value. (The job can also
override a default value.) All argument values must be defined before the job can be
enabled.
To set program argument values, use the DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT or DEFINE_
ANYDATA_ARGUMENT procedures. Use DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT for complex types that
must be encapsulated in an ANYDATA object. An example of a program that might need
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-21

Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs

arguments is one that starts a reporting program that requires a start date and end
date. The following code example sets the end date argument, which is the second
argument expected by the reporting program. The example also assigns a name to the
argument so that you can refer to the argument by name (instead of position) from
other package procedures, including SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE and SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_
VALUE.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT (
program_name
=> 'operations_reporting',
argument_position
=> 2,
argument_name
=> 'end_date',
argument_type
=> 'VARCHAR2',
default_value
=> '12-DEC-03');
END;
/

Valid values for the argument_type argument must be SQL data types, therefore
booleans are not supported. For external executables, only string types such as CHAR or
VARCHAR2 are permitted.
You can drop a program argument either by name or by position, as in the following:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT (
program_name
=> 'operations_reporting',
argument_position
=> 2);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT (
program_name
=> 'operations_reporting',
argument_name
=> 'end_date');
END;
/

In some special cases, program logic depends on the Scheduler environment. The
Scheduler has some predefined metadata arguments that can be passed as an
argument to the program for this purpose. For example, for some jobs whose schedule
is a window name, it is useful to know how much longer the window will be open
when the job is started. This is possible by defining the window end time as a
metadata argument to the program.
If a program needs access to specific job metadata, you can define a special metadata
argument using the DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT procedure, so values will be filled in
by the Scheduler when the program is executed.
See Also:

"Setting Job Arguments" on page 29-10

Altering Programs
You alter a program by modifying its attributes. You can use Cloud Control or the
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE and DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL package
procedures to alter programs. See the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM procedure in
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on program attributes.
If any currently running jobs use the program that you altered, they continue to run
with the program as defined before the alter operation.
The following example changes the executable that program my_program1 runs:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (

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name
attribute
value
END;
/

=> 'my_program1',
=> 'program_action',
=> '/usr/local/bin/salesreports1');

Dropping Programs
You drop one or more programs using the DROP_PROGRAM procedure or Cloud Control.
When the program is dropped, any arguments that pertain it are also dropped. You
can drop several programs in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of program
names. For example, the following statement drops three programs:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM('program1, program2, program3');
END;
/

Running jobs that point to the program are not affected by the DROP_PROGRAM call and
are allowed to continue.
If you set the force argument to TRUE, jobs pointing to this program are disabled and
the program is dropped. If you set the force argument to FALSE, the default, the call
fails if there are any jobs pointing to the program.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DROP_PROGRAM procedure.

Disabling Programs
You disable one or more programs using the DISABLE procedure or Cloud Control.
When a program is disabled, the status is changed to disabled. A disabled program
implies that, although the metadata is still there, jobs that point to this program cannot
run.
The DISABLE call does not affect running jobs that point to the program and they are
allowed to continue. Also, disabling the program does not affect any arguments that
pertain to it.
A program can also be disabled by other means, for example, if a program argument is
dropped or the number_of_arguments is changed so that no arguments are defined.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DISABLE procedure.

Enabling Programs
You enable one or more programs using the ENABLE procedure or Cloud Control. When
a program is enabled, the enabled flag is set to TRUE. Programs are created disabled by
default, therefore, you have to enable them before you can enable jobs that point to
them. Before programs are enabled, validity checks are performed to ensure that the
action is valid and that all arguments are defined.
You can enable several programs in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of
program names to the ENABLE procedure call. For example, the following statement
enables three programs:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('program1, program2, program3');
END;

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-23

Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the ENABLE procedure.

Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs
You optionally use a schedule object (a schedule) to define when a job should be run.
Schedules can be shared among users by creating and saving them as objects in the
database.
This section introduces you to basic schedule tasks, and discusses the following topics:
■

Schedule Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Schedules

■

Altering Schedules

■

Dropping Schedules

■

Setting the Repeat Interval
See Also:
■
■

"Schedules" on page 28-4 for an overview of schedules.
"Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Windows" on
page 29-56 and "Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with
Window Groups" on page 29-60 to schedule jobs while managing
job resource usage

Schedule Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–4 illustrates common schedule tasks and the procedures you use to handle
them.
Table 29–4

Schedule Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a schedule

CREATE_SCHEDULE

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Alter a schedule

SET_ATTRIBUTE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

Drop a schedule

DROP_SCHEDULE

ALTER or CREATE ANY JOB or be the owner

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information.

Creating Schedules
You create schedules by using the CREATE_SCHEDULE procedure or Cloud Control.
Schedules are created in the schema of the user creating the schedule, and are enabled
when first created. You can create a schedule in another user's schema. Once a
schedule has been created, it can be used by other users. The schedule is created with
access to PUBLIC. Therefore, there is no need to explicitly grant access to the schedule.
The following example create a schedule:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_SCHEDULE (
schedule_name
=> 'my_stats_schedule',
start_date
=> SYSTIMESTAMP,

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Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

end_date
repeat_interval
comments
END;
/

=> SYSTIMESTAMP + INTERVAL '30' day,
=> 'FREQ=HOURLY; INTERVAL=4',
=> 'Every 4 hours');

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed
information about the CREATE_SCHEDULE procedure.
"Creating an Event Schedule" on page 29-33

Altering Schedules
You alter a schedule by using the SET_ATTRIBUTE and SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL package
procedures or Cloud Control. Altering a schedule changes the definition of the
schedule. With the exception of schedule name, all attributes can be changed. The
attributes of a schedule are available in the *_SCHEDULER_SCHEDULES views.
If a schedule is altered, the change does not affect running jobs and open windows that
use this schedule. The change goes into effect the next time the jobs runs or the
window opens.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure.

Dropping Schedules
You drop a schedule using the DROP_SCHEDULE procedure or Cloud Control. This
procedure call deletes the schedule object from the database.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DROP_SCHEDULE procedure.

Setting the Repeat Interval
You control when and how often a job repeats by setting the repeat_interval
attribute of the job itself or the named schedule that the job references. You can set
repeat_interval with DBMS_SCHEDULER package procedures or with Cloud Control.
Evaluating the repeat_interval results in a set of timestamps. The Scheduler runs the
job at each timestamp. Note that the start date from the job or schedule also helps
determine the resulting set of timestamps. If no value for repeat_interval is
specified, the job runs only once at the specified start date.
Immediately after a job starts, the repeat_interval is evaluated to determine the next
scheduled execution time of the job. While this might arrive while the job is still
running, a new instance of the job does not start until the current one completes.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about repeat_interval evaluation

There are two ways to specify the repeat interval:
■

Using the Scheduler Calendaring Syntax

■

Using a PL/SQL Expression

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-25

Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

Using the Scheduler Calendaring Syntax
The main way to set how often a job repeats is to set the repeat_interval attribute
with a Scheduler calendaring expression.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
detailed description of the calendaring syntax for repeat_interval as
well as the CREATE_SCHEDULE procedure

Examples of Calendaring Expressions
The following examples illustrate simple repeat intervals. For simplicity, it is assumed
that there is no contribution to the evaluation results by the start date.
Run every Friday. (All three examples are equivalent.)
FREQ=DAILY; BYDAY=FRI;
FREQ=WEEKLY; BYDAY=FRI;
FREQ=YEARLY; BYDAY=FRI;

Run every other Friday.
FREQ=WEEKLY; INTERVAL=2; BYDAY=FRI;

Run on the last day of every month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYMONTHDAY=-1;

Run on the next to last day of every month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYMONTHDAY=-2;

Run on March 10th. (Both examples are equivalent)
FREQ=YEARLY; BYMONTH=MAR; BYMONTHDAY=10;
FREQ=YEARLY; BYDATE=0310;

Run every 10 days.
FREQ=DAILY; INTERVAL=10;

Run daily at 4, 5, and 6PM.
FREQ=DAILY; BYHOUR=16,17,18;

Run on the 15th day of every other month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; INTERVAL=2; BYMONTHDAY=15;

Run on the 29th day of every month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYMONTHDAY=29;

Run on the second Wednesday of each month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYDAY=2WED;

Run on the last Friday of the year.
FREQ=YEARLY; BYDAY=-1FRI;

Run every 50 hours.
FREQ=HOURLY; INTERVAL=50;

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Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

Run on the last day of every other month.
FREQ=MONTHLY; INTERVAL=2; BYMONTHDAY=-1;

Run hourly for the first three days of every month.
FREQ=HOURLY; BYMONTHDAY=1,2,3;

Here are some more complex repeat intervals:
Run on the last workday of every month (assuming that workdays are Monday
through Friday).
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYDAY=MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI; BYSETPOS=-1

Run on the last workday of every month, excluding company holidays. (This example
references an existing named schedule called Company_Holidays.)
FREQ=MONTHLY; BYDAY=MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI; EXCLUDE=Company_Holidays; BYSETPOS=-1

Run at noon every Friday and on company holidays.
FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=FRI;BYHOUR=12;INCLUDE=Company_Holidays

Run on these three holidays: July 4th, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. (This example
references three existing named schedules, JUL4, MEM, and LAB, where each defines a
single date corresponding to a holiday.)
JUL4,MEM,LAB

Examples of Calendaring Expression Evaluation
A repeat interval of "FREQ=MINUTELY;INTERVAL=2;BYHOUR=17;
BYMINUTE=2,4,5,50,51,7;" with a start date of 28-FEB-2004 23:00:00 will generate the
following schedule:
SUN
SUN
SUN
MON
MON
MON
...

29-FEB-2004
29-FEB-2004
29-FEB-2004
01-MAR-2004
01-MAR-2004
01-MAR-2004

17:02:00
17:04:00
17:50:00
17:02:00
17:04:00
17:50:00

A repeat interval of "FREQ=MONTHLY;BYMONTHDAY=15,-1" with a start date of
29-DEC-2003 9:00:00 will generate the following schedule:
WED
THU
SAT
SUN
SUN
MON
WED
...

31-DEC-2003
15-JAN-2004
31-JAN-2004
15-FEB-2004
29-FEB-2004
15-MAR-2004
31-MAR-2004

09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00

A repeat interval of "FREQ=MONTHLY;" with a start date of 29-DEC-2003 9:00:00 will
generate the following schedule. (Note that because there is no BYMONTHDAY clause, the
day of month is retrieved from the start date.)
MON
THU
SUN
MON

29-DEC-2003
29-JAN-2004
29-FEB-2004
29-MAR-2004

09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
09:00:00
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-27

Creating and Managing Schedules to Define Jobs

...

Example of Using a Calendaring Expression
As an example of using the calendaring syntax, consider the following statement:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'scott.my_job1',
start_date
=> '15-JUL-04 01.00.00 AM Europe/Warsaw',
repeat_interval
=> 'FREQ=MINUTELY; INTERVAL=30;',
end_date
=> '15-SEP-04 01.00.00 AM Europe/Warsaw',
comments
=> 'My comments here');
END;
/

This creates my_job1 in scott. It will run for the first time on July 15th and then run
until September 15. The job is run every 30 minutes.

Using a PL/SQL Expression
When you need more complicated capabilities than the calendaring syntax provides,
you can use PL/SQL expressions. You cannot, however, use PL/SQL expressions for
windows or in named schedules. The PL/SQL expression must evaluate to a date or a
timestamp. Other than this restriction, there are no limitations, so with sufficient
programming, you can create every possible repeat interval. As an example, consider
the following statement:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'scott.my_job2',
start_date
=> '15-JUL-04 01.00.00 AM Europe/Warsaw',
repeat_interval
=> 'SYSTIMESTAMP + INTERVAL '30' MINUTE',
end_date
=> '15-SEP-04 01.00.00 AM Europe/Warsaw',
comments
=> 'My comments here');
END;
/

This creates my_job1 in scott. It will run for the first time on July 15th and then every
30 minutes until September 15. The job is run every 30 minutes because repeat_
interval is set to SYSTIMESTAMP + INTERVAL '30' MINUTE, which returns a date 30
minutes into the future.

Differences Between PL/SQL Expression and Calendaring Syntax Behavior
The following are important differences in behavior between a calendaring expression
and PL/SQL repeat interval:
■

■

Start date
–

Using the calendaring syntax, the start date is a reference date only. Therefore,
the schedule is valid as of this date. It does not mean that the job will start on
the start date.

–

Using a PL/SQL expression, the start date represents the actual time that the
job will start executing for the first time.

Next run time
–

Using the calendaring syntax, the next time the job runs is fixed.

–

Using the PL/SQL expression, the next time the job runs depends on the
actual start time of the current job run.

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Using Events to Start Jobs

As an example of the difference, for a job that is scheduled to start at 2:00 PM and
repeat every 2 hours, but actually starts at 2:10:
–

If calendaring syntax specified the repeat interval, then it would repeat at 4, 6
and so on.

–

If a PL/SQL expression is used, then the job would repeat at 4:10, and if the
next job actually started at 4:11, then the subsequent run would be at 6:11.

To illustrate these two points, consider a situation where you have a start date of
15-July-2003 1:45:00 and you want it to repeat every two hours. A calendar expression
of "FREQ=HOURLY; INTERVAL=2; BYMINUTE=0;" will generate the following schedule:
TUE
TUE
TUE
TUE
TUE
...

15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003

03:00:00
05:00:00
07:00:00
09:00:00
11:00:00

Note that the calendar expression repeats every two hours on the hour.
A PL/SQL expression of "SYSTIMESTAMP + interval '2' hour", however, might have
a run time of the following:
TUE
TUE
TUE
TUE
TUE
...

15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003
15-JUL-2003

01:45:00
03:45:05
05:45:09
07:45:14
09:45:20

Repeat Intervals and Daylight Savings
For repeating jobs, the next time a job is scheduled to run is stored in a timestamp with
time zone column.
■

■

Using the calendaring syntax, the time zone is retrieved from start_date. For
more information on what happens when start_date is not specified, see Oracle
Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.
Using PL/SQL repeat intervals, the time zone is part of the timestamp that the
PL/SQL expression returns.

In both cases, it is important to use region names. For example, use
"Europe/Istanbul", instead of absolute time zone offsets such as "+2:00". The
Scheduler follows daylight savings adjustments that apply to that region only when a
time zone is specified as a region name.

Using Events to Start Jobs
This section contains:
■

About Events

■

Starting Jobs with Events Raised by Your Application

■

Starting a Job When a File Arrives on a System

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-29

Using Events to Start Jobs

See Also:
■

■

"Examples of Creating Jobs and Schedules Based on Events" on
page 30-21
"Creating and Managing Job Chains" on page 29-41 for
information about using events with chains to achieve precise
control over process flow

About Events
An event is a message one application or system process sends to another to indicate
that some action or occurrence has been detected. An event is raised (sent) by one
application or process, and consumed (received) by one or more applications or
processes.
The Scheduler consumes two kinds of events:
■

Events that your application raises
An application can raise an event to be consumed by the Scheduler. The Scheduler
reacts to the event by starting a job. For example, when an inventory tracking
system notices that the inventory has gone below a certain threshold, it can raise
an event that starts an inventory replenishment job.
See "Starting Jobs with Events Raised by Your Application" on page 29-30.

■

File arrival events that a file watcher raises
You can create a file watcher, a Scheduler object introduced in Oracle Database 11g
Release 2 (11.2), to watch for the arrival of a file on a system. You can then
configure a job to start when the file watcher detects the presence of the file. For
example, a data warehouse for a chain of stores loads data from end-of-day
revenue reports which are uploaded from the stores. The data warehouse load job
starts each time a new end-of-day report arrives.
See "Starting a Job When a File Arrives on a System" on page 29-34
See Also: "Monitoring Job State with Events Raised by the
Scheduler" on page 29-68 for information about how your application
can consume job state change events raised by the Scheduler

Starting Jobs with Events Raised by Your Application
Your application can raise an event to notify the Scheduler to start a job. A job started
in this way is referred to as an event-based job. You can create a named schedule that
references an event instead of containing date, time, and recurrence information. If a
job is given such a schedule (an event schedule), the job runs when the event is raised.
To raise an event to notify the Scheduler to start a job, your application enqueues a
message onto an Oracle Database Advanced Queuing queue that was specified when
setting up the job. When the job starts, it can optionally retrieve the message content of
the event.
To create an event-based job, you must set these two additional attributes:
■

queue_spec
A queue specification that includes the name of the queue where your application
enqueues messages to raise job start events, or in the case of a secure queue, the
queue name followed by a comma and the agent name.

■

event_condition

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Using Events to Start Jobs

A conditional expression based on message properties that must evaluate to TRUE
for the message to start the job. The expression must have the syntax of an Oracle
Database Advanced Queuing rule. Accordingly, you can include user data
properties in the expression, provided that the message payload is an object type,
and that you prefix object attributes in the expression with tab.user_data.
See Also:
■

■

DBMS_AQADM.ADD_SUBSCRIBER procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL
Packages and Types Reference for more information on queueing
rules
Oracle Database Advanced Queuing User's Guide for more
information on how to create queues and enqueue messages

The following example sets event_condition to select only low-inventory events
that occur after midnight and before 9:00 a.m. Assume that the message payload is
an object with two attributes called event_type and event_timestamp.
event_condition = 'tab.user_data.event_type = ''LOW_INVENTORY'' and
extract hour from tab.user_data.event_timestamp < 9'

You can specify queue_spec and event_condition as inline job attributes, or you can
create an event schedule with these attributes and point to this schedule from the job.
The Scheduler runs the event-based job for each occurrence of
an event that matches event_condition. However, by default, events
that occur while the job is already running are ignored; the event gets
consumed, but does not trigger another run of the job. Beginning in
Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1), you can change this default
behavior by setting the job attribute PARALLEL_INSTANCES to TRUE. In
this case, an instance of the job is started for every instance of the
event, and all job instances are lightweight jobs. See the SET_
ATTRIBUTE procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for details.
Note:

Table 29–5 describes common administration tasks involving events raised by an
application (and consumed by the Scheduler) and the procedures associated with
them.
Table 29–5

Event Tasks and Their Procedures for Events Raised by an Application

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Creating an Event-Based Job

CREATE_JOB

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Altering an Event-Based Job

SET_ATTRIBUTE

CREATE ANY JOB or ownership of the job
being altered or ALTER privileges on the
job

Creating an Event Schedule

CREATE_EVENT_SCHEDULE

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB

Altering an Event Schedule

SET_ATTRIBUTE

CREATE ANY JOB or ownership of the
schedule being altered or ALTER
privileges on the schedule

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-31

Using Events to Start Jobs

Creating an Event-Based Job
You use the CREATE_JOB procedure or Cloud Control to create an event-based job. The
job can include event information inline as job attributes or can specify event
information by pointing to an event schedule.
Like jobs based on time schedules, event-based jobs are not auto-dropped unless the
job end date passes, max_runs is reached, or the maximum number of failures (max_
failures) is reached.
Specifying Event Information as Job Attributes To specify event information as job
attributes, you use an alternate syntax of CREATE_JOB that includes the queue_spec and
event_condition attributes.
The following example creates a job that starts when an application signals to the
Scheduler that inventory levels for an item have fallen to a low threshold level:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'process_lowinv_j1',
program_name
=> 'process_lowinv_p1',
event_condition
=> 'tab.user_data.event_type = ''LOW_INVENTORY''',
queue_spec
=> 'inv_events_q, inv_agent1',
enabled
=> TRUE,
comments
=> 'Start an inventory replenishment job');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the CREATE_JOB procedure.
Specifying Event Information in an Event Schedule To specify event information with an
event schedule, you set the schedule_name attribute of the job to the name of an event
schedule, as shown in the following example:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'process_lowinv_j1',
program_name
=> 'process_lowinv_p1',
schedule_name
=> 'inventory_events_schedule',
enabled
=> TRUE,
comments
=> 'Start an inventory replenishment job');
END;
/

See "Creating an Event Schedule" on page 29-33 for more information.

Altering an Event-Based Job
You alter an event-based job by using the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure. For jobs that
specify the event inline, you cannot set the queue_spec and event_condition
attributes individually with SET_ATTRIBUTE. Instead, you must set an attribute called
event_spec, and pass an event condition and queue specification as the third and
fourth arguments, respectively, to SET_ATTRIBUTE.
The following example uses the event_spec attribute:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE ('my_job', 'event_spec',
'tab.user_data.event_type = ''LOW_INVENTORY''', 'inv_events_q, inv_agent1');
END;
/
29-32 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Events to Start Jobs

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure.

Creating an Event Schedule
You can create a schedule that is based on an event. You can then reuse the schedule
for multiple jobs. To do so, use the CREATE_EVENT_SCHEDULE procedure, or use Cloud
Control. The following example creates an event schedule:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_EVENT_SCHEDULE (
schedule_name
=> 'inventory_events_schedule',
start_date
=> SYSTIMESTAMP,
event_condition
=> 'tab.user_data.event_type = ''LOW_INVENTORY''',
queue_spec
=> 'inv_events_q, inv_agent1');
END;
/

You can drop an event schedule using the DROP_SCHEDULE procedure. See Oracle
Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information on CREATE_EVENT_
SCHEDULE.

Altering an Event Schedule
You alter the event information in an event schedule in the same way that you alter
event information in a job. For more information, see "Altering an Event-Based Job" on
page 29-32.
The following example demonstrates how to use the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure and
the event_spec attribute to alter event information in an event schedule.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE ('inventory_events_schedule', 'event_spec',
'tab.user_data.event_type = ''LOW_INVENTORY''', 'inv_events_q, inv_agent1');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure.

Passing Event Messages into an Event-Based Job
Through a metadata argument, the Scheduler can pass the message content of the
event to the event-based job that started the job. The following rules apply:
■
■

■

The job must use a named program of type STORED_PROCEDURE.
One of the named program arguments must be a metadata argument with
metadata_attribute set to EVENT_MESSAGE.
The stored procedure that implements the program must have an argument at the
position corresponding to the metadata argument of the named program. The
argument type must be the data type of the queue where your application queues
the job-start event.

If you use the RUN_JOB procedure to manually run a job that has an EVENT_MESSAGE
metadata argument, the value passed to that argument is NULL.
The following example shows how to construct an event-based job that can receive the
event message content:

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-33

Using Events to Start Jobs

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE my_stored_proc (event_msg IN event_queue_type)
AS
BEGIN
-- retrieve and process message body
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM (
program_name => 'my_prog',
program_action=> 'my_stored_proc',
program_type => 'STORED_PROCEDURE',
number_of_arguments => 1,
enabled => FALSE) ;
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT (
program_name => 'my_prog',
argument_position => 1 ,
metadata_attribute => 'EVENT_MESSAGE') ;
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE ('my_prog');
EXCEPTION
WHEN others THEN RAISE ;
END ;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name => 'my_evt_job' ,
program_name => 'my_prog',
schedule_name => 'my_evt_sch',
enabled => true,
auto_Drop => false) ;
EXCEPTION
WHEN others THEN RAISE ;
END ;
/

Starting a Job When a File Arrives on a System
You can configure the Scheduler to start a job when a file arrives on the local system or
a remote system. The job is an event-based job, and the file arrival event is raised by a
file watcher, which is a Scheduler object introduced in Oracle Database 11g Release 2
(11.2).
This section contains:
■

About File Watchers

■

Enabling File Arrival Events from Remote Systems

■

Creating File Watchers and File Watcher Jobs

■

File Arrival Example

■

Managing File Watchers

■

Viewing File Watcher Information

29-34 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Events to Start Jobs

About File Watchers
A file watcher is a Scheduler object that defines the location, name, and other
properties of a file whose arrival on a system causes the Scheduler to start a job. You
create a file watcher and then create any number of event-based jobs or event
schedules that reference the file watcher. When the file watcher detects the arrival of
the designated file, a newly arrived file, it raises a file arrival event.
A newly arrived file is a file that has been changed and therefore has a timestamp that
is later than either the latest execution or the time that the file watcher job began
monitoring the target file directory.
The way the file watcher determines whether a file is a newly arrived one or not is
equivalent to repeatedly executing the Unix command ls -lrt or the Windows DOS
command dir /od to watch for new files in a directory. Both these commands ensure
that the recently modified file is listed at the end, that is the oldest first and the newest
last.
Note:

The following behaviors:

The UNIX mv command does not change the file modification time,
while the cp command does.
The Windows move/paste and copy/paste commands do not change
the file modification time. To do this, execute the following DOS
command after the move or copy command: copy /b file_name +,,
The steady_state_duration parameter of the CREATE_FILE_WATCHER procedure,
described in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference, indicates the
minimum time interval that the file must remain unchanged before the file watcher
considers the file found. This cannot exceed one hour. If the parameter is NULL, an
internal value is used.
The job started by the file arrival event can retrieve the event message to learn about
the newly arrived file. The message contains the information required to find the file,
open it, and process it.
A file watcher can watch for a file on the local system (the same host computer
running Oracle Database) or a remote system. Remote systems must be running the
Scheduler agent, and the agent must be registered with the database.
File watchers check for the arrival of files every 10 minutes. You can adjust this
interval. See "Changing the File Arrival Detection Interval" on page 29-40 for details.
To use file watchers, the database Java virtual machine (JVM) component must be
installed.
You must have the CREATE JOB system privilege to create a file watcher in your own
schema. You require the CREATE ANY JOB system privilege to create a file watcher in a
schema different from your own (except the SYS schema, which is disallowed). You can
grant the EXECUTE object privilege on a file watcher so that jobs in different schemas
can reference it. You can also grant the ALTER object privilege on a file watcher so that
another user can modify it.

Enabling File Arrival Events from Remote Systems
To receive file arrival events from a remote system, you must install the Scheduler
agent on that system, and you must register the agent with the database. The remote
system does not require a running Oracle Database instance to generate file arrival
events.
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-35

Using Events to Start Jobs

To enable the raising of file arrival events at remote systems:
1.

Set up the local database to run remote external jobs.
See "Enabling and Disabling Databases for Remote Jobs" on page 30-5 for
instructions.

2.

Install, configure, register, and start the Scheduler agent on the first remote system.
See "Installing and Configuring the Scheduler Agent on a Remote Host" on
page 30-7 for instructions.
This adds the remote host to the list of external destinations maintained on the
local database.

3.

Repeat the previous step for each additional remote system.

Creating File Watchers and File Watcher Jobs
You perform the following tasks to create a file watcher and create the event-based job
that starts when the designated file arrives.
Task 1 - Create a Credential
The file watcher requires a credential object (a credential) with which to authenticate
with the host operating system for access to the file. See "Credentials" on page 28-8 for
information on privileges required to create credentials.
Perform these steps:
1.

Create a credential for the operating system user that must have access to the
watched-for file.
BEGIN
DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL('WATCH_CREDENTIAL', 'salesapps',
'sa324w1');
END;
/

2.

Grant the EXECUTE object privilege on the credential to the schema that owns the
event-based job that the file watcher will start.
GRANT EXECUTE ON WATCH_CREDENTIAL to DSSUSER;

Task 2 - Create a File Watcher
Perform these steps:
1.

Create the file watcher, assigning attributes as described in the DBMS_
SCHEDULER.CREATE_FILE_WATCHER procedure documentation in Oracle Database
PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference. You can specify wildcard parameters in the
file name. A '?' prefix in the DIRECTORY_PATH attribute denotes the path to the
Oracle home directory. A NULL destination indicates the local host. To watch for
the file on a remote host, provide a valid external destination name, which you can
obtain from the view ALL_SCHEDULER_EXTERNAL_DESTS.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_FILE_WATCHER(
file_watcher_name => 'EOD_FILE_WATCHER',
directory_path
=> '?/eod_reports',
file_name
=> 'eod*.txt',
credential_name
=> 'watch_credential',
destination
=> NULL,
enabled
=> FALSE);

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Using Events to Start Jobs

END;
/
2.

Grant EXECUTE on the file watcher to any schema that owns an event-based job that
references the file watcher.
GRANT EXECUTE ON EOD_FILE_WATCHER to dssuser;

Task 3 - Create a Program Object with a Metadata Argument
So that your application can retrieve the file arrival event message content, which
includes file name, file size, and so on, create a Scheduler program object with a
metadata argument that references the event message.
Perform these steps:
1.

Create the program.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM(
program_name
=> 'dssuser.eod_program',
program_type
=> 'stored_procedure',
program_action
=> 'eod_processor',
number_of_arguments => 1,
enabled
=> FALSE);
END;
/

2.

Define the metadata argument using the event_message attribute.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT(
program_name
=> 'DSSUSER.EOD_PROGRAM',
metadata_attribute => 'event_message',
argument_position => 1);
END;
/

3.

Create the stored procedure that the program invokes.
The stored procedure that processes the file arrival event must have an argument
of type SYS.SCHEDULER_FILEWATCHER_RESULT, which is the data type of the event
message. The position of that argument must match the position of the defined
metadata argument. The procedure can then access attributes of this abstract data
type to learn about the arrived file.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
description of the DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT procedure
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for a
description of the SYS.SCHEDULER_FILEWATCHER_RESULT type

Task 4 - Create an Event-Based Job That References the File Watcher
Create the event-based job as described in "Creating an Event-Based Job" on
page 29-32, with the following exception: instead of providing a queue specification in
the queue_spec attribute, provide the name of the file watcher. You would typically
leave the event_condition job attribute null, but you can provide a condition if
desired.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-37

Using Events to Start Jobs

As an alternative to setting the queue_spec attribute for the job, you can create an
event schedule, reference the file watcher in the queue_spec attribute of the event
schedule, and reference the event schedule in the schedule_name attribute of the job.
Perform these steps to prepare the event-based job:
1.

Create the job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'dssuser.eod_job',
program_name
=> 'dssuser.eod_program',
event_condition => NULL,
queue_spec
=> 'eod_file_watcher',
auto_drop
=> FALSE,
enabled
=> FALSE);
END;
/

2.

If you want the job to run for each instance of the file arrival event, even if the job
is already processing a previous event, set the parallel_instances attribute to
TRUE. With this setting, the job runs as a lightweight job so that multiple instances
of the job can be started quickly. To discard file watcher events that occur while the
event-based job is already processing another, leave the parallel_instances
attribute FALSE (the default).
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('dssuser.eod_job','parallel_instances',TRUE);
END;
/

For more information about this attribute, see the SET_ATTRIBUTE description in
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference.
See Also:
■
■

"Creating an Event Schedule" on page 29-33
"Creating Jobs Using Named Programs and Schedules" on
page 29-5

Task 5 - Enable All Objects
Enable the file watcher, the program, and the job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('DSSUSER.EOD_PROGRAM,DSSUSER.EOD_JOB,EOD_FILE_WATCHER');
END;
/

File Arrival Example
In this example, an event-based job watches for the arrival of end-of-day sales reports
onto the local host from various locations. As each report file arrives, a stored
procedure captures information about the file and stores the information in a table
called eod_reports. A regularly scheduled report aggregation job can then query this
table, process all unprocessed files, and mark any newly processed files as processed.
It is assumed that the database user running the following code has been granted
EXECUTE on the SYS.SCHEDULER_FILEWATCHER_RESULT data type.
BEGIN
DBMS_CREDENTIAL.CREATE_CREDENTIAL(

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Using Events to Start Jobs

credential_name => 'watch_credential',
username
=> 'pos1',
password
=> 'jk4545st');
END;
/
CREATE TABLE eod_reports (WHEN timestamp, file_name varchar2(100),
file_size number, processed char(1));
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE q_eod_report
(payload IN sys.scheduler_filewatcher_result) AS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO eod_reports VALUES
(payload.file_timestamp,
payload.directory_path || '/' || payload.actual_file_name,
payload.file_size,
'N');
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM(
program_name
=> 'eod_prog',
program_type
=> 'stored_procedure',
program_action
=> 'q_eod_report',
number_of_arguments => 1,
enabled
=> FALSE);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT(
program_name
=> 'eod_prog',
metadata_attribute => 'event_message',
argument_position
=> 1);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('eod_prog');
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_FILE_WATCHER(
file_watcher_name => 'eod_reports_watcher',
directory_path
=> '?/eod_reports',
file_name
=> 'eod*.txt',
credential_name
=> 'watch_credential',
destination
=> NULL,
enabled
=> FALSE);
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'eod_job',
program_name
=> 'eod_prog',
event_condition => 'tab.user_data.file_size > 10',
queue_spec
=> 'eod_reports_watcher',
auto_drop
=> FALSE,
enabled
=> FALSE);
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('EOD_JOB','PARALLEL_INSTANCES',TRUE);
END;
/
EXEC DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('eod_reports_watcher,eod_job');

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-39

Using Events to Start Jobs

Managing File Watchers
The DBMS_SCHEDULER PL/SQL package provides procedures for enabling, disabling,
dropping, and setting attributes for file watchers.
The section contains:
■

Enabling File Watchers

■

Altering File Watchers

■

Disabling and Dropping File Watchers

■

Changing the File Arrival Detection Interval
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_SCHEDULER PL/SQL package

Enabling File Watchers If a file watcher is disabled, use DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE to
enable it, as shown in Task 5, "- Enable All Objects" on page 29-38.
You can enable a file watcher only if all of its attributes are set to legal values and the
file watcher owner has EXECUTE privileges on the specified credential.
Altering File Watchers Use the DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE and DBMS_
SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL package procedures to modify the attributes of a file
watcher. See the CREATE_FILE_WATCHER procedure description for information about
file watcher attributes.
Disabling and Dropping File Watchers Use DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE to disable a file
watcher and DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_FILE_WATCHER to drop a file watcher. You cannot
disable or drop a file watcher if there are jobs that depend on it. To force a disable or
drop operation in this case, set the FORCE attribute to TRUE. If you force disabling or
dropping a file watcher, jobs that depend on it become disabled.
Changing the File Arrival Detection Interval File watchers check for the arrival of files every
ten minutes by default. You can change this interval.
To change the file arrival detection interval:
1.

Connect to the database as the SYS user.

2.

Change the REPEAT_INTERVAL attribute of the predefined schedule SYS.FILE_
WATCHER_SCHEDULE. Use any valid calendaring syntax.
Oracle does not recommend setting REPEAT_INTERVAL for file watchers to a value
lower than any of the STEADY_STATE_DURATION attribute values.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for File
Watcher attribute values
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for CREATE_
FILE_WATCHER parameters

The following example changes the file arrival detection frequency to every two
minutes.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('FILE_WATCHER_SCHEDULE', 'REPEAT_INTERVAL',
'FREQ=MINUTELY;INTERVAL=2');
END;

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Creating and Managing Job Chains

/

Viewing File Watcher Information
You can view information about file watchers by querying the views *_SCHEDULER_
FILE_WATCHERS.
SELECT file_watcher_name, destination, directory_path, file_name, credential_name
FROM dba_scheduler_file_watchers;
FILE_WATCHER_NAME
DESTINATION
-------------------- -------------------MYFW
dsshost.example.com
EOD_FILE_WATCHER

DIRECTORY_PATH
-------------------/tmp
?/eod_reports

FILE_NAME
---------abc
eod*.txt

CREDENTIAL_NAME
---------------MYFW_CRED
WATCH_CREDENTIAL

Oracle Database Reference for details on the *_SCHEDULER_
FILE_WATCHERS views

See Also:

Creating and Managing Job Chains
A job chain is a named series of tasks that are linked together for a combined objective.
Using chains, you can implement dependency-based scheduling, in which jobs start
depending on the outcomes of one or more previous jobs.
To create and use a chain, you complete these tasks in order:
Task

See...

1. Create a chain object

Creating Chains

2. Define the steps in the chain

Defining Chain Steps

3. Add rules

Adding Rules to a Chain

4. Enable the chain

Enabling Chains

5. Create a job (the "chain job") that
points to the chain

Creating Jobs for Chains

Additional topics discussed in this section include:
■

Chain Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Dropping Chains

■

Running Chains

■

Dropping Chain Rules

■

Disabling Chains

■

Dropping Chain Steps

■

Stopping Chains

■

Stopping Individual Chain Steps

■

Pausing Chains

■

Skipping Chain Steps

■

Running Part of a Chain

■

Monitoring Running Chains

■

Handling Stalled Chains

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-41

Creating and Managing Job Chains

See Also:
■

"Chains" on page 28-8 for an overview of chains

■

"Examples of Creating Chains" on page 30-20

Chain Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–6 illustrates common tasks involving chains and the procedures associated
with them.
Table 29–6

Chain Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a chain

CREATE_CHAIN

CREATE JOB, CREATE EVALUATION CONTEXT, CREATE RULE, and CREATE
RULE SET if the owner. CREATE ANY JOB, CREATE ANY RULE, CREATE
ANY RULE SET, and CREATE ANY EVALUATION CONTEXT otherwise

Drop a chain

DROP_CHAIN

Ownership of the chain or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB privileges. If not owner, also requires DROP ANY EVALUATION
CONTEXT and DROP ANY RULE SET

Alter a chain

SET_ATTRIBUTE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Alter a running chain

ALTER_RUNNING_CHAIN

Ownership of the job, or ALTER privileges on the job or CREATE ANY
JOB

Run a chain

RUN_CHAIN

CREATE JOB or CREATE ANY JOB. In addition, the owner of the new job
must have EXECUTE privileges on the chain or EXECUTE ANY PROGRAM

Add rules to a chain

DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB privileges. CREATE RULE if the owner of the chain, CREATE ANY
RULE otherwise

Alter rules in a chain

DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB privileges. If not owner of the chain, requires ALTER privileges
on the rule or ALTER ANY RULE

Drop rules from a chain

DROP_CHAIN_RULE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB privileges. DROP ANY RULE if not the owner of the chain

Enable a chain

ENABLE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Disable a chain

DISABLE

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Create steps

DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Drop steps

DROP_CHAIN_STEP

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Alter steps (including
assigning additional
attribute values to steps)

ALTER_CHAIN

Ownership of the chain, or ALTER privileges on the chain or CREATE
ANY JOB

Creating Chains
You create a chain by using the CREATE_CHAIN procedure. You must ensure that you
have the required privileges first. See "Setting Chain Privileges" on page 30-2 for
details.
After creating the chain object with CREATE_CHAIN, you define chain steps and chain
rules separately.
The following example creates a chain:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',

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Creating and Managing Job Chains

rule_set_name
=> NULL,
evaluation_interval => NULL,
comments
=> 'My first chain');
END;
/

The rule_set_name and evaluation_interval arguments are typically left NULL.
evaluation_interval can define a repeating interval at which chain rules get
evaluated. rule_set_name refers to a rule set as defined within Oracle Streams.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Adding Rules to a Chain" on page 29-44 for more information
about the evaluation_interval attribute
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information on CREATE_CHAIN
See Oracle Streams Concepts and Administration for information on
rules and rule sets

Defining Chain Steps
After creating a chain object, you define one or more chain steps. Each step can point
to one of the following:
■

A Scheduler program object (program)

■

Another chain (a nested chain)

■

An event schedule, inline event, or file watcher

You define a step that points to a program or nested chain by using the DEFINE_CHAIN_
STEP procedure. The following example adds two steps to my_chain1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
step_name
=> 'my_step1',
program_name
=> 'my_program1');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
step_name
=> 'my_step2',
program_name
=> 'my_chain2');
END;
/

The named program or chain does not have to exist when you define the step.
However, it must exist and be enabled when the chain runs, otherwise an error is
generated.
You define a step that waits for an event to occur by using the DEFINE_CHAIN_EVENT_
STEP procedure. Procedure arguments can point to an event schedule, can include an
inline queue specification and event condition, or can include a file watcher name.
This example creates a third chain step that waits for the event specified in the named
event schedule:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_EVENT_STEP (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
step_name
=> 'my_step3',
event_schedule_name => 'my_event_schedule');
END;
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-43

Creating and Managing Job Chains

/

An event step does not wait for its event until the step is started.
Steps That Run Local External Executables
After defining a step that runs a local external executable, you must use the ALTER_
CHAIN procedure to assign a credential to the step, as shown in the following example:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN('chain1','step1','credential_name','MY_CREDENTIAL');
END;
/

Steps That Run on Remote Destinations
After defining a step that is to run an external executable on a remote host or a
database program unit on a remote database, you must use the ALTER_CHAIN
procedure to assign both a credential and a destination to the step, as shown in the
following example:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN('chain1','step2','credential_name','DW_CREDENTIAL');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN('chain1','step2','destination_name','DBHOST1_ORCLDW');
END;
/

Making Steps Restartable
After a database recovery, by default, steps that were running are marked as STOPPED
and the chain continues. You can specify the chain steps to restart automatically after a
database recovery by using ALTER_CHAIN to set the restart_on_recovery attribute to
TRUE for those steps.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP, DEFINE_CHAIN_EVENT_STEP, and ALTER_CHAIN procedures.
See Also:
■

"About Events" on page 29-30

■

"About File Watchers" on page 29-35

■

"Credentials" on page 28-8

■

"Destinations" on page 28-6

Adding Rules to a Chain
You add a rule to a chain with the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedure. You call this
procedure once for each rule that you want to add to the chain.
Chain rules define when steps run and define dependencies between steps. Each rule
has a condition and an action. Whenever rules are evaluated, if a condition of a rule
evaluates to TRUE, its action is performed. The condition can contain Scheduler chain
condition syntax or any syntax that is valid in a SQL WHERE clause. The syntax can
include references to attributes of any chain step, including step completion status. A
typical action is to run a specified step or to run a list of steps.
All chain rules work together to define the overall action of the chain. All rules are
evaluated to see what action or actions occur next, when the chain job starts and at the
end of each step. If more than one rule has a TRUE condition, multiple actions can

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Creating and Managing Job Chains

occur. You can also cause rules to be evaluated at regular intervals by setting the
evaluation_interval attribute of a chain.
Conditions are usually based on the outcome of one or more previous steps. For
example, you might want one step to run if the two previous steps succeeded, and
another to run if either of the two previous steps failed.
Scheduler chain condition syntax takes one of the following two forms:
stepname [NOT] {SUCCEEDED|FAILED|STOPPED|COMPLETED}
stepname ERROR_CODE {comparision_operator|[NOT] IN} {integer|list_of_integers}

You can combine conditions with boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT() to create
conditional expressions. You can employ parentheses in your expressions to determine
order of evaluation.
ERROR_CODE can be set with the RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR PL/SQL statement within
the program assigned to the step. Although the error codes that your program sets in
this way are negative numbers, when testing ERROR_CODE in a chain rule, you test for
positive numbers. For example, if your program contains the following statement:
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR(-20100, errmsg);

your chain rule condition must be the following:
stepname ERROR_CODE=20100

Step Attributes
The following is a list of step attributes that you can include in conditions when using
SQL WHERE clause syntax:
completed
state
start_date
end_date
error_code
duration
The completed attribute is boolean and is TRUE when the state attribute is either
SUCCEEDED, FAILED, or STOPPED.
Table 29–7 shows the possible values for the state attribute. These values are visible in
the STATE column of the *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS views.
Table 29–7

Values for the State Attribute of a Chain Step

State Attribute
Value

Meaning

NOT_STARTED

The chain of a step is running, but the step has not yet started.

SCHEDULED

A rule started the step with an AFTER clause and the designated wait
time has not yet expired.

RUNNING

The step is running. For an event step, the step was started and is
waiting for an event.

PAUSED

The PAUSE attribute of a step is set to TRUE and the step is paused. It
must be unpaused before steps that depend on it can start.

SUCCEEDED

The step completed successfully. The ERROR_CODE of the step is 0.

FAILED

The step completed with a failure. ERROR_CODE is nonzero.

STOPPED

The step was stopped with the STOP_JOB procedure.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-45

Creating and Managing Job Chains

Table 29–7 (Cont.) Values for the State Attribute of a Chain Step
State Attribute
Value

Meaning

STALLED

The step is a nested chain that has stalled.

See the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for rules and examples for SQL WHERE clause syntax.
Condition Examples Using Scheduler Chain Condition Syntax
These examples use Scheduler chain condition syntax.
Steps started by rules containing the following condition starts when the step named
form_validation_step completes (SUCCEEDED, FAILED, or STOPPED).
form_validation_step COMPLETED

The following condition is similar, but indicates that the step must succeed for the
condition to be met.
form_validation_step SUCCEEDED

The next condition tests for an error. It is TRUE if the step form_validation_step failed
with any error code other than 20001.
form_validation_step FAILED AND form_validation_step ERROR_CODE != 20001

See the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for more examples.
Condition Examples Using SQL WHERE Syntax
':step1.state=''SUCCEEDED'''

Starting the Chain
At least one rule must have a condition that always evaluates to TRUE so that the chain
can start when the chain job starts. The easiest way to accomplish this is to set the
condition to 'TRUE' if you are using Schedule chain condition syntax, or '1=1' if you are
using SQL syntax.
Ending the Chain
At least one chain rule must contain an action of 'END'. A chain job does not complete
until one of the rules containing the END action evaluates to TRUE. Several different
rules with different END actions are common, some with error codes, and some
without.
If a chain has no more running steps, and it is not waiting for an event to occur, and no
rules containing the END action evaluate to TRUE (or there are no rules with the END
action), the chain job enters the CHAIN_STALLED state. See "Handling Stalled Chains" on
page 29-53 for more information.
Example of Defining Rules
The following example defines a rule that starts the chain at step1 and a rule that
starts step2 when step1 completes. rule_name and comments are optional and default
to NULL. If you do use rule_name, you can later redefine that rule with another call to
DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE. The new definition overwrites the previous one.

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Creating and Managing Job Chains

BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
chain_name
=>
'my_chain1',
condition
=>
'TRUE',
action
=>
'START step1',
rule_name
=>
'my_rule1',
comments
=>
'start the chain');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
chain_name
=>
'my_chain1',
condition
=>
'step1 completed',
action
=>
'START step2',
rule_name
=>
'my_rule2');
END;
/

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information on the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedure and Scheduler
chain condition syntax
"Examples of Creating Chains" on page 30-20

Setting an Evaluation Interval for Chain Rules
The Scheduler evaluates all chain rules at the start of the chain job and at the end of
each chain step. You can also configure a chain to have Scheduler evaluate its rules at a
repeating time interval, such as once per hour. This capability is useful to start chain
steps based on time of day or based on occurrences external to the chain. Here are
some examples:
■

■

A chain step is resource-intensive and must therefore run at off-peak hours. You
could condition the step on both the completion of another step and on the time of
day being after 6:00 p.m and before midnight. The Scheduler would then have to
evaluate rules every so often to determine when this condition becomes TRUE.
A step must wait for data to arrive in a table from some other process that is
external to the chain. You could condition this step on both the completion of
another step and on a particular table containing rows. The Scheduler would then
have to evaluate rules every so often to determine when this condition becomes
TRUE. The condition would use SQL WHERE clause syntax, and would be similar to
the following:
':step1.state=''SUCCEEDED'' AND select count(*) from oe.sync_table > 0'

To set an evaluation interval for a chain, you set the evaluation_interval attribute
when you create the chain. The data type for this attribute is INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
rule_set_name
=> NULL,
evaluation_interval => INTERVAL '30' MINUTE,
comments
=> 'Chain with 30 minute evaluation interval');
END;
/

Enabling Chains
You enable a chain with the ENABLE procedure. A chain must be enabled before it can
be run by a job. Enabling an already enabled chain does not return an error.
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-47

Creating and Managing Job Chains

This example enables chain my_chain1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE ('my_chain1');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the ENABLE procedure.
Chains are automatically disabled by the Scheduler when one
of the following is dropped:

Note:
■

The program that one of the chain steps points to

■

The nested chain that one of the chain steps points to

■

The event schedule that one of the chain event steps points to

Creating Jobs for Chains
To run a chain, you must either use the RUN_CHAIN procedure or create and schedule a
job of type 'CHAIN' (a chain job). The job action must refer to a previously created chain
name, as shown in the following example:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'chain_job_1',
job_type
=> 'CHAIN',
job_action
=> 'my_chain1',
repeat_interval => 'freq=daily;byhour=13;byminute=0;bysecond=0',
enabled
=> TRUE);
END;
/

For every step of a chain job that is running, the Scheduler creates a step job with the
same job name and owner as the chain job. Each step job additionally has a job
subname to uniquely identify it. You can view the job subname as a column in the
views *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS, *_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG, and *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_
DETAILS. The job subname is normally the same as the step name except in the
following cases:
■

■

For nested chains, the current step name may have already been used as a job
subname. In this case, the Scheduler appends '_N' to the step name, where N is an
integer that results in a unique job subname.
If there is a failure when creating a step job, the Scheduler logs a FAILED entry in
the job log views (*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG and *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS) with
the job subname set to 'step_name_0'.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information on the CREATE_JOB procedure
"Running Chains" on page 29-49 for another way to run a chain
without creating a chain job

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Creating and Managing Job Chains

Dropping Chains
You drop a chain, including its steps and rules, using the DROP_CHAIN procedure. The
following example drops the chain named my_chain1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
force
=> TRUE);
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the DROP_CHAIN procedure.

Running Chains
You can use the following two procedures to run a chain immediately:
■

RUN_JOB

■

RUN_CHAIN

If you already created a chain job for a chain, you can use the RUN_JOB procedure to
run that job (and thus run the chain), but you must set the use_current_session
argument of RUN_JOB to FALSE.
You can use the RUN_CHAIN procedure to run a chain without having to first create a
chain job for the chain. You can also use RUN_CHAIN to run only part of a chain.
RUN_CHAIN creates a temporary job to run the specified chain. If you supply a job name,
the job is created with that name, otherwise a default job name is assigned.
If you supply a list of start steps, only those steps are started when the chain begins
running. (Steps that would normally have started do not run if they are not in the list.)
If no list of start steps is given, the chain starts normally—that is, an initial evaluation
is done to see which steps to start running. The following example immediately runs
my_chain1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.RUN_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
job_name
=> 'partial_chain_job',
start_steps
=> 'my_step2, my_step4');
END;
/

See Also:
■
■

"Running Part of a Chain" on page 29-52
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information regarding the RUN_CHAIN procedure

Dropping Chain Rules
You drop a rule from a chain by using the DROP_CHAIN_RULE procedure. The following
example drops my_rule1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_CHAIN_RULE (
chain_name
=>
'my_chain1',
rule_name
=>
'my_rule1',

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-49

Creating and Managing Job Chains

force
END;
/

=>

TRUE);

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the DROP_CHAIN_RULE procedure.

Disabling Chains
You disable a chain using the DISABLE procedure. The following example disables my_
chain1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE ('my_chain1');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the DISABLE procedure.
Chains are automatically disabled by the Scheduler when one
of the following is dropped:

Note:
■

The program that one of the chain steps points to

■

The nested chain that one of the chain steps points to

■

The event schedule that one of the chain event steps points to

Dropping Chain Steps
You drop a step from a chain using the DROP_CHAIN_STEP procedure. The following
example drops my_step2 from my_chain2:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_CHAIN_STEP (
chain_name
=>
'my_chain2',
step_name
=>
'my_step2',
force
=>
TRUE);
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the DROP_CHAIN_STEP procedure.

Stopping Chains
To stop a running chain, you call the DBMS_SCHEDULER.STOP_JOB procedure, passing
the name of the chain job (the job that started the chain). When you stop a chain job, all
steps of the chain that are running are stopped and the chain ends.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the STOP_JOB procedure.

Stopping Individual Chain Steps
There are two ways to stop individual chain steps:
■

Create a chain rule that stops one or more steps when the rule condition is met.

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■

Call the STOP_JOB procedure.
For each step being stopped, you must specify the schema name, chain job name,
and step job subname.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.STOP_JOB('oe.chainrunjob.stepa');
END;
/

In this example, chainrunjob is the chain job name and stepa is the step job
subname. The step job subname is typically the same as the step name, but not
always. You can obtain the step job subname from the STEP_JOB_SUBNAME column
of the *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS views.
When you stop a chain step, its state is set to STOPPED, and the chain rules are
evaluated to determine the steps to run next.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information regarding
the STOP_JOB procedure.

Pausing Chains
You can pause an entire chain or individual branches of a chain. You do so by setting
the PAUSE attribute of one or more steps to TRUE with DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN or
ALTER_RUNNING_CHAIN. Pausing chain steps enables you to suspend the running of the
chain after those steps run.
When you pause a step, after the step runs, its state attribute changes to PAUSED, and
its completed attribute remains FALSE. Therefore, steps that depend on the completion
of the paused step are not run. If you reset the PAUSE attribute to FALSE for a paused
step, its state attribute is set to its completion state (SUCCEEDED, FAILED, or STOPPED),
and steps that are awaiting the completion of the paused step can then run.
Figure 29–1 Chain with Step 3 Paused

Step 3

Step 5

Begin

End
Step 1

Step 7

Step 2

Step 6

Step 4

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-51

Creating and Managing Job Chains

In Figure 29–1, Step 3 is paused. Until Step 3 is unpaused, Step 5 will not run. If you
were to pause only Step 2, then Steps 4, 6, and 7 would not run. However Steps 1, 3,
and 5 could run. In either case, you are suspending only one branch of the chain.
To pause an entire chain, you pause all steps of the chain. To unpause a chain, you
unpause one, many, or all of the chain steps. With the chain in Figure 29–1, pausing
Step 1 pauses the entire chain after Step 1 runs.
The DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN and DBMS_
SCHEDULER.ALTER_RUNNING_CHAIN procedures in Oracle Database
PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

See Also:

Skipping Chain Steps
You can skip one or more steps in a chain. You do so by setting the SKIP attribute of
one or more steps to TRUE with DBMS_SCHEDULER.ALTER_CHAIN or ALTER_RUNNING_
CHAIN. If a SKIP attribute of a step is TRUE, then when a chain condition to run that step
is met, instead of being run, the step is treated as immediately succeeded. Setting SKIP
to TRUE has no effect on a step that is running, is scheduled to run after a delay, or has
already run.
Skipping steps is especially useful when testing chains. For example, when testing the
chain shown in Figure 29–1 on page 29-51, skipping Step 7 could shorten testing time
considerably, because this step is a nested chain.
See Also:

"Skipping Chain Steps" on page 29-52

Running Part of a Chain
There are two ways to run only a part of a chain:
■

Use the ALTER_CHAIN procedure to set the PAUSE attribute to TRUE for one or more
steps, and then either start the chain job with RUN_JOB or start the chain with RUN_
CHAIN. Any steps that depend on the paused steps do not run, but the paused steps
do run.
The disadvantage of this method is that you must set the PAUSE attribute back to
FALSE for the affected steps for future runs of the chain.

■

Use the RUN_CHAIN procedure to start only certain steps of the chain, skipping
those steps that you do not want to run.
This is a more straightforward approach, which also allows you to set the initial
state of steps before starting them.

You may have to use both of these methods to skip steps both at the beginning and
end of a chain.
See the discussion of the RUN_CHAIN procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and
Types Reference for more information.

Monitoring Running Chains
You can view the status of running chains with the following two views:
*_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS
*_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS
The *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS views contain one row for the chain job and one row
for each running step. The *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS views contain one row for

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Prioritizing Jobs

each chain step, including any nested chains, and include run status for each step such
as NOT_STARTED, RUNNING, STOPPED, SUCCEEDED, and so on.
See Oracle Database Reference for details on these views.

Handling Stalled Chains
At the completion of a step, the chain rules are always evaluated to determine the next
steps to run. If none of the rules cause another step to start, none cause the chain to
end, and the evaluation_interval for the chain is NULL, the chain enters the stalled
state. When a chain is stalled, no steps are running, no steps are scheduled to run (after
waiting a designated time interval), and no event steps are waiting for an event. The
chain can make no further progress unless you manually intervene. In this case, the
state of the job that is running the chain is set to CHAIN_STALLED. However, the job is
still listed in the *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS views.
You can troubleshoot a stalled chain with the views ALL_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS,
which shows the state of all steps in the chain (including any nested chains), and ALL_
SCHEDULER_CHAIN_RULES, which contains all the chain rules.
You can enable the chain to continue by altering the state of one of its steps with the
ALTER_RUNNING_CHAIN procedure. For example, if step 11 is waiting for step 9 to
succeed before it can start, and if it makes sense to do so, you can set the state of step
9 to 'SUCCEEDED'.
Alternatively, if one or more rules are incorrect, you can use the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE
procedure to replace them (using the same rule names), or to create new rules. The
new and updated rules apply to the running chain and all future chain runs. After
adding or updating rules, you must run EVALUATE_RUNNING_CHAIN on the stalled chain
job to trigger any required actions.

Prioritizing Jobs
You prioritize Oracle Scheduler jobs using three Scheduler objects: job classes,
windows, and window groups. These objects prioritize jobs by associating jobs with
database resource manager consumer groups. This, in turn, controls the amount of
resources allocated to these jobs. In addition, job classes enable you to set relative
priorities among a group of jobs if all jobs in the group are allocated identical resource
levels.
This section contains:
■

Managing Job Priorities with Job Classes

■

Setting Relative Job Priorities Within a Job Class

■

Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Windows

■

Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Window Groups

■

Allocating Resources Among Jobs Using Resource Manager

■

Example of Resource Allocation for Jobs
See Also: Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager"

Managing Job Priorities with Job Classes
Job classes provide a way to group jobs for prioritization. They also provide a way to
easily assign a set of attribute values to member jobs. Job classes influence the
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Prioritizing Jobs

priorities of their member jobs through job class attributes that relate to the database
resource manager. See "Allocating Resources Among Jobs Using Resource Manager"
on page 29-63 for details.
A default job class is created with the database. If you create a job without specifying a
job class, the job is assigned to this default job class (DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS). The default
job class has the EXECUTE privilege granted to PUBLIC so any database user who has the
privilege to create a job can create a job in the default job class.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference to view job classes

This section introduces you to basic job class tasks, and discusses the following topics:
■

Job Class Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Job Classes

■

Altering Job Classes

■

Dropping Job Classes
See Also:

"Job Classes" on page 28-10 for an overview of job classes

Job Class Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–8 illustrates common job class tasks and their appropriate procedures and
privileges:
Table 29–8

Job Class Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a job class

CREATE_JOB_CLASS

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Alter a job class

SET_ATTRIBUTE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Drop a job class

DROP_JOB_CLASS

MANAGE SCHEDULER

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information regarding privileges.

Creating Job Classes
You create a job class using the CREATE_JOB_CLASS procedure or Cloud Control. Job
classes are always created in the SYS schema.
The following statement creates a job class for all finance jobs:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB_CLASS (
job_class_name
=> 'finance_jobs',
resource_consumer_group
=> 'finance_group');
END;
/

All jobs in this job class are assigned to the finance_group resource consumer group.
To query job classes, use the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_CLASSES views.
See Also:

"About Resource Consumer Groups" on page 27-4

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Prioritizing Jobs

Altering Job Classes
You alter a job class by using the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure or Cloud Control. Other
than the job class name, all the attributes of a job class can be altered. The attributes of
a job class are available in the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_CLASSES views.
When a job class is altered, running jobs that belong to the class are not affected. The
change only takes effect for jobs that have not started running yet.

Dropping Job Classes
You drop one or more job classes using the DROP_JOB_CLASS procedure or Cloud
Control. Dropping a job class means that all the metadata about the job class is
removed from the database.
You can drop several job classes in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of job
class names to the DROP_JOB_CLASS procedure call. For example, the following
statement drops three job classes:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB_CLASS('jobclass1, jobclass2, jobclass3');
END;
/

Setting Relative Job Priorities Within a Job Class
You can change the relative priorities of jobs within the same job class by using the
SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure. Job priorities must be in the range of 1-5, where 1 is the
highest priority. For example, the following statement changes the job priority for my_
job1 to a setting of 1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (
name
=>
'my_emp_job1',
attribute
=>
'job_priority',
value
=>
1);
END;
/

You can verify that the attribute was changed by issuing the following statement:
SELECT JOB_NAME, JOB_PRIORITY FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS;
JOB_NAME
JOB_PRIORITY
------------------------------ -----------MY_EMP_JOB
3
MY_EMP_JOB1
1
MY_NEW_JOB1
3
MY_NEW_JOB2
3
MY_NEW_JOB3
3

Overall priority of a job within the system is determined first by the combination of
the resource consumer group that the job class of the job is assigned to and the current
resource plan, and then by relative priority within the job class.
See Also:
■

■

"Allocating Resources Among Jobs Using Resource Manager"
on page 29-63
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed
information about the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure
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Prioritizing Jobs

Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Windows
Windows provide a way to automatically activate different resource plans at different
times. Running jobs can then see a change in the resources that are allocated to them
when there is a change in resource plan. A job can name a window in its schedule_
name attribute. The Scheduler then starts the job with the window opens. A window has
a schedule associated with it, so it can open at various times during your workload
cycle.
These are the key attributes of a window:
■

Schedule
This controls when the window is in effect.

■

Duration
This controls how long the window is open.

■

Resource plan
This names the resource plan that activates when the window opens.

Only one window can be in effect at any given time. Windows belong to the SYS
schema.
All window activity is logged in the *_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_LOG views, otherwise
known as the window logs. See "Window Log" on page 30-12 for examples of window
logging.
This section introduces you to basic window tasks, and discusses the following topics:
■

Window Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Windows

■

Dropping Windows

■

Opening Windows

■

Closing Windows

■

Dropping Windows

■

Disabling Windows

■

Enabling Windows
See Also:

"Windows" on page 28-11 for an overview of windows.

Window Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–9 illustrates common window tasks and the procedures you use to handle
them.
Table 29–9

Window Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a window

CREATE_WINDOW

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Open a window

OPEN_WINDOW

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Close a window

CLOSE_WINDOW

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Alter a window

SET_ATTRIBUTE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Drop a window

DROP_WINDOW

MANAGE SCHEDULER

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Prioritizing Jobs

Table 29–9 (Cont.) Window Tasks and Their Procedures
Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Disable a window

DISABLE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Enable a window

ENABLE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information regarding privileges.

Creating Windows
You can use Cloud Control or the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW procedure to create
windows. Using the procedure, you can leave the resource_plan parameter NULL. In
this case, when the window opens, the current plan remains in effect.
You must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege to create windows.
When you specify a schedule for a window, the Scheduler does not check if there is
already a window defined for that schedule. Therefore, this may result in windows
that overlap. Also, using a named schedule that has a PL/SQL expression as its repeat
interval is not supported for windows
See the CREATE_WINDOW procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for details on window attributes.
The following example creates a window named daytime that enables the mixed_
workload_plan resource plan during office hours:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW (
window_name
=> 'daytime',
resource_plan
=> 'mixed_workload_plan',
start_date
=> '28-APR-09 08.00.00 AM',
repeat_interval => 'freq=daily; byday=mon,tue,wed,thu,fri',
duration
=> interval '9' hour,
window_priority => 'low',
comments
=> 'OLTP transactions have priority');
END;
/

To verify that the window was created properly, query the view DBA_SCHEDULER_
WINDOWS. For example, issue the following statement:
SELECT WINDOW_NAME, RESOURCE_PLAN, DURATION, REPEAT_INTERVAL FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS;
WINDOW_NAME
----------DAYTIME

RESOURCE_PLAN
------------------MIXED_WORKLOAD_PLAN

DURATION
------------+000 09:00:00

REPEAT_INTERVAL
--------------freq=daily; byday=mon,tue,wed,thu,fri

Altering Windows
You alter a window by modifying its attributes. You do so with the SET_ATTRIBUTE and
SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL procedures or Cloud Control. With the exception of WINDOW_NAME,
all the attributes of a window can be changed when it is altered. See the CREATE_
WINDOW procedure in Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for window
attribute details.
When a window is altered, it does not affect an active window. The changes only take
effect the next time the window opens.
All windows can be altered. If you alter a window that is disabled, it will remain
disabled after it is altered. An enabled window will be automatically disabled, altered,
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Prioritizing Jobs

and then reenabled, if the validity checks performed during the enable process are
successful.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the SET_ATTRIBUTE and SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL procedures.

Opening Windows
When a window opens, the Scheduler switches to the resource plan that has been
associated with it during its creation. If there are jobs running when the window
opens, the resources allocated to them might change due to the switch in resource
plan.
There are two ways a window can open:
■

According to the window's schedule

■

Manually, using the OPEN_WINDOW procedure
This procedure opens the window independent of its schedule. This window will
open and the resource plan associated with it will take effect immediately. Only an
enabled window can be manually opened.
In the OPEN_WINDOW procedure, you can specify the time interval that the window
should be open for, using the duration attribute. The duration is of type interval
day to second. If the duration is not specified, then the window will be opened for
the regular duration as stored with the window.
Opening a window manually has no impact on regular scheduled runs of the
window.
When a window that was manually opened closes, the rules about overlapping
windows are applied to determine which other window should be opened at that
time if any at all.
You can force a window to open even if there is one already open by setting the
force option to TRUE in the OPEN_WINDOW call or Cloud Control.
When the force option is set to TRUE, the Scheduler automatically closes any
window that is open at that time, even if it has a higher priority. For the duration
of this manually opened window, the Scheduler does not open any other
scheduled windows even if they have a higher priority. You can open a window
that is already open. In this case, the window stays open for the duration specified
in the call, from the time the OPEN_WINDOW command was issued.
Consider an example to illustrate this. window1 was created with a duration of four
hours. It has how been open for two hours. If at this point you reopen window1
using the OPEN_WINDOW call and do not specify a duration, then window1 will be
open for another four hours because it was created with that duration. If you
specified a duration of 30 minutes, the window will close in 30 minutes.

When a window opens, an entry is made in the window log.
A window can fail to switch resource plans if the current resource plan has been
manually switched using the ALTER SYSTEM statement with the FORCE option, or using
the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN package procedure with the allow_
scheduler_plan_switches argument set to FALSE. In this case, the failure to switch
resource plans is written to the window log.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the OPEN_WINDOW procedure and the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SWITCH_PLAN procedure.

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Closing Windows
There are two ways a window can close:
■

Based on a schedule
A window will close based on the schedule defined at creation time.

■

Manually, using the CLOSE_WINDOW procedure
The CLOSE_WINDOW procedure will close an open window prematurely.

A closed window means that it is no longer in effect. When a window is closed, the
Scheduler will switch the resource plan to the one that was in effect outside the
window or in the case of overlapping windows to another window. If you try to close
a window that does not exist or is not open, an error is generated.
A job that is running will not stop when the window it is running in closes unless the
attribute stop_on_window_close was set to TRUE when the job was created. However,
the resources allocated to the job may change because the resource plan may change.
When a running job has a window group as its schedule, the job will not be stopped
when its window is closed if another window that is also a member of the same
window group then becomes active. This is the case even if the job was created with
the attribute stop_on_window_close set to TRUE.
When a window is closed, an entry will be added to the window log DBA_SCHEDULER_
WINDOW_LOG.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the CLOSE_WINDOW procedure.

Dropping Windows
You drop one or more windows using the DROP_WINDOW procedure or Cloud Control.
When a window is dropped, all metadata about the window is removed from the *_
SCHEDULER_WINDOWS views. All references to the window are removed from window
groups.
You can drop several windows in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of
window names or window group names to the DROP_WINDOW procedure. For example,
the following statement drops both windows and window groups:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_WINDOW ('window1, window2, window3,
windowgroup1, windowgroup2');
END;
/

Note that if a window group name is provided, then the windows in the window
group are dropped, but the window group is not dropped. To drop the window group,
you must use the DROP_GROUP procedure.
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DROP_GROUP procedure.

Disabling Windows
You disable one or more windows using the DISABLE procedure or with Cloud Control.
Therefore, the window will not open. However, the metadata of the window is still
there, so it can be reenabled. Because the DISABLE procedure is used for several
Scheduler objects, when disabling windows, they must be preceded by SYS.

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Prioritizing Jobs

A window can also become disabled for other reasons. For example, a window will
become disabled when it is at the end of its schedule. Also, if a window points to a
schedule that no longer exists, it becomes disabled.
If there are jobs that have the window as their schedule, you will not be able to disable
the window unless you set force to TRUE in the procedure call. By default, force is set
to FALSE. When the window is disabled, those jobs that have the window as their
schedule will not be disabled.
You can disable several windows in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of
window names or window group names to the DISABLE procedure call. For example,
the following statement disables both windows and window groups:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE ('sys.window1, sys.window2,
sys.window3, sys.windowgroup1, sys.windowgroup2');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the DISABLE procedure.

Enabling Windows
You enable one or more windows using the ENABLE procedure or Cloud Control. An
enabled window is one that can be opened. Windows are, by default, created enabled.
When a window is enabled using the ENABLE procedure, a validity check is performed
and only if this is successful will the window be enabled. When a window is enabled,
it is logged in the window log table. Because the ENABLE procedure is used for several
Scheduler objects, when enabling windows, they must be preceded by SYS.
You can enable several windows in one call by providing a comma-delimited list of
window names. For example, the following statement enables three windows:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE ('sys.window1, sys.window2, sys.window3');
END;
/

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed information about
the ENABLE procedure.

Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Window Groups
Window groups provide an easy way to schedule jobs that must run during multiple
time periods throughout the day, week, and so on. If you create a window group, add
windows to it, and then name this window group in a job's schedule_name attribute,
the job runs during all the windows in the window group.
Window groups reside in the SYS schema. This section introduces you to basic window
group tasks, and discusses the following topics:
■

Window Group Tasks and Their Procedures

■

Creating Window Groups

■

Dropping Window Groups

■

Adding a Member to a Window Group

■

Removing a Member from a Window Group

■

Enabling a Window Group

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■

Disabling a Window Group
See Also: "Window Groups" on page 28-15 for an overview of
window groups.

Window Group Tasks and Their Procedures
Table 29–10 illustrates common window group tasks and the procedures you use to
handle them.
Table 29–10

Window Group Tasks and Their Procedures

Task

Procedure

Privilege Needed

Create a window group

CREATE_GROUP

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Drop a window group

DROP_GROUP

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Add a member to a window group

ADD_GROUP_MEMBER

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Drop a member from a window group REMOVE_GROUP_MEMBER

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Enable a window group

ENABLE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

Disable a window group

DISABLE

MANAGE SCHEDULER

See "Scheduler Privileges" on page 30-23 for further information regarding privileges.

Creating Window Groups
You create a window group by using the DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_GROUP procedure,
specifying a group type of 'WINDOW'. You can specify the member windows of the group
when you create the group, or you can add them later using the ADD_GROUP_MEMBER
procedure. A window group cannot be a member of another window group. You can,
however, create a window group that has no members.
If you create a window group and you specify a member window that does not exist,
an error is generated and the window group is not created. If a window is already a
member of a window group, it is not added again.
Window groups are created in the SYS schema. Window groups, like windows, are
created with access to PUBLIC, therefore, no privileges are required to access window
groups.
The following statement creates a window group called downtime and adds two
windows (weeknights and weekends) to it:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_GROUP (
group_name
=> 'downtime',
group_type
=> 'WINDOW',
member
=> 'weeknights, weekends');
END;
/

To verify the window group contents, issue the following queries as a user with the
MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege:
SELECT group_name, enabled, number_of_members FROM dba_scheduler_groups
WHERE group_type = 'WINDOW';
GROUP_NAME
ENABLED NUMBER_OF_MEMBERS
-------------- -------- ----------------DOWNTIME
TRUE
2

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-61

Prioritizing Jobs

SELECT group_name, member_name FROM dba_scheduler_group_members;
GROUP_NAME
--------------DOWNTIME
DOWNTIME

MEMBER_NAME
-------------------"SYS"."WEEKENDS"
"SYS"."WEEKNIGHTS"

Dropping Window Groups
You drop one or more window groups by using the DROP_GROUP procedure. This call
will drop the window group but not the windows that are members of this window
group. To drop all the windows that are members of this group but not the window
group itself, you can use the DROP_WINDOW procedure and provide the name of the
window group to the call.
You can drop several window groups in one call by providing a comma-delimited list
of window group names to the DROP_GROUP procedure call. You must precede each
window group name with the SYS schema. For example, the following statement drops
three window groups:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_GROUP('sys.windowgroup1, sys.windowgroup2, sys.windowgroup3');
END;
/

Adding a Member to a Window Group
You add windows to a window group by using the ADD_GROUP_MEMBER procedure.
You can add several members to a window group in one call, by specifying a
comma-delimited list of windows. For example, the following statement adds two
windows to the window group window_group1:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_GROUP_MEMBER ('sys.windowgroup1','window2, window3');
END;
/

If an already open window is added to a window group, the Scheduler will not start
jobs that point to this window group until the next window in the window group
opens.

Removing a Member from a Window Group
You can remove one or more windows from a window group by using the REMOVE_
GROUP_MEMBER procedure. Jobs with the stop_on_window_close flag set will only be
stopped when a window closes. Dropping an open window from a window group has
no impact on this.
You can remove several members from a window group in one call by specifying a
comma-delimited list of windows. For example, the following statement drops two
windows:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.REMOVE_GROUP_MEMBER('sys.window_group1', 'window2, window3');
END;
/

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Enabling a Window Group
You enable one or more window groups using the ENABLE procedure. By default,
window groups are created ENABLED. For example:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('sys.windowgroup1, sys.windowgroup2, sys.windowgroup3');
END;
/

Disabling a Window Group
You disable a window group using the DISABLE procedure. A job with a disabled
window group as its schedule does not run when the member windows open.
Disabling a window group does not disable its member windows.
You can also disable several window groups in one call by providing a
comma-delimited list of window group names. For example, the following statement
disables three window groups:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE('sys.windowgroup1, sys.windowgroup2, sys.windowgroup3');
END;
/

Allocating Resources Among Jobs Using Resource Manager
The Database Resource Manager (Resource Manager) controls how resources are
allocated among database sessions. It not only controls asynchronous sessions like
Scheduler jobs, but also synchronous sessions like user sessions. It groups all "units of
work" in the database into resource consumer groups and uses a resource plan to
specify how the resources are allocated among the various consumer groups. The
primary system resource that the Resource Manager allocates is CPU.
For Scheduler jobs, resources are allocated by first assigning each job to a job class, and
then associating a job class with a consumer group. Resources are then distributed
among the Scheduler jobs and other sessions within the consumer group. You can also
assign relative priorities to the jobs in a job class, and resources are distributed to those
jobs accordingly.
You can manually change the current resource plan at any time. Another way to
change the current resource plan is by creating Scheduler windows. Windows have a
resource plan attribute. When a window opens, the current plan is switched to the
window's resource plan.
The Scheduler tries to limit the number of jobs that are running simultaneously so that
at least some jobs can complete, rather than running a lot of jobs concurrently but
without enough resources for any of them to complete.
The Scheduler and the Resource Manager are tightly integrated. The job coordinator
obtains database resource availability from the Resource Manager. Based on that
information, the coordinator determines how many jobs to start. It will only start jobs
from those job classes that will have enough resources to run. The coordinator will
keep starting jobs in a particular job class that maps to a consumer group until the
Resource Manager determines that the maximum resource allocated for that consumer
group has been reached. Therefore, there might be jobs in the job table that are ready to
run but will not be picked up by the job coordinator because there are no resources to
run them. Therefore, there is no guarantee that a job will run at the exact time that it
was scheduled. The coordinator picks up jobs from the job table on the basis of which
consumer groups still have resources available.
Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-63

Monitoring Jobs

The Resource Manager continues to manage the resources that are assigned to each
running job based on the specified resource plan. Keep in mind that the Resource
Manager can only manage database processes. The active management of resources
does not apply to external jobs.
See Also: Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database
Resource Manager"

Example of Resource Allocation for Jobs
The following example illustrates how resources are allocated for jobs. Assume that
the active resource plan is called "Night Plan" and that there are three job classes: JC1,
which maps to consumer group DW; JC2, which maps to consumer group OLTP; and
JC3, which maps to the default consumer group. Figure 29–2 offers a simple graphical
illustration of this scenario.
Figure 29–2 Sample Resource Plan
Night
Plan
60%
DW
Consumer
Group

30%
OLTP
Consumer
Group

10%
Other
Consumer
Group

This resource plan clearly gives priority to jobs that are part of job class JC1. Consumer
group DW gets 60% of the resources, thus jobs that belong to job class JC1 will get 60%
of the resources. Consumer group OLTP has 30% of the resources, which implies that
jobs in job class JC2 will get 30% of the resources. The consumer group Other specifies
that all other consumer groups will be getting 10% of the resources. Therefore, all jobs
that belong in job class JC3 will share 10% of the resources and can get a maximum of
10% of the resources.
Note that resources that remain unused by one consumer group are available from use
by the other consumer groups. So if the jobs in job class JC1 do not fully use the
allocated 60%, the unused portion is available for use by jobs in classes JC2 and JC3.
Note also that the Resource Manager does not begin to restrict resource usage at all
until CPU usage reaches 100%. See Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle
Database Resource Manager" for more information.

Monitoring Jobs
There are several ways to monitor Scheduler jobs:
■

Viewing the job log
The job log includes the data dictionary views *_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG and *_
SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS, where:
* = {DBA|ALL|USER}
See "Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65.

■

Querying additional data dictionary views
Query views such as DBA_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS and DBA_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_
CHAINS to show the status and details of running jobs and chains.

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■

Writing applications that receive job state events from the Scheduler
See "Monitoring Job State with Events Raised by the Scheduler" on page 29-68

■

Configuring jobs to send e-mail notifications upon a state change
See "Monitoring Job State with E-mail Notifications" on page 29-70

Viewing the Job Log
You can view information about job runs, job state changes, and job failures in the job
log. The job log shows results for both local and remote jobs. The job log is
implemented as the following two data dictionary views:
■

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG

■

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS

Depending on the logging level that is in effect, the Scheduler can make job log entries
whenever a job is run and when a job is created, dropped, enabled, and so on. For a job
that has a repeating schedule, the Scheduler makes multiple entries in the job log—one
for each job instance. Each log entry provides information about a particular run, such
as the job completion status.
The following example shows job log entries for a repeating job that has a value of 4
for the max_runs attribute:
SELECT job_name, job_class, operation, status FROM USER_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG;
JOB_NAME
---------------JOB1
JOB1
JOB1
JOB1
JOB1

JOB_CLASS
-------------------CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1

OPERATION
--------------RUN
RUN
RUN
RUN
COMPLETED

STATUS
---------SUCCEEDED
SUCCEEDED
SUCCEEDED
SUCCEEDED

You can control how frequently information is written to the job log by setting the
logging_level attribute of either a job or a job class. Table 29–11 shows the possible
values for logging_level.
Table 29–11

Job Logging Levels

Logging Level

Description

DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_OFF

No logging is performed.

DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FAILED_RUNS

A log entry is made only if the job fails.

DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_RUNS

A log entry is made each time the job is run.

DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FULL

A log entry is made every time the job runs
and for every operation performed on a job,
including create, enable/disable, update
(with SET_ATTRIBUTE), stop, and drop.

Log entries for job runs are not made until after the job run completes successfully,
fails, or is stopped.
The following example shows job log entries for a complete job lifecycle. In this case,
the logging level for the job class is LOGGING_FULL, and the job is a non-repeating job.
After the first successful run, the job is enabled again, so it runs once more. It is then
stopped and dropped.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-65

Monitoring Jobs

SELECT to_char(log_date, 'DD-MON-YY HH24:MI:SS') TIMESTAMP, job_name,
job_class, operation, status FROM USER_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG
WHERE job_name = 'JOB2' ORDER BY log_date;
TIMESTAMP
-------------------18-DEC-07 23:10:56
18-DEC-07 23:12:01
18-DEC-07 23:12:31
18-DEC-07 23:12:41
18-DEC-07 23:13:12
18-DEC-07 23:13:18
18-DEC-07 23:19:36

JOB_NAME
--------JOB2
JOB2
JOB2
JOB2
JOB2
JOB2
JOB2

JOB_CLASS
---------CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1
CLASS1

OPERATION
---------CREATE
UPDATE
ENABLE
RUN
ENABLE
RUN
DROP

STATUS
---------

SUCCEEDED
STOPPED

Run Details
For every row in *_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG for which the operation is RUN, RETRY_RUN, or
RECOVERY_RUN, there is a corresponding row in the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS
view. Rows from the two different views are correlated with their LOG_ID columns. You
can consult the run details views to determine why a job failed or was stopped.
SELECT to_char(log_date, 'DD-MON-YY HH24:MI:SS') TIMESTAMP, job_name, status,
SUBSTR(additional_info, 1, 40) ADDITIONAL_INFO
FROM user_scheduler_job_run_details ORDER BY log_date;
TIMESTAMP
-------------------18-DEC-07 23:12:41
18-DEC-07 23:12:18
19-DEC-07 14:12:20

JOB_NAME
---------JOB2
JOB2
REMOTE_16

STATUS
--------SUCCEEDED
STOPPED
FAILED

ADDITIONAL_INFO
---------------------------------------REASON="Stop job called by user:'SYSTEM'
ORA-29273: HTTP request failed ORA-06512

The run details views also contain actual job start times and durations.
You can also use the attribute STORE_OUTPUT to direct the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_
DETAILS view to store the output sent to stdout for external jobs or DBMS_OUTPUT for
database jobs. When STORE_OUTPUT is set to TRUE and the LOGGING_LEVEL indicates that
the job run should be logged, then all the output is collected and put inside the
BINARY_OUTPUT column of this view. A char representation can be queried from the
OUTPUT column.

Precedence of Logging Levels in Jobs and Job Classes
Both jobs and job classes have a logging_level attribute, with possible values listed in
Table 29–11 on page 29-65. The default logging level for job classes is LOGGING_RUNS,
and the default level for individual jobs is LOGGING_OFF. If the logging level of the job
class is higher than that of a job in the class, then the logging level of the job class takes
precedence. Thus, by default, all job runs are recorded in the job log.
For job classes that have very short and highly frequent jobs, the overhead of recording
every single run might be too much and you might choose to turn the logging off or
set logging to occur only when jobs fail. However, you might prefer to have complete
logging of everything that happens with jobs in a specific class, in which case you
would enable full logging for that class.
To ensure that there is logging for all jobs, the individual job creator must not be able
to turn logging off. The Scheduler supports this by making the class-specified level the
minimum level at which job information is logged. A job creator can only enable more
logging for an individual job, not less. Thus, leaving all individual job logging levels
set to LOGGING_OFF ensures that all jobs in a class get logged as specified in the class.

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This functionality is provided for debugging purposes. For example, if the
class-specific level is set to record job runs and logging is turned off at the job level, the
Scheduler still logs job runs. If, however, the job creator turns on full logging and the
class-specific level is set to record runs only, the higher logging level of the job takes
precedence and all operations on this individual job are logged. This way, an end user
can test his job by turning on full logging.
To set the logging level of an individual job, you must use the SET_ATTRIBUTE
procedure on that job. For example, to turn on full logging for a job called mytestjob,
issue the following statement:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (
'mytestjob', 'logging_level', DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FULL);
END;
/

Only a user with the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege can set the logging level of a job class.
See Also: "Monitoring and Managing Window and Job Logs" on
page 30-12 for more information about setting the job class logging
level

Monitoring Multiple Destination Jobs
For multiple-destination jobs, the overall parent job state depends on the outcome of
the child jobs. For example, if all child jobs succeed, the parent job state is set to
SUCCEEDED. If all fail, the parent job state is set to FAILED. If some fail and some
succeed, the parent job state is set to SOME FAILED.
Due to situations that might arise on some destinations that delay the start of child
jobs, there might be a significant delay before the parent job state is finalized. For
repeating multiple-destination jobs, there might even be a situation in which some
child jobs are on their next scheduled run while others are still working on the
previous scheduled run. In this case, the parent job state is set to INCOMPLETE.
Eventually, however, lagging child jobs may catch up to their siblings, in which case
the final state of the parent job can be determined.
Table Table 29–12 lists the contents of the job monitoring views for
multiple-destination jobs.
Table 29–12

Scheduler Data Dictionary View Contents for Multiple-Destination Jobs

View Name

Contents

*_SCHEDULER_JOBS

One entry for the parent job

*_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS

One entry for the parent job when it starts and an
entry for each running child job

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG

One entry for the parent job when it starts
(operation = 'MULTIDEST_START'), one entry for each
child job when the child job completes, and one
entry for the parent job when the last child job
completes and thus the parent completes
(operation = 'MULTIDEST_RUN')

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS

One entry for each child job when the child job
completes, and one entry for the parent job when
the last child job completes and thus the parent
completes

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_DESTS

One entry for each destination of the parent job

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-67

Monitoring Jobs

In the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_DESTS views, you can determine the unique job destination ID
(job_dest_id) that is assigned to each child job. This ID represents the unique
combination of a job, a credential, and a destination. You can use this ID with the
STOP_JOB procedure. You can also monitor the job state of each child job with the *_
SCHEDULER_JOB_DESTS views.
See Also:
■

"Multiple-Destination Jobs" on page 28-19

■

"Creating Multiple-Destination Jobs" on page 29-10

■

"Scheduler Data Dictionary Views" on page 30-24

Monitoring Job State with Events Raised by the Scheduler
This section contains:
■

About Job State Events

■

Altering a Job to Raise Job State Events

■

Consuming Job State Events with your Application

About Job State Events
You can configure a job so that the Scheduler raises an event when the job changes
state. The Scheduler can raise an event when a job starts, when a job completes, when
a job exceeds its allotted run time, and so on. The consumer of the event is your
application, which takes some action in response to the event. For example, if due to a
high system load, a job is still not started 30 minutes after its scheduled start time, the
Scheduler can raise an event that causes a handler application to stop lower priority
jobs to free up system resources. The Scheduler can raise job state events for local
(regular) jobs, remote database jobs, local external jobs, and remote external jobs.
Table 29–13 describes the job state event types raised by the Scheduler.
Table 29–13

Job State Event Types Raised by the Scheduler

Event Type

Description

job_all_events

Not an event, but a constant that provides an easy way for you to
enable all events

job_broken

The job has been disabled and has changed to the BROKEN state
because it exceeded the number of failures defined by the max_
failures job attribute

job_chain_stalled

A job running a chain was put into the CHAIN_STALLED state. A
running chain becomes stalled if there are no steps running or
scheduled to run and the chain evaluation_interval is set to
NULL. No progress will be made in the chain unless there is manual
intervention.

job_completed

The job completed because it reached its max_runs or end_date

job_disabled

The job was disabled by the Scheduler or by a call to SET_
ATTRIBUTE

job_failed

The job failed, either by throwing an error or by abnormally
terminating

job_over_max_dur

The job exceeded the maximum run duration specified by its max_
run_duration attribute.

job_run_completed

A job run either failed, succeeded, or was stopped

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Table 29–13

(Cont.) Job State Event Types Raised by the Scheduler

Event Type

Description

job_sch_lim_reached

The job's schedule limit was reached. The job was not started
because the delay in starting the job exceeded the value of the
schedule_limit job attribute.

job_started

The job started

job_stopped

The job was stopped by a call to STOP_JOB

job_succeeded

The job completed successfully

You enable the raising of job state events by setting the raise_events job attribute. By
default, a job does not raise any job state events.
The Scheduler uses Oracle Database Advanced Queuing to raise events. When raising
a job state change event, the Scheduler enqueues a message onto a default event
queue. Your applications subscribe to this queue, dequeue event messages, and take
appropriate actions.
After you enable job state change events for a job, the Scheduler raises these events by
enqueuing messages onto the Scheduler event queue SYS.SCHEDULER$_EVENT_QUEUE.
This queue is a secure queue, so depending on your application, you may have to
configure the queue to enable certain users to perform operations on it. See Oracle
Streams Concepts and Administration for information on secure queues.
To prevent unlimited growth of the Scheduler event queue, events raised by the
Scheduler expire in 24 hours by default. (Expired events are deleted from the queue.)
You can change this expiry time by setting the event_expiry_time Scheduler attribute
with the SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE procedure. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages
and Types Reference for more information.

Altering a Job to Raise Job State Events
To enable job state events to be raised for a job, you use the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure
to turn on bit flags in the raise_events job attribute. Each bit flag represents a
different job state to raise an event for. For example, turning on the least significant bit
enables job started events to be raised. To enable multiple state change event types in
one call, you add the desired bit flag values together and supply the result as an
argument to SET_ATTRIBUTE.
The following example enables multiple state change events for job dw_reports. It
enables the following event types, both of which indicate some kind of error.
■

JOB_FAILED

■

JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED

BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('dw_reports', 'raise_events',
DBMS_SCHEDULER.JOB_FAILED + DBMS_SCHEDULER.JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED);
END;
/

Note: You do not need to enable the JOB_OVER_MAX_DUR event with
the raise_events job attribute; it is always enabled.

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-69

Monitoring Jobs

The discussion of DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE in
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for the names and
values of job state bit flags

See Also:

Consuming Job State Events with your Application
To consume job state events, your application must subscribe to the Scheduler event
queue SYS.SCHEDULER$_EVENT_QUEUE. This queue is a secure queue and is owned by
SYS. To create a subscription to this queue for a user, do the following:
1.

Log in to the database as the SYS user or as a user with the MANAGE ANY QUEUE
privilege.

2.

Subscribe to the queue using a new or existing agent.

3.

Run the package procedure DBMS_AQADM.ENABLE_DB_ACCESS as follows:
DBMS_AQADM.ENABLE_DB_ACCESS(agent_name, db_username);

where agent_name references the agent that you used to subscribe to the events
queue, and db_username is the user for whom you want to create a subscription.
There is no need to grant dequeue privileges to the user. The dequeue privilege is
granted on the Scheduler event queue to PUBLIC.
As an alternative, the user can subscribe to the Scheduler event queue using the ADD_
EVENT_QUEUE_SUBSCRIBER procedure, as shown in the following example:
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_EVENT_QUEUE_SUBSCRIBER(subscriber_name);

where subscriber_name is the name of the Oracle Database Advanced Queuing (AQ)
agent to be used to subscribe to the Scheduler event queue. (If it is NULL, an agent is
created whose name is the user name of the calling user.) This call both creates a
subscription to the Scheduler event queue and grants the user permission to dequeue
using the designated agent. The subscription is rule-based. The rule permits the user to
see only events raised by jobs that the user owns, and filters out all other messages.
After the subscription is in place, the user can either poll for messages at regular
intervals or register with AQ for notification.
See Oracle Database Advanced Queuing User's Guide for more information.
Scheduler Event Queue
The Scheduler event queue SYS.SCHEDULER$_EVENT_QUEUE is of type scheduler$_
event_info. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for details on this
type.

Monitoring Job State with E-mail Notifications
This section contains:
■

About E-mail Notifications

■

Adding E-mail Notifications for a Job

■

Removing E-mail Notifications for a Job

■

Viewing Information About E-mail Notifications

About E-mail Notifications
You can configure a job to send e-mail notifications when it changes state. The job state
events for which e-mails can be sent are listed in Table 29–13 on page 29-68. E-mail

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Monitoring Jobs

notifications can be sent to multiple recipients, and can be triggered by any event in a
list of job state events that you specify. You can also provide a filter condition, and only
generate notifications job state events that match the filter condition. You can include
variables such as job owner, job name, event type, error code, and error message in
both the subject and body of the message. The Scheduler automatically sets values for
these variables before sending the e-mail notification.
You can configure many job state e-mail notifications for a single job. The notifications
can differ by job state event list, recipients, and filter conditions.
For example, you can configure a job to send an e-mail to both the principle DBA and
one of the senior DBAs whenever the job fails with error code 600 or 700. You can also
configure the same job to send a notification to only the principle DBA if the job fails to
start at its scheduled time.
Before you can configure jobs to send e-mail notifications, you must set the Scheduler
attribute email_server to the address of the SMTP server to use to send the e-mail.
You may also optionally set the Scheduler attribute email_sender to a default sender
e-mail address for those jobs that do not specify a sender.
The Scheduler includes support for the SSL and TLS protocols when communicating
with the SMTP server. The Scheduler also supports SMTP servers that require
authentication.
See Also: "Setting Scheduler Preferences" on page 30-2 for details
about setting e-mail notification–related attributes

Adding E-mail Notifications for a Job
You use the DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION package procedure to add
e-mail notifications for a job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION (
job_name
=> 'EOD_JOB',
recipients => 'jsmith@example.com, rjones@example.com',
sender
=> 'do_not_reply@example.com',
subject
=> 'Scheduler Job Notification-%job_owner%.%job_name%-%event_type%',
body
=>
'%event_type% occurred at %event_timestamp%. %error_message%',
events
=> 'JOB_FAILED, JOB_BROKEN, JOB_DISABLED, JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED');
END;
/

Note the variables, enclosed in the '%' character, used in the subject and body
arguments. When you specify multiple recipients and multiple events, each recipient is
notified when any of the specified events is raised. You can verify this by querying the
view USER_SCHEDULER_NOTIFICATIONS.
SELECT JOB_NAME, RECIPIENT, EVENT FROM USER_SCHEDULER_NOTIFICATIONS;
JOB_NAME
----------EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB

RECIPIENT
-------------------jsmith@example.com
jsmith@example.com
jsmith@example.com
jsmith@example.com
rjones@example.com
rjones@example.com
rjones@example.com
rjones@example.com

EVENT
------------------JOB_FAILED
JOB_BROKEN
JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED
JOB_DISABLED
JOB_FAILED
JOB_BROKEN
JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED
JOB_DISABLED

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-71

Monitoring Jobs

You call ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION once for each different set of notifications that
you want to configure for a job. You must specify job_name and recipients. All other
arguments have defaults. The default sender is defined by a Scheduler attribute, as
described in the previous section. See the ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION procedure in
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for defaults for the subject, body,
and events arguments.
The following example configures an additional e-mail notification for the same job for
a different event. This example accepts the defaults for the sender, subject, and body
arguments.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION (
job_name
=> 'EOD_JOB',
recipients
=> 'jsmith@example.com',
events
=> 'JOB_OVER_MAX_DUR');
END;
/

This example could have also omitted the events argument to accept event defaults.
The next example is similar to the first, except that it uses a filter condition to specify
that an e-mail notification is to be sent only when the error number that causes the job
to fail is 600 or 700.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION (
job_name
=> 'EOD_JOB',
recipients
=> 'jsmith@example.com, rjones@example.com',
sender
=> 'do_not_reply@example.com',
subject
=> 'Job Notification-%job_owner%.%job_name%-%event_type%',
body
=> '%event_type% at %event_timestamp%. %error_message%',
events
=> 'JOB_FAILED',
filter_condition => ':event.error_code=600 or :event.error_code=700');
END;
/

The ADD_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION procedure in Oracle
Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

See Also:

Removing E-mail Notifications for a Job
You use the DBMS_SCHEDULER.REMOVE_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION package procedure to
remove e-mail notifications for a job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.REMOVE_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION (
job_name
=> 'EOD_JOB',
recipients => 'jsmith@example.com, rjones@example.com',
events
=> 'JOB_DISABLED, JOB_SCH_LIM_REACHED');
END;
/

When you specify multiple recipients and multiple events, the notification for each
specified event is removed for each recipient. Running the same query as that of the
previous section, the results are now the following:
SELECT JOB_NAME, RECIPIENT, EVENT FROM USER_SCHEDULER_NOTIFICATIONS;
JOB_NAME
RECIPIENT
EVENT
----------- -------------------- ------------------EOD_JOB
jsmith@example.com
JOB_FAILED
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Monitoring Jobs

EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB
EOD_JOB

jsmith@example.com
rjones@example.com
rjones@example.com

JOB_BROKEN
JOB_FAILED
JOB_BROKEN

Additional rules for specifying REMOVE_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION arguments are as
follows:
■

■

■

■

If you leave the events argument NULL, notifications for all events for the specified
recipients are removed.
If you leave recipients NULL, notifications for all recipients for the specified
events are removed.
If you leave both recipients and events NULL, then all notifications for the job are
removed.
If you include a recipient and event for which you did not previously create a
notification, no error is generated.
The REMOVE_JOB_EMAIL_NOTIFICATION procedure in Oracle
Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

See Also:

Viewing Information About E-mail Notifications
As demonstrated in the previous sections, you can view information about current
e-mail notifications by querying the views *_SCHEDULER_NOTIFICATIONS.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for details on these views

Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler 29-73

Monitoring Jobs

29-74 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

30
03

Administering Oracle Scheduler

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

■

Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler

■

Import/Export and the Scheduler

■

Troubleshooting the Scheduler

■

Examples of Using the Scheduler

■

Scheduler Reference
This chapter describes how to use the DBMS_SCHEDULER
package to administer Oracle Scheduler. You can accomplish many of
the same tasks using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

Note:

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for DBMS_
SCHEDULER information and the Cloud Control online help for
information on Oracle Scheduler pages.
See Chapter 46, "Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB" for information
on using Oracle Scheduler with CDB.

Configuring Oracle Scheduler
This section contains:
■

Setting Oracle Scheduler Privileges

■

Setting Scheduler Preferences

■

Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs

Setting Oracle Scheduler Privileges
You must have the SCHEDULER_ADMIN role to perform all Oracle Scheduler
administration tasks. Typically, database administrators already have this role with the
ADMIN option as part of the DBA role. For example, users SYS and SYSTEM are granted the
DBA role. You can grant this role to another administrator by issuing the following
statement:
GRANT SCHEDULER_ADMIN TO username;

Because the SCHEDULER_ADMIN role is a powerful role allowing a grantee to execute
code as any user, you should consider granting individual Scheduler system privileges
Administering Oracle Scheduler 30-1

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

instead. Object and system privileges are granted using regular SQL grant syntax, for
example, if the database administrator issues the following statement:
GRANT CREATE JOB TO scott;

After this statement is executed, scott can create jobs, schedules, programs, and file
watchers in his schema. As another example, the database administrator can issue the
following statement:
GRANT MANAGE SCHEDULER TO adam;

After this statement is executed, adam can create, alter, or drop windows, job classes, or
window groups. adam will also be able to set and retrieve Scheduler attributes and
purge Scheduler logs.
Setting Chain Privileges
Scheduler chains use underlying Oracle Streams Rules Engine objects along with their
associated privileges. To create a chain in their own schema, users must have the
CREATE JOB privilege in addition to the Rules Engine privileges required to create rules,
rule sets, and evaluation contexts in their own schema. These can be granted by
issuing the following statement:
GRANT CREATE RULE, CREATE RULE SET, CREATE EVALUATION CONTEXT TO user;

To create a chain in a different schema, users must have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege in
addition to the privileges required to create rules, rule sets, and evaluation contexts in
schemas other than their own. These can be granted by issuing the following
statement:
GRANT CREATE ANY RULE, CREATE ANY RULE SET,
CREATE ANY EVALUATION CONTEXT TO user;

Altering or dropping chains in schemas other than the users's schema require
corresponding system Rules Engine privileges for rules, rule sets, and evaluation
contexts.
See Also: "Chain Tasks and Their Procedures" on page 29-42 for
more information regarding chain privileges.

Setting Scheduler Preferences
There are several systemwide Scheduler preferences that you can set. You set these
preferences by setting Scheduler attributes with the SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE
procedure. Setting these attributes requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. The
attributes are:
■

default_timezone
It is very important that you set this attribute. Repeating jobs and windows that
use the calendaring syntax need to know which time zone to use for their repeat
intervals. See "Using the Scheduler Calendaring Syntax" on page 29-26. They
normally retrieve the time zone from start_date, but if no start_date is
provided (which is not uncommon), they retrieve the time zone from the default_
timezone Scheduler attribute.
The Scheduler derives the value of default_timezone from the operating system
environment. If the Scheduler can find no compatible value from the operating
system, it sets default_timezone to NULL.

30-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

It is crucial that you verify that default_timezone is set properly, and if not, that
you set it. To verify it, run this query:
SELECT DBMS_SCHEDULER.STIME FROM DUAL;
STIME
--------------------------------------------------------------------------28-FEB-12 09.04.10.308959000 PM UTC

To ensure that daylight savings adjustments are followed, it is recommended that
you set default_timezone to a region name instead of an absolute time zone offset
like '-8:00'. For example, if your database resides in Miami, Florida, USA, issue the
following statement:
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE('default_timezone','US/Eastern');

Similarly, if your database resides in Paris, you would set this attribute to
'Europe/Warsaw'. To see a list of valid region names, run this query:
SELECT DISTINCT TZNAME FROM V$TIMEZONE_NAMES;

If you do not properly set default_timezone, the default time zone for repeating
jobs and windows will be the absolute offset retrieved from SYSTIMESTAMP (the
time zone of the operating system environment of the database), which means that
repeating jobs and windows that do not have their start_date set will not follow
daylight savings adjustments.
■

email_server
This attribute specifies an SMTP server address that the Scheduler uses to send
e-mail notifications for job state events. It takes the following format:
host[:port]

where:
–

host is the host name or IP address of the SMTP server.

–

port is the TCP port on which the SMTP server listens. If not specified, the
default port of 25 is used.

If this attribute is not specified, set to NULL, or set to an invalid SMTP server
address, the Scheduler cannot send job state e-mail notifications.
■

email_sender
This attribute specifies the default e-mail address of the sender for job state e-mail
notifications. It must be a valid e-mail address. If this attribute is not set or set to
NULL, then job state e-mail notifications that do not specify a sender address do not
have a FROM address in the e-mail header.

■

email_server_credential
This attribute specifies the schema and name of an existing credential object. The
default is NULL.
When an e-mail notification goes out, the Scheduler determines if the email_
server_credential points to a valid credential object that SYS has execute object
privileges on. If the SMTP server specified in the email_server attribute requires
authentication, then the Scheduler uses the user name and password stored in the
specified credential object to authenticate with the e-mail server.
If the email_server_credential is specified, then the email_server attribute
must specify an SMTP server that requires authentication.
Administering Oracle Scheduler 30-3

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

If the email_server_credential is not specified, then the Scheduler supports
sending notification e-mails through an SMTP server for which authentication is
not configured.
■

email_server_encryption
This attribute indicates whether encryption is enabled for this SMTP server
connection, and if so, at what point encryption starts, and with which protocol.
Values for email_server_encryption are:
NONE: The default, indicates no encryption.
SSL_TLS: Indicates that either SSL or TLS are used, from the beginning of the
connection. The two sides determine which protocol is most secure. This is the
most common setting for this parameter.
STARTTLS: Indicates that the connection starts in an unencrypted state, but then the
command STARTTLS directs the e-mail server to start encryption using TLS.

■

event_expiry_time
This attribute enables you to set the time in seconds before a job state event
generated by the Scheduler expires (is automatically purged from the Scheduler
event queue). If NULL, job state events expire after 24 hours.

■

log_history
This attribute controls the number of days that log entries for both the job log and
the window log are retained. It helps prevent logs from growing indiscriminately.
The range of valid values is 0 through 1000000. If set to 0, no history is kept.
Default value is 30. You can override this value at the job class level by setting a
value for the log_history attribute of the job class.

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for the syntax for the SET_
SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE procedure.

Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote Jobs
Using the Oracle Scheduler agent, the Scheduler can schedule and run two types of
remote jobs:
■

Remote database jobs: Remote database jobs must be run through an Oracle
Scheduler agent. Oracle recommends that an agent be installed on the same host
as the remote database.
If you intend to run remote database jobs, the Scheduler agent must be Oracle
Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) or later.

■

Remote external jobs: Remote external jobs run on the same host that the
Scheduler agent is installed on.
If you intend to run only remote external jobs, Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1)
of the Scheduler agent is sufficient.

You must install Scheduler agents on all hosts that remote external jobs will run on.
You should install Scheduler agents on all hosts running remote databases that remote
database jobs will be run on.
Each database that runs remote jobs requires an initial setup to enable secure
communications between databases and remote Scheduler agents, as described in
"Setting up Databases for Remote Jobs" on page 30-5.
Enabling remote jobs involves the following steps:

30-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

1.

Enabling and Disabling Databases for Remote Jobs

2.

Installing and Configuring the Scheduler Agent on a Remote Host

3.

Performing Tasks with the Scheduler Agent
See Also:
■
■

"About Remote External Jobs" on page 28-18
"Database Jobs" on page 28-16 for more information on remote
database jobs

Enabling and Disabling Databases for Remote Jobs
This section covers these topics:
■

Setting up Databases for Remote Jobs

■

Disabling Remote Jobs

Setting up Databases for Remote Jobs Before a database can run jobs using a remote
Scheduler agent, the database must be properly configured, and the agent must be
registered with the database. This section describes the configuration, including the
required agent registration password in the database. You will later register the
database, as shown in "Registering Scheduler Agents with Databases" on page 30-9.
You can limit the number of Scheduler agents that can register, and you can set the
password to expire after a specified duration.
Complete the following steps once for each database that creates and runs remote jobs.
To set up a database to create and run remote jobs:
1.

Ensure that shared server is enabled.
See "Enabling Shared Server" on page 5-7.
If you are running in multi-tenant mode, you must unlock the
anonymous account in CDB$ROOT.

Note:

Using SQL*Plus, connect to CDB$ROOT as SYS user, and enter the
following command:
SQL> alter session set container = CDB$ROOT;
SQL> alter user anonymous account unlock container=current;

2.

Using SQL*Plus, connect to the database (specify pluggable database under
multi-tenant mode) as the SYS user.

3.

Enter the following command to verify that the XML DB option is installed:
SQL> DESC RESOURCE_VIEW

If XML DB is not installed, this command returns an "object does not exist" error.
If XML DB is not installed, you must install it before
continuing.

Note:

4.

Enable HTTP connections to the database as follows:
a.

Determine whether or not the Oracle XML DBM HTTP Server is enabled:
Administering Oracle Scheduler 30-5

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

Issue the following command:
SQL> SELECT DBMS_XDB.GETHTTPPORT() FROM DUAL;

If this statement returns 0, Oracle XML DBM HTTP Server is disabled.
b.

Enable Oracle XML DB HTTP Server on a nonzero port by logging in as SYS
and issuing the following commands:
SQL> EXEC DBMS_XDB.SETHTTPPORT (port);
SQL> COMMIT;

where port is the TCP port number on which you want the database to listen
for HTTP connections.
port must be an integer between 1 and 65536, and for UNIX and Linux must
be greater than 1023. Choose a port number that is not already in use.
Each pluggable database must use a unique port number so that the scheduler
agent can determine the exact pluggable database later during the agent
registration procedure.
This enables HTTP connections on all instances of an Oracle
Real Application Clusters database.

Note:

5.

Run the script prvtrsch.plb with following command:
SQL> @?/rdbms/admin/prvtrsch.plb

6.

Set a registration password for the Scheduler agents using the SET_AGENT_
REGISTRATION_PASS procedure.
The following example sets the agent registration password to mypassword.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_AGENT_REGISTRATION_PASS('mypassword');
END;
/

Note: You must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege to set an agent
registration password. See Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types
Reference for more information on the SET_AGENT_REGISTRATION_PASS
procedure.

You will do the actual registration further on, in "Registering Scheduler Agents
with Databases" on page 30-9.
Disabling Remote Jobs You can disable remote jobs on a database by dropping the
REMOTE_SCHEDULER_AGENT user.
To disable remote jobs:
■

Submit the following SQL statement:
DROP USER REMOTE_SCHEDULER_AGENT CASCADE;

Registration of new scheduler agents and execution of remote jobs is disabled until
you run prvtrsch.plb again.

30-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

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Installing and Configuring the Scheduler Agent on a Remote Host
Before you can run remote jobs on a particular host, you must install and configure the
Scheduler agent, described in this section, and then register and start the Scheduler
agent on the host, described in "Performing Tasks with the Scheduler Agent" on
page 30-8. The Scheduler agent must also be installed in its own Oracle home.
To install and configure the Scheduler agent on a remote host:
1.

Download or retrieve the Scheduler agent software, which is available on the
Oracle Database Client media included in the Database Media Pack, and online at:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/database

2.

Ensure that you have first properly set up any database on which you want to
register the agent.
See "Enabling and Disabling Databases for Remote Jobs" on page 30-5 for
instructions.

3.

Log in to the host you want to install the Scheduler agent on. This host runs
remote jobs.
■
■

4.

For Windows, log in as an administrator.
For UNIX and Linux, log in as the user that you want the Scheduler agent to
run as. This user requires no special privileges.

Run the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) from the installation media for Oracle
Database Client.
■

For Windows, run setup.exe.

■

For UNIX and Linux, use the following command:
/directory_path/runInstaller

where directory_path is the path to the Oracle Database Client installation
media.
5.

On the Select Installation Type page, select Custom, and then click Next.

6.

On the Select Product Languages page, select the desired languages, and click
Next.

7.

On the Specify Install Location page, enter the path for a new Oracle home for the
agent, and then click Next.

8.

On the Available Product Components page, select Oracle Scheduler Agent, and
click Next.

9.

On the Oracle Database Scheduler Agent page:
a.

In the Scheduler Agent Hostname field, enter the host name of the computer
that the Scheduler agent is installed on.

b.

In the Scheduler Agent Port Number field, enter the TCP port number that the
Scheduler agent is to listen on for connections, or accept the default, and then
click Next.
Choose an integer between 1 and 65535. On UNIX and Linux, the number
must be greater than 1023. Ensure that the port number is not already in use.
OUI performs a series of prerequisite checks. If any of the prerequisite checks
fail, resolve the problems, and then click Next.

10. On the Summary page, click Finish.

Administering Oracle Scheduler 30-7

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

11. (UNIX and Linux only) When OUI prompts you to run the script root.sh, enter

the following command as the root user:
script_path/root.sh

The script is located in the directory that you chose for agent installation.
When the script completes, click OK in the Execute Configuration Scripts dialog
box.
12. Click Close to exit OUI when installation is complete.
13. Use a text editor to review the agent configuration parameter file schagent.conf,

which is located in the Scheduler agent home directory, and verify the port
number in the PORT= directive.
14. Ensure that any firewall software on the remote host or any other firewall that

protects that host has an exception to accommodate the Scheduler agent.

Performing Tasks with the Scheduler Agent
The Scheduler agent is a standalone program that enables you to schedule and run
external and database jobs on remote hosts. You start and stop the Scheduler agent
using the schagent utility on UNIX and Linux, and the
OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent service on Windows.
This section covers these topics:
■

About the schagent utility

■

Using the Scheduler Agent on Windows

■

Starting the Scheduler Agent

■

Stopping the Scheduler Agent

■

Registering Scheduler Agents with Databases

About the schagent utility The executable utility schagent performs certain tasks for the
agent on Windows, UNIX and Linux, as indicated by the options in Table 30–1.
Use schagent with the appropriate syntax and options as follows:
For example:
UNIX and Linux: AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent -status
Windows: AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent.exe -status
Table 30–1

schagent options

Option

Description

-start

Starts the Scheduler Agent.
UNIX and Linux only

-stop

Prompts the Scheduler agent to stop all the currently running
jobs and then stop execution gracefully.
UNIX and Linux only

-abort

Stops the Scheduler agent forcefully, that is, without stopping
jobs first. From Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2).
UNIX and Linux only

30-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring Oracle Scheduler

Table 30–1 (Cont.) schagent options
Option

Description

-status

Returns this information about the Scheduler Agent running
locally: version, uptime, total number of jobs run since the agent
started, number of jobs currently running, and their
descriptions.

-registerdatabase

Register the Scheduler agent with the base database or
additional databases that are to run remote jobs on the agent’s
host computer.

-unregisterdatabase

Unregister an agent from a database.

Using the Scheduler Agent on Windows The Windows Scheduler agent service is
automatically created and started during installation. The name of the service ends
with OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent.
Note: Do not confuse this service with the OracleJobScheduler
service, which runs on a Windows computer on which an Oracle
database is installed, and manages the running of local external jobs
without credentials.

Starting the Scheduler Agent Start the Scheduler agent with the following command:
To start the Scheduler agent:
■

Do one of the following:
–

On UNIX and Linux, run the following command:
AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent -start

–

On Windows, start the service whose name ends with
OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent.

Stopping the Scheduler Agent Stopping the Scheduler agent prevents the host on which it
resides from running remote jobs.
To stop the Scheduler agent:
■

Do one of the following:
–

On UNIX and Linux, run the schagent utility with either the -stop or -abort
option as described in Table 30–1:
AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent -stop

–

On Windows, stop the service whose name ends with
OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent. This is equivalent to the -abort option.

Registering Scheduler Agents with Databases As soon as you have finished configuring the
Scheduler Agent, you can register the Agent on one or more databases that are to run
remote jobs. You can also log in later on and register the agent with additional
databases.
1.

If you have already logged out, then log in to the host that is running the
Scheduler agent, as follows:
■

For Windows, log in as an administrator.

Administering Oracle Scheduler 30-9

Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler

■

2.

For UNIX and Linux, log in as the user with which you installed the Scheduler
agent.

Use the following command for each database that you want to register the
Scheduler agent on:
■

On UNIX and Linux, run this command:
AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent -registerdatabase db_host db_http_port

■

On Windows, run this command:
AGENT_HOME/bin/schagent.exe -registerdatabase db_host db_http_port

where:
■

■

db_host is the host name or IP address of the host on which the database
resides. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters environment, you can specify
any node.
db_http_port is the port number that the database listens on for HTTP
connections. You set this parameter previously in "Enabling and Disabling
Databases for Remote Jobs" on page 30-5. You can check the port number by
submitting the following SQL statement to the database:
SELECT DBMS_XDB.GETHTTPPORT() FROM DUAL;

A port number of 0 means that HTTP connections are disabled.
The agent prompts you to enter the agent registration password that you set in
"Enabling and Disabling Databases for Remote Jobs" on page 30-5.
3.

Repeat the previous steps for any additional databases to run remote jobs on the
agent’s host.

Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler
The following sections discuss how to monitor and manage the Scheduler:
■

Viewing the Currently Active Window and Resource Plan

■

Finding Information About Currently Running Jobs

■

Monitoring and Managing Window and Job Logs

■

Managing Scheduler Security

Viewing the Currently Active Window and Resource Plan
You can view the currently active window and the plan associated with it by issuing
the following statement:
SELECT WINDOW_NAME, RESOURCE_PLAN FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS
WHERE ACTIVE='TRUE';
WINDOW_NAME
RESOURCE_PLAN
------------------------------ -------------------------MY_WINDOW10
MY_RESOURCEPLAN1

If there is no window active, you can view the active resource plan by issuing the
following statement:
SELECT * FROM V$RSRC_PLAN;

30-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler

Finding Information About Currently Running Jobs
You can check the state of a job by issuing the following statement:
SELECT JOB_NAME, STATE FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS
WHERE JOB_NAME = 'MY_EMP_JOB1';
JOB_NAME
STATE
------------------------------ --------MY_EMP_JOB1
DISABLED

In this case, you could enable the job using the ENABLE procedure. Table 30–2 shows
the valid values for job state.
Table 30–2

Job States

Job State

Description

disabled

The job is disabled.

scheduled

The job is scheduled to be executed.

running

The job is currently running.

completed

The job has completed, and is not scheduled to run again.

stopped

The job was scheduled to run once and was stopped while it was
running.

broken

The job is broken.

failed

The job was scheduled to run once and failed.

retry scheduled

The job has failed at least once and a retry has been scheduled to be
executed.

succeeded

The job was scheduled to run once and completed successfully.

chain_stalled

The job is of type chain and has no steps running, no steps scheduled
to run, and no event steps waiting on an event, and the chain
evaluation_interval is set to NULL. No progress will be made in the
chain unless there is manual intervention.

You can check the progress of currently running jobs by issuing the following
statement:
SELECT * FROM ALL_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS;

Note that, for the column CPU_USED to show valid data, the initialization parameter
RESOURCE_LIMIT must be set to true.
You can check the status of all jobs at all remote and local destinations by issuing the
following statement:
SELECT * FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_DESTS;

You can find out information about a job that is part of a running chain by issuing the
following statement:
SELECT * FROM ALL_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS WHERE JOB_NAME='MY_JOB1';

You can check whether the job coordinator is running by searching for a process of the
form cjqNNN.

Administering Oracle Scheduler

30-11

Monitoring and Managing the Scheduler

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for details regarding the *_SCHEDULER_
RUNNING_JOBS and DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS views
"Multiple-Destination Jobs" on page 28-19

Monitoring and Managing Window and Job Logs
The Scheduler supports two kinds of logs: the job log and the window log.

Job Log
You can view information about job runs, job state changes, and job failures in the job
log. The job log is implemented as the following two data dictionary views:
■

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG

■

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS

You can control the amount of logging that the Scheduler performs on jobs at both the
job class and individual job level. Normally, you control logging at the class level, as
this offers you more control over logging for the jobs in the class.
See "Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65 for definitions of the various logging levels
and for information about logging level precedence between jobs and their job class.
By default, the logging level of job classes is LOGGING_RUNS, which causes all job runs
to be logged.
You can set the logging_level attribute when you create the job class, or you can use
the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure to change the logging level at a later time. The following
example sets the logging level of jobs in the myclass1 job class to LOGGING_FAILED_
RUNS, which means that only failed runs are logged. Note that all job classes are in the
SYS schema.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (
'sys.myclass1', 'logging_level', DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FAILED_RUNS);
END;
/

You must be granted the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege to set the logging level of a job
class.
See Also:
■

■
■

■

"Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65 for more detailed
information about the job log and for examples of queries
against the job log views
Oracle Database Reference for details on the job log views.
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed
information about the CREATE_JOB_CLASS and SET_ATTRIBUTE
procedures
"Setting Scheduler Preferences" on page 30-2 for information
about setting retention for log entries

Window Log
The Scheduler makes an entry in the window log each time that:

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■

You create or drop a window

■

A window opens

■

A window closes

■

Windows overlap

■

You enable or disable a window

There are no logging levels for window activity logging.
To see the contents of the window log, query the DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_LOG view.
The following statement shows sample output from this view:
SELECT log_id, to_char(log_date, 'DD-MON-YY HH24:MI:SS') timestamp,
window_name, operation FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_LOG;
LOG_ID
---------4
5
22
25
26
29

TIMESTAMP
-------------------10/01/2004 15:29:23
10/01/2004 15:33:01
10/06/2004 22:02:48
10/07/2004 06:59:37
10/07/2004 22:01:37
10/08/2004 06:59:51

WINDOW_NAME
----------------WEEKEND_WINDOW
WEEKEND_WINDOW
WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW
WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW
WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW
WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW

OPERATION
-------CREATE
UPDATE
OPEN
CLOSE
OPEN
CLOSE

The DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS_DETAILS view provides information about every window
that was active and is now closed (completed). The following statement shows sample
output from that view:
SELECT LOG_ID, WINDOW_NAME, ACTUAL_START_DATE, ACTUAL_DURATION
FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_DETAILS;
LOG_ID
---------25
29

WINDOW_NAME
---------------WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW
WEEKNIGHT_WINDOW

ACTUAL_START_DATE
-----------------------------------06-OCT-04 10:02.48.832438 PM PST8PDT
07-OCT-04 10.01.37.025704 PM PST8PDT

ACTUAL_DURATION
--------------+000 01:02:32
+000 03:02:00

Notice that log IDs correspond in both of these views, and that in this case the rows in
the DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS_DETAILS view correspond to the CLOSE operations in the
DBA_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_LOG view.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Reference for details on the window log views.

Purging Logs
To prevent job and window logs from growing indiscriminately, use the SET_
SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE procedure to specify how much history (in days) to keep. Once
per day, the Scheduler automatically purges all log entries that are older than the
specified history period from both the job log and the window log. The default history
period is 30 days. For example, to change the history period to 90 days, issue the
following statement:
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE('log_history','90');

Some job classes are more important than others. Because of this, you can override this
global history setting by using a class-specific setting. For example, suppose that there
are three job classes (class1, class2, and class3), and that you want to keep 10 days
of history for the window log, class1, and class3, but 30 days for class2. To achieve
this, issue the following statements:
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Import/Export and the Scheduler

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE('log_history','10');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('class2','log_history','30');

You can also set the class-specific history when creating the job class.
Note that log entries pertaining to steps of a chain run are not purged until the entries
for the main chain job are purged.
Purging Logs Manually
The PURGE_LOG procedure enables you to manually purge logs. As an example, the
following statement purges all entries from both the job and window logs:
DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG();

Another example is the following, which purges all entries from the jog log that are
older than three days. The window log is not affected by this statement.
DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG(log_history => 3, which_log => 'JOB_LOG');

The following statement purges all window log entries older than 10 days and all job
log entries older than 10 days that relate to job1 and to the jobs in class2:
DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG(log_history => 10, job_name => 'job1, sys.class2');

Managing Scheduler Security
You should grant the CREATE JOB system privilege to regular users who need to be able
to use the Scheduler to schedule and run jobs. You should grant MANAGE SCHEDULER to
any database administrator who needs to manage system resources. Grant any other
Scheduler system privilege or role with great caution. In particular, the CREATE ANY JOB
system privilege and the SCHEDULER_ADMIN role, which includes it, are very powerful
because they allow execution of code as any user. They should only be granted to very
powerful roles or users.
Handling external job is a particularly important issue from a security point of view.
Only users that need to run jobs outside of the database should be granted the CREATE
EXTERNAL JOB system privilege that allows them to do so. Security for the Scheduler
has no other special requirements. See Oracle Database Security Guide for details
regarding security.
If users need to create credentials to authenticate their jobs to the operating system or a
remote database, grant them CREATE CREDENTIAL system privilege.
When upgrading from Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1) to
Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) or later, CREATE EXTERNAL JOB is
automatically granted to all users and roles that have the CREATE JOB
privilege. Oracle recommends that you revoke this privilege from users
that do not need it.
Note:

Import/Export and the Scheduler
You must use the Data Pump utilities (impdp and expdp) to export Scheduler objects.
You cannot use the earlier import/export utilities (IMP and EXP) with the Scheduler.
Also, Scheduler objects cannot be exported while the database is in read-only mode.
An export generates the DDL that was used to create the Scheduler objects. All
attributes are exported. When an import is done, all the database objects are re-created
in the new database. All schedules are stored with their time zones, which are
maintained in the new database. For example, schedule "Monday at 1 PM PST in a

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database in San Francisco" would be the same if it was exported and imported to a
database in Germany.
Although Scheduler credentials are exported, for security reasons, the passwords in
these credentials are not exported. After you import Scheduler credentials, you must
reset the passwords using the SET_ATTRIBUTE procedure of the DBMS_SCHEDULER
package.
See Also:

Oracle Database Utilities for details on Data Pump

Troubleshooting the Scheduler
This section contains the following troubleshooting topics:
■

A Job Does Not Run

■

A Program Becomes Disabled

■

A Window Fails to Take Effect

A Job Does Not Run
A job may fail to run for several reasons. To begin troubleshooting a job that you
suspect did not run, check the job state by issuing the following statement:
SELECT JOB_NAME, STATE FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS;

Typical output will resemble the following:
JOB_NAME
-----------------------------MY_EMP_JOB
MY_EMP_JOB1
MY_NEW_JOB1
MY_NEW_JOB2
MY_NEW_JOB3

STATE
--------DISABLED
FAILED
DISABLED
BROKEN
COMPLETED

About Job States
There a four states that a job could be in if it does not run:
■

Failed Jobs

■

Broken Jobs

■

Disabled Jobs

■

Completed Jobs

Failed Jobs If a job has the status of FAILED in the job table, it was scheduled to run
once but the execution has failed. If the job was specified as restartable, all retries have
failed.
If a job fails in the middle of execution, only the last transaction of that job is rolled
back. If your job executes multiple transactions, then you must be careful about setting
restartable to TRUE. You can query failed jobs by querying the *_SCHEDULER_JOB_
RUN_DETAILS views.
Broken Jobs A broken job is one that has exceeded a certain number of failures. This
number is set in max_failures, and can be altered. In the case of a broken job, the

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Troubleshooting the Scheduler

entire job is broken, and it will not be run until it has been fixed. For debugging and
testing, you can use the RUN_JOB procedure.
You can query broken jobs by querying the *_SCHEDULER_JOBS and *_SCHEDULER_JOB_
LOG views.
Disabled Jobs A job can become disabled for the following reasons:
■

The job was manually disabled

■

The job class it belongs to was dropped

■

The program, chain, or schedule that it points to was dropped

■

A window or window group is its schedule and the window or window group is
dropped

Completed Jobs A job will be completed if end_date or max_runs is reached. (If a job
recently completed successfully but is scheduled to run again, the job state is
SCHEDULED.)

Viewing the Job Log
The job log is an important troubleshooting tool. For details and instructions, see
"Viewing the Job Log" on page 29-65.

Troubleshooting Remote Jobs
Remote jobs must successfully communicate with a Scheduler agent on the remote
host. If a remote job does not run, check the DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS view and the job log
first. Then perform the following tasks:
1.

Check that the remote system is reachable over the network with tools such as
nslookup and ping.

2.

Check the status of the Scheduler agent on the remote host by calling the GET_
AGENT_VERSION package procedure.
DECLARE
versionnum VARCHAR2(30);
BEGIN
versionnum := DBMS_SCHEDULER.GET_AGENT_VERSION('remote_host.example.com');
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(versionnum);
END;
/

If an error is generated, the agent may not be installed or may not be registered
with your local database. See "Using the Oracle Scheduler Agent to Run Remote
Jobs" on page 30-4 for instructions for installing, registering, and starting the
Scheduler agent.

About Job Recovery After a Failure
The Scheduler attempts to recover jobs that are interrupted when:
■

The database abnormally shuts down

■

A job slave process is killed or otherwise fails

■

For an external job, the external job process that starts the executable or script is
killed or otherwise fails. (The external job process is extjob on UNIX. On
Windows, it is the external job service.)

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■

For an external job, the process that runs the end-user executable or script is killed
or otherwise fails.

Job recovery proceeds as follows:
■

The Scheduler adds an entry to the job log for the instance of the job that was
running when the failure occurred. In the log entry, the OPERATION is 'RUN', the
STATUS is 'STOPPED', and ADDITIONAL_INFO contains one of the following:
–

REASON="Job slave process was terminated"

–

REASON="ORA-01014: ORACLE shutdown in progress"

■

If restartable is set to TRUE for the job, the job is restarted.

■

If restartable is set to FALSE for the job:
–

If the job is a run-once job and auto_drop is set to TRUE, the job run is done and
the job is dropped.

–

If the job is a run-once job and auto_drop is set to FALSE, the job is disabled
and the job state is set to 'STOPPED'.

–

If the job is a repeating job, the Scheduler schedules the next job run and the
job state is set to 'SCHEDULED'.

When a job is restarted as a result of this recovery process, the new run is entered into
the job log with the operation 'RECOVERY_RUN'.

A Program Becomes Disabled
A program can become disabled if a program argument is dropped or number_of_
arguments is changed so that all arguments are no longer defined.
See "Creating and Managing Programs to Define Jobs" on page 29-20 for more
information regarding programs.

A Window Fails to Take Effect
A window can fail to take effect for the following reasons:
■

A window becomes disabled when it is at the end of its schedule

■

A window that points to a schedule that no longer exists is disabled

See "Managing Job Scheduling and Job Priorities with Windows" on page 29-56 for
more information regarding windows.

Examples of Using the Scheduler
This section discusses the following topics:
■

Examples of Creating Job Classes

■

Examples of Setting Attributes

■

Examples of Creating Chains

■

Examples of Creating Jobs and Schedules Based on Events

■

Example of Creating a Job In an Oracle Data Guard Environment

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Examples of Using the Scheduler

Examples of Creating Job Classes
This section contains several examples of creating job classes. To create a job class, you
use the CREATE_JOB_CLASS procedure.
Example 30–1

Creating a Job Class

The following statement creates a job class:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB_CLASS (
job_class_name
=> 'my_class1',
service
=> 'my_service1',
comments
=> 'This is my first job class');
END;
/

This creates my_class1 in SYS. It uses a service called my_service1. To verify that the
job class was created, issue the following statement:
SELECT JOB_CLASS_NAME FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_CLASSES
WHERE JOB_CLASS_NAME = 'MY_CLASS1';
JOB_CLASS_NAME
-----------------------------MY_CLASS1
Example 30–2

Creating a Job Class

The following statement creates a job class:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB_CLASS
job_class_name
=>
resource_consumer_group
=>
service
=>
comments
=>
END;
/

(
'finance_jobs',
'finance_group',
'accounting',
'All finance jobs');

This creates finance_jobs in SYS. It assigns a resource consumer group called
finance_group, and designates service affinity for the accounting service. Note that if
the accounting service is mapped to a resource consumer group other than finance_
group, jobs in this class run under the finance_group consumer group, because the
resource_consumer_group attribute takes precedence.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
detailed information about the CREATE_JOB_CLASS procedure and
"Creating Job Classes" on page 29-54 for further information

Examples of Setting Attributes
This section contains several examples of setting attributes. To set attributes, you use
SET_ATTRIBUTE and SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE procedures.
Example 30–3

Setting the Repeat Interval Attribute

The following example resets the frequency that my_emp_job1 runs daily:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (

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name
attribute
value
END;
/

=>
=>
=>

'my_emp_job1',
'repeat_interval',
'FREQ=DAILY');

To verify the change, issue the following statement:
SELECT JOB_NAME, REPEAT_INTERVAL FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOBS
WHERE JOB_NAME = 'MY_EMP_JOB1';
JOB_NAME
---------------MY_EMP_JOB1
Example 30–4

REPEAT_INTERVAL
--------------FREQ=DAILY

Setting Multiple Job Attributes for a Set of Jobs

The following example sets four different attributes for each of five jobs:
DECLARE
newattr sys.jobattr;
newattrarr sys.jobattr_array;
j number;
BEGIN
-- Create new JOBATTR array
newattrarr := sys.jobattr_array();
-- Allocate enough space in the array
newattrarr.extend(20);
j := 1;
FOR i IN 1..5 LOOP
-- Create and initialize a JOBATTR object type
newattr := sys.jobattr(job_name => 'TESTJOB' || to_char(i),
attr_name => 'MAX_FAILURES',
attr_value => 5);
-- Add it to the array.
newattrarr(j) := newattr;
j := j + 1;
newattr := sys.jobattr(job_name => 'TESTJOB' || to_char(i),
attr_name => 'COMMENTS',
attr_value => 'Test job');
newattrarr(j) := newattr;
j := j + 1;
newattr := sys.jobattr(job_name => 'TESTJOB' || to_char(i),
attr_name => 'END_DATE',
attr_value => systimestamp + interval '24' hour);
newattrarr(j) := newattr;
j := j + 1;
newattr := sys.jobattr(job_name => 'TESTJOB' || to_char(i),
attr_name => 'SCHEDULE_LIMIT',
attr_value => interval '1' hour);
newattrarr(j) := newattr;
j := j + 1;
END LOOP;
-- Call SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES to set all 20 set attributes in one transaction
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ATTRIBUTES(newattrarr, 'TRANSACTIONAL');
END;
/

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Examples of Using the Scheduler

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
detailed information about the SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE
procedure and "Setting Scheduler Preferences" on page 30-2

Examples of Creating Chains
This section contains examples of creating chains. To create chains, you use the
CREATE_CHAIN procedure. After creating a chain, you add steps to the chain with the
DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP or DEFINE_CHAIN_EVENT_STEP procedures and define the rules
with the DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedure.
Example 30–5

Creating a Chain

The following example creates a chain where my_program1 runs before my_program2
and my_program3. my_program2 and my_program3 run in parallel after my_program1 has
completed.
The user for this example must have the CREATE EVALUATION CONTEXT, CREATE RULE,
and CREATE RULE SET privileges. See "Setting Chain Privileges" on page 30-2 for more
information.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain1',
rule_set_name
=> NULL,
evaluation_interval
=> NULL,
comments
=> NULL);
END;
/
--- define three steps for this chain. Referenced programs must be enabled.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain1', 'stepA', 'my_program1');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain1', 'stepB', 'my_program2');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain1', 'stepC', 'my_program3');
END;
/
--- define corresponding rules for the chain.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE('my_chain1', 'TRUE', 'START stepA');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
'my_chain1', 'stepA COMPLETED', 'Start stepB, stepC');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
'my_chain1', 'stepB COMPLETED AND stepC COMPLETED', 'END');
END;
/
--- enable the chain
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE('my_chain1');
END;
/
--- create a chain job to start the chain daily at 1:00 p.m.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'chain_job_1',
job_type
=> 'CHAIN',
job_action
=> 'my_chain1',

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repeat_interval => 'freq=daily;byhour=13;byminute=0;bysecond=0',
enabled
=> TRUE);
END;
/
Example 30–6

Creating a Chain

The following example creates a chain where first my_program1 runs. If it succeeds, my_
program2 runs; otherwise, my_program3 runs.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_CHAIN (
chain_name
=> 'my_chain2',
rule_set_name
=> NULL,
evaluation_interval
=> NULL,
comments
=> NULL);
END;
/
--- define three steps for this chain.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain2', 'step1', 'my_program1');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain2', 'step2', 'my_program2');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP('my_chain2', 'step3', 'my_program3');
END;
/
--- define corresponding rules for the chain.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE ('my_chain2', 'TRUE', 'START step1');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
'my_chain2', 'step1 SUCCEEDED', 'Start step2');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
'my_chain2', 'step1 COMPLETED AND step1 NOT SUCCEEDED', 'Start step3');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE (
'my_chain2', 'step2 COMPLETED OR step3 COMPLETED', 'END');
END;
/

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
detailed information about the CREATE_CHAIN, DEFINE_CHAIN_STEP,
and DEFINE_CHAIN_RULE procedures and "Setting Scheduler
Preferences" on page 30-2

Examples of Creating Jobs and Schedules Based on Events
This section contains examples of creating event-based jobs and event schedules. To
create event-based jobs, you use the CREATE_JOB procedure. To create event-based
schedules, you use the CREATE_EVENT_SCHEDULE procedure.
These examples assume the existence of an application that, when it detects the arrival
of a file on a system, enqueues an event onto the queue my_events_q.
Example 30–7

Creating an Event-Based Schedule

The following example illustrates creating a schedule that can be used to start a job
whenever the Scheduler receives an event indicating that a file arrived on the system
before 9AM:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_EVENT_SCHEDULE (

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Examples of Using the Scheduler

schedule_name
=> 'scott.file_arrival',
start_date
=> systimestamp,
event_condition
=> 'tab.user_data.object_owner = ''SCOTT''
and tab.user_data.event_name = ''FILE_ARRIVAL''
and extract hour from tab.user_data.event_timestamp < 9',
queue_spec
=> 'my_events_q');
END;
/
Example 30–8

Creating an Event-Based Job

The following example creates a job that starts when the Scheduler receives an event
indicating that a file arrived on the system:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> my_job,
program_name
=> my_program,
start_date
=> '15-JUL-04 1.00.00AM US/Pacific',
event_condition
=> 'tab.user_data.event_name = ''LOW_INVENTORY''',
queue_spec
=> 'my_events_q'
enabled
=> TRUE,
comments
=> 'my event-based job');
END;
/

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
detailed information about the CREATE_JOB and CREATE_EVENT_
SCHEDULE procedures

Example of Creating a Job In an Oracle Data Guard Environment
In an Oracle Data Guard environment, the Scheduler includes additional support for
two database roles: primary and logical standby. You can configure a job to run only
when the database is in the primary role or only when the database is in the logical
standby role. To do so, you set the database_role attribute. This example explains
how to enable a job to run in both database roles. The method used is to create two
copies of the job and assign a different database_role attribute to each.
By default, a job runs when the database is in the role that it was in when the job was
created. You can run the same job in both roles using the following steps:
1.

Copy the job

2.

Enable the new job

3.

Change the database_role attribute of the new job to the required role

The example starts by creating a job called primary_job on the primary database. It
then makes a copy of this job and sets its database_role attribute to 'LOGICAL
STANDBY'. If the primary database then becomes a logical standby, the job continues to
run according to its schedule.
When you copy a job, the new job is disabled, so you must enable the new job.
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
job_name
=> 'primary_job',
program_name
=> 'my_prog',
schedule_name => 'my_sched');

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DBMS_SCHEDULER.COPY_JOB('primary_job','standby_job');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE(name=>'standby_job', commit_semantics=>'ABSORB_ERRORS');
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE('standby_job','database_role','LOGICAL STANDBY');
END;
/

After you execute this example, the data in the DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_ROLES view is as
follows:
SELECT JOB_NAME, DATABASE_ROLE FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_ROLES
WHERE JOB_NAME IN ('PRIMARY_JOB','STANDBY_JOB');
JOB_NAME
-------PRIMARY_JOB
STABDBY_JOB

DATABASE_ROLE
---------------PRIMARY
LOGICAL STANDBY

For a physical standby database, any changes made to
Scheduler objects or any database changes made by Scheduler jobs on
the primary database are applied to the physical standby like any
other database changes.

Note:

Scheduler Reference
This section contains reference information for Oracle Scheduler. It contains the
following topics:
■

Scheduler Privileges

■

Scheduler Data Dictionary Views

Scheduler Privileges
Table 30–3, " Scheduler System Privileges" and Table 30–4, " Scheduler Object
Privileges" describe the various Scheduler privileges.
Table 30–3

Scheduler System Privileges

Privilege Name

Operations Authorized

CREATE JOB

This privilege enables you to create jobs, chains, schedules, programs, file watchers,
destinations, and groups in your own schema. You can always alter and drop these
objects in your own schema, even if you do not have the CREATE JOB privilege. In this
case, the object would have been created in your schema by another user with the
CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

CREATE ANY JOB

This privilege enables you to create, alter, and drop jobs, chains, schedules, programs,
file watchers, destinations, and groups in any schema except SYS. This privilege is
extremely powerful and should be used with care because it allows the grantee to
execute any PL/SQL code as any other database user.

CREATE EXTERNAL JOB

This privilege is required to create jobs that run outside of the database. Owners of
jobs of type 'EXECUTABLE' or jobs that point to programs of type 'EXECUTABLE' require
this privilege. To run a job of type 'EXECUTABLE', you must have this privilege and the
CREATE JOB privilege. This privilege is also required to retrieve files from a remote host
and to save files to one or more remote hosts.

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Scheduler Reference

Table 30–3 (Cont.) Scheduler System Privileges
Privilege Name

Operations Authorized

EXECUTE ANY PROGRAM

This privilege enables your jobs to use programs or chains from any schema.

EXECUTE ANY CLASS

This privilege enables your jobs to run under any job class.

MANAGE SCHEDULER

This is the most important privilege for administering the Scheduler. It enables you to
create, alter, and drop job classes, windows, and window groups, and to stop jobs
with the force option. It also enables you to set and retrieve Scheduler attributes,
purge Scheduler logs, and set the agent password for a database.

Table 30–4

Scheduler Object Privileges

Privilege Name

Operations Authorized

SELECT

You can grant object privileges on a group to other users by granting SELECT on the group.

EXECUTE

You can grant this privilege only on programs, chains, file watchers, credentials, and job
classes. The EXECUTE privilege enables you to reference the object in a job. It also enables you
to view the object if the object is was not created in your schema.

ALTER

This privilege enables you to alter or drop the object it is granted on. Altering includes such
operations as enabling, disabling, defining or dropping program arguments, setting or
resetting job argument values and running a job. Certain restricted attributes of jobs of job
type EXECUTABLE cannot be altered using the ALTER object privilege. These include job_type,
job_action, number_of_arguments, event_spec, and setting PL/SQL date functions as
schedules.
For programs, jobs, chains, file watchers, and credentials, this privilege also enables
schemas that do not own these objects to view them. This privilege can be granted on jobs,
chains, programs, schedules, file watchers, and credentials. For other types of Scheduler
objects, you must grant the MANAGE SCHEDULER system privilege.

ALL

This privilege authorizes operations allowed by all other object privileges possible for a
given object. It can be granted on jobs, programs, chains, schedules, file watchers,
credentials, and job classes.

No object privileges are required to use a destination object
created by another user.

Note:

The SCHEDULER_ADMIN role is created with all of the system privileges shown in
Table 30–3 (with the ADMIN option). The SCHEDULER_ADMIN role is granted to DBA (with
the ADMIN option).
When calling DBMS_SCHEDULER procedures and functions from a definer's rights
PL/SQL block, object privileges must be granted directly to the calling user. As with
all PL/SQL stored procedures, DBMS_SCHEDULER ignores privileges granted
through roles on database objects when called from a definer's rights PL/SQL block.
The following object privileges are granted to PUBLIC: SELECT ALL_SCHEDULER_* views,
SELECT USER_SCHEDULER_* views, SELECT SYS.SCHEDULER$_JOBSUFFIX_S (for
generating a job name), and EXECUTE SYS.DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS.

Scheduler Data Dictionary Views
You can check Scheduler information using many views. The following example
shows information for completed instances of my_job1:
SELECT JOB_NAME, STATUS, ERROR#
FROM DBA_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS WHERE JOB_NAME = 'MY_JOB1';

30-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Scheduler Reference

JOB_NAME
-------MY_JOB1

STATUS
-------------FAILURE

ERROR#
-----20000

Table 30–5 contains views associated with the Scheduler. The *_SCHEDULER_JOBS, *_
SCHEDULER_SCHEDULES, *_SCHEDULER_PROGRAMS, *_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS, *_
SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG, *_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS views are particularly useful for
managing jobs. See Oracle Database Reference for details regarding Scheduler views.
Note: In the following table, the asterisk at the beginning of a view
name can be replaced with DBA, ALL, or USER.

Table 30–5

Scheduler Views

View

Description

*_SCHEDULER_CHAIN_RULES

These views show all rules for all chains.

*_SCHEDULER_CHAIN_STEPS

These views show all steps for all chains.

*_SCHEDULER_CHAINS

These views show all chains.

*_SCHEDULER_CREDENTIALS

These views show all credentials.

*_CREDENTIALS

** *_SCHEDULER_CREDENTIALS is deprecated in Oracle
Database 12c, but remains available, for reasons of
backward compatibility.
The recommended view is *_CREDENTIALS.

*_SCHEDULER_DB_DESTS

These views show all database destinations.

*_SCHEDULER_DESTS

These views show all destinations, both database and
external.

*_SCHEDULER_EXTERNAL_DESTS

These views show all external destinations.

*_SCHEDULER_FILE_WATCHERS

These views show all file watchers.

*_SCHEDULER_GLOBAL_ATTRIBUTE

These views show the current values of Scheduler
attributes.

*_SCHEDULER_GROUP_MEMBERS

These views show all group members in all groups.

*_SCHEDULER_GROUPS

These views show all groups.

*_SCHEDULER_INCOMPATIBILITY

These views show all programs or jobs that are members
of incompatibility definitions.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_ARGS

These views show all set argument values for all jobs.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_CLASSES

These views show all job classes.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_DESTS

These views show the state of both local jobs and jobs at
remote destinations, including child jobs of
multiple-destination jobs. You obtain job destination IDs
(job_dest_id) from these views.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_LOG

These views show job runs and state changes, depending
on the logging level set.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_ROLES

These views show all jobs by Oracle Data Guard
database role.

*_SCHEDULER_JOB_RUN_DETAILS

These views show all completed (failed or successful) job
runs.

*_SCHEDULER_JOBS

These views show all jobs, enabled as well as disabled.

Administering Oracle Scheduler

30-25

Scheduler Reference

Table 30–5 (Cont.) Scheduler Views
View

Description

*_SCHEDULER_NOTIFICATIONS

These views show all job state e-mail notifications.

*_SCHEDULER_PROGRAM_ARGS

These views show all arguments defined for all
programs as well as the default values if they exist.

*_SCHEDULER_PROGRAMS

These views show all programs.

*_SCHEDULER_REMOTE_DATABASES

These views show information about the remote
databases accessible to the current user that have been
registered as sources and destinations for remote
database jobs.

*_SCHEDULER_REMOTE_JOBSTATE

These views displays information about the state of the
jobs accessible to the current user at remote databases.

*_SCHEDULER_RESOURCES

These views describe the resource metadata.

*_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_CHAINS

These views show all chains that are running.

*_SCHEDULER_RUNNING_JOBS

These views show state information on all jobs that are
currently being run.

*_SCHEDULER_RSRC_CONSTRAINTS

These views show the types of resources used by a job or
program and the number of units of each resource it
needs.

*_SCHEDULER_SCHEDULES

These views show all schedules.

*_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_DETAILS

These views show all completed window runs.

*_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_GROUPS

These views show all window groups.

*_SCHEDULER_WINDOW_LOG

These views show all state changes made to windows.

*_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS

These views show all windows.

*_SCHEDULER_WINGROUP_MEMBERS

These views show the members of all window groups,
one row for each group member.

30-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Part V
Part V

Distributed Database Management

Part V discusses the management of a distributed database environment. It contains
the following chapters:
■

Chapter 31, "Distributed Database Concepts"

■

Chapter 32, "Managing a Distributed Database"

■

Chapter 33, "Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System"

■

Chapter 34, "Distributed Transactions Concepts"

■

Chapter 35, "Managing Distributed Transactions"

31
31

Distributed Database Concepts

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Distributed Database Architecture

■

Database Links

■

Distributed Database Administration

■

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

■

Distributed Database Application Development

■

Character Set Support for Distributed Environments

Distributed Database Architecture
A distributed database system allows applications to access data from local and
remote databases. In a homogenous distributed database system, each database is an
Oracle Database. In a heterogeneous distributed database system, at least one of the
databases is not an Oracle Database. Distributed databases use a client/server
architecture to process information requests.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Homogenous Distributed Database Systems

■

Heterogeneous Distributed Database Systems

■

Client/Server Database Architecture

Homogenous Distributed Database Systems
A homogenous distributed database system is a network of two or more Oracle
Databases that reside on one or more systems. Figure 31–1 illustrates a distributed
system that connects three databases: hq, mfg, and sales. An application can
simultaneously access or modify the data in several databases in a single distributed
environment. For example, a single query from a Manufacturing client on local
database mfg can retrieve joined data from the products table on the local database
and the dept table on the remote hq database.
For a client application, the location and platform of the databases are transparent. You
can also create synonyms for remote objects in the distributed system so that users can
access them with the same syntax as local objects. For example, if you are connected to
database mfg but want to access data on database hq, creating a synonym on mfg for
the remote dept table enables you to issue this query:
SELECT * FROM dept;

Distributed Database Concepts 31-1

Distributed Database Architecture

In this way, a distributed system gives the appearance of native data access. Users on
mfg do not have to know that the data they access resides on remote databases.
Figure 31–1 Homogeneous Distributed Database
Manufacturing

Distributed Database

Headquarters

MFG.EXAMPLE.COM

HQ.EXAMPLE.COM

Oracle

Oracle

Oracle

.
.
.

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

.
.
.

.
.
.

Sales

An Oracle Database distributed database system can incorporate Oracle Databases of
different releases. All supported releases of Oracle Database can participate in a
distributed database system. Nevertheless, the applications that work with the
distributed database must understand the functionality that is available at each node
in the system. A distributed database application cannot expect an Oracle7 database to
understand the SQL extensions that are only available with Oracle Database.

Distributed Databases Versus Distributed Processing
The terms distributed database and distributed processing are closely related, yet
have distinct meanings. There definitions are as follows:
■

Distributed database
A set of databases in a distributed system that can appear to applications as a
single data source.

■

Distributed processing
The operations that occurs when an application distributes its tasks among
different computers in a network. For example, a database application typically
distributes front-end presentation tasks to client computers and allows a back-end
database server to manage shared access to a database. Consequently, a

31-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Distributed Database Architecture

distributed database application processing system is more commonly referred to
as a client/server database application system.
Distributed database systems employ a distributed processing architecture. For
example, an Oracle Database server acts as a client when it requests data that another
Oracle Database server manages.

Distributed Databases Versus Replicated Databases
The terms distributed database system and database replication are related, yet
distinct. In a pure (that is, not replicated) distributed database, the system manages a
single copy of all data and supporting database objects. Typically, distributed database
applications use distributed transactions to access both local and remote data and
modify the global database in real-time.
Note:

This book discusses only pure distributed databases.

The term replication refers to the operation of copying and maintaining database
objects in multiple databases belonging to a distributed system. While replication
relies on distributed database technology, database replication offers applications
benefits that are not possible within a pure distributed database environment.
Most commonly, replication is used to improve local database performance and
protect the availability of applications because alternate data access options exist. For
example, an application may normally access a local database rather than a remote
server to minimize network traffic and achieve maximum performance. Furthermore,
the application can continue to function if the local server experiences a failure, but
other servers with replicated data remain accessible.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Advanced Replication for more information about
Oracle Database replication features
Oracle Streams Concepts and Administration for information
about Oracle Streams, another method of sharing information
between databases

Heterogeneous Distributed Database Systems
In a heterogeneous distributed database system, at least one of the databases is a
non-Oracle Database system. To the application, the heterogeneous distributed
database system appears as a single, local, Oracle Database. The local Oracle Database
server hides the distribution and heterogeneity of the data.
The Oracle Database server accesses the non-Oracle Database system using Oracle
Heterogeneous Services with an agent. If you access the non-Oracle Database data
store using an Oracle Transparent Gateway, then the agent is a system-specific
application. For example, if you include a Sybase database in an Oracle Database
distributed system, then you must obtain a Sybase-specific transparent gateway so
that the Oracle Database in the system can communicate with it.
Alternatively, you can use generic connectivity to access non-Oracle Database data
stores so long as the non-Oracle Database system supports the ODBC or OLE DB
protocols.

Distributed Database Concepts 31-3

Distributed Database Architecture

Other than the introductory material presented in this
chapter, this book does not discuss Oracle Heterogeneous Services.
See Oracle Database Heterogeneous Connectivity User's Guide for more
detailed information about Heterogeneous Services.

Note:

Heterogeneous Services
Heterogeneous Services (HS) is an integrated component within the Oracle Database
server and the enabling technology for the current suite of Oracle Transparent
Gateway products. HS provides the common architecture and administration
mechanisms for Oracle Database gateway products and other heterogeneous access
facilities. Also, it provides upwardly compatible functionality for users of most of the
earlier Oracle Transparent Gateway releases.

Transparent Gateway Agents
For each non-Oracle Database system that you access, Heterogeneous Services can use
a transparent gateway agent to interface with the specified non-Oracle Database
system. The agent is specific to the non-Oracle Database system, so each type of
system requires a different agent.
The transparent gateway agent facilitates communication between Oracle Database
and non-Oracle Database systems and uses the Heterogeneous Services component in
the Oracle Database server. The agent executes SQL and transactional requests at the
non-Oracle Database system on behalf of the Oracle Database server.
See Also: Your Oracle-supplied gateway-specific documentation
for information about transparent gateways

Generic Connectivity
Generic connectivity enables you to connect to non-Oracle Database data stores by
using either a Heterogeneous Services ODBC agent or a Heterogeneous Services OLE
DB agent. Both are included with your Oracle product as a standard feature. Any data
source compatible with the ODBC or OLE DB standards can be accessed using a
generic connectivity agent.
The advantage to generic connectivity is that it may not be required for you to
purchase and configure a separate system-specific agent. You use an ODBC or OLE DB
driver that can interface with the agent. However, some data access features are only
available with transparent gateway agents.

Client/Server Database Architecture
A database server is the Oracle software managing a database, and a client is an
application that requests information from a server. Each computer in a network is a
node that can host one or more databases. Each node in a distributed database system
can act as a client, a server, or both, depending on the situation.
In Figure 31–2, the host for the hq database is acting as a database server when a
statement is issued against its local data (for example, the second statement in each
transaction issues a statement against the local dept table), but is acting as a client
when it issues a statement against remote data (for example, the first statement in each
transaction is issued against the remote table emp in the sales database).

31-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

Figure 31–2 An Oracle Database Distributed Database System
Server

Server
Oracle
Net

Oracle
Net
Network
Database Link
CONNECT TO...
IDENTIFIED BY ...

DEPT Table

EMP Table
HQ
Database

Sales
Database

Application
TRANSACTION
INSERT INTO EMP@SALES..;
DELETE FROM DEPT..;
SELECT...
FROM EMP@SALES...;
COMMIT;

.
.
.
A client can connect directly or indirectly to a database server. A direct connection
occurs when a client connects to a server and accesses information from a database
contained on that server. For example, if you connect to the hq database and access the
dept table on this database as in Figure 31–2, you can issue the following:
SELECT * FROM dept;

This query is direct because you are not accessing an object on a remote database.
In contrast, an indirect connection occurs when a client connects to a server and then
accesses information contained in a database on a different server. For example, if you
connect to the hq database but access the emp table on the remote sales database as in
Figure 31–2, you can issue the following:
SELECT * FROM emp@sales;

This query is indirect because the object you are accessing is not on the database to
which you are directly connected.

Database Links
The central concept in distributed database systems is a database link. A database link
is a connection between two physical database servers that allows a client to access
them as one logical database.
This section contains the following topics:
■

What Are Database Links?

■

Why Use Database Links?

Distributed Database Concepts 31-5

Database Links

■

Global Database Names in Database Links

■

Names for Database Links

■

Types of Database Links

■

Users of Database Links

■

Creation of Database Links: Examples

■

Schema Objects and Database Links

■

Database Link Restrictions

What Are Database Links?
A database link is a pointer that defines a one-way communication path from an
Oracle Database server to another database server. For public and private database
links, the link pointer is actually defined as an entry in a data dictionary table. To
access the link, you must be connected to the local database that contains the data
dictionary entry. For global database links, the link pointer is defined in a directory
service. The different types of database links are described in more detail in "Types of
Database Links" on page 31-11.
A database link connection is one-way in the sense that a client connected to local
database A can use a link stored in database A to access information in remote
database B, but users connected to database B cannot use the same link to access data
in database A. If local users on database B want to access data on database A, then
they must define a link that is stored in the data dictionary of database B.
A database link connection allows local users to access data on a remote database. For
this connection to occur, each database in the distributed system must have a unique
global database name in the network domain. The global database name uniquely
identifies a database server in a distributed system.
Figure 31–3 shows an example of user scott accessing the emp table on the remote
database with the global name hq.example.com:

31-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

Figure 31–3 Database Link
User Scott

Select *
FROM emp

PUBLIC SYNONYM
emp -> emp@HQ.EXAMPLE.COM

Local
database

Database
link
(unidirectional)

Remote
database

EMP table

Database links are either private or public. If they are private, then only the user who
created the link has access; if they are public, then all database users have access.
One principal difference among database links is the way that different link definitions
determine how the link connection is authenticated. Users access a remote database
through the following types of links:
Type of Link

Description

Connected user link

Users connect as themselves, which means that they must have an
account on the remote database with the same user name and
password as their account on the local database.

Fixed user link

Users connect using the user name and password referenced in the
link. For example, if Jane uses a fixed user link that connects to the
hq database with the user name and password scott/password,
then she connects as scott, Jane has all the privileges in hq granted
to scott directly, and all the default roles that scott has been
granted in the hq database.

Current user link

A user connects as a global user. A local user can connect as a
global user in the context of a stored procedure, without storing the
global user's password in a link definition. For example, Jane can
access a procedure that Scott wrote, accessing Scott's account and
Scott's schema on the hq database.

Create database links using the CREATE DATABASE LINK statement. After a link is
created, you can use it to specify schema objects in SQL statements.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for syntax of the
CREATE DATABASE statement
See Also:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-7

Database Links

What Are Shared Database Links?
A shared database link is a link between a local server process and the remote
database. The link is shared because multiple client processes can use the same link
simultaneously.
When a local database is connected to a remote database through a database link,
either database can run in dedicated or shared server mode. The following table
illustrates the possibilities:
Local Database Mode

Remote Database Mode

Dedicated

Dedicated

Dedicated

Shared server

Shared server

Dedicated

Shared server

Shared server

A shared database link can exist in any of these four configurations. Shared links differ
from standard database links in the following ways:
■

■

■

Different users accessing the same schema object through a database link can share
a network connection.
When a user must establish a connection to a remote server from a particular
server process, the process can reuse connections already established to the remote
server. The reuse of the connection can occur if the connection was established on
the same server process with the same database link, possibly in a different
session. In a non-shared database link, a connection is not shared across multiple
sessions.
When you use a shared database link in a shared server configuration, a network
connection is established directly out of the shared server process in the local
server. For a non-shared database link on a local shared server, this connection
would have been established through the local dispatcher, requiring context
switches for the local dispatcher, and requiring data to go through the dispatcher.
See Also: Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for
information about shared server

Why Use Database Links?
The great advantage of database links is that they allow users to access another user's
objects in a remote database so that they are bounded by the privilege set of the object
owner. In other words, a local user can access a link to a remote database without
having to be a user on the remote database.
For example, assume that employees submit expense reports to Accounts Payable
(A/P), and further suppose that a user using an A/P application must retrieve
information about employees from the hq database. The A/P users should be able to
connect to the hq database and execute a stored procedure in the remote hq database
that retrieves the desired information. The A/P users should not need to be hq
database users to do their jobs; they should only be able to access hq information in a
controlled way as limited by the procedure.

31-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

See Also:
■

■

"Users of Database Links" on page 31-12 for an explanation of
database link users
"Viewing Information About Database Links" for an
explanation of how to hide passwords from non-administrative
users

Global Database Names in Database Links
To understand how a database link works, you must first understand what a global
database name is. Each database in a distributed database is uniquely identified by its
global database name. The database forms a global database name by prefixing the
database network domain, specified by the DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter at
database creation, with the individual database name, specified by the DB_NAME
initialization parameter.
For example, Figure 31–4 illustrates a representative hierarchical arrangement of
databases throughout a network.
Figure 31–4 Hierarchical Arrangement of Networked Databases
EDU

COM

ORG

Educational
Institutions

Other
Companies

Non–Commercial
Organizations

EXAMPLE_TOOLS

DIVISION1

DIVISION2

EXAMPLE_AUTO

DIVISION3

JAPAN
HQ

Finance

Sales

ASIA

AMERICAS

EUROPE

US

MEXICO

UK

GERMANY

mfg

Sales

HQ

Sales

Sales

Sales

Sales

Employees (HR)

Employees (HR)

The name of a database is formed by starting at the leaf of the tree and following a
path to the root. For example, the mfg database is in division3 of the example_tools
branch of the com domain. The global database name for mfg is created by
concatenating the nodes in the tree as follows:
■

mfg.division3.example_tools.com

While several databases can share an individual name, each database must have a
unique global database name. For example, the network domains

Distributed Database Concepts 31-9

Database Links

us.americas.example_auto.com and uk.europe.example_auto.com each contain a
sales database. The global database naming system distinguishes the sales database
in the americas division from the sales database in the europe division as follows:
■

sales.us.americas.example_auto.com

■

sales.uk.europe.example_auto.com
See Also: "Managing Global Names in a Distributed System" on
page 32-1 to learn how to specify and change global database
names

Global Name as a Loopback Database Link
You can use the global name of a database as a loopback database link without
explicitly creating a database link. When the database link in a SQL statement matches
the global name of the current database, the database link is effectively ignored.
For example, assume the global name of a database is db1.example.com. You can run
the following SQL statement on this database:
SELECT * FROM hr.employees@db1.example.com;

In this case, the @db1.example.com portion of the SQL statement is effectively ignored.

Names for Database Links
Typically, a database link has the same name as the global database name of the remote
database that it references. For example, if the global database name of a database is
sales.us.example.com, then the database link is also called sales.us.example.com.
When you set the initialization parameter GLOBAL_NAMES to TRUE, the database ensures
that the name of the database link is the same as the global database name of the
remote database. For example, if the global database name for hq is hq.example.com,
and GLOBAL_NAMES is TRUE, then the link name must be called hq.example.com. Note
that the database checks the domain part of the global database name as stored in the
data dictionary, not the DB_DOMAIN setting in the initialization parameter file (see
"Changing the Domain in a Global Database Name" on page 32-3).
If you set the initialization parameter GLOBAL_NAMES to FALSE, then you are not
required to use global naming. You can then name the database link whatever you
want. For example, you can name a database link to hq.example.com as foo.
Oracle recommends that you use global naming because
many useful features, including Replication, require global naming.

Note:

After you have enabled global naming, database links are essentially transparent to
users of a distributed database because the name of a database link is the same as the
global name of the database to which the link points. For example, the following
statement creates a database link in the local database to remote database sales:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com USING 'sales1';

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for more information about
specifying the initialization parameter GLOBAL_NAMES

31-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

Types of Database Links
Oracle Database lets you create private, public, and global database links. These basic
link types differ according to which users are allowed access to the remote database:
Type

Owner

Description

Private

User who created the link.
View ownership data
through:

Creates link in a specific schema of the local
database. Only the owner of a private database
link or PL/SQL subprograms in the schema can
use this link to access database objects in the
corresponding remote database.

■

DBA_DB_LINKS

■

ALL_DB_LINKS

■

USER_DB_LINKS

Public

User called PUBLIC. View
ownership data through
views shown for private
database links.

Creates a database-wide link. All users and
PL/SQL subprograms in the database can use
the link to access database objects in the
corresponding remote database.

Global

No user owns the global
database link. The global
database link exists in a
directory service.

Creates a network-wide link. When an Oracle
network uses a directory server and the
database is registered in the directory service,
this information can be used as a database link.
Users and PL/SQL subprograms in any
database can use a global database link to
access objects in the corresponding remote
database. Global database links refer to the use
of net service names from the directory server.

Determining the type of database links to employ in a distributed database depends
on the specific requirements of the applications using the system. Consider these
features when making your choice:
Type of Link

Features

Private database link

This link is more secure than a public or global link, because
only the owner of the private link, or subprograms within the
same schema, can use the link to access the remote database.

Public database link

When many users require an access path to a remote Oracle
Database, you can create a single public database link for all
users in a database.

Global database link

When an Oracle network uses a directory server, an
administrator can conveniently manage global database links
for all databases in the system. Database link management is
centralized and simple.
There is no user data associated with a global database link
definition. A global database link must operate as a connected
user database link.

See Also:
■

■

"Specifying Link Types" on page 32-7 to learn how to create
different types of database links
"Viewing Information About Database Links" on page 32-16 to
learn how to access information about links

Distributed Database Concepts 31-11

Database Links

Users of Database Links
When creating the link, you determine which user should connect to the remote
database to access the data. The following table explains the differences among the
categories of users involved in database links:

User Type

Description

Connected user

A local user accessing a database link in which no fixed username
and password have been specified. If SYSTEM accesses a public link in
a query, then the connected user is SYSTEM, and the database
connects to the SYSTEM schema in the remote database.

Sample Link
Creation Syntax
CREATE PUBLIC
DATABASE LINK hq
USING 'hq';

Note: A connected user does not have to be the user who created the
link, but is any user who is accessing the link.
Current user

A global user in a CURRENT_USER database link. The global user must
be authenticated by an X.509 certificate (an SSL-authenticated
enterprise user) or a password (a password-authenticated enterprise
user), and be a user on both databases involved in the link.
See Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's Guide for
information about global security

Fixed user

A user whose username/password is part of the link definition. If a
link includes a fixed user, the fixed user's username and password
are used to connect to the remote database.

CREATE PUBLIC
DATABASE LINK hq
CONNECT TO
CURRENT_USER using
'hq';

CREATE PUBLIC
DATABASE LINK hq
CONNECT TO jane
IDENTIFIED BY
password USING
'hq';

The following users cannot be target users of database links:
SYS and PUBLIC.
Note:

See Also: "Specifying Link Users" on page 32-8 to learn how to
specify users when creating links

Connected User Database Links
Connected user links have no connect string associated with them. The advantage of a
connected user link is that a user referencing the link connects to the remote database
as the same user, and credentials do not have to be stored in the link definition in the
data dictionary.
Connected user links have some disadvantages. Because these links require users to
have accounts and privileges on the remote databases to which they are attempting to
connect, they require more privilege administration for administrators. Also, giving
users more privileges than they need violates the fundamental security concept of least
privilege: users should only be given the privileges they need to perform their jobs.
The ability to use a connected user database link depends on several factors, chief
among them whether the user is authenticated by the database using a password, or
externally authenticated by the operating system or a network authentication service.
If the user is externally authenticated, then the ability to use a connected user link also
depends on whether the remote database accepts remote authentication of users,
which is set by the REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT initialization parameter.
The REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT parameter operates as follows:

31-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT Value Consequences
TRUE for the remote database

An externally-authenticated user can connect to the
remote database using a connected user database link.

FALSE for the remote database

An externally-authenticated user cannot connect to the
remote database using a connected user database link
unless a secure protocol or a network authentication
service option is used.

Note: The REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT initialization parameter is deprecated.
It is retained for backward compatibility only.

Fixed User Database Links
A benefit of a fixed user link is that it connects a user in a primary database to a
remote database with the security context of the user specified in the connect string.
For example, local user joe can create a public database link in joe's schema that
specifies the fixed user scott with password password. If jane uses the fixed user link
in a query, then jane is the user on the local database, but she connects to the remote
database as scott/password.
Fixed user links have a user name and password associated with the connect string.
The user name and password are stored with other link information in data dictionary
tables.

Current User Database Links
Current user database links make use of a global user. A global user must be
authenticated by an X.509 certificate or a password, and be a user on both databases
involved in the link.
The user invoking the CURRENT_USER link does not have to be a global user. For
example, if jane is authenticated (not as a global user) by password to the Accounts
Payable database, she can access a stored procedure to retrieve data from the hq
database. The procedure uses a current user database link, which connects her to hq as
global user scott. User scott is a global user and authenticated through a certificate
over SSL, but jane is not.
Note that current user database links have these consequences:
■

■

■

■

If the current user database link is not accessed from within a stored object, then
the current user is the same as the connected user accessing the link. For example,
if scott issues a SELECT statement through a current user link, then the current
user is scott.
When executing a stored object such as a procedure, view, or trigger that accesses
a database link, the current user is the user that owns the stored object, and not the
user that calls the object. For example, if jane calls procedure scott.p (created by
scott), and a current user link appears within the called procedure, then scott is
the current user of the link.
If the stored object is an invoker’s rights function, procedure, or package, then the
invoker's authorization ID is used to connect as a remote user. For example, if user
jane calls procedure scott.p (an invoker’s rights procedure created by scott),
and the link appears inside procedure scott.p, then jane is the current user.
You cannot connect to a database as an enterprise user and then use a current user
link in a stored procedure that exists in a shared, global schema. For example, if

Distributed Database Concepts 31-13

Database Links

user jane accesses a stored procedure in the shared schema guest on database hq,
she cannot use a current user link in this schema to log on to a remote database.
See Also:
■

■

"Distributed Database Security" on page 31-18 for more
information about security issues relating to database links
Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for more information
about invoker’s rights functions, procedures, or packages.

Creation of Database Links: Examples
Create database links using the CREATE DATABASE LINK statement. The table gives
examples of SQL statements that create database links in a local database to the remote
sales.us.americas.example_auto.com database:
SQL Statement

Connects To Database

Connects As

Link Type

CREATE DATABASE LINK
sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
USING 'sales_us';

sales using net service
name sales_us

Connected user

Private
connected
user

CREATE DATABASE LINK foo CONNECT TO
CURRENT_USER USING 'am_sls';

sales using service
name am_sls

Current global user

Private
current user

CREATE DATABASE LINK
sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY
password USING 'sales_us';

sales using net service
name sales_us

scott using password
password

Private fixed
user

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY
password USING 'rev';

sales using net service
name rev

scott using password
password

Public fixed
user

CREATE SHARED PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY
password AUTHENTICATED BY anupam
IDENTIFIED BY password1 USING
'sales';

sales using net service
name sales

scott using password
password, authenticated
as anupam using
password password1

Shared
public fixed
user

See Also:
■

■

"Creating Database Links" on page 32-6 to learn how to create
link
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about
the CREATE DATABASE LINK statement syntax

Schema Objects and Database Links
After you have created a database link, you can execute SQL statements that access
objects on the remote database. For example, to access remote object emp using
database link foo, you can issue:
SELECT * FROM emp@foo;

You must also be authorized in the remote database to access specific remote objects.
Constructing properly formed object names using database links is an essential aspect
of data manipulation in distributed systems.

31-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Links

Naming of Schema Objects Using Database Links
Oracle Database uses the global database name to name the schema objects globally
using the following scheme:
schema.schema_object@global_database_name
where:
■

■

■

schema is a collection of logical structures of data, or schema objects. A schema is
owned by a database user and has the same name as that user. Each user owns a
single schema.
schema_object is a logical data structure like a table, index, view, synonym,
procedure, package, or a database link.
global_database_name is the name that uniquely identifies a remote database.
This name must be the same as the concatenation of the remote database
initialization parameters DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN, unless the parameter GLOBAL_
NAMES is set to FALSE, in which case any name is acceptable.

For example, using a database link to database sales.division3.example.com, a user
or application can reference remote data as follows:
SELECT * FROM scott.emp@sales.division3.example.com; # emp table in scott's
schema
SELECT loc FROM scott.dept@sales.division3.example.com;

If GLOBAL_NAMES is set to FALSE, then you can use any name for the link to
sales.division3.example.com. For example, you can call the link foo. Then, you can
access the remote database as follows:
SELECT name FROM scott.emp@foo;

# link name different from global name

Authorization for Accessing Remote Schema Objects
To access a remote schema object, you must be granted access to the remote object in
the remote database. Further, to perform any updates, inserts, or deletes on the remote
object, you must be granted the READ or SELECT privilege on the object, along with the
UPDATE, INSERT, or DELETE privilege. Unlike when accessing a local object, the READ or
SELECT privilege is necessary for accessing a remote object because the database has no
remote describe capability. The database must do a SELECT * on the remote object to
determine its structure.

Synonyms for Schema Objects
Oracle Database lets you create synonyms so that you can hide the database link name
from the user. A synonym allows access to a table on a remote database using the same
syntax that you would use to access a table on a local database. For example, assume
you issue the following query against a table in a remote database:
SELECT * FROM emp@hq.example.com;

You can create the synonym emp for emp@hq.example.com so that you can issue the
following query instead to access the same data:
SELECT * FROM emp;

"Using Synonyms to Create Location Transparency" on
page 32-20 to learn how to create synonyms for objects specified
using database links

See Also:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-15

Database Links

Schema Object Name Resolution
To resolve application references to schema objects (a process called name resolution),
the database forms object names hierarchically. For example, the database guarantees
that each schema within a database has a unique name, and that within a schema each
object has a unique name. As a result, a schema object name is always unique within
the database. Furthermore, the database resolves application references to the local
name of the object.
In a distributed database, a schema object such as a table is accessible to all
applications in the system. The database extends the hierarchical naming model with
global database names to effectively create global object names and resolve references
to the schema objects in a distributed database system. For example, a query can
reference a remote table by specifying its fully qualified name, including the database
in which it resides.
For example, assume that you connect to the local database as user SYSTEM:
CONNECT SYSTEM@sales1

You then issue the following statements using database link hq.example.com to access
objects in the scott and jane schemas on remote database hq:
SELECT * FROM scott.emp@hq.example.com;
INSERT INTO jane.accounts@hq.example.com (acc_no, acc_name, balance)
VALUES (5001, 'BOWER', 2000);
UPDATE jane.accounts@hq.example.com
SET balance = balance + 500;
DELETE FROM jane.accounts@hq.example.com
WHERE acc_name = 'BOWER';

Database Link Restrictions
You cannot perform the following operations using database links:
■
■

Grant privileges on remote objects
Execute DESCRIBE operations on some remote objects. The following remote
objects, however, do support DESCRIBE operations:
–

Tables

–

Views

–

Procedures

–

Functions

■

Analyze remote objects

■

Define or enforce referential integrity

■

Grant roles to users in a remote database

■

■

Obtain nondefault roles on a remote database. For example, if jane connects to the
local database and executes a stored procedure that uses a fixed user link
connecting as scott, jane receives scott's default roles on the remote database.
Jane cannot issue SET ROLE to obtain a nondefault role.
Use a current user link without authentication through SSL, password, or
Microsoft Windows native authentication

31-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Distributed Database Administration

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Object-Relational Developer's Guide for information
about database link restrictions for user-defined types
Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide for
information about database link restrictions for LOBs

Distributed Database Administration
The following sections explain some of the topics relating to database management in
an Oracle Database distributed database system:
■

Site Autonomy

■

Distributed Database Security

■

Auditing Database Links

■

Administration Tools
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 32, "Managing a Distributed Database" to learn how to
administer homogenous systems
Oracle Database Heterogeneous Connectivity User's Guide to learn
about heterogeneous services concepts

Site Autonomy
Site autonomy means that each server participating in a distributed database is
administered independently from all other databases. Although several databases can
work together, each database is a separate repository of data that is managed
individually. Some of the benefits of site autonomy in an Oracle Database distributed
database include:
■

■

■

■

■

■

Nodes of the system can mirror the logical organization of companies or groups
that need to maintain independence.
Local administrators control corresponding local data. Therefore, each database
administrator's domain of responsibility is smaller and more manageable.
Independent failures are less likely to disrupt other nodes of the distributed
database. No single database failure need halt all distributed operations or be a
performance bottleneck.
Administrators can recover from isolated system failures independently from
other nodes in the system.
A data dictionary exists for each local database. A global catalog is not necessary
to access local data.
Nodes can upgrade software independently.

Although Oracle Database permits you to manage each database in a distributed
database system independently, you should not ignore the global requirements of the
system. For example, you may need to:
■

■

Create additional user accounts in each database to support the links that you
create to facilitate server-to-server connections.
Set additional initialization parameters such as COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH, and
OPEN_LINKS.
Distributed Database Concepts 31-17

Distributed Database Administration

Distributed Database Security
The database supports all of the security features that are available with a
non-distributed database environment for distributed database systems, including:
■
■

■

Password authentication for users and roles
Some types of external authentication for users and roles including Kerberos
version 5 for connected user links.
Login packet encryption for client-to-server and server-to-server connections

The following sections explain some additional topics to consider when configuring an
Oracle Database distributed database system:
■

Authentication Through Database Links

■

Authentication Without Passwords

■

Supporting User Accounts and Roles

■

Centralized User and Privilege Management

■

Data Encryption
See Also: Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's
Guide for more information about external authentication

Authentication Through Database Links
Database links are either private or public, authenticated or non-authenticated. You
create public links by specifying the PUBLIC keyword in the link creation statement.
For example, you can issue:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK foo USING 'sales';

You create authenticated links by specifying the CONNECT TO clause, AUTHENTICATED BY
clause, or both clauses together in the database link creation statement. For example,
you can issue:
CREATE DATABASE LINK sales CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY password USING 'sales';
CREATE SHARED PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales CONNECT TO nick IDENTIFIED BY password1
AUTHENTICATED BY david IDENTIFIED BY password2 USING 'sales';

This table describes how users access the remote database through the link:
Link Type

Authenticated

Security Access

Private

No

When connecting to the remote database, the database
uses security information (userid/password) taken from
the local session. Hence, the link is a connected user
database link. Passwords must be synchronized between
the two databases.

Private

Yes

The userid/password is taken from the link definition
rather than from the local session context. Hence, the link
is a fixed user database link.
This configuration allows passwords to be different on the
two databases, but the local database link password must
match the remote database password.

Public

No

31-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Works the same as a private nonauthenticated link, except
that all users can reference this pointer to the remote
database.

Distributed Database Administration

Link Type

Authenticated

Security Access

Public

Yes

All users on the local database can access the remote
database and all use the same userid/password to make
the connection.

Authentication Without Passwords
When using a connected user or current user database link, you can use an external
authentication source such as Kerberos to obtain end-to-end security. In end-to-end
authentication, credentials are passed from server to server and can be authenticated
by a database server belonging to the same domain. For example, if jane is
authenticated externally on a local database, and wants to use a connected user link to
connect as herself to a remote database, the local server passes the security ticket to the
remote database.

Supporting User Accounts and Roles
In a distributed database system, you must carefully plan the user accounts and roles
that are necessary to support applications using the system. Note that:
■

■

The user accounts necessary to establish server-to-server connections must be
available in all databases of the distributed database system.
The roles necessary to make available application privileges to distributed
database application users must be present in all databases of the distributed
database system.

As you create the database links for the nodes in a distributed database system,
determine which user accounts and roles each site must support server-to-server
connections that use the links.
In a distributed environment, users typically require access to many network services.
When you must configure separate authentications for each user to access each
network service, security administration can become unwieldy, especially for large
systems.
See Also: "Creating Database Links" on page 32-6 for more
information about the user accounts that must be available to
support different types of database links in the system

Centralized User and Privilege Management
The database provides different ways for you to manage the users and privileges
involved in a distributed system. For example, you have these options:
■

■

Enterprise user management. You can create global users who are authenticated
through SSL or by using passwords, then manage these users and their privileges
in a directory through an independent enterprise directory service.
Network authentication service. This common technique simplifies security
management for distributed environments. You can use the Oracle Advanced
Security option to enhance Oracle Net and the security of an Oracle Database
distributed database system. Microsoft Windows native authentication is an
example of a non-Oracle authentication solution.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Security Guide

■

Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's Guide

Distributed Database Concepts 31-19

Distributed Database Administration

Schema-Dependent Global Users One option for centralizing user and privilege
management is to create the following:
■

A global user in a centralized directory

■

A user in every database that the global user must connect to

For example, you can create a global user called fred with the following SQL
statement:
CREATE USER fred IDENTIFIED GLOBALLY AS 'CN=fred adams,O=Oracle,C=England';

This solution allows a single global user to be authenticated by a centralized directory.
The schema-dependent global user solution has the consequence that you must create
a user called fred on every database that this user must access. Because most users
need permission to access an application schema but do not need their own schemas,
the creation of a separate account in each database for every global user creates
significant overhead. Because of this problem, the database also supports
schema-independent users, which are global users that an access a single, generic
schema in every database.
Schema-Independent Global Users The database supports functionality that allows a
global user to be centrally managed by an enterprise directory service. Users who are
managed in the directory are called enterprise users. This directory contains
information about:
■

Which databases in a distributed system an enterprise user can access

■

Which role on each database an enterprise user can use

■

Which schema on each database an enterprise user can connect to

The administrator of each database is not required to create a global user account for
each enterprise user on each database to which the enterprise user must connect.
Instead, multiple enterprise users can connect to the same database schema, called a
shared schema.
You cannot access a current user database link in a shared
schema.

Note:

For example, suppose jane, bill, and scott all use a human resources application.
The hq application objects are all contained in the guest schema on the hq database. In
this case, you can create a local global user account to be used as a shared schema. This
global username, that is, shared schema name, is guest. jane, bill, and scott are all
created as enterprise users in the directory service. They are also mapped to the guest
schema in the directory, and can be assigned different authorizations in the hq
application.
Figure 31–5 illustrates an example of global user security using the enterprise directory
service:

31-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Distributed Database Administration

Figure 31–5 Global User Security

SSL
LDAP

SSL

HQ

SSL

SSL password

SALES

SCOTT

Assume that the enterprise directory service contains the following information on
enterprise users for hq and sales:
Database

Role

Schema

Enterprise Users

hq

clerk1

guest

bill
scott

sales

clerk2

guest

jane
scott

Also, assume that the local administrators for hq and sales have issued statements as
follows:
Database

CREATE Statements

hq

CREATE USER guest IDENTIFIED GLOBALLY AS '';
CREATE ROLE clerk1 GRANT select ON emp;
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales_link CONNECT AS CURRENT_USER
USING 'sales';

sales

CREATE USER guest IDENTIFIED GLOBALLY AS '';
CREATE ROLE clerk2 GRANT select ON dept;

Assume that enterprise user scott requests a connection to local database hq in order
to execute a distributed transaction involving sales. The following steps occur (not
necessarily in this exact order):
1.

Enterprise user scott is authenticated using SSL or a password.

2.

User scott issues the following statement:
SELECT e.ename, d.loc
FROM emp e, dept@sales_link d
WHERE e.deptno=d.deptno;

3.

Databases hq and sales mutually authenticate one another using SSL.

4.

Database hq queries the enterprise directory service to determine whether
enterprise user scott has access to hq, and discovers scott can access local
schema guest using role clerk1.

Distributed Database Concepts 31-21

Distributed Database Administration

5.

Database sales queries the enterprise directory service to determine whether
enterprise user scott has access to sales, and discovers scott can access local
schema guest using role clerk2.

6.

Enterprise user scott logs into sales to schema guest with role clerk2 and issues
a SELECT to obtain the required information and transfer it to hq.

7.

Database hq receives the requested data from sales and returns it to the client
scott.
See Also: Oracle Database Enterprise User Security Administrator's
Guide for more information about enterprise user security

Data Encryption
The Oracle Advanced Security option also enables Oracle Net and related products to
use network data encryption and checksumming so that data cannot be read or
altered. It protects data from unauthorized viewing by using the RSA Data Security
RC4 or the Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption algorithm.
To ensure that data has not been modified, deleted, or replayed during transmission,
the security services of the Oracle Advanced Security option can generate a
cryptographically secure message digest and include it with each packet sent across
the network.
See Also: Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for more
information about these and other features of the Oracle Advanced
Security option

Auditing Database Links
You must always perform auditing operations locally. That is, if a user acts in a local
database and accesses a remote database through a database link, the local actions are
audited in the local database, and the remote actions are audited in the remote
database, provided appropriate audit options are set in the respective databases.
The remote database cannot determine whether a successful connect request and
subsequent SQL statements come from another server or from a locally connected
client. For example, assume the following:
■

■

Fixed user link hq.example.com connects local user jane to the remote hq database
as remote user scott.
User scott is audited on the remote database.

Actions performed during the remote database session are audited as if scott were
connected locally to hq and performing the same actions there. You must set audit
options in the remote database to capture the actions of the username--in this case,
scott on the hq database--embedded in the link if the desired effect is to audit what
jane is doing in the remote database.
Note:

You can audit the global username for global users.

You cannot set local auditing options on remote objects. Therefore, you cannot audit
use of a database link, although access to remote objects can be audited on the remote
database.

31-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Distributed Database Administration

Administration Tools
The database administrator has several choices for tools to use when managing an
Oracle Database distributed database system:
■

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control

■

Third-Party Administration Tools

■

SNMP Support

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
Cloud Control is the Oracle Database administration tool that provides a graphical
user interface (GUI). Cloud Control provides administrative functionality for
distributed databases through an easy-to-use interface. You can use Cloud Control to:
■

■

■

Administer multiple databases. You can use Cloud Control to administer a single
database or to simultaneously administer multiple databases.
Centralize database administration tasks. You can administer both local and
remote databases running on any Oracle Database platform in any location
worldwide. In addition, these Oracle Database platforms can be connected by any
network protocols supported by Oracle Net.
Dynamically execute SQL, PL/SQL, and Cloud Control commands. You can use
Cloud Control to enter, edit, and execute statements. Cloud Control also maintains
a history of statements executed.
Thus, you can reexecute statements without retyping them, a particularly useful
feature if you must execute lengthy statements repeatedly in a distributed
database system.

■

Manage security features such as global users, global roles, and the enterprise
directory service.

Third-Party Administration Tools
Currently more than 60 companies produce more than 150 products that help manage
Oracle Databases and networks, providing a truly open environment.

SNMP Support
Besides its network administration capabilities, Oracle Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) support allows an Oracle Database server to be located and queried
by any SNMP-based network management system. SNMP is the accepted standard
underlying many popular network management systems such as:
■

HP OpenView

■

Digital POLYCENTER Manager on NetView

■

IBM NetView/6000

■

Novell NetWare Management System

■

SunSoft SunNet Manager
Oracle has deprecated SNMP support in Oracle Net Listener.
Oracle recommends not using SNMP in new implementations. See
Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information.

Note:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-23

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System
A transaction is a logical unit of work constituted by one or more SQL statements
executed by a single user. A transaction begins with the user's first executable SQL
statement and ends when it is committed or rolled back by that user.
A remote transaction contains only statements that access a single remote node. A
distributed transaction contains statements that access multiple nodes.
The following sections define important concepts in transaction processing and
explain how transactions access data in a distributed database:
■

Remote SQL Statements

■

Distributed SQL Statements

■

Shared SQL for Remote and Distributed Statements

■

Remote Transactions

■

Distributed Transactions

■

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

■

Database Link Name Resolution

■

Schema Object Name Resolution

Remote SQL Statements
A remote query statement is a query that selects information from one or more remote
tables, all of which reside at the same remote node. For example, the following query
accesses data from the dept table in the scott schema of the remote sales database:
SELECT * FROM scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com;

A remote update statement is an update that modifies data in one or more tables, all of
which are located at the same remote node. For example, the following query updates
the dept table in the scott schema of the remote sales database:
UPDATE scott.dept@mktng.us.americas.example_auto.com
SET loc = 'NEW YORK'
WHERE deptno = 10;

A remote update can include a subquery that retrieves data
from one or more remote nodes, but because the update happens at
only a single remote node, the statement is classified as a remote
update.

Note:

Distributed SQL Statements
A distributed query statement retrieves information from two or more nodes. For
example, the following query accesses data from the local database as well as the
remote sales database:
SELECT ename, dname
FROM scott.emp e, scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno;

A distributed update statement modifies data on two or more nodes. A distributed
update is possible using a PL/SQL subprogram unit such as a procedure or trigger
that includes two or more remote updates that access data on different nodes. For
31-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

example, the following PL/SQL program unit updates tables on the local database and
the remote sales database:
BEGIN
UPDATE scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
SET loc = 'NEW YORK'
WHERE deptno = 10;
UPDATE scott.emp
SET deptno = 11
WHERE deptno = 10;
END;
COMMIT;

The database sends statements in the program to the remote nodes, and their
execution succeeds or fails as a unit.

Shared SQL for Remote and Distributed Statements
The mechanics of a remote or distributed statement using shared SQL are essentially
the same as those of a local statement. The SQL text must match, and the referenced
objects must match. If available, shared SQL areas can be used for the local and remote
handling of any statement or decomposed query.
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about

shared SQL

Remote Transactions
A remote transaction contains one or more remote statements, all of which reference a
single remote node. For example, the following transaction contains two statements,
each of which accesses the remote sales database:
UPDATE scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
SET loc = 'NEW YORK'
WHERE deptno = 10;
UPDATE scott.emp@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
SET deptno = 11
WHERE deptno = 10;
COMMIT;

Distributed Transactions
A distributed transaction is a transaction that includes one or more statements that,
individually or as a group, update data on two or more distinct nodes of a distributed
database. For example, this transaction updates the local database and the remote
sales database:
UPDATE scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com
SET loc = 'NEW YORK'
WHERE deptno = 10;
UPDATE scott.emp
SET deptno = 11
WHERE deptno = 10;
COMMIT;

If all statements of a transaction reference only a single
remote node, the transaction is remote, not distributed.

Note:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-25

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism
A database must guarantee that all statements in a transaction, distributed or
non-distributed, either commit or roll back as a unit. The effects of an ongoing
transaction should be invisible to all other transactions at all nodes; this transparency
should be true for transactions that include any type of operation, including queries,
updates, or remote procedure calls.
The general mechanisms of transaction control in a non-distributed database are
discussed in the Oracle Database Concepts. In a distributed database, the database must
coordinate transaction control with the same characteristics over a network and
maintain data consistency, even if a network or system failure occurs.
The database two-phase commit mechanism guarantees that all database servers
participating in a distributed transaction either all commit or all roll back the
statements in the transaction. A two-phase commit mechanism also protects implicit
DML operations performed by integrity constraints, remote procedure calls, and
triggers.
See Also: Chapter 34, "Distributed Transactions Concepts" for
more information about the Oracle Database two-phase commit
mechanism

Database Link Name Resolution
A global object name is an object specified using a database link. The essential
components of a global object name are:
■

Object name

■

Database name

■

Domain

The following table shows the components of an explicitly specified global database
object name:
Statement

Object

Database

Domain

SELECT * FROM
joan.dept@sales.example.com

dept

sales

example.com

SELECT * FROM
emp@mktg.us.example.com

emp

mktg

us.example.com

Whenever a SQL statement includes a reference to a global object name, the database
searches for a database link with a name that matches the database name specified in
the global object name. For example, if you issue the following statement:
SELECT * FROM scott.emp@orders.us.example.com;

The database searches for a database link called orders.us.example.com. The
database performs this operation to determine the path to the specified remote
database.
The database always searches for matching database links in the following order:
1.

Private database links in the schema of the user who issued the SQL statement.

2.

Public database links in the local database.

3.

Global database links (only if a directory server is available).

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Name Resolution When the Global Database Name Is Complete
Assume that you issue the following SQL statement, which specifies a complete global
database name:
SELECT * FROM emp@prod1.us.example.com;

In this case, both the database name (prod1) and domain components
(us.example.com) are specified, so the database searches for private, public, and global
database links. The database searches only for links that match the specified global
database name.

Name Resolution When the Global Database Name Is Partial
If any part of the domain is specified, the database assumes that a complete global
database name is specified. If a SQL statement specifies a partial global database name
(that is, only the database component is specified), the database appends the value in
the DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter to the value in the DB_NAME initialization
parameter to construct a complete name. For example, assume you issue the following
statements:
CONNECT scott@locdb
SELECT * FROM scott.emp@orders;

If the network domain for locdb is us.example.com, then the database appends this
domain to orders to construct the complete global database name of
orders.us.example.com. The database searches for database links that match only the
constructed global name. If a matching link is not found, the database returns an error
and the SQL statement cannot execute.

Name Resolution When No Global Database Name Is Specified
If a global object name references an object in the local database and a database link
name is not specified using the @ symbol, then the database automatically detects that
the object is local and does not search for or use database links to resolve the object
reference. For example, assume that you issue the following statements:
CONNECT scott@locdb
SELECT * from scott.emp;

Because the second statement does not specify a global database name using a
database link connect string, the database does not search for database links.

Terminating the Search for Name Resolution
The database does not necessarily stop searching for matching database links when it
finds the first match. The database must search for matching private, public, and
network database links until it determines a complete path to the remote database
(both a remote account and service name).
The first match determines the remote schema as illustrated in the following table:
User Operation

Database Response

Example

Do not specify the
CONNECT clause

Uses a connected user
database link

CREATE DATABASE LINK k1 USING
'prod'

Uses a fixed user
Do specify the
database link
CONNECT TO ...
IDENTIFIED BY clause

CREATE DATABASE LINK k2 CONNECT TO
scott IDENTIFIED BY password USING
'prod'

Distributed Database Concepts 31-27

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

User Operation

Database Response

Example

Specify the CONNECT
TO CURRENT_USER
clause

Uses a current user
database link

CREATE DATABASE LINK k3 CONNECT TO
CURRENT_USER USING 'prod'

Do not specify the
USING clause

Searches until it finds a
link specifying a
database string. If
matching database
links are found and a
string is never
identified, the database
returns an error.

CREATE DATABASE LINK k4 CONNECT TO
CURRENT_USER

After the database determines a complete path, it creates a remote session, assuming
that an identical connection is not already open on behalf of the same local session. If a
session already exists, the database reuses it.

Schema Object Name Resolution
After the local Oracle Database connects to the specified remote database on behalf of
the local user that issued the SQL statement, object resolution continues as if the
remote user had issued the associated SQL statement. The first match determines the
remote schema according to the following rules:
Type of Link Specified

Location of Object Resolution

A fixed user database link

Schema specified in the link creation statement

A connected user database link

Connected user's remote schema

A current user database link

Current user's schema

If the database cannot find the object, then it checks public objects of the remote
database. If it cannot resolve the object, then the established remote session remains
but the SQL statement cannot execute and returns an error.
The following are examples of global object name resolution in a distributed database
system. For all the following examples, assume that:

Example of Global Object Name Resolution: Complete Object Name
This example illustrates how the database resolves a complete global object name and
determines the appropriate path to the remote database using both a private and
public database link. For this example, assume the following:
■

The remote database is named sales.division3.example.com.

■

The local database is named hq.division3.example.com.

■

A directory server (and therefore, global database links) is not available.

■

A remote table emp is contained in the schema tsmith.

Consider the following statements issued by scott at the local database:
CONNECT scott@hq
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO guest IDENTIFIED BY network
USING 'dbstring';

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Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

Later, JWARD connects and issues the following statements:
CONNECT jward@hq
CREATE DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO tsmith IDENTIFIED BY radio;
UPDATE tsmith.emp@sales.division3.example.com
SET deptno = 40
WHERE deptno = 10;

The database processes the final statement as follows:
1.

The database determines that a complete global object name is referenced in
jward's UPDATE statement. Therefore, the system begins searching in the local
database for a database link with a matching name.

2.

The database finds a matching private database link in the schema jward.
Nevertheless, the private database link jward.sales.division3.example.com
does not indicate a complete path to the remote sales database, only a remote
account. Therefore, the database now searches for a matching public database link.

3.

The database finds the public database link in scott's schema. From this public
database link, the database takes the service name dbstring.

4.

Combined with the remote account taken from the matching private fixed user
database link, the database determines a complete path and proceeds to establish a
connection to the remote sales database as user tsmith/radio.

5.

The remote database can now resolve the object reference to the emp table. The
database searches in the tsmith schema and finds the referenced emp table.

6.

The remote database completes the execution of the statement and returns the
results to the local database.

Example of Global Object Name Resolution: Partial Object Name
This example illustrates how the database resolves a partial global object name and
determines the appropriate path to the remote database using both a private and
public database link.
For this example, assume that:
■

The remote database is named sales.division3.example.com.

■

The local database is named hq.division3.example.com.

■

A directory server (and therefore, global database links) is not available.

■

■

■

A table emp on the remote database sales is contained in the schema tsmith, but
not in schema scott.
A public synonym named emp resides at remote database sales and points to
tsmith.emp in the remote database sales.
The public database link in "Example of Global Object Name Resolution: Complete
Object Name" on page 31-28 is already created on local database hq:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO guest IDENTIFIED BY network
USING 'dbstring';

Consider the following statements issued at local database hq:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-29

Transaction Processing in a Distributed System

CONNECT scott@hq
CREATE DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com;
DELETE FROM emp@sales
WHERE empno = 4299;

The database processes the final DELETE statement as follows:
1.

The database notices that a partial global object name is referenced in scott's
DELETE statement. It expands it to a complete global object name using the domain
of the local database as follows:
DELETE FROM emp@sales.division3.example.com
WHERE empno = 4299;

2.

The database searches the local database for a database link with a matching
name.

3.

The database finds a matching private connected user link in the schema scott, but
the private database link indicates no path at all. The database uses the connected
username/password as the remote account portion of the path and then searches
for and finds a matching public database link:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO guest IDENTIFIED BY network
USING 'dbstring';

4.

The database takes the database net service name dbstring from the public
database link. At this point, the database has determined a complete path.

5.

The database connects to the remote database as scott/password and searches for
and does not find an object named emp in the schema scott.

6.

The remote database searches for a public synonym named emp and finds it.

7.

The remote database executes the statement and returns the results to the local
database.

Global Name Resolution in Views, Synonyms, and Procedures
A view, synonym, or PL/SQL program unit (for example, a procedure, function, or
trigger) can reference a remote schema object by its global object name. If the global
object name is complete, then the database stores the definition of the object without
expanding the global object name. If the name is partial, however, the database
expands the name using the domain of the local database name.
The following table explains when the database completes the expansion of a partial
global object name for views, synonyms, and program units:
User Operation

Database Response

Create a view

Does not expand partial global names. The data dictionary
stores the exact text of the defining query. Instead, the database
expands a partial global object name each time a statement that
uses the view is parsed.

Create a synonym

Expands partial global names. The definition of the synonym
stored in the data dictionary includes the expanded global
object name.

Compile a program unit

Expands partial global names.

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What Happens When Global Names Change
Global name changes can affect views, synonyms, and procedures that reference
remote data using partial global object names. If the global name of the referenced
database changes, views and procedures may try to reference a nonexistent or
incorrect database. However, synonyms do not expand database link names at run
time, so they do not change.

Scenarios for Global Name Changes
For example, consider two databases named sales.uk.example.com and
hq.uk.example.com. Also, assume that the sales database contains the following view
and synonym:
CREATE VIEW employee_names AS
SELECT ename FROM scott.emp@hr;
CREATE SYNONYM employee FOR scott.emp@hr;

The database expands the employee synonym definition and stores it as:
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com
Scenario 1: Both Databases Change Names First, consider the situation where both the
Sales and Human Resources departments are relocated to the United States.
Consequently, the corresponding global database names are both changed as follows:
■

sales.uk.example.com becomes sales.us.example.com

■

hq.uk.example.com becomes hq.us.example.com

The following table describes query expansion before and after the change in global
names:
Query on sales

Expansion Before Change

Expansion After Change

SELECT * FROM
employee_names

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.us.example.com

SELECT * FROM
employee

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

Scenario 2: One Database Changes Names Now consider that only the Sales department is
moved to the United States; Human Resources remains in the UK. Consequently, the
corresponding global database names are both changed as follows:
■

sales.uk.example.com becomes sales.us.example.com

■

hq.uk.example.com is not changed

The following table describes query expansion before and after the change in global
names:
Query on sales

Expansion Before Change

Expansion After Change

SELECT * FROM
employee_names

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.us.example.com

SELECT * FROM
employee

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

SELECT * FROM
scott.emp@hr.uk.example.com

Distributed Database Concepts 31-31

Distributed Database Application Development

In this case, the defining query of the employee_names view expands to a nonexistent
global database name. However, the employee synonym continues to reference the
correct database, hq.uk.example.com.

Distributed Database Application Development
Application development in a distributed system raises issues that are not applicable
in a non-distributed system. This section contains the following topics relevant for
distributed application development:
■

Transparency in a Distributed Database System

■

Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)

■

Distributed Query Optimization
See Also: Chapter 33, "Developing Applications for a Distributed
Database System" to learn how to develop applications for
distributed systems

Transparency in a Distributed Database System
With minimal effort, you can develop applications that make an Oracle Database
distributed database system transparent to users that work with the system. The goal
of transparency is to make a distributed database system appear as though it is a
single Oracle Database. Consequently, the system does not burden developers and
users of the system with complexities that would otherwise make distributed database
application development challenging and detract from user productivity.
The following sections explain more about transparency in a distributed database
system.

Location Transparency
An Oracle Database distributed database system has features that allow application
developers and administrators to hide the physical location of database objects from
applications and users. Location transparency exists when a user can universally refer
to a database object such as a table, regardless of the node to which an application
connects. Location transparency has several benefits, including:
■

■

Access to remote data is simple, because database users do not need to know the
physical location of database objects.
Administrators can move database objects with no impact on end-users or existing
database applications.

Typically, administrators and developers use synonyms to establish location
transparency for the tables and supporting objects in an application schema. For
example, the following statements create synonyms in a database for tables in another,
remote database.
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM emp
FOR scott.emp@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com;
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM dept
FOR scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com;

Now, rather than access the remote tables with a query such as:
SELECT ename, dname
FROM scott.emp@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com e,
scott.dept@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com d

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WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno;

An application can issue a much simpler query that does not have to account for the
location of the remote tables.
SELECT ename, dname
FROM emp e, dept d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno;

In addition to synonyms, developers can also use views and stored procedures to
establish location transparency for applications that work in a distributed database
system.

SQL and COMMIT Transparency
The Oracle Database distributed database architecture also provides query, update,
and transaction transparency. For example, standard SQL statements such as SELECT,
INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE work just as they do in a non-distributed database
environment. Additionally, applications control transactions using the standard SQL
statements COMMIT, SAVEPOINT, and ROLLBACK. There is no requirement for complex
programming or other special operations to provide distributed transaction control.
■

■

■

The statements in a single transaction can reference any number of local or remote
tables.
The database guarantees that all nodes involved in a distributed transaction take
the same action: they either all commit or all roll back the transaction.
If a network or system failure occurs during the commit of a distributed
transaction, the transaction is automatically and transparently resolved globally.
Specifically, when the network or system is restored, the nodes either all commit or
all roll back the transaction.

Internal to the database, each committed transaction has an associated system change
number (SCN) to uniquely identify the changes made by the statements within that
transaction. In a distributed database, the SCNs of communicating nodes are
coordinated when:
■

A connection is established using the path described by one or more database
links.

■

A distributed SQL statement is executed.

■

A distributed transaction is committed.

Among other benefits, the coordination of SCNs among the nodes of a distributed
database system allows global distributed read-consistency at both the statement and
transaction level. If necessary, global distributed time-based recovery can also be
completed.

Replication Transparency
The database also provide many features to transparently replicate data among the
nodes of the system. For more information about Oracle Database replication features,
see Oracle Database Advanced Replication.

Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)
Developers can code PL/SQL packages and procedures to support applications that
work with a distributed database. Applications can make local procedure calls to

Distributed Database Concepts 31-33

Character Set Support for Distributed Environments

perform work at the local database and remote procedure calls (RPCs) to perform
work at a remote database.
When a program calls a remote procedure, the local server passes all procedure
parameters to the remote server in the call. For example, the following PL/SQL
program unit calls the packaged procedure del_emp located at the remote sales
database and passes it the parameter 1257:
BEGIN
emp_mgmt.del_emp@sales.us.americas.example_auto.com(1257);
END;

In order for the RPC to succeed, the called procedure must exist at the remote site, and
the user being connected to must have the proper privileges to execute the procedure.
When developing packages and procedures for distributed database systems,
developers must code with an understanding of what program units should do at
remote locations, and how to return the results to a calling application.

Distributed Query Optimization
Distributed query optimization is an Oracle Database feature that reduces the
amount of data transfer required between sites when a transaction retrieves data from
remote tables referenced in a distributed SQL statement.
Distributed query optimization uses cost-based optimization to find or generate SQL
expressions that extract only the necessary data from remote tables, process that data
at a remote site or sometimes at the local site, and send the results to the local site for
final processing. This operation reduces the amount of required data transfer when
compared to the time it takes to transfer all the table data to the local site for
processing.
Using various cost-based optimizer hints such as DRIVING_SITE, NO_MERGE, and INDEX,
you can control where Oracle Database processes the data and how it accesses the
data.
See Also: "Using Cost-Based Optimization" on page 33-3 for more
information about cost-based optimization

Character Set Support for Distributed Environments
Oracle Database supports environments in which clients, Oracle Database servers, and
non-Oracle Database servers use different character sets. NCHAR support is provided for
heterogeneous environments. You can set a variety of National Language Support
(NLS) and Heterogeneous Services (HS) environment variables and initialization
parameters to control data conversion between different character sets.
Character settings are defined by the following NLS and HS parameters:
Parameters

Environment

Defined For

NLS_LANG (environment
variable)

Client/Server

Client

NLS_LANGUAGE

Client/Server

Oracle Database server

NLS_CHARACTERSET

Not Heterogeneous Distributed

NLS_TERRITORY

Heterogeneous Distributed

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Parameters

Environment

Defined For

HS_LANGUAGE

Heterogeneous Distributed

Non-Oracle Database
server
Transparent gateway

NLS_NCHAR
(environment variable)

Heterogeneous Distributed

Oracle Database server
Transparent gateway

HS_NLS_NCHAR

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for information
about NLS parameters
Oracle Database Heterogeneous Connectivity User's Guide for
information about HS parameters

Client/Server Environment
In a client/server environment, set the client character set to be the same as or a subset
of the Oracle Database server character set, as illustrated in Figure 31–6.
Figure 31–6 NLS Parameter Settings in a Client/Server Environment

NLS_LANG =
NLS settings of
Oracle server or
subset of it

Oracle

Homogeneous Distributed Environment
In a non-heterogeneous environment, the client and server character sets should be
either the same as or subsets of the main server character set, as illustrated in
Figure 31–7:

Distributed Database Concepts 31-35

Character Set Support for Distributed Environments

Figure 31–7 NLS Parameter Settings in a Homogeneous Environment

NLS_LANG =
NLS settings of Oracle
server(s) or subset(s)
of it

Oracle

Oracle

NLS setting similar or
subset of the other
Oracle server

Heterogeneous Distributed Environment
In a heterogeneous environment, the globalization support parameter settings of the
client, the transparent gateway, and the non-Oracle Database data source should be
either the same or a subset of the database server character set as illustrated in
Figure 31–8. Transparent gateways have full globalization support.
Figure 31–8 NLS Parameter Settings in a Heterogeneous Environment

NLS_LANG =
NLS settings of Oracle
server or subset of it

Oracle

Gateway
Agent
NLS settings to be the
same or the subset
of Oracle server
NLS setting

Non-Oracle

In a heterogeneous environment, only transparent gateways built with HS technology
support complete NCHAR capabilities. Whether a specific transparent gateway supports
NCHAR depends on the non-Oracle Database data source it is targeting. For information
on how a particular transparent gateway handles NCHAR support, consult the
system-specific transparent gateway documentation.

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See Also: Oracle Database Heterogeneous Connectivity User's Guide
for more detailed information about Heterogeneous Services

Distributed Database Concepts 31-37

Character Set Support for Distributed Environments

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32
32

Managing a Distributed Database

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Managing Global Names in a Distributed System

■

Creating Database Links

■

Using Shared Database Links

■

Managing Database Links

■

Viewing Information About Database Links

■

Creating Location Transparency

■

Managing Statement Transparency

■

Managing a Distributed Database: Examples

Managing Global Names in a Distributed System
In a distributed database system, each database should have a unique global database
name. Global database names uniquely identify a database in the system. A primary
administration task in a distributed system is managing the creation and alteration of
global database names.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Understanding How Global Database Names Are Formed

■

Determining Whether Global Naming Is Enforced

■

Viewing a Global Database Name

■

Changing the Domain in a Global Database Name

■

Changing a Global Database Name: Scenario

Understanding How Global Database Names Are Formed
A global database name is formed from two components: a database name and a
domain. The database name and the domain name are determined by the following
initialization parameters at database creation:
Component

Parameter

Requirements

Example

Database name

DB_NAME

Must be 30 characters or less.

sales

Managing a Distributed Database

32-1

Managing Global Names in a Distributed System

Component

Parameter

Requirements

Example

Domain
containing the
database

DB_DOMAIN

Must follow standard Internet
conventions. Levels in domain names
must be separated by dots and the
order of domain names is from leaf to
root, left to right.

us.example.com

These are examples of valid global database names:
DB_NAME

DB_DOMAIN

Global Database Name

sales

example.com

sales.example.com

sales

us.example.com

sales.us.example.com

mktg

us.example.com

mktg.us.example.com

payroll

example.org

payroll.example.org

The DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter is only important at database creation time
when it is used, together with the DB_NAME parameter, to form the database global
name. At this point, the database global name is stored in the data dictionary. You
must change the global name using an ALTER DATABASE statement, not by altering the
DB_DOMAIN parameter in the initialization parameter file. It is good practice, however,
to change the DB_DOMAIN parameter to reflect the change in the domain name before
the next database startup.

Determining Whether Global Naming Is Enforced
The name that you give to a link on the local database depends on whether the local
database enforces global naming. If the local database enforces global naming, then
you must use the remote database global database name as the name of the link. For
example, if you are connected to the local hq server and want to create a link to the
remote mfg database, and the local database enforces global naming, then you must
use the mfg global database name as the link name.
You can also use service names as part of the database link name. For example, if you
use the service names sn1 and sn2 to connect to database hq.example.com, and global
naming is enforced, then you can create the following link names to hq:
■

HQ.EXAMPLE.COM@SN1

■

HQ.EXAMPLE.COM@SN2
See Also: "Using Connection Qualifiers to Specify Service Names
Within Link Names" on page 32-10 for more information about
using services names in link names

To determine whether global naming is enforced on a database, either examine the
database initialization parameter file or query the V$PARAMETER view. For example, to
see whether global naming is enforced on mfg, you could start a session on mfg and
then create and execute the following globalnames.sql script (sample output
included):
COL NAME FORMAT A12
COL VALUE FORMAT A6
SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER

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WHERE NAME = 'global_names'
/
SQL> @globalnames
NAME
VALUE
------------ -----global_names FALSE

Viewing a Global Database Name
Use the data dictionary view GLOBAL_NAME to view the database global name. For
example, issue the following:
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

Changing the Domain in a Global Database Name
Use the ALTER DATABASE statement to change the domain in a database global name.
Note that after the database is created, changing the initialization parameter DB_
DOMAIN has no effect on the global database name or on the resolution of database link
names.
The following example shows the syntax for the renaming statement, where database is
a database name and domain is the network domain:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO database.domain;

Use the following procedure to change the domain in a global database name:
1.

Determine the current global database name. For example, issue:
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

2.

Rename the global database name using an ALTER DATABASE statement. For
example, enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO sales.us.example.com;

3.

Query the GLOBAL_NAME table to check the new name. For example, enter:
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.US.EXAMPLE.COM

Changing a Global Database Name: Scenario
In this scenario, you change the domain part of the global database name of the local
database. You also create database links using partially specified global names to test
how Oracle Database resolves the names. You discover that the database resolves the

Managing a Distributed Database

32-3

Managing Global Names in a Distributed System

partial names using the domain part of the current global database name of the local
database, not the value for the initialization parameter DB_DOMAIN.
1.

You connect to SALES.US.EXAMPLE.COM and query the GLOBAL_NAME data dictionary
view to determine the current database global name:
CONNECT SYSTEM@sales.us.example.com
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.US.EXAMPLE.COM

2.

You query the V$PARAMETER view to determine the current setting for the DB_
DOMAIN initialization parameter:
SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER WHERE NAME = 'db_domain';
NAME
--------db_domain

3.

VALUE
----------US.EXAMPLE.COM

You then create a database link to a database called hq, using only a
partially-specified global name:
CREATE DATABASE LINK hq USING 'sales';

The database expands the global database name for this link by appending the
domain part of the global database name of the local database to the name of the
database specified in the link.
4.

You query USER_DB_LINKS to determine which domain name the database uses to
resolve the partially specified global database name:
SELECT DB_LINK FROM USER_DB_LINKS;
DB_LINK
-----------------HQ.US.EXAMPLE.COM

This result indicates that the domain part of the global database name of the local
database is us.example.com. The database uses this domain in resolving partial
database link names when the database link is created.
5.

Because you have received word that the sales database will move to Japan, you
rename the sales database to sales.jp.example.com:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO sales.jp.example.com;
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.JP.EXAMPLE.COM

6.

You query V$PARAMETER again and discover that the value of DB_DOMAIN is not
changed, although you renamed the domain part of the global database name:
SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER
WHERE NAME = 'db_domain';
NAME
--------db_domain

VALUE
----------US.EXAMPLE.COM

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This result indicates that the value of the DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter is
independent of the ALTER DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME statement. The ALTER
DATABASE statement determines the domain of the global database name, not the
DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter (although it is good practice to alter DB_DOMAIN
to reflect the new domain name).
7.

You create another database link to database supply, and then query USER_DB_
LINKS to see how the database resolves the domain part of the global database
name of supply:
CREATE DATABASE LINK supply USING 'supply';
SELECT DB_LINK FROM USER_DB_LINKS;
DB_LINK
-----------------HQ.US.EXAMPLE.COM
SUPPLY.JP.EXAMPLE.COM

This result indicates that the database resolves the partially specified link name by
using the domain jp.example.com. This domain is used when the link is created
because it is the domain part of the global database name of the local database.
The database does not use the DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter setting when
resolving the partial link name.
8.

You then receive word that your previous information was faulty: sales will be in
the ASIA.JP.EXAMPLE.COM domain, not the JP.EXAMPLE.COM domain. Consequently,
you rename the global database name as follows:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO sales.asia.jp.example.com;
SELECT * FROM GLOBAL_NAME;
GLOBAL_NAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------SALES.ASIA.JP.EXAMPLE.COM

9.

You query V$PARAMETER to again check the setting for the parameter DB_DOMAIN:
SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER
WHERE NAME = 'db_domain';
NAME
---------db_domain

VALUE
----------US.EXAMPLE.COM

The result indicates that the domain setting in the parameter file is the same as it
was before you issued either of the ALTER DATABASE RENAME statements.
10. Finally, you create a link to the warehouse database and again query USER_DB_

LINKS to determine how the database resolves the partially-specified global name:
CREATE DATABASE LINK warehouse USING 'warehouse';
SELECT DB_LINK FROM USER_DB_LINKS;
DB_LINK
-----------------HQ.US.EXAMPLE.COM
SUPPLY.JP.EXAMPLE.COM
WAREHOUSE.ASIA.JP.EXAMPLE.COM

Managing a Distributed Database

32-5

Creating Database Links

Again, you see that the database uses the domain part of the global database name
of the local database to expand the partial link name during link creation.
Note: In order to correct the supply database link, it must be
dropped and re-created.

Oracle Database Reference for more information about
specifying the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN initialization parameters

See Also:

Creating Database Links
To support application access to the data and schema objects throughout a distributed
database system, you must create all necessary database links. This section contains
the following topics:
■

Obtaining Privileges Necessary for Creating Database Links

■

Specifying Link Types

■

Specifying Link Users

■

Using Connection Qualifiers to Specify Service Names Within Link Names

Obtaining Privileges Necessary for Creating Database Links
A database link is a pointer in the local database that lets you access objects on a
remote database. To create a private database link, you must have been granted the
proper privileges. The following table illustrates which privileges are required on
which database for which type of link:
Privilege

Database

Required For

CREATE DATABASE LINK

Local

Creation of a private database link.

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK

Local

Creation of a public database link.

CREATE SESSION

Remote

Creation of any type of database link.

To see which privileges you currently have available, query ROLE_SYS_PRIVS. For
example, you could create and execute the following privs.sql script (sample output
included):
SELECT DISTINCT PRIVILEGE AS "Database Link Privileges"
FROM ROLE_SYS_PRIVS
WHERE PRIVILEGE IN ( 'CREATE SESSION','CREATE DATABASE LINK',
'CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK')
/
SQL> @privs
Database Link Privileges
---------------------------------------CREATE DATABASE LINK
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
CREATE SESSION

32-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Database Links

Specifying Link Types
When you create a database link, you must decide who will have access to it. The
following sections describe how to create the three basic types of links:
■

Creating Private Database Links

■

Creating Public Database Links

■

Creating Global Database Links

Creating Private Database Links
To create a private database link, specify the following (where link_name is the global
database name or an arbitrary link name):
CREATE DATABASE LINK link_name ...;

Following are examples of private database links:
SQL Statement

Result

CREATE DATABASE LINK
supply.us.example.com;

A private link using the global database name to the
remote supply database.
The link uses the userid/password of the connected
user. So if scott (identified by password) uses the
link in a query, the link establishes a connection to
the remote database as scott/password.

CREATE DATABASE LINK link_2
CONNECT TO jane IDENTIFIED BY
password USING 'us_supply';

A private fixed user link called link_2 to the
database with service name us_supply. The link
connects to the remote database with the
userid/password of jane/password regardless of
the connected user.

CREATE DATABASE LINK link_1
CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER USING
'us_supply';

A private link called link_1 to the database with
service name us_supply. The link uses the
userid/password of the current user to log onto the
remote database.
Note: The current user may not be the same as the
connected user, and must be a global user on both
databases involved in the link (see "Users of
Database Links" on page 31-12). Current user links
are part of the Oracle Advanced Security option.

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for CREATE
DATABASE LINK syntax

See Also:

Creating Public Database Links
To create a public database link, use the keyword PUBLIC (where link_name is the global
database name or an arbitrary link name):
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK link_name ...;

Following are examples of public database links:

Managing a Distributed Database

32-7

Creating Database Links

SQL Statement

Result

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
supply.us.example.com;

A public link to the remote supply database.
The link uses the userid/password of the
connected user. So if scott (identified by
password) uses the link in a query, the link
establishes a connection to the remote database
as scott/password.

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK pu_link
CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER USING
'supply';

A public link called pu_link to the database
with service name supply. The link uses the
userid/password of the current user to log onto
the remote database.
Note: The current user may not be the same as
the connected user, and must be a global user
on both databases involved in the link (see
"Users of Database Links" on page 31-12).
A public fixed user link to the remote sales
database. The link connects to the remote
database with the userid/password of
jane/password.

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
sales.us.example.com CONNECT TO
jane IDENTIFIED BY password;

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for CREATE
PUBLIC DATABASE LINK syntax

See Also:

Creating Global Database Links
You can use a directory server in which databases are identified by net service names.
In this document, these are what are referred to as global database links.
See the Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide to learn how to create
directory entries that act as global database links.

Specifying Link Users
A database link defines a communication path from one database to another. When an
application uses a database link to access a remote database, Oracle Database
establishes a database session in the remote database on behalf of the local application
request.
When you create a private or public database link, you can determine which schema
on the remote database the link will establish connections to by creating fixed user,
current user, and connected user database links.

Creating Fixed User Database Links
To create a fixed user database link, you embed the credentials (in this case, a
username and password) required to access the remote database in the definition of
the link:
CREATE DATABASE LINK ... CONNECT TO username IDENTIFIED BY password ...;

Following are examples of fixed user database links:
SQL Statement

Result

CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
supply.us.example.com CONNECT
TO scott IDENTIFIED BY
password;

A public link using the global database name to the
remote supply database. The link connects to the
remote database with the userid/password
scott/password.

32-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Database Links

SQL Statement

Result

CREATE DATABASE LINK foo
CONNECT TO jane IDENTIFIED BY
password USING 'finance';

A private fixed user link called foo to the database
with service name finance. The link connects to the
remote database with the userid/password
jane/password.

When an application uses a fixed user database link, the local server always
establishes a connection to a fixed remote schema in the remote database. The local
server also sends the fixed user's credentials across the network when an application
uses the link to access the remote database.

Creating Connected User and Current User Database Links
Connected user and current user database links do not include credentials in the
definition of the link. The credentials used to connect to the remote database can
change depending on the user that references the database link and the operation
performed by the application.
For many distributed applications, you do not want a user
to have privileges in a remote database. One simple way to achieve
this result is to create a procedure that contains a fixed user or
current user database link within it. In this way, the user accessing
the procedure temporarily assumes someone else's privileges.

Note:

For an extended conceptual discussion of the distinction between connected users and
current users, see "Users of Database Links" on page 31-12.
Creating a Connected User Database Link To create a connected user database link, omit
the CONNECT TO clause. The following syntax creates a connected user database link,
where dblink is the name of the link and net_service_name is an optional connect string:
CREATE [SHARED] [PUBLIC] DATABASE LINK dblink ... [USING 'net_service_name'];

For example, to create a connected user database link, use the following syntax:
CREATE DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com USING 'sales';

Creating a Current User Database Link To create a current user database link, use the
CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER clause in the link creation statement. Current user links are
only available through the Oracle Advanced Security option.
The following syntax creates a current user database link, where dblink is the name of
the link and net_service_name is an optional connect string:
CREATE [SHARED] [PUBLIC] DATABASE LINK dblink CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER
[USING 'net_service_name'];

For example, to create a connected user database link to the sales database, you might
use the following syntax:
CREATE DATABASE LINK sales CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER USING 'sales';

To use a current user database link, the current user must be
a global user on both databases involved in the link.

Note:

Managing a Distributed Database

32-9

Using Shared Database Links

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more syntax
information about creating database links

Using Connection Qualifiers to Specify Service Names Within Link Names
In some situations, you may want to have several database links of the same type (for
example, public) that point to the same remote database, yet establish connections to
the remote database using different communication pathways. Some cases in which
this strategy is useful are:
■

■

A remote database is part of an Oracle Real Application Clusters configuration, so
you define several public database links at your local node so that connections can
be established to specific instances of the remote database.
Some clients connect to the Oracle Database server using TCP/IP while others use
DECNET.

To facilitate such functionality, the database lets you create a database link with an
optional service name in the database link name. When creating a database link, a
service name is specified as the trailing portion of the database link name, separated
by an @ sign, as in @sales. This string is called a connection qualifier.
For example, assume that remote database hq.example.com is managed in an Oracle
Real Application Clusters environment. The hq database has two instances named hq_
1 and hq_2. The local database can contain the following public database links to
define pathways to the remote instances of the hq database:
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK hq.example.com@hq_1
USING 'string_to_hq_1';
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK hq.example.com@hq_2
USING 'string_to_hq_2';
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK hq.example.com
USING 'string_to_hq';

Notice in the first two examples that a service name is simply a part of the database
link name. The text of the service name does not necessarily indicate how a connection
is to be established; this information is specified in the service name of the USING
clause. Also notice that in the third example, a service name is not specified as part of
the link name. In this case, just as when a service name is specified as part of the link
name, the instance is determined by the USING string.
To use a service name to specify a particular instance, include the service name at the
end of the global object name:
SELECT * FROM scott.emp@hq.example.com@hq_1

Note that in this example, there are two @ symbols.

Using Shared Database Links
Every application that references a remote server using a standard database link
establishes a connection between the local database and the remote database. Many
users running applications simultaneously can cause a high number of connections
between the local and remote databases.
Shared database links enable you to limit the number of network connections required
between the local server and the remote server.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Determining Whether to Use Shared Database Links

32-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Shared Database Links

■

Creating Shared Database Links

■

Configuring Shared Database Links
See Also: "What Are Shared Database Links?" on page 31-8 for a
conceptual overview of shared database links

Determining Whether to Use Shared Database Links
Look carefully at your application and shared server configuration to determine
whether to use shared links. A simple guideline is to use shared database links when
the number of users accessing a database link is expected to be much larger than the
number of server processes in the local database.
The following table illustrates three possible configurations involving database links:
Link Type

Server Mode

Consequences

Nonshared

Dedicated/shared
server

If your application uses a standard public database
link, and 100 users simultaneously require a
connection, then 100 direct network connections to
the remote database are required.

Shared

Shared server

If 10 shared server processes exist in the local
shared server mode database, then 100 users that
use the same database link require 10 or fewer
network connections to the remote server. Each
local shared server process may only need one
connection to the remote server.

Shared

Dedicated

If 10 clients connect to a local dedicated server, and
each client has 10 sessions on the same connection
(thus establishing 100 sessions overall), and each
session references the same remote database, then
only 10 connections are needed. With a nonshared
database link, 100 connections are needed.

Shared database links are not useful in all situations. Assume that only one user
accesses the remote server. If this user defines a shared database link and 10 shared
server processes exist in the local database, then this user can require up to 10 network
connections to the remote server. Because the user can use each shared server process,
each process can establish a connection to the remote server.
Clearly, a nonshared database link is preferable in this situation because it requires
only one network connection. Shared database links lead to more network connections
in single-user scenarios, so use shared links only when many users need to use the
same link. Typically, shared links are used for public database links, but can also be
used for private database links when many clients access the same local schema (and
therefore the same private database link).
In a multitiered environment, there is a restriction that if
you use a shared database link to connect to a remote database,
then that remote database cannot link to another database with a
database link that cannot be migrated. That link must use a shared
server, or it must be another shared database link.

Note:

Managing a Distributed Database

32-11

Using Shared Database Links

Creating Shared Database Links
To create a shared database link, use the keyword SHARED in the CREATE DATABASE
LINK statement:
CREATE SHARED DATABASE LINK dblink_name
[CONNECT TO username IDENTIFIED BY password]|[CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER]
AUTHENTICATED BY schema_name IDENTIFIED BY password
[USING 'service_name'];

Whenever you use the keyword SHARED, the clause AUTHENTICATED BY is required. The
schema specified in the AUTHENTICATED BY clause must exist in the remote database
and must be granted at least the CREATE SESSION privilege. The credentials of this
schema can be considered the authentication method between the local database and
the remote database. These credentials are required to protect the remote shared server
processes from clients that masquerade as a database link user and attempt to gain
unauthorized access to information.
After a connection is made with a shared database link, operations on the remote
database proceed with the privileges of the CONNECT TO user or CURRENT_USER, not the
AUTHENTICATED BY schema.
The following example creates a fixed user, shared link to database sales, connecting
as scott and authenticated as linkuser:
CREATE SHARED DATABASE LINK link2sales
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY password
AUTHENTICATED BY linkuser IDENTIFIED BY ostrich
USING 'sales';

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about the CREATE DATABASE LINK statement

Configuring Shared Database Links
You can configure shared database links in the following ways:
■

Creating Shared Links to Dedicated Servers

■

Creating Shared Links to Shared Servers

Creating Shared Links to Dedicated Servers
In the configuration illustrated in Figure 32–1, a shared server process in the local
server owns a dedicated remote server process. The advantage is that a direct network
transport exists between the local shared server and the remote dedicated server. A
disadvantage is that extra back-end server processes are needed.
The remote server can either be a shared server or dedicated
server. There is a dedicated connection between the local and
remote servers. When the remote server is a shared server, you can
force a dedicated server connection by using the
(SERVER=DEDICATED) clause in the definition of the service name.

Note:

32-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using Shared Database Links

Figure 32–1 A Shared Database Link to Dedicated Server Processes
User
Process

Client Workstation
Database Server

Dispatcher Processes

Oracle
Server Code

Oracle
Server Code

Oracle
Server Code

Shared
Server
Processes

System Global Area

Dedicated
Server
Process

System Global Area

Creating Shared Links to Shared Servers
The configuration illustrated in Figure 32–2 uses shared server processes on the remote
server. This configuration eliminates the need for more dedicated servers, but requires
the connection to go through the dispatcher on the remote server. Note that both the
local and the remote server must be configured as shared servers.

Managing a Distributed Database

32-13

Managing Database Links

Figure 32–2 Shared Database Link to Shared Server
User
Process

User
Process

Client Workstation
Database Server

Dispatcher Processes

Shared
Server
Processes

Oracle
Server Code

System Global Area

Dispatcher Processes

Shared
Server
Processes

Oracle
Server Code

System Global Area

See Also: "Shared Server Processes" on page 5-2 for information
about the shared server option

Managing Database Links
This section contains the following topics:
■

Closing Database Links

■

Dropping Database Links

■

Limiting the Number of Active Database Link Connections

Closing Database Links
If you access a database link in a session, then the link remains open until you close
the session. A link is open in the sense that a process is active on each of the remote
databases accessed through the link. This situation has the following consequences:
■

■

If 20 users open sessions and access the same public link in a local database, then
20 database link connections are open.
If 20 users open sessions and each user accesses a private link, then 20 database
link connections are open.

32-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Database Links

■

If one user starts a session and accesses 20 different links, then 20 database link
connections are open.

After you close a session, the links that were active in the session are automatically
closed. You may have occasion to close the link manually. For example, close links
when:
■

■

The network connection established by a link is used infrequently in an
application.
The user session must be terminated.

To close a link, issue the following statement, where linkname refers to the name of the
link:
ALTER SESSION CLOSE DATABASE LINK linkname;

Note that this statement only closes the links that are active in your current session.

Dropping Database Links
You can drop a database link just as you can drop a table or view. If the link is private,
then it must be in your schema. If the link is public, then you must have the DROP
PUBLIC DATABASE LINK system privilege.
The statement syntax is as follows, where dblink is the name of the link:
DROP [PUBLIC] DATABASE LINK dblink;

Procedure for Dropping a Private Database Link
1.

Connect to the local database using SQL*Plus. For example, enter:
CONNECT scott@local_db

2.

Query USER_DB_LINKS to view the links that you own. For example, enter:
SELECT DB_LINK FROM USER_DB_LINKS;
DB_LINK
----------------------------------SALES.US.EXAMPLE.COM
MKTG.US.EXAMPLE.COM
2 rows selected.

3.

Drop the desired link using the DROP DATABASE LINK statement. For example,
enter:
DROP DATABASE LINK sales.us.example.com;

Procedure for Dropping a Public Database Link
1.

Connect to the local database as a user with the DROP PUBLIC DATABASE LINK
privilege. For example, enter:
CONNECT SYSTEM@local_db AS SYSDBA

2.

Query DBA_DB_LINKS to view the public links. For example, enter:
SELECT DB_LINK FROM DBA_DB_LINKS
WHERE OWNER = 'PUBLIC';
DB_LINK
-----------------------------------

Managing a Distributed Database

32-15

Viewing Information About Database Links

DBL1.US.EXAMPLE.COM
SALES.US.EXAMPLE.COM
INST2.US.EXAMPLE.COM
RMAN2.US.EXAMPLE.COM
4 rows selected.
3.

Drop the desired link using the DROP PUBLIC DATABASE LINK statement. For
example, enter:
DROP PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.us.example.com;

Limiting the Number of Active Database Link Connections
You can limit the number of connections from a user process to remote databases using
the static initialization parameter OPEN_LINKS. This parameter controls the number of
remote connections that a single user session can use concurrently in distributed
transactions.
Note the following considerations for setting this parameter:
■

■

■

The value should be greater than or equal to the number of databases referred to
in a single SQL statement that references multiple databases.
Increase the value if several distributed databases are accessed over time. Thus, if
you regularly access three databases, set OPEN_LINKS to 3 or greater.
The default value for OPEN_LINKS is 4. If OPEN_LINKS is set to 0, then no distributed
transactions are allowed.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for more information about
the OPEN_LINKS initialization parameter

Viewing Information About Database Links
The data dictionary of each database stores the definitions of all the database links in
the database. You can use data dictionary tables and views to gain information about
the links. This section contains the following topics:
■

Determining Which Links Are in the Database

■

Determining Which Link Connections Are Open

Determining Which Links Are in the Database
The following views show the database links that have been defined at the local
database and stored in the data dictionary:
View

Purpose

DBA_DB_LINKS

Lists all database links in the database.

ALL_DB_LINKS

Lists all database links accessible to the connected user.

USER_DB_LINKS

Lists all database links owned by the connected user.

These data dictionary views contain the same basic information about database links,
with some exceptions:

32-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing Information About Database Links

Column

Which Views?

Description

OWNER

All except USER_*

The user who created the database link. If the link is
public, then the user is listed as PUBLIC.

DB_LINK

All

The name of the database link.

USERNAME

All

If the link definition includes a fixed user, then this
column displays the username of the fixed user. If
there is no fixed user, the column is NULL.

PASSWORD

Only USER_*

Not used. Maintained for backward compatibility
only.

HOST

All

The net service name used to connect to the remote
database.

CREATED

All

Creation time of the database link.

Any user can query USER_DB_LINKS to determine which database links are available to
that user. Only those with additional privileges can use the ALL_DB_LINKS or DBA_DB_
LINKS view.
The following script queries the DBA_DB_LINKS view to access link information:
COL OWNER FORMAT a10
COL USERNAME FORMAT A8 HEADING "USER"
COL DB_LINK FORMAT A30
COL HOST FORMAT A7 HEADING "SERVICE"
SELECT * FROM DBA_DB_LINKS
/

Here, the script is invoked and the resulting output is shown:
SQL>@link_script
OWNER
DB_LINK
USER
SERVICE CREATED
---------- ------------------------------ -------- ------- ---------SYS
TARGET.US.EXAMPLE.COM
SYS
inst1
23-JUN-99
PUBLIC
DBL1.UK.EXAMPLE.COM
BLAKE
ora51
23-JUN-99
PUBLIC
RMAN2.US.EXAMPLE.COM
inst2
23-JUN-99
PUBLIC
DEPT.US.EXAMPLE.COM
inst2
23-JUN-99
JANE
DBL.UK.EXAMPLE.COM
BLAKE
ora51
23-JUN-99
SCOTT
EMP.US.EXAMPLE.COM
SCOTT
inst2
23-JUN-99
6 rows selected.

Determining Which Link Connections Are Open
You may find it useful to determine which database link connections are currently
open in your session. Note that if you connect as SYSDBA, you cannot query a view to
determine all the links open for all sessions; you can only access the link information
in the session within which you are working.
The following views show the database link connections that are currently open in
your current session:
View

Purpose

V$DBLINK

Lists all open database links in your session, that is, all database
links with the IN_TRANSACTION column set to YES.

GV$DBLINK

Lists all open database links in your session along with their
corresponding instances. This view is useful in an Oracle Real
Application Clusters configuration.

Managing a Distributed Database

32-17

Creating Location Transparency

These data dictionary views contain the same basic information about database links,
with one exception:

Column

Which
Views?

Description

DB_LINK

All

The name of the database link.

OWNER_ID

All

The owner of the database link.

LOGGED_ON

All

Whether the database link is currently logged on.

HETEROGENEOUS

All

Whether the database link is homogeneous (NO) or
heterogeneous (YES).

PROTOCOL

All

The communication protocol for the database link.

OPEN_CURSORS

All

Whether cursors are open for the database link.

IN_TRANSACTION

All

Whether the database link is accessed in a
transaction that has not yet been committed or
rolled back.

UPDATE_SENT

All

Whether there was an update on the database link.

COMMIT_POINT_
STRENGTH

All

The commit point strength of the transactions
using the database link.

INST_ID

GV$DBLINK
only

The instance from which the view information
was obtained.

For example, you can create and execute the script below to determine which links are
open (sample output included):
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL

DB_LINK FORMAT A25
OWNER_ID FORMAT 99999 HEADING "OWNID"
LOGGED_ON FORMAT A5 HEADING "LOGON"
HETEROGENEOUS FORMAT A5 HEADING "HETER"
PROTOCOL FORMAT A8
OPEN_CURSORS FORMAT 999 HEADING "OPN_CUR"
IN_TRANSACTION FORMAT A3 HEADING "TXN"
UPDATE_SENT FORMAT A6 HEADING "UPDATE"
COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH FORMAT 99999 HEADING "C_P_S"

SELECT * FROM V$DBLINK
/
SQL> @dblink
DB_LINK
OWNID LOGON HETER PROTOCOL OPN_CUR TXN UPDATE C_P_S
------------------------- ------ ----- ----- -------- ------- --- ------ -----INST2.EXAMPLE.COM
0 YES
YES
UNKN
0 YES YES
255

Creating Location Transparency
After you have configured the necessary database links, you can use various tools to
hide the distributed nature of the database system from users. In other words, users
can access remote objects as if they were local objects. The following sections explain
how to hide distributed functionality from users:
■

Using Views to Create Location Transparency

■

Using Synonyms to Create Location Transparency

32-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating Location Transparency

■

Using Procedures to Create Location Transparency

Using Views to Create Location Transparency
Local views can provide location transparency for local and remote tables in a
distributed database system.
For example, assume that table emp is stored in a local database and table dept is
stored in a remote database. To make these tables transparent to users of the system,
you can create a view in the local database that joins local and remote data:
CREATE VIEW company AS
SELECT a.empno, a.ename, b.dname
FROM scott.emp a, jward.dept@hq.example.com b
WHERE a.deptno = b.deptno;
Figure 32–3

Views and Location Transparency
Database
Server

SCOTT.EMP Table
EMPNO ENAME
7329
7499
7521
7566

SMITH
ALLEN
WARD
JONES

JOB

MGR

HIREDATE

CLERK
SALESMAN
SALESMAN
MANAGER

7902
7698
7698
7839

17–DEC–88 800.00
20–FEB–89 1600.00
22–JUN–92 1250.00
02–APR–93 2975.00

SAL

COMM

DEPTNO

300.00
300.00
500.00

20
30
30
20

Sales
Database

COMPANY View
EMPNO ENAME
7329
7499
7521
7566

SMITH
ALLEN
WARD
JONES

DNAME

Database
Server

MARKETING
SALES
SALES
MARKETING

JWARD.DEPT
DEPTNO DNAME
20
30

MARKETING
SALES

HQ
Database

When users access this view, they do not need to know where the data is physically
stored, or if data from more than one table is being accessed. Thus, it is easier for them
to get required information. For example, the following query provides data from both
the local and remote database table:
SELECT * FROM company;

The owner of the local view can grant only those object privileges on the local view
that have been granted by the remote user. (The remote user is implied by the type of

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Creating Location Transparency

database link). This is similar to privilege management for views that reference local
data.

Using Synonyms to Create Location Transparency
Synonyms are useful in both distributed and non-distributed environments because
they hide the identity of the underlying object, including its location in a distributed
database system. If you must rename or move the underlying object, you only need to
redefine the synonym; applications based on the synonym continue to function
normally. Synonyms also simplify SQL statements for users in a distributed database
system.

Creating Synonyms
You can create synonyms for the following:
■

Tables

■

Types

■

Views

■

Materialized views

■

Sequences

■

Procedures

■

Functions

■

Packages

All synonyms are schema objects that are stored in the data dictionary of the database
in which they are created. To simplify remote table access through database links, a
synonym can allow single-word access to remote data, hiding the specific object name
and the location from users of the synonym.
The syntax to create a synonym is:
CREATE [PUBLIC] synonym_name
FOR [schema.]object_name[@database_link_name];

where:
■

■

■

■

■

PUBLIC is a keyword specifying that this synonym is available to all users.
Omitting this parameter makes a synonym private, and usable only by the creator.
Public synonyms can be created only by a user with CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM
system privilege.
synonym_name specifies the alternate object name to be referenced by users and
applications.
schema specifies the schema of the object specified in object_name. Omitting this
parameter uses the schema of the creator as the schema of the object.
object_name specifies either a table, view, sequence, materialized view, type,
procedure, function or package as appropriate.
database_link_name specifies the database link identifying the remote database
and schema in which the object specified in object_name is located.

A synonym must be a uniquely named object for its schema. If a schema contains a
schema object and a public synonym exists with the same name, then the database

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always finds the schema object when the user that owns the schema references that
name.
Example: Creating a Public Synonym
Assume that in every database in a distributed database system, a public synonym is
defined for the scott.emp table stored in the hq database:
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM emp FOR scott.emp@hq.example.com;

You can design an employee management application without regard to where the
application is used because the location of the table scott.emp@hq.example.com is
hidden by the public synonyms. SQL statements in the application access the table by
referencing the public synonym emp.
Furthermore, if you move the emp table from the hq database to the hr database, then
you only need to change the public synonyms on the nodes of the system. The
employee management application continues to function properly on all nodes.

Managing Privileges and Synonyms
A synonym is a reference to an actual object. A user who has access to a synonym for a
particular schema object must also have privileges on the underlying schema object
itself. For example, if the user attempts to access a synonym but does not have
privileges on the table it identifies, an error occurs indicating that the table or view
does not exist.
Assume scott creates local synonym emp as an alias for remote object
scott.emp@sales.example.com. scott cannot grant object privileges on the synonym
to another local user. scott cannot grant local privileges for the synonym because this
operation amounts to granting privileges for the remote emp table on the sales
database, which is not allowed. This behavior is different from privilege management
for synonyms that are aliases for local tables or views.
Therefore, you cannot manage local privileges when synonyms are used for location
transparency. Security for the base object is controlled entirely at the remote node. For
example, user admin cannot grant object privileges for the emp_syn synonym.
Unlike a database link referenced in a view or procedure definition, a database link
referenced in a synonym is resolved by first looking for a private link owned by the
schema in effect at the time the reference to the synonym is parsed. Therefore, to
ensure the desired object resolution, it is especially important to specify the schema of
the underlying object in the definition of a synonym.

Using Procedures to Create Location Transparency
PL/SQL program units called procedures can provide location transparency. You have
these options:
■

Using Local Procedures to Reference Remote Data

■

Using Local Procedures to Call Remote Procedures

■

Using Local Synonyms to Reference Remote Procedures

Using Local Procedures to Reference Remote Data
Procedures or functions (either standalone or in packages) can contain SQL statements
that reference remote data. For example, consider the procedure created by the
following statement:
CREATE PROCEDURE fire_emp (enum NUMBER) AS
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Creating Location Transparency

BEGIN
DELETE FROM emp@hq.example.com
WHERE empno = enum;
END;

When a user or application calls the fire_emp procedure, it is not apparent that a
remote table is being modified.
A second layer of location transparency is possible when the statements in a procedure
indirectly reference remote data using local procedures, views, or synonyms. For
example, the following statement defines a local synonym:
CREATE SYNONYM emp FOR emp@hq.example.com;

Given this synonym, you can create the fire_emp procedure using the following
statement:
CREATE PROCEDURE fire_emp (enum NUMBER) AS
BEGIN
DELETE FROM emp WHERE empno = enum;
END;

If you rename or move the table emp@hq, then you only need to modify the local
synonym that references the table. None of the procedures and applications that call
the procedure require modification.

Using Local Procedures to Call Remote Procedures
You can use a local procedure to call a remote procedure. The remote procedure can
then execute the required DML. For example, assume that scott connects to local_db
and creates the following procedure:
CONNECT scott@local_db
CREATE PROCEDURE fire_emp (enum NUMBER)
AS
BEGIN
EXECUTE term_emp@hq.example.com;
END;

Now, assume that scott connects to the remote database and creates the remote
procedure:
CONNECT scott@hq.example.com
CREATE PROCEDURE term_emp (enum NUMBER)
AS
BEGIN
DELETE FROM emp WHERE empno = enum;
END;

When a user or application connected to local_db calls the fire_emp procedure, this
procedure in turn calls the remote term_emp procedure on hq.example.com.

Using Local Synonyms to Reference Remote Procedures
For example, scott connects to the local sales.example.com database and creates the
following procedure:
CREATE PROCEDURE fire_emp (enum NUMBER) AS
BEGIN
DELETE FROM emp@hq.example.com

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WHERE empno = enum;
END;

User peggy then connects to the supply.example.com database and creates the
following synonym for the procedure that scott created on the remote sales
database:
SQL> CONNECT peggy@supply
SQL> CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM emp FOR scott.fire_emp@sales.example.com;

A local user on supply can use this synonym to execute the procedure on sales.

Managing Procedures and Privileges
Assume a local procedure includes a statement that references a remote table or view.
The owner of the local procedure can grant the execute privilege to any user, thereby
giving that user the ability to execute the procedure and, indirectly, access remote data.
In general, procedures aid in security. Privileges for objects referenced within a
procedure do not need to be explicitly granted to the calling users.

Managing Statement Transparency
The database allows the following standard DML statements to reference remote
tables:
■

SELECT (queries)

■

INSERT

■

UPDATE

■

DELETE

■

SELECT...FOR UPDATE (not always supported in Heterogeneous Systems)

■

LOCK TABLE

Queries including joins, aggregates, subqueries, and SELECT...FOR UPDATE can
reference any number of local and remote tables and views. For example, the following
query joins information from two remote tables:
SELECT e.empno, e.ename, d.dname
FROM scott.emp@sales.division3.example.com e, jward.dept@hq.example.com d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno;

In a homogeneous environment, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE, and LOCK TABLE statements
can reference both local and remote tables. No programming is necessary to update
remote data. For example, the following statement inserts new rows into the remote
table emp in the scott.sales schema by selecting rows from the emp table in the jward
schema in the local database:
INSERT INTO scott.emp@sales.division3.example.com
SELECT * FROM jward.emp;

Restrictions for Statement Transparency:
Several restrictions apply to statement transparency.
■

Data manipulation language statements that update objects on a remote
non-Oracle Database system cannot reference any objects on the local Oracle
Database. For example, a statement such as the following will cause an error to be
raised:

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Managing a Distributed Database: Examples

INSERT INTO remote_table@link as SELECT * FROM local_table;
■

■

Within a single SQL statement, all referenced LONG and LONG RAW columns,
sequences, updated tables, and locked tables must be located at the same node.
The database does not allow remote DDL statements (for example, CREATE, ALTER,
and DROP) in homogeneous systems except through remote execution of
procedures of the DBMS_SQL package, as in this example:
DBMS_SQL.PARSE@link_name(crs, 'drop table emp', v7);

Note that in Heterogeneous Systems, a pass-through facility lets you execute DDL.
■

■

The LIST CHAINED ROWS clause of an ANALYZE statement cannot reference remote
tables.
In a distributed database system, the database always evaluates
environmentally-dependent SQL functions such as SYSDATE, USER, UID, and
USERENV with respect to the local server, no matter where the statement (or portion
of a statement) executes.
Note: Oracle Database supports the USERENV function for queries
only.

■

■

Several performance restrictions relate to access of remote objects:
–

Remote views do not have statistical data.

–

Queries on partitioned tables may not be optimized.

–

No more than 20 indexes are considered for a remote table.

–

No more than 20 columns are used for a composite index.

There is a restriction in the Oracle Database implementation of distributed read
consistency that can cause one node to be in the past with respect to another node.
In accordance with read consistency, a query may end up retrieving consistent, but
out-of-date data. See "Managing Read Consistency" on page 35-19 to learn how to
manage this problem.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about the DBMS_SQL package

Managing a Distributed Database: Examples
This section presents examples illustrating management of database links:
■

Example 1: Creating a Public Fixed User Database Link

■

Example 2: Creating a Public Fixed User Shared Database Link

■

Example 3: Creating a Public Connected User Database Link

■

Example 4: Creating a Public Connected User Shared Database Link

■

Example 5: Creating a Public Current User Database Link

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Example 1: Creating a Public Fixed User Database Link
The following statements connect to the local database as jane and create a public
fixed user database link to database sales for scott. The database is accessed through
its net service name sldb:
CONNECT jane@local
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY password
USING 'sldb';

After executing these statements, any user connected to the local database can use the
sales.division3.example.com database link to connect to the remote database. Each
user connects to the schema scott in the remote database.
To access the table emp table in scott's remote schema, a user can issue the following
SQL query:
SELECT * FROM emp@sales.division3.example.com;

Note that each application or user session creates a separate connection to the common
account on the server. The connection to the remote database remains open for the
duration of the application or user session.

Example 2: Creating a Public Fixed User Shared Database Link
The following example connects to the local database as dana and creates a public link
to the sales database (using its net service name sldb). The link allows a connection to
the remote database as scott and authenticates this user as scott:
CONNECT dana@local
CREATE SHARED PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO scott IDENTIFIED BY password
AUTHENTICATED BY scott IDENTIFIED BY password
USING 'sldb';

Now, any user connected to the local shared server can use this database link to
connect to the remote sales database through a shared server process. The user can
then query tables in the scott schema.
In the preceding example, each local shared server can establish one connection to the
remote server. Whenever a local shared server process must access the remote server
through the sales.division3.example.com database link, the local shared server
process reuses established network connections.

Example 3: Creating a Public Connected User Database Link
The following example connects to the local database as larry and creates a public
link to the database with the net service name sldb:
CONNECT larry@local
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK redwood
USING 'sldb';

Any user connected to the local database can use the redwood database link. The
connected user in the local database who uses the database link determines the remote
schema.

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Managing a Distributed Database: Examples

If scott is the connected user and uses the database link, then the database link
connects to the remote schema scott. If fox is the connected user and uses the
database link, then the database link connects to remote schema fox.
The following statement fails for local user fox in the local database when the remote
schema fox cannot resolve the emp schema object. That is, if the fox schema in the
sales.division3.example.com does not have emp as a table, view, or (public)
synonym, an error will be returned.
CONNECT fox@local
SELECT * FROM emp@redwood;

Example 4: Creating a Public Connected User Shared Database Link
The following example connects to the local database as neil and creates a shared,
public link to the sales database (using its net service name sldb). The user is
authenticated by the userid/password of crazy/horse. The following statement
creates a public, connected user, shared database link:
CONNECT neil@local
CREATE SHARED PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
AUTHENTICATED BY crazy IDENTIFIED BY horse
USING 'sldb';

Each user connected to the local server can use this shared database link to connect to
the remote database and query the tables in the corresponding remote schema.
Each local, shared server process establishes one connection to the remote server.
Whenever a local server process must access the remote server through the
sales.division3.example.com database link, the local process reuses established
network connections, even if the connected user is a different user.
If this database link is used frequently, eventually every shared server in the local
database will have a remote connection. At this point, no more physical connections
are needed to the remote server, even if new users use this shared database link.

Example 5: Creating a Public Current User Database Link
The following example connects to the local database as the connected user and creates
a public link to the sales database (using its net service name sldb). The following
statement creates a public current user database link:
CONNECT bart@local
CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK sales.division3.example.com
CONNECT TO CURRENT_USER
USING 'sldb';

Note:

To use this link, the current user must be a global user.

The consequences of this database link are as follows:
Assume scott creates local procedure fire_emp that deletes a row from the remote emp
table, and grants execute privilege on fire_emp to ford.
CONNECT scott@local_db

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CREATE PROCEDURE fire_emp (enum NUMBER)
AS
BEGIN
DELETE FROM emp@sales.division3.example.com
WHERE empno=enum;
END;
GRANT EXECUTE ON fire_emp TO ford;

Now, assume that ford connects to the local database and runs scott's procedure:
CONNECT ford@local_db
EXECUTE PROCEDURE scott.fire_emp (enum 10345);

When ford executes the procedure scott.fire_emp, the procedure runs under scott's
privileges. Because a current user database link is used, the connection is established
to scott's remote schema, not ford's remote schema. Note that scott must be a global
user while ford does not have to be a global user.
If a connected user database link were used instead, the
connection would be to ford's remote schema. For more
information about invoker rights and privileges, see the Oracle
Database PL/SQL Language Reference.
Note:

You can accomplish the same result by using a fixed user database link to scott's
remote schema.

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Managing a Distributed Database: Examples

32-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

33
33

Developing Applications for a Distributed
Database System
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Managing the Distribution of Application Data

■

Controlling Connections Established by Database Links

■

Maintaining Referential Integrity in a Distributed System

■

Tuning Distributed Queries

■

Handling Errors in Remote Procedures
See Also: Oracle Database Development Guide for more information
about application development in an Oracle Database environment

Managing the Distribution of Application Data
In a distributed database environment, coordinate with the database administrator to
determine the best location for the data. Some issues to consider are:
■

Number of transactions posted from each location

■

Amount of data (portion of table) used by each node

■

Performance characteristics and reliability of the network

■

Speed of various nodes, capacities of disks

■

Importance of a node or link when it is unavailable

■

Need for referential integrity among tables

Controlling Connections Established by Database Links
When a global object name is referenced in a SQL statement or remote procedure call,
database links establish a connection to a session in the remote database on behalf of
the local user. The remote connection and session are only created if the connection has
not already been established previously for the local user session.
The connections and sessions established to remote databases persist for the duration
of the local user's session, unless the application or user explicitly terminates them.
Note that when you issue a SELECT statement across a database link, a transaction lock
is placed on the undo segments. To rerelease the segment, you must issue a COMMIT or
ROLLBACK statement.

Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System 33-1

Maintaining Referential Integrity in a Distributed System

Terminating remote connections established using database links is useful for
disconnecting high cost connections that are no longer required by the application.
You can terminate a remote connection and session using the ALTER SESSION statement
with the CLOSE DATABASE LINK clause. For example, assume you issue the following
transactions:
SELECT * FROM emp@sales;
COMMIT;

The following statement terminates the session in the remote database pointed to by
the sales database link:
ALTER SESSION CLOSE DATABASE LINK sales;

To close a database link connection in your user session, you must have the ALTER
SESSION system privilege.
Before closing a database link, first close all cursors that use
the link and then end your current transaction if it uses the link.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the ALTER SESSION statement

Maintaining Referential Integrity in a Distributed System
If a part of a distributed statement fails, for example, due to an integrity constraint
violation, the database returns error number ORA-02055. Subsequent statements or
procedure calls return error number ORA-02067 until a ROLLBACK or ROLLBACK TO
SAVEPOINT is issued.
Design your application to check for any returned error messages that indicate that a
portion of the distributed update has failed. If you detect a failure, you should roll
back the entire transaction before allowing the application to proceed.
The database does not permit declarative referential integrity constraints to be defined
across nodes of a distributed system. In other words, a declarative referential integrity
constraint on one table cannot specify a foreign key that references a primary or
unique key of a remote table. Nevertheless, you can maintain parent/child table
relationships across nodes using triggers.
If you decide to define referential integrity across the nodes of a distributed database
using triggers, be aware that network failures can limit the accessibility of not only the
parent table, but also the child table. For example, assume that the child table is in the
sales database and the parent table is in the hq database. If the network connection
between the two databases fails, some DML statements against the child table (those
that insert rows into the child table or update a foreign key value in the child table)
cannot proceed because the referential integrity triggers must have access to the parent
table in the hq database.
Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for more
information about using triggers to enforce referential integrity

See Also:

Tuning Distributed Queries
The local Oracle Database server breaks the distributed query into a corresponding
number of remote queries, which it then sends to the remote nodes for execution. The
remote nodes execute the queries and send the results back to the local node. The local
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Tuning Distributed Queries

node then performs any necessary post-processing and returns the results to the user
or application.
You have several options for designing your application to optimize query processing.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Using Collocated Inline Views

■

Using Cost-Based Optimization

■

Using Hints

■

Analyzing the Execution Plan

Using Collocated Inline Views
The most effective way of optimizing distributed queries is to access the remote
databases as little as possible and to retrieve only the required data.
For example, assume you reference five remote tables from two different remote
databases in a distributed query and have a complex filter (for example, WHERE
r1.salary + r2.salary > 50000). You can improve the performance of the query by
rewriting the query to access the remote databases once and to apply the filter at the
remote site. This rewrite causes less data to be transferred to the query execution site.
Rewriting your query to access the remote database once is achieved by using
collocated inline views. The following terms need to be defined:
■

Collocated
Two or more tables located in the same database.

■

Inline view
A SELECT statement that is substituted for a table in a parent SELECT statement. The
embedded SELECT statement, shown within the parentheses is an example of an
inline view:
SELECT e.empno,e.ename,d.deptno,d.dname
FROM (SELECT empno, ename from
emp@orc1.world) e, dept d;

■

Collocated inline view
An inline view that selects data from multiple tables from a single database only. It
reduces the amount of times that the remote database is accessed, improving the
performance of a distributed query.

Oracle recommends that you form your distributed query using collocated inline
views to increase the performance of your distributed query. Oracle Database
cost-based optimization can transparently rewrite many of your distributed queries to
take advantage of the performance gains offered by collocated inline views.

Using Cost-Based Optimization
In addition to rewriting your queries with collocated inline views, the cost-based
optimization method optimizes distributed queries according to the gathered statistics
of the referenced tables and the computations performed by the optimizer.
For example, cost-based optimization analyzes the following query. The example
assumes that table statistics are available. Note that it analyzes the query inside a
CREATE TABLE statement:
CREATE TABLE AS (

Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System 33-3

Tuning Distributed Queries

SELECT l.a, l.b, r1.c, r1.d, r1.e, r2.b, r2.c
FROM local l, remote1 r1, remote2 r2
WHERE l.c = r.c
AND r1.c = r2.c
AND r.e > 300
);

and rewrites it as:
CREATE TABLE AS (
SELECT l.a, l.b, v.c, v.d, v.e
FROM (
SELECT r1.c, r1.d, r1.e, r2.b, r2.c
FROM remote1 r1, remote2 r2
WHERE r1.c = r2.c
AND r1.e > 300
) v, local l
WHERE l.c = r1.c
);

The alias v is assigned to the inline view, which can then be referenced as a table in the
preceding SELECT statement. Creating a collocated inline view reduces the amount of
queries performed at a remote site, thereby reducing costly network traffic.

How Does Cost-Based Optimization Work?
The main task of optimization is to rewrite a distributed query to use collocated inline
views. This optimization is performed in three steps:
1.

All mergeable views are merged.

2.

Optimizer performs collocated query block test.

3.

Optimizer rewrites query using collocated inline views.

After the query is rewritten, it is executed and the data set is returned to the user.
While cost-based optimization is performed transparently to the user, it cannot
improve the performance of several distributed query scenarios. Specifically, if your
distributed query contains any of the following, cost-based optimization is not
effective:
■

Aggregates

■

Subqueries

■

Complex SQL

If your distributed query contains one of these elements, see "Using Hints" on
page 33-5 to learn how you can modify your query and use hints to improve the
performance of your distributed query.

Setting Up Cost-Based Optimization
After you have set up your system to use cost-based optimization to improve the
performance of distributed queries, the operation is transparent to the user. In other
words, the optimization occurs automatically when the query is issued.
You must complete the following tasks to set up your system to take advantage of
cost-based optimization:
■

Setting Up the Environment

■

Analyzing Tables

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Tuning Distributed Queries

Setting Up the Environment Set the OPTIMIZER_MODE initialization parameter to establish
the default behavior for choosing an optimization approach for the instance. You can
set this parameter by:
■

Modifying the OPTIMIZER_MODE parameter in the initialization parameter file

■

Setting it at session level by issuing an ALTER SESSION statement
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information on
setting the OPTIMIZER_MODE initialization parameter in the
parameter file and for configuring your system to use a cost-based
optimization method

Analyzing Tables For cost-based optimization to select the most efficient path for a
distributed query, you must provide accurate statistics for the tables involved. You do
this using the DBMS_STATS package.
You must connect locally with respect to the tables when
executing the DBMS_STATS procedure.

Note:

You must first connect to the remote site and then execute a DBMS_
STATS procedure.
The following DBMS_STATS procedures enable the gathering of certain classes of
optimizer statistics:
■

GATHER_INDEX_STATS

■

GATHER_TABLE_STATS

■

GATHER_SCHEMA_STATS

■

GATHER_DATABASE_STATS

For example, assume that distributed transactions routinely access the scott.dept
table. To ensure that the cost-based optimizer is still picking the best plan, execute the
following:
BEGIN
DBMS_STATS.GATHER_TABLE_STATS ('scott', 'dept');
END;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for information about
generating statistics
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
additional information on using the DBMS_STATS package

Using Hints
If a statement is not sufficiently optimized, then you can use hints to extend the
capability of cost-based optimization. Specifically, if you write your own query to use
collocated inline views, instruct the cost-based optimizer not to rewrite your
distributed query.
Additionally, if you have special knowledge about the database environment (such as
statistics, load, network and CPU limitations, distributed queries, and so forth), you
can specify a hint to guide cost-based optimization. For example, if you have written
your own optimized query using collocated inline views that are based on your
Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System 33-5

Tuning Distributed Queries

knowledge of the database environment, specify the NO_MERGE hint to prevent the
optimizer from rewriting your query.
This technique is especially helpful if your distributed query contains an aggregate,
subquery, or complex SQL. Because this type of distributed query cannot be rewritten
by the optimizer, specifying NO_MERGE causes the optimizer to skip the steps described
in "How Does Cost-Based Optimization Work?" on page 33-4.
The DRIVING_SITE hint lets you define a remote site to act as the query execution site.
In this way, the query executes on the remote site, which then returns the data to the
local site. This hint is especially helpful when the remote site contains the majority of
the data.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for more information
about using hints

Using the NO_MERGE Hint
The NO_MERGE hint prevents the database from merging an inline view into a
potentially non-collocated SQL statement (see "Using Hints" on page 33-5). This hint is
embedded in the SELECT statement and can appear either at the beginning of the
SELECT statement with the inline view as an argument or in the query block that
defines the inline view.
/* with argument */
SELECT /*+NO_MERGE(v)*/ t1.x, v.avg_y
FROM t1, (SELECT x, AVG(y) AS avg_y FROM t2 GROUP BY x) v,
WHERE t1.x = v.x AND t1.y = 1;
/* in query block */
SELECT t1.x, v.avg_y
FROM t1, (SELECT /*+NO_MERGE*/ x, AVG(y) AS avg_y FROM t2 GROUP BY x) v,
WHERE t1.x = v.x AND t1.y = 1;

Typically, you use this hint when you have developed an optimized query based on
your knowledge of your database environment.

Using the DRIVING_SITE Hint
The DRIVING_SITE hint lets you specify the site where the query execution is
performed. It is best to let cost-based optimization determine where the execution
should be performed, but if you prefer to override the optimizer, you can specify the
execution site manually.
Following is an example of a SELECT statement with a DRIVING_SITE hint:
SELECT /*+DRIVING_SITE(dept)*/ * FROM emp, dept@remote.com
WHERE emp.deptno = dept.deptno;

Analyzing the Execution Plan
An important aspect to tuning distributed queries is analyzing the execution plan. The
feedback that you receive from your analysis is an important element to testing and
verifying your database. Verification becomes especially important when you want to
compare plans. For example, comparing the execution plan for a distributed query
optimized by cost-based optimization to a plan for a query manually optimized using
hints, collocated inline views, and other techniques.

33-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tuning Distributed Queries

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide for detailed
information about execution plans, the EXPLAIN PLAN statement,
and how to interpret the results

Generating the Execution Plan
After you have prepared the database to store the execution plan, you are ready to
view the plan for a specified query. Instead of directly executing a SQL statement,
append the statement to the EXPLAIN PLAN FOR clause. For example, you can execute
the following:
EXPLAIN PLAN FOR
SELECT d.dname
FROM dept d
WHERE d.deptno
IN (SELECT deptno
FROM emp@orc2.world
GROUP BY deptno
HAVING COUNT (deptno) >3
)
/

Viewing the Execution Plan
After you have executed the preceding SQL statement, the execution plan is stored
temporarily in the PLAN_TABLE. To view the results of the execution plan, execute the
following script:
@utlxpls.sql

The utlxpls.sql can be found in the $ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin directory.

Note:

Executing the utlxpls.sql script displays the execution plan for the SELECT statement
that you specified. The results are formatted as follows:
Plan Table
------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Operation
| Name
| Rows | Bytes| Cost | Pstart| Pstop |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------| SELECT STATEMENT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NESTED LOOPS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
REMOTE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TABLE ACCESS BY INDEX RO|DEPT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDEX UNIQUE SCAN
|PK_DEPT
|
|
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are manually optimizing distributed queries by writing your own collocated
inline views or using hints, it is best to generate an execution plan before and after
your manual optimization. With both execution plans, you can compare the
effectiveness of your manual optimization and make changes as necessary to improve
the performance of the distributed query.
To view the SQL statement that will be executed at the remote site, execute the
following select statement:
SELECT OTHER
FROM PLAN_TABLE

Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System 33-7

Handling Errors in Remote Procedures

WHERE operation = 'REMOTE';

Following is sample output:
SELECT DISTINCT "A1"."DEPTNO" FROM "EMP" "A1"
GROUP BY "A1"."DEPTNO" HAVING COUNT("A1"."DEPTNO")>3

If you are having difficulty viewing the entire contents of
the OTHER column, execute the following SQL*Plus command:

Note:

SET LONG 9999999

Handling Errors in Remote Procedures
When the database executes a procedure locally or at a remote location, four types of
exceptions can occur:
■

PL/SQL user-defined exceptions, which must be declared using the keyword
EXCEPTION

■

PL/SQL predefined exceptions such as the NO_DATA_FOUND keyword

■

SQL errors such as ORA-00900 and ORA-02015

■

Application exceptions generated using the RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR()
procedure

When using local procedures, you can trap these messages by writing an exception
handler such as the following
BEGIN
...
EXCEPTION
WHEN ZERO_DIVIDE THEN
/* ... handle the exception */
END;

Notice that the WHEN clause requires an exception name. If the exception does not have
a name, for example, exceptions generated with RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR, you can
assign one using PRAGMA_EXCEPTION_INIT. For example:
DECLARE
null_salary EXCEPTION;
PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT(null_salary, -20101);
BEGIN
...
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR(-20101, 'salary is missing');
...
EXCEPTION
WHEN null_salary THEN
...
END;

When calling a remote procedure, exceptions can be handled by an exception handler
in the local procedure. The remote procedure must return an error number to the local,
calling procedure, which then handles the exception as shown in the previous
example. Note that PL/SQL user-defined exceptions always return ORA-06510 to the
local procedure.

33-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Handling Errors in Remote Procedures

Therefore, it is not possible to distinguish between two different user-defined
exceptions based on the error number. All other remote exceptions can be handled in
the same manner as local exceptions.
See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for more
information about PL/SQL procedures

Developing Applications for a Distributed Database System 33-9

Handling Errors in Remote Procedures

33-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

34
34

Distributed Transactions Concepts

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

What Are Distributed Transactions?

■

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions

■

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

■

In-Doubt Transactions

■

Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study

What Are Distributed Transactions?
A distributed transaction includes one or more statements that, individually or as a
group, update data on two or more distinct nodes of a distributed database. For
example, assume the database configuration depicted in Figure 34–1:
Figure 34–1

Distributed System
dept table
Oracle Net
database link

HQ

emp table

SALES
bldg table
Oracle Net
database link

MAINT

SCOTT

The following distributed transaction executed by scott updates the local sales
database, the remote hq database, and the remote maint database:
UPDATE scott.dept@hq.us.example.com
SET loc = 'REDWOOD SHORES'
WHERE deptno = 10;

Distributed Transactions Concepts 34-1

What Are Distributed Transactions?

UPDATE scott.emp
SET deptno = 11
WHERE deptno = 10;
UPDATE scott.bldg@maint.us.example.com
SET room = 1225
WHERE room = 1163;
COMMIT;

If all statements of a transaction reference only a single
remote node, then the transaction is remote, not distributed.

Note:

There are two types of permissible operations in distributed transactions:
■

DML and DDL Transactions

■

Transaction Control Statements

DML and DDL Transactions
The following are the DML and DDL operations supported in a distributed
transaction:
■

CREATE TABLE AS SELECT

■

DELETE

■

INSERT (default and direct load)

■

UPDATE

■

LOCK TABLE

■

SELECT

■

SELECT FOR UPDATE

You can execute DML and DDL statements in parallel, and INSERT direct load
statements serially, but note the following restrictions:
■

All remote operations must be SELECT statements.

■

These statements must not be clauses in another distributed transaction.

■

■

■
■

■

If the table referenced in the table_expression_clause of an INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE
statement is remote, then execution is serial rather than parallel.
You cannot perform remote operations after issuing parallel DML/DDL or direct
load INSERT.
If the transaction begins using XA or OCI, it executes serially.
No loopback operations can be performed on the transaction originating the
parallel operation. For example, you cannot reference a remote object that is
actually a synonym for a local object.
If you perform a distributed operation other than a SELECT in the transaction, no
DML is parallelized.

Transaction Control Statements
The following are the supported transaction control statements:
■

COMMIT

34-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions

■

ROLLBACK

■

SAVEPOINT
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about these SQL statements

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions
As the statements in a distributed transaction are issued, the database defines a
session tree of all nodes participating in the transaction. A session tree is a hierarchical
model that describes the relationships among sessions and their roles. Figure 34–2
illustrates a session tree:
Figure 34–2 Example of a Session Tree
INSERT INTO orders...;
UPDATE inventory @ warehouse...;
UPDATE accts_rec @ finance...;
.
COMMIT;

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

FINANCE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

All nodes participating in the session tree of a distributed transaction assume one or
more of the following roles:
Role

Description

Client

A node that references information in a database belonging to a
different node.

Database server

A node that receives a request for information from another node.

Global coordinator

The node that originates the distributed transaction.

Local coordinator

A node that is forced to reference data on other nodes to complete
its part of the transaction.

Commit point site

The node that commits or rolls back the transaction as instructed
by the global coordinator.

The role a node plays in a distributed transaction is determined by:
■

Whether the transaction is local or remote

■

The commit point strength of the node ("Commit Point Site" on page 34-5)

Distributed Transactions Concepts 34-3

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions

■

■

Whether all requested data is available at a node, or whether other nodes need to
be referenced to complete the transaction
Whether the node is read-only

Clients
A node acts as a client when it references information from a database on another
node. The referenced node is a database server. In Figure 34–2, the node sales is a
client of the nodes that host the warehouse and finance databases.

Database Servers
A database server is a node that hosts a database from which a client requests data.
In Figure 34–2, an application at the sales node initiates a distributed transaction that
accesses data from the warehouse and finance nodes. Therefore, sales.example.com
has the role of client node, and warehouse and finance are both database servers. In
this example, sales is a database server and a client because the application also
modifies data in the sales database.

Local Coordinators
A node that must reference data on other nodes to complete its part in the distributed
transaction is called a local coordinator. In Figure 34–2, sales is a local coordinator
because it coordinates the nodes it directly references: warehouse and finance. The
node sales also happens to be the global coordinator because it coordinates all the
nodes involved in the transaction.
A local coordinator is responsible for coordinating the transaction among the nodes it
communicates directly with by:
■

Receiving and relaying transaction status information to and from those nodes

■

Passing queries to those nodes

■

Receiving queries from those nodes and passing them on to other nodes

■

Returning the results of queries to the nodes that initiated them

Global Coordinator
The node where the distributed transaction originates is called the global coordinator.
The database application issuing the distributed transaction is directly connected to
the node acting as the global coordinator. For example, in Figure 34–2, the transaction
issued at the node sales references information from the database servers warehouse
and finance. Therefore, sales.example.com is the global coordinator of this
distributed transaction.
The global coordinator becomes the parent or root of the session tree. The global
coordinator performs the following operations during a distributed transaction:
■

■

■

Sends all of the distributed transaction SQL statements, remote procedure calls,
and so forth to the directly referenced nodes, thus forming the session tree
Instructs all directly referenced nodes other than the commit point site to prepare
the transaction
Instructs the commit point site to initiate the global commit of the transaction if all
nodes prepare successfully

34-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions

■

Instructs all nodes to initiate a global rollback of the transaction if there is an abort
response

Commit Point Site
The job of the commit point site is to initiate a commit or roll back operation as
instructed by the global coordinator. The system administrator always designates one
node to be the commit point site in the session tree by assigning all nodes a commit
point strength. The node selected as commit point site should be the node that stores
the most critical data.
Figure 34–3 illustrates an example of distributed system, with sales serving as the
commit point site:
Figure 34–3

Commit Point Site

WAREHOUSE

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 75
SALES

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 100
FINANCE

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 50

The commit point site is distinct from all other nodes involved in a distributed
transaction in these ways:
■

■

The commit point site never enters the prepared state. Consequently, if the commit
point site stores the most critical data, this data never remains in-doubt, even if a
failure occurs. In failure situations, failed nodes remain in a prepared state,
holding necessary locks on data until in-doubt transactions are resolved.
The commit point site commits before the other nodes involved in the transaction.
In effect, the outcome of a distributed transaction at the commit point site
determines whether the transaction at all nodes is committed or rolled back: the
other nodes follow the lead of the commit point site. The global coordinator
ensures that all nodes complete the transaction in the same manner as the commit
point site.

How a Distributed Transaction Commits
A distributed transaction is considered committed after all non-commit-point sites are
prepared, and the transaction has been actually committed at the commit point site.
The redo log at the commit point site is updated as soon as the distributed transaction
is committed at this node.
Because the commit point log contains a record of the commit, the transaction is
considered committed even though some participating nodes may still be only in the

Distributed Transactions Concepts 34-5

Session Trees for Distributed Transactions

prepared state and the transaction not yet actually committed at these nodes. In the
same way, a distributed transaction is considered not committed if the commit has not
been logged at the commit point site.

Commit Point Strength
Every database server must be assigned a commit point strength. If a database server
is referenced in a distributed transaction, the value of its commit point strength
determines which role it plays in the two-phase commit. Specifically, the commit point
strength determines whether a given node is the commit point site in the distributed
transaction and thus commits before all of the other nodes. This value is specified
using the initialization parameter COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH. This section explains how
the database determines the commit point site.
The commit point site, which is determined at the beginning of the prepare phase, is
selected only from the nodes participating in the transaction. The following sequence
of events occurs:
1.

Of the nodes directly referenced by the global coordinator, the database selects the
node with the highest commit point strength as the commit point site.

2.

The initially-selected node determines if any of the nodes from which it has to
obtain information for this transaction has a higher commit point strength.

3.

Either the node with the highest commit point strength directly referenced in the
transaction or one of its servers with a higher commit point strength becomes the
commit point site.

4.

After the final commit point site has been determined, the global coordinator
sends prepare responses to all nodes participating in the transaction.

Figure 34–4 shows in a sample session tree the commit point strengths of each node (in
parentheses) and shows the node chosen as the commit point site:
Figure 34–4

Commit Point Strengths and Determination of the Commit Point Site
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM
(45)

HQ.EXAMPLE.COM
(165)
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM
(140)

Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
FINANCE.EXAMPLE.COM
(45)

HR.EXAMPLE.COM
(45)

34-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Database Server
Client

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

The following conditions apply when determining the commit point site:
■
■

■

A read-only node cannot be the commit point site.
If multiple nodes directly referenced by the global coordinator have the same
commit point strength, then the database designates one of these as the commit
point site.
If a distributed transaction ends with a rollback, then the prepare and commit
phases are not needed. Consequently, the database never determines a commit
point site. Instead, the global coordinator sends a ROLLBACK statement to all nodes
and ends the processing of the distributed transaction.

As Figure 34–4 illustrates, the commit point site and the global coordinator can be
different nodes of the session tree. The commit point strength of each node is
communicated to the coordinators when the initial connections are made. The
coordinators retain the commit point strengths of each node they are in direct
communication with so that commit point sites can be efficiently selected during
two-phase commits. Therefore, it is not necessary for the commit point strength to be
exchanged between a coordinator and a node each time a commit occurs.
See Also:
■

■

"Specifying the Commit Point Strength of a Node" on page 35-1
to learn how to set the commit point strength of a node
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
initialization parameter COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism
Unlike a transaction on a local database, a distributed transaction involves altering
data on multiple databases. Consequently, distributed transaction processing is more
complicated, because the database must coordinate the committing or rolling back of
the changes in a transaction as a self-contained unit. In other words, the entire
transaction commits, or the entire transaction rolls back.
The database ensures the integrity of data in a distributed transaction using the
two-phase commit mechanism. In the prepare phase, the initiating node in the
transaction asks the other participating nodes to promise to commit or roll back the
transaction. During the commit phase, the initiating node asks all participating nodes
to commit the transaction. If this outcome is not possible, then all nodes are asked to
roll back.
All participating nodes in a distributed transaction should perform the same action:
they should either all commit or all perform a rollback of the transaction. The database
automatically controls and monitors the commit or rollback of a distributed
transaction and maintains the integrity of the global database (the collection of
databases participating in the transaction) using the two-phase commit mechanism.
This mechanism is completely transparent, requiring no programming on the part of
the user or application developer.
The commit mechanism has the following distinct phases, which the database
performs automatically whenever a user commits a distributed transaction:

Distributed Transactions Concepts 34-7

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

Phase

Description

Prepare phase

The initiating node, called the global coordinator, asks
participating nodes other than the commit point site to promise to
commit or roll back the transaction, even if there is a failure. If any
node cannot prepare, the transaction is rolled back.

Commit phase

If all participants respond to the coordinator that they are
prepared, then the coordinator asks the commit point site to
commit. After it commits, the coordinator asks all other nodes to
commit the transaction.

Forget phase

The global coordinator forgets about the transaction.

This section contains the following topics:
■

Prepare Phase

■

Commit Phase

■

Forget Phase

Prepare Phase
The first phase in committing a distributed transaction is the prepare phase. In this
phase, the database does not actually commit or roll back the transaction. Instead, all
nodes referenced in a distributed transaction (except the commit point site, described
in the "Commit Point Site" on page 34-5) are told to prepare to commit. By preparing, a
node:
■

■

Records information in the redo logs so that it can subsequently either commit or
roll back the transaction, regardless of intervening failures
Places a distributed lock on modified tables, which prevents reads

When a node responds to the global coordinator that it is prepared to commit, the
prepared node promises to either commit or roll back the transaction later, but does not
make a unilateral decision on whether to commit or roll back the transaction. The
promise means that if an instance failure occurs at this point, the node can use the redo
records in the online log to recover the database back to the prepare phase.
Queries that start after a node has prepared cannot access
the associated locked data until all phases complete. The time is
insignificant unless a failure occurs (see "Deciding How to Handle
In-Doubt Transactions" on page 35-5).

Note:

Types of Responses in the Prepare Phase
When a node is told to prepare, it can respond in the following ways:
Response

Meaning

Prepared

Data on the node has been modified by a statement in the
distributed transaction, and the node has successfully prepared.

Read-only

No data on the node has been, or can be, modified (only queried),
so no preparation is necessary.

Abort

The node cannot successfully prepare.

34-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

Prepared Response When a node has successfully prepared, it issues a prepared
message. The message indicates that the node has records of the changes in the online
log, so it is prepared either to commit or perform a rollback. The message also
guarantees that locks held for the transaction can survive a failure.
Read-Only Response When a node is asked to prepare, and the SQL statements affecting
the database do not change any data on the node, the node responds with a read-only
message. The message indicates that the node will not participate in the commit
phase.
There are three cases in which all or part of a distributed transaction is read-only:
Case
Partially read-only

Conditions

Consequence

Any of the following occurs:

The read-only nodes recognize their
status when asked to prepare. They
give their local coordinators a
read-only response. Thus, the
commit phase completes faster
because the database eliminates
read-only nodes from subsequent
processing.

■

■
■

Completely read-only
with prepare phase

No data is changed.
Changes rolled back due
to triggers firing or
constraint violations.

All of following occur:
■
■

Completely read-only
without two-phase
commit

Only queries are issued at
one or more nodes.

All nodes recognize that they are
read-only during prepare phase, so
no commit phase is required. The
global coordinator, not knowing
whether all nodes are read-only,
must still perform the prepare phase.

No data changes.
Transaction is not started
with SET TRANSACTION
READ ONLY statement.

All of following occur:
■
■

No data changes.
Transaction is started with
SET TRANSACTION READ
ONLY statement.

Only queries are allowed in the
transaction, so global coordinator
does not have to perform two-phase
commit. Changes by other
transactions do not degrade global
transaction-level read consistency
because of global SCN coordination
among nodes. The transaction does
not use undo segments.

Note that if a distributed transaction is set to read-only, then it does not use undo
segments. If many users connect to the database and their transactions are not set to
READ ONLY, then they allocate undo space even if they are only performing queries.
Abort Response When a node cannot successfully prepare, it performs the following
actions:
1.

Releases resources currently held by the transaction and rolls back the local
portion of the transaction.

2.

Responds to the node that referenced it in the distributed transaction with an abort
message.

These actions then propagate to the other nodes involved in the distributed transaction
so that they can roll back the transaction and guarantee the integrity of the data in the
global database. This response enforces the primary rule of a distributed transaction:
all nodes involved in the transaction either all commit or all roll back the transaction at the
same logical time.

Distributed Transactions Concepts 34-9

Two-Phase Commit Mechanism

Steps in the Prepare Phase
To complete the prepare phase, each node excluding the commit point site performs
the following steps:
1.

The node requests that its descendants, that is, the nodes subsequently referenced,
prepare to commit.

2.

The node checks to see whether the transaction changes data on itself or its
descendants. If there is no change to the data, then the node skips the remaining
steps and returns a read-only response (see "Read-Only Response" on page 34-9).

3.

The node allocates the resources it must commit the transaction if data is changed.

4.

The node saves redo records corresponding to changes made by the transaction to
its redo log.

5.

The node guarantees that locks held for the transaction are able to survive a
failure.

6.

The node responds to the initiating node with a prepared response (see "Prepared
Response" on page 34-9) or, if its attempt or the attempt of one of its descendents
to prepare was unsuccessful, with an abort response (see "Abort Response" on
page 34-9).

These actions guarantee that the node can subsequently commit or roll back the
transaction on the node. The prepared nodes then wait until a COMMIT or ROLLBACK
request is received from the global coordinator.
After the nodes are prepared, the distributed transaction is said to be in-doubt (see
"In-Doubt Transactions" on page 34-11).It retains in-doubt status until all changes are
either committed or rolled back.

Commit Phase
The second phase in committing a distributed transaction is the commit phase. Before
this phase occurs, all nodes other than the commit point site referenced in the
distributed transaction have guaranteed that they are prepared, that is, they have the
necessary resources to commit the transaction.

Steps in the Commit Phase
The commit phase consists of the following steps:
1.

The global coordinator instructs the commit point site to commit.

2.

The commit point site commits.

3.

The commit point site informs the global coordinator that it has committed.

4.

The global and local coordinators send a message to all nodes instructing them to
commit the transaction.

5.

At each node, the database commits the local portion of the distributed transaction
and releases locks.

6.

At each node, the database records an additional redo entry in the local redo log,
indicating that the transaction has committed.

7.

The participating nodes notify the global coordinator that they have committed.

When the commit phase is complete, the data on all nodes of the distributed system is
consistent.

34-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

In-Doubt Transactions

Guaranteeing Global Database Consistency
Each committed transaction has an associated system change number (SCN) to
uniquely identify the changes made by the SQL statements within that transaction.
The SCN functions as an internal timestamp that uniquely identifies a committed
version of the database.
In a distributed system, the SCNs of communicating nodes are coordinated when all of
the following actions occur:
■

A connection occurs using the path described by one or more database links

■

A distributed SQL statement executes

■

A distributed transaction commits

Among other benefits, the coordination of SCNs among the nodes of a distributed
system ensures global read-consistency at both the statement and transaction level. If
necessary, global time-based recovery can also be completed.
During the prepare phase, the database determines the highest SCN at all nodes
involved in the transaction. The transaction then commits with the high SCN at the
commit point site. The commit SCN is then sent to all prepared nodes with the commit
decision.
See Also: "Managing Read Consistency" on page 35-19 for
information about managing time lag issues in read consistency

Forget Phase
After the participating nodes notify the commit point site that they have committed,
the commit point site can forget about the transaction. The following steps occur:
1.

After receiving notice from the global coordinator that all nodes have committed,
the commit point site erases status information about this transaction.

2.

The commit point site informs the global coordinator that it has erased the status
information.

3.

The global coordinator erases its own information about the transaction.

In-Doubt Transactions
The two-phase commit mechanism ensures that all nodes either commit or perform a
rollback together. What happens if any of the three phases fails because of a system or
network error? The transaction becomes in-doubt.
Distributed transactions can become in-doubt in the following ways:
■
■

■

A server system running Oracle Database software crashes
A network connection between two or more Oracle Databases involved in
distributed processing is disconnected
An unhandled software error occurs

The RECO process automatically resolves in-doubt transactions when the system,
network, or software problem is resolved. Until RECO can resolve the transaction, the
data is locked for both reads and writes. The database blocks reads because it cannot
determine which version of the data to display for a query.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Automatic Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions
Distributed Transactions Concepts

34-11

In-Doubt Transactions

■

Manual Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions

■

Relevance of System Change Numbers for In-Doubt Transactions

Automatic Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions
In the majority of cases, the database resolves the in-doubt transaction automatically.
Assume that there are two nodes, local and remote, in the following scenarios. The
local node is the commit point site. User scott connects to local and executes and
commits a distributed transaction that updates local and remote.

Failure During the Prepare Phase
Figure 34–5 illustrates the sequence of events when there is a failure during the
prepare phase of a distributed transaction:
Figure 34–5

Failure During Prepare Phase

4

All databases perform
rollback

2

Asks REMOTE to prepare

3

Crashes before giving
prepare response

Local
Remote
COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 200

1

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 100

Issues distributed
transaction

SCOTT

The following steps occur:
1.

User SCOTT connects to Local and executes a distributed transaction.

2.

The global coordinator, which in this example is also the commit point site,
requests all databases other than the commit point site to promise to commit or
roll back when told to do so.

3.

The remote database crashes before issuing the prepare response back to local.

4.

The transaction is ultimately rolled back on each database by the RECO process
when the remote site is restored.

Failure During the Commit Phase
Figure 34–6 illustrates the sequence of events when there is a failure during the
commit phase of a distributed transaction:

34-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

In-Doubt Transactions

Figure 34–6 Failure During Commit Phase

6

Local

All databases commit after
network restored

4

Asks REMOTE to commit

3

Receives prepare message from REMOTE

2

Asks REMOTE to prepare

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 200

1

5

Receives commit message,
but cannot respond

Remote

COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 100

Issues distributed
transaction

SCOTT

The following steps occur:
1.

User Scott connects to local and executes a distributed transaction.

2.

The global coordinator, which in this case is also the commit point site, requests all
databases other than the commit point site to promise to commit or roll back when
told to do so.

3.

The commit point site receives a prepared message from remote saying that it will
commit.

4.

The commit point site commits the transaction locally, then sends a commit
message to remote asking it to commit.

5.

The remote database receives the commit message, but cannot respond because of
a network failure.

6.

The transaction is ultimately committed on the remote database by the RECO
process after the network is restored.
"Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions" on
page 35-5 for a description of failure situations and how the
database resolves intervening failures during two-phase commit

See Also:

Manual Resolution of In-Doubt Transactions
You should only need to resolve an in-doubt transaction manually in the following
cases:
■

The in-doubt transaction has locks on critical data or undo segments.

■

The cause of the system, network, or software failure cannot be repaired quickly.

Resolution of in-doubt transactions can be complicated. The procedure requires that
you do the following:
■
■

Identify the transaction identification number for the in-doubt transaction.
Query the DBA_2PC_PENDING and DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS views to determine whether
the databases involved in the transaction have committed.

Distributed Transactions Concepts

34-13

Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study

■

If necessary, force a commit using the COMMIT FORCE statement or a rollback using
the ROLLBACK FORCE statement.
See Also: The following sections explain how to resolve in-doubt
transactions:
■

"Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions" on page 35-5

■

"Manually Overriding In-Doubt Transactions" on page 35-8

Relevance of System Change Numbers for In-Doubt Transactions
A system change number (SCN) is an internal timestamp for a committed version of
the database. The Oracle Database server uses the SCN clock value to guarantee
transaction consistency. For example, when a user commits a transaction, the database
records an SCN for this commit in the redo log.
The database uses SCNs to coordinate distributed transactions among different
databases. For example, the database uses SCNs in the following way:
1.

An application establishes a connection using a database link.

2.

The distributed transaction commits with the highest global SCN among all the
databases involved.

3.

The commit global SCN is sent to all databases involved in the transaction.

SCNs are important for distributed transactions because they function as a
synchronized commit timestamp of a transaction, even if the transaction fails. If a
transaction becomes in-doubt, an administrator can use this SCN to coordinate
changes made to the global database. The global SCN for the transaction commit can
also be used to identify the transaction later, for example, in distributed recovery.

Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study
In this scenario, a company has separate Oracle Database servers, sales.example.com
and warehouse.example.com. As users insert sales records into the sales database,
associated records are being updated at the warehouse database.
This case study of distributed processing illustrates:
■

The definition of a session tree

■

How a commit point site is determined

■

When prepare messages are sent

■

When a transaction actually commits

■

What information is stored locally about the transaction

Stage 1: Client Application Issues DML Statements
At the Sales department, a salesperson uses SQL*Plus to enter a sales order and then
commit it. The application issues several SQL statements to enter the order into the
sales database and update the inventory in the warehouse database:
CONNECT scott@sales.example.com ...;
INSERT INTO orders ...;
UPDATE inventory@warehouse.example.com ...;
INSERT INTO orders ...;
UPDATE inventory@warehouse.example.com ...;
COMMIT;

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These SQL statements are part of a single distributed transaction, guaranteeing that all
issued SQL statements succeed or fail as a unit. Treating the statements as a unit
prevents the possibility of an order being placed and then inventory not being
updated to reflect the order. In effect, the transaction guarantees the consistency of
data in the global database.
As each of the SQL statements in the transaction executes, the session tree is defined,
as shown in Figure 34–7.
Figure 34–7 Defining the Session Tree
INSERT INTO orders...;
UPDATE inventory @ warehouse...;
INSERT INTO orders...;
UPDATE inventory @ warehouse...;
COMMIT;

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

SQL

Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

Note the following aspects of the transaction:
■

■

■

An order entry application running on the sales database initiates the transaction.
Therefore, sales.example.com is the global coordinator for the distributed
transaction.
The order entry application inserts a new sales record into the sales database and
updates the inventory at the warehouse. Therefore, the nodes sales.example.com
and warehouse.example.com are both database servers.
Because sales.example.com updates the inventory, it is a client of
warehouse.example.com.

This stage completes the definition of the session tree for this distributed transaction.
Each node in the tree has acquired the necessary data locks to execute the SQL
statements that reference local data. These locks remain even after the SQL statements
have been executed until the two-phase commit is completed.

Stage 2: Oracle Database Determines Commit Point Site
The database determines the commit point site immediately following the COMMIT
statement. sales.example.com, the global coordinator, is determined to be the commit
point site, as shown in Figure 34–8.
See Also: "Commit Point Strength" on page 34-6 for more
information about how the commit point site is determined
Distributed Transactions Concepts

34-15

Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study

Figure 34–8

Determining the Commit Point Site

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

Commit
Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

Stage 3: Global Coordinator Sends Prepare Response
The prepare stage involves the following steps:
1.

After the database determines the commit point site, the global coordinator sends
the prepare message to all directly referenced nodes of the session tree, excluding
the commit point site. In this example, warehouse.example.com is the only node
asked to prepare.

2.

Node warehouse.example.com tries to prepare. If a node can guarantee that it can
commit the locally dependent part of the transaction and can record the commit
information in its local redo log, then the node can successfully prepare. In this
example, only warehouse.example.com receives a prepare message because
sales.example.com is the commit point site.

3.

Node warehouse.example.com responds to sales.example.com with a prepared
message.

As each node prepares, it sends a message back to the node that asked it to prepare.
Depending on the responses, one of the following can happen:
■

■

If any of the nodes asked to prepare responds with an abort message to the global
coordinator, then the global coordinator tells all nodes to roll back the transaction,
and the operation is completed.
If all nodes asked to prepare respond with a prepared or a read-only message to
the global coordinator, that is, they have successfully prepared, then the global
coordinator asks the commit point site to commit the transaction.

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Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study

Figure 34–9

Sending and Acknowledging the Prepare Message

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

1.Sales to Warehouse
”Please prepare”
2.Warehouse to Sales
”Prepared”

Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

Stage 4: Commit Point Site Commits
The committing of the transaction by the commit point site involves the following
steps:
1.

Node sales.example.com, receiving acknowledgment that
warehouse.example.com is prepared, instructs the commit point site to commit the
transaction.

2.

The commit point site now commits the transaction locally and records this fact in
its local redo log.

Even if warehouse.example.com has not yet committed, the outcome of this
transaction is predetermined. In other words, the transaction will be committed at all
nodes even if the ability of a given node to commit is delayed.

Stage 5: Commit Point Site Informs Global Coordinator of Commit
This stage involves the following steps:
1.

The commit point site tells the global coordinator that the transaction has
committed. Because the commit point site and global coordinator are the same
node in this example, no operation is required. The commit point site knows that
the transaction is committed because it recorded this fact in its online log.

2.

The global coordinator confirms that the transaction has been committed on all
other nodes involved in the distributed transaction.

Stage 6: Global and Local Coordinators Tell All Nodes to Commit
The committing of the transaction by all the nodes in the transaction involves the
following steps:
1.

After the global coordinator has been informed of the commit at the commit point
site, it tells all other directly referenced nodes to commit.

2.

In turn, any local coordinators instruct their servers to commit, and so on.

3.

Each node, including the global coordinator, commits the transaction and records
appropriate redo log entries locally. As each node commits, the resource locks that
were being held locally for that transaction are released.

Distributed Transactions Concepts

34-17

Distributed Transaction Processing: Case Study

In Figure 34–10, sales.example.com, which is both the commit point site and the
global coordinator, has already committed the transaction locally. sales now instructs
warehouse.example.com to commit the transaction.
Figure 34–10

Instructing Nodes to Commit

SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

Sales to Warehouse:
”Commit”

Global Coordinator
Commit Point Site
Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

Stage 7: Global Coordinator and Commit Point Site Complete the Commit
The completion of the commit of the transaction occurs in the following steps:
1.

After all referenced nodes and the global coordinator have committed the
transaction, the global coordinator informs the commit point site of this fact.

2.

The commit point site, which has been waiting for this message, erases the status
information about this distributed transaction.

3.

The commit point site informs the global coordinator that it is finished. In other
words, the commit point site forgets about committing the distributed transaction.
This action is permissible because all nodes involved in the two-phase commit
have committed the transaction successfully, so they will never have to determine
its status in the future.

4.

The global coordinator finalizes the transaction by forgetting about the transaction
itself.

After the completion of the COMMIT phase, the distributed transaction is itself complete.
The steps described are accomplished automatically and in a fraction of a second.

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35
35

Managing Distributed Transactions

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Specifying the Commit Point Strength of a Node

■

Naming Transactions

■

Viewing Information About Distributed Transactions

■

Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions

■

Manually Overriding In-Doubt Transactions

■

Purging Pending Rows from the Data Dictionary

■

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

■

Data Access Failures Due to Locks

■

Simulating Distributed Transaction Failure

■

Managing Read Consistency

Specifying the Commit Point Strength of a Node
The database with the highest commit point strength determines which node commits
first in a distributed transaction. When specifying a commit point strength for each
node, ensure that the most critical server will be non-blocking if a failure occurs
during a prepare or commit phase. The COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH initialization
parameter determines the commit point strength of a node.
The default value is operating system-dependent. The range of values is any integer
from 0 to 255. For example, to set the commit point strength of a database to 200,
include the following line in the database initialization parameter file:
COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH = 200

The commit point strength is only used to determine the commit point site in a
distributed transaction.
When setting the commit point strength for a database, note the following
considerations:
■

■

Because the commit point site stores information about the status of the
transaction, the commit point site should not be a node that is frequently
unreliable or unavailable in case other nodes need information about transaction
status.
Set the commit point strength for a database relative to the amount of critical
shared data in the database. For example, a database on a mainframe computer
Managing Distributed Transactions 35-1

Naming Transactions

usually shares more data among users than a database on a PC. Therefore, set the
commit point strength of the mainframe to a higher value than the PC.
See Also: "Commit Point Site" on page 34-5 for a conceptual
overview of commit points

Naming Transactions
You can name a transaction. This is useful for identifying a specific distributed
transaction and replaces the use of the COMMIT COMMENT statement for this purpose.
To name a transaction, use the SET TRANSACTION...NAME statement. For example:
SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL SERIALIZABLE
NAME 'update inventory checkpoint 0';

This example shows that the user started a new transaction with isolation level equal
to SERIALIZABLE and named it 'update inventory checkpoint 0'.
For distributed transactions, the name is sent to participating sites when a transaction
is committed. If a COMMIT COMMENT exists, it is ignored when a transaction name exists.
The transaction name is displayed in the NAME column of the V$TRANSACTION view, and
in the TRAN_COMMENT field of the DBA_2PC_PENDING view when the transaction is
committed.

Viewing Information About Distributed Transactions
The data dictionary of each database stores information about all open distributed
transactions. You can use data dictionary tables and views to gain information about
the transactions. This section contains the following topics:
■

Determining the ID Number and Status of Prepared Transactions

■

Tracing the Session Tree of In-Doubt Transactions

Determining the ID Number and Status of Prepared Transactions
The following view shows the database links that have been defined at the local
database and stored in the data dictionary:
View

Purpose

DBA_2PC_PENDING

Lists all in-doubt distributed transactions. The view is empty
until populated by an in-doubt transaction. After the transaction
is resolved, the view is purged.

Use this view to determine the global commit number for a particular transaction ID.
You can use this global commit number when manually resolving an in-doubt
transaction.
The following table shows the most relevant columns (for a description of all the
columns in the view, see Oracle Database Reference):

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Viewing Information About Distributed Transactions

Table 35–1

DBA_2PC_PENDING

Column

Description

LOCAL_TRAN_ID

Local transaction identifier in the format integer.integer.integer.
Note: When the LOCAL_TRAN_ID and the GLOBAL_TRAN_ID for a
connection are the same, the node is the global coordinator of
the transaction.

GLOBAL_TRAN_ID

Global database identifier in the format global_db_name.db_hex_
id.local_tran_id, where db_hex_id is an eight-character
hexadecimal value used to uniquely identify the database. This
common transaction ID is the same on every node for a
distributed transaction.
Note: When the LOCAL_TRAN_ID and the GLOBAL_TRAN_ID for a
connection are the same, the node is the global coordinator of
the transaction.

STATE

STATE can have the following values:
■

Collecting
This category normally applies only to the global
coordinator or local coordinators. The node is currently
collecting information from other database servers before it
can decide whether it can prepare.

■

Prepared
The node has prepared and may or may not have
acknowledged this to its local coordinator with a prepared
message. However, no commit request has been received.
The node remains prepared, holding any local resource
locks necessary for the transaction to commit.

■

Committed
The node (any type) has committed the transaction, but
other nodes involved in the transaction may not have done
the same. That is, the transaction is still pending at one or
more nodes.

■

Forced Commit
A pending transaction can be forced to commit at the
discretion of a database administrator. This entry occurs if a
transaction is manually committed at a local node.

■

Forced termination (rollback)
A pending transaction can be forced to roll back at the
discretion of a database administrator. This entry occurs if
this transaction is manually rolled back at a local node.

MIXED

YES means that part of the transaction was committed on one
node and rolled back on another node.

TRAN_COMMENT

Transaction comment or, if using transaction naming, the
transaction name is placed here when the transaction is
committed.

HOST

Name of the host system.

COMMIT#

Global commit number for committed transactions.

Execute the following script, named pending_txn_script, to query pertinent
information in DBA_2PC_PENDING (sample output included):
COL LOCAL_TRAN_ID FORMAT A13
COL GLOBAL_TRAN_ID FORMAT A30
COL STATE FORMAT A8

Managing Distributed Transactions 35-3

Viewing Information About Distributed Transactions

COL MIXED FORMAT A3
COL HOST FORMAT A10
COL COMMIT# FORMAT A10
SELECT LOCAL_TRAN_ID, GLOBAL_TRAN_ID, STATE, MIXED, HOST, COMMIT#
FROM DBA_2PC_PENDING
/
SQL> @pending_txn_script
LOCAL_TRAN_ID GLOBAL_TRAN_ID
STATE
MIX HOST
COMMIT#
------------- ------------------------------ -------- --- ---------- ---------1.15.870
HQ.EXAMPLE.COM.ef192da4.1.15.870 commit
no dlsun183
115499

This output indicates that local transaction 1.15.870 has been committed on this node,
but it may be pending on one or more other nodes. Because LOCAL_TRAN_ID and the
local part of GLOBAL_TRAN_ID are the same, the node is the global coordinator of the
transaction.

Tracing the Session Tree of In-Doubt Transactions
The following view shows which in-doubt transactions are incoming from a remote
client and which are outgoing to a remote server:
View

Purpose

DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS

Lists all incoming (from remote client) and outgoing (to remote
server) in-doubt distributed transactions. It also indicates
whether the local node is the commit point site in the
transaction.
The view is empty until populated by an in-doubt transaction.
After the transaction is resolved, the view is purged.

When a transaction is in-doubt, you may need to determine which nodes performed
which roles in the session tree. Use to this view to determine:
■

All the incoming and outgoing connections for a given transaction

■

Whether the node is the commit point site in a given transaction

■

Whether the node is a global coordinator in a given transaction (because its local
transaction ID and global transaction ID are the same)

The following table shows the most relevant columns (for an account of all the
columns in the view, see Oracle Database Reference):
Table 35–2

DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS

Column

Description

LOCAL_TRAN_ID

Local transaction identifier with the format
integer.integer.integer.
Note: When LOCAL_TRAN_ID and GLOBAL_TRAN_ID.DBA_2PC_
PENDING for a connection are the same, the node is the global
coordinator of the transaction.

IN_OUT

IN for incoming transactions; OUT for outgoing transactions.

DATABASE

For incoming transactions, the name of the client database that
requested information from this local node; for outgoing
transactions, the name of the database link used to access
information on a remote server.

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Table 35–2 (Cont.) DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS
Column

Description

DBUSER_OWNER

For incoming transactions, the local account used to connect by
the remote database link; for outgoing transactions, the owner
of the database link.

INTERFACE

C is a commit message; N is either a message indicating a
prepared state or a request for a read-only commit.
When IN_OUT is OUT, C means that the child at the remote end of
the connection is the commit point site and knows whether to
commit or terminate. N means that the local node is informing
the remote node that it is prepared.
When IN_OUT is IN, C means that the local node or a database at
the remote end of an outgoing connection is the commit point
site. N means that the remote node is informing the local node
that it is prepared.

Execute the following script, named neighbors_script, to query pertinent
information in DBA_2PC_PENDING (sample output included):
COL LOCAL_TRAN_ID FORMAT A13
COL IN_OUT FORMAT A6
COL DATABASE FORMAT A25
COL DBUSER_OWNER FORMAT A15
COL INTERFACE FORMAT A3
SELECT LOCAL_TRAN_ID, IN_OUT, DATABASE, DBUSER_OWNER, INTERFACE
FROM DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS
/
SQL> CONNECT SYS@hq.example.com AS SYSDBA
SQL> @neighbors_script
LOCAL_TRAN_ID IN_OUT DATABASE
DBUSER_OWNER
INT
------------- ------ ------------------------- --------------- --1.15.870
out
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM
SYS
C

This output indicates that the local node sent an outgoing request to remote server
sales to commit transaction 1.15.870. If sales committed the transaction but no other
node did, then you know that sales is the commit point site, because the commit point
site always commits first.

Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions
A transaction is in-doubt when there is a failure during any aspect of the two-phase
commit. Distributed transactions become in-doubt in the following ways:
■
■

■

A server system running Oracle Database software crashes
A network connection between two or more Oracle Databases involved in
distributed processing is disconnected
An unhandled software error occurs
See Also: "In-Doubt Transactions" on page 34-11 for a conceptual
overview of in-doubt transactions

Managing Distributed Transactions 35-5

Deciding How to Handle In-Doubt Transactions

You can manually force the commit or rollback of a local, in-doubt distributed
transaction. Because this operation can generate consistency problems, perform it only
when specific conditions exist.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Discovering Problems with a Two-Phase Commit

■

Determining Whether to Perform a Manual Override

■

Analyzing the Transaction Data

Discovering Problems with a Two-Phase Commit
The user application that commits a distributed transaction is informed of a problem
by one of the following error messages:
ORA-02050: transaction
some remote
ORA-02053: transaction
some remote
ORA-02054: transaction

ID rolled back,
dbs may be in-doubt
ID committed,
dbs may be in-doubt
ID in-doubt

A robust application should save information about a transaction if it receives any of
the preceding errors. This information can be used later if manual distributed
transaction recovery is desired.
No action is required by the administrator of any node that has one or more in-doubt
distributed transactions due to a network or system failure. The automatic recovery
features of the database transparently complete any in-doubt transaction so that the
same outcome occurs on all nodes of a session tree (that is, all commit or all roll back)
after the network or system failure is resolved.
In extended outages, however, you can force the commit or rollback of a transaction to
release any locked data. Applications must account for such possibilities.

Determining Whether to Perform a Manual Override
Override a specific in-doubt transaction manually only when one of the following
conditions exists:
■

■

■

The in-doubt transaction locks data that is required by other transactions. This
situation occurs when the ORA-01591 error message interferes with user
transactions.
An in-doubt transaction prevents the extents of an undo segment from being used
by other transactions. The first portion of the local transaction ID of an in-doubt
distributed transaction corresponds to the ID of the undo segment, as listed by the
data dictionary view DBA_2PC_PENDING.
The failure preventing the two-phase commit phases to complete cannot be
corrected in an acceptable time period. Examples of such cases include a
telecommunication network that has been damaged or a damaged database that
requires a long recovery time.

Normally, you should decide to locally force an in-doubt distributed transaction in
consultation with administrators at other locations. A wrong decision can lead to
database inconsistencies that can be difficult to trace and that you must manually
correct.

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If none of these conditions apply, always allow the automatic recovery features of the
database to complete the transaction. If any of these conditions are met, however,
consider a local override of the in-doubt transaction.

Analyzing the Transaction Data
If you decide to force the transaction to complete, analyze available information with
the following goals in mind.

Find a Node that Committed or Rolled Back
Use the DBA_2PC_PENDING view to find a node that has either committed or rolled back
the transaction. If you can find a node that has already resolved the transaction, then
you can follow the action taken at that node.

Look for Transaction Comments
See if any information is given in the TRAN_COMMENT column of DBA_2PC_PENDING for
the distributed transaction. Comments are included in the COMMENT clause of the
COMMIT statement, or if transaction naming is used, the transaction name is placed in
the TRAN_COMMENT field when the transaction is committed.
For example, the comment of an in-doubt distributed transaction can indicate the
origin of the transaction and what type of transaction it is:
COMMIT COMMENT 'Finance/Accts_pay/Trans_type 10B';

The SET TRANSACTION...NAME statement could also have been used (and is preferable)
to provide this information in a transaction name.
See Also:

"Naming Transactions" on page 35-2

Look for Transaction Advice
See if any information is given in the ADVICE column of DBA_2PC_PENDING for the
distributed transaction. An application can prescribe advice about whether to force the
commit or force the rollback of separate parts of a distributed transaction with the
ADVISE clause of the ALTER SESSION statement.
The advice sent during the prepare phase to each node is the advice in effect at the
time the most recent DML statement executed at that database in the current
transaction.
For example, consider a distributed transaction that moves an employee record from
the emp table at one node to the emp table at another node. The transaction can protect
the record--even when administrators independently force the in-doubt transaction at
each node--by including the following sequence of SQL statements:
ALTER SESSION ADVISE COMMIT;
INSERT INTO emp@hq ... ;
/*advice to commit at HQ */
ALTER SESSION ADVISE ROLLBACK;
DELETE FROM emp@sales ... ; /*advice to roll back at SALES*/
ALTER SESSION ADVISE NOTHING;

If you manually force the in-doubt transaction following the given advice, the worst
that can happen is that each node has a copy of the employee record; the record cannot
disappear.

Managing Distributed Transactions 35-7

Manually Overriding In-Doubt Transactions

Manually Overriding In-Doubt Transactions
Use the COMMIT or ROLLBACK statement with the FORCE option and a text string that
indicates either the local or global transaction ID of the in-doubt transaction to
commit.
In all examples, the transaction is committed or rolled back
on the local node, and the local pending transaction table records a
value of forced commit or forced termination for the STATE column
the row for this transaction.
Note:

This section contains the following topics:
■

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction

■

Manually Rolling Back an In-Doubt Transaction

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction
Before attempting to commit the transaction, ensure that you have the proper
privileges. Note the following requirements:
User Committing the Transaction

Privilege Required

You

FORCE TRANSACTION

Another user

FORCE ANY TRANSACTION

Committing Using Only the Transaction ID
The following SQL statement commits an in-doubt transaction:
COMMIT FORCE 'transaction_id';

The variable transaction_id is the identifier of the transaction as specified in either the
LOCAL_TRAN_ID or GLOBAL_TRAN_ID columns of the DBA_2PC_PENDING data dictionary
view.
For example, assume that you query DBA_2PC_PENDING and determine that LOCAL_
TRAN_ID for a distributed transaction is 1:45.13.
You then issue the following SQL statement to force the commit of this in-doubt
transaction:
COMMIT FORCE '1.45.13';

Committing Using an SCN
Optionally, you can specify the SCN for the transaction when forcing a transaction to
commit. This feature lets you commit an in-doubt transaction with the SCN assigned
when it was committed at other nodes.
Consequently, you maintain the synchronized commit time of the distributed
transaction even if there is a failure. Specify an SCN only when you can determine the
SCN of the same transaction already committed at another node.
For example, assume you want to manually commit a transaction with the following
global transaction ID:
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29

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First, query the DBA_2PC_PENDING view of a remote database also involved with the
transaction in question. Note the SCN used for the commit of the transaction at that
node. Specify the SCN when committing the transaction at the local node. For
example, if the SCN is 829381993, issue:
COMMIT FORCE 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29', 829381993;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about using the COMMIT statement

Manually Rolling Back an In-Doubt Transaction
Before attempting to roll back the in-doubt distributed transaction, ensure that you
have the proper privileges. Note the following requirements:
User Committing the Transaction

Privilege Required

You

FORCE TRANSACTION

Another user

FORCE ANY TRANSACTION

The following SQL statement rolls back an in-doubt transaction:
ROLLBACK FORCE 'transaction_id';

The variable transaction_id is the identifier of the transaction as specified in either the
LOCAL_TRAN_ID or GLOBAL_TRAN_ID columns of the DBA_2PC_PENDING data dictionary
view.
For example, to roll back the in-doubt transaction with the local transaction ID of
2.9.4, use the following statement:
ROLLBACK FORCE '2.9.4';

Note:

You cannot roll back an in-doubt transaction to a savepoint.

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about using the ROLLBACK statement

Purging Pending Rows from the Data Dictionary
Before RECO recovers an in-doubt transaction, the transaction appears in DBA_2PC_
PENDING.STATE as COLLECTING, COMMITTED, or PREPARED. If you force an in-doubt
transaction using COMMIT FORCE or ROLLBACK FORCE, then the states FORCED COMMIT or
FORCED ROLLBACK may appear.
Automatic recovery normally deletes entries in these states. The only exception is
when recovery discovers a forced transaction that is in a state inconsistent with other
sites in the transaction. In this case, the entry can be left in the table and the MIXED
column in DBA_2PC_PENDING has a value of YES. These entries can be cleaned up with
the DBMS_TRANSACTION.PURGE_MIXED procedure.
If automatic recovery is not possible because a remote database has been permanently
lost, then recovery cannot identify the re-created database because it receives a new
database ID when it is re-created. In this case, you must use the PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY
procedure in the DBMS_TRANSACTION package to clean up the entries. The entries do not
hold up database resources, so there is no urgency in cleaning them up.

Managing Distributed Transactions 35-9

Purging Pending Rows from the Data Dictionary

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about the DBMS_TRANSACTION package

Executing the PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY Procedure
To manually remove an entry from the data dictionary, use the following syntax
(where trans_id is the identifier for the transaction):
DBMS_TRANSACTION.PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY('trans_id');

For example, to purge pending distributed transaction 1.44.99, enter the following
statement in SQL*Plus:
EXECUTE DBMS_TRANSACTION.PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY('1.44.99');

Execute this procedure only if significant reconfiguration has occurred so that
automatic recovery cannot resolve the transaction. Examples include:
■

Total loss of the remote database

■

Reconfiguration in software resulting in loss of two-phase commit capability

■

Loss of information from an external transaction coordinator such as a TPMonitor

Determining When to Use DBMS_TRANSACTION
The following tables indicates what the various states indicate about the distributed
transaction what the administrator's action should be:
STATE
Column

State of Global
Transaction

State of Local
Transaction

Normal Action

Alternative Action

Collecting

Rolled back

Rolled back

None

PURGE_LOST_DB_
ENTRY (only if
autorecovery cannot
resolve transaction)

Committed Committed

Committed

None

PURGE_LOST_DB_
ENTRY (only if
autorecovery cannot
resolve transaction)

Prepared

Unknown

Prepared

None

Force commit or
rollback

Forced
commit

Unknown

Committed

None

PURGE_LOST_DB_
ENTRY (only if
autorecovery cannot
resolve transaction)

Forced
rollback

Unknown

Rolled back

None

PURGE_LOST_DB_
ENTRY (only if
autorecovery cannot
resolve transaction)

Forced
commit

Mixed

Committed

Manually remove
inconsistencies
then use PURGE_
MIXED

-

Forced
rollback

Mixed

Rolled back

Manually remove
inconsistencies
then use PURGE_
MIXED

-

35-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example
Figure 35–1, illustrates a failure during the commit of a distributed transaction. In this
failure case, the prepare phase completes. During the commit phase, however, the
commit confirmation of the commit point site never reaches the global coordinator,
even though the commit point site committed the transaction. Inventory data is locked
and cannot be accessed because the in-doubt transaction is critical to other
transactions. Further, the locks must be held until the in-doubt transaction either
commits or rolls back.
Figure 35–1

Example of an In-Doubt Distributed Transaction
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM
prepared

Communication break
Global Coordinator
prepared

Commit Point Site

commit

Database Server
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM

Client

HQ.EXAMPLE.COM

You can manually force the local portion of the in-doubt transaction by following the
steps detailed in the following sections:
Step 1: Record User Feedback
Step 2: Query DBA_2PC_PENDING
Step 3: Query DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS on Local Node
Step 4: Querying Data Dictionary Views on All Nodes
Step 5: Commit the In-Doubt Transaction
Step 6: Check for Mixed Outcome Using DBA_2PC_PENDING

Step 1: Record User Feedback
The users of the local database system that conflict with the locks of the in-doubt
transaction receive the following error message:
ORA-01591: lock held by in-doubt distributed transaction 1.21.17

In this case, 1.21.17 is the local transaction ID of the in-doubt distributed transaction.
You should request and record this ID number from users that report problems to
identify which in-doubt transactions should be forced.

Step 2: Query DBA_2PC_PENDING
After connecting with SQL*Plus to warehouse, query the local DBA_2PC_PENDING data
dictionary view to gain information about the in-doubt transaction:
CONNECT SYS@warehouse.example.com AS SYSDBA
SELECT * FROM DBA_2PC_PENDING WHERE LOCAL_TRAN_ID = '1.21.17';

The database returns the following information:

Managing Distributed Transactions

35-11

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
GLOBAL_TRAN_ID
STATE
MIXED
ADVICE
TRAN_COMMENT
FAIL_TIME
FORCE_TIME
RETRY_TIME
OS_USER
OS_TERMINAL
HOST
DB_USER
COMMIT#

Value
-------------------------------------1.21.17
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29
prepared
no
Sales/New Order/Trans_type 10B
31-MAY-91
31-MAY-91
SWILLIAMS
TWA139:
system1
SWILLIAMS

Determining the Global Transaction ID
The global transaction ID is the common transaction ID that is the same on every node
for a distributed transaction. It is of the form:
global_database_name.hhhhhhhh.local_transaction_id
where:
■
■

■

global_database_name is the database name of the global coordinator.
hhhhhhhh is the internal database identifier of the global coordinator (in
hexadecimal).
local_transaction_id is the corresponding local transaction ID assigned on the
global coordinator.

Note that the last portion of the global transaction ID and the local transaction ID
match at the global coordinator. In the example, you can tell that warehouse is not the
global coordinator because these numbers do not match:
LOCAL_TRAN_ID
GLOBAL_TRAN_ID

1.21.17
... 1.93.29

Determining the State of the Transaction
The transaction on this node is in a prepared state:
STATE

prepared

Therefore, warehouse waits for its coordinator to send either a commit or a rollback
request.

Looking for Comments or Advice
The transaction comment or advice can include information about this transaction. If
so, use this comment to your advantage. In this example, the origin and transaction
type is in the transaction comment:
TRAN_COMMENT

Sales/New Order/Trans_type 10B

It could also be provided as a transaction name with a SET TRANSACTION...NAME
statement.
This information can reveal something that helps you decide whether to commit or
rollback the local portion of the transaction. If useful comments do not accompany an

35-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

in-doubt transaction, you must complete some extra administrative work to trace the
session tree and find a node that has resolved the transaction.

Step 3: Query DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS on Local Node
The purpose of this step is to climb the session tree so that you find coordinators,
eventually reaching the global coordinator. Along the way, you may find a coordinator
that has resolved the transaction. If not, you can eventually work your way to the
commit point site, which will always have resolved the in-doubt transaction. To trace
the session tree, query the DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS view on each node.
In this case, you query this view on the warehouse database:
CONNECT SYS@warehouse.example.com AS SYSDBA
SELECT * FROM DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS
WHERE LOCAL_TRAN_ID = '1.21.17'
ORDER BY SESS#, IN_OUT;
Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
IN_OUT
DATABASE
DBUSER_OWNER
INTERFACE
DBID
SESS#
BRANCH

Value
-------------------------------------1.21.17
in
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM
SWILLIAMS
N
000003F4
1
0100

Obtaining Database Role and Database Link Information
The DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS view provides information about connections associated with
an in-doubt transaction. Information for each connection is different, based on whether
the connection is inbound (IN_OUT = in) or outbound (IN_OUT = out):
IN_OUT

Meaning

DATABASE

DBUSER_OWNER

in

Your node is a server of
another node.

Lists the name of the
client database that
connected to your node.

Lists the local account for
the database link
connection that
corresponds to the
in-doubt transaction.

out

Your node is a client of
other servers.

Lists the name of the
database link that
connects to the remote
node.

Lists the owner of the
database link for the
in-doubt transaction.

In this example, the IN_OUT column reveals that the warehouse database is a server for
the sales client, as specified in the DATABASE column:
IN_OUT
DATABASE

in
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM

The connection to warehouse was established through a database link from the
swilliams account, as shown by the DBUSER_OWNER column:
DBUSER_OWNER

SWILLIAMS

Managing Distributed Transactions

35-13

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

Determining the Commit Point Site
Additionally, the INTERFACE column tells whether the local node or a subordinate node
is the commit point site:
INTERFACE

N

Neither warehouse nor any of its descendants is the commit point site, as shown by the
INTERFACE column.

Step 4: Querying Data Dictionary Views on All Nodes
At this point, you can contact the administrator at the located nodes and ask each
person to repeat Steps 2 and 3 using the global transaction ID.
If you can directly connect to these nodes with another
network, you can repeat Steps 2 and 3 yourself.

Note:

For example, the following results are returned when Steps 2 and 3 are performed at
sales and hq.

Checking the Status of Pending Transactions at sales
At this stage, the sales administrator queries the DBA_2PC_PENDING data dictionary
view:
SQL> CONNECT SYS@sales.example.com AS SYSDBA
SQL> SELECT * FROM DBA_2PC_PENDING
> WHERE GLOBAL_TRAN_ID = 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29';
Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
GLOBAL_TRAN_ID
STATE
MIXED
ADVICE
TRAN_COMMENT
FAIL_TIME
FORCE_TIME
RETRY_TIME
OS_USER
OS_TERMINAL
HOST
DB_USER
COMMIT#

Value
-------------------------------------1.93.29
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29
prepared
no
Sales/New Order/Trans_type 10B
31-MAY-91
31-MAY-91
SWILLIAMS
TWA139:
system1
SWILLIAMS

Determining the Coordinators and Commit Point Site at sales
Next, the sales administrator queries DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS to determine the global and
local coordinators as well as the commit point site:
SELECT * FROM DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS
WHERE GLOBAL_TRAN_ID = 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29'
ORDER BY SESS#, IN_OUT;

This query returns three rows:
■

The connection to warehouse

35-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

■

The connection to hq

■

The connection established by the user

Reformatted information corresponding to the rows for the warehouse connection
appears below:
Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
IN_OUT
DATABASE
DBUSER_OWNER
INTERFACE
DBID
SESS#
BRANCH

Value
-------------------------------------1.93.29
OUT
WAREHOUSE.EXAMPLE.COM
SWILLIAMS
N
55d1c563
1
1

Reformatted information corresponding to the rows for the hq connection appears
below:
Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
IN_OUT
DATABASE
DBUSER_OWNER
INTERFACE
DBID
SESS#
BRANCH

Value
-------------------------------------1.93.29
OUT
HQ.EXAMPLE.COM
ALLEN
C
00000390
1
1

The information from the previous queries reveal the following:
■

■

■

sales is the global coordinator because the local transaction ID and global
transaction ID match.
Two outbound connections are established from this node, but no inbound
connections. sales is not the server of another node.
hq or one of its servers is the commit point site.

Checking the Status of Pending Transactions at HQ
At this stage, the hq administrator queries the DBA_2PC_PENDING data dictionary view:
SELECT * FROM DBA_2PC_PENDING@hq.example.com
WHERE GLOBAL_TRAN_ID = 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29';
Column Name
---------------------LOCAL_TRAN_ID
GLOBAL_TRAN_ID
STATE
MIXED
ACTION
TRAN_COMMENT
FAIL_TIME
FORCE_TIME
RETRY_TIME
OS_USER
OS_TERMINAL
HOST

Value
-------------------------------------1.45.13
SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29
COMMIT
NO
Sales/New Order/Trans_type 10B
31-MAY-91
31-MAY-91
SWILLIAMS
TWA139:
SYSTEM1

Managing Distributed Transactions

35-15

Manually Committing an In-Doubt Transaction: Example

DB_USER
COMMIT#

SWILLIAMS
129314

At this point, you have found a node that resolved the transaction. As the view
reveals, it has been committed and assigned a commit ID number:
STATE
COMMIT#

COMMIT
129314

Therefore, you can force the in-doubt transaction to commit at your local database. It is
a good idea to contact any other administrators you know that could also benefit from
your investigation.

Step 5: Commit the In-Doubt Transaction
You contact the administrator of the sales database, who manually commits the
in-doubt transaction using the global ID:
SQL> CONNECT SYS@sales.example.com AS SYSDBA
SQL> COMMIT FORCE 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29';

As administrator of the warehouse database, you manually commit the in-doubt
transaction using the global ID:
SQL> CONNECT SYS@warehouse.example.com AS SYSDBA
SQL> COMMIT FORCE 'SALES.EXAMPLE.COM.55d1c563.1.93.29';

Step 6: Check for Mixed Outcome Using DBA_2PC_PENDING
After you manually force a transaction to commit or roll back, the corresponding row
in the pending transaction table remains. The state of the transaction is changed
depending on how you forced the transaction.
Every Oracle Database has a pending transaction table. This is a special table that
stores information about distributed transactions as they proceed through the
two-phase commit phases. You can query the pending transaction table of a database
through the DBA_2PC_PENDING data dictionary view (see Table 35–1).
Also of particular interest in the pending transaction table is the mixed outcome flag as
indicated in DBA_2PC_PENDING.MIXED. You can make the wrong choice if a pending
transaction is forced to commit or roll back. For example, the local administrator rolls
back the transaction, but the other nodes commit it. Incorrect decisions are detected
automatically, and the damage flag for the corresponding pending transaction record
is set (MIXED=yes).
The RECO (Recoverer) background process uses the information in the pending
transaction table to finalize the status of in-doubt transactions. You can also use the
information in the pending transaction table to manually override the automatic
recovery procedures for pending distributed transactions.
All transactions automatically resolved by RECO are removed from the pending
transaction table. Additionally, all information about in-doubt transactions correctly
resolved by an administrator (as checked when RECO reestablishes communication)
are automatically removed from the pending transaction table. However, all rows
resolved by an administrator that result in a mixed outcome across nodes remain in
the pending transaction table of all involved nodes until they are manually deleted
using DBMS_TRANSACTIONS.PURGE_MIXED.

35-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Simulating Distributed Transaction Failure

Data Access Failures Due to Locks
When you issue a SQL statement, the database attempts to lock the resources needed
to successfully execute the statement. If the requested data is currently held by
statements of other uncommitted transactions, however, and remains locked for a long
time, a timeout occurs.
Consider the following scenarios involving data access failure:
■

Transaction Timeouts

■

Locks from In-Doubt Transactions

Transaction Timeouts
A DML statement that requires locks on a remote database can be blocked if another
transaction own locks on the requested data. If these locks continue to block the
requesting SQL statement, then the following sequence of events occurs:
1.

A timeout occurs.

2.

The database rolls back the statement.

3.

The database returns this error message to the user:
ORA-02049: time-out: distributed transaction waiting for lock

Because the transaction did not modify data, no actions are necessary as a result of the
timeout. Applications should proceed as if a deadlock has been encountered. The user
who executed the statement can try to reexecute the statement later. If the lock persists,
then the user should contact an administrator to report the problem.

Locks from In-Doubt Transactions
A query or DML statement that requires locks on a local database can be blocked
indefinitely due to the locked resources of an in-doubt distributed transaction. In this
case, the database issues the following error message:
ORA-01591: lock held by in-doubt distributed transaction identifier

In this case, the database rolls back the SQL statement immediately. The user who
executed the statement can try to reexecute the statement later. If the lock persists, the
user should contact an administrator to report the problem, including the ID of the
in-doubt distributed transaction.
The chances of these situations occurring are rare considering the low probability of
failures during the critical portions of the two-phase commit. Even if such a failure
occurs, and assuming quick recovery from a network or system failure, problems are
automatically resolved without manual intervention. Thus, problems usually resolve
before they can be detected by users or database administrators.

Simulating Distributed Transaction Failure
You can force the failure of a distributed transaction for the following reasons:
■
■

To observe RECO automatically resolving the local portion of the transaction
To practice manually resolving in-doubt distributed transactions and observing
the results

This section describes the features available and the steps necessary to perform such
operations.
Managing Distributed Transactions

35-17

Simulating Distributed Transaction Failure

Forcing a Distributed Transaction to Fail
You can include comments in the COMMENT parameter of the COMMIT statement. To
intentionally induce a failure during the two-phase commit phases of a distributed
transaction, include the following comment in the COMMENT parameter:
COMMIT COMMENT 'ORA-2PC-CRASH-TEST-n';

where n is one of the following integers:
n

Effect

1

Crash commit point after collect

2

Crash non-commit-point site after collect

3

Crash before prepare (non-commit-point
site)

4

Crash after prepare (non-commit-point site)

5

Crash commit point site before commit

6

Crash commit point site after commit

7

Crash non-commit-point site before commit

8

Crash non-commit-point site after commit

9

Crash commit point site before forget

10

Crash non-commit-point site before forget

For example, the following statement returns the following messages if the local
commit point strength is greater than the remote commit point strength and both
nodes are updated:
COMMIT COMMENT 'ORA-2PC-CRASH-TEST-7';
ORA-02054: transaction 1.93.29 in-doubt
ORA-02059: ORA_CRASH_TEST_7 in commit comment

At this point, the in-doubt distributed transaction appears in the DBA_2PC_PENDING
view. If enabled, RECO automatically resolves the transaction.

Disabling and Enabling RECO
The RECO background process of an Oracle Database instance automatically resolves
failures involving distributed transactions. At exponentially growing time intervals,
the RECO background process of a node attempts to recover the local portion of an
in-doubt distributed transaction.
RECO can use an existing connection or establish a new connection to other nodes
involved in the failed transaction. When a connection is established, RECO
automatically resolves all in-doubt transactions. Rows corresponding to any resolved
in-doubt transactions are automatically removed from the pending transaction table of
each database.
You can enable and disable RECO using the ALTER SYSTEM statement with the
ENABLE/DISABLE DISTRIBUTED RECOVERY options. For example, you can temporarily
disable RECO to force the failure of a two-phase commit and manually resolve the
in-doubt transaction.
The following statement disables RECO:

35-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Read Consistency

ALTER SYSTEM DISABLE DISTRIBUTED RECOVERY;

Alternatively, the following statement enables RECO so that in-doubt transactions are
automatically resolved:
ALTER SYSTEM ENABLE DISTRIBUTED RECOVERY;

Managing Read Consistency
An important restriction exists in the Oracle Database implementation of distributed
read consistency. The problem arises because each system has its own SCN, which you
can view as the database internal timestamp. The Oracle Database server uses the SCN
to decide which version of data is returned from a query.
The SCNs in a distributed transaction are synchronized at the end of each remote SQL
statement and at the start and end of each transaction. Between two nodes that have
heavy traffic and especially distributed updates, the synchronization is frequent.
Nevertheless, no practical way exists to keep SCNs in a distributed system absolutely
synchronized: a window always exists in which one node may have an SCN that is
somewhat in the past with respect to the SCN of another node.
Because of the SCN gap, you can execute a query that uses a slightly old snapshot, so
that the most recent changes to the remote database are not seen. In accordance with
read consistency, a query can therefore retrieve consistent, but out-of-date data. Note
that all data retrieved by the query will be from the old SCN, so that if a locally
executed update transaction updates two tables at a remote node, then data selected
from both tables in the next remote access contain data before the update.
One consequence of the SCN gap is that two consecutive SELECT statements can
retrieve different data even though no DML has been executed between the two
statements. For example, you can issue an update statement and then commit the
update on the remote database. When you issue a SELECT statement on a view based
on this remote table, the view does not show the update to the row. The next time that
you issue the SELECT statement, the update is present.
You can use the following techniques to ensure that the SCNs of the two systems are
synchronized just before a query:
■

■

Because SCNs are synchronized at the end of a remote query, precede each remote
query with a dummy remote query to the same site, for example, SELECT * FROM
DUAL@REMOTE.
Because SCNs are synchronized at the start of every remote transaction, commit or
roll back the current transaction before issuing the remote query.

Managing Distributed Transactions

35-19

Managing Read Consistency

35-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Part VI
Managing a Multitenant Environment

Part VI

Part VI discusses the Oracle Multitenant option and managing a multitenant
environment. It contains the following chapters:
■

Chapter 36, "Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment"

■

Chapter 37, "Creating and Configuring a CDB"

■

Chapter 38, "Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus"

■

Chapter 39, "Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control"

■

Chapter 40, "Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus"

■

Chapter 41, "Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud Control"

■

Chapter 42, "Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus"

■

Chapter 43, "Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus"

■

Chapter 44, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus"

■

Chapter 45, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with Cloud Control"

■

Chapter 46, "Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB"

36
63

Overview of Managing a Multitenant
Environment

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About a Multitenant Environment

■

Purpose of a Multitenant Environment

■

Prerequisites for a Multitenant Environment

■

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment
Video: Oracle Database 12c: Introduction to a Multitenant Environment
with Tom Kyte

About a Multitenant Environment
You can use the Oracle Multitenant option to configure and manage a multitenant
environment. The multitenant architecture enables an Oracle database to function as a
multitenant container database (CDB) that includes zero, one, or many
customer-created pluggable databases (PDBs). A PDB is a portable collection of
schemas, schema objects, and nonschema objects that appears to an Oracle Net client
as a non-CDB. All Oracle databases before Oracle Database 12c were non-CDBs.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Components of a CDB

■

Common Users and Local Users

■

Separation of Duties in CDB and PDB Administration
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts

Components of a CDB
A CDB includes the following components:
■

Root
The root, named CDB$ROOT, stores Oracle-supplied metadata and common users.
An example of metadata is the source code for Oracle-supplied PL/SQL packages.
A common user is a database user known in every container. A CDB has exactly
one root.

■

Seed

Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment 36-1

About a Multitenant Environment

The seed, named PDB$SEED, is a template that you can use to create new PDBs. You
cannot add objects to or modify objects in the seed. A CDB has exactly one seed.
■

PDBs
A PDB appears to users and applications as if it were a non-CDB. For example, a
PDB can contain the data and code required to support a specific application. A
PDB is fully backward compatible with Oracle Database releases before Oracle
Database 12c.

Each of these components is called a container. Therefore, the root is a container, the
seed is a container, and each PDB is a container. Each container has a unique container
ID and name within a CDB. Figure 36–1 shows a CDB with several PDBs.
Figure 36–1 CDB with PDBs
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

You can easily plug a PDB into a CDB and unplug a PDB from a CDB. When you plug
in a PDB, you associate the PDB with a CDB. When you unplug a PDB, you
disassociate the PDB from a CDB. An unplugged PDB consists of an XML file that
describes the PDB and the PDB's files (such as the data files and wallet file).
You can unplug a PDB from one CDB and plug it into a different CDB without altering
your schemas or applications. A PDB can be plugged into only one CDB at a time.
Each PDB has a globally unique identifier (GUID). The PDB GUID is primarily used to
generate names for directories that store the PDB’s files, including both Oracle
Managed Files directories and non-Oracle Managed Files directories.

Common Users and Local Users
A CDB supports common users. A common user is a user that has the same identity in
the root and in every existing and future PDB. A common user can log in to the root
and any PDB in which it has privileges. The operations that a common user can
perform depend on the privileges granted to the common user. Some administrative
tasks, such as creating a PDB or unplugging a PDB, must be performed by a common
user. A CDB also supports local users. A local user is a user that exists in exactly one
PDB.
See Also: Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about
common users and local users

36-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Purpose of a Multitenant Environment

Separation of Duties in CDB and PDB Administration
Some database administrators manage the entire CDB. These database administrators
connect to the CDB as common users, and they manage attributes of the entire CDB
and the root, as well as some attributes of PDBs. For example, these database
administrators can create, unplug, plug in, and drop PDBs. They can also specify the
temporary tablespace for the entire CDB and the default tablespace for the root, and
they can change the open mode of one or more PDBs.
Database administrators can also connect to a specific PDB as a local user and then
perform a subset of management tasks on the PDB that a database administrator
performs on a non-CDB. The subset of tasks are those required for the PDB to support
an application. For example, these can include management of tablespaces and
schemas in a PDB, specification of storage parameters for that PDB, and changing the
open mode of the current PDB.

Purpose of a Multitenant Environment
A multitenant environment enables the central management of multiple PDBs in a
single installation. By using a multitenant environment, you can accomplish the
following goals:
■

Cost reduction
By consolidating hardware and sharing database memory and files, you reduce
costs for hardware, storage, availability, and labor. For example, 100 PDBs on a
single server share one database instance and one set of database files, thereby
requiring less hardware and fewer personnel.

■

Easier and more rapid movement of data and code
By design, you can plug a PDB into a CDB, unplug the PDB from the CDB, and
then plug this PDB into a different CDB. Therefore, you can easily move an
application’s database back end from one server to another.

■

Easier management and monitoring of the physical database
The CDB administrator can attend to one physical database (one set of files and
one set of database instances) rather than split attention among dozens or
hundreds of non-CDBs. Backup strategies and disaster recovery are simplified.

■

Separation of data and code
Although consolidated into a single physical CDB, PDBs mimic the behavior of
traditional non-CDBs. For example, if a user error causes data loss, then a PDB
administrator can use point-in-time recovery to retrieve the lost data without
affecting other PDBs.

■

Ease of performance tuning
It is easier to collect performance metrics for a CDB than for multiple non-CDBs. It
is easier to size one SGA than several SGAs.

■

Support for Oracle Database Resource Manager
In a CDB, one concern is contention for system resources among the PDBs running
on the same server. Another concern is limiting resource usage for more
consistent, predictable performance. To address such resource contention, usage,
and monitoring issues, you can use Oracle Database Resource Manager (see
Chapter 44, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus").

■

Fewer patches and upgrades

Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment 36-3

Prerequisites for a Multitenant Environment

It is easier to apply a patch to one CDB than to multiple non-CDBs and to upgrade
one CDB than to upgrade several non-CDBs.
A multitenant environment is especially useful when you have many non-CDBs
deployed on different hardware in multiple Oracle Database installations. These
non-CDBs might use only a fraction of the hardware resources dedicated to them, and
each one might not require a full-time database administrator to manage it.
By combining these non-CDBs into a CDB, you can make better use of your hardware
resources and database administrator resources. In addition, you can move a PDB
from one CDB to another without requiring changes to the applications that depend
on the PDB.

Prerequisites for a Multitenant Environment
The following prerequisites must be met before you can create and use a multitenant
environment:
■

Install Oracle Database 12c.
The installation includes setting various environment variables unique to your
operating system and establishing the directory structure for software and
database files.
See Oracle Database Installation Guide specific to your operating system.

■

Set the database compatibility level to at least 12.0.0.
See Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for information about the database compatibility
level.

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment
This section describes the common tasks you perform for a multitenant environment
and the tools you use to complete the tasks.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Tasks for a Multitenant Environment

■

Tools for a Multitenant Environment

Tasks for a Multitenant Environment
A multitenant environment enables you to achieve the goals described in "Purpose of a
Multitenant Environment" on page 36-3. To do so, you must complete the following
general tasks:
■

Task 1, "Plan for the Multitenant Environment"

■

Task 2, "Create One or More CDBs"

■

Task 3, "Create, Plug In, and Unplug PDBs"

■

Task 4, "Administer and Monitor the CDB"

■

Task 5, "Administer and Monitor PDBs"

Task 1 Plan for the Multitenant Environment
Creating and configuring any database requires careful planning. A CDB requires
special considerations. For example, consider the following factors when you plan for
a CDB:
36-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment

■

The number of PDBs that will be plugged into each CDB

■

The resources required to support the planned CDB

■

Configuration options that apply to the entire CDB and configuration options that
apply to each PDB

See "Planning for CDB Creation" on page 37-2 for detailed information about planning
for a CDB.
Task 2 Create One or More CDBs
When you have completed the necessary planning, you can create one or more CDBs
using either the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) or the CREATE DATABASE
SQL statement. In either case, you must specify the configuration details for each CDB.
See "Using DBCA to Create a CDB" on page 37-5 and "Using the CREATE DATABASE
Statement to Create a CDB" on page 37-6 for detailed information about creating a
CDB.
After a CDB is created, it consists of the root and the seed, as shown in Figure 36–2.
The root contains minimal user data or no user data, and the seed contains no user
data.
Figure 36–2 A Newly Created CDB
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

Task 3 Create, Plug In, and Unplug PDBs
PDBs contain user data. After creating a CDB, you can create PDBs, plug unplugged
PDBs into it, and unplug PDBs from it whenever necessary. You can unplug a PDB
from a CDB and plug this PDB into a different CDB. You might move a PDB from one
CDB to another if, for example, you want to move the workload for the PDB from one
server to another.
See Chapter 38, "Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus" and Chapter 39,
"Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control" for information about creating
PDBs, plugging in PDBs, and unplugging PDBs.
Figure 36–3 shows a CDB with several PDBs.

Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment 36-5

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment

Figure 36–3 A CDB with PDBs
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

Task 4 Administer and Monitor the CDB
Administering and monitoring a CDB involves managing the entire CDB, the root, and
some attributes of PDBs. Some management tasks are the same for CDBs and
non-CDBs, and some are different. See "After Creating a CDB" on page 37-16 for
descriptions of tasks that are similar and tasks that are different. Also, see Chapter 40,
"Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus", Chapter 41, "Administering CDBs and PDBs
with Cloud Control", and Chapter 43, "Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs
with SQL*Plus".
You can use Oracle Resource Manager to allocate resources among PDBs in a CDB and
within individual PDBs. See Chapter 44, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs
with SQL*Plus".
You can also use Oracle Scheduler to schedule jobs in a CDB and in individual PDBs.
See Chapter 46, "Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB".
Task 5 Administer and Monitor PDBs
Administering and monitoring a PDB is similar to administering and monitoring a
non-CDB, but there are some differences. See Chapter 41, "Administering CDBs and
PDBs with Cloud Control", Chapter 42, "Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus", and
Chapter 43, "Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus".

Tools for a Multitenant Environment
Use the following tools to complete tasks for a multitenant environment:
■

SQL*Plus
SQL*Plus is a command-line tool that enables you to create, manage, and monitor
CDBs and PDBs. You use SQL statements and Oracle-supplied PL/SQL packages
to complete these tasks in SQL*Plus.
See SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference.

■

DBCA
Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) is a utility with a graphical user
interface that enables you to configure a CDB, create PDBs, plug in PDBs, and
unplug PDBs.
See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA, Oracle Database Installation Guide, and the DBCA
online help for more information about DBCA.

36-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment

■

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
Cloud Control is a system management tool with a graphical user interface that
enables you to manage and monitor a CDB and its PDBs.
See the Cloud Control online help for more information about Cloud Control.

■

Oracle SQL Developer
Oracle SQL Developer is a graphical version of SQL*Plus that gives database
developers a convenient way to perform basic tasks.
See Oracle SQL Developer User's Guide.

■

The Server Control (SRVCTL) utility
The SRVCTL utility can create and manage services for PDBs.
See "Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15.

■

EM Express

PDB management with EM Express is available starting with
Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

EM Express supports managing PDBs, including creating PDBs from the seed,
cloning PDBs, plugging in PDBs, unplugging PDBs, and dropping PDBs. EM
Express also supports basic resource management like setting CPU utilization and
storage limits at the PDB level and changing the resource plan at CDB level.
See Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for more information.
■

Oracle Multitenant Self-Service Provisioning application
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

This application enables the self-service provisioning of PDBs. CDB administrators
control access to this self-service application and manage quotas on PDBs.
For more information about the application or to download the software, use any
browser to access the OTN page for the application:
http://www.oracle.com/goto/multitenant
To access the application, click the Downloads tab, and select Multitenant
Self-Service Provisioning in the Oracle Database 12c Multitenant Applications
section.

Overview of Managing a Multitenant Environment 36-7

Tasks and Tools for a Multitenant Environment

36-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

37
37

Creating and Configuring a CDB

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Creating a CDB

■

Planning for CDB Creation

■

Using DBCA to Create a CDB

■

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

■

Configuring EM Express for a CDB

■

After Creating a CDB

About Creating a CDB
The procedure for creating a multitenant container database (CDB) is very similar to
the procedure for creating a non-CDB described in Chapter 2, "Creating and
Configuring an Oracle Database". Before creating a CDB, you must understand the
concepts and tasks described in Chapter 2.
This chapter describes special considerations for creating a CDB. This chapter also
describes differences between the procedure for creating a non-CDB in Chapter 2 and
the procedure for creating a CDB.
After you plan your CDB using some of the guidelines presented in "Planning for CDB
Creation" on page 37-2, you can create the CDB either during or after Oracle Database
software installation. The following are typical reasons to create a CDB after
installation:
■

■

You used Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) to install software only, and did not
create a CDB.
You want to create another CDB on the same host as an existing CDB or an
existing non-CDB. In this case, this chapter assumes that the new CDB uses the
same Oracle home as the existing database. You can also create the CDB in a new
Oracle home by running OUI again.

The specific methods for creating a CDB are:
■

With the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA), a graphical tool.
See "Using DBCA to Create a CDB" on page 37-5.

■

With the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement.
See "Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB" on page 37-6.

Creating and Configuring a CDB 37-1

Planning for CDB Creation

Planning for CDB Creation
CDB creation prepares several operating system files to work together as a CDB.
The following topics can help prepare you for CDB creation:
■

Decide How to Configure the CDB

■

Prerequisites for CDB Creation
Before planning for CDBs, review the conceptual information
about CDBs and PDBs in Oracle Database Concepts.

Note:

Decide How to Configure the CDB
Prepare to create the CDB by research and careful planning. Table 37–1 lists some
recommended actions and considerations that apply to CDBs. For more information
about many of the actions in Table 37–1, see Table 2–1, " Database Planning Tasks" on
page 2-2.
Table 37–1

Planning for a CDB

Action

Considerations for a CDB

Additional Information

Plan the tables and indexes for
the pluggable databases (PDBs)
and estimate the amount of space
they will require.

In a CDB, most user data is in the PDBs.
The root contains no user data or minimal
user data. Plan for the PDBs that will be
part of the CDB. The disk storage space
requirement for a CDB is the space
required for the Oracle Database
installation plus the sum of the space
requirements for all of the PDBs that will
be part of the CDB. A CDB can contain up
to 253 PDBs, including the seed.

Part II, "Oracle Database Structure
and Storage"

There are separate data files for the root,
the seed, and each PDB.

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle
Managed Files"

There is one redo log for a single-instance
CDB, or one redo log for each instance of
an Oracle Real Application Clusters
(Oracle RAC) CDB. Also, for Oracle RAC,
all data files and redo log files must be on
shared storage.

Oracle Automatic Storage
Management Administrator's Guide

Plan the layout of the underlying
operating system files your CDB
will comprise.

Part III, "Schema Objects"
Chapter 38, "Creating and
Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus"

Oracle Database Performance Tuning
Guide
Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery User's Guide
Oracle Grid Infrastructure
Installation Guide for information
about configuring storage for
Oracle RAC
Your Oracle operating
system–specific documentation,
including the appropriate Oracle
Database installation guide.

Plan for the number of
There is one set of background processes
background processes that will be shared by the root and all PDBs.
required by the CDB.

37-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

"Specifying the Maximum
Number of Processes" on
page 2-30

Planning for CDB Creation

Table 37–1 (Cont.) Planning for a CDB
Action

Considerations for a CDB

Additional Information

Select the global database name,
which is the name and location of
the CDB within the network
structure, and create the global
database name for the root by
setting both the DB_NAME and DB_
DOMAIN initialization parameters.

The global database name of the root is the "Determining the Global Database
Name" on page 2-27
global database name of the CDB.

Familiarize yourself with the
initialization parameters that can
be included in an initialization
parameter file. Become familiar
with the concept and operation of
a server parameter file (SPFILE).
An SPFILE file lets you store and
manage your initialization
parameters persistently in a
server-side disk file.

A CDB uses a single SPFILE or a single
text initialization parameter file (PFILE).
Values of initialization parameters set for
the root can be inherited by PDBs. You can
set some initialization parameters for a
PDB by using the ALTER SYSTEM statement.

The global database name of a PDB is
defined by the PDB name and the DB_
DOMAIN initialization parameter.

The root must be the current container
when you operate on an SPFILE. The user
who creates or modifies the SPFILE must
be a common user with SYSDBA, SYSOPER,
or SYSBACKUP administrative privilege, and
the user must exercise the privilege by
connecting AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, or AS
SYSBACKUP respectively.

"Specifying Initialization
Parameters" on page 2-24
"Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET
Statement in a CDB" on
page 40-29
"Listing the Initialization
Parameters That Are Modifiable in
PDBs" on page 43-13
"About the Current Container" on
page 40-1
Oracle Database Reference

To create a CDB, the ENABLE_PLUGGABLE_
DATABASE initialization parameter must be
set to TRUE.
Select the character set.

All of the PDBs in the CDB use this
character set. When selecting the database
character set for the CDB, you must
consider the current character sets of the
databases that you want to consolidate
(plug) into this CDB.

Oracle Database Globalization
Support Guide

Consider which time zones your
CDB must support.

"Specifying the Database Time
You can set the time zones for the entire
CDB (including all PDBs). You can also set Zone and Time Zone File" on
the time zones individually for each PDB. page 2-22

Select the standard database
block size. This is specified at
CDB creation by the DB_BLOCK_
SIZE initialization parameter and
cannot be changed after the CDB
is created.

The standard block size applies to the
entire CDB.

"Specifying Database Block Sizes"
on page 2-29

If you plan to store online redo
log files on disks with a 4K byte
sector size, then determine
whether you must manually
specify redo log block size. Also,
develop a backup and recovery
strategy to protect the CDB from
failure.

There is a single redo log and a single
control file for an entire CDB.

"Planning the Block Size of Redo
Log Files" on page 11-7
Chapter 11, "Managing the Redo
Log"
Chapter 12, "Managing Archived
Redo Log Files"
Chapter 10, "Managing Control
Files"
Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery User's Guide

Determine the appropriate initial
sizing for the SYSAUX tablespace.

There is a separate SYSAUX tablespace for
the root and for each PDB.

"About the SYSAUX Tablespace"
on page 2-18

Creating and Configuring a CDB 37-3

Planning for CDB Creation

Table 37–1 (Cont.) Planning for a CDB
Action

Considerations for a CDB

Additional Information

Plan to use a default tablespace
for non-SYSTEM users to prevent
inadvertently saving database
objects in the SYSTEM tablespace.

You can specify a separate default
tablespace for the root and for each PDB.
Also, there is a separate SYSTEM tablespace
for the root and for each PDB.

"Creating a Default Permanent
Tablespace" on page 2-19

Plan to use one or more default
temporary tablespaces.

There is a default temporary tablespace for "Creating a Default Temporary
the entire CDB. You optionally can create
Tablespace" on page 2-19
additional temporary tablespaces for use
"About the Statements That
by individual PDBs.
Modify a CDB" on page 40-18

Plan to use an undo tablespace to There is one active undo tablespace for a
manage your undo data.
single-instance CDB. For an Oracle RAC
CDB, there is one active undo tablespace
for each instance. Only a common user
who has the appropriate privileges and
whose current container is the root can
create an undo tablespace.

"About the Statements That
Modify a CDB" on page 40-18

Chapter 16, "Managing Undo"
"About the Current Container" on
page 40-1

In a CDB, the UNDO_MANAGEMENT
initialization parameter must be set to
AUTO, and an undo tablespace is required
to manage the undo data.
Undo tablespaces are visible in static data
dictionary views and dynamic
performance (V$) views when the current
container is the root. Undo tablespaces are
visible only in dynamic performance
views when the current container is a PDB.
Oracle Database silently ignores undo
tablespace and rollback segment
operations when the current container is a
PDB.
Plan for the database services
required to meet the needs of
your applications.

The root and each PDB might require
several services. You can create services for
the root or for individual PDBs. Therefore,
ensure that the planned number of
services do not exceed the database service
limit.
Database services have an optional PDB
property. You can create services and
associate them with a particular PDB by
specifying the PDB property. Services with
a null PDB property are associated with the
root. You can manage services with the
SRVCTL utility, Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Control, and the DBMS_
SERVICE supplied PL/SQL package.
When you create a PDB, a new default
service for the PDB is created
automatically. The service has the same
name as the PDB. You cannot manage this
service with the SRVCTL utility. However,
you can create user-defined services and
customize them for your applications.

37-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

"Managing Application
Workloads with Database
Services" on page 2-40
"Managing Services Associated
with PDBs" on page 42-15
"SRVCTL Command Reference for
Oracle Restart" on page 4-29 for
information about using the
SRVCTL utility with a
single-instance database
Oracle Real Application Clusters
Administration and Deployment
Guide for information about using
the SRVCTL utility with an Oracle
RAC database

Using DBCA to Create a CDB

Table 37–1 (Cont.) Planning for a CDB
Action

Considerations for a CDB

Additional Information

Familiarize yourself with the
principles and options of starting
up and shutting down an
instance and mounting and
opening a CDB.

In a CDB, the root and all of the PDBs
share a single instance, or, when using
Oracle RAC, multiple concurrent database
instances. You start up and shut down an
entire CDB, not individual PDBs.
However, when the CDB is open, you can
change the open mode of an individual
PDB by using the ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement, the SQL*Plus STARTUP
command, and the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN
command.

"Starting Up a Database" on
page 3-1

The Oracle RAC documentation describes
special considerations for a CDB in an
Oracle RAC environment.

See your platform-specific Oracle
RAC installation guide for
information about creating a CDB
in an Oracle RAC environment.

If you plan to use Oracle RAC,
then plan for an Oracle RAC
environment.

"Modifying the Open Mode of
PDBs" on page 40-21
"Modifying a PDB with the
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 42-7

Oracle Real Application Clusters
Administration and Deployment
Guide
Avoid unsupported features.

The Oracle Database Readme includes a list
of Oracle Database features that are
currently not supported in a CDB.

Chapter 2, "Creating and
Configuring an Oracle Database"

If you must use one or more of these
features, then create a non-CDB.

Prerequisites for CDB Creation
Before you can create a new CDB, the following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

Ensure that the prerequisites described in "Prerequisites for a Multitenant
Environment" on page 36-4 are met.
Sufficient memory must be available to start the Oracle Database instance.
The memory required by a CDB is the sum of the memory requirements for all of
the PDBs that will be part of the CDB.

■

Sufficient disk storage space must be available for the planned PDBs on the
computer that runs Oracle Database. In an Oracle RAC environment, sufficient
shared storage must be available.
The disk storage space required by a CDB is the sum of the space requirements for
all of the PDBs that will be part of the CDB.

All of these prerequisites are discussed in the Oracle Database Installation Guide or
Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Guide specific to your operating system. If you use
the Oracle Universal Installer, then it will guide you through your installation and
provide help in setting environment variables and establishing directory structure and
authorizations.

Using DBCA to Create a CDB
Oracle strongly recommends using the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to
create a CDB, because it is a more automated approach, and your CDB is ready to use
when DBCA completes. DBCA enables you to specify the number of PDBs in the CDB
when it is created.

Creating and Configuring a CDB 37-5

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

DBCA can be launched by the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI), depending upon the
type of install that you select. You can also launch DBCA as a standalone tool at any
time after Oracle Database installation.
You can use DBCA to create a CDB in interactive mode or noninteractive/silent mode.
Interactive mode provides a graphical interface and guided workflow for creating and
configuring a CDB. Noninteractive/silent mode enables you to script CDB creation.
You can run DBCA in noninteractive/silent mode by specifying command-line
arguments, a response file, or both.
After a CDB is created, you can use DBCA to plug PDBs into it and unplug PDBs from
it.
See Also:
■

"Creating a Database with DBCA" on page 2-5

■

Oracle Database 2 Day DBA

■

The DBCA online help

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB
This section describes creating a CDB using the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement.
Oracle strongly recommends using the Database
Configuration Assistant (DBCA) instead of the CREATE DATABASE SQL
statement to create a CDB, because using DBCA is a more automated
approach, and your CDB is ready to use when DBCA completes.
Note:

This section contains the following topics:
■

About Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

■

Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement

About Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement
Creating a CDB using the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement is very similar to creating a
non-CDB. This section describes additional requirements for creating a CDB.
Using the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement is a more manual approach to creating a
CDB than using DBCA. One advantage of using this statement over using DBCA is
that you can create CDBs from within scripts.
When you create a CDB using the CREATE DATABASE SQL statement, you must enable
PDBs and specify the names and locations of the root’s files and the seed’s files.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Enabling PDBs

■

About the Names and Locations of the Root’s Files and the Seed’s Files

■

About the Attributes of the Seed’s Data Files
See Also:

Oracle Database Concepts for information about a CDB’s

files

37-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

About Enabling PDBs
To create a CDB, the CREATE DATABASE statement must include the ENABLE PLUGGABLE
DATABASE clause. When this clause is included, the statement creates a CDB with the
root and the seed.
When the ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause is not included in the CREATE DATABASE
statement, the newly created database is a non-CDB. The statement does not create the
root and the seed, and the non-CDB can never contain PDBs.

About the Names and Locations of the Root’s Files and the Seed’s Files
The CREATE DATABASE statement uses the root’s files (such as data files) to generate the
names of the seed’s files. You must specify the names and locations of the root’s files
and the seed’s files. After the CREATE DATABASE statement completes successfully, you
can use the seed and its files to create new PDBs. The seed cannot be modified after it
is created.
You must specify the names and locations of the seed’s files in one of the following
ways:
1.

The SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause

2.

Oracle Managed Files

3.

The PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT Initialization Parameter

If you use more than one of these methods, then the CREATE DATABASE statement uses
one method in the order of precedence of the previous list. For example, if you use all
of the methods, then the CREATE DATABASE statement only uses the specifications in the
SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause.
See Also:

"Creating a PDB Using the Seed" on page 38-12

The SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause The SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause of the
CREATE DATABASE statement specifies how to generate the names of the seed’s files
using the names of root’s files.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following options:
■

One or more file name patterns and replacement file name patterns, in the
following form:
'string1' , 'string2' , 'string3' , 'string4' , ...

The string2 file name pattern replaces the string1 file name pattern, and the string4
file name pattern replaces the string3 file name pattern. You can use as many pairs
of file name pattern and replacement file name pattern strings as required.
If you specify an odd number of strings (the last string has no corresponding
replacement string), then an error is returned. Do not specify more than one
pattern/replace string that matches a single file name or directory.
File name patterns cannot match files or directories managed by Oracle Managed
Files.
■

NONE when no file names should be converted. Omitting the SEED FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause is the same as specifying NONE.

Example 37–1

SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause

This SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause generates file names for the seed’s files in the
/oracle/pdbseed directory using file names in the /oracle/dbs directory.
Creating and Configuring a CDB 37-7

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

SEED
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/oracle/dbs/', '/oracle/pdbseed/')

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of
the SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause

Oracle Managed Files When Oracle Managed Files is enabled, it can determine the
names and locations of the seed’s files.
See Also:

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"

The PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT Initialization Parameter The PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter can specify the names and locations of the seed’s files. To use
this technique, ensure that the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is
included in the initialization parameter file when you create the CDB.
File name patterns specified in this initialization parameter cannot match files or
directories managed by Oracle Managed Files.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

About the Attributes of the Seed’s Data Files
The seed can be used as a template to create new PDBs. The attributes of the data files
for the root’s SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces might not be suitable for the seed. In this
case, you can specify different attributes for the seed’s data files by using the
tablespace_datafile clauses. Use these clauses to specify attributes for all data files
comprising the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces in the seed. The values inherited from
the root are used for any attributes whose values have not been provided.
The syntax of the tablespace_datafile clauses is the same as the syntax for a data file
specification, excluding the name and location of the data file and the REUSE attribute.
You can use the tablespace_datafile clauses with any of the methods for specifying
the names and locations of the seed’s data files described in "About the Names and
Locations of the Root’s Files and the Seed’s Files" on page 37-7.
The tablespace_datafile clauses do not specify the names and locations of the seed’s
data files. Instead, they specifies attributes of SYSTEM and SYSAUX data files in the seed
that differ from those in the root. If SIZE is not specified in the tablespace_datafile
clause for a tablespace, then data file size for the tablespace is set to a predetermined
fraction of the size of a corresponding root data file.
Example 37–2

Using the tablespace_datafile Clauses

Assume the following CREATE DATABASE clauses specify the names, locations, and
attributes of the data files that comprise the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces in the root.
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/system01.dbf' SIZE 325M REUSE
SYSAUX DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/sysaux01.dbf' SIZE 325M REUSE

You can use the following tablespace_datafile clauses to specify different attributes
for these data files:
SEED
SYSTEM DATAFILES SIZE 125M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10M MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
SYSAUX DATAFILES SIZE 100M

37-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

In this example, the data files for the seed’s SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces inherit the
REUSE attribute from the root’s data files. However, the following attributes of the
seed’s data files differ from the root’s:
■

■

■

The data file for the SYSTEM tablespace is 125 MB for the seed and 325 MB for the
root.
AUTOEXTEND is enabled for the seed’s SYSTEM data file, and it is disabled by default
for the root’s SYSTEM data file.
The data file for the SYSAUX tablespace is 100 MB for the seed and 325 MB for the
root.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information
about data file specifications

Creating a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE Statement
When you use the CREATE DATABASE statement to create a CDB, you must complete
additional actions before you have an operational CDB. These actions include building
views on the data dictionary tables and installing standard PL/SQL packages in the
root. You perform these actions by running the supplied catcdb.sql script.
The instructions in this section apply to single-instance installations only. See the Oracle
Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) installation guide for your platform for
instructions for creating an Oracle RAC CDB.
Single-instance does not mean that only one Oracle instance can
reside on a single host computer. In fact, multiple Oracle instances
(and their associated databases) can run on a single host computer. A
single-instance database is a database that is accessed by only one
Oracle instance at a time, as opposed to an Oracle RAC database,
which is accessed concurrently by multiple Oracle instances on
multiple nodes. See Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for more information on Oracle RAC.

Note:

Tip: If you are using Oracle ASM to manage your disk storage, then
you must start the Oracle ASM instance and configure your disk
groups before performing these steps. See Oracle Automatic Storage
Management Administrator's Guide.

The examples in the following steps create a CDB named newcdb.
To create a CDB with the CREATE DATABASE statement:
1.

Complete steps 1 - 8 in "Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE
Statement" on page 2-6.
To create a CDB, the ENABLE_PLUGGABLE_DATABASE initialization parameter must be
set to TRUE.
In a CDB, the DB_NAME initialization parameter specifies the name of the root. Also,
it is common practice to set the SID to the name of the root. The maximum number
of characters for this name is 30. For more information, see the discussion of the
DB_NAME initialization parameter in Oracle Database Reference.

2.

Use the CREATE DATABASE statement to create a new CDB.

Creating and Configuring a CDB 37-9

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

The following examples illustrate using the CREATE DATABASE statement to create a
new CDB:
■

Example 1: Creating a CDB Without Using Oracle Managed Files

■

Example 2: Creating a CDB Using Oracle Managed Files

Example 1: Creating a CDB Without Using Oracle Managed Files
The following statement creates a CDB named newcdb. This name must agree with
the DB_NAME parameter in the initialization parameter file. This example assumes
the following:
■

The initialization parameter file specifies the number and location of control
files with the CONTROL_FILES parameter.

■

The directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb exists.

■

The directory /u01/app/oracle/oradata/pdbseed exists.

■

The directories /u01/logs/my and /u02/logs/my exist.

This example includes the ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause to create a CDB with
the root and the seed. This example also includes the SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause to specify the names and locations of the seed’s files. This example also
includes tablespace_datafile clauses that specify attributes of the seed’s data
files for the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces that differ from the root’s.
CREATE DATABASE newcdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
LOGFILE GROUP 1 ('/u01/logs/my/redo01a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo01b.log')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 2 ('/u01/logs/my/redo02a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo02b.log')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512,
GROUP 3 ('/u01/logs/my/redo03a.log','/u02/logs/my/redo03b.log')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512
MAXLOGHISTORY 1
MAXLOGFILES 16
MAXLOGMEMBERS 3
MAXDATAFILES 1024
CHARACTER SET AL32UTF8
NATIONAL CHARACTER SET AL16UTF16
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/system01.dbf'
SIZE 700M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10240K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
SYSAUX DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/sysaux01.dbf'
SIZE 550M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10240K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
DEFAULT TABLESPACE deftbs
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/deftbs01.dbf'
SIZE 500M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tempts1
TEMPFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/temp01.dbf'
SIZE 20M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 640K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/undotbs01.dbf'
SIZE 200M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 5120K MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
SEED
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/',
'/u01/app/oracle/oradata/pdbseed/')
SYSTEM DATAFILES SIZE 125M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10M MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
SYSAUX DATAFILES SIZE 100M

37-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

USER_DATA TABLESPACE usertbs
DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/pdbseed/usertbs01.dbf'
SIZE 200M REUSE AUTOEXTEND ON MAXSIZE UNLIMITED;

A CDB is created with the following characteristics:
■

■

■

■

■

The CDB is named newcdb. Its global database name is
newcdb.us.example.com, where the domain portion (us.example.com) is taken
from the initialization parameter file. See "Determining the Global Database
Name" on page 2-27.
Three control files are created as specified by the CONTROL_FILES initialization
parameter, which was set before CDB creation in the initialization parameter
file. See "Sample Initialization Parameter File" on page 2-26 and "Specifying
Control Files" on page 2-28.
The passwords for user accounts SYS and SYSTEM are set to the values that you
specified. The passwords are case-sensitive. The two clauses that specify the
passwords for SYS and SYSTEM are not mandatory in this release of Oracle
Database. However, if you specify either clause, then you must specify both
clauses. For further information about the use of these clauses, see "Protecting
Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM" on
page 2-17.
The new CDB has three online redo log file groups, each with two members,
as specified in the LOGFILE clause. MAXLOGFILES, MAXLOGMEMBERS, and
MAXLOGHISTORY define limits for the redo log. See "Choosing the Number of
Redo Log Files" on page 11-8. The block size for the redo logs is set to 512
bytes, the same size as physical sectors on disk. The BLOCKSIZE clause is
optional if block size is to be the same as physical sector size (the default).
Typical sector size and thus typical block size is 512. Permissible values for
BLOCKSIZE are 512, 1024, and 4096. For newer disks with a 4K sector size,
optionally specify BLOCKSIZE as 4096. See "Planning the Block Size of Redo
Log Files" on page 11-7 for more information.
MAXDATAFILES specifies the maximum number of data files that can be open in
the CDB. This number affects the initial sizing of the control file.
You can set several limits during CDB creation. Some of
these limits are limited by and affected by operating system limits.
For example, if you set MAXDATAFILES, then Oracle Database
allocates enough space in the control file to store MAXDATAFILES
filenames, even if the CDB has only one data file initially. However,
because the maximum control file size is limited and operating
system dependent, you might not be able to set all CREATE
DATABASE parameters at their theoretical maximums.
Note:

For more information about setting limits during CDB creation, see
the Oracle Database SQL Language Reference and your operating
system–specific Oracle documentation.
■
■

■

The AL32UTF8 character set is used to store data in this CDB.
The AL16UTF16 character set is specified as the NATIONAL CHARACTER SET used
to store data in columns specifically defined as NCHAR, NCLOB, or NVARCHAR2.
The SYSTEM tablespace, consisting of the operating system file
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/system01.dbf, is created as specified by

Creating and Configuring a CDB

37-11

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

the DATAFILE clause. If a file with that name already exists, then it is
overwritten.
■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

The SYSTEM tablespace is created as a locally managed tablespace. See
"Creating a Locally Managed SYSTEM Tablespace" on page 2-17.
A SYSAUX tablespace is created, consisting of the operating system file
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb/sysaux01.dbf as specified in the SYSAUX
DATAFILE clause. See "About the SYSAUX Tablespace" on page 2-18.
The DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default permanent
tablespace for this CDB.
The DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default
temporary tablespace for this CDB. See "Creating a Default Temporary
Tablespace" on page 2-19.
The UNDO TABLESPACE clause creates and names an undo tablespace that is
used to store undo data for this CDB. In a CDB, an undo tablespace is required
to manage the undo data, and the UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter
must be set to AUTO. If you omit this parameter, then it defaults to AUTO. See
"Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace" on
page 2-19.
Redo log files will not initially be archived, because the ARCHIVELOG clause is
not specified in this CREATE DATABASE statement. This is customary during
CDB creation. You can later use an ALTER DATABASE statement to switch to
ARCHIVELOG mode. The initialization parameters in the initialization parameter
file for newcdb relating to archiving are LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 and LOG_
ARCHIVE_FORMAT. See Chapter 12, "Managing Archived Redo Log Files".
The ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause creates a CDB with the root and the
seed.
SEED is required for the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the tablespace_
datafile clauses.
The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause generates file names for the seed’s files in the
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/pdbseed directory using file names in the
/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newcdb directory.
The SYSTEM DATAFILES clause specifies attributes of the seed’s SYSTEM
tablespace data file(s) that differ from the root’s.
The SYSAUX DATAFILES clause specifies attributes of the seed’s SYSAUX
tablespace data file(s) that differ from the root’s.
The USER_DATA TABLESPACE clause creates and names the seed’s tablespace for
storing user data and database options such as Oracle XML DB. PDBs created
using the seed include this tablespace and its data file. The tablespace and
data file specified in this clause are not used by the root.

37-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

Note:
■

■

■

■

Ensure that all directories used in the CREATE DATABASE statement
exist. The CREATE DATABASE statement does not create directories.
If you are not using Oracle Managed Files, then every tablespace
clause must include a DATAFILE or TEMPFILE clause.
If CDB creation fails, then you can look at the alert log to
determine the reason for the failure and to determine corrective
actions. See "Viewing the Alert Log" on page 9-21. If you receive
an error message that contains a process number, then examine
the trace file for that process. Look for the trace file that contains
the process number in the trace file name. See "Finding Trace
Files" on page 9-22 for more information.
To resubmit the CREATE DATABASE statement after a failure, you
must first shut down the instance and delete any files created by
the previous CREATE DATABASE statement.

Example 2: Creating a CDB Using Oracle Managed Files
This example illustrates creating a CDB with Oracle Managed Files, which enables
you to use a much simpler CREATE DATABASE statement. To use Oracle Managed
Files, the initialization parameter DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST must be set. This
parameter defines the base directory for the various CDB files that the CDB creates
and automatically names.
The following statement is an example of setting this parameter in the
initialization parameter file:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST='/u01/app/oracle/oradata'

This example sets the parameter Oracle ASM storage:
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = +data

This example includes the ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause to create a CDB with
the root and the seed. This example does not include the SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause because Oracle Managed Files determines the names and locations of the
seed’s files. However, this example does include tablespace_datafile clauses
that specify attributes of the seed’s data files for the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces
that differ from the root’s.
With Oracle Managed Files and the following CREATE DATABASE statement, the
CDB creates the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces, creates the additional tablespaces
specified in the statement, and chooses default sizes and properties for all data
files, control files, and redo log files. Note that these properties and the other
default CDB properties set by this method might not be suitable for your
production environment, so it is recommended that you examine the resulting
configuration and modify it if necessary.
CREATE DATABASE newcdb
USER SYS IDENTIFIED BY sys_password
USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY system_password
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL
DEFAULT TABLESPACE users
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE temp
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs1
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
SEED

Creating and Configuring a CDB

37-13

Using the CREATE DATABASE Statement to Create a CDB

SYSTEM DATAFILES SIZE 125M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10M MAXSIZE UNLIMITED
SYSAUX DATAFILES SIZE 100M;

A CDB is created with the following characteristics:
■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■
■

■

The CDB is named newcdb. Its global database name is
newcdb.us.example.com, where the domain portion (us.example.com) is taken
from the initialization parameter file. See "Determining the Global Database
Name" on page 2-27.
The passwords for user accounts SYS and SYSTEM are set to the values that you
specified. The passwords are case-sensitive. The two clauses that specify the
passwords for SYS and SYSTEM are not mandatory in this release of Oracle
Database. However, if you specify either clause, then you must specify both
clauses. For further information about the use of these clauses, see "Protecting
Your Database: Specifying Passwords for Users SYS and SYSTEM" on
page 2-17.
The DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default permanent
tablespace for this CDB.
The DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause creates and names a default
temporary tablespace for this CDB. See "Creating a Default Temporary
Tablespace" on page 2-19.
The UNDO TABLESPACE clause creates and names an undo tablespace that is
used to store undo data for this CDB. In a CDB, an undo tablespace is required
to manage the undo data, and the UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter
must be set to AUTO. If you omit this parameter, then it defaults to AUTO. See
"Using Automatic Undo Management: Creating an Undo Tablespace" on
page 2-19.
Redo log files will not initially be archived, because the ARCHIVELOG clause is
not specified in this CREATE DATABASE statement. This is customary during
CDB creation. You can later use an ALTER DATABASE statement to switch to
ARCHIVELOG mode. The initialization parameters in the initialization parameter
file for newcdb relating to archiving are LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 and LOG_
ARCHIVE_FORMAT. See Chapter 12, "Managing Archived Redo Log Files".
The ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause creates a CDB with the root and the
seed.
SEED is required for the tablespace_datafile clauses.
The SYSTEM DATAFILES clause specifies attributes of the seed’s SYSTEM
tablespace data file(s) that differ from the root’s.
The SYSAUX DATAFILES clause specifies attributes of the seed’s SYSAUX
tablespace data file(s) that differ from the root’s.

37-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Configuring EM Express for a CDB

If your CREATE DATABASE statement fails, and if you did not
complete Step 7 in "Creating a Database with the CREATE
DATABASE Statement" on page 2-6, then ensure that there is not a
pre-existing server parameter file (SPFILE) for this instance that is
setting initialization parameters in an unexpected way. For example,
an SPFILE contains a setting for the complete path to all control files,
and the CREATE DATABASE statement fails if those control files do not
exist. Ensure that you shut down and restart the instance (with
STARTUP NOMOUNT) after removing an unwanted SPFILE. See
"Managing Initialization Parameters Using a Server Parameter File" on
page 2-33 for more information.
Tip:

3.

Run the catcdb.sql SQL script. This script installs all of the components required
by a CDB.
Enter the following in SQL*Plus to run the script:
@?/rdbms/admin/catcdb.sql

4.

Complete steps 12 - 14 in "Creating a Database with the CREATE DATABASE
Statement" on page 2-6.
See Also:
■

■

■
■

■

"Specifying CREATE DATABASE Statement Clauses" on
page 2-16
"Specifying Oracle Managed Files at Database Creation" on
page 2-20
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information
about specifying the clauses and parameter values for the
CREATE DATABASE statement
Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide

Configuring EM Express for a CDB
For a CDB, you can configure Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express (EM
Express) for the root and for each PDB by setting the HTTP or HTTPS port. You must
use a different port for every container in a CDB.
To configure EM Express for a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, access a container in a CDB.
The user must have common SYSDBA administrative privilege, and you must
exercise this privilege using AS SYSDBA at connect time. The container can be the
root or a PDB.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Set the HTTP or HTTPS port in one of the following ways:
■

To set the HTTP port, run the following procedure:
exec DBMS_XDB_CONFIG.SETHTTPPORT(http_port_number);

Replace http_port_number with the appropriate HTTP port number.

Creating and Configuring a CDB

37-15

After Creating a CDB

■

To set the HTTPS port, run the following procedure:
exec DBMS_XDB_CONFIG.SETHTTPSPORT(https_port_number);

Replace https_port_number with the appropriate HTTPS port number.
Each container must use a unique port for EM Express.
3.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each container that you want to manage and monitor with
EM Express.

After the port is set for each container, you can access EM Express using one of the
following URLs:
■

The URL for the HTTP port:
http://database_hostname:http_port_number/em/

Replace database_hostname with the host name of the computer on which the
database instance is running, and replace http_port_number with the appropriate
HTTP port number.
■

The URL for the HTTPS port:
https://database_hostname:https_port_number/em/

Replace database_hostname with the host name of the computer on which the
database instance is running, and replace https_port_number with the appropriate
HTTPS port number.
When connected to the root, EM Express displays data and enables actions that apply
to the entire CDB. When connected to a PDB, EM Express displays data and enables
actions that apply to the PDB only.
If the listener is not configured on port 1521, then you must
manually configure the port for EM Express. See Oracle Database 2 Day
DBA for instructions.

Note:

See Also: Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for more information about EM
Express

After Creating a CDB
After you create a CDB, it consists of the root and the seed. The root contains
system-supplied metadata and common users that can administer the PDBs. The seed
is a template that you can use to create new PDBs. Figure 37–1 shows a newly created
CDB.

37-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

After Creating a CDB

Figure 37–1 A Newly Created CDB
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

In a CDB, the root contains minimal user data or no user data. User data resides in the
PDBs. Therefore, after creating a CDB, one of the first tasks is to add the PDBs that will
contain the user data. See Chapter 38, "Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus"
for instructions.
Figure 37–2 shows a CDB with PDBs.
Figure 37–2 CDB with PDBs
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

When you have added the PDBs to the CDB, the physical structure of a CDB is very
similar to the physical structure of a non-CDB. A CDB contains the following files:
■
■

■

One control file
One active online redo log for a single-instance CDB, or one active online redo log
for each instance of an Oracle RAC CDB
One set of temp files
There is one default temporary tablespace for the entire CDB. You can create
additional temporary tablespaces in individual PDBs.

■

■

One active undo tablespace for a single-instance CDB, or one active undo
tablespace for each instance of an Oracle RAC CDB
Sets of system data files
The primary physical difference between a CDB and a non-CDB is in the
non-undo data files. A non-CDB has only one set of system data files. In contrast, a

Creating and Configuring a CDB

37-17

After Creating a CDB

CDB includes one set of system data files for each container and one set of
user-created data files for each PDB.
■

Sets of user-created data files
Each PDB has its own set of non-system data files. These data files contain the
user-defined schemas and database objects for the PDB.

See Oracle Database Concepts for more information about the physical architecture of a
CDB.
For backup and recovery of a CDB, Recovery Manager (RMAN) is recommended. PDB
point-in-time recovery (PDB PITR) must be performed with RMAN. By default,
RMAN turns on control file autobackup for a CDB. It is strongly recommended that
control file autobackup is enabled for a CDB, to ensure that PDB PITR can undo data
file additions or deletions.
Video:

Oracle Database 12c: Recovering a Pluggable Database

Because the physical structure of a CDB and a non-CDB are similar, most management
tasks are the same for a CDB and a non-CDB. However, some administrative tasks are
specific to CDBs. The following chapters describe these tasks:
■

Chapter 38, "Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Creating a PDB with SQL*Plus

–

Plugging in a PDB with SQL*Plus

–

Unplugging a PDB with SQL*Plus

–

Dropping a PDB with SQL*Plus

Chapter 39, "Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Creating a PDB with Cloud Control

–

Plugging in a PDB with Cloud Control

–

Unplugging a PDB with Cloud Control

Chapter 40, "Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Connecting to a container

–

Switching into a container

–

Modifying a CDB

–

Modifying the root

–

Changing the open mode of a PDB

–

Executing DDL statements in a CDB

–

Shutting down the CDB instance

Chapter 41, "Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud Control"
This chapter documents the following tasks:
–

Managing CDB storage and schema objects

37-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

After Creating a CDB

■

–

Managing per-container storage and schema objects

–

Monitoring storage and schema alerts

–

Switching into a container

–

Changing the open mode of a PDB

Chapter 42, "Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Connecting to a PDB

–

Modifying a PDB

–

Managing services associated with PDBs

Chapter 43, "Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Querying views for monitoring a CDB and its PDBs

–

Running sample queries that provide information about a CDB and its PDBs

Chapter 44, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Creating resource plans in a CDB with SQL*Plus

–

Managing resource plans in a CDB with SQL*Plus

Chapter 45, "Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with Cloud Control"
This chapter documents the following tasks:

■

–

Creating resource plans in a CDB with Cloud Control

–

Monitoring the system performance under a CDB resource plan with Cloud
Control

–

Creating a PDB resource plan

Chapter 46, "Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB"
This chapter documents the following topics:
–

DBMS_SCHEDULER invocations in a CDB

–

Job coordinator and slave processes in a CDB

–

Using DBMS_JOB

–

Processes to close a PDB

–

New and changed views
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for a multitenant architecture
documentation roadmap
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information
about RMAN

Creating and Configuring a CDB

37-19

After Creating a CDB

37-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

38
Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus
38

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Creating and Removing PDBs

■

Preparing for PDBs

■

Creating a PDB Using the Seed

■

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

■

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

■

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB

■

Unplugging a PDB from a CDB

■

Dropping a PDB

About Creating and Removing PDBs
You can create a pluggable database (PDB) in a multitenant container database (CDB)
in the following ways:
■

Create the new PDB by using the seed. See "About a Multitenant Environment" on
page 36-1 for information about the seed.

■

Create the new PDB by cloning an existing PDB or non-CDB.

■

Plug an unplugged PDB into a CDB.

■

Create the new PDB by using a non-CDB.

You can remove a PDB from a CDB in the following ways:
■

Unplug the PDB from a CDB.

■

Drop the PDB.

This section contains the following topics:
■

Techniques for Creating a PDB

■

The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-1

About Creating and Removing PDBs

Note:
■

■

This chapter discusses using SQL statements to create and remove
PDBs. An easier way to create and remove PDBs is with the
graphical user interface of Database Configuration Assistant
(DBCA).
In Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1), a CDB can contain up to
253 PDBs, including the seed.

See Also:
■
■

"About a Multitenant Environment" on page 36-1
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA and the DBCA online help for more
information about DBCA

Techniques for Creating a PDB
This section describes the techniques that you can use to create a PDB. Creating a PDB
is the process of associating the PDB with a CDB. You create a PDB when you want to
use the PDB as part of the CDB.
Table 38–1 describes the techniques that you can use to create a PDB.
Table 38–1

Techniques for Creating a PDB

Technique

Description

More Information

Create a PDB by using the
seed

Create a PDB in a CDB using the files of the seed. This
"Creating a PDB Using the
technique copies the files associated with the seed to a
Seed" on page 38-12
new location and associates the copied files with the new
PDB.

Create a PDB by cloning
an existing PDB or
non-CDB

Create a PDB by cloning a source PDB or non-CDB and
plugging the clone into the CDB. A source can be a PDB
in the local CDB, a PDB in a remote CDB, or a non-CDB.
This technique copies the files associated with the source
to a new location and associates the copied files with the
new PDB.

"Creating a PDB by
Cloning an Existing PDB
or Non-CDB" on
page 38-19

Create a PDB by plugging
an unplugged PDB into a
CDB

Create a PDB by using the XML metadata file that
describes the PDB and the files associated with the PDB
to plug it into the CDB.

"Creating a PDB by
Plugging an Unplugged
PDB into a CDB" on
page 38-33

Create a PDB by using a
non-CDB

Create a PDB by moving a non-CDB into a PDB. You can
use the DBMS_PDB package to create an unplugged PDB
from an Oracle Database 12c non-CDB. You can then
plug the unplugged PDB into the CDB.

"Creating a PDB Using a
Non-CDB" on page 38-43

All of the techniques described in Table 38–1 use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement to create a PDB. These techniques fall into two main categories: copying and
plugging in. Figure 38–1 depicts the options for creating a PDB:

38-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Creating and Removing PDBs

Figure 38–1 Options for Creating a PDB
Copying Files from the Seed

Copying
Locally
From a PDB

Cloning a PDB
Remotely

Creating a PDB

From a Non-CDB
Plugging in an Unplugged PDB
Plugging In

Plugging in a Non-CDB as a PDB

You can unplug a PDB when you want to plug it into a different CDB. You can unplug
or drop a PDB when you no longer need it. An unplugged PDB is not usable until it is
plugged into a CDB.
Note: Creating a PDB by cloning a non-CDB is available starting
with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

See Also:
■

"Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47

■

"Dropping a PDB" on page 38-49

The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement
You use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to create a PDB. All of the
techniques described in Table 38–1, " Techniques for Creating a PDB" on page 38-2 use
this statement.
The following sections describe the clauses for the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement and when to use each clause:
■

Storage Limits

■

File Location of the New PDB

■

Restrictions on PDB File Locations

■

Source File Locations When Plugging In an Unplugged PDB

■

Temp File Reuse

■

User Tablespaces

■

PDB Tablespace Logging

■

PDB Inclusion in Standby CDBs

■

Excluding Data When Cloning a PDB
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-3

About Creating and Removing PDBs

Storage Limits
The optional STORAGE clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies the
following limits:
■

The amount of storage that can be used by all tablespaces that belong to the PDB
Use MAXSIZE and a size clause to specify a limit, or set MAXSIZE to UNLIMITED to
indicate no limit.

■

The amount of storage in the default temporary tablespace shared by all PDBs that
can be used by sessions connected to the PDB
Use MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE and a size clause to specify a limit, or set MAX_SHARED_
TEMP_SIZE to UNLIMITED to indicate no limit.

If STORAGE UNLIMITED is set, or if there is no STORAGE clause, then there are no storage
limits for the PDB.
The following are examples that use the STORAGE clause:
■
■

■

Example 38–1, "STORAGE Clause That Specifies Storage Limits"
Example 38–2, "STORAGE Clause That Specifies Storage Limits for the Shared
Temporary Tablespace Only"
Example 38–3, "STORAGE Clause That Specifies Unlimited Storage"

Example 38–1

STORAGE Clause That Specifies Storage Limits

This STORAGE clause specifies that the storage used by all tablespaces that belong to the
PDB must not exceed 2 gigabytes. It also specifies that the storage used by the PDB
sessions in the shared temporary tablespace must not exceed 100 megabytes.
STORAGE (MAXSIZE 2G MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 100M)

Example 38–2 STORAGE Clause That Specifies Storage Limits for the Shared
Temporary Tablespace Only

This STORAGE clause specifies unlimited storage for all tablespaces that belong to the
PDB. It also specifies that the storage used by the PDB sessions in the shared
temporary tablespace must not exceed 50 megabytes.
STORAGE (MAXSIZE UNLIMITED MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 50M)

Example 38–3

STORAGE Clause That Specifies Unlimited Storage

This STORAGE clause specifies that the PDB has unlimited storage for both its own
tablespaces and the shared temporary tablespace.
STORAGE UNLIMITED

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of
the STORAGE clause

File Location of the New PDB
In this section, the term "file name" means both the name and the location of a file. The
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement has the following clauses that indicate the file
names of the new PDB being created:

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About Creating and Removing PDBs

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause specifies the names of the PDB’s files after the PDB
is created.
Use this clause when the files are not yet at their ultimate destination, and you
want to copy or move them during PDB creation. You can use this clause in any
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

■

Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), the CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause specifies the default Oracle Managed Files file system directory or Oracle
ASM disk group for the PDB’s files.
Use this clause to enable Oracle Managed Files for the new PDB, independent of
any Oracle Managed Files default location specified in the root for the CDB. You
can use this clause in any CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

When necessary, you can use both of these clauses in the same CREATE PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement. In addition, the following initialization parameters can control the
location of the new PDB’s files:
■

The DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter set in the root
This initialization parameter specifies the default location for Oracle Managed
Files for the CDB. When this parameter is set in a PDB, it specifies the default
location for Oracle Managed Files for the PDB.

■

The PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter
This initialization parameter maps names of existing files to new file names when
processing a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

When both clauses are used in the same CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, and
both initialization parameters are set, the precedence order is:
1.

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause

2.

The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause

3.

The DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter set in the root

4.

The PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter

If FILE_NAME_CONVERT and CREATE_FILE_DEST are both specified, then the FILE_NAME_
CONVERT setting is used for the files being placed during PDB creation, and the CREATE_
FILE_DEST setting is used to set the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter in
the PDB. In this case, Oracle Managed Files controls the location of the files for the
PDB after PDB creation.
The following sections describe the PDB file location clauses in more detail:
■

FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause

■

CREATE_FILE_DEST Clause
Oracle Database Reference for more information about
initialization parameters

See Also:

FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause If the PDB will not use Oracle Managed Files, then the
FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies how
to generate the names of files (such as data files) using the names of existing files.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following options:
■

One or more file name patterns and replacement file name patterns, in the
following form:

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-5

About Creating and Removing PDBs

'string1' , 'string2' , 'string3' , 'string4' , ...

The string2 file name pattern replaces the string1 file name pattern, and the string4
file name pattern replaces the string3 file name pattern. You can use as many pairs
of file name pattern and replacement file name pattern strings as required.
If you specify an odd number of strings (the last string has no corresponding
replacement string), then an error is returned. Do not specify more than one
pattern/replace string that matches a single file name or directory.
■

NONE when no files should be copied or moved during PDB creation. Omitting the
FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is the same as specifying NONE.

You can use the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause in any CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement.
When the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not specified in a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, either Oracle Managed Files or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter specifies how to generate the names of the files. If you use both Oracle
Managed Files and the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter, then Oracle
Managed Files takes precedence. The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause takes precedence
when it is specified.
File name patterns specified in the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause cannot match files or
directories managed by Oracle Managed Files.
Example 38–4

FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause

This FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause generates file names for the new PDB in the
/oracle/pdb5 directory using file names in the /oracle/dbs directory.
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/oracle/dbs/', '/oracle/pdb5/')

See Also:
■

■

■
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of the FILE_
NAME_CONVERT clause
Example 43–7, "Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB" on
page 43-10
Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter

CREATE_FILE_DEST Clause If the PDB will use Oracle Managed Files, then the CREATE_
FILE_DEST clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies the default file
system directory or Oracle ASM disk group for the PDB’s files.
If a file system directory is specified as the default location in this clause, then the
directory must exist. Also, the user who runs the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement must have the appropriate privileges to create files in the specified directory.
If there is a default Oracle Managed Files location for the CDB set in the root, then the
CREATE_FILE_DEST setting overrides the default location for the CDB.
If CREATE_FILE_DEST=NONE is specified, then Oracle Managed Files is disabled for the
PDB.
When the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause is set to a value other than NONE, the DB_CREATE_
FILE_DEST initialization parameter is set implicitly in the PDB with SCOPE=SPFILE.
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About Creating and Removing PDBs

If the root uses Oracle Managed Files, and this clause is not specified, then the PDB
inherits the Oracle Managed Files default location from the root.
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

Example 38–5

CREATE_FILE_DEST Clause

This CREATE_FILE_DEST clause specifies /oracle/pdb2/ as the default Oracle Managed
Files file system directory for the new PDB.
CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/oracle/pdb2/'

See Also:

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"

Restrictions on PDB File Locations
The PATH_PREFIX clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement ensures that all
relative directory object paths associated with the PDB are restricted to the specified
directory or its subdirectories. Use this clause when you want to ensure that a PDB’s
files reside in a specific directory and its subdirectories when relative paths are used
for directory objects.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following options:
■

■

An absolute path that is used as a prefix for all relative directory object paths
associated with the PDB.
NONE to indicate that paths associated with directory objects are treated as absolute
paths. Omitting the PATH_PREFIX clause is the same as specifying NONE.

After a PDB is created, its PATH_PREFIX setting cannot be modified.
You can use the PATH_PREFIX clause in any CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.
The PATH_PREFIX clause is ignored when absolute paths are used for directory objects.
The PATH_PREFIX clause does not affect files created by Oracle Managed Files.
Example 38–6

PATH_PREFIX Clause

This PATH_PREFIX clause ensures that all relative directory object paths associated with
the PDB are relative to the /disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb directory.
PATH_PREFIX = '/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/'

Be sure to specify the path name so that it is properly formed when file names are
appended to it. For example, on UNIX systems, be sure to end the path name with a
forward slash (/).
See Also:
■
■

"About a Multitenant Environment" on page 36-1
"Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB" on
page 43-6

Source File Locations When Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
When you plug an unplugged PDB into a CDB, the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ...
USING statement must be able to identify the PDB’s files. An XML file describes the

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38-7

About Creating and Removing PDBs

names of an unplugged PDB’s source files. The XML file might not describe the names
of these files accurately if you transported the unplugged files from one storage
system to a different one. The files are in a new location, but the file paths in the XML
file still indicate the old location. In this case, use this clause to specify the accurate
names of the files. Use this clause only when you are plugging in an unplugged PDB
with a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... USING statement.
The SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... USING
statement specifies how to locate files (such as data files) listed in an XML file
describing a PDB if they reside in a location different from that specified in the XML
file.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following options:
■

One or more file name patterns and replacement file name patterns, in the
following form:
'string1' , 'string2' , 'string3' , 'string4' , ...

The string2 file name pattern replaces the string1 file name pattern, and the string4
file name pattern replaces the string3 file name pattern. You can use as many pairs
of file name pattern and replacement file name pattern strings as required.
When you use this clause, ensure that the files you want to use for the PDB reside
in the replacement file name patterns. Move or copy the files to these locations if
necessary.
■

NONE when no file names need to be located because the PDB’s XML file describes
the file names accurately. Omitting the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is the
same as specifying NONE.

You can use the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause only in a CREATE PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement with a USING clause. Therefore, you can use this clause only when
you are plugging in an unplugged PDB.
Example 38–7

SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clause

This SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause uses the files in the /disk2/oracle/pdb7
directory instead of the /disk1/oracle/pdb7 directory. In this case, the XML file
describing a PDB specifies the /disk1/oracle/pdb7 directory, but the PDB should use
the files in the /disk2/oracle/pdb7 directory.
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/pdb7/', '/disk2/oracle/pdb7/')

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the syntax of
the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause

Temp File Reuse
The TEMPFILE REUSE clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies that
an existing temp file in the target location is reused. When you specify this clause,
Oracle Database formats the temp file and reuses it. The previous contents of the file
are lost. If this clause is specified, and there is no temp file in the target location, then
Oracle Database creates a new temp file for the PDB.
If you do not specify this clause, and the new PDB will not use the CDB’s default
temporary tablespace, then the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement creates a new
temp file for the PDB. If a file exists with the same name as the new temp file in the
target location, then an error is returned, and the PDB is not created. Therefore, if you

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do not specify the TEMPFILE REUSE clause, then ensure that such a temp file does not
exist in the target location.
Example 38–8

TEMPFILE REUSE Clause

TEMPFILE REUSE

User Tablespaces

This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The USER_TABLESPACES clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies
which tablespaces are available in the new PDB.
You can use this clause to separate the data for multiple schemas into different PDBs.
For example, when you move a non-CDB to a PDB, and the non-CDB had a number of
schemas that each supported a different application, you can use this clause to
separate the data belonging to each schema into a separate PDB, assuming that each
schema used a separate tablespace in the non-CDB.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following options:
■

List one or more tablespaces to include.

■

Specify ALL, the default, to include all of the tablespaces.

■

■

Specify ALL EXCEPT to include all of the tablespaces, except for the tablespaces
listed.
Specify NONE to exclude all of the tablespaces.

The tablespaces that are excluded by this clause are offline in the new PDB, and all
data files that belong to these tablespaces are unnamed and offline.
This clause does not apply to the SYSTEM, SYSAUX, or TEMP tablespaces. Do not include
these tablespaces in a tablespace list for this clause.
The following are examples that use the USER_TABLESPACES clause:
■

USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes One Tablespace

■

USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes a List of Tablespaces

■

USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes All Tablespaces Except for Listed
Ones

Example 38–9

USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes One Tablespace

Assume that the non-CDB or PDB from which a PDB is being created includes the
following tablespaces: tbs1, tbs2, and tbs3. This USER_TABLESPACES clause includes
the tbs2 tablespace, but excludes the tbs1 and tbs3 tablespaces.
USER_TABLESPACES=('tbs2');

Example 38–10 USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes a List of Tablespaces

Assume that the non-CDB or PDB from which a PDB is being created includes the
following tablespaces: tbs1, tbs2, tbs3, tbs4, and tbs5. This USER_TABLESPACES clause

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-9

About Creating and Removing PDBs

includes the tbs1, tbs4, and tbs5 tablespaces, but excludes the tbs2 and tbs3
tablespaces.
USER_TABLESPACES=('tbs1','tbs4','tbs5');

Example 38–11 USER_TABLESPACES Clause That Includes All Tablespaces Except for
Listed Ones

Assume that the non-CDB or PDB from which a PDB is being created includes the
following tablespaces: tbs1, tbs2, tbs3, tbs4, and tbs5. This USER_TABLESPACES clause
includes the tbs2 and tbs3 tablespaces, but excludes the tbs1, tbs4, and tbs5
tablespaces.
USER_TABLESPACES=ALL EXCEPT('tbs1','tbs4','tbs5');

PDB Tablespace Logging

This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The logging_clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies the logging
attribute of the PDB. The logging attribute controls whether certain DML operations
are logged in the redo log file (LOGGING) or not (NOLOGGING).
You can use this clause to specify one of the following attributes:
■

■

LOGGING, the default, indicates that any future tablespaces created within the PDB
will be created with the LOGGING attribute by default.
NOLOGGING indicates that any future tablespaces created within the PDB will be
created with the NOLOGGING attribute by default.

You can override the default logging attribute by specifying either LOGGING or
NOLOGGING at the schema object level--for example, in a CREATE TABLE statement.
The specified attribute is used to establish the logging attribute of tablespaces created
within the PDB if the logging_clause is not specified in the CREATE TABLESPACE
statement.
The DBA_PDBS view shows the current logging attribute for a PDB.
Example 38–12 Specifying the LOGGING Attribute for the PDB
LOGGING
Example 38–13 Specifying the NOLOGGING Attribute for the PDB
NOLOGGING

See Also:
■
■

"Controlling the Writing of Redo Records" on page 13-15
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the logging attribute

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PDB Inclusion in Standby CDBs

This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The STANDBYS clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies whether
the new PDB is included in standby CDBs. You can specify one of the following values
for the STANDBYS clause:
■

ALL includes the new PDB in all of the standby CDBs.

■

NONE excludes the new PDB from all of the standby CDBs.

When a PDB is not included in any of the standby CDBs, the PDB's data files are
offline and marked as unnamed on all of the standby CDBs. Any new standby CDBs
that are instantiated after the PDB has been created must disable the PDB for recovery
explicitly to exclude it from the standby CDB. It is possible to enable a PDB on a
standby CDB after it was excluded on that standby CDB.
Example 38–14 STANDBYS Clause That Includes the New PDB on All Standby CDBs
STANDBYS=ALL
Example 38–15 STANDBYS Clause That Excludes the New PDB from All Standby CDBs
STANDBYS=NONE

See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more
information about configuring PDBs on standby CDBs

Excluding Data When Cloning a PDB

This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The NO DATA clause of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies that a PDB’s
data model definition is cloned but not the PDB’s data. The dictionary data in the
source PDB is cloned, but all user-created table and index data from the source PDB is
discarded. This clause is useful for quickly creating clones of a PDB with only the
object definitions and no data. Use this clause only when you are cloning a PDB with a
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... FROM statement.
This clause does not apply to the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces. If user-created
database objects in the source PDB are stored in one of these tablespaces, the database
objects will contain data in the cloned PDB.
When the NO DATA clause is included in the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, the
source PDB cannot contain the following types of tables:
■

Index-organized tables

■

Advanced Queue (AQ) tables

■

Clustered tables

■

Table clusters

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Preparing for PDBs

Example 38–16 NO DATA Clause
NO DATA

See Also:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Preparing for PDBs
Ensure that the following prerequisites are met before creating a PDB:
■

The CDB must exist.
See Chapter 37, "Creating and Configuring a CDB".

■

The CDB must be in read/write mode.

■

The current user must be a common user whose current container is the root.

■

The current user must have the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE system privilege.

■

You must decide on a unique PDB name for each PDB. Each PDB name must be
unique in a single CDB, and each PDB name must be unique within the scope of
all the CDBs whose instances are reached through a specific listener.
The PDB name is used to distinguish a PDB from other PDBs in the CDB. PDB
names follow the same rules as service names, which includes being
case-insensitive. See Oracle Database Net Services Reference for information about the
rules for service names.

■

If you are creating a PDB in an Oracle Data Guard configuration with a physical
standby database, then additional tasks must be completed before creating a PDB.
See Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more information.
See Also:

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Creating a PDB Using the Seed
You can use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to create a PDB in a CDB using
the files of the seed. This section describes using this statement to create a new PDB.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Creating a PDB from the Seed

■

Creating a PDB from the Seed
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement

About Creating a PDB from the Seed
You can use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to create a new PDB by using
the files of the seed. The statement copies these files to a new location and associates
them with the new PDB. Figure 38–2 illustrates how this technique creates a new PDB.

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Figure 38–2 Create a PDB Using the Seed Files
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)
New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE

Copy to New Location

PDB$SEED Database Files

See Also:

Files of the New PDB

"The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on

page 38-3
When you create a new PDB from the seed, you must specify an administrator for the
PDB in the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. The statement creates the
administrator as a local user in the PDB and grants the PDB_DBA role locally to the
administrator.
When you create a PDB using the seed, you must address the questions in Table 38–2.
The table describes which CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clauses you must specify based
on different factors.

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Creating a PDB Using the Seed

Table 38–2

Clauses for Creating a PDB From the Seed

Clause

Question

Yes

No

STORAGE

Do you want to limit the
amount of storage that the
PDB can use?

Specify a STORAGE clause
with the appropriate limits.

Omit the STORAGE clause, or
specify unlimited storage
using the STORAGE clause.

DEFAULT TABLESPACE

Do you want to specify a
default permanent
tablespace for the PDB?

Specify a DEFAULT
TABLESPACE clause with the
appropriate limits.

Omit the DEFAULT TABLESPACE
clause.

Oracle Database creates a
smallfile tablespace and
subsequently will assign to
this tablespace any
non-SYSTEM users for whom
you do not specify a
different permanent
tablespace.
PATH_PREFIX

Do you want to use a PATH_ Include a PATH_PREFIX
PREFIX clause to ensure that clause that specifies an
absolute path.
all relative directory object
paths associated with the
PDB are treated as relative
to the specified directory or
its subdirectories?

If you do not specify this
clause, then the SYSTEM
tablespace is the default
permanent tablespace for
non-SYSTEM users. Using the
SYSTEM tablespace for
non-SYSTEM users is not
recommended.
Set the PATH_PREFIX clause to
NONE or omit it.

The PATH_PREFIX clause is
ignored when absolute
paths are used for directory
objects.
The PATH_PREFIX clause
does not affect files created
by Oracle Managed Files.
FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Do you want to use a FILE_
NAME_CONVERT clause to
specify the target locations
of the files?
The source files are the files
associated with the seed.

Include a FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause that specifies
the target locations of the
files based on the names of
the source files.

Omit the FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause.
Use one of these techniques to
specify the target locations of
the files:
■
■

■

CREATE_FILE_DEST clause
Enable Oracle Managed
Files for the CDB for it to
determine the target
locations.
Specify the target
locations in the PDB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter.

See "File Location of the New
PDB" on page 38-4.

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Table 38–2 (Cont.) Clauses for Creating a PDB From the Seed
Clause

Question

Yes

No

CREATE_FILE_DEST

Do you want to use a
CREATE_FILE_DEST clause to
specify the Oracle Managed
Files default location for the
PDB’s files?

Include a CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause that specifies the
default file system directory
or Oracle ASM disk group
for the PDB’s files.

Omit the CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause.

The source files are the files
associated with the seed.

Use one of these techniques to
specify the target locations of
the files:
■

■

■

FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause
Enable Oracle Managed
Files for the CDB for it to
determine the target
locations.
Specify the target
locations in the PDB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter.

See "File Location of the New
PDB" on page 38-4.
TEMPFILE REUSE

Include the TEMPFILE REUSE Omit the TEMPFILE REUSE
Do you want to reuse the
temp file if a temp file exists clause.
clause.
in the target location?
Ensure that there is no file
with the same name as the
new temp file in the target
location.

USER_TABLESPACES

Do you want to specify
which tablespaces are
included in the new PDB
and which tablespaces are
excluded from the new
PDB?

Include the USER_
TABLESPACES clause and
specify the tablespaces that
are included in the new
PDB.

Omit the USER_TABLESPACES
clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
logging_clause

Do you want to specify the Include the logging_clause.
logging attribute of the
tablespaces in the new PDB?

Omit the logging_clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
ROLES

Omit the ROLES clause.
Include the ROLES clause
and specify the predefined
Oracle roles to grant to the
PDB_DBA role. The specified
roles are granted to the PDB_
The new administrator for
DBA role locally in the PDB.
the PDB is granted the PDB_
The user who runs the
DBA common role locally in
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
the PDB. By default, the
statement does not need to
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
be granted the specified
statement does not grant the
roles. See Oracle Database
administrator or the role
Security Guide for
any privileges.
information about
predefined Oracle roles.
Do you want to grant
predefined Oracle roles to
the PDB_DBA role locally in
the PDB?

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-15

Creating a PDB Using the Seed

The ROLES clause can be used only when you are creating a PDB from the seed, but the
other clauses described in Table 38–2 are general clauses. See "The CREATE
PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on page 38-3 for more information about the
general clauses.

Creating a PDB from the Seed
You can create a PDB from the seed using the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.
Before creating a PDB from the seed, complete the prerequisites described in
"Preparing for PDBs" on page 38-12.
To create a PDB from the seed:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, and specify a local administrator
for the PDB. Specify other clauses when they are required.
See "Examples of Creating a PDB from the Seed" on page 38-17.
After you create the PDB, it is in mounted mode, and its status is NEW. You can
view the open mode of a PDB by querying the OPEN_MODE column in the V$PDBS
view. You can view the status of a PDB by querying the STATUS column of the CDB_
PDBS or DBA_PDBS view.
A new default service is created for the PDB. The service has the same name as the
PDB and can be used to access the PDB. Oracle Net Services must be configured
properly for clients to access this service. See "Accessing a Container in a CDB
with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

3.

Open the new PDB in read/write mode.
You must open the new PDB in read/write mode for Oracle Database to complete
the integration of the new PDB into the CDB. An error is returned if you attempt
to open the PDB in read-only mode. After the PDB is opened in read/write mode,
its status is NORMAL.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for more information.

4.

Back up the PDB.
A PDB cannot be recovered unless it is backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing up
a PDB.

A local user with the name of the specified local administrator is created and granted
the PDB_DBA common role locally in the PDB. If this user was not granted administrator
privileges during PDB creation, then use the SYS and SYSTEM common users to
administer to the PDB.
If an error is returned during PDB creation, then the PDB
being created might be in an UNUSABLE state. You can check a PDB’s
state by querying the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view, and you can learn
more about PDB creation errors by checking the alert log. An unusable
PDB can only be dropped, and it must be dropped before a PDB with
the same name as the unusable PDB can be created.
Note:

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Examples of Creating a PDB from the Seed
The following examples create a new PDB named salespdb and a salesadm local
administrator given different factors:
■
■

■

Example 38–17, "Creating a PDB Using No Clauses"
Example 38–18, "Creating a PDB and Granting Predefined Oracle Roles to the PDB
Administrator"
Example 38–19, "Creating a PDB Using the STORAGE, DEFAULT TABLESPACE,
PATH_PREFIX, and FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clauses"

Example 38–17 Creating a PDB Using No Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.

■

The PDB does not require a default tablespace.

■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.
Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled for the CDB, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT initialization parameter is set. The files associated with the seed will be
copied to a new location based on the Oracle Managed Files configuration or the
initialization parameter setting.

■

■

There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.
No predefined Oracle roles need to be granted to the PDB_DBA role.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement creates the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb ADMIN USER salesadm IDENTIFIED BY password;

See Also:
■
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter
Oracle Database Security Guide for guidelines about choosing
passwords

Example 38–18 Creating a PDB and Granting Predefined Oracle Roles to the PDB
Administrator

This example assumes the following factors:
■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.

■

The PDB does not require a default tablespace.

■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.
Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter is set. The files associated with the seed will be copied to a

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-17

Creating a PDB Using the Seed

new location based on the Oracle Managed Files configuration or the initialization
parameter setting.
■

■

There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.
The PDB_DBA role should be granted the following predefined Oracle role locally:
DBA.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement creates the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb ADMIN USER salesadm IDENTIFIED BY password
ROLES=(DBA);

In addition to creating the salespdb PDB, this statement grants the PDB_DBA role to the
PDB administrator salesadm and grants the specified predefined Oracle roles to the
PDB_DBA role locally in the PDB.
See Also:
■
■

■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter
Oracle Database Security Guide for guidelines about choosing
passwords

Example 38–19 Creating a PDB Using the STORAGE, DEFAULT TABLESPACE, PATH_
PREFIX, and FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■

■

■

Storage limits must be enforced for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is
required. Specifically, all tablespaces that belong to the PDB must not exceed 2
gigabytes, and the storage used by the PDB sessions in the shared temporary
tablespace must not exceed 100 megabytes.
A default permanent tablespace is required for any non-administrative users for
which you do not specify a different permanent tablespace. Specifically, this
example creates a default permanent tablespace named sales with the following
characteristics:
–

The single data file for the tablespace is sales01.dbf, and the statement
creates it in the /disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb directory.

–

The SIZE clause specifies that the initial size of the tablespace is 250
megabytes.

–

The AUTOEXTEND clause enables automatic extension for the file.

The PDB’s relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to a specific
directory. Therefore, the PATH_PREFIX clause is required. In this example, the PDB’s
relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to the
/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb directory.
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause will not be used, Oracle Managed Files is not
enabled, and the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is not set.
Therefore, the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required. Specify the location of the
data files for the seed on your system. In this example, Oracle Database copies the
files from /disk1/oracle/dbs/pdbseed to /disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb.
To view the location of the data files for the seed, run the query in Example 43–7,
"Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB" on page 43-10.

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Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

■

■

There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.
No predefined Oracle roles need to be granted to the PDB_DBA role.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement creates the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb ADMIN USER salesadm IDENTIFIED BY password
STORAGE (MAXSIZE 2G MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 100M)
DEFAULT TABLESPACE sales
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/sales01.dbf' SIZE 250M AUTOEXTEND ON
PATH_PREFIX = '/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/'
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/dbs/pdbseed/',
'/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/');

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause
Oracle Database Security Guide for guidelines about choosing
passwords

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB
Note: Creating a PDB by cloning a non-CDB is available starting
with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

This section contains the following topics:
■

About Cloning a PDB

■

Cloning a Local PDB

■

Cloning a Remote PDB or Non-CDB

■

After Cloning a PDB

About Cloning a PDB
You can use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to clone a PDB from a source
PDB or from a non-CDB. This technique clones a source PDB or non-CDB and plugs
the clone into the CDB. To use this technique, you must include a FROM clause that
specifies the source.
The source is the existing PDB or non-CDB that is copied. The target PDB is the clone
of the source. The source can be a PDB in the local CDB, a PDB in a remote CDB, or a
non-CDB. The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement copies the files associated with
the source to a new location and associates the files with the target PDB.
One use of cloning is for testing. Cloning enables you to create one or more clones of a
PDB or non-CDB and safely test them in isolation. For example, you might test a new
or modified application on a cloned PDB before using the application with a
production PDB.
Figure 38–3 illustrates how this technique creates a new PDB when the source is a local
PDB.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-19

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Figure 38–3 Clone a Local PDB
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

Source
PDB

Copy

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... FROM

Copy to New Location

Files of the Source
PDB

Files of the New
PDB

When the source is a PDB in a remote CDB, you must specify a database link to the
remote CDB in the FROM clause. The database link connects either to the root of the
remote CDB or to the remote source PDB from the CDB that will contain the new PDB.
Figure 38–4 illustrates how this technique creates a new PDB when the source PDB is
remote.

38-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Figure 38–4 Creating a PDB by Cloning a Remote PDB

CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)
Source
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs
Copy
Database
Link

CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... FROM

Copy to New Location

Files of the
Source PDB

Files of the
New PDB

When the source is a non-CDB, you must specify a database link to the non-CDB in the
FROM clause. Figure 38–5 illustrates how this technique creates a new PDB when the
source is a remote non-CDB.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-21

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Figure 38–5 Creating a PDB by Cloning a Non-CDB

Non-CDB
Copy
Database
Link
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... FROM

Copy to New Location

Files of the
Source Non-CDB

Files of the
New PDB

See Also:

"The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on

page 38-3

You cannot use the FROM clause in the CREATE PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement to create a PDB from the seed (PDB$SEED). See
"Creating a PDB Using the Seed" on page 38-12 for information about
creating a PDB from the seed.
Note:

When you clone a PDB, you must address the questions in Table 38–3. The table
describes which CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clauses you must specify based on
different factors.

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Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Table 38–3

Clauses for Cloning a PDB

Clause

Question

Yes

No

PATH_PREFIX

Do you want to use a PATH_ Include a PATH_PREFIX
PREFIX clause to ensure that clause that specifies an
absolute path.
all relative directory object
paths associated with the
PDB are treated as relative
to the specified directory or
its subdirectories?

Set the PATH_PREFIX clause to
NONE or omit it.

The PATH_PREFIX clause is
ignored when absolute
paths are used for directory
objects.
The PATH_PREFIX clause
does not affect files created
by Oracle Managed Files.
FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Do you want to use a FILE_
NAME_CONVERT clause to
specify the target locations
of the files?

Include a FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause that specifies
the target locations of the
files based on the names of
the source files.

Omit the FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause.
Use one of these techniques to
specify the target locations of
the files:
■
■

■

CREATE_FILE_DEST clause
Enable Oracle Managed
Files for the CDB for it to
determine the target
locations.
Specify the target
locations in the PDB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter.

See "File Location of the New
PDB" on page 38-4.
CREATE_FILE_DEST

Do you want to use a
CREATE_FILE_DEST clause to
specify the Oracle Managed
Files default location for the
PDB’s files?

Include a CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause that specifies the
default file system directory
or Oracle ASM disk group
for the PDB’s files.

Omit the CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause.
Use one of these techniques to
specify the target locations of
the files:
■

■

■

FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause
Enable Oracle Managed
Files for the CDB for it to
determine the target
locations.
Specify the target
locations in the PDB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter.

See "File Location of the New
PDB" on page 38-4.
STORAGE

Do you want to limit the
amount of storage that the
PDB can use?

Specify a STORAGE clause
with the appropriate limits.

Omit the STORAGE clause, or
specify unlimited storage
using the STORAGE clause.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-23

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Table 38–3 (Cont.) Clauses for Cloning a PDB
Clause

Question

Yes

TEMPFILE REUSE

Include the TEMPFILE REUSE Omit the TEMPFILE REUSE
Do you want to reuse the
temp file if a temp file exists clause.
clause.
in the target location?
Ensure that there is no file
with the same name as the
new temp file in the target
location.

USER_TABLESPACES

Do you want to specify
which tablespaces are
included in the new PDB
and which tablespaces are
excluded from the new
PDB?

Include the USER_
TABLESPACES clause and
specify the tablespaces that
are included in the new
PDB.

No

Omit the USER_TABLESPACES
clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
logging_clause

Do you want to specify the Include the logging_clause.
logging attribute of the
tablespaces in the new PDB?

Omit the logging_clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
NO DATA

Do you want to specify that Include the NO DATA clause.
the data model definition of
the source PDB is cloned but
not the data of the source
PDB?

Omit the NO DATA clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
SNAPSHOT COPY

Do you want to clone a PDB Specify a SNAPSHOT COPY
using a storage snapshot?
clause to indicate that
cloning is to be performed
using storage snapshots.

Omit the SNAPSHOT COPY
clause.

Creating a PDB clone with
storage snapshots makes
creating a clone nearly
instantaneous because it
does not require copying the
source PDB’s data files.
SNAPSHOT COPY is supported
only if the underlying file
system supports storage
snapshots.

Excluding the NO DATA clause and the SNAPSHOT COPY clause, the clauses described in
Table 38–3 are general clauses. See "The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 38-3 for more information about the general clauses.
The SNAPSHOT COPY Clause
When you use the SNAPSHOT COPY clause, all of the data files of the source PDB must be
stored in the same storage type.

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When you use the SNAPSHOT COPY clause to create a clone of a source PDB and the
CLONEDB initialization parameter is set to FALSE, the underlying file system for the
source PDB’s files must support storage snapshots. Such file systems include Oracle
Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS) and Direct NFS
Client storage.
When you use the SNAPSHOT COPY clause to create a clone of a source PDB and the
CLONEDB initialization parameter is set to TRUE, the underlying file system for the
source PDB’s files can be any local file system, network file system (NFS), or clustered
file system that has Direct NFS enabled. However, the source PDB must remain in
open read-only mode as long as any clones exist.
Direct NFS Client enables an Oracle database to access network attached storage
(NAS) devices directly, rather than using the operating system kernel NFS client. If the
PDB’s files are stored on Direct NFS Client storage, then the following additional
requirements must be met:
■

The source PDB’s files must be located on an NFS volume.

■

Storage credentials must be stored in a Transparent Data Encryption keystore.

■

■

The storage user must have the privileges required to create and destroy snapshots
on the volume that hosts the source PDB’s files.
Credentials must be stored in the keystore using an ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT
ADD SECRET SQL statement.
The following example configures an Oracle Database secret in a software
keystore:
ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT
ADD SECRET 'secret' FOR CLIENT 'client_name'
USING TAG 'storage_user'
IDENTIFIED BY keystore_password WITH BACKUP;

Run this statement to add a separate entry for each storage server in the
configuration. In the previous example, the following values must be specified:
–

secret is the storage password.

–

client_name is the storage server. On a Linux or UNIX platform, it is the name
entered in /etc/hosts or the IP address of the storage server.

–

tag is the username passed to the storage server.

–

keystore_password is the password for the keystore.

See Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for more information about managing
keystores and secrets.
When you use the SNAPSHOT COPY clause to create a clone of a source PDB, the
following restrictions apply to the source PDB as long as any clones exist:
■

It cannot be unplugged.

■

It cannot be dropped.

PDB clones created using the SNAPSHOT COPY clause cannot be unplugged. They can
only be dropped. Attempting to unplug a clone created using the SNAPSHOT COPY clause
results in an error.
For a PDB created using the SNAPSHOT COPY clause in an Oracle Real Application
Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, each node that must access the PDB’s files must
be mounted.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-25

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Storage clones are named and tagged using the destination PDB’s GUID. You can
query the CLONETAG column of DBA_PDB_HISTORY view to view clone tags for storage
clones.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for
more information about Oracle ACFS
Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Guide for your operating
system for information about Direct NFS Client
Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide for more information
about Transparent Data Encryption
My Oracle Support Note 1597027.1 for more information about
supported platforms for snapshot cloning of PDBs:
https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&type=NOT&i
d=1597027.1

■

"Determining the Current Container ID or Name" on page 43-12

Cloning a Local PDB
This section describes cloning a local PDB. After cloning a local PDB, the source and
target PDBs are in the same CDB.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

■

Complete the prerequisites described in "Preparing for PDBs" on page 38-12.
The current user must have the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE system privilege in
both the root and the source PDB.
The source PDB must be in open read-only mode.

To clone a local PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, and specify the source PDB in the
FROM clause. Specify other clauses when they are required.
See "Examples of Cloning a Local PDB" on page 38-27.
After you create the PDB, it is in mounted mode, and its status is NEW. You can
view the open mode of a PDB by querying the OPEN_MODE column in the V$PDBS
view. You can view the status of a PDB by querying the STATUS column of the CDB_
PDBS or DBA_PDBS view.
A new default service is created for the PDB. The service has the same name as the
PDB and can be used to access the PDB. Oracle Net Services must be configured
properly for clients to access this service. See "Accessing a Container in a CDB
with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

3.

Open the new PDB in read/write mode.
You must open the new PDB in read/write mode for Oracle Database to complete
the integration of the new PDB into the CDB. An error is returned if you attempt
to open the PDB in read-only mode. After the PDB is opened in read/write mode,
its status is NORMAL.

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See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for more information.
4.

Back up the PDB.
A PDB cannot be recovered unless it is backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing up
a PDB.
If an error is returned during PDB creation, then the PDB
being created might be in an UNUSABLE state. You can check a PDB’s
state by querying the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view, and you can learn
more about PDB creation errors by checking the alert log. An unusable
PDB can only be dropped, and it must be dropped before a PDB with
the same name as the unusable PDB can be created.
Note:

Examples of Cloning a Local PDB
The following examples clone a local source PDB named pdb1 to a target PDB named
pdb2 given different factors:
■
■

■

Example 38–20, "Cloning a Local PDB Using No Clauses"
Example 38–21, "Cloning a Local PDB With the PATH_PREFIX and FILE_NAME_
CONVERT Clauses"
Example 38–22, "Cloning a Local PDB Using the FILE_NAME_CONVERT and
STORAGE Clauses"

Example 38–20 Cloning a Local PDB Using No Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.
Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter is set. Therefore, the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not
required. The files will be copied to a new location based on the Oracle Managed
Files configuration or the initialization parameter setting.

■

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement clones the pdb2 PDB from the
pdb1 PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM pdb1;

See Also:
■
■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-27

Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Example 38–21 Cloning a Local PDB With the PATH_PREFIX and FILE_NAME_CONVERT
Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■

The PDB’s relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to a specific
directory. Therefore, the PATH_PREFIX clause is required. In this example, the PDB’s
relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to the
/disk2/oracle/pdb2 directory and its subdirectories.
The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required to specify the target locations of the
copied files. In this example, the files are copied from /disk1/oracle/pdb1 to
/disk2/oracle/pdb2.
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause is not used, and neither Oracle Managed Files nor
the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is used to specify the target
locations of the copied files.
To view the location of the data files for a PDB, run the query in Example 43–7,
"Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB" on page 43-10.

■

■

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.
Future tablespaces created within the PDB will be created with the NOLOGGING
attribute by default. This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Given the preceding factors, the following statement clones the pdb2 PDB from the
pdb1 PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM pdb1
PATH_PREFIX = '/disk2/oracle/pdb2'
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/pdb1/', '/disk2/oracle/pdb2/')
NOLOGGING;

Example 38–22 Cloning a Local PDB Using the FILE_NAME_CONVERT and STORAGE
Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■
■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.
The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required to specify the target locations of the
copied files. In this example, the files are copied from /disk1/oracle/pdb1 to
/disk2/oracle/pdb2.
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause is not used, and neither Oracle Managed Files nor
the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is used to specify the target
locations of the copied files.
To view the location of the data files for a PDB, run the query in Example 43–7,
"Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB" on page 43-10.

■

Storage limits must be enforced for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is
required. Specifically, all tablespaces that belong to the PDB must not exceed 2
gigabytes, and the storage used by the PDB sessions in the shared temporary
tablespace must not exceed 100 megabytes.

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■

There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement clones the pdb2 PDB from the
pdb1 PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM pdb1
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/pdb1/', '/disk2/oracle/pdb2/')
STORAGE (MAXSIZE 2G MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 100M);

Example 38–23 Cloning a Local PDB Without Cloning Its Data

This example assumes the following factors:
■

The NO DATA clause is required because the goal is to clone the data model
definition of the source PDB without cloning its data.

■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.
Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter is set. Therefore, the FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not
required. The files will be copied to a new location based on the Oracle Managed
Files configuration or the initialization parameter setting.

■

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Assume that the source PDB pdb1 has a large amount of data. The following steps
illustrate how the clone does not contain the source PDB’s data when the operation is
complete:
1.

With the source PDB pdb1 as the current container, query a table with a large
amount of data:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM tpch.lineitem;
COUNT(*)
---------6001215

The table has over six million rows.
2.

With the root as the current container, change the source PDB to open read-only
mode:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb1 OPEN READ ONLY;

3.

Clone the source PDB with the NO DATA clause:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM pdb1 NO DATA;

4.

Open the cloned PDB:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 OPEN;

5.

With the cloned PDB pdb2 as the current container, query the table that has a large
amount of data in the source PDB:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM tpch.lineitem;

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Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

COUNT(*)
---------0

The table in the cloned PDB has no rows.

Cloning a Remote PDB or Non-CDB
This section describes creating a PDB by cloning a remote source. The remote source
can be a remote PDB or non-CDB. After the cloning operation is complete, the source
and the target PDB are in different locations.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

■
■

■

■

■

■

■

Complete the prerequisites described in "Preparing for PDBs" on page 38-12.
The current user must have the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE system privilege in
the root of the CDB that will contain the target PDB.
The source PDB or source non-CDB must be in open read-only mode.
A database link must enable a connection from the CDB that will contain the target
PDB to the remote source. If the source is a remote PDB, then the database link can
connect to either the root of the remote CDB or to the remote source PDB.
The user that the database link connects with at the remote source must have the
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE system privilege in the source PDB or in the non-CDB.
If the database link connects to the root in a remote CDB, then the user that the
database link connects with must be a common user.
The source and target platforms must meet these requirements:
–

They must have the same endianness.

–

They must have the same set of database options installed.

The source and target must have compatible character sets and national character
sets. To be compatible, the character sets and national character sets must meet all
of the requirements specified in Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide.
If you are creating a PDB by cloning a non-CDB, then both the CDB and the
non-CDB must be running Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2) or later.

To clone a PDB or non-CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root of the CDB that will
contain the new PDB.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, and specify the source PDB or the
source non-CDB in the FROM clause. Specify other clauses when they are required.
See Example 38–24, "Creating a PDB by Cloning a Remote PDB Using No
Clauses".
After you create the PDB, it is in mounted mode, and its status is NEW. You can
view the open mode of a PDB by querying the OPEN_MODE column in the V$PDBS
view. You can view the status of a PDB by querying the STATUS column of the CDB_
PDBS or DBA_PDBS view.

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A new default service is created for the PDB. The service has the same name as the
PDB and can be used to access the PDB. Oracle Net Services must be configured
properly for clients to access this service. See "Accessing a Container in a CDB
with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.
3.

If you created the PDB from a non-CDB, then run the ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin/noncdb_to_pdb.sql script. This script must be run before
the PDB can be opened for the first time.
If the PDB was not a non-CDB, then running the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script is not
required.
To run the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script, complete the following steps:
a.

Access the PDB.
The current user must have SYSDBA administrative privilege, and the privilege
must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB. The user
must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA at connect time.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

b.

Run the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script:
@$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/noncdb_to_pdb.sql

The script opens the PDB, performs changes, and closes the PDB when the
changes are complete.
4.

Open the new PDB in read/write mode.
You must open the new PDB in read/write mode for Oracle Database to complete
the integration of the new PDB into the CDB. An error is returned if you attempt
to open the PDB in read-only mode. After the PDB is opened in read/write mode,
its status is NORMAL.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for more information.

5.

Back up the PDB.
A PDB cannot be recovered unless it is backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing up
a PDB.
If an error is returned during PDB creation, then the PDB
being created might be in an UNUSABLE state. You can check a PDB’s
state by querying the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view, and you can learn
more about PDB creation errors by checking the alert log. An unusable
PDB can only be dropped, and it must be dropped before a PDB with
the same name as the unusable PDB can be created.
Note:

Example 38–24 Creating a PDB by Cloning a Remote PDB Using No Clauses

This example clones a remote source PDB named pdb1 to a target PDB named pdb2
given different factors. This example assumes the following factors:
■

The database link name to the remote PDB is pdb1_link.

■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.

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Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB

Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter is set. The files will be copied to a new location based on
the Oracle Managed Files configuration or the initialization parameter setting.
■

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement clones the pdb2 PDB from the
pdb1 remote PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM pdb1@pdb1_link;

Example 38–25 Creating a PDB by Cloning a Remote Non-CDB

This example creates a new PDB by cloning a remote source non-CDB named mydb to a
target PDB named pdb2 given different factors. This example assumes the following
factors:
■

The database link name to the remote non-CDB is mydb_link.

■

The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.

■

The FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause and the CREATE_FILE_DEST clause are not required.
Either Oracle Managed Files is enabled, or the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter is set. The files will be copied to a new location based on
the Oracle Managed Files configuration or the initialization parameter setting.

■

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement creates the pdb2 PDB from the
remote non-CDB named mydb:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM mydb@mydb_link;

When the source is a non-CDB, you can substitute NON$CDB for the name of the
non-CDB. For example, the following statement is equivalent to the previous example:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE pdb2 FROM NON$CDB@mydb_link;

See Also:
■
■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter

After Cloning a PDB
The following applies after cloning a PDB:
■

Users in the PDB who used the default temporary tablespace of the source CDB or
source non-CDB use the default temporary tablespace of the target CDB. When the
source is a PDB, users who used temporary tablespaces local to the PDB continue
to use the same local temporary tablespaces. See "About Managing Tablespaces in

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a CDB" on page 40-18.
■

When cloning a remote PDB, user-created common users that existed in the source
CDB but not in the target CDB do not have any privileges granted commonly.
However, if the target CDB has a common user with the same name as a common
user in the PDB, the latter is linked to the former and has the privileges granted to
this common user in the target CDB.
If the target CDB does not have a common user with the same name, then the user
account is locked in the target PDB. You have the following options regarding each
of these locked users:
–

Close the PDB, connect to the root, and create a common user with the same
name. When the PDB is opened in read/write mode, differences in roles and
privileges granted commonly to the user are resolved, and you can unlock the
user. Privileges and roles granted locally to the user remain unchanged during
this process.

–

You can create a new local user in the PDB and use Data Pump to
export/import the locked user’s data into the new local user’s schema.

–

You can leave the user locked.

–

You can drop the user.
See Also:
■
■

■

■

■

"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15
Example 43–9, "Showing the Services Associated with PDBs" on
page 43-10
Oracle Database Concepts for information about common users and
local users
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating a
local user
Oracle Database Utilities for information about using Oracle Data
Pump with a CDB

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Plugging In an Unplugged PDB

■

Plugging In an Unplugged PDB

■

After Plugging in an Unplugged PDB

About Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
This technique plugs in an unplugged PDB. This technique uses the XML metadata file
that describes the PDB and the files associated with the PDB to plug it into the CDB.
The XML metadata file specifies the locations of the PDB’s files, and the USING clause
of the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement specifies the XML metadata file.
Figure 38–6 illustrates how this technique creates a new PDB.

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38-33

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

Figure 38–6 Plug In an Unplugged PDB
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)
New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... USING

XML
Metadata
File
Database Files

See Also:

"The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on

page 38-3
An unplugged PDB consists of an XML file that describes the PDB and the PDB’s files
(such as the data files and wallet file). You can use the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement to plug in an unplugged PDB. To do so, you must include a USING clause
that specifies the XML file that describes the PDB.
The source CDB is the CDB from which the PDB was unplugged. The target CDB is the
CDB into which you are plugging the PDB. The source CDB and target CDB can be the
same CDB or different CDBs.
When you plug in an unplugged PDB, you must address the questions in Table 38–4.
The table describes which CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clauses you must specify based
on different factors.

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Table 38–4

Clauses for Plugging In an Unplugged PDB

Clause

Question

Yes

No

AS CLONE

Are you plugging a PDB
into a CDB that contains one
or more PDBs that were
created by plugging in the
same PDB?

Specify the AS CLONE clause Omit the AS CLONE clause.
to ensure that Oracle
Database generates unique
PDB DBID, GUID, and other
identifiers expected for the
new PDB. The PDB is
plugged in as a clone of the
unplugged PDB to ensure
that all of its identifiers are
unique.

PATH_PREFIX

Do you want to use a PATH_ Include a PATH_PREFIX
PREFIX clause to ensure that clause that specifies an
all relative directory object
absolute path.
paths associated with the
PDB are treated as relative
to the specified directory or
its subdirectories?

Set the PATH_PREFIX clause
to NONE or omit it.

The PATH_PREFIX clause is
ignored when absolute
paths are used for directory
objects.
The PATH_PREFIX clause
does not affect files created
by Oracle Managed Files.
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT

Do the contents of the XML Omit the SOURCE_FILE_
file accurately describe the
NAME_CONVERT clause.
locations of the source files?

Use the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause to specify
the source file locations.

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Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

Table 38–4 (Cont.) Clauses for Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
Clause

Question

Yes

No

NOCOPY, COPY, MOVE,
FILE_NAME_CONVERT,
CREATE_FILE_DEST

Do you want to copy or
move the files to a new
location?

Specify COPY to copy the
files to a new location. COPY
is the default.

Specify NOCOPY.

Specify MOVE to move the
files to a new location.
Use one of these techniques
to specify the target
location:
■

■

■

■

In the CREATE
PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, include a
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause that specifies the
target locations based
on the names of the
source files.
In the CREATE
PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, include a
CREATE_FILE_DEST
clause that specifies the
Oracle Managed Files
default location for the
PDB’s files.
Enable Oracle Managed
Files for it to determine
the target locations.
Specify the target
locations in the PDB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT
initialization parameter.

See "File Location of the
New PDB" on page 38-4.
STORAGE

Do you want to limit the
amount of storage that the
PDB can use?

38-36 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Specify a STORAGE clause
with the appropriate limits.

Omit the STORAGE clause, or
specify unlimited storage
using the STORAGE clause.

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

Table 38–4 (Cont.) Clauses for Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
Clause

Question

Yes

No

TEMPFILE REUSE

Include the TEMPFILE REUSE Omit the TEMPFILE REUSE
Do you want to reuse the
temp file if a temp file exists clause.
clause.
in the target location?
Ensure that there is no file
with the same name as the
new temp file in the target
location.

USER_TABLESPACES

Do you want to specify
which tablespaces are
included in the new PDB
and which tablespaces are
excluded from the new
PDB?

Include the USER_
TABLESPACES clause and
specify the tablespaces that
are included in the new
PDB.

Omit the USER_TABLESPACES
clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).
Do you want to specify the Include the logging_clause.
logging attribute of the
tablespaces in the new PDB?

logging_clause

Omit the logging_clause.

This feature is available
starting with Oracle
Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2).

You can use the AS CLONE clause and SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause only when
you are plugging in an unplugged PDB, but the other clauses described in Table 38–4
are general clauses. See "The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on
page 38-3 for more information about the general clauses.

Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
To plug in an unplugged PDB, the following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

Complete the prerequisites described in "Preparing for PDBs" on page 38-12.
The XML file that describes the PDB must exist in a location that is accessible to
the CDB.
The USING clause must specify the XML file.
If the PDB’s XML file is unusable or cannot be located, then you can use the DBMS_
PDB.RECOVER procedure to generate an XML file using the PDB’s data files. See
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more information about
this procedure.

■

■

■

The files associated with the PDB (such as the data files and wallet file) must exist
in a location that is accessible to the CDB.
The source and target CDB platforms must meet the following requirements:
–

They must have the same endianness.

–

They must have the same set of database options installed.

The CDB that contained the unplugged PDB and the target CDB must have
compatible character sets and national character sets. To be compatible, the
character sets and national character sets must meet all of the requirements
specified in Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide.
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Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

You can use the DBMS_PDB.CHECK_PLUG_COMPATIBILITY function to determine whether
these requirements are met. Step 2 in the following procedure describes using this
function.
Note:
■

■

If you are plugging in a PDB that includes data that was
encrypted with Transparent Data Encryption, then follow the
instructions in Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide.
If you are plugging in a Database Vault-enabled PDB, then follow
the instructions in Oracle Database Vault Administrator's Guide.

To plug in a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root of the CDB into which
you want to plug the PDB.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

(Optional) Run the DBMS_PDB.CHECK_PLUG_COMPATIBILITY function to determine
whether the unplugged PDB is compatible with the CDB.
a.

If the PDB is not yet unplugged, then run the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE procedure to
produce an XML file that describes the PDB.
If the PDB is already unplugged, then proceed to Step b.
For example, to generate an XML file named salespdb.xml in the
/disk1/oracle directory, run the following procedure:
BEGIN
DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE(
pdb_descr_file => '/disk1/oracle/salespdb.xml',
pdb_name
=> 'SALESPDB');
END;
/

If the PDB is in a remote CDB, then you can include @database_link_name in
the pdb_name parameter, where database_link_name is the name of a valid
database link to the remote CDB or to the PDB. For example, if the database
link name to the remote CDB is rcdb, then set the pdb_name value to
SALESPDB@rcdb.
b.

Run the DBMS_PDB.CHECK_PLUG_COMPATIBILITY function.
When you run the function, set the following parameters:
- pdb_descr_file - Set this parameter to the full path to the XML file.
- pdb_name - Specify the name of the new PDB. If this parameter is omitted,
then the PDB name in the XML file is used.
For example, to determine whether a PDB described by the
/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml file is compatible with the current CDB, run the
following PL/SQL block:
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
DECLARE
compatible CONSTANT VARCHAR2(3) :=
CASE DBMS_PDB.CHECK_PLUG_COMPATIBILITY(

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pdb_descr_file => '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml',
pdb_name
=> 'SALESPDB')
WHEN TRUE THEN 'YES'
ELSE 'NO'
END;
BEGIN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(compatible);
END;
/

If the output is YES, then the PDB is compatible, and you can continue with the
next step.
If the output is NO, then the PDB is not compatible, and you can check the PDB_
PLUG_IN_VIOLATIONS view to see why it is not compatible.
3.

If the PDB is not unplugged, then unplug it.
See "Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47.

4.

Run the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, and specify the XML file in the
USING clause. Specify other clauses when they are required.
See "Examples of Plugging In an Unplugged PDB" on page 38-39.
After you create the PDB, it is in mounted mode, and its status is NEW. You can
view the open mode of a PDB by querying the OPEN_MODE column in the V$PDBS
view. You can view the status of a PDB by querying the STATUS column of the CDB_
PDBS or DBA_PDBS view.
A new default service is created for the PDB. The service has the same name as the
PDB and can be used to access the PDB. Oracle Net Services must be configured
properly for clients to access this service. See "Accessing a Container in a CDB
with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

5.

Open the new PDB in read/write mode.
You must open the new PDB in read/write mode for Oracle Database to complete
the integration of the new PDB into the CDB. An error is returned if you attempt
to open the PDB in read-only mode. After the PDB is opened in read/write mode,
its status is NORMAL.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for more information.

6.

Back up the PDB.
A PDB cannot be recovered unless it is backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing up
a PDB.
If an error is returned during PDB creation, then the PDB
being created might be in an UNUSABLE state. You can check a PDB’s
state by querying the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view, and you can learn
more about PDB creation errors by checking the alert log. An unusable
PDB can only be dropped, and it must be dropped before a PDB with
the same name as the unusable PDB can be created.
Note:

Examples of Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
The following examples plug in an unplugged PDB named salespdb using the
/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml file given different factors:

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38-39

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

■
■

■

■

■

Example 38–26, "Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the NOCOPY Clause"
Example 38–27, "Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the AS CLONE and
NOCOPY Clauses"
Example 38–28, "Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the SOURCE_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT, NOCOPY, and STORAGE Clauses"
Example 38–29, "Plugging In an Unplugged PDB With the COPY, PATH_PREFIX,
and FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clauses"
Example 38–30, "Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the SOURCE_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT, MOVE, FILE_NAME_CONVERT, and STORAGE Clauses"

Example 38–26 Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the NOCOPY Clause

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■
■

■
■

■

The new PDB is not based on the same unplugged PDB that was used to create an
existing PDB in the CDB. Therefore, the AS CLONE clause is not required.
The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.
The XML file accurately describes the current locations of the files. Therefore, the
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not required.
The files are in the correct location. Therefore, NOCOPY is included.
Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
A file with the same name as the temp file specified in the XML file exists in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement plugs in the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb USING '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml'
NOCOPY
TEMPFILE REUSE;

Example 38–27 Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the AS CLONE and NOCOPY
Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■
■

■
■

■

The new PDB is based on the same unplugged PDB that was used to create an
existing PDB in the CDB. Therefore, the AS CLONE clause is required. The AS CLONE
clause ensures that the new PDB has unique identifiers.
The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.
The XML file accurately describes the current locations of the files. Therefore, the
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not required.
The files are in the correct location. Therefore, NOCOPY is included.
Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.
A file with the same name as the temp file specified in the XML file exists in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement plugs in the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb AS CLONE USING '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml'
NOCOPY
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TEMPFILE REUSE;

Example 38–28 Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT, NOCOPY, and STORAGE Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■
■

■
■

■

The new PDB is not based on the same unplugged PDB that was used to create an
existing PDB in the CDB. Therefore, the AS CLONE clause is not required.
The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.
The XML file does not accurately describe the current locations of the files.
Therefore, the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required. In this example, the
XML file indicates that the files are in /disk1/oracle/sales, but the files are in
/disk2/oracle/sales.
The files are in the correct location. Therefore, NOCOPY is included.
Storage limits must be enforced for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is
required. Specifically, all tablespaces that belong to the PDB must not exceed 2
gigabytes, and the storage used by the PDB sessions in the shared temporary
tablespace must not exceed 100 megabytes.
A file with the same name as the temp file specified in the XML file exists in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement plugs in the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb USING '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml'
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/sales/', '/disk2/oracle/sales/')
NOCOPY
STORAGE (MAXSIZE 2G MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 100M)
TEMPFILE REUSE;

Example 38–29 Plugging In an Unplugged PDB With the COPY, PATH_PREFIX, and
FILE_NAME_CONVERT Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■

■

■

The new PDB is not based on the same unplugged PDB that was used to create an
existing PDB in the CDB. Therefore, the AS CLONE clause is not required.
The PDB’s relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to a specific
directory. Therefore, the PATH_PREFIX clause is required. In this example, the PDB’s
relative directory object paths must be treated as relative to the
/disk2/oracle/sales directory and its subdirectories.
The XML file accurately describes the current locations of the files. Therefore, the
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is not required.
The files are not in the correct location. Therefore, COPY or MOVE must be included.
In this example, the files are copied.
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause is not used, Oracle Managed Files is not enabled,
and the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is not set. Therefore, the
FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required. In this example, the files are copied from
/disk1/oracle/sales to /disk2/oracle/sales.

■

Storage limits are not required for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is not
required.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-41

Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a CDB

■

There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement plugs in the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb USING '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml'
COPY
PATH_PREFIX = '/disk2/oracle/sales/'
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/sales/', '/disk2/oracle/sales/');

Example 38–30 Plugging In an Unplugged PDB Using the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT, MOVE, FILE_NAME_CONVERT, and STORAGE Clauses

This example assumes the following factors:
■

■
■

■

The new PDB is not based on the same unplugged PDB that was used to create an
existing PDB in the CDB. Therefore, the AS CLONE clause is not required.
The PATH_PREFIX clause is not required.
The XML file does not accurately describe the current locations of the files.
Therefore, the SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required. In this example, the
XML file indicates that the files are in /disk1/oracle/sales, but the files are in
/disk2/oracle/sales.
The files are not in the correct final location for the PDB. Therefore, COPY or MOVE
must be included. In this example, MOVE is specified to move the files.
The CREATE_FILE_DEST clause is not used, Oracle Managed Files is not enabled,
and the PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is not set. Therefore, the
FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is required. In this example, the files are moved from
/disk2/oracle/sales to /disk3/oracle/sales.

■

■

Storage limits must be enforced for the PDB. Therefore, the STORAGE clause is
required. Specifically, all tablespaces that belong to the PDB must not exceed 2
gigabytes, and the storage used by the PDB sessions in the shared temporary
tablespace must not exceed 100 megabytes.
There is no file with the same name as the new temp file that will be created in the
target location. Therefore, the TEMPFILE REUSE clause is not required.

Given the preceding factors, the following statement plugs in the PDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb USING '/disk1/usr/salespdb.xml'
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/sales/', '/disk2/oracle/sales/')
MOVE
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk2/oracle/sales/', '/disk3/oracle/sales/')
STORAGE (MAXSIZE 2G MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 100M);

See Also:
■
■

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle Managed Files"
Oracle Database Reference for information about the PDB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter

After Plugging in an Unplugged PDB
The following applies after plugging in an unplugged PDB:
■

Users in the PDB who used the default temporary tablespace of the source CDB
use the default temporary tablespace of the target CDB. Users who used

38-42 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB

temporary tablespaces local to the PDB continue to use the same local temporary
tablespaces. See "About Managing Tablespaces in a CDB" on page 40-18.
■

User-created common users that existed in the source CDB but not in the target
CDB do not have any privileges granted commonly. However, if the target CDB
has a common user with the same name as a common user in the PDB, the latter is
linked to the former and has the privileges granted to this common user in the
target CDB.
If the target CDB does not have a common user with the same name, then the user
account is locked in the target PDB. You have the following options regarding each
of these locked users:
–

Close the PDB, connect to the root, and create a common user with the same
name. When the PDB is opened in read/write mode, differences in roles and
privileges granted commonly to the user are resolved, and you can unlock the
user. Privileges and roles granted locally to the user remain unchanged during
this process.

–

You can create a new local user in the PDB and use Data Pump to
export/import the locked user’s data into the new local user’s schema.

–

You can leave the user locked.

–

You can drop the user.
See Also:
■
■

■

■

■

"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15
Example 43–9, "Showing the Services Associated with PDBs" on
page 43-10
Oracle Database Concepts for information about common users and
local users
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating
common users and local users in a CDB
Oracle Database Utilities for information about using Oracle Data
Pump with a CDB

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB
This section describes moving a non-CDB into a PDB. You can accomplish this task in
the following ways:
■

Creating a PDB by cloning a non-CDB
Starting with Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), you can create a PDB by
cloning a non-CDB. This method is the simplest way to create a PDB using a
non-CDB, but it requires copying the files of the non-CDB to a new location.
See "Creating a PDB by Cloning an Existing PDB or Non-CDB" on page 38-19 for
instructions.
Both the CDB and the non-CDB must be running Oracle Database 12c Release 1
(12.1.0.2) or later. If your current non-CDB uses an Oracle Database release before
Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2), then you must upgrade the non-CDB to
Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2) to use this technique. See Oracle Database
Upgrade Guide for information about upgrading.

■

Use the DBMS_PDB package to generate an XML metadata file.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-43

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB

The XML metadata file describes the database files of the non-CDB so that you can
plug it into a CDB.
This method requires more steps than creating a PDB by cloning a non-CDB, but it
enables you to create a PDB using a non-CDB without moving the non-CDB files
in some situations.
"Using the DBMS_PDB Package on a Non-CDB" on page 38-44 describes using this
technique.
To use this technique, the non-CDB must be an Oracle Database 12c non-CDB. If
your current non-CDB uses an Oracle Database release before Oracle Database 12c,
then you must upgrade the non-CDB to Oracle Database 12c to use this technique.
See Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for information about upgrading.
■

Use Oracle Data Pump export/import.
You export the data from the non-CDB and import it into a PDB.
When you import, specify the connect identifier for the PDB after the user name.
For example, if the connect identifier for the PDB is hrpdb, then enter the following
when you run the Oracle Data Pump Import utility:
impdp user_name@hrpdb ...

If the Oracle Database release of the non-CDB is Oracle Database 11g Release 2
(11.2.0.3) or later, then you can use full transportable export/import to move the
data. When transporting a non-CDB from an Oracle Database 11g Release 2
(11.2.0.3) or later Oracle Database 11g database to Oracle Database 12c, the VERSION
Data Pump export parameter must be set to 12.0.0.0.0 or higher.
If the Oracle Database release of the non-CDB is before Oracle Database 11g
Release 2 (11.2.0.3), then you can use transportable tablespaces to move the data,
or you can perform a full database export/import.
See Chapter 15, "Transporting Data".
■

Use GoldenGate replication.
You replicate the data from the non-CDB to a PDB. When the PDB catches up with
the non-CDB, you fail over to the PDB.
See the Oracle GoldenGate documentation.

Using the DBMS_PDB Package on a Non-CDB
This section describes using the DBMS_PDB package on a non-CDB to enable you to plug
the non-CDB into a CDB.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Using the DBMS_PDB Package on a Non-CDB

■

Using the DBMS_PDB Package to Create an Unplugged PDB

About Using the DBMS_PDB Package on a Non-CDB
This technique creates a PDB from a non-CDB. You run the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE
procedure on the non-CDB to generate the XML file that describes the database files of
the non-CDB. After the XML file is generated, you can plug in the non-CDB in the
same way that you can plug in an unplugged PDB. Specifically, you specify the USING
clause in the CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. When the non-CDB is plugged in
to a CDB, it is a PDB.

38-44 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB

Figure 38–7 Plug In a Non-CDB Using the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE Procedure
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

New
PDB

Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... USING

XML
Metadata
File
Database Files

DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE

Non-CDB

To use this technique, the non-CDB must be an Oracle
Database 12c non-CDB.

Note:

See Also: "Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a
CDB" on page 38-33

Using the DBMS_PDB Package to Create an Unplugged PDB
This section describes moving a non-CDB into a PDB by using the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE
procedure.
To move a non-CDB into a PDB using the DBMS_PDB package:
1.

Create the CDB if it does not exist.
See Chapter 37, "Creating and Configuring a CDB".

2.

Ensure that the non-CDB is in a transactionally-consistent state and place it in
read-only mode.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-45

Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB

See "Opening a Database in Read-Only Mode" on page 3-10.
3.

Connect to the non-CDB, and run the DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE procedure to construct
an XML file that describes the non-CDB.
The current user must have SYSDBA administrative privilege. The user must
exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA at connect time.
For example, to generate an XML file named ncdb.xml in the /disk1/oracle
directory, run the following procedure:
BEGIN
DBMS_PDB.DESCRIBE(
pdb_descr_file => '/disk1/oracle/ncdb.xml');
END;
/

After the procedure completes successfully, you can use the XML file and the
non-CDB’s database files to plug the non-CDB into a CDB.
4.

Shut down the non-CDB.
See "Shutting Down a Database" on page 3-11.

5.

Plug in the non-CDB.
Follow the instructions in "Creating a PDB by Plugging an Unplugged PDB into a
CDB" on page 38-33 to plug in the non-CDB.
For example, the following SQL statement plugs in a non-CDB, copies its files to a
new location, and includes only the tbs3 user tablespace from the non-CDB:
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE ncdb USING '/disk1/oracle/ncdb.xml'
COPY
FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ('/disk1/oracle/dbs/', '/disk2/oracle/ncdb/')
USER_TABLESPACES=('tbs3');

Do not open the new PDB. You will open it in step 7.
The USER_TABLESPACES clause enables you to separate data that was used for
multiple tenants in a non-CDB into different PDBs. You can use multiple CREATE
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statements with this clause to create other PDBs that include
the data from other tablespaces that existed in the non-CDB.
6.

Run the ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/noncdb_to_pdb.sql script. This script
must be run before the PDB can be opened for the first time. See "Creating a PDB
Using a Non-CDB" on page 38-43.
If the PDB was not a non-CDB, then running the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script is not
required.
To run the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script, complete the following steps:
a.

Access the PDB.
The current user must have SYSDBA administrative privilege, and the privilege
must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB. The user
must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA at connect time.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

b.

Run the noncdb_to_pdb.sql script:
@$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/noncdb_to_pdb.sql

38-46 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Unplugging a PDB from a CDB

The script opens the PDB, performs changes, and closes the PDB when the
changes are complete.
7.

Open the new PDB in read/write mode.
You must open the new PDB in read/write mode for Oracle Database to complete
the integration of the new PDB into the CDB. An error is returned if you attempt
to open the PDB in read-only mode. After the PDB is opened in read/write mode,
its status is NORMAL.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for more information.

8.

Back up the PDB.
A PDB cannot be recovered unless it is backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about backing up
a PDB.
If an error is returned during PDB creation, then the PDB
being created might be in an UNUSABLE state. You can check a PDB’s
state by querying the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view, and you can learn
more about PDB creation errors by checking the alert log. An unusable
PDB can only be dropped, and it must be dropped before a PDB with
the same name as the unusable PDB can be created.
Note:

See Also:

"After Plugging in an Unplugged PDB" on page 38-42

Unplugging a PDB from a CDB
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Unplugging a PDB

■

Unplugging a PDB

About Unplugging a PDB
Unplugging a PDB disassociates the PDB from a CDB. You unplug a PDB when you
want to move the PDB to a different CDB or when you no longer want the PDB to be
available.
To unplug a PDB, connect to the root and use the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
to specify an XML file that will contain metadata about the PDB after it is unplugged.
The SQL statement creates the XML file, and it contains the required information to
enable a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement on a target CDB to plug in the PDB.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-47

Unplugging a PDB from a CDB

Figure 38–8 Unplug a PDB
CDB

Root (CDB$ROOT)

PDB
Being
Unplugged
Seed
(PDB$SEED)

PDBs

ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ... UNPLUG INTO

XML
Metadata
File
Database Files

The PDB must be closed before it can be unplugged. When you unplug a PDB from a
CDB, the unplugged PDB is in mounted mode. The unplug operation makes some
changes in the PDB’s data files to record, for example, that the PDB was successfully
unplugged. Because it is still part of the CDB, the unplugged PDB is included in an
RMAN backup of the entire CDB. Such a backup provides a convenient way to archive
the unplugged PDB in case it is needed in the future.
To completely remove the PDB from the CDB, you can drop the PDB. The only
operation supported on an unplugged PDB is dropping the PDB. The PDB must be
dropped from the CDB before it can be plugged back into the same CDB. A PDB is
usable only when it is plugged into a CDB.
See Also:
■
■

■

■

"Dropping a PDB" on page 38-49
"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for
information about closing a PDB
"Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB" on
page 42-13 for information about initialization parameters and
unplugged PDBs
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about common
users and local users

Unplugging a PDB
The following prerequisites must be met:
■

The current user must have SYSDBA or SYSOPER administrative privilege, and the
privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB. The user
must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA or AS SYSOPER at connect time.

38-48 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Dropping a PDB

■
■

The PDB must have been opened at least once.
The PDB must be closed. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)
environment, the PDB must be closed on all instances.
If you are unplugging in a PDB that includes data that was
encrypted with Transparent Data Encryption, then follow the
instructions in Oracle Database Advanced Security Guide.

Note:

To unplug a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with the UNPLUG INTO clause, and
specify the PDB to unplug and the name and location of the PDB’s XML metadata
file.

Example 38–31 Unplugging PDB salespdb

This ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement unplugs the PDB salespdb and creates the
salespdb.xml metadata file in the /oracle/data/ directory:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb UNPLUG INTO '/oracle/data/salespdb.xml';

Dropping a PDB
The DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement drops a PDB. You can drop a PDB when you
want to move the PDB from one CDB to another or when you no longer need the PDB.
When you drop a PDB, the control file of the CDB is modified to eliminate all
references to the dropped PDB. Archived redo log files and backups associated with
the PDB are not removed, but you can use Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) to
remove them.
When dropping a PDB, you can either keep or delete the PDB’s data files by using one
of the following clauses:
■

KEEP DATAFILES, the default, retains the data files.
The PDB’s temp file is removed even when KEEP DATAFILES is specified because
the temp file is no longer needed.

■

INCLUDING DATAFILES removes the data files from disk.
If a PDB was created with the SNAPSHOT COPY clause, then you must specify
INCLUDING DATAFILES when you drop the PDB.

The following prerequisites must be met:
■

The PDB must be in mounted mode, or it must be unplugged.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21.
See "Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47.

■

The current user must have SYSDBA or SYSOPER administrative privilege, and the
privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB. The user
must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA or AS SYSOPER at connect time.

Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus

38-49

Dropping a PDB

Caution:

This operation is destructive.

To drop a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 and "Accessing a Container in a
CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement and specify the PDB to drop.

Example 38–32 Dropping PDB salespdb While Keeping Its Data Files
DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb
KEEP DATAFILES;

Example 38–33 Dropping PDB salespdb and Its Data Files
DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb
INCLUDING DATAFILES;

See Also:
■

"Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47

■

"The SNAPSHOT COPY Clause" on page 38-24

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information
about RMAN

38-50 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

39
Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud
Control
39

This chapter explains how you can create, clone, unplug, and remove pluggable
databases (PDBs) in a multitenant container database (CDB) using Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Control (Cloud Control).
In particular, this chapter covers the following topics:
■

Getting Started

■

Overview

■

Provisioning a PDB

■

Removing PDBs

■

Viewing PDB Job Details
See Also:
■

"About Creating and Removing PDBs" on page 38-1

■

"Preparing for PDBs" on page 38-12

Getting Started
This section helps you get started with this chapter by providing an overview of the
steps involved in creating a new PDB, cloning a PDB, migrating a non-CDB as a PDB,
unplugging a PDB, and deleting PDBs. Consider this section to be a documentation
map to understand the sequence of actions you must perform to successfully perform
these tasks using Cloud Control. Click the reference links provided against the steps to
reach the relevant sections that provide more information.
Table 39–1

Getting Started with PDBs

Step

Description

Reference Links

Step 1

Obtaining an Overview

To obtain a conceptual overview of PDBs,
see "Overview" on page 39-2.

Obtain a conceptual overview of
PDBs.

For detailed conceptual information, see
"Overview of Managing a Multitenant
Environment" on page 36-1 and Oracle
Database Concepts

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-1

Overview

Table 39–1 (Cont.) Getting Started with PDBs
Step

Description

Step 2

Selecting the Use Case

Reference Links

Among the following use cases,
select the one that best matches your
requirement:
■

Creating a new PDB

■

Plugging in an unplugged PDB

■

Cloning a PDB

■

Migrating a non-CDB as a PDB

■

■

Step 3

Unplugging and dropping a
PDB
Deleting PDBs

Meeting the Prerequisites

■

Meet the prerequisites for the
selected use case.
■

■

■

■

■

Step 4

Following the Procedure
Follow the procedure for the selected
use case.

■

■

■

■

■

■

To meet the prerequisites for creating
a new PDB, see "Prerequisites" on
page 39-4.
To meet the prerequisites for
plugging in an unplugged PDB, see
"Prerequisites" on page 39-6.
To meet the prerequisites for cloning
a PDB, see "Prerequisites" on
page 39-10.
To meet the prerequisites for
migrating a non-CDB to a PDB, see
"Prerequisites" on page 39-14.
To meet the prerequisites for
unplugging and dropping a PDB, see
"Prerequisites" on page 39-15.
To meet the prerequisites for deleting
PDBs, see "Prerequisites" on
page 39-18.
To create a new PDB, see "Procedure"
on page 39-4.
To plug in an unplugged PDB, see
"Procedure" on page 39-6.
To clone a PDB, see "Procedure" on
page 39-10.
To migrate a non-CDB to a PDB, see
"Procedure" on page 39-14.
To unplug and drop a PDB, see
"Procedure" on page 39-15.
To delete PDBs, see "Procedure" on
page 39-18.

Overview
An Oracle Database can contain a portable collection of schemas, schema objects, and
nonschema objects, that appear to an Oracle Net client as a separate database. This
self-contained collection is called a PDB. A CDB can include one or more PDBs. Oracle
Database 12c allows you to create many PDBs within a single CDB. Applications that
connect to databases view PDBs and earlier versions of Oracle Database in the same
manner.

39-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

Cloud Control enables administrators to manage the entire PDB lifecycle, including
provisioning CDBs, provisioning PDBs (from the seed or from an unplugged PDB),
cloning existing PDBs, migrating non-CDBs as PDBs, unplugging PDBs, and deleting
PDBs.
Important: To manage the PDB lifecycle using Cloud Control, you

must have the 12.1.0.3 Enterprise Manager for Oracle Database
plug-in, or a later version, deployed. To delete PDBs using Cloud
Control, you must have the 12.1.0.5 Enterprise Manager for Oracle
Database plug-in deployed.
For information on how to deploy a plug-in and upgrade an existing
plug-in, see Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Administrator’s
Guide.
Figure 39–1 provides a graphical overview of how you can manage the PDB lifecycle
in Cloud Control.
Figure 39–1 Managing PDBs

Provisioning a PDB
You can provision PDBs by creating a new PDB within a CDB, by cloning an existing
PDB, or by migrating existing non-CDBs to a CDB as PDBs. You can also use
unplugged PDBs for provisioning, by plugging them into a CDB.
This section provides information about provisioning a PDB. In particular, it contains
the following topics:
■

Creating a New PDB

■

Plugging In an Unplugged PDB

■

Cloning a PDB

■

Migrating a Non-CDB to a PDB
As an alternative to using the methods described in this
section, you can use Enterprise Manager Command Line Interface
(EM CLI) to provision PDBs. For more information, see Oracle®
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

Note:

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-3

Provisioning a PDB

Creating a New PDB
This section provides information about creating a new PDB. In particular, it contains
the following topics:
■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure

Prerequisites
■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■

■
■

The CDB within which you want to create a PDB must exist, and must be a Cloud
Control target.
The CDB (within which you want to create a PDB) must be in read/write mode.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle Home that the CDB (within
which you want to create the PDB) belongs to.

Procedure
To create a new PDB in a CDB, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the Container Database section,
select the CDB within which you want to create new PDBs.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s Home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section, select Create New Pluggable Databases.

4.

Click Launch.
You will be prompted to log in to the database if you have not
already logged in to it through Enterprise Manager. Make sure you log
in using SYSDBA user account credentials.

Note:

5.

In the Creation Options page of the Create Pluggable Database Wizard, in the
Pluggable Database Creation Options section, select Create a New PDB.

6.

In the Container Database Host Credentials section, select or specify the target
CDB Oracle Home owner host credentials. If you have already registered the

39-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

credentials with Enterprise Manager, then you can select Preferred or Named.
Otherwise, you can select New and enter the credentials.
7.

Click Next.

8.

In the Identification page, enter a unique name for the PDB you are creating.
If you prefer to create more than one PDB in this procedure, then select Create
Multiple Copies, and set the number of PDBs you want to create. Note that you
can create a maximum of 252 PDBs.
If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then the unique name
you enter here is used as a prefix for all PDBs, and the suffix is a
numeric value that indicates the count of PDBs.

Note:

For example, if you create five PDBs with the name accountsPDB,
then the PDBs are created with the names accountsPDB1,
accountsPDB2, accountsPDB3, accountsPDB4, and accountsPDB5.
9.

In the PDB Administrator section, enter the credentials of the admin user account
you need to create for administering the PDB.
If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then an admin user
account is created for each PDB that you create, with the same set of
the specified credentials.

Note:

10. Click Next.
11. In the Storage page, in the PDB Datafile Locations section, select the type of

location where you want to store the datafiles.
■

■

If the target CDB (CDB in which you are creating the PDB) is enabled with Oracle
Managed Files and if you want to use the same, then select Use Oracle
Managed Files (OMF).
If you want to enter a custom location, then select Use Common Location for
PDB Datafiles. Select the storage type and the location where the datafiles can
be stored.

12. In the Temporary Working Directory section, enter a location where the temporary

files generated during the PDB creation process can be stored.
13. In the Post-Creation Scripts section, select a custom SQL script you want to run as

part of this procedure, once the PDB is created.
14. Click Next.
15. In the Schedule page, enter a unique deployment procedure instance name and a

schedule for the deployment. The instance name you enter here helps you identify
and track the progress of this procedure on the Procedure Activity page.
If you want to run the procedure immediately, then retain the default selection,
that is, Immediately. Otherwise, select Later and provide time zone, start date,
and start time details.
You can optionally set a grace period for this schedule. A grace period is a period
of time that defines the maximum permissible delay when attempting to run a
scheduled procedure. If the procedure does not start within the grace period you

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-5

Provisioning a PDB

have set, then the procedure skips running. To set a grace period, select Grace
Period, and set the permissible delay time.
16. Click Next.
17. In the Review page, review the details you have provided for the deployment

procedure. If you are satisfied with the details, click Submit.
If you want to modify the details, then click Back repeatedly to reach the page
where you want to make the changes.
18. In the Procedure Activity page, view the status of the procedure. From the

Procedure Actions menu, you can select Debug to set the logging level to Debug,
and select Stop to stop the procedure execution.
When you create a new PDB, the Enterprise Manager job system creates a Create
Pluggable Database job. For information about viewing the details of this job, refer
"Viewing Create PDB Job Details" on page 39-20.

Plugging In an Unplugged PDB
This section provides information about plugging an unplugged PDB into a CDB. In
particular, it contains the following topics:
■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure

Prerequisites
Before plugging an unplugged PDB, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:
■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■

■
■

■

■

■

The target CDB (the CDB within which you want to plug in the unplugged PDB)
must exist, and must be a Cloud Control target.
The target CDB must be in read/write mode.
The XML file that describes the unplugged PDB, and the other files associated
with the unplugged PDB, such as the data files, must exist and must be readable.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle Home that the CDB (into
which you want to plug the unplugged PDB) belongs to.
The platforms of the source CDB host (the host on which the CDB that previously
contained the unplugged PDB is installed) and the target CDB host (the host on
which the target CDB is installed) must have the same endianness, and must have
the same set of database options installed.
The CDB that contained the unplugged PDB and the target CDB must have
compatible character sets and national character sets. To be compatible, the
character sets and national character sets must meet all of the requirements
specified in Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide.

Procedure
To plug an unplugged PDB into a CDB, follow these steps:

39-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the Container Database section,
select the CDB to which you want to add the unplugged PDBs.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s Home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section, select Create New Pluggable Databases.

4.

Click Launch.
You will be prompted to log in to the database if you have not
already logged in to it through Enterprise Manager. Make sure you log
in using SYSDBA user account credentials.

Note:

5.

In the Creation Options page of the Create Pluggable Database Wizard, in the
Pluggable Database Creation Options section, select Plug an Unplugged PDB.

6.

In the Container Database Host Credentials section, select or specify the target
CDB Oracle Home owner host credentials. If you have already registered the
credentials with Enterprise Manager, then you can select Preferred or Named.
Otherwise, you can select New and enter the credentials.

7.

Click Next.

8.

In the Identification page, enter a unique name for the PDB you are plugging in.
Select Create As Clone if you are plugging a PDB into a CDB that contains one or
more PDBs that were created by plugging in the same PDB. Selecting this option
ensures that Oracle Database generates unique PDB DBID, GUID, and other
identifiers expected for the new PDB.
If you prefer to create more than one PDB in this procedure, then select Create
Multiple Copies, and set the number of PDBs you want to create. Note that you
can create a maximum of 252 PDBs.
If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then the unique name
you enter here is used as a prefix for all PDBs, and the suffix is a
numeric value that indicates the count of PDBs.

Note:

For example, if you create five PDBs with the name accountsPDB,
then the PDBs are created with the names accountsPDB1,
accountsPDB2, accountsPDB3, accountsPDB4, and accountsPDB5.
9.

In the PDB Administrator section, do one of the following to administer the PDB:

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-7

Provisioning a PDB

■

■

If you prefer to use the admin user account that was created as part of the
source PDB that you are plugging in, then deselect Create PDB Administrator.
If you want to create a brand new admin user account for the PDB you are
plugging in, then select Create PDB Administrator, and enter the desired
credentials.
If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then an admin user
account is created for each PDB that you create, with the same set of
the specified credentials.

Note:

To lock and expire all the users in the newly created PDB, (except the newly
created Admin), select Lock All Existing PDB Users.
10. In the PDB Template Location section, select the location where the source PDB’s

template is available, and then select the type of PDB template.
■

■

If the PDB template is available on your CDB host (CDB to which you are
plugging in the unplugged PDB), then select Target Host File System.
–

If the PDB template is a single archive file—a TAR file with data files and
metadata XML file included in it, then select Create Pluggable Database
from Pluggable Database Archive, then select the PDB template.

–

If the PDB template is a PDB file set—a separate DFB file with all the data
files and a separate metadata XML file, then select Create the PDB using
PDB File Set, then select the DBF and XML files.

–

If you want to plug in a PDB using the PDB metadata XML file and the
existing data files, then select Create PDB using Metadata file.

If the PDB template is available in Oracle Software Library (Software Library),
then select Software Library, then select the component in the Software
Library that contains the PDB template.

11. Click Next.
12. In the Storage page, do one of the following:
■

■

In the previous page, if you chose to create the PDB from a PDB archive (single
TAR file) or using a PDB file set (DFB file and an XML file), then select the
type of location where you want to store the target data files for the PDB you
are plugging in.
–

If the target CDB (CDB to which you are plugging in the unplugged PDB) is
enabled with Oracle Managed Files and if you want to use the same, then
select Use Oracle Managed Files (OMF).

–

If you want to enter a common custom location, then select Use Common
Location for PDB datafiles. Select the storage type and the location where
the data files can be stored.

In the previous page, if you chose to create the PDB using a PDB template
(XML file only), then do the following:
In the PDB Datafile Locations section, validate the locations mapped for the
data files. If they are incorrect, correct the paths. Alternatively, if you have a
single location where the data files are all available, then enter the absolute
path in the Set Common Source File Mapping Location field, and click Set.

39-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

You can choose to store the target data files for the PDB you are plugging in, in
the same location as the source data files. However, if you want the target data
files to be stored in a different location, then select Copy Datafiles, and select
the type of location:
–

If the target CDB (CDB to which you are plugging in the unplugged PDB) is
enabled with Oracle Managed Files and if you want to use the same, then
select Use Oracle Managed Files (OMF).

–

If you want to enter a common custom location, then select Use Common
Location for Pluggable Database Files. Select the storage type and the
location where the data files can be stored.

–

If you prefer to use different custom locations for different data files, then
select Customized Location, and enter the custom location paths.

13. In the Temporary Working Directory section, enter a location where the temporary

files generated during the PDB creation process can be stored.
14. In the Post-Creation Scripts section, select a custom SQL script you want to run as

part of this procedure, once the PDB is plugged in.
If the script is available in the Software Library, select Select from Software
Library, then select the component that contains the custom script.
15. Click Next.
16. In the Schedule page, enter a unique deployment procedure instance name and a

schedule for the deployment. The instance name you enter here helps you identify
and track the progress of this procedure on the Procedure Activity page.
If you want to run the procedure immediately, then retain the default selection,
that is, Immediately. Otherwise, select Later and provide time zone, start date,
and start time details.
You can optionally set a grace period for this schedule. A grace period is a period
of time that defines the maximum permissible delay when attempting to run a
scheduled procedure. If the procedure does not start within the grace period you
have set, then the procedure skips running. To set a grace period, select Grace
Period, then set the permissible delay time.
17. Click Next.
18. In the Review page, review the details you have provided for the deployment

procedure. If you are satisfied with the details, click Submit.
If you want to modify the details, then click Back repeatedly to reach the page
where you want to make the changes.
19. In the Procedure Activity page, view the status of the procedure. From the

Procedure Actions menu, you can select Debug to set the logging level to Debug,
and select Stop to stop the procedure execution.
When you plug in an unplugged PDB, the Enterprise Manager job system creates a
Create Pluggable Database job. For information about viewing the details of this
job, refer "Viewing Create PDB Job Details" on page 39-20.

Cloning a PDB
You can clone a PDB using either the Full Clone method, or the Snap Clone method.
This section provides information about cloning a PDB using these methods. In
particular, it contains the following topics:

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-9

Provisioning a PDB

■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure

Prerequisites
To clone a PDB, you must meet the following prerequisites:
■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■

The source PDB (the PDB that you want to clone) must exist, and must be a Cloud
Control target.
For information on how to create a new PDB, refer to
"Creating a New PDB" on page 39-4.

Note:

■
■

■
■

The source PDB must be open.
The target CDB (the CDB into which you want to plug in the cloned PDB) must
exist, and must be a Cloud Control target.
The target CDB must be in read/write mode.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle Home that the source CDB
belongs to.

To clone a PDB using the Snap Clone method, you must meet the following additional
prerequisites:
■

■

The 12.1.0.5 Enterprise Manager for Oracle Database plug-in must be downloaded
and deployed. Also, the 12.1.0.3 SMF plug-in or higher must be downloaded and
deployed.
The PDB that you want to clone must reside on a registered storage server. This
storage server must be synchronized.
For information on how to register a storage server and synchronize storage
servers, see Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Administration Guide.

■

■

■

All the datafiles of the PDB that you want to clone must reside on the storage
volumes of the storage server, and not on the local disk.
Metric collections must be run on the source CDB (the CDB containing the PDB
that you want to clone), the source CDB host, and the PDB that you want to clone.
The Snap Clone feature must be enabled for the PDB that you want to clone.
For information on how to enable the Snap Clone feature, see Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Administration Guide.

Procedure
To clone an existing PDB, follow these steps:
If you use the Full Clone method to clone a PDB, you can
clone the PDB only to the source CDB (the CDB containing the PDB
that you are cloning).

Important:

39-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the CDB section, select the source
CDB, that is, the CDB containing the PDB that you want to clone.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s Home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section, select Create New Pluggable Databases.

4.

Click Launch.
You will be prompted to log in to the database if you have not
already logged in to it through Enterprise Manager. Make sure you log
in using SYSDBA user account credentials.

Note:

5.

In the Creation Options page of the Create Pluggable Database Wizard, in the PDB
Creation Options section, select Clone an Existing PDB.
To clone a PDB using the traditional method of cloning the PDB datafiles, select
Full Clone. Use this method if you want to clone a PDB for long term usage. This
method is ideal for load testing, when you plan to make significant data updates
to the PDB clone. However, this method takes a longer period of time, and a clone
that is created using this method occupies a fairly large amount of space, as
compared to the Snap Clone method.
To clone a PDB using the Storage Management Framework (SMF) Snap Clone
feature, select Snap Clone. Use this method if you want to clone a PDB for short
term purposes. This method is ideal for functional testing, as the cloning process is
quick, and a PDB clone that is created using this method occupies very little space.
However, this method is not suitable if you plan to make significant data updates
to the PDB clone.
For Source PDB, select the PDB that you want to clone.

6.

In the CDB Host Credentials section, select or specify the source CDB Oracle
Home owner host credentials. If you have already registered the credentials with
Enterprise Manager, you can select Preferred or Named. Otherwise, you can select
New and enter the credentials.

7.

Click Next.

8.

In the Identification page, enter a unique name for the PDB you are cloning.
If you prefer to create more than one PDB in this procedure, then select Create
Multiple Copies, and set the number of PDBs you want to create. Note that you
can create a maximum of 252 PDBs.

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-11

Provisioning a PDB

If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then the unique name
you enter here is used as a prefix for all the cloned PDBs, and the
suffix is a numeric value that indicates the count of PDBs.

Note:

For example, if you create five PDBs with the name accountsPDB,
then the PDBs are created with the names accountsPDB1,
accountsPDB2, accountsPDB3, accountsPDB4, and accountsPDB5.
9.

In the PDB Administrator section, do one of the following to administer the PDB:
■

■

If you prefer to use the admin user account that was created as part of the
source PDB that you are cloning, then deselect Create PDB Administrator.
If you want to create a brand new admin user account for the PDB you are
cloning, then select Create PDB Administrator, and enter the desired
credentials.
If you choose to create multiple PDBs, then an admin user
account is created for each PDB that you create, with the same set of
the specified credentials.

Note:

10. In the Source CDB Login Credentials section, select or specify the login credentials

of the source CDB. If you have already registered the credentials with Enterprise
Manager, you can select Preferred or Named. Otherwise, you can select New and
enter the credentials.
The credentials are used to bring the source PDB to read-only mode before the
cloning operation begins, and to restore it to the original state after the cloning
operation ends.
If you chose the Snap Clone method (on the Source page of the Create Pluggable
Database Wizard) to clone the PDB, specify the host credentials for the source
CDB.
If you are cloning the source PDB to the source CDB itself,
then the Source CDB Login Credentials section is not displayed, that
is, you do not need to provide the source CDB login credentials or the
source CDB host credentials.

Note:

If you are cloning the source PDB to a CDB different from the source
CDB, and this CDB resides on the source CDB host, then you must
provide the source CDB login credentials. You do not need to provide
the source CDB host credentials.
If you are cloning the source PDB to a CDB different from the source
CDB, and this CDB resides on a host different from the source CDB
host, then you must provide the source CDB login credentials and the
source CDB host credentials.
11. Click Next.
12. In the Storage page, specify the storage information.

If you chose the Full Clone method to clone the PDB, select the type of location
where you want to store the PDB datafiles in the following manner:

39-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Provisioning a PDB

■

■

If the source CDB is enabled with Oracle Managed Files and if you want to use
the same, then select Use Oracle Managed Files (OMF).
If you want to enter a custom location, then select Use Common Location for
PDB datafiles. Select the storage type and the location where the datafiles can
be stored.

If you chose the Snap Clone method to clone the PDB, do the following:
■

■

In the PDB Datafile Locations section, specify a value for Mount Point Prefix,
that is, the mount location for the storage volumes. You can choose to specify
the same prefix for all the volumes, or a different prefix for each volume. Also,
specify a value for Writable Space, that is, the space that you want to allocate
for writing the changes made to the PDB clone. You can choose to specify the
same writable space value for all the volumes, or a different value for each
volume.
In the Privileged Host Credentials section, select or specify the credentials of
the root user. These credentials are used for mounting the cloned volumes on
the destination host.
If you have already registered the credentials with Enterprise Manager, you
can select Preferred or Named. Otherwise, you can select New and enter the
credentials.

13. In the Temporary Working Directory section, enter a location where the temporary

files generated during the PDB creation process can be stored.
14. In the Post-Creation Scripts section, select a custom SQL script you want to run as

part of this procedure, once the PDB is cloned.
15. Click Next.
16. In the Schedule page, enter a unique deployment procedure instance name and a

schedule for the deployment. The instance name you enter here helps you identify
and track the progress of this procedure on the Procedure Activity page.
If you want to run the procedure immediately, then retain the default selection,
that is, Immediately. Otherwise, select Later and provide time zone, start date,
and start time details.
You can optionally set a grace period for this schedule. A grace period is a period
of time that defines the maximum permissible delay when attempting to run a
scheduled procedure. If the procedure does not start within the grace period you
have set, then the procedure skips running. To set a grace period, select Grace
Period, and set the permissible delay time.
17. Click Next.
18. In the Review page, review the details you have provided for the deployment

procedure. If you are satisfied with the details, click Submit.
If you want to modify the details, then click Back repeatedly to reach the page
where you want to make the changes.
19. In the Procedure Activity page, view the status of the procedure. From the

Procedure Actions menu, you can select Debug to set the logging level to Debug,
and select Stop to stop the procedure execution.
When you clone a PDB, the Enterprise Manager job system creates a Create
Pluggable Database job. For information about viewing the details of this job, refer
"Viewing Create PDB Job Details" on page 39-20.

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-13

Provisioning a PDB

Migrating a Non-CDB to a PDB
This section provides information about migrating a non-CDB to a PDB. In particular,
it contains the following topics:
■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure

Prerequisites
Before migrating a non-CDB to a PDB, ensure that you meet the following
prerequisites:
■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■

■
■

■

■

The target CDB (the CDB to which you want to migrate a non-CDB to a PDB) must
exist, and must be a Cloud Control target.
The target CDB must be in read/write mode.
The non-CDB that you want to migrate and the target CDB must be running in
ARCHIVELOG mode.
The database administrators of the database you want to migrate and the target
CDB must have SYSDBA privileges.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle Home that the target CDB
belongs to.

Procedure
To migrate a non-CDB to a PDB, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the Container Database section,
select the CDB to which you want to migrate a non-CDB to a PDB.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s Home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section of the Provision Pluggable Database page, select the
Migrate Existing Databases option and click Launch.

4.

On the Database Login page, select the Credential Name from the drop-down list.
Click Login.

39-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Removing PDBs

5.

On the Migrate Non-CDBs launch page, select a data migration method, that is,
Export/Import or Plug as a PDB. If you select Plug as a PDB, ensure that the
non-CDB that you want to migrate is open, and is in read-only mode.
Enter the appropriate credentials for the Oracle Home Credential section.
Click Next.

6.

On the Database page, select a Non-CDB to be migrated. You can select more than
one. Click Add. In the database pane, provide the appropriate credential,
properties, export, import, and datafile location information. Click Next.

7.

On the Schedule page, enter the appropriate job and scheduling details. Click
Next.

8.

On the Review page, review all details entered. If there are no changes required,
click Submit.

Removing PDBs
This section provides information about unplugging PDBs and deleting PDBs. In
particular, it contains the following topics:
■

Unplugging and Dropping a PDB

■

Deleting PDBs

Unplugging and Dropping a PDB
This section provides information about unplugging and dropping a PDB. In
particular, it contains the following topics:
■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure
As an alternative to using the method described in this section,
you can use Enterprise Manager Command Line Interface (EM CLI) to
unplug and drop PDBs. For more information, see Oracle® Enterprise
Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

Note:

Prerequisites
Before unplugging and dropping a PDB, ensure that you meet the following
prerequisites:
■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■
■

The PDB that you want to unplug and drop must have been opened at least once.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle Home that the CDB
(containing the PDB that you want to unplug and drop) belongs to.

Procedure
To unplug a PDB from its CDB, follow these steps:

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-15

Removing PDBs

1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the Container Database section,
select the CDB from which you want to unplug the PDBs.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s Home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section, select Unplug Pluggable Database.

4.

Click Launch.
You will be prompted to log in to the database if you have not
already logged in to it through Enterprise Manager. Make sure you log
in using SYSDBA user account credentials.

Note:

5.

In the Select PDB page of the Unplug Pluggable Database Wizard, in the Select
Pluggable Database section, select the PDB you want to unplug. Note that the PDB
once unplugged will be stopped and dropped.

6.

In the Container Database Host Credentials section, select or specify the target
CDB Oracle Home owner host credentials. If you have already registered the
credentials with Enterprise Manager, you can select Preferred or Named.
Otherwise, you can select New and enter the credentials.

7.

In the Destination page, select the type of PDB template you want to generate for
unplugging the PDB, and the location where you want to store it. The PDB
template consists of all data files as well as the metadata XML file.
■

If you want to store the PDB template on your CDB host (CDB from which you
are unplugging the PDB), then select Target Host File System.
–

If you want to generate a single archive file—a TAR file with the data files
and the metadata XML file included in it, then select Generate PDB
Archive. Select a location where the archive file can be created.

Oracle recommends that you select this option if the source
and target CDBs are using file system for storage. This option is not
supported for PDBs using ASM as storage.

Note:

–

If you want to generate an archive file set—a separate DFB file with all the
data files and a separate metadata XML file, then select Generate PDB
File Set. Select the locations where the DBF and XML files can be created.

39-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Removing PDBs

Oracle recommends that you select this option if the source
and target CDBs are using ASM for storage.

Note:

–

■

If you want to generate only a metadata XML file, leaving the data files in
their current location, then select Generate PDB Metadata File. Select a
location where the metadata XML file can be created.

If you want to store the PDB template in Oracle Software Library (Software
Library), then select Software Library.
–

If you want to generate a single archive file—a TAR file with the data files
and the metadata XML file included in it, then select Generate PDB
Archive. If you want to generate an archive file set—a separate DFB file
with all the data files and a separate metadata XML file, then select
Generate PDB File Set. If you want to generate only a metadata XML file,
leaving the data files in their current location, then select Generate PDB
Metadata File.

–

Enter a unique PDB template name.
The template is created in the default location that has the following format:
Database Configuration/db_release/platform/Database Templates
For example,
Database Configuration/12.1.0.0.2/unix/Database Templates

–
8.

Enter a temporary location where the archive can be created by Enterprise
Manager before it is uploaded to the Software Library.

In the Schedule page, enter a unique deployment procedure instance name and a
schedule for the deployment. The instance name you enter here helps you identify
and track the progress of this procedure on the Procedure Activity page.
If you want to run the procedure immediately, then retain the default selection,
that is, Immediately. Otherwise, select Later and provide time zone, start date,
and start time details.
You can optionally set a grace period for this schedule. A grace period is a period
of time that defines the maximum permissible delay when attempting to run a
scheduled procedure. If the procedure does not start within the grace period you
have set, then the procedure skips running. To set a grace period, select Grace
Period, and set the permissible delay time.

9.

Click Next.

10. In the Review page, review the details you have provided for the deployment

procedure. If you are satisfied with the details, click Submit.
If you want to modify the details, then click Back repeatedly to reach the page
where you want to make the changes.
11. In the Procedure Activity page, view the status of the procedure. From the

Procedure Actions menu, you can select Debug to set the logging level to Debug,
and select Stop to stop the procedure execution.
When you unplug and drop a PDB, the Enterprise Manager job system creates an
Unplug Pluggable Database job. For information about viewing the details of this
job, refer "Viewing Unplug PDB Job Details" on page 39-20.

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-17

Removing PDBs

Deleting PDBs
This section provides information about permanently deleting PDBs from a CDB. In
particular, it contains the following topics:
■

Prerequisites

■

Procedure

Prerequisites
Before permanently deleting a set of PDBs from a CDB, ensure that you meet the
following prerequisites:
■

The 12.1.0.5 Enterprise Manager for Oracle Database plug-in must be downloaded
and deployed.
For information on how to download and deploy a plug-in, see Oracle Enterprise
Manager Cloud Control Administrator's Guide.

■

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) must be set up in Cloud Control.
For information on how to set up Software Library in Cloud Control, see Oracle
Enterprise Manager Lifecycle Management Administrator's Guide.

■
■

The PDBs that you want to delete must have been opened at least once.
The target host user must be the owner of the Oracle home that the CDB
(containing the PDBs that you want to delete) belongs to.

Procedure
To permanently delete a set of PDBs from a CDB, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Database Provisioning. In the Database Provisioning page, in the Related Links
section of the left menu pane, click Provision Pluggable Databases.
You can also access the Provision Pluggable Database Console
from the Home page of the CDB. To do so, in the CDB’s Home page,
from the Oracle Database menu, select Provisioning, then select
Provision Pluggable Database.

Note:

2.

In the Provision Pluggable Database Console, in the CDB section, select the CDB
from which you want to delete the PDBs.
Skip this step if you have accessed the Provision Pluggable
Database Console from the CDB’s home page.

Note:

3.

In the PDB Operations section, select Delete Pluggable Databases.

4.

Click Launch.
You will be prompted to log in to the database if you have not
already logged in to it through Enterprise Manager. Make sure you log
in using SYSDBA user account credentials.

Note:

39-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing PDB Job Details

5.

In the Select PDBs page of the Delete Pluggable Databases Wizard, click Add.
Select the PDBs that you want to delete, then click Select.
If you choose to delete a PDB that was created using the Snap
Clone method, the PDB mount points on the CDB host are cleaned up.
The corresponding storage volumes on the storage server are also
deleted. This action is irreversible.

Note:

6.

In the CDB Host Credentials section, select or specify the target CDB Oracle Home
owner host credentials. If you have already registered the credentials with
Enterprise Manager, you can select Preferred or Named. Otherwise, you can select
New and enter the credentials.
If one (or more) of the PDBs that you selected for deletion is the Snap Clone of
another PDB, you must also provide the privileged host credentials, that is, the
credentials of the root user. If you have already registered the credentials with
Enterprise Manager, you can select Preferred or Named. Otherwise, you can select
New and enter the credentials.

7.

In the Schedule page, enter a unique deployment procedure instance name and a
schedule for the deployment. The instance name you enter here helps you identify
and track the progress of this procedure on the Procedure Activity page.
If you want to run the procedure immediately, then retain the default selection,
that is, Immediately. Otherwise, select Later and provide time zone, start date,
and start time details.
You can optionally set a grace period for this schedule. A grace period is a period
of time that defines the maximum permissible delay when attempting to run a
scheduled procedure. If the procedure does not start within the grace period you
have set, then the procedure skips running. To set a grace period, select Grace
Period, and set the permissible delay time.

8.

Click Next.

9.

In the Review page, review the details you have provided for the deployment
procedure. If you are satisfied with the details, click Submit.
If you want to modify the details, then click Back repeatedly to reach the page
where you want to make the changes.

10. In the Procedure Activity page, view the status of the procedure. From the

Procedure Actions menu, you can select Debug to set the logging level to Debug,
and select Stop to stop the procedure execution.
When you delete a PDB, the Enterprise Manager job system creates a Delete
Pluggable Database job. For information about viewing the details of this job, refer
"Viewing Delete PDB Job Details" on page 39-21.

Viewing PDB Job Details
This section provides information about viewing the details of the jobs that are created
by the Enterprise Manager job system when you create a PDB, unplug a PDB, or delete
a PDB. It contains the following topics:
■

Viewing Create PDB Job Details

■

Viewing Unplug PDB Job Details

■

Viewing Delete PDB Job Details
Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-19

Viewing PDB Job Details

Viewing Create PDB Job Details
To view the details of a create PDB job, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Procedure Activity.

2.

Click the deployment procedure that contains the required create PDB job.

3.

Expand the deployment procedure steps. Select the PDB creation job.

4.

Click Job Summary.

5.

To view a summary of the job details, click Summary.
In the Prepare Configuration Data step, the system prepares for PDB creation.
In the Check Prerequisites step, the system checks the prerequisites for PDB
creation.
In the Verify and Prepare step, the system runs tasks prior to PDB creation.
In the Perform Configuration step, the PDB creation is performed. For details of
the performed tasks and their status, refer to the remote log files present on the
host.
In the Post Configuration step, Enterprise Manager is updated with the newly
created PDB details, and the custom scripts are run.

6.

To view a visual representation of the create PDB job progress, click Results.
In the Configuration Progress section, you can view the completion percentage of
the job, and a list of pending, currently running, and completed job steps. You can
also view errors, warnings, and logs. The tail of the log for the currently running
job step is displayed.

Viewing Unplug PDB Job Details
To view the details of an unplug PDB job, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Procedure Activity.

2.

Click the deployment procedure that contains the required unplug PDB job.

3.

Expand the deployment procedure steps. Select the unplug PDB job.

4.

Click Job Summary.

5.

To view a summary of the job details, click Summary.
In the Prepare Configuration Data step, the system prepares for unplugging a
PDB.
In the Check Prerequisites step, the system checks the prerequisites for
unplugging a PDB.
In the Verify and Prepare step, the system runs tasks prior to unplugging the PDB.
In the Perform Configuration step, the PDB unplugging is performed. For details
of the performed tasks and their status, refer to the remote log files present on the
host.
In the Post Configuration step, Enterprise Manager is updated with the unplugged
PDB details.

6.

To view a visual representation of the unplug PDB job progress, click Results.

39-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing PDB Job Details

In the Configuration Progress section, you can view the completion percentage of
the job, and a list of pending, currently running, and completed job steps. You can
also view errors, warnings, and logs. The tail of the log for the currently running
job step is displayed.

Viewing Delete PDB Job Details
To view the details of a delete PDB job, follow these steps:
1.

From the Enterprise menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select
Procedure Activity.

2.

Click the deployment procedure that contains the required delete PDB job.

3.

Expand the deployment procedure steps. Select the delete PDB job.

4.

Click Job Summary.

5.

To view a summary of the job details, click Summary.
In the Prepare Configuration Data step, the system prepares for deleting the PDBs.
In the Verify and Prepare step, the system runs tasks prior to deleting the PDBs.
In the Perform Configuration step, the PDB deletion is performed. For details of
the performed tasks and their status, refer to the remote log files present on the
host.
In the Post Configuration step, Enterprise Manager is updated with the deleted
PDB details.

6.

To view a visual representation of the delete PDB job progress, click Results.
In the Configuration Progress section, you can view the completion percentage of
the job, and a list of pending, currently running, and completed job steps. You can
also view errors, warnings, and logs. The tail of the log for the currently running
job step is displayed.

Creating and Removing PDBs with Cloud Control 39-21

Viewing PDB Job Details

39-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

40
40

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Administering a CDB

■

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

■

Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package

■

Modifying a CDB

■

Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB

■

Executing DDL Statements in a CDB

■

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

■

Shutting Down a CDB Instance

About Administering a CDB
Administering a multitenant container database (CDB) is similar to administering a
non-CDB, but there are some differences. Most of the differences are because some
administrative tasks apply to the entire CDB, some apply only to the root, and some
apply to specific pluggable databases (PDBs). This chapter describes how to complete
these tasks.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About the Current Container

■

About Administrative Tasks in a CDB

■

About Using Manageability Features in a CDB

■

About Managing Database Objects in a CDB

About the Current Container
The data dictionary in each container in a CDB is separate, and the current container is
the container whose data dictionary is used for name resolution and for privilege
authorization. The current container can be the root or a PDB. Each session has exactly
one current container at any point in time, but it is possible for a session to switch from
one container to another.
Each container has a unique ID and name in a CDB. You can use the CON_ID and CON_
NAME parameters in the USERENV namespace to determine the current container ID and
name with the SYS_CONTEXT function. For example, the following query returns the
current container name:

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus 40-1

About Administering a CDB

SELECT SYS_CONTEXT ('USERENV', 'CON_NAME') FROM DUAL;

You can access a container in various ways in a CDB. For example, you can use the
SQL*Plus CONNECT command, and you can use an ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER
statement to switch the container of the current session.
The following rules apply to the current container in a CDB:
■

■

The current container can be CDB$ROOT (root) only for common users. The current
container can be a particular PDB for both common users and local users.
The current container must be the root when a SQL statement includes CONTAINER
= ALL.
You can include the CONTAINER clause in several SQL statements, such as the
CREATE USER, ALTER USER, CREATE ROLE, GRANT, REVOKE, and ALTER SYSTEM
statements.

■

Only a common user with the commonly granted SET CONTAINER privilege can run
a SQL statement that includes CONTAINER = ALL.
See Also:
■
■

"Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10
"Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package" on
page 40-15

■

"Determining the Current Container ID or Name" on page 43-12

■

Oracle Database Concepts

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

Oracle Database Security Guide

About Administrative Tasks in a CDB
Common users perform administrative tasks for a CDB. A common user has a single
identity and can log in to the root and any PDB in which it has privileges. Some tasks,
such as starting up a CDB instance, can be performed only by a common user.
Other administrative tasks are the same for a CDB and a non-CDB. Table 40–1
describes some of these tasks and provides pointers to the relevant documentation.

40-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–1

Administrative Tasks Common to CDBs and Non-CDBs

Task

Description

Additional Information

Starting up a CDB instance

To start a CDB instance, the current user must be a
common user whose current container is the root.

"Starting Up a Database" on
page 3-1

When you open a CDB, its PDBs are mounted. Use
the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to modify
the open mode of one or more PDBs.

"Modifying the Open Mode
of PDBs" on page 40-21
"Modifying a PDB with the
ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE Statement" on
page 42-7
"About the Current
Container" on page 40-1

Managing processes

A CDB has one set of background processes shared by Chapter 5, "Managing
the root and all PDBs.
Processes"

Managing memory

Chapter 6, "Managing
A CDB has a single system global area (SGA) and a
Memory"
single aggregate program global area (PGA). The
memory required by a CDB is the sum of the memory
requirements for all of the PDBs that will be part of
the CDB.

Managing security

You can create and drop common users and local
users in a CDB. You can also grant privileges to and
revoke privileges from these users. You can also
manage the CONTAINER_DATA attributes of common
users.

Oracle Database Security
Guide

In addition, grant the following roles to the
appropriate users:
■

Grant the CDB_DBA role to CDB administrators.

■

Grant the PDB_DBA role to PDB administrators.

Monitoring errors and alerts A CDB has one alert log for the entire CDB. The name "Monitoring Errors and
of a PDB is included in records in trace files, when
Alerts" on page 8-1
appropriate.
Managing diagnostic data

In a CDB, you can use the Oracle Database fault
diagnosability infrastructure and the Automatic
Diagnostic Repository (ADR).

Chapter 9, "Managing
Diagnostic Data"

Managing control files

A CDB has one control file.

Chapter 10, "Managing
Control Files"

Managing the online redo
log and the archived redo
log files

A CDB has one online redo log and one set of
archived redo log files.

Chapter 11, "Managing the
Redo Log"

Managing tablespaces

You can create, modify, and drop tablespaces for the
CDB and for individual PDBs. You can specify the
default temporary tablespace for the CDB. You can
also specify a default tablespace and default
tablespace type for the root. The root has its own set
of Oracle-supplied tablespaces, such as the SYSTEM
tablespace, and each PDB has its own set of
Oracle-supplied tablespaces.

Chapter 12, "Managing
Archived Redo Log Files"
Chapter 13, "Managing
Tablespaces"
"Modifying a CDB" on
page 40-17

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus 40-3

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–1 (Cont.) Administrative Tasks Common to CDBs and Non-CDBs
Task

Description

Additional Information

Managing data files and
temp files

The root has its own data files, and each PDB has its
own data files. In a CDB, you can manage data files
and temp files in basically the same way you would
manage them for a non-CDB. However, the following
exceptions apply to CDBs:

Chapter 14, "Managing Data
Files and Temp Files"

■

■

Managing undo

You can limit the amount of storage used by the
data files for a PDB by using the STORAGE clause
in a CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE or ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

"Modifying a CDB" on
page 40-17
"Storage Limits" on
page 38-4
"Modifying a PDB" on
page 42-4

There is a default temporary tablespace for the
entire CDB. You optionally can create additional
temporary tablespaces for use by individual
PDBs.

There is one active undo tablespace for a
single-instance CDB. For an Oracle RAC CDB, there is
one active undo tablespace for each instance. In a
CDB, the UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter
must be set to AUTO, and an undo tablespace is
required to manage the undo data.

Chapter 16, "Managing
Undo"
"About the Current
Container" on page 40-1

Only a common user who has the appropriate
privileges and whose current container is the root can
create an undo tablespace. Undo tablespaces are
visible in static data dictionary views and dynamic
performance (V$) views when the current container is
the root. Undo tablespaces are visible only in dynamic
performance views when the current container is a
PDB. When the current container is a PDB, an attempt
to create an undo tablespace fails without returning
an error.
Moving data between PDBs

You can move data between PDBs using the same
Chapter 15, "Transporting
methods that you would use to move data between
Data"
non-CDBs. For example, you can transport the data or
Oracle Database Utilities
use Data Pump export/import to move the data.

Using Oracle Managed Files Using Oracle Managed files can simplify
administration for both a CDB and a non-CDB.

Chapter 17, "Using Oracle
Managed Files"

Using Transparent Data
Encryption

Oracle Database Advanced
Security Guide

Using a standby database

Transparent Data Encryption is a feature that enables
encryption of individual table columns before storing
them in the data file, or enables encryption of entire
tablespaces. In a CDB, each PDB has its own master
key for Transparent Data Encryption, and, where
applicable, the ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT SQL
statement enables key management at the CDB level
and for individual PDBs.

"About the Current
Container" on page 40-1

Oracle Data Guard can configure a physical standby
Oracle Data Guard Concepts
or a logical standby of a CDB. Data Guard operates on and Administration
the entire CDB, not on individual PDBs.

Using Oracle Database Vault Oracle Database Vault policies are scoped to
individual PDBs.

Oracle Database Vault
Administrator's Guide

Dropping a database

When you drop a CDB, the root, seed, and all of its
PDBs (including their data) are also dropped.

"Dropping a Database" on
page 2-54

You can also drop individual PDBs with the DROP
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

"Dropping a PDB" on
page 38-49

40-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Administering a CDB

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about the
architecture of a CDB

See Also:

About Using Manageability Features in a CDB
It is important to understand where the data is stored for Oracle Database’s
manageability features in a CDB. When the data for a feature is stored in the root only,
the data related to a PDB is not included if the PDB is unplugged. However, when the
data for a feature is stored in the PDB, the data related to the PDB is included if the
PDB is unplugged, and this data remains part of the PDB if it is plugged into the same
CDB or a different CDB.
It is also important to understand which data is visible to different users. Generally, in
a CDB, a common user can view data for the root and for multiple PDBs when the
common user’s current container is the root. A common user can view this data by
querying container data objects. The specific data that is visible varies for the
manageability features. A user whose current container is a PDB can view data for that
PDB only.
Table 40–2 describes how the manageability features work in a CDB.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus 40-5

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–2

Manageability Features in a CDB

Manageability Feature

Data Location

Data Visibility

Active Session History
(ASH)

Most of the ASH data is
stored in memory. A small
percentage of the ASH data
samples are stored in the
root.

A common user whose
Oracle Database 2 Day +
current container is the
Performance Tuning Guide
root can view ASH data for
Oracle Database Performance
the root and for PDBs.
Tuning Guide
A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view ASH data for the PDB
only.

ASH collects information
about active database
sessions. You can use this
information to analyze and ASH data related to a PDB
identify performance
is not included if the PDB
issues.
is unplugged.
Alerts
An alert is a notification of
a possible problem.

Additional Information

Threshold settings that
A common user whose
pertain to a PDB are stored current container is the
in the PDB.
root can view alerts for the
root and for PDBs.
Alerts posted when
thresholds are violated are A user whose current
enqueued into the alert
container is a PDB can
queue in the root.
view alert thresholds and
alerts for the PDB only.
Threshold settings that
pertain to a PDB are
included if the PDB is
unplugged. Alerts related
to a PDB are not included if
the PDB is unplugged.

"Monitoring Errors and
Alerts" on page 8-1

See the appropriate row in
this table for data visibility
information about the
following manageability
features: automatic
optimizer statistics
collection, Automatic
Segment Advisor, and
Automatic SQL Tuning
Advisor.

Chapter 26, "Managing
Automated Database
Maintenance Tasks"

A user can schedule
maintenance windows and
enable or disable
Automated database
maintenance tasks for the
maintenance tasks are tasks
current container only. If
that are started
the current container is the
automatically at regular
root, then the changes only
intervals to perform
apply to the root. If the
maintenance operations on
current container is a PDB,
the database. Automated
then the changes only
tasks include automatic
apply to the PDB.
optimizer statistics
Data related to a PDB is
collection, Automatic
stored in the PDB for
Segment Advisor tasks,
and Automatic SQL Tuning automatic optimizer
statistics collection and the
Advisor tasks.
Automatic Segment
Advisor. This data is
included if the PDB is
unplugged.
Automated Database
Maintenance Tasks

Automatic SQL Tuning
Advisor runs only in the
root. See the SQL Tuning
Advisor row in this table
for information about data
collected by Automatic
SQL Tuning Advisor.

40-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–2 (Cont.) Manageability Features in a CDB
Manageability Feature

Data Location

Automatic Database
Diagnostic Monitor
(ADDM)

All ADDM runs must be
performed in the root. All
ADDM results are stored in
the root.

ADDM can diagnose a
database’s performance
and determine how
identified problems can be
resolved.

Data Visibility

Additional Information

Oracle Database 2 Day DBA
ADDM results are visible
only to a common user
Oracle Database Performance
whose current container is
Tuning Guide
the root. The ADDM
results can include
ADDM analyzes activity in
information about multiple
a PDB within the context of
PDBs. The ADDM results
the current analysis target.
cannot be viewed when the
ADDM does not analyze
current container is a PDB.
one PDB at a time. As in
previous releases, ADDM
runs with a target of either
the entire instance or
Oracle RAC database.
ADDM results related to a
PDB are not included if the
PDB is unplugged.

Automatic Optimizer
Statistics Collection
Automatic optimizer
statistics collection gathers
optimizer statistics for all
schema objects in the
database for which there
are no statistics or only
stale statistics. The
statistics gathered by this
task are used by the SQL
query optimizer to
improve the performance
of SQL execution.
Automatic Segment
Advisor
The Automatic Segment
Advisor identifies
segments that have space
available for reclamation
and makes
recommendations on how
to defragment those
segments.
Automatic Workload
Repository (AWR)
The AWR collects,
processes, and maintains
performance statistics for
problem detection and
self-tuning purposes. This
data is stored in the
database. The gathered
data can be displayed in
both reports and views.

When an automatic
optimizer statistics
collection task gathers data
for a PDB, it stores this
data in the PDB. This data
is included if the PDB is
unplugged.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view optimizer
statistics data for PDBs.

When Automatic Segment
Advisor gathers data for a
PDB, it stores this data in
the PDB. This data is
included if the PDB is
unplugged.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view Automatic
Segment Advisor data for
PDBs.

A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view optimizer statistics
data for the PDB only.

Oracle Database SQL Tuning
Guide

"Reclaiming Unused
Space" on page 19-13
Chapter 44, "Using Oracle
Resource Manager for
PDBs with SQL*Plus"

A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view the Automatic
Segment Advisor data for
the PDB only.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view AWR data
AWR data related to a PDB
for the root and for PDBs.
is not included if the PDB
is unplugged.
A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view AWR data for the
PDB only.
AWR data is stored in the
root.

Chapter 44, "Using Oracle
Resource Manager for
PDBs with SQL*Plus"

Oracle Database Performance
Tuning Guide

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus 40-7

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–2 (Cont.) Manageability Features in a CDB
Manageability Feature

Data Location

Data Visibility

Additional Information

Database Replay

Information about
database captures and
replays are stored in the
root.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view database
capture and replay
information.

Oracle Database Testing
Guide

SMB data related to a PDB
is stored in the PDB. The
SMB data related to a PDB
is included if the PDB is
unplugged.

A common user whose
Oracle Database SQL Tuning
current container is the
Guide
root can view SMB data for
PDBs.

Database Replay is a
feature of Oracle Real
Application Testing.
Database Replay captures
the workload for a
database and replays it
exactly on a test database.
SQL Management Base
(SMB)
SMB stores statement logs,
plan histories, SQL plan
baselines, and SQL profiles
in the data dictionary.

40-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view the SMB data for the
PDB only.

About Administering a CDB

Table 40–2 (Cont.) Manageability Features in a CDB
Manageability Feature

Data Location

Data Visibility

Additional Information

SQL Performance Analyzer A common user whose
current container is the
(SPA)
root can run SPA for any
SPA can analyze the SQL
PDB. In this case, the SPA
performance impact of
results data is stored in the
SQL tuning and other
root and is not included if
system changes. SPA is
the PDB is unplugged.
often used with Database
A user whose current
Replay.
container is a PDB can run
SPA on the PDB. In this
case, the SPA results data is
stored in the PDB and is
included if the PDB is
unplugged.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view SPA results
data for PDBs.

Oracle Database Testing
Guide

SQL Tuning Sets (STS)

An STS can be stored in the
root or in any PDB. If it is
An STS is a database object
stored in the root, then you
that includes one or more
can load SQL statements
SQL statements along with
from any PDB into it.
their execution statistics
and execution context, and When a PDB is unplugged,
could include a user
an STS stored in the root is
priority ranking.
not included, even if the
STS contains SQL
You can use an STS to tune
statements from the PDB.
a group of SQL statements
or test their performance
When a PDB is unplugged,
using SPA.
an STS stored in the PDB is
included.

A common user whose
current container is the
root can view STS data
stored in the root only.

SQL Tuning Advisor

When SQL Tuning Advisor
is run automatically, the
results are visible only to a
common user whose
current container is the
root. These results cannot
be viewed when the
current container is a PDB.

Automatic SQL Tuning
Advisor data is stored in
SQL Tuning Advisor
the root. It might have
optimizes SQL statements
results about SQL
that have been identified as
statements executed in a
high-load SQL statements.
PDB that were analyzed by
the advisor, but these
results are not included if
the PDB is unplugged.
A common user whose
current container is the
root can run SQL Tuning
Advisor manually for SQL
statements from any PDB.
When a statement is tuned,
it is tuned in any container
that runs the statement.

A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view the SPA results data
for the PDB only.

Oracle Database SQL Tuning
Guide

A user whose current
container is a PDB can
view STS data for the PDB
only.

Oracle Database 2 Day +
Performance Tuning Guide
Oracle Database SQL Tuning
Guide

When SQL Tuning Advisor
is run manually by a user
whose current container is
a PDB, the results are only
visible to a user whose
current container is that
PDB.

A user whose current
container is a PDB can also
run SQL Tuning Advisor
manually for SQL
statements from the PDB.
When SQL Tuning Advisor
is run manually from a
PDB, the results are stored
in the PDB from which it is
run. In this case, a
statement is tuned only for
the current PDB, and the
results related to a PDB are
included if the PDB is
unplugged.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus 40-9

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

To run SPA or SQL Tuning Advisor for SQL statements from a PDB, a common user
must have the following privileges:
■

Common SET CONTAINER privilege or local SET CONTAINER privilege in the PDB

■

The privileges required to execute the SQL statements in the PDB
See Also:
■
■

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1
"About CDB and PDB Information in Views" on page 43-1 for an
overview of container data objects
Oracle Database Security Guide for detailed information about
container data objects

About Managing Database Objects in a CDB
An Oracle database stores database objects, such as tables, indexes, and directories.
Database objects that are owned by a schema are called schema objects, while database
objects that are not owned by a schema are called nonschema objects. The root and
PDBs contain schemas, and schemas contain schema objects. The root and PDBs can
also contain nonschema objects, such as users, roles, tablespaces, directories, and
editions.
In a CDB, the root contains Oracle-supplied schemas and database objects.
Oracle-supplied common users, such as SYS and SYSTEM, own these schemas and
common database objects. They can also own local objects, both in the root and in a
PDB.
You can create common users in the root to administer containers in the CDB.
User-created common users can create database objects in the root. Oracle
recommends that, in the root, schemas owned by user-created common users contain
only database triggers and the objects used in their definitions. A user-created
common user can also own any type of local object in a PDB.
You can create local users in a PDB. A local user in a PDB can create schema objects
and nonschema objects in the PDB. You cannot create local users in the root.
Name resolution in a CDB is similar to name resolution in a non-CDB, except that
names are resolved in the context of the dictionary of the user’s current container.
See Also:
■

Chapter 18, "Managing Schema Objects"

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about
schema objects and nonschema objects
Oracle Database Concepts for an overview of common users and
local users
Oracle Database Security Guide for information about creating
common users and local users

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus
This section assumes that you understand how to connect to a non-CDB in SQL*Plus.
See "Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database" on page 1-6 for information.

40-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

This section describes using SQL*Plus to access the root or a PDB in a CDB. You can
connect to a container by using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command, or you can switch
into a container with an ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER SQL statement.
Clients access the root or a PDB through database services. Database services have an
optional PDB property. When a PDB is created, a new default service for the PDB is
created automatically. The service has the same name as the PDB. With the service
name, you can access the PDB using the easy connect syntax or the net service name
from the tnsnames.ora file. Oracle Net Services must be configured properly for clients
to access this service.
When a user connects using a service with a non-null PDB property, the user name is
resolved in the context of the specified PDB. When a user connects without specifying
a service or using a service name with a null PDB property, the user name is resolved in
the context of the root. You can view the PDB property for a service by querying the
CDB_SERVICES data dictionary view or by running the config service command in the
SRVCTL utility.
The setting for the SESSIONS initialization parameter limits the total number of
sessions available in a CDB, including the sessions connected to PDBs. If the limit is
reached for the CDB, then users cannot connect to PDBs. To ensure that one PDB does
not use too many sessions, you can limit the number of sessions available to a PDB by
setting the SESSIONS initialization parameter in the PDB.
When two or more CDBs on the same computer system use
the same listener and two or more PDBs have the same service name
in these CDBs, a connection that specifies this service name connects
randomly to one of the PDBs with the service name. To avoid incorrect
connections, ensure that all service names for PDBs are unique on the
computer system, or configure a separate listener for each CDB on the
computer system.

Note:

The following topics describe each technique for accessing a container in a CDB with
SQL*Plus:
■

Connecting to a Container Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command

■

Switching to a Container Using the ALTER SESSION Statement
See Also:
■

■

■
■

■

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about database
services in a CDB
Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for information
about configuring Oracle Net Services
"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15
Example 43–9, "Showing the Services Associated with PDBs" on
page 43-10
"Listing the Initialization Parameters That Are Modifiable in
PDBs" on page 43-13

Connecting to a Container Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command
This section describes using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command to connect to the root or
to a PDB.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-11

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

This section contains the following topics:
■

Connecting to the Root Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command

■

Connecting to a PDB Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command

Connecting to the Root Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command
You can connect to the root in the same way that you connect to a non-CDB.
Specifically, you can use the following techniques to connect to the root with the
SQL*Plus CONNECT command:
■

Local connection

■

Local connection with operating system authentication

■

Database connection using easy connect

■

Database connection using a net service name

■

Remote database connection using external authentication

The following prerequisites must be met for the user connecting to the root:
■

The user must be a common user.

■

The user must be granted CREATE SESSION privilege in the root.

To connect to the root using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command:
1.

Configure your environment so that you can open SQL*Plus.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Start SQL*Plus with the /NOLOG argument:
sqlplus /nolog

3.

Issue a SQL*Plus CONNECT command to connect to the root, as shown in the
following examples.

Example 40–1

Connecting to the Root with a Local Connection

This example connects to the root in the local CDB as user SYSTEM. SQL*Plus prompts
for the SYSTEM user password.
connect system
Example 40–2

Connecting to the Root with Operating System Authentication

This example connects locally to the root with the SYSDBA administrative privilege with
operating system authentication.
connect / as sysdba
Example 40–3

Connecting to the Root with a Net Service Name

Assume that clients are configured to have a net service name for the root in the CDB.
For example, the net service name can be part of an entry in a tnsnames.ora file.
This example connects as common user c##dba to the database service designated by
the net service name mycdb. SQL*Plus prompts for the c##dba user password.
connect c##dba@mycdb

40-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

See Also: "Submitting Commands and SQL to the Database" on
page 1-6

Connecting to a PDB Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command
You can use the following techniques to connect to a PDB with the SQL*Plus CONNECT
command:
■

Database connection using easy connect

■

Database connection using a net service name

To connect to a PDB, a user must be one of the following:
■

■

A common user with a CREATE SESSION privilege granted commonly or granted
locally in the PDB
A local user defined in the PDB with CREATE SESSION privilege

Only a user with SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG privilege can connect to a PDB
that is in mounted mode. To change the open mode of a PDB, see "Modifying the Open
Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21.
To connect to a PDB using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command:
1.

Configure your environment so that you can open SQL*Plus.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Start SQL*Plus with the /NOLOG argument:
sqlplus /nolog

3.

Issue a SQL*Plus CONNECT command using easy connect or a net service name to
connect to the PDB.

Example 40–4

Connecting to a PDB

Assume that clients are configured to have a net service name for each PDB that
matches each PDB name. For example, the net service name can be part of an entry in a
tnsnames.ora file.
The following command connects to the sh local user in the salespdb PDB:
CONNECT sh@salespdb

The following command connects to the SYSTEM common user in the salespdb PDB:
CONNECT system@salespdb

See "Step 4: Submit the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command" on page 1-9 for more
examples.

Switching to a Container Using the ALTER SESSION Statement
When you are connected to a container as a common user, you can use the following
statement to switch to a different container:
ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = container_name

For container_name, specify one of the following:
■

CDB$ROOT to switch to the root

■

PDB$SEED to switch to the seed

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-13

Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus

■

A PDB name to switch to the PDB
When the current container is the root, you can view the names of the PDBs in a
CDB by querying the DBA_PDBS view.

The following are considerations for using the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER
statement:
■

■

■

After the statement completes successfully, the current schema of the session is set
to the schema owned by the common user in the specified container.
After the statement completes successfully, the security context is reset to that of
the schema owned by the common user in the specified container.
After the statement completes successfully, login triggers for the specified
container do not fire.
If you require a trigger, then you can define a before or after SET CONTAINER
trigger in a PDB to fire before or after the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER statement
is executed.

■
■

■

■

■

Package states are not shared across containers.
When closing a PDB, sessions that switched into the PDB and sessions that
connected directly to the PDB are handled identically.
A transaction cannot span multiple containers. If you start a transaction and use
ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER to switch to a different container, then you cannot
issue DML, DDL, COMMIT, or ROLLBACK statements until you switch back to the
container in which you started the transaction.
If you open a cursor and use ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER to switch to different
container, then you cannot fetch data from that cursor until you switch back to the
container in which the cursor was opened.
You can use the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER statement for connection pooling as
well as advanced CDB administration.
For example, you can use this statement for connection pooling with PDBs for a
multitenancy application. A multitenancy application uses a single instance of the
software on a server to serve multiple customers (tenants). In a non-CDB,
multitenancy is typically supported by adding an extra column that identifies the
tenant to every table used by the application, and tenants check out connections
from a connection pool. In a CDB with PDBs, each tenant can have its own PDB,
and you can use the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER statement in a connection
pooling configuration.

The following prerequisites must be met to use the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER
statement:
■

■

The current user must be a common user. The initial connection must be made
using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command.
When altering a session to switch to a PDB as a common user that was not
supplied with Oracle Database, the current user must be granted the SET
CONTAINER privilege commonly or must be granted this privilege locally in the
PDB.
When an ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER statement is used to
switch to the current container, these prerequisites are not enforced,
and no error message is returned if they are not met.

Note:

40-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package

To switch to a container using the ALTER SESSION statement:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect to a container as a common user with the required privileges.
See "Connecting to a Container Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command" on
page 40-11.

2.

(Optionally) Check the current open mode of the container to which you are
switching.
To check the current open mode of the root or a PDB, query the OPEN_MODE column
in the V$CONTAINERS view when the current container is the root.
If the open mode of the root should be changed, then follow the instructions in
"Altering Database Availability" on page 3-9 to change the open mode.
If the open mode of the PDB should be changed, then follow the instructions in
"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 to change the open mode.
The open mode of the root imposes limitations on the open mode of PDBs. For
example, the root must be open before any PDBs can be open. Therefore, you
might need to change the open mode of the root before changing the open mode of
a PDB.

3.

Run the ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER statement and specify the container to
which you want to switch.

The following examples switch to various containers using ALTER SESSION:
■

Example 40–5, "Switching to the PDB salespdb"

■

Example 40–6, "Switching to the Root"

■

Example 40–7, "Switching to the Seed"

Example 40–5

Switching to the PDB salespdb

ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = salespdb;

Example 40–6

Switching to the Root

ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = CDB$ROOT;

Example 40–7

Switching to the Seed

ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = PDB$SEED;

See Also:

"About Database Resident Connection Pooling" on

page 5-4

Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package
When you are executing PL/SQL code in a container in a CDB, and you want to
execute one or more SQL statements in a different container, use the DBMS_SQL package
to switch containers. For example, you can use the DBMS_SQL package to switch
containers when you need to perform identical actions in more than one container.
The following are considerations for using DBMS_SQL to switch containers:
■

A transaction cannot span multiple containers.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-15

Executing Code in Containers Using the DBMS_SQL Package

If the set of actions you must perform in the target container requires a transaction,
then consider using an autonomous transaction and perform a commit or rollback
as the last action.
■

SET ROLE statements are not allowed.

Example 40–8

Performing Identical Actions in More Than One Container

This example includes a PL/SQL block that creates the identact table in the hr
schema in two PDBs (pdb1 and pdb2). The example also inserts a row into the identact
table in both PDBs.
DECLARE
c1 INTEGER;
rowcount INTEGER;
taskList VARCHAR2(32767) :=
'DECLARE
PRAGMA AUTONOMOUS TRANSACTION;
BEGIN
-- Create the hr.identact table.
EXECUTE IMMEDIATE
''CREATE TABLE hr.identact
(actionno NUMBER(4) NOT NULL,
action VARCHAR2 (10))'';
EXECUTE IMMEDIATE
''INSERT INTO identact VALUES(1, 'ACTION1')'';
-- A commit is required if the tasks include DML.
COMMIT;
EXCEPTION
WHEN OTHERS THEN
-- If there are errors, then drop the table.
BEGIN
EXECUTE IMMEDIATE ''DROP TABLE identact'';
EXCEPTION
WHEN OTHERS THEN
NULL;
END;
END;';
TYPE containerListType IS TABLE OF VARCHAR2(128) INDEX BY PLS_INTEGER;
containerList containerListType;
BEGIN
containerList(1) := 'PDB1';
containerList(2) := 'PDB2';
c1 := DBMS_SQL.OPENCURSOR;
FOR conIndex IN containerList.first..containerList.last LOOP
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Creating in container: ' || containerList(conIndex));
DBMS_SQL.PARSE(c => c1 ,
statement => taskList,
language_flag => DBMS_SQL.NATIVE,
edition= > NULL,
apply_crossedition_trigger => NULL,
fire_apply_trigger => NULL,
schema => 'HR',
container => containerList(conIndex));
rowcount := DBMS_SQL.EXECUTE(c=>c1);
END LOOP;
DBMS_SQL.CLOSE_CURSOR(c=>c1);
END;
/

40-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a CDB

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about the DBMS_SQL package
Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for more information
about autonomous transactions

Modifying a CDB
The ALTER DATABASE statement modifies a database. This section describes how to use
the ALTER DATABASE statement in a CDB. This section also describes using the ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to modify the open mode of one or more PDBs.
Table 40–3 lists which containers are modified by clauses in ALTER DATABASE and ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statements.
Table 40–3

Statements That Modify Containers in a CDB

Modify Entire CDB

Modify Root Only

Modify One or More PDBs

When connected as a common user
whose current container is the root,
ALTER DATABASE statements with the
following clauses modify the entire
CDB:

When connected as a common user
whose current container is the root,
ALTER DATABASE statements with the
following clauses modify the root
only:

When connected as a common user
whose current container is the root,
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statements with the following clause
can modify the open mode of one or
more PDBs:

■

startup_clauses

■

database_file_clauses

■

recovery_clauses

■

DEFAULT EDITION clause

■

logfile_clauses

■

controlfile_clauses

■

standby_database_clauses

■

instance_clauses

■

security_clause

■

RENAME GLOBAL_NAME clause

■

■

DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause

ALTER DATABASE statements with the
following clauses modify the root
and set default values for PDBs:
■

■

■

ENABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING
clause

■

■

DISABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING
clause

■

DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE
clause
flashback_mode_clause
SET DEFAULT { BIGFILE |
SMALLFILE } TABLESPACE clause
set_time_zone_clause

You can use these clauses to set
non-default values for specific PDBs.

pdb_change_state

When the current container is a PDB,
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statements with this clause can
modify the open mode of the current
PDB. See "Modifying a PDB with the
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 42-4.
When connected as a common user
whose current container is the root,
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statements with the following clause
can preserve or discard the open
mode a PDB when the CDB restarts:
■

pdb_save_or_discard_state

This section contains the following topics:
■

About the Statements That Modify a CDB

■

About Managing Tablespaces in a CDB

■

Modifying an Entire CDB

■

Modifying the Root

■

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs

■

Preserving or Discarding the Open Mode of PDBs When the CDB Restarts
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-17

Modifying a CDB

About the Statements That Modify a CDB
When connected as a common user whose current container is the root, the ALTER
DATABASE statement works the same in a CDB and a non-CDB. Most ALTER DATABASE
statements affect the entire CDB. The exceptions are listed in the "Modify Root Only"
column of Table 40–3.
When an ALTER DATABASE statement with the RENAME GLOBAL_NAME clause modifies the
domain of a CDB, it affects the domain of each PDB with a domain that defaults to that
of the CDB.
When connected as a common user whose current container is the root, the ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with the pdb_change_state clause modifies the open
mode of one or more PDBs.
When the current container is a PDB, ALTER DATABASE and ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statements modify the current PDB only.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

"Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4

About Managing Tablespaces in a CDB
A tablespace is a logical storage container for database objects, such as tables and
indexes, that consume storage space. At the physical level, a tablespace stores data in
one or more data files or temp files. You can use the ALTER DATABASE statement to
manage tablespaces in a CDB.
The following are considerations for tablespaces in a CDB:
■
■

■

■

A permanent tablespace can be associated with only one container.
When you create a tablespace in a container, the tablespace is associated with that
container.
A CDB has one active undo tablespace, or one active undo tablespace for each
instance of an Oracle RAC CDB.
There is one default temporary tablespace for an entire CDB. The root and the
PDBs can use this temporary tablespace. A PDB can also have its own temporary
tablespaces.

About Managing Permanent Tablespaces in a CDB
A permanent tablespace can be associated with only one container. Therefore, a
permanent tablespace can be associated with the root or with one PDB.
Each container in a CDB must have its own default permanent tablespace, and default
permanent tablespaces cannot be shared between containers. Users connected to the
container who are not explicitly assigned a tablespace use the default permanent
tablespace for the container.

About Managing Temporary Tablespaces in a CDB
There is one default temporary tablespace (or tablespace group) for an entire CDB. The
current container must be the root to create or modify this temporary tablespace. You
can create additional temporary tablespaces in the root, and you can assign specific
users to these temporary tablespaces.

40-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a CDB

You can create a default temporary tablespace for a PDB. You also can create
additional temporary tablespaces for individual PDBs, and you can assign specific
users in PDBs to these temporary tablespaces. When you unplug a PDB from a CDB,
its temporary tablespaces are also unplugged.
Table 40–4 describes which temporary tablespace a user uses.
Table 40–4

Temporary Tablespaces in a CDB

User’s
Current
Container

User Is Explicitly
Assigned a Temporary
Tablespace

PDB Has a Default
Temporary
Tablespace
User’s Temporary Tablespace

Root

Yes

Not applicable

The temporary tablespace in the root that is
explicitly assigned to the user

Root

No

Not applicable

The default temporary tablespace for the CDB

PDB

Yes

Yes

The temporary tablespace in the PDB that is
explicitly assigned to the user

PDB

Yes

No

The temporary tablespace in the PDB that is
explicitly assigned to the user

PDB

No

Yes

The default temporary tablespace for the PDB

PDB

No

No

The default temporary tablespace for the CDB

See Also:
■

Chapter 13, "Managing Tablespaces"

■

"Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47

■

"Modifying an Entire CDB" on page 40-19

■

"Modifying the Root" on page 40-20

Modifying an Entire CDB
This section describes using the ALTER DATABASE statement to modify an entire CDB,
including the root and all of the PDBs. Most ALTER DATABASE statements modify the
entire CDB. See the "Modify Entire CDB" column of Table 40–3 on page 40-17 for a list
of these statements.
To modify an entire CDB, the following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

The current user must be a common user with the ALTER DATABASE privilege.
To run an ALTER DATABASE statement with a recovery_clause, the current user must
have the SYSDBA administrative privilege commonly granted. In this case, you
must exercise this privilege using AS SYSDBA at connect time.

To modify an entire CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run an ALTER DATABASE statement with a clause that modifies an entire CDB.

Example 40–9

Backing Up the Control File for a CDB

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a recovery_clause to back up a control file.
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO '+DATA/dbs/backup/control.bkp';

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-19

Modifying a CDB

Example 40–10 Adding a Redo Log File to a CDB

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a logfile_clause to add redo log files.
ALTER DATABASE cdb ADD LOGFILE
GROUP 4 ('/u01/logs/orcl/redo04a.log','/u02/logs/orcl/redo04b.log')
SIZE 100M BLOCKSIZE 512 REUSE;

See Also:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Modifying the Root
This section describes using the ALTER DATABASE statement to modify only the root of a
CDB. When the current container is the root, these ALTER DATABASE statements modify
the root without directly modifying any of the PDBs. See the "Modify Root Only"
column of Table 40–3 on page 40-17 for a list of these statements.
Some of these statements set the defaults for the PDBs in the CDB. You can overwrite
these defaults for a PDB by using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.
To modify the root, the current user must have the ALTER DATABASE privilege in the
root.
To modify the root:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run an ALTER DATABASE statement with a clause that modifies the root.

The following examples modify the root:
■

Example 40–11, "Changing the Default Permanent Tablespace for the Root"

■

Example 40–12, "Bringing a Data File Online for the Root"

■

Example 40–13, "Changing the Default Tablespace Type for the Root"

■

Example 40–14, "Changing the Default Temporary Tablespace for the Root"

Example 40–11 Changing the Default Permanent Tablespace for the Root

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause to set the default
permanent tablespace to root_tbs for the root.
ALTER DATABASE DEFAULT TABLESPACE root_tbs;

A user whose current container is the root that is not explicitly assigned a tablespace
uses the default permanent tablespace for the root. The tablespace specified in the
ALTER DATABASE statement must exist in the root.
Example 40–12 Bringing a Data File Online for the Root

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a database_file_clause to bring the
/u02/oracle/cdb_01.dbf data file online.
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u02/oracle/cdb_01.dbf' ONLINE;

Example 40–13 Changing the Default Tablespace Type for the Root

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a SET DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause to change the
default tablespace type to bigfile for the root.

40-20 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a CDB

ALTER DATABASE SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE;

After executing this statement, the default type of subsequently created tablespaces in
the root is bigfile. This setting is also the default for PDBs.
Example 40–14 Changing the Default Temporary Tablespace for the Root

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause to set the
default temporary tablespace to cdb_temp for the root.
ALTER DATABASE DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE cdb_temp;

The tablespace or tablespace group specified in the ALTER DATABASE statement must
exist in the root. This tablespace or tablespace group is also the default temporary
tablespace for PDBs.
See Also:
■

"Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs
You can modify the open mode of a PDB by using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL
statement or the SQL*Plus STARTUP command.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About the Open Mode of a PDB

■

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE

■

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with the SQL*Plus STARTUP Command

About the Open Mode of a PDB
Table 40–5 describes the possible PDB modes.
Table 40–5

PDB Modes

Mode

Description

OPEN READ WRITE

A PDB in open read/write mode allows queries and user transactions to
proceed and allows users to generate redo logs.

OPEN READ ONLY

A PDB in open read-only mode allows queries but does not allow user
changes.

OPEN MIGRATE

When a PDB is in open migrate mode, you can run database upgrade
scripts on the PDB.
A PDB is in this mode after an ALTER DATABASE OPEN UPGRADE is run.

MOUNTED

When a PDB is in mounted mode, it behaves like a non-CDB in mounted
mode. It does not allow changes to any objects, and it is accessible only to
database administrators. It cannot read from or write to data files.
Information about the PDB is removed from memory caches. Cold
backups of the PDB are possible.

The open read/write, read-only, and migrate modes can be restricted to users with
RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB.
While a PDB is in mounted or read-only mode, database administrators can create,
modify, or drop common users and roles in the CDB. The CDB applies these changes

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-21

Modifying a CDB

to the PDB when its open mode is changed to open in read/write mode. Before the
changes are applied, descriptions of common users and roles in the PDB might be
different from the descriptions in the rest of the CDB.
When a PDB is opened, Oracle Database checks the compatibility of the PDB with the
CDB. Each compatibility violation is either a warning or an error. If a compatibility
violation is a warning, then the warning is recorded in the alert log, but the PDB is
opened normally without displaying a warning message. If a compatibility violation is
an error, then a message is displayed when the PDB is opened stating that the PDB
was altered with errors, and the errors are recorded in the alert log. You must correct
the condition that caused each error. When there are errors, the PDB is opened, but
access to the PDB is limited to users with RESTRICTED SESSION privilege so that the
compatibility violations can be addressed. You can view descriptions of violations by
querying PDB_PLUG_IN_VIOLATIONS view.
See Also:
■

■

■
■

"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 for
information about modifying the open mode of one or more PDBs
when the current container is the root
"Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 42-7 for information about modifying the
open mode of a PDB when the current container is the PDB
"Shutting Down a CDB Instance" on page 40-38
"Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4 for information about modifying
other attributes of a PDB

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
When the current container is the root, an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with a
pdb_change_state clause modifies the open mode of the specified PDBs.
Table 40–6 describes the clauses of the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement that
modify the mode of a PDB.
Table 40–6

ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Clauses That Modify the Mode of a PDB

Clause

Description

OPEN READ WRITE
[RESTRICTED] [FORCE]

Opens the PDB in read/write mode.
When RESTRICTED is specified, the PDB is accessible only to
users with RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB. All
sessions connected to the PDB that do not have RESTRICTED
SESSION privilege on it are terminated, and their transactions are
rolled back.
When FORCE is specified, the statement opens a PDB that is
currently closed and changes the open mode of a PDB that is in
open read-only mode.

OPEN READ ONLY
[RESTRICTED] [FORCE]

Opens the PDB in read-only mode.
When RESTRICTED is specified, the PDB is accessible only to
users with RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB. All
sessions connected to the PDB that do not have RESTRICTED
SESSION privilege on it are terminated.
When FORCE is specified, the statement opens a PDB that is
currently closed and changes the open mode of a PDB that is in
open read/write mode.

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Modifying a CDB

Table 40–6 (Cont.) ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Clauses That Modify the Mode of a
Clause

Description

OPEN UPGRADE [RESTRICTED] Opens the PDB in migrate mode.
When RESTRICTED is specified, the PDB is accessible only to
users with RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB.
CLOSE [IMMEDIATE]

Places the PDB in mounted mode.
The CLOSE statement is the PDB equivalent of the SQL*Plus
SHUTDOWN command. If you do not specify IMMEDIATE, then the
PDB is shut down with the normal mode. See "Shutting Down
with the Normal Mode" on page 3-12.
When IMMEDIATE is specified, this statement is the PDB
equivalent of the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN command with the
immediate mode. See "Shutting Down with the Immediate
Mode" on page 3-12.

When you issue an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE OPEN statement, READ WRITE is the
default unless a PDB being opened belongs to a CDB that is used as a physical standby
database, in which case READ ONLY is the default.
You can specify which PDBs to modify in the following ways:
■

List one or more PDBs.

■

Specify ALL to modify all of the PDBs.

■

Specify ALL EXCEPT to modify all of the PDBs, except for the PDBs listed.

For an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) CDB, you can use the instances
clause to specify the instances on which the PDB is modified in the following ways:
■

List one or more instances in the instances clause in the following form:
INSTANCES = ('instance_name' [,'instance_name'] … )

■

Specify ALL in the instances clause to modify the PDB in all running instances, as in
the following example:
INSTANCES = ALL

■

Specify ALL EXCEPT in the instances clause to modify the PDB in all of the instances,
except for the instances listed, in the following form:
INSTANCES = ALL EXCEPT('instance_name' [,'instance_name'] … )

Also, when you are closing a PDB in an Oracle RAC CDB, you can use the relocate
clause, which includes the following options:
■
■

■

Specify NORELOCATE, the default, to close the PDB in the current instance.
Specify RELOCATE TO and specify an instance name to reopen the PDB in the
specified instance.
Specify RELOCATE to reopen the PDB on a different instance that is selected by
Oracle Database.

To modify the open mode of PDBs with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, the
following prerequisites must be met:
■

The current user must have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG administrative
privilege, and the privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in
the PDB. The user must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-23

Modifying a CDB

SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at connect time.
■

■

When RESTRICTED SESSION is enabled, RESTRICTED must be specified when a PDB
is opened.
In an Oracle RAC CDB, if a PDB is open in one or more Oracle RAC instances,
then it can be opened in additional instances, but it must be opened in the same
mode as in the instances in which it is already open. A PDB can be closed in some
instances and opened on others.

In addition, to place PDBs in a particular target mode with the ALTER PLUGGAGLE
DATABASE statement, you must meet the requirements described in Table 40–7.
Table 40–7

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE

Target Mode ALL Keyword
of PDBs
Included

FORCE Keyword Required Mode for the
Included
Root

Required Mode for Each PDB
Being Modified

Read/write

Yes

Yes

Read/write

Mounted, read-only, or
read/write

Read/write

Yes

No

Read/write

Mounted or read/write

Read/write

No

Yes

Read/write

Mounted, read-only, or
read/write

Read/write

No

No

Read/write

Mounted

Read-only

Yes

Yes

Read-only or read/write

Mounted, read-only, or
read/write

Read-only

Yes

No

Read-only or read/write

Mounted or read-only

Read-only

No

Yes

Read-only or read/write

Mounted, read-only, or
read/write

Read-only

No

No

Read-only or read/write

Mounted

Migrate

Yes

Not applicable

Read-only or read/write

Mounted

Migrate

No

Not applicable

Read-only or read/write

Mounted

Mounted

Yes

Not applicable

Read-only or read/write

Mounted, read-only, migrate, or
read/write

Mounted

No

Not applicable

Read-only or read/write

Read-only, migrate, or
read/write

You can also modify the open mode of a PDB when the current
container is the PDB. See "Modifying a PDB with the ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement" on page 42-7.

Note:

To modify the open mode of one or more PDBs:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with a pdb_change_state clause.

The following examples modify the open mode of one or more PDBs:
■

Example 40–15, "Changing the Open Mode of Listed PDBs"

■

Example 40–16, "Changing the Open Mode of All PDBs"

■

Example 40–17, "Changing the Open Mode of All PDBs Except for Listed Ones"

40-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a CDB

Example 40–15 Changing the Open Mode of Listed PDBs

This statement changes the open mode of PDBs salespdb and hrpdb to open in
read/write mode.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb, hrpdb
OPEN READ WRITE;

This statement changes the open mode of PDB salespdb to open in read-only mode.
RESTRICTED specifies that the PDB is accessible only to users with RESTRICTED SESSION
privilege in the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb
OPEN READ ONLY RESTRICTED;

This statement changes the open mode of PDB salespdb to open in migrate mode:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb
OPEN UPGRADE;

Example 40–16 Changing the Open Mode of All PDBs

Run the following query to display the open mode of each PDB associated with a CDB:
SELECT NAME,OPEN_MODE FROM V$PDBS WHERE CON_ID > 2;
NAME
-----------------------------HRPDB
SALESPDB
DWPDB

OPEN_MODE
---------READ WRITE
MOUNTED
MOUNTED

Notice that hrpdb is already in read/write mode. To change the open mode of
salespdb and dwpdb to open in read/write mode, use the following statement:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ALL
OPEN READ WRITE;

The hrpdb PDB is not modified because it is already in open read/write mode. The
statement does not return an error because two PDBs are in mounted mode and one
PDB (hrpdb) is in the specified mode (read/write). Similarly, the statement does not
return an error if all PDBs are in mounted mode.
However, if any PDB is in read-only mode, then the statement returns an error. To
avoid an error and open all PDBs in the CDB in read/write mode, specify the FORCE
keyword:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ALL
OPEN READ WRITE FORCE;

With the FORCE keyword included, all PDBs are opened in read/write mode, including
PDBs in read-only mode.
Example 40–17 Changing the Open Mode of All PDBs Except for Listed Ones

This statement changes the mode of all PDBs except for salespdb and hrpdb to
mounted mode.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ALL EXCEPT salespdb, hrpdb
CLOSE IMMEDIATE;

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-25

Modifying a CDB

Note: An ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement modifying the open
mode of a PDB is instance-specific. Therefore, if this statement is
issued when connected to an Oracle RAC instance, then it affects the
open mode of the PDB only in that instance.

See Also:
■

■

■
■

"Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4 for information about modifying
the other attributes of a PDB
"Altering Database Availability" on page 3-9 for information about
database modes and their uses
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference
Oracle Database Concepts for more information about shutdown
modes

Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with the SQL*Plus STARTUP Command
When the current container is the root, the STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE command can
open a single PDB. Use the following options of the STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE
command to open a PDB:
■

FORCE
Closes an open PDB before re-opening it in read/write mode. When this option is
specified, no other options are allowed.

■

RESTRICT
Enables only users with the RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege in the PDB to
access the PDB.
If neither OPEN READ WRITE nor OPEN READ ONLY is specified, then the PDB is opened
in read-only mode when the CDB to which it belongs is a physical standby
database. Otherwise, the PDB is opened in read/write mode.

■

OPEN open_pdb_options
Opens the PDB in either read/write mode or read-only mode. You can specify
OPEN READ WRITE or OPEN READ ONLY. When you specify OPEN without any other
options, READ WRITE is the default.

The following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The current user must have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG administrative
privilege, and the privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in
the PDB. The user must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS
SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at connect time.
When RESTRICTED SESSION is enabled, RESTRICT must be specified when a PDB is
opened.

In addition, to place PDBs in a particular target mode with the STARTUP PLUGGAGLE
DATABASE command, you must meet the requirements described in Table 40–8.

40-26 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a CDB

Table 40–8

Modifying the Open Mode of a PDB with STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE

Target Mode of the PDB

FORCE Option
Included

Required Mode for the
Root

Required Mode of the PDB Being
Modified

Read/write

Yes

Read/write

Mounted, read-only, or read/write

Read/write

No

Read/write

Mounted

Read-only

No

Read-only or read/write

Mounted

Note: You can also use the STARTUP command to modify the open
mode of a PDB when the current container is the PDB. See "Using the
STARTUP SQL*Plus Command on a PDB" on page 42-11.

To modify a PDB with the STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE command:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE command.

Example 40–18 Opening a PDB in Read/Write Mode with the STARTUP Command
STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE hrpdb OPEN
Example 40–19 Opening a PDB in Read/Write Restricted Mode with the STARTUP
Command
STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE hrpdb RESTRICT
Example 40–20 Opening a PDB in Read-Only Restricted Mode with the STARTUP
Command
STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE hrpdb OPEN READ ONLY RESTRICT
Example 40–21 Opening a PDB in Read-Only Mode with the STARTUP Command
STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE hrpdb OPEN READ ONLY
Example 40–22 Opening a PDB in Read/Write Mode with the STARTUP Command and
the FORCE Option

This example assumes that the hrpdb PDB is currently open. The FORCE option closes
the PDB and then opens it in the read/write mode.
STARTUP PLUGGABLE DATABASE hrpdb FORCE

When the current container is the root, the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN
command always shuts down the CDB instance. It cannot be used to
close individual PDBs.

Note:

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-27

Modifying a CDB

See Also:
■

"Modifying a PDB with the SQL*Plus STARTUP and
SHUTDOWN Commands" on page 42-11 for information about
using the STARTUP or SHUTDOWN command when the current
container is a PDB

■

"Starting Up a Database" on page 3-1

■

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

Preserving or Discarding the Open Mode of PDBs When the CDB Restarts
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

You can preserve the open mode of one or more PDBs when the CDB restarts by using
the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL statement with a pdb_save_or_discard_state clause
in the following way:
■

Specify SAVE STATE to preserve the PDBs’ mode when the CDB is restarted.
For example, if a PDB is in open read/write mode before the CDB is restarted,
then the PDB is in open read/write mode after the CDB is restarted; if a PDB is in
mounted mode before the CDB is restarted, then the PDB is in mounted mode
after the CDB is restarted.

■

Specify DISCARD STATE to ignore the PDBs’ open mode when the CDB is restarted.
When DISCARD STATE is specified for a PDB, the PDB is always mounted after the
CDB is restarted.

You can specify which PDBs to modify in the following ways:
■

List one or more PDBs.

■

Specify ALL to modify all of the PDBs.

■

Specify ALL EXCEPT to modify all of the PDBs, except for the PDBs listed.

For an Oracle RAC CDB, you can use the instances clause in the pdb_save_or_discard_
state clause to specify the instances on which a PDB’s open mode is preserved in the
following ways:
■

List one or more instances in the instances clause in the following form:
INSTANCES = ('instance_name' [,'instance_name'] … )

■

Specify ALL in the instances clause to modify the PDB in all running instances, as in
the following example:
INSTANCES = ALL

■

Specify ALL EXCEPT in the instances clause to modify the PDB in all of the instances,
except for the instances listed, in the following form:
INSTANCES = ALL EXCEPT('instance_name' [,'instance_name'] … )

For a PDB in an Oracle RAC CDB, SAVE STATE and DISCARD STATE only affect the
mode of the current instance. They do not affect the mode of other instances, even if
more than one instance is specified in the instances clause.
40-28 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB

To issue an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL statement with a pdb_save_or_discard_state
clause, the current user must have the ALTER DATABASE privilege in the root.
You can check the saved states for the PDBs in a CDB by querying the DBA_PDB_SAVED_
STATES view.
To preserve or discard a PDB’s open mode when the CDB restarts:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with a pdb_save_or_discard_state
clause.

The following examples either preserve or discard the open mode of one or more PDBs
when the CDB restarts:
■

Preserving the Open Mode of a PDB When the CDB Restarts

■

Discarding the Open Mode of a PDB When the CDB Restarts

■

Preserving the Open Mode of All PDBs When the CDB Restarts

■

Preserving the Open Mode of Listed PDBs When the CDB Restarts

■

Preserving the Open Mode of All PDBs Except for Listed Ones When the CDB
Restarts

Example 40–23 Preserving the Open Mode of a PDB When the CDB Restarts

This statement preserves the open mode of the salespdb when the CDB restarts.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb SAVE STATE;
Example 40–24 Discarding the Open Mode of a PDB When the CDB Restarts

This statement discards the open mode of the salespdb when the CDB restarts.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb DISCARD STATE;
Example 40–25 Preserving the Open Mode of All PDBs When the CDB Restarts

This statement preserves the open mode of all of the PDBs when the CDB restarts.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ALL SAVE STATE;
Example 40–26 Preserving the Open Mode of Listed PDBs When the CDB Restarts

This statement preserves the open mode of the salespdb and hrpdb when the CDB
restarts.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE salespdb, hrpdb SAVE STATE;
Example 40–27 Preserving the Open Mode of All PDBs Except for Listed Ones When the
CDB Restarts

This statement preserves the open mode of all PDBs except for salespdb and hrpdb.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ALL EXCEPT salespdb, hrpdb SAVE STATE;

Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB
The ALTER SYSTEM SET statement can dynamically set an initialization parameter in one
or more containers in a CDB.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-29

Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB

A CDB uses an inheritance model for initialization parameters in which PDBs inherit
initialization parameter values from the root. In this case, inheritance means that the
value of a particular parameter in the root applies to a particular PDB.
A PDB can override the root’s setting for some parameters, which means that a PDB
has an inheritance property for each initialization parameter that is either true or false.
The inheritance property is true for a parameter when the PDB inherits the root’s value
for the parameter. The inheritance property is false for a parameter when the PDB does
not inherit the root’s value for the parameter.
The inheritance property for some parameters must be true. For other parameters, you
can change the inheritance property by running the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement to set
the parameter when the current container is the PDB. If ISPDB_MODIFIABLE is TRUE for
an initialization parameter in the V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER view, then the inheritance
property can be false for the parameter.
When the current container is the root, the CONTAINER clause of the ALTER SYSTEM SET
statement controls which PDBs inherit the parameter value being set. The CONTAINER
clause has the following syntax:
CONTAINER = { CURRENT | ALL }

The following settings are possible:
■

CURRENT, the default, means that the parameter setting applies only to the current
container.
When the current container is the root, the parameter setting applies to the root
and to any PDB with an inheritance property of true for the parameter.

■

ALL means that the parameter setting applies to all containers in the CDB,
including the root and all of the PDBs.
Specifying ALL sets the inheritance property to true for the parameter in all PDBs.

See "About the Current Container" on page 40-1 for more information about the
CONTAINER clause and rules that apply to it.
To use ALTER SYSTEM SET in the root in a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
The current user must have the commonly granted ALTER SYSTEM privilege.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement.

Example 40–28 Setting an Initialization Parameter for All Containers

This ALTER SYSTEM SET statement sets the OPEN_CURSORS initialization parameter to 200
for the all containers and sets the inheritance property to TRUE in each PDB.
ALTER SYSTEM SET OPEN_CURSORS = 200 CONTAINER = ALL;
Example 40–29 Setting an Initialization Parameter for the Root

This ALTER SYSTEM SET statement sets the OPEN_CURSORS initialization parameter to 200
for the root and for PDBs with an inheritance property of true for the parameter.
ALTER SYSTEM SET OPEN_CURSORS = 200 CONTAINER = CURRENT;

40-30 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Executing DDL Statements in a CDB

If you want to change the inheritance property for a particular
parameter in a particular PDB from false to true, then you can run the
ALTER SYSTEM RESET statement to reset the parameter when the current
container is the PDB. The following example resets the OPEN_CURSORS
parameter:
Note:

ALTER SYSTEM RESET OPEN_CURSORS SCOPE = SPFILE;

See Also:
■

■

"Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB" on
page 42-13
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement

Executing DDL Statements in a CDB
This section describes executing data definition language (DDL) statements in a CDB.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Executing DDL Statements in a CDB

■

Executing a DDL Statement in the Current Container

■

Executing a DDL Statement in All Containers in a CDB

About Executing DDL Statements in a CDB
In a CDB, some DDL statements can apply to all containers or to the current container
only.
To specify which containers are affected, use the CONTAINER clause:
CONTAINER = { CURRENT | ALL }

The following settings are possible:
■
■

CURRENT means that the statement applies only to the current container.
ALL means that the statement applies to all containers in the CDB, including the
root and all of the PDBs.

The following restrictions apply to the CONTAINER clause in DDL statements:
■
■

Table 40–9

The restrictions described in "About the Current Container" on page 40-1.
You can use the CONTAINER clause only with the DDL statements listed in
Table 40–9.

DDL Statements and the CONTAINER Clause in a CDB

DDL Statement

CONTAINER = CURRENT

CONTAINER = ALL

CREATE USER

Creates a local user in the current PDB.

Creates a common user.

ALTER USER

Alters a local user in the current PDB.

Alters a common user.

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-31

Executing DDL Statements in a CDB

Table 40–9 (Cont.) DDL Statements and the CONTAINER Clause in a CDB
DDL Statement

CONTAINER = CURRENT

CONTAINER = ALL

CREATE ROLE

Creates a local role in the current PDB.

Creates a common role.

GRANT

Grants a privilege in the local container to a
local user, common user, or local role.

Grants a system privilege or object privilege
on a common object to a common user or
common role. The specified privilege is
granted to the user or role across the entire
CDB.

The SET CONTAINER privilege can be granted
to a user-created common user in the
current PDB.
Revokes a privilege in the local container
from a local user, common user, or local
role.

REVOKE

This statement can revoke only a privilege
granted with CURRENT specified in the
CONTAINER clause from the specified user or
role in the local container. The statement
does not affect privileges granted with ALL
specified in the CONTAINER clause.

Revokes a system privilege or object
privilege on a common object from a
common user or common role. The specified
privilege is revoked from the user or role
across the entire CDB.

This statement can revoke only a privilege
granted with ALL specified in the CONTAINER
clause from the specified common user or
common role. The statement does not affect
privileges granted with CURRENT specified in
The SET CONTAINER privilege can be revoked
the CONTAINER clause. However, any
from a user-created common user in the
privileges granted locally that depend on
current PDB.
the privilege granted commonly that is
being revoked are also revoked.

All other DDL statements apply to the current container only.
In addition to the usual rules for user and role names, the following rules and best
practices apply when you create a user or a role in a CDB:
■

■
■

■

It is best practice for common user and role names to start with a prefix to avoid
naming conflicts between common users and roles and local users and roles. You
specify this prefix with the COMMON_USER_PREFIX initialization parameter. By
default, the prefix is C## or c##.
Common user and role names must consist only of ASCII characters.
Local user and role names must not start with the prefix specified for common
users with the COMMON_USER_PREFIX initialization parameter.
Local user and role names must not start with C## or c##.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

■

Oracle Database Concepts

■

■

■

Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about
managing users in a CDB
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the COMMON_
USER_PREFIX initialization parameter
"Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB" on
page 40-29 for information about using the ALTER SYSTEM system
control statement in a CDB

Executing a DDL Statement in the Current Container
Specify CURRENT in the CONTAINER clause of a DDL statement listed in Table 40–9 on
page 40-31 to execute the statement in the current container.

40-32 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

The current user must be granted the required privileges to execute the DDL statement
in the current container. For example, to create a user, the current user must be granted
the CREATE USER system privilege in the current container.
To execute a DDL statement in the current container:
1.

In SQL*Plus, access a container.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Execute the DDL statement with CONTAINER set to CURRENT.

Example 40–30 Creating Local User in a PDB

This example creates the local user testpdb in the current PDB.
CREATE USER testpdb IDENTIFIED BY password
DEFAULT TABLESPACE pdb1_tbs
QUOTA UNLIMITED ON pdb1_tbs
CONTAINER = CURRENT;

A local user’s user name cannot start with the prefix specified by the COMMON_USER_
PREFIX initialization parameter. By default, the prefix is C## or c##. The specified
tablespace must exist in the PDB.

Executing a DDL Statement in All Containers in a CDB
Specify ALL in the CONTAINER clause of a DDL statement listed in Table 40–9 on
page 40-31 to execute the statement in all of the containers in a CDB.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

The current user must be a common user.
The current user must be granted the required privileges commonly to execute the
DDL statement. For example, to create a user, the current user must be granted the
CREATE USER system privilege commonly.

To execute a DDL statement in all containers in a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Execute the DDL statement with CONTAINER set to ALL.

Example 40–31 Creating Common User in a CDB

This example creates the common user c##testcdb.
CREATE USER c##testcdb IDENTIFIED BY password
DEFAULT TABLESPACE cdb_tbs
QUOTA UNLIMITED ON cdb_tbs
CONTAINER = ALL;

A common user’s user name must start with the prefix specified by the COMMON_USER_
PREFIX initialization parameter. By default, the prefix is C## or c##. In addition, a
common user’s name must consist only of ASCII characters. The specified tablespace
must exist in the root and in all PDBs.

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB
This section contains the following topics:

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-33

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

■

About Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

■

Syntax and Parameters for catcon.pl

■

Running the catcon.pl Script

About Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB
An Oracle Database installation includes several SQL scripts. These scripts perform
operations such as creating data dictionary views and installing options.
In a CDB, the catcon.pl script is the best way to run SQL scripts and SQL statements. It
can run them in the root and in specified PDBs in the correct order, and it generates log
files that you can view to confirm that the SQL script or SQL statement did not
generate unexpected errors. It also starts multiple processes and assigns new scripts to
them as they finish running scripts previously assigned to them.
Note:
■

■

Unless you exclude the seed when you run catcon.pl, the SQL
script or SQL statement is run on the seed.
You can use the catcon.pl script to run scripts on both CDBs and
non-CDBs.

Syntax and Parameters for catcon.pl
The catcon.pl script is a Perl script that must be run at an operating system prompt.
The catcon.pl script has the following syntax and parameters:
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl
[-u username[/password]] [-U username[/password]] [-d directory]
[-l directory] [{-c|-C} container] [-p parallelism] [-e] [-s]
[-E { ON | errorlogging-table-other-than-SPERRORLOG } ] [-I] [-g] [-f]
-b log_file_name_base -- { SQL_script [arguments] | --x'SQL_statement' }

Ensure that --xSQL_statement is preceded by -- if it follows any single-letter
parameter. If --xSQL_statement is preceded by a script name or another --xSQL_
statement, then do not precede it with --. Also, note that the SQL statement must be
inside single quotation marks.
Command line parameters to SQL scripts can be introduced using --p. Interactive (or
secret) parameters to SQL scripts can be introduced using --P.
Table 40–10 describes the catcon.pl parameters.
Table 40–10

catcon.pl Parameters

Parameter

Description

-u

(Optional) Specifies the username and password to connect to the root and the
specified PDBs. Specify a common user with the required privileges to run the
SQL script or the SQL statement. The default is "/ AS SYSDBA". If no password
is supplied, then catcon.pl prompts for a password.

-U

(Optional) Specifies the username and password to connect to the root and the
specified PDBs. Specify a common user with the required privileges to perform
internal tasks, such as running queries on the CDB’s metadata. The default is "/
AS SYSDBA". If no password is supplied, then catcon.pl prompts for a password.

-d

(Optional) Directory that contains the SQL script. The default is the current
directory.

40-34 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

Table 40–10

(Cont.) catcon.pl Parameters

Parameter

Description

-l

(Optional) Directory into which catcon.pl writes log files. The default is the
current directory.

{-c|-C}

(Optional) The containers in which the SQL script is run or is not run.
The -c parameter lists the containers in which the SQL script is run.
The -C parameter lists the containers in which the SQL script is not run.
Specify containers in a space-delimited list of PDB names enclosed in single
quotation marks.
The -c and -C options are mutually exclusive.

-p

(Optional) Integer that specifies the degree of parallelism.
This parameter specifies the current number of invocations of the catcon.pl
script on the host.

-e

(Optional) Sets echo ON while running the script. The default is echo OFF.

-s

(Optional) Spools the output of every script into a file with the following name:
log-file-name-base_script-name-without-extension_
[container-name-if-any].default-extension

-E

(Optional) When set to ON, the default error logging table is used. ON is the
default setting. When set to ON, errors are written to the table SPERRORLOG in the
current schema in each container in which the SQL script runs. If this table does
not exist in a container, then it is created automatically.
When a table other than SPERRORLOG is specified, errors are written to the
specified table. The table must exist in each container in which the SQL script
runs, and the current user must have the necessary privileges to perform DML
operations on the table in each of these containers.
See SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more information about the error
logging table.

-I

(Optional) Do not issue a SET ERRORLOGGING identifier. This option is intended
for cases in which the SET ERRORLOGGING identifier is already set and should not
be overwritten.

-g

(Optional) Turns on the generation of debugging information.

-f

(Optional) Ignore PDBs that are closed or, if the -c or -C option is used, do not
exist and process only open PDBs that were specified explicitly or implicitly.
When this option is not specified and some specified PDBs do not exist or are
not open, an error is returned and none of the containers are processed.

-b

(Mandatory) The base name for log file names.

Running the catcon.pl Script
This section describes running the catcon.pl Perl script and provides examples that run
the script.
If a SQL script or SQL statement run by catcon.pl performs data manipulation
language (DML) or data definition language (DDL) operations, then the containers
being modified must be in read/write mode. See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs"
on page 40-21.
To run the catcon.pl script:
1.

Open a command line prompt.

2.

Run the catcon.pl script and specify one or more SQL scripts or SQL statements:

Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-35

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl parameters SQL_
script
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl parameters ---xSQL_statement

Examples That Run the catcon.pl Script
The following examples run the catcon.pl script:
■

Example 40–32, "Running the catblock.sql Script in All Containers in a CDB"

■

Example 40–33, "Running the catblock.sql Script in Specific PDBs"

■

Example 40–34, "Running the catblock.sql Script in All Containers Except for
Specific PDBs"

■

Example 40–35, "Running a SQL Script with Command Line Parameters"

■

Example 40–36, "Running a SQL Statement in All Containers in a CDB"

Example 40–32 Running the catblock.sql Script in All Containers in a CDB

This example runs the catblock.sql script in all of the containers of a CDB.
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl -u SYS
-d $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin -b catblock_output catblock.sql

The following parameters are specified:
■
■

■

The -u parameter specifies that SYS user runs the script in each container.
The -d parameter specifies that the SQL script is in the $ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin directory.
The -b parameter specifies that the base name for log file names is catblock_
output.

Default parameter values are used for all other parameters. Neither the -c nor the -C
parameter is specified. Therefore, catcon.pl runs the script in all containers by default.
Example 40–33 Running the catblock.sql Script in Specific PDBs

This example runs the catblock.sql script in the hrpdb and salespdb PDBs in a CDB.
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl -u SYS -U SYS
-d $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin -l '/disk1/script_output' -c 'HRPDB SALESPDB'
-b catblock_output catblock.sql

The following parameters are specified:
■

The -u parameter specifies that SYS user runs the script in each container.

■

The -U parameter specifies that SYS user performs internal tasks.

■

■

■

The -d parameter specifies that the SQL script is in the $ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin directory.
The -l parameter specifies that the output files are placed in the /disk1/script_
output directory.
The -c parameter specifies that the SQL script is run in the hrpdb and salespdb
PDBs. The script is not run in any other containers in the CDB.

40-36 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Running Oracle-Supplied SQL Scripts in a CDB

■

The -b parameter specifies that the base name for log file names is catblock_
output.

Example 40–34 Running the catblock.sql Script in All Containers Except for Specific
PDBs

This example runs the catblock.sql script in all of the containers in a CDB except for
the hrpdb and salespdb PDBs.
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl -u SYS
-d $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin -l '/disk1/script_output' -C 'HRPDB SALESPDB'
-b catblock_output catblock.sql

The following parameters are specified:
■
■

■

■

■

The -u parameter specifies that SYS user runs the script in each container.
The -d parameter specifies that the SQL script is in the $ORACLE_
HOME/rdbms/admin directory.
The -l parameter specifies that the output files are placed in the /disk1/script_
output directory.
The -C parameter specifies that the SQL script is run in all of the containers in the
CDB except for the hrpdb and salespdb PDBs.
The -b parameter specifies that the base name for log file names is catblock_
output.
See Also: "Monitoring Locks" on page 8-7 for information about the
catblock.sql script

Example 40–35 Running a SQL Script with Command Line Parameters

This example runs the custom_script.sql script in all of the containers of a CDB.
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl -u SYS
-d /u01/scripts -b custom_script_output custom_script.sql
'--phr' '--PEnter password for user hr:'

The following parameters are specified:
■

The -u parameter specifies that SYS user runs the script in each container.

■

The -d parameter specifies that the SQL script is in the /u01/scripts directory.

■

■
■

The -b parameter specifies that the base name for log file names is custom_script_
output.
The --p parameter specifies hr for a command line parameter
The --P parameter specifies an interactive parameter that prompts for the
password of user hr.

Default parameter values are used for all other parameters. Neither the -c nor the -C
parameter is specified. Therefore, catcon.pl runs the script in all containers by default.
Example 40–36 Running a SQL Statement in All Containers in a CDB

This example runs a SQL statement in all of the containers of a CDB.
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catcon.pl -u SYS -e
-b select_output -- --x'SELECT * FROM DUAL'

The following parameters are specified:
Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus

40-37

Shutting Down a CDB Instance

■

The -u parameter specifies that SYS user runs the script in each container.

■

The -e parameter shows output for the SQL statement.

■

The -b parameter specifies that the base name for log file names is select_output.

■

The SQL statement SELECT * FROM DUAL is inside single quotation marks and is
preceded by --x. Because --x is preceded by a single-letter parameter (-b), it must
be preceded by --.

Default parameter values are used for all other parameters. Neither the -c nor the -C
parameter is specified. Therefore, catcon.pl runs the SQL statement in all containers by
default.
See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more
information about SQL scripts

Shutting Down a CDB Instance
You can shut down a CDB instance in the same way that you shut down a non-CDB
instance.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■
■

The CDB instance must be mounted or open.
The current user must be a common user with SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or
SYSDG administrative privilege. To shut down a CDB, you must exercise this
privilege using AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at
connect time.

To shut down a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Connecting to a Container Using the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command" on
page 40-11.

2.

Shut down the CDB instance.
"Shutting Down a Database" on page 3-11
See Also:
■

"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

40-38 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

41
41

Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud
Control
This chapter describes administering multitenant container databases (CDBs) and
pluggable databases (PDBs) with Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.
In particular, this chapter covers the following topics:
■

Administering CDB Storage and Schema Objects with Cloud Control

■

Administering PDBs with Cloud Control
See Also:

"About Administering a CDB" on page 40-1

Administering CDB Storage and Schema Objects with Cloud Control
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Managing and Monitoring CDB Storage and Schema Objects

■

Managing CDB Storage and Schema Objects

■

Managing Per-Container Storage and Schema Objects

■

Monitoring Storage and Schema Alerts

About Managing and Monitoring CDB Storage and Schema Objects
You can use Enterprise Manager to manage and monitor CDB storage and schema
objects. With Enterprise Manager you can:
■

■
■

View database storage objects, such as tablespaces, and schema objects, such as
tables, across the CDB. You can also view objects belonging to the CDB$ROOT
container.
View and manage database storage and schema objects at the container level.
Use storage metrics to gather data across the CDB and generate Enterprise
Manager incidents (alerts) at the container level.

■

Run Storage and Undo Advisors for the CDB and view related storage advice.

■

Support configuration metric collection for CDB/PDB.

The Database Object Search pages are displayed when you select certain menu items
from either the Schema or Administration menus. These pages conduct searches for
database objects based on criteria you enter, such as schema name, object name, or
container name, which is only available if you are viewing from the CDB level. The

Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud Control 41-1

Administering PDBs with Cloud Control

Database Object Search page features are supported at both the CDB level and PDB
level. The Container column displays on the Search page at both the CDB level and
container level.
Undo tablespaces can only be managed from the CDB$ROOT container.

Managing CDB Storage and Schema Objects
To manage CDB storage and schema objects, follow these steps:
1.

Navigate to the CDB database home page.

2.

From the CDB menu, access a feature supporting the CDB level view, such as
accessing the Tablespaces Search page.

3.

Log in as a common user. The Tablespaces Search page displays in the CDB
context.

4.

Perform a search. In the above example, the Tablespace page displays all
tablespaces within the CDB including those belonging to the CDB$ROOT container.
An additional column displays the container name.

5.

Perform any management feature if you have the proper privilege associated with
that operation.

Managing Per-Container Storage and Schema Objects
To manage per-container storage and schema objects, follow these steps:
1.

Navigate to a CDB target.

2.

From the database menus, access a feature supporting the Container Database
(CDB) and per-container views, such as the Tablespaces Search page.

3.

Log in as a common user. The Tablespaces Search page is displayed using CDB as
its context.

4.

Switch to a specific container. Once context switcher is used to switch containers,
the pages automatically refresh and show container-only data.

5.

Perform a search. The Tablespace page displays all tablespaces within the selected
container.

6.

You can perform any management feature for which you have the proper privilege
associated with that operation.

Monitoring Storage and Schema Alerts
To monitor storage and schema alerts, follow these steps:
1.

Navigate to a Pluggable Database target.

2.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Monitoring, then select Incident Manager.
Open incidents for Storage and Schema area metrics are displayed. The container
name is part of the incident message.

Administering PDBs with Cloud Control
This section provides information about performing PDB administration tasks. It
contains the following topics:
■

Switching Between PDBs

41-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Administering PDBs with Cloud Control

■

Altering the Open Mode of a PDB

Switching Between PDBs
If you are performing a task such as granting user privileges or performance reporting,
and you need to perform the same task on another PDB, then you can switch to
another PDB. To switch between PDBs while staying on the same feature page:
1.

From the current PDB, select any PDB scope page (such as, Manage Advanced
Queues).
In the upper-left corner of the window, the name of the PDB will update to display
a context switcher as a drop-down menu.

2.

Click the context switcher to display the drop-down menu. This menu shows the
PDBs most recently used.
Select a PDB from this list.

3.

The page will update to show the System Queues.

4.

Click the context switcher to display the drop-down menu. If the menu does not
show the PDBs you want, then select All Containers.

5.

A Switch Container window will pop up to display all available PDBs for the
monitored target.
Select a PDB from this list and click OK.

6.

The page will update to show data for the selected PDB.

Altering the Open Mode of a PDB
To change the open mode of a single-instance PDB to Open or Close:
1.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Control, then select Open/Close
Pluggable Database.

2.

From the Open/Close Pluggable Database page, select a PDB from the list.

3.

Click the Action drop-down menu and select the appropriate actions. Your choices
are Open, Open Read Only, and Close.

4.

In the Confirmation dialog window, click Yes to complete the change. A
Processing dialog window appears to show you the progress of your choice.

5.

Once the open mode change completes, the Open/Close PDB page will update to
show the new open mode of the PDB.

To change the open mode of a PDB in a Cluster/RAC to Open or Close:
1.

From the Oracle Database menu, select Control, then Open/Close Pluggable
Database.

2.

From the Open/Close Pluggable Database page, select a PDB from the list. The
RAC instances are shown along with the PDB’s current open mode on those
instances.

3.

Once you select a PDB, a panel appears below the list to show the open mode of
the PDBs on the different RAC instances. The open and close options apply to the
PDBs on the RAC instance's panel. You can open or close a PDB on any number of
available RAC instances.

4.

In the Confirmation dialog window, click Yes to complete the change. A
Processing dialog window appears to show you the progress of your choice.
Administering CDBs and PDBs with Cloud Control 41-3

Administering PDBs with Cloud Control

5.

Once the open mode change completes, the Open/Close Pluggable Database page
will update to show the new open mode of the PDB.

41-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

42
42

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Administering PDBs

■

Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus

■

Modifying a PDB

■

Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB

■

Managing Services Associated with PDBs

About Administering PDBs
Administering a pluggable database (PDB) involves a subset of the tasks required to
administer a non-CDB. In this subset of tasks, most are the same for a PDB and a
non-CDB, but there are some differences. For example, there are differences when you
modify the open mode of a PDB. Also, a PDB administrator is limited to managing a
single PDB and cannot affect other PDBs in the multitenant container database (CDB).
Other administrative tasks are the same for a PDB and a non-CDB. Table 42–1
describes some of these tasks.

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

42-1

About Administering PDBs

Table 42–1

Administrative Tasks Common to PDBs and Non-CDBs

Task

Description

Additional Information

Managing tablespaces

You can create, modify, and drop tablespaces for a
PDB. You can specify a default tablespace and default
tablespace type for each PDB. Also, there is a default
temporary tablespace for the entire CDB. You
optionally can create additional temporary
tablespaces for use by individual PDBs.

Chapter 13, "Managing
Tablespaces"

Each PDB has its own data files. You can manage data
files and temp files in the same way that you would
manage them for a non-CDB. You can also limit the
amount of storage used by the data files for a PDB by
using the STORAGE clause in a CREATE PLUGGABLE
DATABASE or ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

Chapter 14, "Managing Data
Files and Temp Files"

You can create, modify, and drop schema objects in a
PDB in the same way that you would in a non-CDB.
You can also create triggers that fire for a specific
PDB.

Part III, "Schema Objects"

Managing data files and
temp files

Managing schema objects

"Modifying a PDB" on
page 42-4

"Storage Limits" on
page 38-4
"Modifying a PDB" on
page 42-4

Oracle Database PL/SQL
Language Reference for
information about creating
triggers in a CDB

When you manage database links in a CDB, the root
has a unique global database name, and so does each
"Creating Database Links"
PDB. The global name of the root is defined by the
on page 32-6
DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN initialization parameters. The
global database name of a PDB is defined by the PDB
name and the DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter. The
global database name of each PDB must be unique
within the domain.

When you are administering a PDB, you can modify the PDB with an ALTER DATABASE,
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE, or ALTER SYSTEM statement. You can also execute DDL
statements on the PDB.
It is also important to understand which administrative tasks cannot be performed
when the current container is a PDB. The following are some administrative tasks that
are performed by a common user for the entire CDB or for the root when the current
container is the root:
■

Starting up and shutting down a CDB instance

■

Modifying the CDB or the root with an ALTER DATABASE statement

■

Modifying the CDB or the root with an ALTER SYSTEM statement

■

Executing data definition language (DDL) statements on a CDB or the root

■

Managing the following components:

■

–

Processes

–

Memory

–

Errors and alerts

–

Diagnostic data

–

Control files

–

The online redo log and the archived redo log files

–

Undo

Creating, plugging in, unplugging, and dropping PDBs

42-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus

A common user whose current container is the root can also change the open mode of
one or more PDBs. See Chapter 40, "Administering a CDB with SQL*Plus" for more
information about this task and other tasks related to administering a CDB or the root.
A common user or local user whose current container is a PDB can change the open
mode of the current PDB. See "Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4 for more information
about this task.
See Also:

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus
This section assumes that you understand how to connect to a non-CDB in SQL*Plus.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7 for information.
You can use the following techniques to connect to a PDB with the SQL*Plus CONNECT
command:
■

Local connection with operating system authentication

■

Database connection using easy connect

■

Database connection using a net service name

The following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The user connecting to the PDB must be granted the CREATE SESSION privilege in
the PDB.
To connect to a PDB as a user that does not have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or
SYSDG administrative privilege, the PDB must be open. See "Modifying the Open
Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21 and "Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4 for
information about changing the open mode of a PDB.
Note: This section assumes that the user connecting to the PDB is a
local user. You can also connect to the PDB as a common user, and you
can connect to the root as a common user and switch to the PDB.

To connect to a PDB using the SQL*Plus CONNECT command:
1.

Configure your environment so that you can open SQL*Plus.
See "Connecting to the Database with SQL*Plus" on page 1-7.

2.

Start SQL*Plus with the /NOLOG argument:
sqlplus /nolog

3.

Issue a CONNECT command using easy connect or a net service name to connect to
the PDB.
To connect to a PDB, connect to a service with a PDB property.

Example 42–1

Connecting to a PDB in SQL*Plus Using the PDB’s Net Service Name

The following command connects to the hr user using the hrapp service. The hrapp
service has a PDB property for the hrpdb PDB. This example assumes that the client is
configured to have a net service name for the hrapp service.
CONNECT hr@hrapp

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

42-3

Modifying a PDB

See "Step 4: Submit the SQL*Plus CONNECT Command" on page 1-9 for more
examples.
See Also:
■

■

"Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10
for information about connecting to a PDB as a common user
"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15

Modifying a PDB
This section describes modifying a PDB and contains the following topics:
■

Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement

■

Modifying a PDB with the SQL*Plus STARTUP and SHUTDOWN Commands

Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement
This section contains the following topics about modifying a PDB with the ALTER
PLUGGABLE DATABASE SQL statement:
■

About Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement

■

Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement

■

Changing the Global Database Name of a PDB

About Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement
When the current container is a PDB, an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement with
any of the following clauses modifies the PDB:
■

database_file_clauses
These clauses work the same as they would in an ALTER DATABASE statement, but
the statement applies to the current PDB.

■

set_time_zone_clause
This clause works the same as it would in an ALTER DATABASE statement, but it
applies to the current PDB.

■

DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause
For users created while the current container is a PDB, this clause specifies the
default tablespace for the user if the default tablespace is not specified in the
CREATE USER statement.

■

DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE clause
For users created while the current container is a PDB, this clause specifies the
default temporary tablespace for the user if the default temporary tablespace is not
specified in the CREATE USER statement.

■

RENAME GLOBAL_NAME clause
This clause changes the unique global database name for the PDB. The new global
database name must be different from that of any container in the CDB. When you
change the global database name of a PDB, the PDB name is changed to the name
before the first period in the global database name.
You must change the PDB property of database services used to connect to the PDB
when you change the global database name. See "Managing Services Associated

42-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a PDB

with PDBs" on page 42-15.
■

SET DEFAULT { BIGFILE | SMALLFILE } TABLESPACE clause
This clause changes the default type of subsequently created tablespaces in the
PDB to either bigfile or smallfile. This clause works the same as it would in an
ALTER DATABASE statement, but it applies to the current PDB.

■

DEFAULT EDITION clause
This clause works the same as it would in an ALTER DATABASE statement, but it
applies to the current PDB. Each PDB can use edition-based redefinition, and
editions in one PDB do not affect editions in other PDBs. In a multitenant
environment in which each PDB has its own application, you can use
edition-based redefinition independently for each distinct application.

■

pdb_storage_clause
This clause sets a limit on the amount of storage used by all tablespaces that
belong to a PDB. This limit applies to the total size of all data files and temp files
comprising tablespaces that belong to the PDB.
This clause can also set a limit on the amount of storage in a shared temporary
tablespace that can be used by sessions connected to the PDB. The shared
temporary tablespace is the default temporary tablespace for the entire CDB. If the
limit is reached, then no additional storage in the shared temporary tablespace is
available to sessions connected to the PDB.

■

pdb_change_state_clause
This clause changes the open mode of the current PDB.
If you specify the optional RESTRICTED keyword, then the PDB is accessible only to
users with the RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB.
Specifying FORCE in this clause changes semantics of the ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE statement so that, in addition to opening a PDB that is currently closed,
it can be used to change the open mode of a PDB that is already open.
See "Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE"
on page 40-22.

■

logging_clause

Note: This clause is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

This clause specifies the logging attribute of the PDB. The logging attribute
controls whether certain DML operations are logged in the redo log file (LOGGING)
or not (NOLOGGING).
You can use this clause to specify one of the following attributes:
–

LOGGING indicates that any future tablespaces created within the PDB will be
created with the LOGGING attribute by default. You can override this default
logging attribute by specifying NOLOGGING at the schema object level--for
example, in a CREATE TABLE statement.

–

NOLOGGING indicates that any future tablespaces created within the PDB will be
created with the NOLOGGING attribute by default. You can override this default

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

42-5

Modifying a PDB

logging attribute by specifying LOGGING at the schema object level--for
example, in a CREATE TABLE statement.
The specified attribute is used to establish the logging attribute of tablespaces
created within the PDB if the logging_clause is not specified in the CREATE
TABLESPACE statement.
The DBA_PDBS view shows the current logging attribute for a PDB.
Note:

The PDB must be open in restricted mode to use this clause.

See Also:
■
■

■

"Controlling the Writing of Redo Records" on page 13-15
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the logging attribute

pdb_force_logging_clause

Note: This clause is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

This clause places a PDB into force logging or force nologging mode or takes a
PDB out of force logging or force nologging mode.
You can use this clause to specify one of the following attributes:
–

ENABLE FORCE LOGGING places the PDB in force logging mode, which causes all
changes in the PDB, except changes in temporary tablespaces and temporary
segments, to be logged. Force logging mode cannot be overridden at the
schema object level.
PDB-level force logging mode takes precedence over and is independent of
any NOLOGGING or FORCE LOGGING settings you specify for individual
tablespaces in the PDB and any NOLOGGING settings you specify for individual
database objects in the PDB.
ENABLE FORCE LOGGING cannot be specified if a PDB is in force nologging
mode. DISABLE FORCE NOLOGGING must be specified first.

–

DISABLE FORCE LOGGING takes a PDB which is currently in force logging mode
out of that mode. If the PDB is not in force logging mode currently, then
specifying DISABLE FORCE LOGGING results in an error.

–

ENABLE FORCE NOLOGGING places the PDB in force nologging mode, which
causes no changes in the PDB to be logged. Force nologging mode cannot be
overridden at the schema object level.
CDB-wide force logging mode supersedes PDB-level force nologging mode.
PDB-level force nologging mode takes precedence over and is independent of
any LOGGING or FORCE LOGGING settings you specify for individual tablespaces
in the PDB and any LOGGING settings you specify for individual database
objects in the PDB.
ENABLE FORCE NOLOGGING cannot be specified if a PDB is in force logging
mode. DISABLE FORCE LOGGING must be specified first.

42-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a PDB

–

DISABLE FORCE NOLOGGING takes a PDB that is currently in force nologging
mode out of that mode. If the PDB is not in force nologging mode currently,
then specifying DISABLE FORCE NOLOGGING results in an error.

The DBA_PDBS view shows whether a PDB is in force logging or force nologging
mode.
Note:

The PDB must be open in restricted mode to use this clause.

See Also:
■
■

■

"Controlling the Writing of Redo Records" on page 13-15
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
force logging mode and force nologging mode

pdb_recovery_clause

Note: This clause is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE DISABLE RECOVERY takes the data files that belong to
the PDB offline and disables recovery of the PDB. The PDB’s data files are not part
of any recovery session until it is enabled again. Any new data files created while
recovery is disabled are created as unnamed files for PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ENABLE RECOVERY brings the data files that belong to
the PDB online and marks the PDB for active recovery. Recovery sessions include
these files.
You can check the recovery status of a PDB by querying the RECOVERY_STATUS
column in the V$PDBS view.
See Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more information about the
pdb_recovery_clause.
An ALTER DATABASE statement issued when the current container is a PDB that includes
clauses that are supported for an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement have the same
effect as the corresponding ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. However, these
statements cannot include clauses that are specific to PDBs, such as the pdb_storage_
clause, the pdb_change_state_clause, the logging_clause and the pdb_recovery_clause.
See Also:

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement
This section describes using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement to modify the
attributes of a single PDB.
See "About Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE Statement"
on page 42-4 for information about the clauses that modify the attributes of a single
PDB. When the current container is a PDB, an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
with one of these clauses modifies the PDB. The modifications overwrite the defaults
set for the root in the PDB. The modifications do not affect the root or other PDBs.
The following prerequisites must be met:

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

42-7

Modifying a PDB

■

■

■

To change the open mode of the PDB from mounted to opened or from opened to
mounted, the current user must have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG
administrative privilege, and the privilege must be either commonly granted or
locally granted in the PDB. The user must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA,
AS SYSOPER, AS SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at connect time.
For all other operations performed using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement,
the current user must have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege, and the privilege
must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB.
To close a PDB, the PDB must be open.
This section does not cover changing the global database name
of a PDB using the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement. To do so, see
"Changing the Global Database Name of a PDB" on page 42-10.

Note:

To modify a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement.

The following examples modify a single PDB:
■

Example 42–2, "Changing the Open Mode of a PDB"

■

Example 42–3, "Bringing a Data File Online for a PDB"

■

Example 42–4, "Changing the Default Tablespaces for a PDB"

■

Example 42–5, "Changing the Default Tablespace Type for a PDB"

■

Example 42–6, "Setting Storage Limits for a PDB"

■

Example 42–8, "Setting the Force Logging Mode of a PDB"

■

Example 42–9, "Setting the Default Edition for a PDB"

Example 42–2

Changing the Open Mode of a PDB

This ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement changes the open mode of the current PDB
to mounted.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE CLOSE IMMEDIATE;

The following statement changes the open mode of the current PDB to open read-only.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

A PDB must be in mounted mode to change its open mode to read-only or read/write
unless you specify the FORCE keyword.
The following statement changes the open mode of the current PDB from mounted or
open read-only to open read-write.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE OPEN FORCE;

The following statement changes the open mode of the current PDB from mounted to
migrate.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE OPEN UPGRADE;

42-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a PDB

Example 42–3

Bringing a Data File Online for a PDB

This ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement uses a database_file_clause to bring the
/u03/oracle/pdb1_01.dbf data file online.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE DATAFILE '/u03/oracle/pdb1_01.dbf' ONLINE;
Example 42–4

Changing the Default Tablespaces for a PDB

This ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement uses a DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause to set the
default permanent tablespace to pdb1_tbs for the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE DEFAULT TABLESPACE pdb1_tbs;

This ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement uses a DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE
clause to set the default temporary tablespace to pdb1_temp for the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE pdb1_temp;

The tablespace or tablespace group specified in the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement must exist in the PDB. Users whose current container is a PDB that are not
explicitly assigned a default tablespace or default temporary tablespace use the default
tablespace or default temporary tablespace for the PDB.
Example 42–5

Changing the Default Tablespace Type for a PDB

This ALTER DATABASE statement uses a SET DEFAULT TABLESPACE clause to change the
default tablespace type to bigfile for the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE SET DEFAULT BIGFILE TABLESPACE;
Example 42–6

Setting Storage Limits for a PDB

This statement sets the storage limit for all tablespaces that belong to a PDB to two
gigabytes.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE STORAGE(MAXSIZE 2G);

This statement specifies that there is no storage limit for the tablespaces that belong to
the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE STORAGE(MAXSIZE UNLIMITED);

This statement sets the amount of storage in a shared temporary tablespace that can be
used by sessions connected to the PDB to 500 megabytes.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE STORAGE(MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE 500M);

This statement specifies that there is no storage limit for the shared temporary
tablespace that can be used by sessions connected to the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE STORAGE(MAX_SHARED_TEMP_SIZE UNLIMITED);

This statement specifies that there is no storage limit for the tablespaces that belong to
the PDB and that there is no storage limit for the shared temporary tablespace that can
be used by sessions connected to the PDB.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE STORAGE UNLIMITED;
Example 42–7

Setting the Logging Attribute of a PDB

With the PDB open in restricted mode, this statement specifies the NOLOGGING attribute
for the PDB:

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus

42-9

Modifying a PDB

ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE NOLOGGING;

Note: This example requires Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)
or later.
Example 42–8

Setting the Force Logging Mode of a PDB

This statement enables force logging mode for the PDB:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE ENABLE FORCE LOGGING;

Note: This example requires Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)
or later.
Example 42–9

Setting the Default Edition for a PDB

This example sets the default edition for the current PDB to PDB1E3.
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE DEFAULT EDITION = PDB1E3;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement
Oracle Database Development Guide for a complete discussion of
edition-based redefinition

Changing the Global Database Name of a PDB
When you change the global database name of a PDB, the new global database name
must be different from that of any container in the CDB.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

■

The current user must have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege, and the privilege
must be either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB.
For an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database, the PDB must be
open on the current instance only. The PDB must be closed on all other instances.
The PDB being modified must be opened on the current instance in read/write
mode with RESTRICTED specified so that it is accessible only to users with
RESTRICTED SESSION privilege in the PDB.

To change the global database name of a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run an ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO statement.
The following example changes the global database name of the PDB to
salespdb.example.com:
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE RENAME GLOBAL_NAME TO salespdb.example.com;

3.

Close the PDB.

4.

Open the PDB in read/write mode.

42-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Modifying a PDB

When you change the global database name of a PDB, the PDB name is changed to the
first part of the new global name, which is the part before the first period. Also, Oracle
Database changes the name of the default database service for the PDB automatically.
Oracle Database also changes the PDB property of all database services in the PDB to
the new global name of the PDB. You must close the PDB and open it in read/write
mode for Oracle Database to complete the integration of the new PDB service name
into the CDB, as shown in steps 3 and 4.
Oracle Net Services must be configured properly for clients to access database services.
You might need to alter your Oracle Net Services configuration as a result of the PDB
name change.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Modifying a PDB" on page 42-4 for more information about
modifying the open mode of a PDB
"Managing Services Associated with PDBs" on page 42-15 for
information about PDBs and database services
"Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3

Modifying a PDB with the SQL*Plus STARTUP and SHUTDOWN Commands
When the current container is a PDB, you can use the SQL*Plus STARTUP command to
open the PDB and the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN command to close the PDB.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Using the STARTUP SQL*Plus Command on a PDB

■

Using the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN Command on a PDB

Using the STARTUP SQL*Plus Command on a PDB
When the current container is a PDB, the SQL*Plus STARTUP command opens the PDB.
Use the following options of the STARTUP command to open a PDB:
■

FORCE
Closes an open PDB before re-opening it in read/write mode. When this option is
specified, no other options are allowed.

■

RESTRICT
Enables only users with the RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege in the PDB to
access the PDB.
If neither OPEN READ WRITE nor OPEN READ ONLY is specified and RESTRICT is
specified, then the PDB is opened in read-only mode when the CDB to which it
belongs is a physical standby database. Otherwise, the PDB is opened in
read/write mode.

■

OPEN open_pdb_options
Opens the PDB in either read/write mode or read-only mode. Specify OPEN READ
WRITE or OPEN READ ONLY. When RESTRICT is not specified, READ WRITE is always the
default.

To issue the STARTUP command when the current container is a PDB, the following
prerequisites must be met:
■

The current user must have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG administrative
privilege, and the privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus 42-11

Modifying a PDB

the PDB. The user must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS
SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at connect time.
■

■

Excluding the use of the FORCE option, the PDB must be in mounted mode to open
it.
To place a PDB in mounted mode, the PDB must be in open read-only or open
read/write mode.

To modify a PDB with the STARTUP command:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run the STARTUP command.

Example 42–10 Opening a PDB in Read/Write Mode with the STARTUP Command
STARTUP OPEN
Example 42–11 Opening a PDB in Read-Only Mode with the STARTUP Command
STARTUP OPEN READ ONLY
Example 42–12 Opening a PDB in Read-Only Restricted Mode with the STARTUP
Command
STARTUP RESTRICT OPEN READ ONLY
Example 42–13 Opening a PDB in Read/Write Mode with the STARTUP Command and
the FORCE Option

This example assumes that the PDB is currently open. The FORCE option closes the PDB
and then opens it in the read/write mode.
STARTUP FORCE

See Also:
■

"Starting Up a Database" on page 3-1

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

Using the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN Command on a PDB
When the current container is a PDB, the SQL*Plus SHUTDOWN command closes the
PDB. After the SHUTDOWN command is issued on a PDB successfully, it is in mounted
mode.
If you do not specify IMMEDIATE, then the PDB is shut down with the normal mode.
When IMMEDIATE is specified, the PDB is shut down with the immediate mode.
To issue the SHUTDOWN command when the current container is a PDB, the following
prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The current user must have SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, or SYSDG administrative
privilege, and the privilege must be either commonly granted or locally granted in
the PDB. The user must exercise the privilege using AS SYSDBA, AS SYSOPER, AS
SYSBACKUP, or AS SYSDG, respectively, at connect time.
To close a PDB, the PDB must be open.

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Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB

To modify a PDB with the SHUTDOWN command:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run the SHUTDOWN command.

Example 42–14 Closing a PDB with the SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE Command
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

Note:
■

■

When the current container is a PDB, the SHUTDOWN command only
closes the PDB, not the CDB instance.
There is no SHUTDOWN command for a PDB that is equivalent to
SHUTDOWN TRANSACTIONAL or SHUTDOWN ABORT for a non-CDB.

See Also:
■

■

"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE" on page 40-22
"Shutting Down a Database" on page 3-11 for more information
about shutdown modes

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB

■

Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB

About Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB
The ALTER SYSTEM statement can dynamically alter a PDB. You can issue an ALTER
SYSTEM statement when you want to change the way a PDB operates.
When the current container is a PDB, you can run the following ALTER SYSTEM
statements:
■

ALTER SYSTEM FLUSH SHARED_POOL

■

ALTER SYSTEM FLUSH BUFFER_CACHE

■

ALTER SYSTEM ENABLE RESTRICTED SESSION

■

ALTER SYSTEM DISABLE RESTRICTED SESSION

■

ALTER SYSTEM SET USE_STORED_OUTLINES

■

ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND

■

ALTER SYSTEM RESUME

■

ALTER SYSTEM CHECKPOINT

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus 42-13

Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB

■

ALTER SYSTEM CHECK DATAFILES

■

ALTER SYSTEM REGISTER

■

ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION

■

ALTER SYSTEM DISCONNECT SESSION

■

ALTER SYSTEM SET initialization_parameter (for a subset of initialization parameters)

All other ALTER SYSTEM statements affect the entire CDB and must be run by a common
user in the root.
The ALTER SYSTEM SET initialization_parameter statement can modify only some
initialization parameters for PDBs. All initialization parameters can be set for the root.
For any initialization parameter that is not set explicitly for a PDB, the PDB inherits the
root’s parameter value.
You can modify an initialization parameter for a PDB when the ISPDB_MODIFIABLE
column is TRUE for the parameter in the V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER view. The following
query lists all of the initialization parameters that are modifiable for a PDB:
SELECT NAME FROM V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER WHERE ISPDB_MODIFIABLE='TRUE' ORDER BY NAME;

When the current container is a PDB, run the ALTER SYSTEM SET initialization_parameter
statement to modify the PDB. The statement does not affect the root or other PDBs.
The following table describes the behavior of the SCOPE clause when you use a server
parameter file (SPFILE) and run the ALTER SYSTEM SET statement on a PDB.
SCOPE Setting Behavior
The initialization parameter setting is changed in memory and takes effect
immediately in the PDB. The new setting affects only the PDB.

MEMORY

The setting reverts to the value set in the root in the any of the following
cases:
■

■

An ALTER SYSTEM SET statement sets the value of the parameter in the
root with SCOPE equal to BOTH or MEMORY, and the PDB is closed and
re-opened. The parameter value in the PDB is not changed if SCOPE is
equal to SPFILE, and the PDB is closed and re-opened.
The CDB is shut down and re-opened.

The initialization parameter setting is changed for the PDB in the SPFILE.
The new setting takes effect in any of the following cases:

SPFILE

■

The PDB is closed and re-opened.

■

The CDB is shut down and re-opened.

In these cases, the new setting affects only the PDB.
The initialization parameter setting is changed in memory, and it is changed
for the PDB in the SPFILE. The new setting takes effect immediately in the
PDB and persists after the PDB is closed and re-opened or the CDB is shut
down and re-opened. The new setting affects only the PDB.

BOTH

When a PDB is unplugged from a CDB, the values of the initialization parameters that
were specified for the PDB with SCOPE=BOTH or SCOPE=SPFILE are added to the PDB’s
XML metadata file. These values are restored for the PDB when it is plugged in to a
CDB.
A text initialization parameter file (PFILE) cannot contain
PDB-specific parameter values.

Note:

42-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Services Associated with PDBs

See Also:
■

"Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

■

"Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB" on
page 40-29
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement on a PDB
The current user must be granted the following privileges, and the privileges must be
either commonly granted or locally granted in the PDB:
■

CREATE SESSION

■

ALTER SYSTEM

To use ALTER SYSTEM to modify a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run the ALTER SYSTEM statement.

Example 42–15 Enable Restricted Sessions in a PDB

To restrict sessions in a PDB, issue the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM ENABLE RESTRICTED SESSION;
Example 42–16 Changing the Statistics Gathering Level for the PDB

This ALTER SYSTEM statement sets the STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter to ALL
for the current PDB:
ALTER SYSTEM SET STATISTICS_LEVEL = ALL SCOPE = MEMORY;

See Also:
■

■

"Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB" on
page 40-29
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

Managing Services Associated with PDBs
This section contains the following topics:
■

About Services Associated with PDBs

■

Creating, Modifying, or Removing a Service for a PDB
See Also: "Managing Application Workloads with Database
Services" on page 2-40

About Services Associated with PDBs
Database services have an optional PDB property. You can set a PDB property when you
create a service, and you can modify the PDB property of a service. The PDB property
associates the service with the PDB. When a client connects to a service with a PDB
Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus 42-15

Managing Services Associated with PDBs

property, the current container for the connection is the PDB. You can view the PDB
property for a service by querying the ALL_SERVICES data dictionary view or, when
using the SRVCTL utility, by using the srvctl config service command.
The PDB property is required only when you are creating a service or modifying the
PDB property of a service. For example, you do not specify a PDB property when you
start, stop, or remove a service, and you do not need to specify a PDB property when
you modify a service without modifying its PDB property.
When a PDB is created, a new default service for the PDB is created automatically, and
this service has the same name as the PDB. You cannot manage this service, and it
should only be used for administrative tasks. Do not use this default PDB service for
applications. Always use user-defined services for applications because you can
customize user-defined services to fit the requirements of your applications.
Note:
■

■

■

Each database service name must be unique in a CDB, and each
database service name must be unique within the scope of all the
CDBs whose instances are reached through a specific listener.
When your database is being managed by Oracle Restart or Oracle
Clusterware, and you use the SRVCTL utility to start a service
with a PDB property for a PDB that is closed, the PDB is opened
in read/write mode on the nodes where the service is started.
However, stopping a PDB service does not change the open mode
of the PDB. See "Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE Statement" on page 42-7 for information about
changing the open mode of a PDB.
When you unplug or drop a PDB, the services of the unplugged or
dropped PDB are not removed automatically. You can remove
these services manually.

See Also:

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Creating, Modifying, or Removing a Service for a PDB
You can create, modify, or remove a service with a PDB property in the following ways:
■

If your single-instance database is being managed by Oracle Restart or your Oracle
RAC database is being managed by Oracle Clusterware, then use the Server
Control (SRVCTL) utility to create, modify, or remove the service.
To create a service for a PDB using the SRVCTL utility, use the add service
command and specify the PDB in the -pdb parameter. If you do not specify a PDB
in the -pdb parameter when you create a service, then the service is associated
with the root.
To modify the PDB property of a service using the SRVCTL utility, use the modify
service command and specify the PDB in the -pdb parameter. To remove a service
for a PDB using the SRVCTL utility, use the remove service command.
You can use other SRVCTL commands to manage the service, such as the start
service and stop service commands, even if they do not include the -pdb
parameter.

42-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Managing Services Associated with PDBs

The PDB name is not validated when you create or modify a service with the
SRVCTL utility. However, an attempt to start a service with invalid PDB name
results in an error.
■

If your database is not being managed by Oracle Restart or Oracle Clusterware,
then use the DBMS_SERVICE package to create or remove a database service.
When you create a service with the DBMS_SERVICE package, the PDB property of the
service is set to the current container. Therefore, to create a service with a PDB
property set to a specific PDB using the DBMS_SERVICE package, run the CREATE_
SERVICE procedure when the current container is that PDB. If you create a service
using the CREATE_SERVICE procedure when the current container is the root, then
the service is associated with the root.
You cannot modify the PDB property of a service with the DBMS_SERVICE package.
However, you can remove a service in one PDB and create a similar service in a
different PDB. In this case, the new service has the PDB property of the PDB in
which it was created.
You can also use other DBMS_SERVICE subprograms to manage the service, such as
the START_SERVICE and STOP_SERVICE procedures. Use the DELETE_SERVICE
procedure to remove a service.

Oracle recommends using the SRVCTL utility to create and modify services. However,
if you do not use the SRVCTL utility, then you can use the DBMS_SERVICE package.
To create, modify, or remove a service with a PDB property using the SRVCTL utility:
1.

Log in to the host computer with the correct user account, and ensure that you run
SRVCTL from the correct Oracle home.

2.

To create or modify a service, run the add service command, and specify the PDB
in the -pdb parameter. To modify the PDB property of a service, run the modify
service command, and specify the PDB in the -pdb parameter. To remove a
service, run the remove service command.

Example 42–17 Creating a Service for a PDB Using the SRVCTL Utility

This example adds the salesrep service for the PDB salespdb in the CDB with DB_
UNIQUE_NAME mycdb:
srvctl add service -db mycdb -service salesrep -pdb salespdb
Example 42–18 Modifying the PDB Property of a Service Using the SRVCTL Utility

This example modifies the salesrep service in the CDB with DB_UNIQUE_NAME mycdb to
associate the service with the hrpdb PDB:
srvctl modify service -db mycdb -service salesrep -pdb hrpdb
Example 42–19 Removing a Service Using the SRVCTL Utility

This example removes the salesrep service in the CDB with DB_UNIQUE_NAME mycdb:
srvctl remove service -db mycdb -service salesrep

To create or remove a service for a PDB using the DBMS_SERVICE package:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Connecting to a PDB with SQL*Plus" on page 42-3.

2.

Run the appropriate subprogram in the DBMS_SERVICE package.

Administering PDBs with SQL*Plus 42-17

Managing Services Associated with PDBs

If your database is being managed by Oracle Restart or Oracle
Clusterware, then use the SRVCTL utility to manage services. Do not
use the DBMS_SERVICE package.

Note:

Example 42–20 Creating a Service for a PDB Using the DBMS_SERVICE Package

This example creates the salesrep service for the current PDB:
BEGIN
DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE(
service_name => 'salesrep',
network_name => 'salesrep.example.com');
END;
/

The PDB property of the service is set to the current container. For example, if the
current container is the salespdb PDB, then the PDB property of the service is
salespdb.
Example 42–21 Removing a Service Using the DBMS_SERVICE Package

This example removes the salesrep service in the current PDB.
BEGIN
DBMS_SERVICE.DELETE_SERVICE(
service_name => 'salesrep');
END;
/

See Also:
■
■

■

■

Chapter 4, "Configuring Automatic Restart of an Oracle Database"
Example 43–9, "Showing the Services Associated with PDBs" on
page 43-10
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
information about the DBMS_SERVICE package
Oracle Database 2 Day + Real Application Clusters Guide and Oracle
Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide for
information about creating services in an Oracle Real Application
Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment

42-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

43
43

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs
with SQL*Plus
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About CDB and PDB Information in Views

■

Views for a CDB

■

Determining Whether a Database Is a CDB

■

Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB

■

Viewing Information About PDBs

■

Viewing the Open Mode of Each PDB

■

Querying Container Data Objects

■

Querying User-Created Tables and Views Across All PDBs

■

Determining the Current Container ID or Name

■

Listing the Initialization Parameters That Are Modifiable in PDBs

■

Viewing the History of PDBs

About CDB and PDB Information in Views
In a multitenant container database (CDB), the metadata for data dictionary tables and
view definitions is stored only in the root. However, each pluggable database (PDB)
has its own set of data dictionary tables and views for the database objects contained
in the PDB.
Because each PDB can contain different data and schema objects, PDBs can display
different information in data dictionary views, even when querying the same data
dictionary view in each PDB. For example, the information about tables displayed in
the DBA_TABLES view can be different in two different PDBs, because the PDBs can
contain different tables. An internal mechanism called a metadata link enables a PDB
to access the metadata for these views in the root.
If a dictionary table stores information that pertains to the CDB as a whole, instead of
for each PDB, then both the metadata and the data displayed in a data dictionary view
are stored in the root. For example, Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) data is
stored in the root and displayed in some data dictionary views, such as the DBA_HIST_
ACTIVE_SESS_HISTORY view. An internal mechanism called an object link enables a
PDB to access both the metadata and the data for these types of views in the root.

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-1

About CDB and PDB Information in Views

Oracle Database Concepts for more information about
dictionary access in containers, metadata links, and object links

See Also:

About Viewing Information When the Current Container Is the Root
When the current container is the root, a common user can view data dictionary
information for the root and for PDBs by querying container data objects. A container
data object is a table or view that can contain data pertaining to the following:
■

One or more containers

■

The CDB as a whole

■

One or more containers and the CDB as a whole

Container data objects include V$, GV$, CDB_, and some Automatic Workload
Repository DBA_HIST* views. A common user’s CONTAINER_DATA attribute determines
which PDBs are visible in container data objects.
In a CDB, for every DBA_ view, there is a corresponding CDB_ view. All CDB_ views are
container data objects, but most DBA_ views are not.
Each container data object contains a CON_ID column that identifies the container for
each row returned. Table 43–1 describes the meanings of the values in the CON_ID
column.
Table 43–1

CON_ID Column in Container Data Objects

Value in CON_ID Column

Description

0

The data pertains to the entire CDB

1

The data pertains to the root

2

The data pertains to the seed

3 - 254

The data pertains to a PDB
Each PDB has its own container ID.

The following views behave differently from other [G]V$ views:
■

[G]V$SYSSTAT

■

[G]V$SYS_TIME_MODEL

■

[G]V$SYSTEM_EVENT

■

[G]V$SYSTEM_WAIT_CLASS

When queried from the root, these views return instance-wide data, with 0 in the CON_
ID column for each row returned. However, you can query equivalent views that
behave the same as other container data objects. The following views can return
specific data for each container in a CDB: [G]V$CON_SYSSTAT, [G]V$CON_SYS_TIME_
MODEL, [G]V$CON_SYSTEM_EVENT, and [G]V$CON_SYSTEM_WAIT_CLASS.

43-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Views for a CDB

Note:
■

■

■

When querying a container data object, the data returned depends
on whether PDBs are open and on the privileges granted to the
user running the query.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment,
the data returned by container data objects might vary based on
the instance to which a session is connected.
In a non-CDB, all CON_ID columns in container data objects are 0
(zero).

See Also:
■
■

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1
Oracle Database Concepts for a conceptual overview of container
data objects
Oracle Database Security Guide for detailed information about
container data objects

About Viewing Information When the Current Container Is a PDB
When the current container is a PDB, a user can view data dictionary information for
the current PDB only. To an application connected to a particular PDB, the data
dictionary appears as it would for a non-CDB. The data dictionary only shows
information related to the PDB. Also, in a PDB, CDB_ views only show information
about database objects visible through the corresponding DBA_ view.

Views for a CDB
Table 43–2 describes data dictionary views that are useful for monitoring a CDB and
its PDBs.
Table 43–2

Views for a CDB

View

Description

More Information

Container data objects, including:

Container data objects can display
information about multiple PDBs. Each
container data object includes a CON_ID
column to identify containers.

"Querying Container Data
Objects" on page 43-7

■

V$ views

■

GV$ views

■

CDB_ views

■

DBA_HIST* views

Oracle Database Security Guide

There is a CDB_ view for each
corresponding DBA_ view.
Displays information about the PDBs
associated with the CDB, including the
status of each PDB.

"Viewing Information About
PDBs" on page 43-6

CDB_PROPERTIES

Displays the permanent properties of
each container in a CDB.

Oracle Database Reference

{CDB|DBA}_PDB_HISTORY

Displays the history of each PDB.

Oracle Database Reference

{CDB|DBA}_CONTAINER_DATA

Displays information about the
user-level and object-level CONTAINER_
DATA attributes specified in the CDB.

Oracle Database Reference

{CDB|DBA}_PDBS

Oracle Database Reference

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-3

Views for a CDB

Table 43–2 (Cont.) Views for a CDB
View

Description

More Information

{CDB|DBA}_HIST_PDB_INSTANCE

Displays the PDBs and instances in the
Workload Repository.

Oracle Database Reference

{CDB|DBA}_PDB_SAVED_STATES

Displays information about the current
saved PDB states in the CDB.

Oracle Database Reference

Displays information about all the CDB
resource plans.

Oracle Database Reference

{CDB|DBA}_CDB_RSRC_PLANS

"Preserving or Discarding the
Open Mode of PDBs When the
CDB Restarts" on page 40-28

"Viewing CDB Resource Plans"
on page 44-23

{CDB|DBA}_CDB_RSRC_PLAN_
DIRECTIVES

Displays information about all the CDB
resource plan directives.

Oracle Database Reference

PDB_ALERTS

Contains descriptions of reasons for
PDB alerts.

Oracle Database Reference

PDB_PLUG_IN_VIOLATIONS

Displays information about
incompatibilities between a PDB and the
CDB to which it belongs. This view is
also used to display information
generated by executing DBMS_
PDB.CHECK_PLUG_COMPATIBILITY.

Oracle Database Reference

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_OBJECTS

Displays information about database
objects, and the SHARING column shows
whether a database object is a
metadata-linked object, an object-linked
object, or a standalone object that is not
linked to another object.

Oracle Database Reference

{ALL|DBA|CDB}_SERVICES

Displays information about database
services, and the PDB column shows the
name of the PDB associated with each
service.

Oracle Database Reference

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_VIEWS

The CONTAINER_DATA column shows
whether the view or table is a container
data object.

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_TABLES
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_USERS

The COMMON column shows whether a
user is a common user or a local user.

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_ROLES

The COMMON column shows whether a
role or privilege is commonly granted or
locally granted.

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_COL_PRIVS
{USER|ALL}_COL_PRIVS_MADE
{USER|ALL}_COL_PRIVS_RECD
{USER|ALL}_TAB_PRIVS_MADE
{USER|ALL}_TAB_PRIVS_RECD
{USER|DBA|CDB}_SYS_PRIVS
{USER|DBA|CDB}_ROLE_PRIVS
ROLE_TAB_PRIVS
ROLE_SYS_PRIVS

43-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

"Viewing CDB Resource Plan
Directives" on page 44-23

"Creating a PDB by Plugging an
Unplugged PDB into a CDB" on
page 38-33

Determining Whether a Database Is a CDB

Table 43–2 (Cont.) Views for a CDB
View

Description

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_ARGUMENTS

The ORIGIN_CON_ID column shows the
ID of the container from which the row
originates.

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_CLUSTERS

More Information

{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_CONSTRAINTS
{ALL|DBA|CDB}_DIRECTORIES
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_IDENTIFIERS
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_LIBRARIES
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_PROCEDURES
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_SOURCE
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_SYNONYMS
{USER|ALL|DBA|CDB}_VIEWS
[G]V$DATABASE

Displays information about the database "Determining Whether a
from the control file. If the database is a Database Is a CDB" on page 43-5
CDB, then CDB-related information is
Oracle Database Reference
included.

[G]V$CONTAINERS

Displays information about the
containers associated with the current
CDB, including the root and all PDBs.

"Viewing Information About the
Containers in a CDB" on
page 43-6
Oracle Database Reference

Displays information about the PDBs
associated with the current CDB,
including the open mode of each PDB.

[G]V$PDBS

"Viewing the Open Mode of
Each PDB" on page 43-7
Oracle Database Reference

[G]V$PDB_INCARNATION

Displays displays information about all
PDB incarnations. Oracle creates a new
PDB incarnation whenever a PDB is
opened with the RESETLOGS option.

[G]V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER

Displays information about initialization "Listing the Initialization
parameters, and the ISPDB_MODIFIABLE Parameters That Are Modifiable
column shows whether a parameter can in PDBs" on page 43-13
be modified for a PDB.
Oracle Database Reference

[G]V$PARAMETER

Oracle Database Reference

Determining Whether a Database Is a CDB
You can query the CDB column in the V$DATABASE view to determine whether a
database is a CDB or a non-CDB. The CDB column returns YES if the current database is
a CDB or NO if the current database is a non-CDB.
To determine whether a database is a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, connect to the database as an administrative user.

2.

Query the V$DATABASE view.

Example 43–1

Determining Whether a Database is a CDB

SELECT CDB FROM V$DATABASE;

Sample output:
CDB
--YES

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-5

Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB
The V$CONTAINERS view provides information about all of the containers in a CDB,
including the root and all PDBs. To view this information, the query must be run by a
common user whose current container is the root. When the current container is a
PDB, this view only shows information about the current PDB.
To view information about the containers in a CDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Query the V$CONTAINERS view.

Example 43–2

Viewing Identifying Information About Each Container in a CDB

COLUMN NAME FORMAT A8
SELECT NAME, CON_ID, DBID, CON_UID, GUID FROM V$CONTAINERS ORDER BY CON_ID;

Sample output:
NAME
CON_ID
DBID
CON_UID GUID
-------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -------------------------------CDB$ROOT
1 659189539
1 C091A6F89C7572A1E0436797E40AC78D
PDB$SEED
2 4026479912 4026479912 C091AE9C00377591E0436797E40AC138
HRPDB
3 3718888687 3718888687 C091B6B3B53E7834E0436797E40A9040
SALESPDB
4 2228741407 2228741407 C091FA64EF8F0577E0436797E40ABE9F

See Also:
■

"About a Multitenant Environment" on page 36-1

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

"Determining the Current Container ID or Name" on page 43-12

■

Oracle Database Reference

Viewing Information About PDBs
The CDB_PDBS view and DBA_PDBS view provide information about the PDBs associated
with a CDB, including the status of each PDB. To view this information, the query
must be run by a common user whose current container is the root. When the current
container is a PDB, all queries on these views return no results.
To view information about PDBs:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Query the CDB_PDBS or DBA_PDBS view.

Example 43–3

Viewing Container ID, Name, and Status of Each PDB

COLUMN PDB_NAME FORMAT A15
SELECT PDB_ID, PDB_NAME, STATUS FROM DBA_PDBS ORDER BY PDB_ID;

43-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Querying Container Data Objects

Sample output:
PDB_ID
---------2
3
4

PDB_NAME
--------------PDB$SEED
HRPDB
SALESPDB

See Also:

STATUS
------------NORMAL
NORMAL
NORMAL

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Viewing the Open Mode of Each PDB
The V$PDBS view provides information about the PDBs associated with the current
database instance. You can query this view to determine the open mode of each PDB.
For each PDB that is open, this view can also show when the PDB was last opened. A
common user can query this view when the current container is the root or a PDB.
When the current container is a PDB, this view only shows information about the
current PDB.
To view the open status of each PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, access a container.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Query the V$PDBS view.

Example 43–4

Viewing the Name and Open Mode of Each PDB

COLUMN NAME FORMAT A15
COLUMN RESTRICTED FORMAT A10
COLUMN OPEN_TIME FORMAT A30
SELECT NAME, OPEN_MODE, RESTRICTED, OPEN_TIME FROM V$PDBS;

Sample output:
NAME
--------------PDB$SEED
HRPDB
SALESPDB

OPEN_MODE
---------READ ONLY
READ WRITE
MOUNTED

RESTRICTED
---------NO
NO
NO

OPEN_TIME
-----------------------------21-MAY-12 12.19.54.465 PM
21-MAY-12 12.34.05.078 PM
22-MAY-12 10.37.20.534 AM

See Also:
■

■
■

■

"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs with ALTER PLUGGABLE
DATABASE" on page 40-22
"Modifying the Open Mode of PDBs" on page 40-21
"Modifying a PDB with the ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
Statement" on page 42-7
"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Querying Container Data Objects
In the root, container data objects can show information about database objects (such
as tables and users) contained in the root and in PDBs. Access to PDB information is

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-7

Querying Container Data Objects

controlled by the common user’s CONTAINER_DATA attribute. For example, CDB_ views
are container data objects. See "About Viewing Information When the Current
Container Is the Root" on page 43-2 and Oracle Database Security Guide for more
information about container data objects.
Each container data object contains a CON_ID column that shows the container ID of
each PDB in the query results. You can view the PDB name for a container ID by
querying the DBA_PDBS view.
To use container data objects to show information about multiple PDBs:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Query the container data object to show the desired information.
When a query contains a join of a container data object and a
non-container data object, and the current container is the root, the
query returns data for the entire CDB only (CON_ID = 0).

Note:

See Also:
■
■

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1
Oracle Database Concepts for a conceptual overview of container
data objects
Oracle Database Security Guide for detailed information about
container data objects

This section contains the following examples:
■

Example 43–5, "Showing the Tables Owned by Specific Schemas in Multiple PDBs"

■

Example 43–6, "Showing the Users in Multiple PDBs"

■

Example 43–7, "Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB"

■

Example 43–8, "Showing the Temp Files in a CDB"

■

Example 43–9, "Showing the Services Associated with PDBs"

Example 43–5

Showing the Tables Owned by Specific Schemas in Multiple PDBs

This example queries the DBA_PDBS view and the CDB_TABLES view from the root to
show the tables owned by hr user and oe user in the PDBs associated with the CDB.
This query returns only rows where the PDB has an ID greater than 2 (p.PDB_ID > 2)
to avoid showing the users in the root and seed.
COLUMN PDB_NAME FORMAT A15
COLUMN OWNER FORMAT A15
COLUMN TABLE_NAME FORMAT A30
SELECT p.PDB_ID, p.PDB_NAME, t.OWNER, t.TABLE_NAME
FROM DBA_PDBS p, CDB_TABLES t
WHERE p.PDB_ID > 2 AND
t.OWNER IN('HR','OE') AND
p.PDB_ID = t.CON_ID
ORDER BY p.PDB_ID;

Sample output:

43-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Querying Container Data Objects

PDB_ID
---------3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4

PDB_NAME
--------------HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB

OWNER
--------------HR
HR
HR
HR
HR
HR
HR
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE
OE

TABLE_NAME
-----------------------------COUNTRIES
JOB_HISTORY
EMPLOYEES
JOBS
DEPARTMENTS
LOCATIONS
REGIONS
PRODUCT_INFORMATION
INVENTORIES
ORDERS
ORDER_ITEMS
WAREHOUSES
CUSTOMERS
SUBCATEGORY_REF_LIST_NESTEDTAB
PRODUCT_REF_LIST_NESTEDTAB
PROMOTIONS
PRODUCT_DESCRIPTIONS

This sample output shows the PDB hrpdb has tables in the hr schema and the PDB
salespdb has tables in the oe schema.
Example 43–6

Showing the Users in Multiple PDBs

This example queries the DBA_PDBS view and the CDB_USERS view from the root to
show the users in each PDB. The query uses p.PDB_ID > 2 to avoid showing the users
in the root and the seed.
COLUMN PDB_NAME FORMAT A15
COLUMN USERNAME FORMAT A30
SELECT p.PDB_ID, p.PDB_NAME, u.USERNAME
FROM DBA_PDBS p, CDB_USERS u
WHERE p.PDB_ID > 2 AND
p.PDB_ID = u.CON_ID
ORDER BY p.PDB_ID;

Sample output:
PDB_ID
---------.
.
.
3
3
3
3
.
.
.
4
4
4
4
4
.
.
.

PDB_NAME
USERNAME
--------------- ------------------------------

HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB
HRPDB

HR
OLAPSYS
MDSYS
ORDSYS

SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB
SALESPDB

OE
CTXSYS
MDSYS
EXFSYS
OLAPSYS

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-9

Querying Container Data Objects

Example 43–7

Showing the Data Files for Each PDB in a CDB

This example queries the DBA_PDBS and CDB_DATA_FILES views to show the name and
location of each data file for all of the PDBs in a CDB, including the seed.
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

PDB_ID FORMAT 999
PDB_NAME FORMAT A8
FILE_ID FORMAT 9999
TABLESPACE_NAME FORMAT A10
FILE_NAME FORMAT A45

SELECT p.PDB_ID, p.PDB_NAME, d.FILE_ID, d.TABLESPACE_NAME, d.FILE_NAME
FROM DBA_PDBS p, CDB_DATA_FILES d
WHERE p.PDB_ID = d.CON_ID
ORDER BY p.PDB_ID;

Sample output:
PDB_ID
-----2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4

PDB_NAME FILE_ID TABLESPACE FILE_NAME
-------- ------- ---------- --------------------------------------------PDB$SEED
6 SYSAUX
/disk1/oracle/dbs/pdbseed/cdb1_ax.f
PDB$SEED
5 SYSTEM
/disk1/oracle/dbs/pdbseed/cdb1_db.f
HRPDB
9 SYSAUX
/disk1/oracle/dbs/hrpdb/hrpdb_ax.f
HRPDB
8 SYSTEM
/disk1/oracle/dbs/hrpdb/hrpdb_db.f
HRPDB
13 USER
/disk1/oracle/dbs/hrpdb/hrpdb_usr.dbf
SALESPDB
15 SYSTEM
/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/salespdb_db.f
SALESPDB
16 SYSAUX
/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/salespdb_ax.f
SALESPDB
18 USER
/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/salespdb_usr.dbf

Example 43–8

Showing the Temp Files in a CDB

This example queries the CDB_TEMP_FILES view to show the name and location of each
temp file in a CDB, as well as the tablespace that uses the temp file.
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

CON_ID FORMAT 999
FILE_ID FORMAT 9999
TABLESPACE_NAME FORMAT A15
FILE_NAME FORMAT A45

SELECT CON_ID, FILE_ID, TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_NAME
FROM CDB_TEMP_FILES
ORDER BY CON_ID;

Sample output:
CON_ID FILE_ID TABLESPACE_NAME FILE_NAME
------ ------- --------------- --------------------------------------------1
1 TEMP
/disk1/oracle/dbs/t_tmp1.f
2
2 TEMP
/disk1/oracle/dbs/pdbseed/t_tmp1.f
3
3 TEMP
/disk1/oracle/dbs/hrpdb/t_hrpdb_tmp1.f
4
4 TEMP
/disk1/oracle/dbs/salespdb/t_salespdb_tmp1.f
Example 43–9

Showing the Services Associated with PDBs

This example queries the CDB_SERVICES view to show the PDB name, network name,
and container ID of each service associated with a PDB.
COLUMN NETWORK_NAME FORMAT A30
COLUMN PDB FORMAT A15
COLUMN CON_ID FORMAT 999
SELECT PDB, NETWORK_NAME, CON_ID FROM CDB_SERVICES

43-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Querying User-Created Tables and Views Across All PDBs

WHERE PDB IS NOT NULL AND
CON_ID > 2
ORDER BY PDB;

Sample output:
PDB
--------------HRPDB
SALESPDB

NETWORK_NAME
CON_ID
------------------------------ -----hrpdb.example.com
3
salespdb.example.com
4

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference

Querying User-Created Tables and Views Across All PDBs
This feature is available starting with Oracle Database 12c
Release 1 (12.1.0.2).

Note:

The CONTAINERS clause enables you to query user-created tables and views across all
PDBs in a CDB. This clause enables queries from the root to display data in tables or
views that exist in all of the open PDBs in a CDB.
The following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The tables and views, or synonyms of them, specified in the CONTAINERS clause
must exist in the root and in all PDBs.
Each table and view specified in the CONTAINERS clause must be owned by the
common user issuing the statement. When a synonym is specified in the
CONTAINERS clause, the synonym must resolve to a table or a view owned by the
common user issuing the statement.

To use the CONTAINERS clause to query tables and views across all PDBs:
1.

In SQL*Plus, access a container.
To view data in multiple PDBs, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run a query that includes the CONTAINERS clause.

Example 43–10 Querying a Table Owned by a Common User Across All PDBs

This example makes the following assumptions:
■

■

An organization has several PDBs, and each PDB is for a different department in
the organization.
Each PDB has an employees table that tracks the employees in the department, but
the table in each PDB contains different employees.

■

The root also has an empty employees table.

■

The employees table in each container is owned by the same common user.

With the root as the current container and the common user that owns the table as the
current user, run the following query with the CONTAINERS clause to return all of the
employees in the employees table in all PDBs:

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-11

Determining the Current Container ID or Name

SELECT * FROM CONTAINERS(employees);

Example 43–11 Querying a Table Owned by Local Users Across All PDBs

This example makes the following assumptions:
■

■

■

An organization has several PDBs, and each PDB is for a different department in
the organization.
Each PDB has an hr.employees table that tracks the employees in the department,
but the table in each PDB contains different employees.
The root also has an empty employees table owned by a common user.

To run a query that returns all of the employees in all of the PDBs, first connect to each
PDB as a common user, and create a view with the following statement:
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW employees AS SELECT * FROM hr.employees;

The common user that owns the view must be the same common user that owns the
employees table in the root. After you run this statement in each PDB, the common
user has a view named employees in each PDB.
With the root as the current container and the common user as the current user, run the
following query with the CONTAINERS clause to return all of the employees in the
hr.employees table in all PDBs:
SELECT * FROM CONTAINERS(employees);

You can also query the view in specific containers. For example, the following SQL
statement queries the view in the containers with a CON_ID of 3 and 4:
SELECT * FROM CONTAINERS(employees) WHERE CON_ID IN(3,4);

Note: You can also use the CONTAINERS clause to query
Oracle-supplied tables and views. When running the query, ensure
that the current user is the owner of the table or view, or create a view
using the CONTAINERS clause and grant SELECT privilege on the view to
the appropriate users.

See Also:
■
■

■

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for more information about
the CONTAINERS clause
Oracle Database Concepts for a conceptual overview of container
data objects
Oracle Database Security Guide for detailed information about
container data objects

Determining the Current Container ID or Name
This section describes determining your current container ID or container name in a
CDB.
To determine the current container ID:

43-12 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Listing the Initialization Parameters That Are Modifiable in PDBs

■

Run the following SQL*Plus command:
SHOW CON_ID

To determine the current container name:
■

Run the following SQL*Plus command:
SHOW CON_NAME

In addition, you can use the functions listed in Table 43–3 to determine the container
ID of a container.
Table 43–3

Functions That Return the Container ID of a Container

Function

Description

CON_NAME_TO_ID('container_name')

Returns the container ID based on the container’s
name.

CON_DBID_TO_ID(container_dbid)

Returns the container ID based on the container’s
DBID.

CON_UID_TO_ID(container_uid)

Returns the container ID based on the container’s
unique identifier (UID).

CON_GUID_TO_ID(container_guid)

Returns the container ID based on the container’s
globally unique identifier (GUID).

The V$CONTAINERS view shows the name, DBID, UID, and GUID for each container in
a CDB.
Example 43–12 Returning the Container ID Based on the Container Name
SELECT CON_NAME_TO_ID('HRPDB') FROM DUAL;
Example 43–13 Returning the Container ID Based on the Container DBID
SELECT CON_DBID_TO_ID(2226957846) FROM DUAL;

See Also:
■

"About a Multitenant Environment" on page 36-1

■

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

■

■

"Viewing Information About the Containers in a CDB" on
page 43-6
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
V$CONTAINERS view

Listing the Initialization Parameters That Are Modifiable in PDBs
In a CDB, some initialization parameters apply to the root and to all of the PDBs.
When such an initialization parameter is changed, it affects the entire CDB.
You can set other initialization parameters to different values in each container. For
example, you might have a parameter set to one value in the root, set to another value
in one PDB, and set to yet another value in a second PDB.
The query in this section lists the initialization parameters that you can set
independently in each PDB.
To list the initialization parameters that are modifiable in each container:
Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-13

Viewing the History of PDBs

1.

In SQL*Plus, access a container.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Run the following query:
SELECT NAME FROM V$SYSTEM_PARAMETER
WHERE ISPDB_MODIFIABLE = 'TRUE'
ORDER BY NAME;

If an initialization parameter listed by this query is not set independently for a PDB,
then the PDB inherits the parameter value of the root.
See Also:
■

■

"Using the ALTER SYSTEM SET Statement in a CDB" on
page 40-29
"Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB" on
page 42-13

Viewing the History of PDBs
The CDB_PDB_HISTORY view shows the history of the PDBs in a CDB. It provides
information about when and how each PDB was created and other information about
each PDB’s history.
To view the history of each PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Query CDB_PDB_HISTORY view.

Example 43–14 Viewing the History of PDBs

This example shows the following information about each PDB’s history:
■

The DB_NAME field shows the CDB that contained the PDB.

■

The CON_ID field shows the container ID of the PDB.

■

The PDB_NAME field shows the name of the PDB in one of its incarnations.

■

The OPERATION field shows the operation performed in the PDB’s history.

■

The OP_TIMESTAMP field shows the date on which the operation was performed.

■

If the PDB was cloned in an operation, then the CLONED_FROM_PDB field shows the
PDB from which the PDB was cloned.

COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

DB_NAME FORMAT A10
CON_ID FORMAT 999
PDB_NAME FORMAT A15
OPERATION FORMAT A16
OP_TIMESTAMP FORMAT A10
CLONED_FROM_PDB_NAME FORMAT A15

SELECT DB_NAME, CON_ID, PDB_NAME, OPERATION, OP_TIMESTAMP, CLONED_FROM_PDB_NAME
FROM CDB_PDB_HISTORY
WHERE CON_ID > 2
ORDER BY CON_ID;

Sample output:
43-14 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing the History of PDBs

DB_NAME
CON_ID PDB_NAME
OPERATION
---------- ------ --------------- ---------------NEWCDB
3 HRPDB
CREATE
NEWCDB
4 SALESPDB
CREATE
NEWCDB
5 TESTPDB
CLONE

OP_TIMESTA
---------10-APR-12
17-APR-12
30-APR-12

CLONED_FROM_PDB
--------------PDB$SEED
PDB$SEED
SALESPDB

When the current container is a PDB, the CDB_PDB_HISTORY
view shows the history of the current PDB only. A local user whose
current container is a PDB can query the DBA_PDB_HISTORY view and
exclude the CON_ID column from the query to view the history of the
current PDB.

Note:

See Also:

"About the Current Container" on page 40-1

Viewing Information About CDBs and PDBs with SQL*Plus

43-15

Viewing the History of PDBs

43-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

44
Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with
SQL*Plus
44

This chapter describes using Oracle Resource Manager (Resource Manager) to allocate
resources to pluggable databases (PDBs) in a multitenant container database (CDB).
This chapter makes the following assumptions:
■

■

You understand how to configure and manage a CDB. See Part VI, "Managing a
Multitenant Environment" for information.
You understand how to use Oracle Resource Manager to allocate resources in a
non-CDB. See Chapter 27, "Managing Resources with Oracle Database Resource
Manager" for information.

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

■

Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB

■

Creating a CDB Resource Plan

■

Enabling and Disabling a CDB Resource Plan

■

Creating a PDB Resource Plan

■

Enabling and Disabling a PDB Resource Plan

■

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

■

Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB

This chapter discusses using PL/SQL package procedures
to administer the Resource Manager in a CDB. An easier way to
administer the Resource Manager is with the graphical user
interface of Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control (Cloud
Control). For instructions about administering Resource Manager
in a CDB with Cloud Control, see Chapter 45, "Using Oracle
Resource Manager for PDBs with Cloud Control" and the Cloud
Control online help.

Note:

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs
In a non-CDB, you can use Resource Manager to manage multiple workloads that are
contending for system and database resources. However, in a CDB, you can have
multiple workloads within multiple PDBs competing for system and CDB resources.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-1

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

In a CDB, Resource Manager can manage resources on two basic levels:
■

■

CDB level - Resource Manager can manage the workloads for multiple PDBs that
are contending for system and CDB resources. You can specify how resources are
allocated to PDBs, and you can limit the resource utilization of specific PDBs.
PDB level - Resource Manager can manage the workloads within each PDB.

Resource Manager allocates the resources in two steps:
1.

It allocates a portion of the system’s resources to each PDB.

2.

In a specific PDB, it allocates a portion of system resources obtained in Step 1 to
each session connected to the PDB.
Note: All activity in the root is automatically managed by Resource
Manager.

This section contains the following topics:
■

What Solutions Does Resource Manager Provide for a CDB?

■

CDB Resource Plans

■

PDB Resource Plans

■

Background and Administrative Tasks and Consumer Groups

What Solutions Does Resource Manager Provide for a CDB?
When resource allocation decisions for a CDB are left to the operating system, you
may encounter the following problems with workload management:
■

Inappropriate allocation of resources among PDBs
The operating system distributes resources equally among all active processes and
cannot prioritize one task over another. Therefore, one or more PDBs might use an
inordinate amount of the system resources, leaving the other PDBs starved for
resources.

■

Inappropriate allocation of resources within a single PDB
One or more sessions connected to a single PDB might use an inordinate amount
of the system resources, leaving other sessions connected to the same PDB starved
for resources.

■

Inconsistent performance of PDBs
A single PDB might perform inconsistently when other PDBs are competing for
more system resources or less system resources at various times.

■

Lack of resource usage data for PDBs
Resource usage data is critical for monitoring and tuning PDBs. It might be
possible to use operating system monitoring tools to gather the resource usage
data for a non-CDB if it is the only database running on the system. However, in a
CDB, operating system monitoring tools are no longer as useful because there are
multiple PDBs running on the system.

Resource Manager helps to overcome these problems by allowing the CDB more
control over how hardware resources are allocated among the PDBs and within PDBs.

44-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

In a CDB with multiple PDBs, some PDBs typically are more important than others.
The Resource Manager enables you to prioritize and limit the resource usage of
specific PDBs.
With the Resource Manager, you can:
■

Specify that different PDBs should receive different shares of the system resources
so that more resources are allocated to the more important PDBs

■

Limit the CPU usage of a particular PDB

■

Limit the number of parallel execution servers that a particular PDB can use

■

Limit the resource usage of different sessions connected to a single PDB

■

Monitor the resource usage of PDBs

CDB Resource Plans
In a CDB, PDBs might have different levels of priority. You can create CDB resource
plans to distribute resources to different PDBs based on these priorities.
This section contains the following topics:
■

About CDB Resource Plans

■

Shares for Allocating Resources to PDBs

■

Utilization Limits for PDBs

■

The Default Directive for PDBs

About CDB Resource Plans
A CDB resource plan allocates resources to its PDBs according to its set of resource
plan directives (directives). There is a parent-child relationship between a CDB
resource plan and its directives. Each directive references one PDB, and no two
directives for the currently active plan can reference the same PDB.
The directives control allocation of the following resources to the PDBs:
■

CPU

■

Parallel execution servers

A directive can control the allocation of resources to PDBs based on the share value
that you specify for each PDB. A higher share value for a PDB results in more
resources for that PDB. For example, you can specify that one PDB is allocated double
the resources allocated to a second PDB by setting the share value for the first PDB
twice as high as the share value for the second PDB.
You can also specify utilization limits for PDBs. The utilization limit for a PDB limits
resource allocation to the PDB. For example, it can control how much CPU the PDB
gets as a percentage of the total CPU available to the CDB.
You can use both shares and utilization limits together for precise control over the
resources allocated to each PDB in a CDB. The following sections provide more
information about shares and utilization limits.

Shares for Allocating Resources to PDBs
To allocate resources among PDBs, you assign a share value to each PDB. A higher
share value results in more guaranteed resources for a PDB.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-3

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

You specify a share value for a PDB using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure
in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package. The shares parameter in this procedure
specifies the share value for the PDB.
Figure 44–1 shows an example of three PDBs with share values specified for them in a
CDB resource plan.
Figure 44–1 Shares in a CDB Resource Plan
CDB resource plan in root

Directive:
share = 3

PDB
salespdb

Directive:
share = 3

Directive:
share = 1

PDB
servicespdb

PDB
hrpdb

Figure 44–1 shows that the total number of shares is seven (3+3+1). The salespdb and
the servicespdb PDB are each guaranteed 3/7th of the resources, while the hrpdb PDB
is guaranteed 1/7th of the resources. However, any PDB can use more than the
guaranteed amount of a resource if there is no resource contention.
Table 44–1 shows the resources allocation to the PDBs in Figure 44–1 based on the
share values, assuming that loads of the PDBs consume all of the system resources
allocated.
Table 44–1

Resource Allocation for Sample PDBs

Resource

Resource Allocation

CPU

The salespdb and servicespdb PDBs can consume the same
amount of CPU resources. The salespdb and servicespdb PDBs
are each guaranteed three times more CPU resource than the
hrpdb PDB.
See "CPU" on page 27-20 for more information about this
resource.

Parallel execution servers

Queued parallel queries from the salespdb and servicespdb
PDBs are selected equally. Queued parallel queries from the
salespdb and servicespdb PDBs are selected three times as
often as queued parallel queries from the hrpdb PDB.
See "Degree of Parallelism Limit" on page 27-23 for more
information about this resource.

Utilization Limits for PDBs
A utilization limit restrains the system resource usage of a specific PDB. You can
specify utilization limits for CPU and parallel execution servers.
Table 44–2 describes utilization limits for PDBs and the Resource Manager action taken
when a PDB reaches a utilization limit.

44-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

Table 44–2

Utilization Limits for PDBs

Resource

Resource Utilization Limit

Resource Manager Action

CPU

The sessions connected to a PDB reach the CPU
utilization limit for the PDB.

Resource Manager throttles
the PDB sessions so that the
CPU utilization for the PDB
does not exceed the
utilization limit.

This utilization limit for CPU is set by the
utilization_limit parameter in the CREATE_CDB_
PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure of the DBMS_RESOURCE_
MANAGER package. The utilization_limit parameter
specifies the percentage of the system resources that a
PDB can use. The value ranges from 0 to 100.
Parallel execution servers

A PDB uses more than the value of the PARALLEL_
SERVERS_TARGET initialization parameter multiplied
by the value of the parallel_server_limit
parameter in the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
procedure.

Resource Manager queues
parallel queries if the number
of parallel execution servers
used by the PDB would
exceed the limit specified by
the PARALLEL_SERVERS_
For example, if the PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET
TARGET initialization
initialization parameter is set to 200 and the
parameter value multiplied
parallel_server_limit parameter for a PDB is set to
by the value of the parallel_
10%, then utilization limit for the PDB is 20 parallel
server_limit parameter in
execution servers (200 X .10).
the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_
DIRECTIVE procedure.

Figure 44–2 shows an example of three PDBs with shares and utilization limits
specified for them in a CDB resource plan.
Figure 44–2 Shares and Utilization Limits in a CDB Resource Plan
CDB resource plan in root

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

PDB
salespdb

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

Directive:
share = 1
utilization_limit = 70
parallel_server_limit = 70

PDB
servicespdb

PDB
hrpdb

Figure 44–2 shows that there are no utilization limits on the salespdb and
servicespdb PDBs because utilization_limit and parallel_server_limit are both
set to 100% for them. However, the hrpdb PDB is limited to 70% of the applicable
system resources because utilization_limit and parallel_server_limit are both
set to 70%.

The Default Directive for PDBs
When you do not explicitly define directives for a PDB, the PDB uses the default
directive for PDBs. Table 44–3 shows the attributes of the initial default directive for
PDBs.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-5

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

Table 44–3

Initial Default Directive Attributes for PDBs

Directive Attribute

Value

shares

1

utilization_limit

100

parallel_server_limit

100

When a PDB is plugged into a CDB and no directive is defined for it, the PDB uses the
default directive for PDBs.
You can create new directives for the new PDB. You can also change the default
directive attribute values for PDBs by using the UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE
procedure in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package.
When a PDB is unplugged from a CDB, the directive for the PDB is retained. If the
same PDB is plugged back into the CDB, then it uses the directive defined for it if the
directive was not deleted manually.
Figure 44–3 shows an example of the default directive in a CDB resource plan.
Figure 44–3 Default Directive in a CDB Resource Plan
CDB resource plan in root

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

PDB
salespdb

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

Directive:
share = 1
utilization_limit = 70
parallel_server_limit = 70

PDB
servicespdb

PDB
hrpdb

Default Directive:
share = 1
utilization_limit = 50
parallel_server_limit = 50

PDB
marketingpdb

PDB
testingpdb

...

Figure 44–3 shows that the default PDB directive specifies that the share is 1, the
utilization_limit is 50%, and the parallel_server_limit is 50%. Any PDB that is
part of the CDB and does not have directives defined for it uses the default PDB
directive. Figure 44–3 shows the PDBs marketingpdb and testingpdb using the default
PDB directive. Therefore, marketingpdb and testingpdb each get 1 share and a
utilization limit of 50.

44-6 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

See Also:
■

■

"Creating New CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB" on
page 44-17
"Updating the Default Directive for PDBs in a CDB Resource Plan"
on page 44-19

■

Chapter 38, "Creating and Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus"

■

"Unplugging a PDB from a CDB" on page 38-47

■

"Parallel Server Limit" on page 27-23

PDB Resource Plans
A CDB resource plan determines the amount of resources allocated to each PDB. A
PDB resource plan determines how the resources allocated to a specific PDB are
allocated to consumer groups within that PDB. A PDB resource plan is similar to a
resource plan for a non-CDB. Specifically, a PDB resource plan allocates resource
among the consumer groups within a PDB. You can use a PDB resource plan to
allocate the resources described in "The Types of Resources Managed by the Resource
Manager" on page 27-19.
When you create one or more PDB resource plans, the CDB resource plan for the
PDB’s CDB should meet certain requirements. Table 44–4 describes the requirements
for the CDB resource plan and the results when the requirements are not met.
You create directives for a CDB resource plan by using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_
DIRECTIVE procedure in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package. You create directives for
a PDB resource plan using the CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure in the same
package. When you create one or more PDB resource plans and there is no CDB
resource plan, the CDB uses the DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN that is supplied with Oracle
Database.
Table 44–4 describes parameter values for PL/SQL procedures.
The parameter values described in the "CDB Resource Plan
Requirements" column are for the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
procedure. The parameter values described in the "Results When
Requirements Are Not Met" column are for the CREATE_PLAN_
DIRECTIVE procedure.

Note:

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-7

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

Table 44–4

CDB Resource Plan Requirements for PDB Resource Plans

Resource

CDB Resource Plan Requirements

Results When Requirements Are Not Met

CPU

One of the following requirements
must be met:

The CPU allocation policy of the PDB
resource plan is not enforced.

■

■

A share value must be specified for The CPU limit specified by the utilization_
the PDB using the shares
limit parameter in the PDB resource plan is
parameter.
not enforced.
A utilization limit for CPU below
100 must be specified for the PDB
using the utilization_limit
parameter.

These values can be set in a directive
for the specific PDB or in a default
directive.
Parallel execution servers One of the following requirements
must be met:
■

■

■

The parallel execution server allocation policy
of the PDB resource plan is not enforced.

A share value must be specified for The parallel server limit specified by the
parallel_server_limit parameter in the
the PDB using the shares
parameter.
PDB resource plan is not enforced.
A utilization limit for CPU below
100 must be specified for the PDB
using the utilization_limit
parameter.
A parallel server limit below 100
must be specified for the PDB
using the parallel_server_limit
parameter.

These values can be set in a directive
for the specific PDB or in a default
directive.

Figure 44–4 shows an example of a CDB resource plan and a PDB resource plan.

44-8 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs

Figure 44–4 A CDB Resource Plan and a PDB Resource Plan
CDB resource plan in root

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

PDB
salespdb

Directive:
share = 3
utilization_limit = 100
parallel_server_limit = 100

Directive:
share = 1
utilization_limit = 70
parallel_server_limit = 70

PDB
servicespdb

PDB
hrpdb

PDB
resource plan for
servicespdb

Directive 1:
75% of CPU

Directive 2:
15% of CPU

Directive 3:
10% of CPU

Consumer group
“OLTP”

Consumer group
“REPORTING”

Consumer group
“OTHER_GROUPS”

Figure 44–4 shows some of the directives in a PDB resource plan for the servicespdb
PDB. Other PDBs in the CDB can also have PDB resource plans.
In a CDB, the following restrictions apply to PDB resource plans:
■

A PDB resource plan cannot have subplans.

■

A PDB resource plan can have a maximum of eight consumer groups.

■

A PDB resource plan cannot have a multiple-level scheduling policy.

If you create a PDB using a non-CDB, and the non-CDB contains resource plans, then
these resource plans might not conform to these restrictions. In this case, Oracle
Database automatically transforms these resource plans into equivalent PDB resource
plans that meet these requirements. The original resource plans and directives are
recorded in the DBA_RSRC_PLANS and DBA_RSRC_PLAN_DIRECTIVES views with the
LEGACY status.
See Also:
■

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

■

"Creating a PDB Using a Non-CDB" on page 38-43

Background and Administrative Tasks and Consumer Groups
In a CDB, background and administrative tasks are mapped to the Resource Manager
consumer groups that run them optimally. Resource Manager uses the following rules
to map a task to a consumer group:
Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-9

Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB

■

■

A task is mapped to a consumer group in the container that starts the task. If a task
starts in the root, then the task is mapped to a consumer group in the root. If the
task starts in a PDB, then the task is mapped to a consumer group in the PDB.
When a task is started by an internal client using an internal API, the internal API
determines the consumer group to which the task is mapped.
For example, a backup task uses an internal Oracle function. When SYS starts a
backup task in the root, the backup task is mapped based on the Oracle function to
the SYS_GROUP consumer group in the root.

■

When a task is started without using an internal API, the task is mapped to a
consumer group based on the user-defined mapping rules.
For example, when SYS is mapped to the SYS_GROUP consumer group, a task
started by SYS is mapped to the SYS_GROUP consumer group.

The following background and administrative tasks follow these rules:
■

Backup and recovery

■

Auditing

■

Replication and Advanced Queuing

■

Unplugging a PDB

■

Maintenance windows

Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB
Before you can use Resource Manager with a CDB, the following prerequisites must be
met:
■

The CDB must exist and must contain PDBs.
See Chapter 37, "Creating and Configuring a CDB" and Chapter 38, "Creating and
Removing PDBs with SQL*Plus".

■

To complete a task that uses the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package, a user must
have ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER system privilege.
See "About Resource Manager Administration Privileges" on page 27-7.

Creating a CDB Resource Plan
You use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package to create a CDB resource plan and define
the directives for the plan. The general steps for creating a CDB resource plan are the
following:
1.

Create the pending area using the CREATE_PENDING_AREA procedure.

2.

Create the CDB resource plan using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN procedure.

3.

Create directives for the PDBs using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure.

4.

(Optional) Update the default PDB directive using the UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_
DIRECTIVE procedure.

5.

(Optional) Update the default autotask directive using the UPDATE_CDB_AUTOTASK_
DIRECTIVE procedure.

6.

Validate the pending area using the VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA procedure.

7.

Submit the pending area using the SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA procedure.

44-10 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Creating a CDB Resource Plan

Creating a CDB Resource Plan: A Scenario
This section uses a scenario to illustrate each of the steps involved in creating a CDB
resource plan. The scenario assumes that you want to create a CDB resource plan for a
CDB named newcdb. The plan includes a directive for each PDB. In this scenario, you
also update the default directive and the autotask directive.
The directives are defined using various procedures in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER
package. The attributes of each directive are defined using parameters in these
procedures. Table 44–5 describes the types of directives in the plan.
Table 44–5

Attributes for PDB Directives in a CDB Resource Plan

Directive Attribute

Description

shares

Resource allocation share for CPU and parallel execution server
resources. See "Shares for Allocating Resources to PDBs" on
page 44-3.

utilization_limit

Resource utilization limit for CPU. See "Utilization Limits for
PDBs" on page 44-4.

parallel_server_limit

Maximum percentage of parallel execution servers that a PDB
can use.
When the parallel_server_limit directive is specified for a
PDB, the limit is the value of the PARALLEL_SERVERS_TARGET
initialization parameter multiplied by the value of the parallel_
server_limit parameter in the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE
procedure. See "Utilization Limits for PDBs" on page 44-4.

Table 44–6 describes how the CDB resource plan allocates resources to its PDBs using
the directive attributes described in Table 44–5.
Table 44–6

Sample Directives for PDBs in a CDB Resource Plan

PDB

shares Directive

utilization_limit Directive

parallel_server_limit
Directive

salespdb

3

Unlimited

Unlimited

servicespdb

3

Unlimited

Unlimited

hrpdb

1

70

70

Default

1

50

50

Autotask

1

75

75

The salespdb and servicespdb PDBs are more important than the other PDBs in the
CDB. Therefore, they get a higher share (3), unlimited CPU utilization resource, and
unlimited parallel execution server resource.
The default directive applies to PDBs for which specific directives have not been
defined. For this scenario, assume that the CDB has several PDBs that use the default
directive. This scenario updates the default directive.
In addition, this scenario updates the autotask directive. The autotask directive applies
to automatic maintenance tasks that are run in the root maintenance window.
The following tasks use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package to create the CDB
resource plan and update the default and autotask directives for this scenario:
Task 1 Create a Pending Area
Create a pending area using the CREATE_PENDING_AREA procedure:
Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-11

Creating a CDB Resource Plan

exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

Task 2 Create the CDB Resource Plan
Create a CDB resource plan named newcdb_plan using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN
procedure:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CDB_PLAN(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
comment => 'CDB resource plan for newcdb');
END;
/

Task 3 Create Directives for the PDBs
Create the CDB resource plan directives for the PDBs using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_
DIRECTIVE procedure. Each directive specifies how resources are allocated to a specific
PDB.
Table 44–6 on page 44-11 describes the directives for the salespdb, servicespdb, and
hrpdb PDBs in this scenario. Run the following procedures to create these directives:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database
=> 'salespdb',
shares
=> 3,
utilization_limit
=> 100,
parallel_server_limit => 100);
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database
=> 'servicespdb',
shares
=> 3,
utilization_limit
=> 100,
parallel_server_limit => 100);
END;
/
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database
=> 'hrpdb',
shares
=> 1,
utilization_limit
=> 70,
parallel_server_limit => 70);
END;
/

All other PDBs in this CDB use the default PDB directive.
Task 4 (Optional) Update the Default PDB Directive
If the current default CDB resource plan directive for PDBs does not meet your
requirements, then update the directive using the UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE
procedure.

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Enabling and Disabling a CDB Resource Plan

The default directive applies to PDBs for which specific directives have not been
defined. See "The Default Directive for PDBs" on page 44-5 for more information.
Table 44–6 on page 44-11 describes the default directive that PDBs use in this scenario.
Run the following procedure to update the default directive:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
new_shares
=> 1,
new_utilization_limit
=> 50,
new_parallel_server_limit => 50);
END;
/

Task 5 (Optional) Update the Autotask Directive
If the current autotask CDB resource plan directive does not meet your requirements,
then update the directive using the UPDATE_CDB_AUTOTASK_DIRECTIVE procedure.
The autotask directive applies to automatic maintenance tasks that are run in the root
maintenance window.
Table 44–6 on page 44-11 describes the autotask directive in this scenario. Run the
following procedure to update the autotask directive:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_AUTOTASK_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
new_shares
=> 1,
new_utilization_limit
=> 75,
new_parallel_server_limit => 75);
END;
/

Task 6 Validate the Pending Area
Validate the pending area using the VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA procedure:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

Task 7 Submit the Pending Area
Submit the pending area using the SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA procedure:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

Enabling and Disabling a CDB Resource Plan
This section contains the following topics:
■

Enabling a CDB Resource Plan

■

Disabling a CDB Resource Plan

Enabling a CDB Resource Plan
You enable the Resource Manager for a CDB by setting the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter in the root. This parameter specifies the top plan, which is the
plan to be used for the current CDB instance. If no plan is specified with this
parameter, then the Resource Manager is not enabled.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-13

Enabling and Disabling a CDB Resource Plan

Before enabling a CDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To enable a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Perform one of the following actions:
■

Use an ALTER SYSTEM statement to set the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter to the CDB resource plan.
The following example sets the CDB resource plan to newcdb_plan using an
ALTER SYSTEM statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = 'newcdb_plan';

■

In a text initialization parameter file, set the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter to the CDB resource plan, and restart the CDB.
The following example sets the CDB resource plan to newcdb_plan in an
initialization parameter file:
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = 'newcdb_plan'

You can also schedule a CDB resource plan change with Oracle Scheduler. See
"Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans" on page 27-39 and
Chapter 28, "Oracle Scheduler Concepts" for more information.

Disabling a CDB Resource Plan
You disable the Resource Manager for a CDB by unsetting the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter in the root. If you disable a CDB resource plan, then some
directives in PDB resource plans become disabled. See "PDB Resource Plans" on
page 44-7 for information about the CDB resource plan requirements for PDB resource
plans.
Before disabling a CDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To disable a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Perform one of the following actions:
■

Use an ALTER SYSTEM statement to unset the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter for the CDB.
The following example unsets the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter using an ALTER SYSTEM statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = '';

■

In an initialization parameter file, unset the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter, and restart the CDB.
The following example unsets the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter in an initialization parameter file:
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN =

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Enabling and Disabling a PDB Resource Plan

To shut down and restart a CDB, see "Shutting Down a CDB Instance" on
page 40-38 and "Starting Up a Database" on page 3-1.

Creating a PDB Resource Plan
A CDB resource plan allocates a portion of the system’s resources to a PDB. A PDB
resource plan determines how this portion is allocated within the PDB. You create a
PDB resource plan in the same way that you create a resource plan for a non-CDB. You
use procedures in the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package to create the plan.
The following is a summary of the steps required to create a PDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.

2.

Create a pending area using the CREATE_PENDING_AREA procedure.

3.

Create, modify, or delete consumer groups using the CREATE_CONSUMER_GROUP
procedure.

4.

Map sessions to consumer groups using the SET_CONSUMER_GROUP_MAPPING
procedure.

5.

Create the PDB resource plan using the CREATE_PLAN procedure.

6.

Create PDB resource plan directives using the CREATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure.

7.

Validate the pending area using the VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA procedure.

8.

Submit the pending area using the SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA procedure.

Ensure that the current container is a PDB and that the user has the required privileges
when you complete these steps. See "Creating a Complex Resource Plan" on
page 27-28 for detailed information about completing these steps.
You also have the option of creating a simple resource plan that is adequate for many
situations using the CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure. See "Creating a Simple Resource
Plan" on page 27-27.
Note: Some restrictions apply to PDB resource plans. See "PDB
Resource Plans" on page 44-7 for information.

Enabling and Disabling a PDB Resource Plan
This section contains the following topics:
■

Enabling a PDB Resource Plan

■

Disabling a PDB Resource Plan

Enabling a PDB Resource Plan
You enable a PDB resource plan by setting the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter to the plan with an ALTER SYSTEM statement when the current container is
the PDB. If no plan is specified with this parameter, then no PDB resource plan is
enabled for the PDB.
Before enabling a PDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To enable a PDB resource plan:

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-15

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Use an ALTER SYSTEM statement to set the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter to the PDB resource plan.

You can also schedule a PDB resource plan change with Oracle Scheduler. See
"Enabling Oracle Database Resource Manager and Switching Plans" on page 27-39 and
Chapter 28, "Oracle Scheduler Concepts" for more information.
Example 44–1

Enabling a PDB Resource Plan

The following example sets the PDB resource plan to salespdb_plan.
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = 'salespdb_plan';

See Also: "Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB"
on page 42-13

Disabling a PDB Resource Plan
You disable a PDB resource plan by unsetting the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN
initialization parameter in the PDB.
Before disabling a PDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To disable a PDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Use an ALTER SYSTEM statement to unset the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter for the PDB.

Example 44–2

Disabling a PDB Resource Plan

The following example disables the PDB resource plan.
ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = '';

See Also: "Using the ALTER SYSTEM Statement to Modify a PDB"
on page 42-13

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB
This section provides instructions for maintaining CDB resource plans, the default
directive for PDBs, the autotask directive, and PDB resource plans. You perform
maintenance tasks using the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER PL/SQL package.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Managing a CDB Resource Plan

■

Modifying a PDB Resource Plan

Managing a CDB Resource Plan
This section provides instructions for managing a CDB resource plan.
This section contains the following topics:
44-16 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

■

Updating a CDB Resource Plan

■

Creating New CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB

■

Updating CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB

■

Deleting CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB

■

Updating the Default Directive for PDBs in a CDB Resource Plan

■

Updating the Default Directive for Maintenance Tasks in a CDB Resource Plan

■

Deleting a CDB Resource Plan

Updating a CDB Resource Plan
You can update a CDB resource plan to change its comment using the UPDATE_CDB_
PLAN procedure.
Before updating a CDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To update a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the UPDATE_CDB_PLAN procedure, and enter a new comment in the new_
comment parameter.
For example, the following procedure changes the comment for the newcdb_plan
CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_PLAN(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
new_comment => 'CDB plan for PDBs in newcdb');
END;
/

4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Creating New CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB
When you create a PDB in a CDB, you can create a CDB resource plan directive for the
PDB using the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure. The directive specifies how
resources are allocated to the new PDB.
Before creating a new CDB resource plan directive for a PDB, complete the
prerequisites described in "Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on
page 44-10.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-17

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

To create a new CDB resource plan directive for a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure, and specify the appropriate
values for the new PDB.
For example, the following procedure allocates resources to a PDB named operpdb
in the newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database
=> 'operpdb',
shares
=> 1,
utilization_limit
=> 20,
parallel_server_limit => 30);
END;
/

4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Updating CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB
You can update the CDB resource plan directive for a PDB using the UPDATE_CDB_
PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure. The directive specifies how resources are allocated to the
PDB.
Before updating a CDB resource plan directive for a PDB, complete the prerequisites
described in "Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To update a CDB resource plan directive for a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the UPDATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure, and specify the new resource
allocation values for the PDB.
For example, the following procedure updates the resource allocation to a PDB
named operpdb in the newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database
=> 'operpdb',

44-18 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

new_shares
=> 1,
new_utilization_limit
=> 10,
new_parallel_server_limit => 20);
END;
/
4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Deleting CDB Resource Plan Directives for a PDB
You can delete the CDB resource plan directive for a PDB using the DELETE_CDB_PLAN_
DIRECTIVE procedure. You might delete the directive for a PDB if you unplug or drop
the PDB. However, you can retain the directive, and if the PDB is plugged into the
CDB in the future, the existing directive applies to the PDB.
Before deleting a CDB resource plan directive for a PDB, complete the prerequisites
described in "Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To delete a CDB resource plan directive for a PDB:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the DELETE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure, and specify the CDB resource
plan and the PDB.
For example, the following procedure deletes the directive for a PDB named
operpdb in the newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.DELETE_CDB_PLAN_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
pluggable_database => 'operpdb');
END;
/

4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Updating the Default Directive for PDBs in a CDB Resource Plan
You can update the default directive for PDBs in a CDB resource plan using the
UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE procedure. The default directive applies to PDBs for
Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-19

Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

which specific directives have not been defined. See "The Default Directive for PDBs"
on page 44-5 for more information.
Before updating the default directive for PDBs in a CDB resource plan, complete the
prerequisites described in "Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on
page 44-10.
To update the default directive for PDBs in a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE procedure, and specify the appropriate
default resource allocation values.
For example, the following procedure updates the default directive for PDBs in the
newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
new_shares
=> 2,
new_utilization_limit => 40);
END;
/

4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Updating the Default Directive for Maintenance Tasks in a CDB Resource Plan
You can update the autotask directive in a CDB resource plan using the UPDATE_CDB_
AUTOTASK_DIRECTIVE procedure. The autotask directive applies to automatic
maintenance tasks that are run in the root maintenance window.
Before updating the default directive for maintenance tasks in a CDB resource plan,
complete the prerequisites described in "Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager
with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To update the autotask directive for maintenance tasks in a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the UPDATE_CDB_AUTOTASK_DIRECTIVE procedure, and specify the appropriate
autotask resource allocation values.

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Maintaining Plans and Directives in a CDB

For example, the following procedure updates the autotask directive for
maintenance tasks in the newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.UPDATE_CDB_AUTOTASK_DIRECTIVE(
plan
=> 'newcdb_plan',
new_shares
=> 2,
new_utilization_limit => 60);
END;
/
4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Deleting a CDB Resource Plan
You can delete a CDB resource plan using the DELETE_CDB_PLAN procedure. The
resource plan must be disabled. You might delete a CDB resource plan if the plan is no
longer needed. You can enable a different CDB resource plan, or you can disable
Resource Manager for the CDB.
Before deleting a CDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To delete a CDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is the root.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Run the DELETE_CDB_PLAN procedure, and specify the CDB resource plan.
For example, the following procedure deletes the newcdb_plan CDB resource plan:
BEGIN
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.DELETE_CDB_PLAN(
plan => 'newcdb_plan');
END;
/

4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-21

Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB

See Also:
■

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

■

"Enabling a CDB Resource Plan" on page 44-13

■

"Disabling a CDB Resource Plan" on page 44-14

Modifying a PDB Resource Plan
You can use the DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package to modify a PDB resource plan in the
same way you would modify the resource plan for a non-CDB.
Before modifying a PDB resource plan, complete the prerequisites described in
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on page 44-10.
To modify a PDB resource plan:
1.

In SQL*Plus, ensure that the current container is a PDB.
See "Accessing a Container in a CDB with SQL*Plus" on page 40-10.

2.

Create a pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.CREATE_PENDING_AREA();

3.

Modify the PDB resource plan by completing one or more of the following tasks:
■

Update a consumer group using the UPDATE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure.

■

Delete a consumer group using the DELETE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure.

■

Update a resource plan using the UPDATE_PLAN procedure.

■

Delete a resource plan using the DELETE_PLAN procedure.

■

Update a resource plan directive using the UPDATE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure.

■

Delete a resource plan directive using the DELETE_PLAN_DIRECTIVE procedure.

See "Maintaining Consumer Groups, Plans, and Directives" on page 27-53 for
instructions about completing these tasks.
4.

Validate the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.VALIDATE_PENDING_AREA();

5.

Submit the pending area:
exec DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER.SUBMIT_PENDING_AREA();

See Also:

"PDB Resource Plans" on page 44-7

Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB
This section provides instructions for viewing information about CDB resource plans,
CDB resource plan directives, and predefined resource plans in a CDB.
This section contains the following topics:
■

Viewing CDB Resource Plans

■

Viewing CDB Resource Plan Directives
See Also: "Monitoring Oracle Database Resource Manager" on
page 27-56

44-22 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB

Viewing CDB Resource Plans
This example uses the DBA_CDB_RSRC_PLANS view to display all of the CDB resource
plans defined in the CDB.
Run the following query in the root:
COLUMN PLAN FORMAT A30
COLUMN STATUS FORMAT A10
COLUMN COMMENTS FORMAT A35
SELECT PLAN, STATUS, COMMENTS FROM DBA_CDB_RSRC_PLANS ORDER BY PLAN;

Your output looks similar to the following:
PLAN
STATUS
------------------------------ ---------DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
ORA$INTERNAL_CDB_PLAN

COMMENTS
----------------------------------Default CDB plan
Default CDB maintenance plan
CDB plan for PDBs in newcdb
Internal CDB plan

The DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN is a default CDB plan that is supplied with Oracle Database.
You can use this default plan if it meets your requirements.
Plans in the pending area have a status of PENDING. Plans in
the pending area are being edited. Any plan that is not in the pending
area has a NULL status.

Note:

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

Viewing CDB Resource Plan Directives
This example uses the DBA_CDB_RSRC_PLAN_DIRECTIVES view to display all of the
directives defined in all of the CDB resource plans in the CDB.
Run the following query in the root:
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

PLAN HEADING 'Plan' FORMAT A26
PLUGGABLE_DATABASE HEADING 'Pluggable|Database' FORMAT A25
SHARES HEADING 'Shares' FORMAT 999
UTILIZATION_LIMIT HEADING 'Utilization|Limit' FORMAT 999
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT HEADING 'Parallel|Server|Limit' FORMAT 999

SELECT PLAN,
PLUGGABLE_DATABASE,
SHARES,
UTILIZATION_LIMIT,
PARALLEL_SERVER_LIMIT
FROM DBA_CDB_RSRC_PLAN_DIRECTIVES
ORDER BY PLAN;

Your output looks similar to the following:
Parallel
Pluggable
Utilization
Server
Plan
Database
Shares
Limit
Limit
-------------------------- ------------------------- ------ ----------- -------DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN
ORA$DEFAULT_PDB_DIRECTIVE
1
100
100
DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN
ORA$AUTOTASK
90
100

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with SQL*Plus 44-23

Viewing Information About Plans and Directives in a CDB

DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
NEWCDB_PLAN
ORA$INTERNAL_CDB_PLAN
ORA$INTERNAL_CDB_PLAN

ORA$DEFAULT_PDB_DIRECTIVE
ORA$AUTOTASK
SALESPDB
HRPDB
ORA$DEFAULT_PDB_DIRECTIVE
ORA$AUTOTASK
SERVICESPDB
ORA$DEFAULT_PDB_DIRECTIVE
ORA$AUTOTASK

1
3
1
2
2
3

100
90

100
100

70
40
60

70
50
75

The DEFAULT_CDB_PLAN is a default CDB plan that is supplied with Oracle Database.
You can use this default plan if it meets your requirements.
This output shows the directives for the newcdb_plan created in "Creating a CDB
Resource Plan: A Scenario" on page 44-11 and modified in "Managing a CDB Resource
Plan" on page 44-16.
The ORA$DEFAULT_PDB_DIRECTIVE is the default directive for
PDBs. See "The Default Directive for PDBs" on page 44-5.

Note:

See Also:

"CDB Resource Plans" on page 44-3

44-24 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

45
Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with
Cloud Control
45

The following topics describe using Oracle Resource Manager for the multitenant
architecture with Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control:
■

About CDB Resource Manager

■

Creating a CDB Resource Plan

■

Creating a PDB Resource Plan
See Also:
■

■

"About Using Oracle Resource Manager with CDBs and PDBs" on
page 44-1
"Prerequisites for Using Resource Manager with a CDB" on
page 44-10

About CDB Resource Manager
You can use Enterprise Manager to manage multitenant container database (CDB)
resource plans. Resource Manager provides CDB and pluggable database (PDB)
resource management. At the CDB level, Enterprise Manager provides new resource
plan creation and resource plan monitoring functionality.
The CDB Resource Plans page lists all CDB plans available in the system. Each row
displays information about the specific CDB plan while the PDB Resource Plans page
displays the PDB plans, one row for each PDB plan. Each plan is selectable and you
can click on the plan name to drill down for more detailed information. You can edit or
view a selected plan or you can create a new plan.

Creating a CDB Resource Plan
You can create a CDB resource plan that allocates shares of system resources to all
PDBs within a CDB.
To create a CDB resource plan, follow these steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Resource Manager.
Enterprise Manager displays the Resource Manager home page.

2.

On the Resource Manager home page, click the Resource Plan link.

Using Oracle Resource Manager for PDBs with Cloud Control 45-1

Creating a PDB Resource Plan

If the current target is a CDB, then a CDB top level Resource Plans page displays.
The page lists CDB plans that are available in the system, one row per CDB plan.
Each row displays information about the CDB plan, such as Plan Name and
whether it is active. You can drill-down for more information about each plan.
3.

Click Create to create a new resource plan.
Enterprise Manager displays the CDB Resource Plan detail page. The page
contains CDB Resource plan settings on the top, such as the Plan Name. You can
add or remove PDBs to this plan by clicking the Add/Remove button. A select
PDB page appears that allows you to choose PDBs. When you add a PDB, each
PDB displays the Share Allocation and Utilization Limit.

4.

Fill in the required information and click Apply.
A new resource plan is created and all fields are updated.

Creating a PDB Resource Plan
To create a PDB resource plan, follow these steps:
1.

From the Administration menu, choose Resource Manager.
Enterprise Manager displays the Resource Manager home page.

2.

Click on the Plans link under the Pluggable Database section.
If you are currently connected to a PDB or Single Instance database target, you see
the PDB Resource Plan page. This page displays a list of resource plans that are
available in the database. Each row displays information about the plan, such as
plan name and whether the plan is active. You can drill down for more
information about each plan.
The Advanced radio button is only shown when an existing advanced plan is
displayed. When creating or editing a new plan, Advanced mode is not supported.

3.

Click Create to create a new resource plan.
Enterprise Manager displays the PDB Resource Plan detail page. The page
contains PDB Resource plan settings. The page lists consumer groups that do not
have default settings. Click the Add/Remove button to add or remove consumer
groups and set the value.

4.

Enter the required information in all fields and click Apply.

45-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

46
46

Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB

This chapter describes using Oracle Scheduler to schedule jobs in a multitenant
container database (CDB). This chapter makes the following assumptions:
■

■

You understand how to configure and manage a CDB. See Part VI, "Managing a
Multitenant Environment" for an overview and related information.
You understand how to use Oracle Scheduler to schedule jobs in a non-CDB. See
Chapter 28, Chapter 29, and Chapter 30 for information.

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

DBMS_SCHEDULER Invocations in a CDB

■

Job Coordinator and Slave Processes in a CDB

■

Using DBMS_JOB

■

Processes to Close a PDB

■

New and Changed Views

DBMS_SCHEDULER Invocations in a CDB
Most scheduler calls work exactly the same way as they did in non-CDBs, with the
exception of two scheduler global attributes. To limit job slaves, set the value of the
job_queue_processes initialization parameter.
For all other global attribute settings, you must be at the pluggable database (PDB)
level only. For example, if you set the EMAIL_SENDER attribute in the root database, it
applies to the jobs that run in the root, not the jobs running in a specific PDB. If you
want to pick a new EMAIL_SENDER for a PDB, then you must set the global attribute in
that PDB.

Job Coordinator and Slave Processes in a CDB
The major CDB-related changes are to the job coordinator process.
In a non-CDB, the coordinator looks at all jobs that are ready to run, picks a subset of
them to run, and assigns them to job slaves. It also opens and closes windows, which
changes the resource plan in effect for the database.
That is essentially what happens inside a CDB except for the following:
■

Jobs are selected from all PDBs
The coordinator looks at the root database and all the child PDBs and selects jobs
based on the job priority, the job scheduled start time, and the availability of

Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB

46-1

Using DBMS_JOB

resources to run the job. The latter criterion depends on the consumer group of the
job and the resource plan currently in effect. The coordinator makes no attempt to
be fair to every PDB. The only way to ensure that jobs from a PDB are not starved
is to allocate enough resources to it.
■

Windows are open in the PDB and root database levels
In a non-CDB, only one window can be open at any given time. In a CDB, there
are two levels of windows. At the PDB level, windows can be used to set resource
plans that allocate resources among consumer groups belonging to that PDB. At
the root database level, windows can be used to allocate resources to various
different PDBs. Therefore, at any time, there can be a window open in the root
database and one in each PDB.

■

Job slave switches to the specific PDB it belongs to
The job slaves are essentially the same as in a non-CDB, except that when a slave
executes a job, it switches to the PDB that the job belongs to and then executes it.
The rest of the code is essentially unchanged.

Using DBMS_JOB
You can create a job using DBMS_JOB within a PDB, and it will work as before.
However, DBMS_JOB has been desupported and using it is not recommended.
For the scheduler, the coordinator now selects jobs to run from every single PDB and
not just a single database as was the case before. Also, for the scheduler, the slave will
switch into a PDB before executing a job; otherwise, the code is essentially unchanged.
See Also:

Appendix A, "Support for DBMS_JOB"

Processes to Close a PDB
If a PDB is closed with the immediate option, then the coordinator terminates jobs
running in the PDB, and the jobs must be recovered before they can run again. In an
Oracle RAC database, the coordinator can, in most cases, recover the jobs on another
instance where that PDB is open. So, if the coordinator on the first instance can find
another instance where the PDB is still open, it moves the jobs there. In certain cases,
moving the jobs to another instance may not be possible. For example, if the PDB in
question is not open anywhere else, the jobs cannot be moved. Also, moving a job to
another instance is not possible when the job has the INSTANCE_ID attribute set. In this
case the job cannot run until the PDB on that instance is open again.
In a non-Oracle RAC case, the question of moving jobs does not arise. Terminated jobs
can only be recovered after the PDB is opened again.

New and Changed Views
With the CDB, changes have been made to existing views and new views have been
added. See Oracle Database Reference for details.
■

■

V$ and GV$ views now have an additional column (CON_ID) which identifies a
container whose data a given CDB_* row represents. In non-CDBs, this column is
NULL.
There are CDB_* views corresponding to all Scheduler DBA_* views.
In a PDB, these views only show objects visible through a corresponding DBA_*
view, but all objects can be viewed by the root database. The CDB_* view contains

46-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

New and Changed Views

all columns found in a given DBA_* view and the column (CON_ID). In non-CDBs,
this column is NULL.

Using Oracle Scheduler with a CDB

46-3

New and Changed Views

46-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Part VII
Part VII

Appendixes

Part VI contains the following appendixes for the Oracle Database Administrator's
Guide:
■

Appendix A, "Support for DBMS_JOB"

A
Support for DBMS_JOB

A

This appendix contains the following topics:
■

Oracle Scheduler Replaces DBMS_JOB

■

Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler

Oracle Scheduler Replaces DBMS_JOB
In Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), Oracle Scheduler replaces DBMS_JOB. Oracle
Scheduler is more powerful and flexible than DBMS_JOB, which is a package used to
schedule jobs. Although Oracle recommends that you switch from DBMS_JOB to Oracle
Scheduler, DBMS_JOB is still supported for backward compatibility.

Configuring DBMS_JOB
The JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization parameter specifies the maximum number of
processes that can be created for the execution of jobs. Beginning with Oracle Database
11g, JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES defaults to 1000. The job coordinator process starts only as
many job queue processes as are required, based on the number of jobs to run and
available resources. You can set JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES to a lower number to limit the
number of job queue processes.
Setting JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES to 0 disables DBMS_JOB jobs and DBMS_SCHEDULER jobs.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization parameter
See Also:

Using Both DBMS_JOB and Oracle Scheduler
DBMS_JOB and Oracle Scheduler (the Scheduler) use the same job coordinator to start
job slaves. You can use the JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization parameter to limit the
number job slaves for both DBMS_JOB and the Scheduler.
If JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES is 0, both DBMS_JOB and Oracle Scheduler jobs are disabled.
See Also:
■

Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler"

■

"Setting Scheduler Preferences" on page 30-2

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the JOB_
QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization parameter

Support for DBMS_JOB A-1

Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler

Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler
This section illustrates some examples of how you can take jobs created with the DBMS_
JOB package and rewrite them using Oracle Scheduler, which you configure and
control with the DBMS_SCHEDULER package.

Creating a Job
The following example creates a job using DBMS_JOB:
VARIABLE jobno NUMBER;
BEGIN
DBMS_JOB.SUBMIT(:jobno, 'INSERT INTO employees VALUES (7935, ''SALLY'',
''DOGAN'', ''sally.dogan@examplecorp.com'', NULL, SYSDATE, ''AD_PRES'', NULL,
NULL, NULL, NULL);', SYSDATE, 'SYSDATE+1');
COMMIT;
END;
/

The following is an equivalent statement using DBMS_SCHEDULER:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB(
job_name
=> 'job1',
job_type
=> 'PLSQL_BLOCK',
job_action
=> 'INSERT INTO employees VALUES (7935, ''SALLY'',
''DOGAN'', ''sally.dogan@examplecorp.com'', NULL, SYSDATE,''AD_PRES'', NULL,
NULL, NULL, NULL);',
start_date
=> SYSDATE,
repeat_interval
=> 'FREQ = DAILY; INTERVAL = 1');
END;
/

Altering a Job
The following example alters a job using DBMS_JOB:
BEGIN
DBMS_JOB.WHAT(31, 'INSERT INTO employees VALUES (7935, ''TOM'', ''DOGAN'',
''tom.dogan@examplecorp.com'', NULL, SYSDATE,''AD_PRES'', NULL,
NULL, NULL, NULL);',
COMMIT;
END;
/

This changes the action for JOB1 to insert a different value.
The following is an equivalent statement using DBMS_SCHEDULER:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE(
name
=> 'JOB1',
attribute
=> 'job_action',
value
=> 'INSERT INTO employees VALUES (7935, ''TOM'', ''DOGAN'',
''tom.dogan@examplecorp.com'', NULL, SYSDATE, ''AD_PRES'', NULL,
NULL, NULL, NULL);',
END;
/

A-2 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler

Removing a Job from the Job Queue
The following example removes a job using DBMS_JOB, where 14144 is the number of
the job being run:
BEGIN
DBMS_JOB.REMOVE(14144);
COMMIT;
END;
/

Using DBMS_SCHEDULER, you would issue the following statement instead:
BEGIN
DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB('myjob1');
END;
/

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for more
information about the DBMS_SCHEDULER package
Chapter 29, "Scheduling Jobs with Oracle Scheduler"

Support for DBMS_JOB A-3

Moving from DBMS_JOB to Oracle Scheduler

A-4 Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Index
Symbols
?, 2-15
@, 2-15

A
abort response, 34-9
two-phase commit, 34-9
accounts
DBA operating system account, 1-14
ADD LOGFILE clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-10
ADD LOGFILE MEMBER clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-11
adding
columns, 20-45
columns in compressed tables, 20-46
ADMIN_TABLES procedure
creating admin table, 25-3
DBMS_REPAIR package, 25-2
example, 25-6, 25-7
ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER system
privilege, 27-7
administering
the Scheduler, 30-1
administration
distributed databases, 32-1
administrative user accounts
SYS, 1-14
SYSBACKUP, 1-14
SYSDG, 1-14
SYSKM, 1-14
administrator passwords, synchronizing password
file and data dictionary, 1-31
ADR
See automatic diagnostic repository
ADR base, 9-8
ADR home, 9-8
ADRCI utility, 9-7
advanced index compression, 21-15
advanced row compression, 20-5
Advisor
Data Repair, 9-2
Undo, 16-6
AFTER SUSPEND system event, 19-10

AFTER SUSPEND trigger, 19-10
example of registering, 19-12
agent
Heterogeneous Services, definition of, 31-3
aggregate functions
statement transparency in distributed
databases, 32-23
alert log, 9-5
about, 8-1
size of, 8-2
using, 8-1
viewing, 9-21
when written, 8-4
alert thresholds
setting for locally managed tablespaces, 19-2
alerts
server-generated, 8-4
tablespace space usage, 19-2
threshold-based, 8-4
viewing, 19-4
ALL_DB_LINKS view, 32-16
allocation
extents, 20-44
ALTER CLUSTER statement
ALLOCATE EXTENT clause, 22-6
using for hash clusters, 23-9
using for index clusters, 22-6
ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE statement
using Oracle Managed Files, 17-17
ALTER DATABASE statement
ADD LOGFILE clause, 11-10
ADD LOGFILE MEMBER clause, 11-11
ARCHIVELOG clause, 12-4
CDBs, 40-17
CLEAR LOGFILE clause, 11-15
CLEAR UNARCHIVED LOGFILE clause, 11-5
data files online or offline, 14-8
database partially available to users, 3-9
DATAFILE...OFFLINE DROP clause, 14-7
DROP LOGFILE clause, 11-13
DROP LOGFILE MEMBER clause, 11-14
MOUNT clause, 3-9
NOARCHIVELOG clause, 12-4
OPEN clause, 3-10
READ ONLY clause, 3-10
RENAME FILE clause, 14-14

Index-1

temp files online or offline, 14-8
UNRECOVERABLE DATAFILE clause, 11-15
ALTER INDEX statement
COALESCE clause, 21-8
MONITORING USAGE clause, 21-23
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, 40-17,
42-7
UNPLUG INTO clause, 38-47
ALTER SEQUENCE statement, 24-14
ALTER SESSION statement
ADVISE clause, 35-7
CLOSE DATABASE LINK clause, 33-2
Enabling resumable space allocation, 19-9
SET CONTAINER clause, 40-13
SET SQL_TRACE initialization parameter, 8-4
setting time zone, 2-22
ALTER SYSTEM statement
ARCHIVE LOG ALL clause, 12-5
CDBs, 40-29
CONTAINER clause, 40-29
DISABLE DISTRIBUTED RECOVERY
clause, 35-18
ENABLE DISTRIBUTED RECOVERY
clause, 35-18
ENABLE RESTRICTED SESSION clause, 3-11
enabling Database Resource Manager, 27-39
PDBs, 42-13
QUIESCE RESTRICTED, 3-15
RESUME clause, 3-16
SCOPE clause for SET, 2-36
SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN, 27-39
SET SHARED_SERVERS initialization
parameter, 5-8
setting initialization parameters, 2-36
SUSPEND clause, 3-16
SWITCH LOGFILE clause, 11-14
UNQUIESCE, 3-16
ALTER TABLE statement
ADD (column) clause, 20-45
ALLOCATE EXTENT clause, 20-44
DEALLOCATE UNUSED clause, 20-44
DISABLE ALL TRIGGERS clause, 18-10
DISABLE integrity constraint clause, 18-13
DROP COLUMN clause, 20-47
DROP integrity constraint clause, 18-14
DROP UNUSED COLUMNS clause, 20-47
ENABLE ALL TRIGGERS clause, 18-9
ENABLE integrity constraint clause, 18-13
external tables, 20-103
MODIFY (column) clause, 20-45
modifying index-organized table attributes, 20-95
MOVE clause, 20-42, 20-43, 20-44, 20-96
reasons for use, 20-41
RENAME COLUMN clause, 20-46
SET UNUSED clause, 20-47
ALTER TABLESPACE statement
adding an Oracle managed data file,
example, 17-14
adding an Oracle managed temp file,
example, 17-15

Index-2

ONLINE clause, example, 13-17
READ ONLY clause, 13-18
READ WRITE clause, 13-20
RENAME DATAFILE clause, 14-12
RENAME TO clause, 13-24
taking data files/temp files online/offline, 14-8
ALTER TRIGGER statement
DISABLE clause, 18-10
ENABLE clause, 18-9
altering
(Scheduler) windows, 29-57
event schedule, 29-33
event-based job, 29-32
indexes, 21-19
job classes, 29-55
jobs, 29-15
programs, 29-22
schedules, 29-25
ANALYZE statement
CASCADE clause, 18-3
CASCADE clause, FAST option, 18-3
corruption reporting, 25-3
listing chained rows, 18-4
remote tables, 33-5
validating structure, 18-3, 25-3
analyzing schema objects, 18-2
analyzing tables
distributed processing, 33-5
APPEND hint, 20-8
Application Continuity, 2-47
application development
distributed databases, 31-32, 33-1, 33-9
application development for distributed
databases, 33-1
analyzing execution plan, 33-6
database links, controlling connections, 33-1
handling errors, 33-2, 33-8
handling remote procedure errors, 33-8
managing distribution of data, 33-1
managing referential integrity constraints, 33-2
terminating remote connections, 33-2
tuning distributed queries, 33-2
tuning using collocated inline views, 33-3
using cost-based optimization, 33-3
using hints to tune queries, 33-5
ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET initialization
parameter, 11-9
archived redo log files
alternate destinations, 12-10
archiving modes, 12-4
data dictionary views, 12-14
destination availability state, controlling, 12-9
destination status, 12-9
destinations, specifying, 12-6
failed destinations and, 12-11
mandatory destinations, 12-11
minimum number of destinations, 12-11
multiplexing, 12-6
normal transmission of, 12-10
re-archiving to failed destination, 12-12

sample destination scenarios, 12-11
standby transmission of, 12-10
status information, 12-14
transmitting, 12-10
ARCHIVELOG mode, 12-3
advantages, 12-3
archiving, 12-2
automatic archiving in, 12-3
definition of, 12-3
distributed databases, 12-3
enabling, 12-4
manual archiving in, 12-3
running in, 12-3
switching to, 12-4
taking data files offline and online in, 14-7
archiver process (ARCn), 5-19
trace output (controlling), 12-13
archiving
alternate destinations, 12-10
changing archiving mode, 12-4
controlling number of processes, 12-5
destination availability state, controlling, 12-9
destination failure, 12-11
destination status, 12-9
manual, 12-5
NOARCHIVELOG vs. ARCHIVELOG
mode, 12-2
setting initial mode, 12-4
to failed destinations, 12-12
trace output, controlling, 12-13
viewing information on, 12-14
at-sign, 2-15
attribute-clustered tables, 20-17
auditing
database links, 31-22
authentication
database links, 31-18
operating system, 1-23
selecting a method, 1-20
using password file, 1-23
AUTO_TASK_CONSUMER_GROUP
of Resource Manager, 26-6
AUTOEXTEND clause, 14-5
for bigfile tablespaces, 13-22
automatic big table cache, 6-3
automatic diagnostic repository, 9-1, 9-5
in Oracle Client, 9-10
in Oracle Clusterware, 9-10
in Oracle Real Application Clusters, 9-10
structure, contents and location of, 9-8
automatic file extension, 14-5
automatic maintenance tasks
assigning to maintenance windows, 26-4
definition, 26-1
enabling and disabling, 26-3
predefined, 26-2
resource allocation, 26-6
Scheduler job names, 26-2
automatic segment space management, 13-5
automatic undo management, 2-19, 16-2

migrating to, 16-11

B
background processes, 5-18
FMON, 14-20
BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST initialization
parameter, 9-5
backups
after creating new databases, 2-16
effects of archiving on, 12-2
batch jobs, authenticating users in, 2-46
big table cache, 6-3
bigfile tablespaces
creating, 13-7
creating temporary, 13-12
description, 13-6
setting database default, 2-21
BLANK_TRIMMING initialization parameter,
BLOB data type, 20-27
block size, redo log files, 11-7
BLOCKSIZE clause
of CREATE TABLESPACE, 13-14

20-45

C
CACHE option
CREATE SEQUENCE statement, 24-16
caches
sequence numbers, 24-16
calendaring expressions, 29-26
calls
remote procedure, 31-34
capacity planning
space management
capacity planning, 19-32
CASCADE clause
when dropping unique or primary keys, 18-13
CATBLOCK.SQL script, 8-8
catcon.pl, 40-33
CDB resource plans, 44-3
CDB_PDB_HISTORY view, 43-14
CDB_PDBS view, 43-6
CDBs, 35-1, 36-1
administering, 40-1, 41-1
ALTER DATABASE statement, 40-17
ALTER PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, 40-17
ALTER SYSTEM statement, 40-29
CDB resource plans
viewing information about, 44-22
common users
definition, 36-2
compatibility violations, 40-22
connecting to, 40-10
ALTER SESSION statement, 40-13
CONNECT command, 40-11
container data objects, 43-2
querying, 43-7
containers, 36-2, 43-6

Index-3

CONTAINERS clause, 43-11
creating, 37-1
current container, 40-1, 43-12
data definition language (DDL), 40-31
Database Resource Manager, 44-1
DBMS_SQL package, 40-15
EM Express, 37-15
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause, 37-7
executing PL/SQL code, 40-15
initialization parameters, 43-13
local users
definition, 36-2
modifying, 40-17, 40-19, 40-29
monitoring, 43-1
Oracle Database Vault, 40-4
Oracle Managed Files, 37-8
PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter, 37-8
PDBs
modifying, 40-17
planning creation, 37-2
plugging in PDBs
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, 38-3
methods for, 38-2
preparing for, 38-12
prerequisites for, 36-4
purpose of, 36-3
root container
definition, 36-1
modifying, 40-20
SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 37-7
seed PDB, 36-1
shutting down, 40-38
SQL scripts, 40-33
standby database, 40-4
tools for, 36-6
Transparent Data Encryption, 40-4
unplugging PDBs, 38-47
viewing information about, 43-1
views, 43-3
centralized user management
distributed systems, 31-19
chain condition syntax, 29-44
chain rules, 29-44
chain steps
defining, 29-43
chained rows
eliminating from table, procedure, 18-5
CHAINED_ROWS table
used by ANALYZE statement, 18-5
chains
creating, 29-42
creating and managing job, 29-41
creating jobs for, 29-48
disabling, 29-50
dropping, 29-49
dropping rules from, 29-49
enabling, 29-47
handling stalled, 29-53

Index-4

monitoring running, 29-52
overview, 28-8
pausing, 29-51
running, 29-49
setting privileges, 30-2
steps
pausing, 29-51
skipping, 29-52
stopping, 29-50
stopping individual steps, 29-50
change vectors, 11-2
CHAR data type
increasing column length, 20-45
character set
choosing, 2-3
CHECK_OBJECT procedure
DBMS_REPAIR package, 25-2
example, 25-7
finding extent of corruption, 25-4
checkpoint process (CKPT), 5-19
checksums
for data blocks, 14-15
redo log blocks, 11-14
CLEAR LOGFILE clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-15
clearing redo log files, 11-5, 11-15
client/server architectures
distributed databases, 31-4
globalization support, 31-35
CloneDB, 2-47
CLONEDB parameter, 38-24
clonedb.pl Perl script, 2-50
cloning
a database, 1-6, 2-47
an Oracle home, 1-6
CLOSE DATABASE LINK clause
ALTER SESSION statement, 33-2
closing database links, 32-14
closing windows, 29-59
clusters
about, 22-1
allocating extents, 22-6
altering, 22-6
analyzing, 18-2
cluster indexes, 22-7
cluster keys, 22-1, 22-3
clustered tables, 22-1, 22-3, 22-5, 22-6, 22-7
columns for cluster key, 22-3
creating, 22-4
data dictionary views reference, 22-8
deallocating extents, 22-6
dropping, 22-7
estimating space, 22-3, 22-4
guidelines for managing, 22-2
location, 22-4
privileges, 22-4, 22-6, 22-7
selecting tables, 22-3
single-table hash clusters, 23-6
truncating, 18-6
validating structure, 18-3

coalescing indexes
costs, 21-8
cold backup
performing with a detached Oracle Scheduler
job, 29-11
collocated inline views
tuning distributed queries, 33-3
column encryption, 2-46
columns
adding, 20-45
adding to compressed table, 20-46
displaying information about, 20-106
dropping, 20-46, 20-48
dropping in compressed tables, 20-48
encrypted, 20-22
increasing length, 20-45
invisible, 20-20
modifying definition, 20-45
renaming, 20-46
virtual, 20-2
virtual, indexing, 21-3
commands
submitting, 1-6
COMMENT statement, 20-106
comments
adding to problem activity log, 9-18
COMMIT COMMENT statement
used with distributed transactions, 35-2, 35-7
commit phase, 34-8, 34-17
in two-phase commit, 34-10, 34-11
commit point site, 34-5
commit point strength, 34-6, 35-1
determining, 34-7
distributed transactions, 34-5, 34-6
how the database determines, 34-6
commit point strength
definition, 34-6
specifying, 35-1
COMMIT statement
FORCE clause, 35-8, 35-9
forcing, 35-6
two-phase commit and, 31-26
COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH initialization
parameter, 34-6, 35-1
committing transactions
commit point site for distributed
transactions, 34-5
common users
definition, 36-2
prefix, 40-32
COMMON_USER_PREFIX parameter, 40-32
compatibility level, 2-32
COMPATIBLE Initialization Parameter, 2-32
components
srvctl component names and abbreviations, 4-30
compression
indexes, 21-14
advanced compression, 21-15
prefix compression, 21-14
levels, 20-5

tables, 20-5
adding a column, 20-46
dropping columns in, 20-48
tablespaces, 13-8
CON_DBID_TO_ID function, 43-13
CON_GUID_TO_ID function, 43-13
CON_NAME_TO_ID function, 43-13
CON_UID_TO_ID function, 43-13
configuring
an Oracle database, 2-1
Oracle Scheduler, 30-1
CONNECT command
starting an instance, 3-5
CONNECT command, SQL*Plus, 1-9
CDBs, 40-11
connected user database links, 32-9
advantages and disadvantages, 31-12
definition, 31-12
example, 31-14
REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT initialization
parameter, 31-12
connecting
with SQL*Plus, 1-7
connection qualifiers
database links and, 32-10
connections
terminating remote, 33-2
constraints
See also integrity constraints
disabling at table creation, 18-12
distributed system application development
issues, 33-2
dropping integrity constraints, 18-14
enable novalidate state, 18-11
enabling example, 18-12
enabling when violations exist, 18-11
exceptions, 18-11, 18-15
exceptions to integrity constraints, 18-15
integrity constraint states, 18-10
keeping index when disabling, 18-13
keeping index when dropping, 18-13
ORA-02055 constraint violation, 33-2
renaming, 18-13
setting at table creation, 18-12
when to disable, 18-11
container data objects, 43-2
definition, 43-2
querying, 43-7
CONTAINERS clause, 43-11
containers, CDB, 36-2
control files
adding, 10-4
changing size, 10-4
conflicts with data dictionary, 10-7
creating, 10-1, 10-3, 10-5
creating as Oracle Managed Files, 17-15
creating as Oracle Managed Files,
examples, 17-21
data dictionary views reference, 10-9
default name, 2-28, 10-4

Index-5

dropping, 10-9
errors during creation, 10-7
guidelines for, 10-2
importance of multiplexed, 10-2
initial creation, 10-3
location of, 10-3
log sequence numbers, 11-3
mirroring, 2-29, 10-2
moving, 10-4
multiplexed, 10-2
names, 10-2
number of, 10-2
overwriting existing, 2-28
relocating, 10-4
renaming, 10-4
requirement of one, 10-1
size of, 10-3
specifying names before database creation, 2-28
troubleshooting, 10-7
unavailable during startup, 3-6
CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter
overwriting existing control files, 2-28
specifying file names, 10-2
when creating a database, 2-28, 10-3
CONTROLFILE REUSE clause, 2-29
copying jobs, 29-20
coraenv and oraenv, 1-8
core files, 9-6
corruption
repairing data block, 25-1
cost-based optimization, 33-3
distributed databases, 31-34
hints, 33-5
using for distributed queries, 33-3
CREATE BIGFILE TABLESPACE statement, 13-7
CREATE BIGFILE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE
statement, 13-12
CREATE CLUSTER statement
creating clusters, 22-4
example, 22-4
for hash clusters, 23-2
HASH IS clause, 23-3, 23-6
HASHKEYS clause, 23-3, 23-7
SIZE clause, 23-7
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement
about, 10-5
checking for inconsistencies, 10-7
creating as Oracle Managed Files,
examples, 17-15, 17-21
NORESETLOGS clause, 10-6
Oracle Managed Files, using, 17-15
RESETLOGS clause, 10-6
CREATE DATABASE LINK statement, 32-7
CREATE DATABASE statement
CDBs, 37-6
CONTROLFILE REUSE clause, 10-4
DEFAULT TEMPORARY TABLESPACE
clause, 2-13, 2-19, 37-12, 37-14
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause, 37-7
example of database creation, 2-11

Index-6

EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause, 2-17
MAXLOGFILES parameter, 11-8
MAXLOGMEMBERS parameter, 11-8
password for SYS, 2-17
password for SYSTEM, 2-17
SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 37-7
setting time zone, 2-22
specifying FORCE LOGGING, 2-23
SYSAUX DATAFILE clause, 2-13, 37-12
UNDO TABLESPACE clause, 2-13, 2-19, 37-12,
37-14
used to create an undo tablespace, 16-8
using Oracle Managed Files, 17-7
using Oracle Managed Files, examples, 17-10,
17-19, 17-22
CREATE INDEX statement
NOLOGGING, 21-5
ON CLUSTER clause, 22-5
using, 21-10
with a constraint, 21-11
CREATE PFILE FROM MEMORY statement, 2-38
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, 38-3
logging_clause, 38-10, 42-5
NO DATA clause, 38-11, 38-29
PATH_PREFIX clause, 38-7
pdb_force_logging_clause, 42-6
SNAPSHOT COPY clause, 38-24
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 38-7
STANDBYS clause, 38-11
STORAGE clause, 38-4
USER_TABLESPACES clause, 38-9
CREATE SCHEMA statement
multiple tables and views, 18-1
CREATE SEQUENCE statement, 24-13
CACHE option, 24-16
examples, 24-16
NOCACHE option, 24-17
CREATE SPFILE statement, 2-34
CREATE SYNONYM statement, 24-18
CREATE TABLE statement
AS SELECT clause, 20-4, 20-29
CLUSTER clause, 22-5
COMPRESS clause, 20-94
creating temporary table, 20-28
example of, 20-27
INCLUDING clause, 20-93
index-organized tables, 20-91
MONITORING clause, 20-40
NOLOGGING clause, 20-4
ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL clause, 20-100
parallelizing, 20-29
PCTTHRESHOLD clause, 20-93
TABLESPACE clause, specifying, 20-4
CREATE TABLESPACE statement
BLOCKSIZE CLAUSE, using, 13-14
FORCE LOGGING clause, using, 13-15
using Oracle Managed Files, 17-12
using Oracle Managed Files, examples, 17-13
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE
statement, 13-12

using Oracle Managed Files, 17-14
using Oracle managed files, example, 17-15
CREATE UNDO TABLESPACE statement
using Oracle Managed Files, 17-12
using Oracle Managed Files, example, 17-14
using to create an undo tablespace, 16-9
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX statement
using, 21-11
CREATE VIEW statement
about, 24-2
OR REPLACE clause, 24-4
WITH CHECK OPTION, 24-2, 24-5
CREATE_CREDENTIAL procedure, 5-22, 29-6
CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure
Database Resource Manager, 27-27, 44-15
creating
an Oracle database, 2-1
CDBs, 37-1
chains, 29-42
control files, 10-3
database services, 2-43
databases, 2-2
event schedule, 29-33
event-based job, 29-32
indexes, 21-9
after inserting table data, 21-2
associated with integrity constraints, 21-11
NOLOGGING, 21-5
online, 21-12
USING INDEX clause, 21-11
job classes, 29-54
jobs, 29-2
programs, 29-21
Scheduler windows, 29-57
schedules, 29-24
sequences, 24-16, 24-17
window groups, 29-61
creating CDBs
CREATE DATABASE statement, 37-6
Database Configuration Assistant, 37-5
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause, 37-7
manually from a script, 37-6
Oracle Managed Files, 37-8
PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter, 37-8
planning, 37-2
SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 37-7
creating data files, 14-4
creating database links, 32-6
connected user, 32-9
connected user scenarios, 32-25
current user, 32-9
current user scenario, 32-26
examples, 31-14
fixed user, 32-8
fixed user scenario, 32-25
obtaining necessary privileges, 32-6
private, 32-7
public, 32-7
service names within link names, 32-10

shared, 32-10
shared connected user scenario, 32-26
specifying types, 32-7
creating databases
backing up the new database, 2-16
default temporary tablespace, specifying, 2-19
example, 2-11
manually from a script, 2-2
overriding default tablespace type, 2-22
planning, 2-2
preparing to, 2-2
prerequisites for, 2-4
setting default tablespace type, 2-21
specifying bigfile tablespaces, 2-21, 2-22
UNDO TABLESPACE clause, 2-19
upgrading to a new release, 2-2
using Oracle Managed Files, 2-20, 17-7
with DBCA, 2-5
with locally managed tablespaces, 2-17
creating sequences, 24-13
creating synonyms, 24-18
creating views, 24-2
credentials, Oracle Scheduler
about, 28-8
granting privileges on, 28-8
critical errors
diagnosing, 9-1
CRSCTL utility
Oracle Restart, 4-3
current container, 40-1
current user database links
advantages and disadvantages, 31-13
cannot access in shared schema, 31-20
definition, 31-12
example, 31-14
schema independence, 31-20
CURRVAL pseudo-column, 24-15
restrictions, 24-16
cursors
and closing database links, 33-2
customize package page, accessing, 9-40
customizing an incident package, 9-39, 9-40

D
data
loading using external tables, 20-101
data block corruption
repairing, 25-1
data blocks
altering size of, 2-29
nonstandard block size, 2-29
shared in clusters, 22-1
specifying size of, 2-29
standard block size, 2-29
verifying, 14-15
data definition language (DDL)
CDBs, 40-31
data dictionary
conflicts with control files, 10-7

Index-7

purging pending rows from, 35-9, 35-10
See also views, data dictionary
data encryption
distributed systems, 31-22
data file headers
when renaming tablespaces, 13-24
data files
adding to a tablespace, 14-4
bringing online and offline, 14-6
checking associated tablespaces, 13-31
copying using database, 14-16
creating, 14-4
creating Oracle Managed Files, 17-6, 17-17
data dictionary views reference, 14-28
database administrators access, 1-14
default directory, 14-4
definition, 14-1
deleting, 13-25
dropping, 14-7, 14-14
dropping Oracle managed, 17-18
file numbers, 14-1
fully specifying filenames, 14-4
guidelines for managing, 14-1
headers when renaming tablespaces, 13-24
identifying OS filenames, 14-13
location, 14-4
mapping files to physical devices, 14-19
minimum number of, 14-2
MISSING, 10-7
offline
relocating, 14-11
renaming, 14-11
online, 14-7
relocating, 14-9
renaming, 14-9
relocating, 14-8
renaming, 14-8
reusing, 14-4
size of, 14-3
statements to create, 14-4
storing separately from redo log files, 14-4
unavailable when database is opened, 3-6
verifying data blocks, 14-15
data manipulation language
statements allowed in distributed
transactions, 31-24
Data Recovery Advisor, repairing data corruptions
with, 9-31
Data Repair Advisor, 9-2
database
cloning, 1-6, 2-47
creating, 2-2
creating and configuring, 2-1
creating with DBCA, 2-5
data dictionary views reference, 2-54
starting up, 3-1
database administrators
DBA role, 1-16
operating system account, 1-14
password files for, 1-21

Index-8

responsibilities of, 1-1
security and privileges of, 1-14
security officer versus, 7-1
task definitions, 1-3
utilities for, 1-34
database clouds, 2-43
Database Configuration Assistant, 2-2
CDBs, 37-5
shared server configuration, 5-10
database destinations, Oracle Scheduler
about, 28-6
creating, 29-7
database jobs, Oracle Scheduler, 28-16
database links
advantages, 31-8
auditing, 31-22
authentication, 31-18
authentication without passwords, 31-19
closing, 32-14, 33-2
connected user, 31-12, 32-9, 32-25
connections, determining open, 32-17
controlling connections, 33-1
creating, 32-6, 32-25, 32-26
creating shared, 32-12
creating, examples, 31-14
creating, scenarios, 32-24
current user, 31-12, 31-13, 32-9
data dictionary USER views, 32-16
definition, 31-6
distributed queries, 31-24
distributed transactions, 31-25
dropping, 32-15
enforcing global naming, 32-2
enterprise users and, 31-20
fixed user, 31-12, 31-13, 32-25
global, 31-11
global names, 31-9
loopback, 31-10
global object names, 31-26
handling errors, 33-2
limiting number of connections, 32-16
listing, 32-16, 35-2, 35-4
loopback, 31-10
managing, 32-14
minimizing network connections, 32-10
name resolution, 31-26
names for, 31-10
private, 31-11
public, 31-11
referential integrity in, 33-2
remote transactions, 31-24, 31-25
resolution, 31-26
restrictions, 31-16
roles on remote database, 31-16
schema objects and, 31-14
service names used within link names, 32-10
shared, 31-8, 32-11, 32-12, 32-13
shared SQL, 31-25
synonyms for schema objects, 31-15
tuning distributed queries, 33-2

tuning queries with hints, 33-5
tuning using collocated inline views, 33-3
types of links, 31-11
types of users, 31-12
users, specifying, 32-8
using cost-based optimization, 33-3
viewing, 32-16
database objects
obtaining growth trends for, 19-33
database program unit, definition, 28-1
database resident connection pooling, 5-4
advantages, 5-5
configuration parameters, 5-16
configuring the connection pool, 5-16
data dictionary views reference, 5-18
disabling, 5-16
enabling, 5-15
triggers, 5-5
Database Resource Manager
active session pool with queuing, 27-26
administering system privilege, 27-7
and operating system control, 27-61
automatic consumer group switching, 27-26
CDB resource plans, 44-3
CDBs, 44-1
CREATE_SIMPLE_PLAN procedure, 27-27, 44-15
data dictionary views reference, 27-65
description, 27-1
enabling, 27-39
execution time limit, 27-26
PDB resource plans, 44-7
PDBs, 44-1
resource allocation methods, 27-30, 27-31
resource consumer groups, 27-3, 27-8, 27-30
resource plan directives, 27-3, 27-32, 27-37
resource plans, 27-3, 27-6, 27-20, 27-27, 27-39,
27-40, 27-50
STATISTICS_LEVEL parameter, 27-3
undo pool, 27-26
used for quiescing a database, 3-14
validating plan schema changes, 27-37
database services
about, 2-41
controlling automatic startup of, 3-4
creating, 2-43
data dictionary views, 2-44
managing application workloads with, 2-40
database writer process
calculating checksums for data blocks, 14-15
database writer process (DBWn), 5-19
DATABASE_PROPERTIES view
rename of default temporary tablespace, 13-24
databases
administering, 1-1
administration of distributed, 32-1
altering availability, 3-9
backing up, 2-16
control files of, 10-2
default temporary tablespace, specifying, 2-19
dropping, 2-54

global database names in distributed
systems, 2-28
mounting a database, 3-7
mounting to an instance, 3-9
names, about, 2-27
names, conflicts in, 2-27
opening a closed database, 3-10
planning, 1-4
planning creation, 2-2
quiescing, 3-14
read-only, opening, 3-10
recovery, 3-9
renaming, 10-5, 10-6
restricting access, 3-11
resuming, 3-16
shutting down, 3-11
specifying control files, 2-28
suspending, 3-16
undo management, 2-19
upgrading, 2-2
with locally managed tablespaces, 2-17
DB_BLOCK_CHECKING initialization
parameter, 25-3, 25-4
DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization
parameter, 14-15
enabling redo block checking with, 11-14
DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter
and nonstandard block sizes, 13-14
setting, 2-29
DB_CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter
specifying multiple block sizes, 13-15
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter, 17-4
setting, 17-4
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization
parameter, 17-4
setting, 17-5
DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter
setting for database creation, 2-27, 2-28
DB_FILES initialization parameter
determining value for, 14-2
DB_NAME initialization parameter
setting before database creation, 2-27
DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE initialization parameter
specifying multiple block sizes, 13-14
transporting data, 15-47
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter, 17-4
setting, 17-5
DB_UNRECOVERABLE_SCN_TRACKING
initialization parameter, 20-35
DBA
See database administrators
DBA role, 1-16
DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS view, 35-4
using to trace session tree, 35-4
DBA_2PC_PENDING view, 35-2, 35-9, 35-16
using to list in-doubt transactions, 35-2
DBA_DB_LINKS view, 32-16
DBA_PDB_SAVED_STATES view, 40-29

Index-9

DBA_RESUMABLE view, 19-10
DBA_UNDO_EXTENTS view
undo tablespace extents, 16-14
DBCA
See Database Configuration Assistant
DBMS_CREDENTIAL package, 5-22
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER package
copying data files, 14-15
DBMS_JOB
about, A-1
moving jobs to Oracle Scheduler, A-2
using with PDB, 46-2
DBMS_METADATA package
GET_DDL function, 18-25
using for object definition, 18-25
DBMS_REDEFINITION package
performing online redefinition with, 20-51
required privileges, 20-82
DBMS_REPAIR
logical corruptions, 25-4
DBMS_REPAIR package
examples, 25-5
limitations, 25-2
procedures, 25-2
using, 25-2, 25-10
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER package, 27-4,
27-7, 27-13
procedures (table of), 27-7
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS
package, 27-7
procedures (table of), 27-7
DBMS_RESUMABLE package, 19-11
DBMS_SCHEDULER.GET_FILE, retrieving external
job stdout with, 29-14
DBMS_SERVER_ALERT package
setting alert thresholds, 19-2
DBMS_SPACE package, 19-28
example for unused space, 19-29
FREE_BLOCK procedure, 19-29
SPACE_USAGE procedure, 19-29
UNUSED_SPACE procedure, 19-29
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN
DROP_EMPTY_SEGMENTS procedure, 19-28
MATERIALIZE_DEFERRED_SEGMENTS
procedure, 20-25
DBMS_SQL package
CDBs, 40-15
DBMS_STATS package, 18-3
MONITORING clause of CREATE TABLE, 20-40
DBMS_STORAGE_MAP package
invoking for file mapping, 14-24
views detailing mapping information, 14-25
DBMS_TRANSACTION package
PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY procedure, 35-10
DBVERIFY utility, 25-3
DDL lock timeout, 2-30
DDL log, 9-6
DDL_LOCK_TIMEOUT initialization
parameter, 2-30
DEALLOCATE UNUSED clause, 19-28

Index-10

deallocating unused space, 19-13
DBMS_SPACE package, 19-28
DEALLOCATE UNUSED clause, 19-28
debug log, 9-7
declarative referential integrity constraints, 33-2
dedicated server processes, 5-1
trace files for, 8-1
default temporary tablespace
renaming, 13-24
default temporary tablespaces
specifying at database creation, 2-13, 2-19
specifying bigfile temp file, 2-22
specifying for CDBs, 37-12, 37-14
DEFAULT_CONSUMER_GROUP for Database
Resource Manager, 27-18, 27-53
deferred segment creation
in tables, 20-23
indexes, 21-4
deferred segments
materializing, 20-25
defining
chain steps, 29-43
dependencies
between schema objects, 18-17
displaying, 18-26
DESCRIBE procedure, 38-44
destinations, Oracle Scheduler
about, 28-6
creating, 29-7
detached jobs, 28-20
creating, 29-11
DIAGNOSTIC_DEST initialization parameter, 8-2,
9-8
dictionary-managed tablespaces
migrating SYSTEM to locally managed, 13-30
Digital POLYCENTER Manager on NetView, 31-23
directory objects
external procedures, 5-22
direct-path INSERT
benefits, 20-32
how it works, 20-33
index maintenance, 20-35
locking considerations, 20-36
logging mode, 20-34
parallel INSERT, 20-33
parallel load compared with parallel
INSERT, 20-32
space considerations, 20-35
disabling
chains, 29-50
jobs, 29-19
programs, 29-23
SQL patch, 9-31
window groups, 29-63
windows, 29-59
disabling recoverer process, 35-18
dispatcher process (Dnnn), 5-19
dispatcher processes, 5-11, 5-14
DISPATCHERS initialization parameter
setting attributes of, 5-10

setting initially, 5-11
distributed applications
distributing data, 33-1
distributed databases
administration overview, 31-17
application development, 31-32, 33-1, 33-9
client/server architectures, 31-4
commit point strength, 34-6
cost-based optimization, 31-34
database clouds, 2-43
direct and indirect connections, 31-5
distributed processing, 31-2
distributed queries, 31-24
distributed updates, 31-24
forming global database names, 32-1
Global Data Services, 2-43
global object names, 31-16, 32-1
globalization support, 31-34
location transparency, 31-32, 32-18
management tools, 31-23
managing read consistency, 35-19
nodes of, 31-4
overview, 31-1
remote object security, 32-20
remote queries and updates, 31-24
replicated databases and, 31-3
resumable space allocation, 19-7
running in ARCHIVELOG mode, 12-3
running in NOARCHIVELOG mode, 12-3
scenarios, 32-24
schema object name resolution, 31-28
schema-dependent global users, 31-20
schema-independent global users, 31-20
security, 31-18
site autonomy of, 31-17
SQL transparency, 31-33
starting a remote instance, 3-9
transaction processing, 31-24
transparency, 31-32
distributed processing
distributed databases, 31-2
distributed queries, 31-24
analyzing tables, 33-5
application development issues, 33-2
cost-based optimization, 33-3
optimizing, 31-34
distributed systems
data encryption, 31-22
distributed transactions, 31-25
case study, 34-14
commit point site, 34-5
commit point strength, 34-6, 35-1
committing, 34-6
database server role, 34-4
defined, 34-1
DML and DDL, 34-2
failure during, 35-17
global coordinator, 34-4
local coordinator, 34-4
lock timeout interval, 35-17

locked resources, 35-17
locks for in-doubt, 35-17
manually overriding in-doubt, 35-6
naming, 35-2, 35-7
session trees, 34-3, 34-4, 34-5, 35-4
setting advice, 35-7
transaction control statements, 34-2
transaction timeouts, 35-17
two-phase commit, 34-14, 35-6
viewing database links, 35-2
distributed updates, 31-24
DML
See data manipulation language
DML error logging, inserting data with, 20-37
DRIVING_SITE hint, 33-6
DROP ALL STORAGE clause, 18-7
DROP CLUSTER statement
CASCADE CONSTRAINTS clause, 22-7
dropping cluster, 22-7
dropping cluster index, 22-7
dropping hash cluster, 23-9
INCLUDING TABLES clause, 22-7
DROP DATABASE statement, 2-54
DROP LOGFILE clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-13
DROP LOGFILE MEMBER clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-14
DROP PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement, 38-49
DROP SYNONYM statement, 24-19
DROP TABLE statement
about, 20-84
CASCADE CONSTRAINTS clause, 20-85
for clustered tables, 22-7
DROP TABLESPACE statement, 13-25
dropping
chain steps, 29-50
chains, 29-49
columns
marking unused, 20-47
remove unused columns, 20-47
columns in compressed tables, 20-48
data files, 14-14
data files, Oracle managed, 17-18
database links, 32-15
job classes, 29-55
jobs, 29-17
programs, 29-23
rules from chains, 29-49
schedules, 29-25
SQL patch, 9-31
tables
CASCADE clause, 20-85
consequences of, 20-84
temp files, 14-14
Oracle managed, 17-18
window groups, 29-62
windows, 29-59
dropping multiple jobs, 29-18
DUMP_ORPHAN_KEYS procedure, 25-5
checking sync, 25-4

Index-11

DBMS_REPAIR package, 25-2
example, 25-9
recovering data, 25-5
dumps, 9-6

E
ECID, 9-4
editions
in CONNECT command, 1-9
managing, 18-22
e-mail notifications, Scheduler, 29-70
EMPHASIS resource allocation method, 27-31
empty tables
dropping segments, 19-28
ENABLE PLUGGABLE DATABASE clause, 37-7
ENABLE_PLUGGABLE_DATABASE initialization
parameter, 37-9
enabling
chains, 29-47
jobs, 29-20
programs, 29-23
window groups, 29-63
windows, 29-60
enabling recoverer process
distributed transactions, 35-18
encryption
column, 20-22
tablespace, 13-8
encryption, transparent data, 2-46
enterprise users
definition, 31-20
environment variables
ORACLE_SID, 2-7
error logging, DML
inserting data with, 20-37
errors
alert log and, 8-1
assigning names with PRAGMA_EXCEPTION_
INIT, 33-8
critical, 9-1
exception handler, 33-8
integrity constrain violation, 33-2
ORA-00028, 5-24
ORA-01090, 3-11
ORA-01173, 10-7
ORA-01176, 10-7
ORA-01177, 10-7
ORA-01215, 10-7
ORA-01216, 10-7
ORA-01578, 14-15
ORA-01591, 35-17
ORA-02049, 35-17
ORA-02050, 35-6
ORA-02051, 35-6
ORA-02054, 35-6
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR()
procedure, 33-8
remote procedure, 33-8
rollback required, 33-2

Index-12

trace files and, 8-1
when creating control file, 10-7
while starting a database, 3-8
while starting an instance, 3-8
event message
passing to event-based job, 29-33
event schedule
altering, 29-33
creating, 29-33
event-based job
altering, 29-32
creating, 29-32
passing event messages to, 29-33
events
using to start Scheduler jobs, 29-29
events (Scheduler)
overview, 29-30
example
setting maximum utilization limit for plans and
subplans, 27-46
examples
managing parallel statement execution using
Resource Manager, 27-49
exception handler, 33-8
EXCEPTION keyword, 33-8
exceptions
assigning names with PRAGMA_EXCEPTION_
INIT, 33-8
integrity constraints, 18-15
user-defined, 33-9
executing
remote external jobs, 30-4
execution context identifier, 9-4
execution plans
analyzing for distributed queries, 33-6
export operations
restricted mode and, 3-8
expressions, calendaring, 29-26
EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL clause
CREATE DATABASE, 2-17
extents
allocating cluster extents, 22-6
allocating for tables, 20-44
data dictionary views for, 19-30
deallocating cluster extents, 22-6
displaying free extents, 19-32
external destinations, Oracle Scheduler
about, 28-6
creating, 29-7
external jobs
retrieving stdout and stderr, 28-18, 28-19, 29-14
external jobs, Oracle Scheduler, 28-17
external procedures
credentials, 5-22
directory objects, 5-22
managing processes for, 5-21
external tables
altering, 20-103
creating, 20-100
defined, 20-99

dropping, 20-105
privileges required, 20-105
uploading data example, 20-101

F
fast recovery area
as archive log destination, 12-7
initialization parameters to specify, 2-28
with Oracle managed files, 17-4
fault diagnosability infrastructure, 9-1
file mapping
examples, 14-26
how it works, 14-20
how to use, 14-23
overview, 14-19
structures, 14-21
views, 14-25
file system
used for Oracle managed files, 17-2
file watchers
about, 29-35
changing detection interval, 29-40
creating, 29-36
managing, 29-40
FILE_MAPPING initialization parameter, 14-24
filenames
Oracle Managed Files, 17-6
files
creating Oracle Managed Files, 17-6, 17-17
finalizing
an incident package, definition, 9-34
FINISH_REDEF_TABLE procedure
dml_lock_timeout parameter, 20-54
FIX_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure
DBMS_REPAIR, 25-2
example, 25-8
marking blocks corrupt, 25-5
fixed user database links
advantages and disadvantages, 31-13
creating, 32-8
definition, 31-12
example, 31-14
Flashback Drop
about, 20-85
purging recycle bin, 20-88
querying recycle bin, 20-87
recycle bin, 20-85
restoring objects, 20-88
Flashback Table
overview, 20-83
flood-controlled incidents
defined, 9-4
viewing, 9-20
FMON background process, 14-20
FMPUTL external process
used for file mapping, 14-21
FORCE clause
COMMIT statement, 35-8
ROLLBACK statement, 35-8

force full database caching mode, 6-22
disabling, 6-24
enabling, 6-24
prerequisites, 6-23
FORCE LOGGING clause
CREATE CONTROLFILE, 2-24
CREATE DATABASE, 2-23
CREATE TABLESPACE, 13-15
performance considerations, 2-24
FORCE LOGGING mode, 20-35
forcing
COMMIT or ROLLBACK, 35-3, 35-6
forcing a log switch, 11-14
using ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET, 11-9
with the ALTER SYSTEM statement, 11-14
forget phase
in two-phase commit, 34-11
free space
listing free extents, 19-32
tablespaces and, 13-32
full transportable export/import, 15-11
function-based indexes, 21-13

G
GDS configuration, 2-43
generic connectivity
definition, 31-4
global coordinators, 34-4
distributed transactions, 34-4
Global Data Services, 2-43
global database consistency
distributed databases and, 34-11
global database links, 31-11
creating, 32-8
global database names
changing the domain, 32-3
database links, 31-9
loopback, 31-10
enforcing for database links, 31-10
enforcing global naming, 32-2
forming distributed database names, 32-1
impact of changing, 31-31
querying, 32-3
global object names
database links, 31-26
distributed databases, 32-1
global users, 32-26
schema-dependent in distributed systems, 31-20
schema-independent in distributed
systems, 31-20
GLOBAL_NAME view
using to determine global database name, 32-3
GLOBAL_NAMES initialization parameter
database links, 31-10
globalization support
client/server architectures, 31-35
distributed databases, 31-34
GRANT statement
SYSOPER/SYSDBA privileges, 1-33

Index-13

granting privileges and roles
SYSOPER/SYSDBA privileges, 1-33
groups, Oracle Scheduler, 28-14
growth trends
of database objects, 19-33
GUID
PDBs, 36-2
GV$DBLINK view, 32-17

H
hash clusters
advantages and disadvantages, 23-1
altering, 23-9
choosing key, 23-6
contrasted with index clusters, 23-1
controlling space use of, 23-6
creating, 23-2
data dictionary views reference, 23-9
dropping, 23-9
estimating storage, 23-8
examples, 23-8
hash function, 23-1, 23-2, 23-3, 23-6, 23-7
HASH IS clause, 23-3, 23-6
HASHKEYS clause, 23-3, 23-7
single-table, 23-6
SIZE clause, 23-7
sorted, 23-3
hash functions
for hash cluster, 23-1
health checks, 9-2
Health Monitor, 9-22
checks, 9-23
generating reports, 9-25
running, 9-24
viewing reports, 9-25
viewing reports using ADRCI, 9-27
heterogeneous distributed systems
definition, 31-3
Heterogeneous Services
overview, 31-3
hints, 33-5
DRIVING_SITE, 33-6
NO_MERGE, 33-6
using to tune distributed queries, 33-5
HP OpenView, 31-23
Hybrid Columnar Compression, 20-5

I
IBM NetView/6000, 31-23
IM column store
See In-Memory Column Store
import operations
PDBs, 15-18, 15-22
restricted mode and, 3-8
incident package
correlated, 9-35
correlated, creating, editing, and uploading, 9-43
correlated, deleting, 9-44

Index-14

creating, editing and uploading custom, 9-32
customizing, 9-39, 9-40
defined, 9-2
viewing, 9-40
incident packaging service, 9-2
incidents
about, 9-3
flood-controlled, 9-4
viewing, 9-20
index clusters
See clusters
indexes
advanced index compression, 21-15
altering, 21-19
analyzing, 18-2
choosing columns to index, 21-3
cluster indexes, 22-5, 22-6, 22-7
coalescing, 21-8, 21-20
column order for performance, 21-4
creating, 21-9
data dictionary views reference, 21-25
deferred segment creation, 21-4
determining unusable status of, 21-21
disabling and dropping constraints cost, 21-9
dropping, 21-4, 21-24
estimating size, 21-4
estimating space use, 19-33
explicitly creating a unique index, 21-11
function-based, 21-13
guidelines for managing, 21-1
invisible, 21-6, 21-7
keeping when disabling constraint, 18-13
keeping when dropping constraint, 18-13
limiting for a table, 21-4
monitoring space use of, 21-23
monitoring usage, 21-23
multiple on a set of columns, 21-7
parallelizing index creation, 21-5
rebuilding, 21-8, 21-20
rebuilt after direct-path INSERT, 20-35
renaming, 21-23
setting storage parameters for, 21-4
shrinking, 19-25
space used by, 21-23
statement for creating, 21-10
tablespace for, 21-5
temporary segments and, 21-2
unusable, 21-6, 21-16, 21-20
validating structure, 18-3
when to create, 21-3
index-organized tables
analyzing, 20-97
AS subquery, 20-94
converting to heap, 20-99
creating, 20-91
described, 20-90
INCLUDING clause, 20-93
maintaining, 20-95
ORDER BY clause, using, 20-98
parallel creation, 20-94

prefix compression, 20-94
rebuilding with MOVE clause, 20-96
storing nested tables, 20-92
storing object types, 20-92
threshold value, 20-93
in-doubt transactions, 34-11
after a system failure, 35-6
automatic resolution, 34-12
deciding how to handle, 35-5
deciding whether to perform manual
override, 35-6
defined, 34-10
manual resolution, 34-13
manually committing, 35-8
manually committing, example, 35-11
manually overriding, 35-6, 35-8
manually overriding, scenario, 35-11
manually rolling back, 35-9
overview, 34-11
pending transactions table, 35-16
purging rows from data dictionary, 35-9, 35-10
recoverer process and, 35-18
rolling back, 35-8, 35-9
SCNs and, 34-14
simulating, 35-17
tracing session tree, 35-4
viewing database links, 35-2
INITIAL parameter
cannot alter, 20-42
initialization parameter file
about, 2-25
creating, 2-8
creating by copying and pasting from alert
log, 2-39
creating for database creation, 2-8
default locations, 3-3
editing before database creation, 2-24
individual parameter names, 2-27
sample, 2-26
search order, 3-3
server parameter file, 2-33
initialization parameters
about, 2-25
and database startup, 3-3
ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET, 11-9
changing, 2-36
clearing, 2-38
COMMIT_POINT_STRENGTH, 34-6, 35-1
CONTROL_FILES, 2-28, 10-2, 10-3
DB_BLOCK_CHECKING, 25-4
DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM, 11-14, 14-15
DB_BLOCK_SIZE, 2-29, 13-14
DB_CACHE_SIZE, 13-15
DB_DOMA, 2-27
DB_DOMAIN, 2-28
DB_FILES, 14-2
DB_NAME, 2-27
DB_nK_CACHE_SIZE, 13-14, 15-47
DISPATCHERS, 5-11
FILE_MAPPING, 14-24

GLOBAL_NAMES, 31-10
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST, 12-7
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n, 12-7, 12-12
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n, 12-9
LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES, 12-5
LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST, 12-11
LOG_ARCHIVE_TRACE, 12-13
OPEN_LINKS, 32-16
PROCESSES, 2-30
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE, 1-30
REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT, 31-12
resetting, 2-38
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN, 27-39
server parameter file and, 2-33, 2-39
SET SQL_TRACE, 8-4
setting, 2-36
shared server and, 5-6
SHARED_SERVERS, 5-8
SORT_AREA_SIZE, 21-2
SPFILE, 2-36, 3-4
SQL_TRACE, 8-1
STATISTICS_LEVEL, 20-40
UNDO_MANAGEMENT, 2-19
UNDO_TABLESPACE, 2-31, 16-2
INITRANS parameter
altering, 20-42
In-Memory Column Store
compression, 6-29
enabling for a database, 6-33
enabling for materialized views, 6-37
enabling for tables, 6-34
enabling for tablespaces, 6-36
Oracle Data Pump, 6-38
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, 6-38
population options, 6-30
INMEMORY_CLAUSE_DEFAULT parameter, 6-32
INMEMORY_FORCE parameter, 6-32
INMEMORY_MAX_POPULATE_SERVERS
parameter, 6-33
INMEMORY_QUERY parameter, 6-32
INMEMORY_SIZE parameter, 6-32
INMEMORY_TRICKLE_REPOPULATE_SERVERS_
PERCENT parameter, 6-33
INSERT statement
with DML error logging, 20-37
installing
patches, 1-5
instance caging, 27-51
with maximum utilization limit, 27-52
instances
aborting, 3-13
managing CPU for multiple, 27-51
shutting down immediately, 3-12
shutting down normally, 3-12
transactional shutdown, 3-13
integrity constraints
See also constraints
cost of disabling, 21-9
cost of dropping, 21-9
creating indexes associated with, 21-11

Index-15

dropping tablespaces and, 13-25
ORA-02055 constraint violation, 33-2
INTERNAL username
connecting for shutdown, 3-11
invisible columns, 20-20
invisible indexes, 21-6, 21-7
IOT
See index-organized tables
IPS, 9-2

J
job classes
altering, 29-55
creating, 29-54
dropping, 29-55
managing Scheduler job attributes, resources, and
priorities with, 29-53
overview, 28-10
viewing, 28-10
job coordinator, 28-25
job credentials, 29-6
job destination ID, defined, 29-16, 29-68
job log, Scheduler
viewing, 29-65
job recovery (Scheduler), 30-16
job scheduling
dependency, 28-2
event-based, 28-2
time-based, 28-1
JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES initialization
parameter, 28-26, A-1
jobs
altering, 29-15
copying, 29-20
creating, 29-2
creating and managing Scheduler, 29-2
creating for chains, 29-48
credentials, 28-8
database, 28-16
detached, 28-20
disabling, 29-19
dropping, 29-17
e-mail notifications, 29-70
enabling, 29-20
event-based, 29-32
external, 28-17
lightweight, 28-21
lightweight, example of creating, 29-5
monitoring, 29-64
monitoring with events raised by the
Scheduler, 29-68
multiple-destination, 28-23
status of child jobs, 30-11
overview, 28-5
priorities, 29-55
remote database, 28-16
remote external
about, 28-18
running, 29-15

Index-16

script jobs, 28-22
starting when a file arrives on a system, 29-34
starting with events raised by your
application, 29-30
status, 29-64, 30-24
stopping, 29-16
troubleshooting remote, 30-16
viewing information on running, 30-11
join views
definition, 24-3
DELETE statements, 24-9
key-preserved tables in, 24-7
modifying, 24-6
rules for modifying, 24-8
updating, 24-6
joins
statement transparency in distributed
databases, 32-23

K
key-preserved tables
in join views, 24-7
in outer joins, 24-10
keys
cluster, 22-1, 22-3
keystore, 13-9, 20-22

L
large objects, 20-27
lightweight jobs, 28-21
example of creating, 29-5
links
See database links
LIST CHAINED ROWS clause
of ANALYZE statement, 18-5
listeners
removing with srvctl, 4-61
listing database links, 32-16, 35-2, 35-4
loading data
using external tables, 20-101
LOBs, 20-27
local coordinators, 34-4
distributed transactions, 34-4
local users
definition, 36-2
locally managed tablespaces, 13-3
automatic segment space management in, 13-5
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package, 13-27
detecting and repairing defects, 13-27
migrating SYSTEM from
dictionary-managed, 13-30
shrinking, temporary, 13-23
temp files, 13-12
temporary, creating, 13-12
location transparency in distributed databases
creating using synonyms, 32-20
creating using views, 32-19
restrictions, 32-23

using procedures, 32-22
lock timeout interval
distributed transactions, 35-17
locks
in-doubt distributed transactions, 35-17
monitoring, 8-7
log
window (Scheduler), 29-56
log sequence number
control files, 11-3
log switches
description, 11-3
forcing, 11-14
log sequence numbers, 11-3
multiplexed redo log files and, 11-5
privileges, 11-14
using ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET, 11-9
waiting for archiving to complete, 11-5
log writer process (LGWR), 5-19
multiplexed redo log files and, 11-5
online redo logs available for use, 11-2
trace files and, 11-5
writing to online redo log files, 11-2
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST initialization parameter
specifying destinations using, 12-7
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization
parameter, 12-7
REOPEN attribute, 12-12
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n initialization
parameter, 12-9
LOG_ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST initialization
parameter
specifying destinations using, 12-7
LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES initialization
parameter, 12-5
LOG_ARCHIVE_MIN_SUCCEED_DEST initialization
parameter, 12-11
LOG_ARCHIVE_TRACE initialization
parameter, 12-13
LOGGING clause
CREATE TABLESPACE, 13-15
logging mode
direct-path INSERT, 20-34
NOARCHIVELOG mode and, 20-35
logging_clause, 38-10, 42-5
logical corruptions from DBMS_REPAIR, 25-4
logical standby, 28-28
logical volume managers
mapping files to physical devices, 14-19, 14-28
used for Oracle Managed Files, 17-2
LOGON trigger
setting resumable mode, 19-10
logs
job, 30-12
window (Scheduler), 29-56, 30-12
LONG columns, 32-24
LONG RAW columns, 32-24

M
maintenance tasks, automatic
See automatic maintenance tasks
maintenance window
creating, 26-5
definition, 26-1
MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_GROUP, 26-2
modifying, 26-4
predefined, 26-7
removing, 26-5
Scheduler, 26-2
managing
sequences, 24-13
space threshold alerts for the undo
tablespace, 16-11
synonyms, 24-17
tables, 20-1
views, 24-1
manual archiving
in ARCHIVELOG mode, 12-5
manual overrides
in-doubt transactions, 35-8
materialized views
In-Memory Column Store, 6-37
materializing deferred segments, 20-25
MAXDATAFILES parameter
changing, 10-5
MAXINSTANCES, 10-5
MAXLOGFILES parameter
changing, 10-5
CREATE DATABASE statement, 11-8
MAXLOGHISTORY parameter
changing, 10-5
MAXLOGMEMBERS parameter
changing, 10-5
CREATE DATABASE statement, 11-8
MAXTRANS parameter
altering, 20-42
media recovery
effects of archiving on, 12-2
migrated rows
eliminating from table, procedure, 18-5
MINEXTENTS parameter
cannot alter, 20-42
mirrored files
control files, 2-29, 10-2
online redo log, 11-5
online redo log location, 11-6
online redo log size, 11-7
MISSING data files, 10-7
monitoring
performance, 8-7
running chains, 29-52
MONITORING clause
CREATE TABLE, 20-40
MONITORING USAGE clause
of ALTER INDEX statement, 21-23
mounting a database, 3-7
moving control files, 10-4
multiple instances, managing CPU for, 27-51
Index-17

multiple jobs
dropping, 29-18
multiple temporary tablespaces, 13-13, 13-14
multiple-destination jobs, Oracle Scheduler, 28-23
status of child jobs, 30-11
multiplexed control files
importance of, 10-2
multiplexing
archived redo log files, 12-6
control files, 10-2
redo log file groups, 11-4
redo log files, 11-4
multitenant architecture, 35-1, 36-1
purpose of, 36-3
multitenant container databases
See CDBs
multitenant environment, 36-1

N
name resolution in distributed databases
database links, 31-26
impact of global name changes, 31-31
procedures, 31-30
schema objects, 31-16, 31-28
synonyms, 31-30
views, 31-30
when global database name is complete, 31-27
when global database name is partial, 31-27
when no global database name is specified, 31-27
named user limits
setting initially, 2-32
networks
connections, minimizing, 32-10
distributed databases use of, 31-1
NEXT parameter
altering, 20-42
NEXTVAL pseudo-column, 24-15
restrictions, 24-16
NO DATA clause, 38-11, 38-29
NO_DATA_FOUND keyword, 33-8
NO_MERGE hint, 33-6
NOARCHIVELOG mode
archiving, 12-2
definition, 12-2
dropping data files, 14-7
LOGGING mode and, 20-35
media failure, 12-2
no hot backups, 12-2
running in, 12-2
switching to, 12-4
taking data files offline in, 14-7
NOCACHE option
CREATE SEQUENCE statement, 24-17
NOLOGGING clause
CREATE TABLESPACE, 13-15
NOLOGGING mode
direct-path INSERT, 20-34
noncdb_to_pdb.sql script, 38-31, 38-46
non-CDBs

Index-18

cloning as PDBs, 38-19
moving to PDBs, 38-43
normal transmission mode
definition, 12-10
Novell NetWare Management System, 31-23

O
object privileges
for external tables, 20-105
objects
See schema objects
offline tablespaces
priorities, 13-16
taking offline, 13-16
online redefinition of tables, 20-49
abort and cleanup, 20-58
examples, 20-61
features of, 20-50
intermediate synchronization, 20-58
redefining a single partition
rules for, 20-60
redefining partitions, 20-60
restrictions, 20-58
Virtual Private Database policies, 20-55
with DBMS_REDEFINITION, 20-51
online redo log files
See online redo logs
online redo logs
See also redo log files
creating groups, 11-10
creating members, 11-11
data dictionary views reference, 11-15
dropping groups, 11-12
dropping members, 11-12
forcing a log switch, 11-14
guidelines for configuring, 11-4
INVALID members, 11-13
location of, 11-6
managing, 11-1
moving files, 11-11
number of files in the, 11-8
optimum configuration for the, 11-8
renaming files, 11-11
renaming members, 11-11
specifying ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET, 11-9
STALE members, 11-13
online segment shrink, 19-25
open modes
PDBs, 40-21
OPEN_LINKS initialization parameter, 32-16
opening windows, 29-58
operating system authentication, 1-23
operating systems
database administrators requirements for, 1-14
renaming and relocating files, 14-12
OPTIMIZER_INMEMORY_AWARE
parameter, 6-33
ORA-01013 error message, 3-14
ORA-02055 error

integrity constraint violation, 33-2
ORA-02067 error
rollback required, 33-2
ORA-12838 error, direct path insert, 20-34
Oracle Call Interface
See OCI
Oracle Data Guard
CDBs, 40-4
support by the Scheduler, 28-28, 30-22
Oracle Data Pump
In-Memory Column Store, 6-38
Oracle Database
release numbers, 1-13
Oracle Database users
types of, 1-1
Oracle Database Vault
CDBs, 40-4
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, 3-2
In-Memory Column Store, 6-38
Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express
CDBs, 37-15
Oracle home
cloning, 1-6
Oracle Managed Files, 37-8
adding to an existing database, 17-23
behavior, 17-18
benefits, 17-3
CREATE DATABASE statement, 17-7
creating, 17-6
creating control files, 17-15
creating data files, 17-12
creating online redo log files, 17-16
creating temp files, 17-14
described, 17-1
dropping data file, 17-18
dropping online redo log files, 17-18
dropping temp file, 17-18
initialization parameters, 17-3
introduction, 2-20
renaming, 17-19
Oracle managed files
naming, 17-6
scenarios for using, 17-19
Oracle Managed Files feature
See Oracle managed files
Oracle Multitenant option, 35-1
Oracle Restart
about, 4-2
configuration
adding components to, 4-12
modifying, 4-16
removing components from, 4-13
viewing for a component, 4-15
configuring, 4-9
CRSCTL utility, 4-3
disabling and enabling management for a
component, 4-14
environment variables in, 4-16
patches
installing, 4-24

registering a component with, 4-12
starting, 4-3
starting and stopping components managed
by, 4-24
Oracle home, 4-24
status of components, 4-15
stopping, 4-3
Oracle Scheduler
creating credentials, 29-6
Oracle Scheduler Agent, 30-4
Oracle Scheduler agent
on Windows, 30-9
OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent, 30-9
tasks, 30-8
Windows Service, 30-9
Oracle Scheduler agents
registering with databases, 30-9
Oracle Universal Installer, 2-2, 37-1
ORACLE_SID environment variable, 2-7
OracleSchedulerExecutionAgent, 30-9
ORADIM
creating an instance, 2-9
enabling automatic instance startup, 2-16
oraenv and coraenv, 1-8
ORAPWD utility, 1-25
ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL clause
of CREATE TABLE, 20-100
orphan key table
example of building, 25-7
OSBACKUPDBA group, 1-21
OSDBA group, 1-21
OSDGDBA group, 1-21
OSKMDBA group, 1-21
OSOPER group, 1-21
OTHER_GROUPS
for Database Resource Manager, 27-4
OTHER_GROUPS for Database Resource
Manager, 27-36, 27-37, 27-51
outer joins, 24-10
key-preserved tables in, 24-10
overlapping windows, 28-12

P
package
See incident package
packages
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER, 14-15
DBMS_METADATA, 18-25
DBMS_REDEFINITION, 20-51, 20-82
DBMS_REPAIR, 25-2
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER, 27-4, 27-7,
27-13
DBMS_RESOURCE_MANAGER_PRIVS, 27-7
DBMS_RESUMABLE, 19-11
DBMS_SPACE, 19-28, 19-29
DBMS_STATS, 18-3, 20-40
DBMS_STORAGE_MAP, 14-25
packaging and uploading problems, 9-35
parallel execution

Index-19

managing, 5-19
parallel hints, 5-20
parallelizing index creation, 21-5
resumable space allocation, 19-8
parallel hints, 5-20
parallel statement execution
directive attributes for managing, 27-49
managing using Resource Manager, 27-25
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_ABSOLUTE resource
allocation method, 27-31
parallelizing table creation, 20-4, 20-29
parameter files
See initialization parameter file
partitioned tables, 20-4
moving a partition online, 20-44
redefining partitions online, 20-60
rules for, 20-60
password
setting for SYSTEM account in CREATE
DATABASE statement, 2-17
setting SYS in CREATE DATABASE
statement, 2-17
password file
adding users, 1-32
creating, 1-25
ORAPWD utility, 1-25
removing, 1-34
setting REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORD, 1-30
synchronizing administrator passwords with the
data dictionary, 1-31
viewing members, 1-33
password file authentication, 1-23
passwords
case sensitivity of, 1-19, 1-24
password file, 1-32
setting REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORD
parameter, 1-30
patches
installing, 1-5
Oracle Restart, 4-24
PATH_PREFIX clause, 38-7
pausing chains and chain steps, 29-51
PCTINCREASE parameter, 20-42
PDB resource plans, 44-7
PDB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter, 37-8
pdb_force_logging_clause, 42-6
PDB_PLUG_IN_VIOLATIONS view, 40-22
pdb_save_or_discard_state clause, 40-28
PDBs, 35-1, 36-1
administering, 42-1
ALTER SYSTEM statement, 42-13
CDB resource plans, 44-3
creating, 44-10
directives, 44-5
disabling, 44-14
enabling, 44-13
managing, 44-16
shares, 44-3
utilization limits, 44-4

Index-20

viewing information about, 44-22
cloning, 38-19
compatibility violations, 40-22
connecting to, 40-10, 42-3
ALTER SESSION statement, 40-13
CONNECT command, 40-11
creating using the seed, 38-12
current container, 40-1
Database Resource Manager, 44-1
DBMS_SQL package, 40-15
definition, 36-1
dropping, 38-49
EM Express, 37-15
executing PL/SQL code, 40-15
GUID, 36-2
import operations, 15-18, 15-22
modifying, 42-4
moving non-CDBs into, 38-43, 38-44
open mode, 40-21, 43-7
preserving on restart, 40-28
PDB resource plans, 44-7
creating, 44-15
disabling, 44-16
modifying, 44-22
PDBs resource plans
enabling, 44-15
plugging in, 38-33
CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE
statement, 38-3
methods for, 38-2
preparing for, 38-12
prerequisites for, 36-4
purpose of, 36-3
renaming, 42-10
services, 42-15
SHUTDOWN command, 42-11, 42-12
shutting down, 40-38
STARTUP command, 40-26, 42-11
tools for, 36-6
unplugging, 38-47
views, 43-3
pending area for Database Resource Manager
plans, 27-39
validating plan schema changes, 27-37
pending transaction tables, 35-16
performance
index column order, 21-4
location of data files and, 14-4
monitoring, 8-7
plan schemas for Database Resource
Manager, 27-20, 27-39, 27-54
validating plan changes, 27-37
plans for Database Resource Manager
examples, 27-40
PL/SQL
replaced views and program units, 24-4
pluggable databases
See PDBs
PRAGMA_EXCEPTION_INIT procedure
assigning exception names, 33-8

predefined user accounts, 2-45
prefix compression, 20-94, 21-14
prepare phase
abort response, 34-9
in two-phase commit, 34-8
prepared response, 34-9
read-only response, 34-9
recognizing read-only nodes, 34-9
steps, 34-10
prepare/commit phases
effects of failure, 35-17
failures during, 35-6
locked resources, 35-17
pending transaction table, 35-16
prepared response
two-phase commit, 34-9
prerequisites
for creating a database, 2-4
PRIMARY KEY constraints
associated indexes, 21-11
dropping associated indexes, 21-24
enabling on creation, 21-11
foreign key references when dropped, 18-13
indexes associated with, 21-11
priorities
job, 29-55
private database links, 31-11
private synonyms, 24-17
privileges
adding redo log groups, 11-10
altering index, 21-19
altering tables, 20-41
closing a database link, 33-2
creating database links, 32-6
creating tables, 20-26
creating tablespaces, 13-2
database administrator, 1-14
drop table, 20-84
dropping indexes, 21-24
dropping online redo log members, 11-13
dropping redo log groups, 11-12
enabling and disabling triggers, 18-9
for external tables, 20-105
forcing a log switch, 11-14
managing with procedures, 32-23
managing with synonyms, 32-21
managing with views, 32-20
manually archiving, 12-5
renaming objects, 18-17
renaming redo log members, 11-11
RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege, 3-8
Scheduler, 30-23
sequences, 24-13, 24-17
setting chain (Scheduler), 30-2
synonyms, 24-18, 24-19
taking tablespaces offline, 13-16
truncating, 18-7
using a view, 24-5
using sequences, 24-14
views, 24-2, 24-4, 24-12

problem activity log
adding comments to, 9-18
problems
about, 9-3
adding comments to activity log, 9-18
problems (critical errors)
packaging and uploading, 9-35
procedures
external, 5-21
location transparency in distributed
databases, 32-21
name resolution in distributed databases, 31-30
remote calls, 31-34
process monitor (PMON), 5-19
processes
See server processes
PROCESSES initialization parameter
setting before database creation, 2-30
PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION view, 1-13
programs
altering, 29-22
creating, 29-21
creating and managing, to define Scheduler
jobs, 29-20
disabling, 29-23
dropping, 29-23
enabling, 29-23
overview, 28-4
public database links, 31-11
connected user, 32-25
fixed user, 32-25
public fixed user database links, 32-25
public synonyms, 24-17
PURGE_LOST_DB_ENTRY procedure
DBMS_TRANSACTION package, 35-10

Q
queries
distributed, 31-24
distributed application development issues, 33-2
location transparency and, 31-33
remote, 31-24
question mark, 2-15
quiescing a database, 3-14
quotas
tablespace, 13-2

R
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR() procedure, 33-8
read consistency
managing in distributed databases, 35-19
read-only database
opening, 3-10
read-only databases
limitations, 3-10
read-only response
two-phase commit, 34-9
read-only tables, 20-48

Index-21

read-only tablespaces
data file headers when rename, 13-24
delaying opening of data files, 13-21
making read-only, 13-18
making writable, 13-20
WORM devices, 13-20
Real Application Clusters
allocating extents for cluster, 22-6
sequence numbers and, 24-14
threads of online redo log, 11-1
rebuilding indexes, 21-20
costs, 21-8
online, 21-20
reclaiming unused space, 19-13
RECOVER clause
STARTUP command, 3-9
recoverer process, 5-19
disabling, 35-18
distributed transaction recovery, 35-18
enabling, 35-18
pending transaction table, 35-18
recovering
Scheduler jobs, 30-16
recovery
creating new control files, 10-5
Recovery Manager
starting a database, 3-2
starting an instance, 3-2
recycle bin
about, 20-85
purging, 20-88
renamed objects, 20-86
restoring objects from, 20-88
viewing, 20-87
REDEF_TABLE procedure, 20-51
example, 20-62
redefining tables online
See online redefinition of tables
redo log files
See also online redo logs
active (current), 11-3
archiving, 12-2
available for use, 11-2
block size, setting, 11-7
circular use of, 11-2
clearing, 11-5, 11-15
contents of, 11-2
creating as Oracle Managed Files, 17-16
creating as Oracle Managed Files, example, 17-21
creating groups, 11-10
creating members, 11-10, 11-11
distributed transaction information in, 11-2
dropping groups, 11-12
dropping members, 11-12
group members, 11-4
groups, defined, 11-4
how many in redo log, 11-8
inactive, 11-3
instance recovery use of, 11-1
legal and illegal configurations, 11-5

Index-22

LGWR and the, 11-2
log switches, 11-3
maximum number of members, 11-8
members, 11-4
mirrored, log switches and, 11-5
multiplexed, 11-4, 11-5
online, defined, 11-1
planning the, 11-4
redo entries, 11-2
requirements, 11-5
specifying at database creation, 17-8
storing separately from data files, 14-4
threads, 11-1
unavailable when database is opened, 3-6
verifying blocks, 11-14
redo logs
See online redo log
See redo log files
redo records, 11-2
LOGGING and NOLOGGING, 13-15
referential integrity
distributed database application
development, 33-2
release number format, 1-13
releases, 1-13
checking the Oracle Database release
number, 1-13
relocating control files, 10-4
remote data
querying, 32-23
updating, 32-23
remote database jobs, 28-16
Scheduler agent setup, 30-7
remote external jobs
about, 28-18
executing, 30-4
Scheduler agent setup, 30-7
remote procedure calls, 31-34
distributed databases and, 31-33
remote queries
distributed databases and, 31-24
remote transactions, 31-25
defined, 31-25
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE initialization
parameter, 1-30
REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT initialization parameter
connected user database links, 31-12
RENAME statement, 18-17
renaming control files, 10-4
renaming files
Oracle Managed Files, 17-19
renaming indexes, 21-23
REOPEN attribute
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization
parameter, 12-12
repair table
example of building, 25-6
repairing data block corruption
DBMS_REPAIR, 25-1
repeat interval, schedule, 29-25

RESIZE clause
for single-file tablespace, 13-22
resource allocation methods
active session pool, 27-31
ACTIVE_SESS_POOL_MTH, 27-31
CPU, 27-20
CPU resource, 27-31
EMPHASIS, 27-31
limit on degree of parallelism, 27-31
MAX_UTILIZATION_METHOD, 27-21
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_ABSOLUTE, 27-31
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_MTH, 27-31
PARALLEL_DEGREE_LIMIT_P1, 27-23
PARALLEL_QUEUE_TIMEOUT, 27-24
PARALLEL_STMT_CRITICAL, 27-23
QUEUEING_MTH, 27-31
queuing resource allocation method, 27-31
ROUND-ROBIN, 27-30
resource consumer groups, 27-3
changing, 27-13
creating, 27-30
DEFAULT_CONSUMER_GROUP, 27-18, 27-53
deleting, 27-53
granting the switch privilege, 27-18
managing, 27-8, 27-14
OTHER_GROUPS, 27-4, 27-36, 27-37, 27-51
parameters, 27-30
revoking the switch privilege, 27-19
setting initial, 27-8
switching a session, 27-13
switching sessions for a user, 27-13
SYS_GROUP, 27-51
updating, 27-53
Resource Manager
AUTO_TASK_CONSUMER_GROUP consumer
group, 26-6
managing parallel statement execution, 27-25
resource plan directives, 27-3, 27-37
deleting, 27-55
for managing parallel statement execution, 27-49
specifying, 27-32
updating, 27-54
resource plans, 27-3, 27-6
CDB, 44-3
creating, 27-27
DEFAULT_MAINTENANCE_PLAN, 26-6
DELETE_PLAN_CASCADE, 27-54
deleting, 27-54
examples, 27-40
parameters, 27-31
PDB, 44-7
plan schemas, 27-20, 27-39, 27-54
SYSTEM_PLAN, 27-50
top plan, 27-37, 27-39
updating, 27-53
validating, 27-37
RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization
parameter, 27-39
RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege
restricted mode and, 3-8

resumable space allocation
correctable errors, 19-7
detecting suspended statements, 19-10
disabling, 19-8
distributed databases, 19-7
enabling, 19-8
example, 19-12
how resumable statements work, 19-5
naming statements, 19-9
parallel execution and, 19-8
resumable operations, 19-6
setting as default for session, 19-10
timeout interval, 19-9, 19-10
RESUMABLE_TIMEOUT initialization
parameter, 19-6
setting, 19-8
retention guarantee (for undo), 16-4
reversing table changes, 20-83
RMAN
See Recovery Manager
roles
DBA role, 1-16
obtained through database links, 31-16
ROLLBACK statement
FORCE clause, 35-8, 35-9
forcing, 35-6
rollbacks
ORA-02, 33-2
rolling upgrade, 28-28
root container
definition, 36-1
modifying, 40-20
ROUND-ROBIN resource allocation method,
rows
listing chained or migrated, 18-4
rules
adding to a chain, 29-44
dropping from chains, 29-49
running
chains, 29-49
jobs, 29-15
SQL Repair Advisor, 9-30

27-30

S
Sample Schemas
description, 2-47
savepoints
in-doubt transactions, 35-8, 35-9
schagent utility, 30-8
Scheduler
administering, 30-1
architecture, 28-24
CDB, 46-1
closing a PDB, 46-2
configuring, 30-1
credentials for jobs, 28-8
data dictionary views reference, 30-24
e-mail notifications, 29-70
examples of using, 30-17

Index-23

import and export, 30-14
invocations to CDB, 46-1
maintenance window, 26-2
monitoring and managing, 30-10
monitoring jobs, 29-64
objects, 28-3
overview, 28-1
security, 30-14
support for Oracle Data Guard, 28-28, 30-22
troubleshooting, 30-15
job does not run, 30-15
using in RAC, 28-27
using job coordinator in CDB, 46-1
using slave processes in CDB, 46-1
Views, new and changed, 46-2
Scheduler agent, 30-4
configuration, 30-7
installation, 30-7
setup, 30-7
Scheduler chain condition syntax, 29-44
Scheduler job credentials
specifying, 29-6
Scheduler objects, naming, 29-1
Scheduler privileges reference, 30-23
SCHEDULER_BATCH_ERRORS view, 29-19
schedules
altering, 29-25
creating, 29-24
creating and managing, to define Scheduler
jobs, 29-24
dropping, 29-25
overview, 28-4
schema objects
analyzing, 18-2
creating multiple objects, 18-1
data dictionary views reference, 18-26
defining using DBMS_METADATA
package, 18-25
dependencies between, 18-17
distributed database naming conventions
for, 31-16
global names, 31-16
listing by type, 18-26
name resolution in distributed databases, 31-16,
31-28
name resolution in SQL statements, 18-20
privileges to rename, 18-17
referencing with synonyms, 32-20
renaming, 18-17
validating structure, 18-3
viewing information, 18-25, 19-29
schema objects space usage
data dictionary views reference, 19-30
SCN
See system change number
SCOPE clause
ALTER SYSTEM SET, 2-36
script jobs, 28-22
scripts, authenticating users in, 2-46
security

Index-24

accessing a database, 7-1
administrator of, 7-1
centralized user management in distributed
databases, 31-19
database security, 7-1
distributed databases, 31-18
establishing policies, 7-1
privileges, 7-1
remote objects, 32-20
Scheduler, 30-14
using synonyms, 32-21
SEED FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 37-7
seed PDB, 36-1
Segment Advisor, 19-14
configuring Scheduler job, 19-24
invoking with Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control, 19-16
invoking with PL/SQL, 19-17
running manually, 19-15
viewing results, 19-19
views, 19-25
SEGMENT_FIX_STATUS procedure
DBMS_REPAIR, 25-2
segments
available space, 19-29
data dictionary views for, 19-30
deallocating unused space, 19-13
displaying information on, 19-30
dropping for empty tables, 19-28
shrinking, 19-25
SELECT statement
FOR UPDATE clause and location
transparency, 32-23
SEQUENCE_CACHE_ENTRIES parameter, 24-16
sequences
accessing, 24-14
altering, 24-14
caching sequence numbers, 24-16
creating, 24-13, 24-16, 24-17
CURRVAL, 24-15
data dictionary views reference, 24-19
dropping, 24-17
managing, 24-13
NEXTVAL, 24-15
Oracle Real Applications Clusters and, 24-14
SERVER parameter
net service name, 32-12
server parameter file
creating, 2-34
defined, 2-33
exporting, 2-38
migrating to, 2-34
recovering, 2-39
RMAN backup, 2-38
setting initialization parameter values, 2-36
SPFILE initialization parameter, 2-36
STARTUP command behavior, 2-34
viewing parameter settings, 2-39
server processes
archiver (ARCn), 5-19

background, 5-18
checkpoint (CKPT), 5-19
database writer (DBWn), 5-19
dedicated, 5-1
dispatcher (Dnnn), 5-19
dispatchers, 5-11
log writer (LGWR), 5-19
monitoring locks, 8-7
process monitor (PMON), 5-19
recoverer (RECO), 5-19
shared server, 5-2
system monitor (SMON), 5-19
trace files for, 8-1
server-generated alerts, 8-4
servers
role in two-phase commit, 34-4
service names
database links and, 32-10
services
controlling automatic startup of, 3-4
creating with SRVCTL and Oracle Restart, 4-18
PDBs, 42-15
role-based, 3-5
session trees for distributed transactions
clients, 34-4
commit point site, 34-5, 34-6
database servers, 34-4
definition, 34-3
global coordinators, 34-4
local coordinators, 34-4
tracing transactions, 35-4
sessions
active, 5-24
inactive, 5-25
setting advice for transactions, 35-7
terminating, 5-23
SET TIME_ZONE clause
ALTER SESSION, 2-22
CREATE DATABASE, 2-22
SET TRANSACTION statement
naming transactions, 35-2
SGA
See system global area
shared database links
configuring, 32-12
creating, 32-12
dedicated servers, creating links to, 32-12
determining whether to use, 32-11
example, 31-14
shared servers, creating links to, 32-13
SHARED keyword
CREATE DATABASE LINK statement, 32-12
shared server, 5-2
configuring dispatchers, 5-9
data dictionary views reference, 5-14
disabling, 5-8, 5-14
initialization parameters, 5-6
interpreting trace output, 8-4
setting minimum number of servers, 5-8
trace files for processes, 8-1

shared SQL
for remote and distributed statements, 31-25
shrinking segments online, 19-25
shutdown
default mode, 3-12
SHUTDOWN command
closing a PDB, 42-11
IMMEDIATE clause, 3-12
interrupting, 3-14
NORMAL clause, 3-12
PDBs, 42-12
shutting down an instance
CDBs, 40-38
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
support
database management, 31-23
single-file tablespaces
description, 13-6
single-instance
defined, 2-6
single-table hash clusters, 23-6
site autonomy
distributed databases, 31-17
SKIP_CORRUPT_BLOCKS procedure, 25-5
DBMS_REPAIR, 25-2
example, 25-9
skipping chain steps, 29-52
SNAPSHOT COPY clause, 38-24
snapshot too old error, 16-4
SORT_AREA_SIZE initialization parameter
index creation and, 21-2
SOURCE_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause, 38-7
space
deallocating unused, 19-28
reclaiming unused, 19-13
space allocation
resumable, 19-5
space management
data types, space requirements, 19-29
deallocating unused space, 19-13
Segment Advisor, 19-13
shrink segment, 19-13
space usage alerts for tablespaces, 19-2
SPACE_ERROR_INFO procedure, 19-10
SPFILE initialization parameter, 2-36
specifying from client system, 3-4
SQL
submitting, 1-6
SQL failure
repairing with SQL Repair Advisor, 9-29
SQL patch
disabling, 9-31
removing, 9-31
viewing, 9-31
SQL Repair Advisor
about, 9-29
repairing SQL failure with, 9-29
running, 9-30
SQL scripts
CDBs, 40-33

Index-25

SQL statements
distributed databases and, 31-24
SQL test case builder, 9-3
SQL_TRACE initialization parameter
trace files and, 8-1
SQL*Loader
about, 1-35, 20-31
SQL*Plus, 1-6
about, 1-7
connecting with, 1-7
starting, 3-5
starting a database, 3-2
starting an instance, 3-2
SRVCTL
add asm command, 4-31
add command, usage description, 4-31
add database command, 4-32
add listener command, 4-35
add ons command, 4-35
adding a disk group with, 4-31
case sensitivity, 4-29, 4-83
case sensitivity of commands, 4-29, 4-83
command reference, 4-29
commands
downgrade database, 4-47
upgrade database, 4-81, 4-82
commands, case sensitivity, 4-29, 4-83
component names, 4-30
config asm command, 4-40
config command, usage description, 4-40
config database command, 4-40
config listener command, 4-41
config ons command, 4-42
config service command, 4-42
creating and deleting databases services
with, 4-18
disable asm command, 4-44
disable command, usage description, 4-44
disable database command, 4-44
disable diskgroup command, 4-45
disable listener command, 4-45
disable ons command, 4-45
disable service command, 4-46
enable asm command, 4-48
enable command, usage description, 4-48
enable database command, 4-48
enable diskgroup command, 4-49
enable listener command, 4-49
enable ons command, 4-49
enable service command, 4-50
getenv asm command, 4-51
getenv command, usage description, 4-51
getenv database command, 4-51
getenv listener command, 4-52
help for, 4-11
modify asm command, 4-53
modify command, usage description, 4-53
modify database command, 4-54
modify listener command, 4-54
modify ons command, 4-55

Index-26

modify service command, 4-55
preparing to run, 4-10
reference, 4-29
remove asm command, 4-60
remove command, usage description, 4-60
remove database command, 4-61
remove diskgroup command, 4-61
remove listener command, 4-61
remove ons command, 4-62
remove service command, 4-62
setenv asm command, 4-63
setenv command, usage description, 4-63
setenv database command, 4-64
setenv listener command, 4-65
start asm command, 4-66
start command, usage description, 4-66
start database command, 4-67
start diskgroup command, 4-67
start home command, 4-68
start listener command, 4-68
start ons command, 4-68
start service command, 4-69
status asm command, 4-70
status command, usage description, 4-70
status database command, 4-70
status diskgroup command, 4-71
status home command, 4-71
status listener command, 4-72
status ons command, 4-72
status service command, 4-72
stop asm command, 4-74
stop command, usage description, 4-74
stop database command, 4-75
stop diskgroup command, 4-75
stop home command, 4-76
stop listener command, 4-76
stop ons command, 4-77
stop service command, 4-77
unsetenv asm command, 4-79
unsetenv command, usage description, 4-79
unsetenv database command, 4-80
unsetenv listener command, 4-80
SRVCTL stop option
default, 3-12
STALE status
of redo log members, 11-13
stalled chain (Scheduler), 29-53
standby database
CDBs, 40-4
standby transmission mode
definition of, 12-10
STANDBYS clause, 38-11
starting a database, 3-1
forcing, 3-8
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, 3-2
recovery and, 3-9
Recovery Manager, 3-2
restricted mode, 3-7
SQL*Plus, 3-2
when control files unavailable, 3-6

when redo logs unavailable, 3-6
starting an instance
automatically at system startup, 3-9
database closed and mounted, 3-7
database name conflicts and, 2-27
forcing, 3-8
mounting and opening the database, 3-7
normally, 3-7
Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, 3-2
recovery and, 3-9
Recovery Manager, 3-2
remote instance startup, 3-9
restricted mode, 3-7
SQL*Plus, 3-2
when control files unavailable, 3-6
when redo logs unavailable, 3-6
without mounting a database, 3-7
startup
of database services, controlling, 3-4
STARTUP command
default behavior, 2-34
NOMOUNT clause, 2-11
PDBs, 40-26, 42-11
RECOVER clause, 3-9
starting a database, 3-2, 3-6
starting a PDB, 42-11
statement transparency in distributed database
managing, 32-23
statistics
automatically collecting for tables, 20-40
STATISTICS_LEVEL initialization parameter
automatic statistics collection, 20-40
Database Resource Manager, 27-3
stderr
for local external jobs, 28-18, 28-19
retrieving, 28-18, 28-19
stdout
for local external jobs, 28-18, 28-19
retrieving, 28-18, 28-19, 29-14
steps, chain
dropping, 29-50
stopping
chain steps, 29-50
chains, 29-50
jobs, 29-16
STORAGE clause, 38-4
storage parameters
INITIAL, 20-42
INITRANS, altering, 20-42
MAXTRANS, altering, 20-42
MINEXTENTS, 20-42
NEXT, 20-42
PCTINCREASE, 20-42
storage subsystems
mapping files to physical devices, 14-19, 14-28
stored procedures
managing privileges, 32-23
remote object security, 32-23
submitting SQL and commands to the database, 1-6
subqueries

in remote updates, 31-24
statement transparency in distributed
databases, 32-23
SunSoft SunNet Manager, 31-23
Support Workbench, 9-7
for Oracle ASM instance, 9-19
viewing problems with, 9-19
SWITCH LOGFILE clause
ALTER SYSTEM statement, 11-14
synonyms, 24-18
creating, 24-18, 32-20
data dictionary views reference, 24-19
definition and creation, 32-20
displaying dependencies of, 18-26
dropping, 24-19
examples, 32-21
location transparency in distributed
databases, 32-20
managing, 24-17, 24-19
managing privileges in remote database, 32-21
name resolution in distributed databases, 31-30
private, 24-17
public, 24-17
remote object security, 32-21
SYS account, 1-14
objects owned, 1-15
specifying password for CREATE DATABASE
statement, 2-17
SYS_GROUP for Database Resource Manager, 27-51
SYSAUX tablespace, 13-2
about, 2-18
cannot rename, 13-24
creating at database creation, 2-13, 2-18
creating for CDBs, 37-12
DATAFILE clause, 2-18
monitoring occupants, 13-26
moving occupants, 13-26
SYSBACKUP account, 1-14, 1-15
connecting as, 1-17
SYSBACKUP administrative privilege, 1-18
SYSDBA account
connecting as, 1-17
SYSDBA administrative privilege, 1-18
adding users to the password file, 1-32
determining who has privileges, 1-33
granting and revoking, 1-33
SYSDG account, 1-14, 1-15
connecting as, 1-17
SYSDG administrative privilege, 1-18
SYSKM account, 1-14, 1-15
connecting as, 1-17
SYSKM administrative privilege, 1-18
SYSOPER account
connecting as, 1-17
SYSOPER administrative privilege, 1-18
adding users to the password file, 1-32
determining who has privileges, 1-33
granting and revoking, 1-33
SYSTEM account, 1-14
objects owned, 1-15

Index-27

specifying password for CREATE
DATABASE, 2-17
system change numbers
coordination in a distributed database
system, 34-11
in-doubt transactions, 35-8
using V$DATAFILE to view information
about, 14-29
when assigned, 11-2
system global area
holds sequence number cache
system monitor process (SMON), 5-19
system privileges
ADMINISTER_RESOURCE_MANAGER, 27-7
for external tables, 20-105
SYSTEM tablespace
cannot rename, 13-24
creating at database creation, 2-13
creating for CDBs, 37-11
creating locally managed, 2-13, 2-17, 37-12
restrictions on taking offline, 14-6
when created, 13-2
SYSTEM_PLAN for Database Resource
Manager, 27-50

T
table size
estimating, 19-32
tables
about, 20-1
adding columns, 20-45
allocating extents, 20-44
altering, 20-41
altering physical attributes, 20-42
analyzing, 18-2
attribute-clustered, 20-17
compressed, 20-5
creating, 20-26
data dictionary views reference, 20-105
deferred segment creation, 20-23
designing before creating, 20-3
dropping, 20-84
dropping columns, 20-46
estimating size, 20-26
estimating space use, 19-32
external, 20-99
Flashback Drop, 20-85
Flashback Table, 20-83
guidelines for managing, 20-2
hash clustered
See hash clusters
increasing column length, 20-45
index-organized, 20-90
In-Memory Column Store, 6-34
invisible columns, 20-20
key-preserved, 24-7
limiting indexes on, 21-4
managing, 20-1
modifying column definition, 20-45

Index-28

moving, 20-42
parallelizing creation, 20-4, 20-29
partitions, 20-4
moving online, 20-44
read-only, 20-48
redefining online, 20-49
renaming columns, 20-46
researching and reversing erroneous changes
to, 20-83
restrictions when creating, 20-26
setting storage parameters, 20-26
shrinking, 19-25
specifying location, 20-4
statistics collection, automatic, 20-40
temporary, 20-28
truncating, 18-6
unrecoverable (NOLOGGING), 20-4
validating structure, 18-3
zone maps, 20-19
tablespace set, 15-25
tablespaces
adding data files, 14-4
assigning user quotas, 13-2
autoextending, 13-21
automatic segment space management, 13-5
bigfile, 2-21, 13-6
checking default storage parameters, 13-31
compressed, 13-8
containing XMLTypes, 15-9
creating undo tablespace at database
creation, 2-19, 2-22
data dictionary views reference, 13-30
DBMS_SPACE_ADMIN package, 13-27
default temporary tablespace, creating, 2-19, 2-22
detecting and repairing defects, 13-27
diagnosing and repairing problems in locally
managed, 13-27
dictionary managed, 13-8
dropping, 13-25
encrypted, 13-8
guidelines for managing, 13-1
increasing size, 13-21
In-Memory Column Store, 6-36
listing files of, 13-31
listing free space in, 13-32
locally managed, 13-3
locally managed SYSTEM, 2-17
locally managed temporary, 13-12
location, 14-4
migrating SYSTEM to locally managed, 13-30
on a WORM device, 13-20
Oracle Managed Files, managing, 17-22, 17-23
overriding default type, 2-22
quotas, assigning, 13-2
read-only, 13-18
renaming, 13-21, 13-24
setting default type, 2-21
single-file, 2-21, 2-22, 13-6, 13-22
space usage alerts, 19-2
specifying nonstandard block sizes, 13-14

SYSAUX, 13-2, 13-24
SYSAUX creation, 2-18
SYSAUX, managing, 13-25
SYSTEM, 13-2, 13-4, 13-18, 13-30
taking offline normal, 13-16
taking offline temporarily, 13-16
temp files in locally managed, 13-12
temporary, 13-10, 13-14
temporary bigfile, 13-12
temporary for creating large indexes, 21-12
undo, 16-1
using multiple, 13-2
using Oracle Managed Files, 17-12
temp files, 13-12
creating as Oracle managed, 17-14
dropping, 14-14
dropping Oracle managed, 17-18
TEMP_UNDO_ENABLED parameter, 16-11
temporary segments
index creation and, 21-2
temporary tables
assigning to a tablespace, 20-29
creating, 20-28
temporary tablespace, default
specifying at database creation, 17-10
temporary tablespaces
altering, 13-22
bigfile, 13-12
creating, 13-12
groups, 13-13
renaming default, 13-24
shrinking, locally managed, 13-23
temporary undo, 16-11
statistics for, 16-14
terminating user sessions
active sessions, 5-24
identifying sessions, 5-23
inactive session, example, 5-25
inactive sessions, 5-25
test case
builder, SQL, 9-3
threads
online redo log, 11-1
threshold based alerts
managing with Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control, 8-5
threshold-based alerts
server-generated, 8-4
thresholds
setting alert, 19-2
time zone
files, 2-23
setting for database, 2-22
trace files, 9-6
location of, 8-2
log writer process and, 11-5
using, 8-1
when written, 8-4
trace files, finding, 9-22
traces, 9-6

tracing
archivelog process, 12-13
transaction control statements
distributed transactions and, 34-2
transaction failures
simulating, 35-17
Transaction Guard, 2-47
transaction management
overview, 34-7
transaction processing
distributed systems, 31-24
transactions
closing database links, 33-2
distributed and two-phase commit, 31-26
in-doubt, 34-10, 34-11, 34-14, 35-5
naming distributed, 35-2, 35-7
remote, 31-25
transmitting archived redo log files, 12-10
Transparent Data Encryption, 2-46
CDBs, 40-4
columns, 20-22
keystore, 13-9, 20-22
tablespaces, 13-8
transporting data, 15-1
across platforms, 15-6
character sets, 15-8
compatibility considerations, 15-10
full transportable export/import, 15-11
limitations, 15-11
when to use, 15-2
limitations, 15-8
national character sets, 15-8
PDBs, 15-18, 15-22
transferring data files, 15-47
transportable tables, 15-31
limitations, 15-32
transportable tablespaces, 15-23
from backup, 15-11, 15-24
limitations, 15-24
tablespace set, 15-25
transportable set, 15-25
when to use, 15-2
wizard in Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud
Control, 15-23
XMLTypes in, 15-9
triggers
disabling, 18-9
enabling, 18-9
.trm files, 9-6
TRUNCATE statement
DROP ALL STORAGE, 18-7
DROP STORAGE, 18-7
DROP STORAGE clause, 18-7
REUSE STORAGE, 18-7
REUSE STORAGE clause, 18-7
vs. dropping table, 20-85
tuning
analyzing tables, 33-5
cost-based optimization, 33-3
two-phase commit

Index-29

case study, 34-14
commit phase, 34-10, 34-17
described, 31-26
discovering problems with, 35-6
distributed transactions, 34-7
example, 34-14
forget phase, 34-11
in-doubt transactions, 34-11, 34-14
phases, 34-7
prepare phase, 34-8, 34-10
recognizing read-only nodes, 34-9
specifying commit point strength, 35-1
steps in commit phase, 34-10
tracing session tree in distributed
transactions, 35-4
viewing database links, 35-2

U
Undo Advisor, 16-6
undo management
automatic, 16-2
described, 16-1
initialization parameters for, 16-2
temporary undo, 16-11
undo retention
automatic tuning of, 16-4
explained, 16-3
guaranteeing, 16-4
setting, 16-5
undo segments
in-doubt distributed transactions, 35-6
undo space
data dictionary views reference, 16-13
undo space management
automatic undo management mode, 16-2
Undo tablespace
specifying at database creation, 17-10
undo tablespaces
altering, 16-9
creating, 16-8
data dictionary views reference, 16-13
dropping, 16-9
managing, 16-8
managing space threshold alerts, 16-11
monitoring, 16-14
PENDING OFFLINE status, 16-10
renaming, 13-24
sizing a fixed-size, 16-6
specifying at database creation, 2-13, 2-19, 2-22
specifying for CDBs, 37-12, 37-14
statistics for, 16-14
switching, 16-10
user quotas, 16-11
UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization
parameter, 2-19
UNDO_TABLESPACE initialization parameter
for undo tablespaces, 2-31
starting an instance using, 16-2
UNIQUE key constraints

Index-30

associated indexes, 21-11
dropping associated indexes, 21-24
enabling on creation, 21-11
foreign key references when dropped, 18-13
indexes associated with, 21-11
unplugging, 38-47
UNRECOVERABLE DATAFILE clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 11-15
unusable indexes, 21-6
updates
location transparency and, 31-33
upgrading a database, 2-2
user accounts
predefined, 2-45, 7-2
USER_DB_LINKS view, 32-16
USER_DUMP_DEST initialization parameter, 9-5
USER_OBJECT_USAGE view
for monitoring index usage, 21-23
USER_RESUMABLE view, 19-10
USER_TABLESPACES clause, 38-9
users
assigning tablespace quotas, 13-2
in a newly created database, 2-45
limiting number of, 2-32
predefined, 2-45
session, terminating, 5-25
SYS, 1-14
SYSBACKUP, 1-14
SYSDG, 1-14
SYSKM, 1-14
SYSTEM, 1-14
utilities
for the database administrator, 1-34
SQL*Loader, 1-35, 20-31
UTLCHAIN.SQL script
listing chained rows, 18-5
UTLCHN1.SQL script
listing chained rows, 18-5
UTLLOCKT.SQL script, 8-8

V
V$ARCHIVE view, 12-14
V$ARCHIVE_DEST view
obtaining destination status, 12-9
V$BLOCKING_QUIESCE view, 3-15
V$CLONEDFILE view, 2-53
V$CON_SYS_TIME_MODEL view, 43-2
V$CON_SYSSTAT view, 43-2
V$CON_SYSTEM_EVENT view, 43-2
V$CON_SYSTEM_WAIT_CLASS view, 43-2
V$CONTAINERS view, 43-6
V$DATABASE view, 12-14
V$DBLINK view, 32-17
V$DIAG_CRITICAL_ERROR view, 9-11
V$DIAG_INFO view, 9-10
V$DISPATCHER view
monitoring shared server dispatchers, 5-12
V$DISPATCHER_RATE view
monitoring shared server dispatchers, 5-12

V$ENCRYPTED_TABLESPACES view, 13-10, 13-30
V$INSTANCE view
for database quiesce state, 3-16
V$LOG view, 11-15, 12-14
displaying archiving status, 12-14
V$LOG_HISTORY view, 11-15
V$LOGFILE view, 11-15
log file status, 11-13
V$PDBS view, 43-6, 43-7
V$PWFILE_USERS view, 1-33
V$QUEUE view
monitoring shared server dispatchers, 5-12
V$ROLLSTAT view
undo segments, 16-14
V$SESSION view, 5-25
V$SYSAUX_OCCUPANTS view
occupants of SYSAUX tablespace, 13-26
V$TEMPUNDOSTAT view
statistics for temporary undo, 16-14
V$THREAD view, 11-15
V$TIMEZONE_NAMES view
time zone table information, 2-23
V$TRANSACTION view
undo tablespaces information, 16-14
V$UNDOSTAT view
statistics for undo tablespaces, 16-14
V$VERSION view, 1-13
VALIDATE STRUCTURE clause
of ANALYZE statement, 18-3
VALIDATE STRUCTURE ONLINE clause
of ANALYZE statement, 18-4
verifying blocks
redo log files, 11-14
viewing
alerts, 19-4
incident package details, 9-40
SQL patch, 9-31
views
creating, 24-2
creating with errors, 24-3
data dictionary
for archived redo log files, 12-14
for clusters, 22-8
for control files, 10-9
for data files, 14-28
for database, 2-54
for database resident connection pooling, 5-18
for Database Resource Manager, 27-65
for hash clusters, 23-9
for indexes, 21-25
for Oracle Scheduler, 30-24
for redo log, 11-15
for schema objects, 18-26
for sequences, 24-19
for shared server, 5-14
for space usage in schema objects, 19-30
for synonyms, 24-19
for tables, 20-105
for tablespaces, 13-30
for undo space, 16-13

for views, 24-19
data dictionary views for, 24-19
DBA_2PC_NEIGHBORS, 35-4
DBA_2PC_PENDING, 35-2
DBA_DB_LINKS, 32-16
DBA_RESUMABLE, 19-10
displaying dependencies of, 18-26
dropping, 24-12
file mapping views, 14-25
FOR UPDATE clause and, 24-2
invalid, 24-6
join
See join views
location transparency in distributed
databases, 32-19
managing, 24-1, 24-5
managing privileges with, 32-20
name resolution in distributed databases,
ORDER BY clause and, 24-2
remote object security, 32-20
restrictions, 24-5
USER_OBJECT_USAGE, 21-23
USER_RESUMABLE, 19-10
using, 24-5
V$ARCHIVE, 12-14
V$ARCHIVE_DEST, 12-9
V$DATABASE, 12-14
V$LOG, 12-14
V$LOGFILE, 11-13
wildcards in, 24-3
WITH CHECK OPTION, 24-2
virtual columns, 20-2
indexing, 21-3
Virtual Private Database
redefining tables online, 20-55

31-30

W
wildcards
in views, 24-3
window groups
creating, 29-61
disabling, 29-63
dropping, 29-62
dropping a member from, 29-62
enabling, 29-63
managing job scheduling and job priorities
with, 29-60
overview, 28-15
window logs, 29-56
windows (Scheduler)
altering, 29-57
closing, 29-59
creating, 29-57
disabling, 29-59
dropping, 29-59
enabling, 29-60
opening, 29-58
overlapping, 28-12
overview, 28-11

Index-31

windows, managing job scheduling and resource
allocation with, 29-56
workloads
managing with database services, 2-40
WORM devices
and read-only tablespaces, 13-20
WRH$_UNDOSTAT view, 16-14

X
XMLTypes
transporting data, 15-9

Z
zone maps, 20-19

Index-32
Source Exif Data: 
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Creator                         : Oracle Corporation
Description                     : Oracle Database
Title                           : Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide
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Author                          : Oracle Corporation
Subject                         : Oracle Database
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