OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 996 mounted database A situation where the instance has opened the database controlfile, but not the online redo log files or the datafiles. MTBF Mean time between failures. A measure of the average length of running time for a database between unplanned shutdowns. MTS Multi-Threaded Server. Since release 9i, renamed to Shared Server. This is the technique whereby a large number of sessions can share a small pool of server processes, rather than requiring one server each. MTTR Mean time to recover. The average time it takes to make the database available for normal use after a failure. multiplexing To maintain multiple copies of files (particularly controlfiles and redo log files). N namespace A logical grouping of objects within which no two objects may have the same name. natural join A join performed using the NATURAL JOIN syntax when the source and target tables are implicitly equijoined using identically named columns. NCLOB National character large object. A LOB data type for character data, such as text documents, stored in the alternative national database character set. NetBEUI NetBIOS Extended User Interface. An enhanced version of NETBIOS. NetBIOS Network Basic Input Output System. The network communications protocol that was burnt onto the first network card that IBM ever produced. NLS National Language Support. The capability of the Oracle database to support many linguistic, geographical, and cultural environments—now usually referred to as Globalization. node A computer attached to a network. nonequijoin Performed when the values in the join columns fulfill the join condition based on an inequality expression. null The absence of a value, indicating that the value is not known, missing, or inapplicable. NULLIF A function that tests two terms for equality. If they are equal, the function returns null; else it returns the first of the two terms tested. Glossary 997 NVL A function that returns either the original item unchanged or an alternative item if the initial term is null. NVL2 A function that returns a new if-null item if the original item is null or an alternative if-not-null item if the original term is not null. O OC4J Oracle Containers for J2EE. The control structure provided by the Oracle Internet Application Server for running Java programs. OCA Oracle Certified Associate. OCI Oracle Call Interface. An API, published as a set of C libraries, that programmers can use to write user processes that will use an Oracle database. OCP Oracle Certified Professional. The qualification you are working toward at the moment. ODBC Open Database Connectivity. A standard developed by Microsoft for communicating with relational databases. Oracle provides an ODBC driver that will allow clients running Microsoft products to connect to an Oracle database. offline backup A backup made while the database is closed. OLAP Online analytical processing. Selection-intensive work involving running queries against a (usually) large database. Oracle provides OLAP capabilities as an option, in addition to the standard query facilities. OLTP Online transaction processing. A pattern of activity within a database typified by a large number of small, short transactions. online backup A backup made while the database is open. online redo log The files to which change vectors are streamed by the LGWR. Oracle Net Oracle’s proprietary communications protocol, layered on top of an industry-standard protocol. ORACLE_BASE The root directory into which Oracle products are installed. ORACLE_HOME The root directory of any one Oracle product. OS Operating system. Typically, in the Oracle environment, this will be a version of Unix (perhaps Linux) or Microsoft Windows. outer join A join performed when rows, which are not retrieved by an inner join, are included for retrieval. OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 998 P parse To convert SQL statements into a form suitable for execution. PGA Program global area. The variable-sized block of memory used to maintain the state of a database session. PGAs are private to the session and controlled by the session’s server process. PL/SQL Procedural Language / Structured Query Language. Oracle’s proprietary programming language, which combines procedural constructs, such as flow control, and user interface capabilities with SQL. PMON The Process Monitor. The background process responsible for monitoring the state of user’s sessions against an instance. primary key The column (or combination of columns) whose value(s) can be used to identify each row in a table. projection The restriction of columns selected from a table. Using projection, you retrieve only specific columns. R RAC Real Application Clusters. Oracle’s clustering technology, which allows several instances in different machines to open the same database for scalability, performance, and fault tolerance. RAID Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. Techniques for enhancing performance and/or fault tolerance by using a volume manager to present a number of physical disks to the operating system as a single logical disk. RAM Random access memory. The chips that make up the real memory in your computer hardware, as against the virtual memory presented to software by the operating system. raw device An unformatted disk or disk partition. RDBMS Relational database management system, often used interchangeably with DBMS. referential integrity A rule defined on a table specifying that the values in a column (or columns) must map onto those of a row in another table. relation A two-dimensional structure consisting of tuples with attributes (aka a table). REPLACE A function that substitutes each occurrence of a search item in the source string with a replacement term and returns the modified source string. Glossary 999 RMAN Recovery Manager. Oracle’s backup and recovery tool. rowid The unique identifier of every row in the database, used as a pointer to the physical location of the row. The rowid datatype is proprietary to Oracle Corporation, not part of the SQL standard. RVWR The Recovery Writer background process, an optional process responsible for flushing the flashback buffer to the flashback logs. S SBT System backup to tape. An RMAN term for a tape device, interchangeable with SBT_TAPE. schema The objects owned by a database user. SCN System change number. The continually incrementing number used to track the sequence and exact time of all events within a database. segment A database object, within a schema, that stores data. selection The extraction of rows from a table. Selection includes the further restriction of the extracted rows based on various criteria or conditions. This allows you to retrieve only specific rows. self-join A join required when the join columns originate from the same table. Conceptually, the self-join works as a regular join between the source table and itself. sequence A database object, within a schema, that can generate consecutive numbers. service name A logical name registered by an instance with a listener, which can be specified by a user process when it issues a connect request. A service name will be mapped onto a SID by the listener when it establishes a session. session A user process and a server process, connected to the instance. SGA System global area. The block of shared memory that contains the memory structures that make up an Oracle instance. SID Either: System Identifier. The name of an instance, which must be unique on the computer the instance is running on. Users can request a connection to a named SID, or to a logical service and let the listener choose an appropriate SID. Or: Session Identifier. The number used to identify uniquely a session logged on to an Oracle instance. SMON The System Monitor. The background process responsible for opening a database and monitoring the instance. OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 1000 spfile The server parameter file: the file containing the parameters used to build an instance in memory. SQL Structured Query Language. An international standard language for extracting data from and manipulating data in relational databases. SSL Secure Sockets Layer. A standard for securing data transmission, using encryption, checksumming, and digital certificates. SUBSTR A function that extracts and returns a segment from a given source string. SUM A function that returns an aggregated total of all the nonnull numeric expression values in a group. synonym An alternative name for a database object. Sysasm The privilege that lets a user connect to an ASM instance with operating system or password file authentication, and start up and shut down the instance. Sysdba The privilege that lets a user connect with operating system or password file authentication, and create or start up and shut down a database. Sysoper The privilege that lets a user connect with operating system or password file authentication, and start up and shut down (but not create) a database. System A preseeded schema used for database administration purposes. T table A logical two-dimensional data storage structure, consisting of rows and columns. tablespace The logical structure that abstracts logical data storage in tables from physical data storage in datafiles. TCP Transmission Control Protocol. Together with the Internet Protocol, TCP/IP: the de facto standard communication protocol used for client/server communication over a network. TCPS TCP with SSL. The secure sockets version of TCP. tempfile The physical storage that makes up a temporary tablespace, used for storing temporary segments. TNS Transparent Network Substrate. The heart of Oracle Net, a proprietary layered protocol running on top of whatever underlying network transport protocol you choose to use—probably TCP/IP. Glossary 1001 TO_CHAR A function that performs date to character and number to character data type conversions. TO_DATE A function that explicitly transforms character items into date values. TO_NUMBER A function that changes character items into number values. transaction A logical unit of work, which will complete in total or not at all. TSPITR Tablespace Point in Time Recovery. A recovery method that is ideal for recovering a set of objects isolated to a single tablespace. tuple A one-dimensional structure consisting of attributes (aka a row). U UGA User global area. The part of the PGA that is stored in the SGA for sessions running through shared servers. UI User interface. The layer of an application that communicates with end users— nowadays, frequently graphical: a GUI. URL Uniform Resource Locator. A standard for specifying the location of an object on the Internet, consisting of a protocol; a host name and domain; an IP port number; a path and filename; and a series of parameters. UTC Coordinated Universal Time, previously known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). UTC is the global standard time zone; all others relate to it as offsets, ahead or behind. X X Window System The standard GUI environment used on most computers, except those made by Apple and those that run Microsoft Windows. XML Extensible Markup Language. A standard for data interchange using documents, where the format of the data is defined by tags within the document. This page intentionally left blank INDEX SymbolsSymbols & (ampersand). See ampersand substitution * (asterisks) columns identified with, 374, 376 in queries, 13 @ symbol, 136–137, 153 \ (backslash) character, 374, 376 [ ] (brackets), 526 || (double pipe symbol), 388 > (greater than) operator, 396, 521 >= (greater than or equal to) operator, 396, 497, 521 # (hash) character, 374, 376 = (is equal to) operator, 396, 521 < (less than) operator, 396, 521 <= (less than or equal to) operator, 396, 497, 521 <> (not equal to) operator, 396, 521 != (not equal to) operator, 396, 521 ( ) (parentheses) overriding operator precedence with, 526 precedence within, 386, 387 % (percentage), 398–400 + (plus) prefixing instance names with, 758 using in join syntax, 486 ; (semicolons), 384 ‘ (single quotes), 389–390, 395 _ (underscore character), 398–400 AA ABORT shutdown mode, 119–120 accent insensitive sorting, 953–954 ACID test applying to transactions, 330–331 Flashback technology and, 702–703 isolation of transactions, 331, 346 SELECT statements and, 332 undo data and, 351, 353 UPDATE statements and, 333 active session pool method, 787–789 active sessions, 787 ad hoc queries, 408 Add Datafile window (OEM), 183 ADDM (Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor), 871–873 advisors for, 840–841 automatic maintenance jobs, 875–878 Automatic Undo Advisor, 875 Data Recovery Advisor, 875 exercise, 878–880 memory advisors, 871, 874–875, 897–900, 918 MTTR advisor, 875 recommendations offered by, 874 reports generated by, 873, 878–880 Segment Advisor, 857–858, 859, 875–876 SQL advisors, 874, 876–877 ADD_MONTHS function, 431 ADMINISTER RESOURCE MANAGER system, 780 ADR (Automatic Diagnostic Repository) about, 966–967 command-line interface for, 967–968 defined, 966 diagnosing problems and incidents, 967, 969 Health Monitor checks stored in, 608 review, 979 self test and answers, 979–981 ADRCI (Automatic Diagnostic Repository Command-line Interface), 967–968 ADVISE FAILURE command, 611 Advisor Central, 906 AFTER SUSPEND ON DATABASE trigger, 851 aggregate functions. See group functions AL32UTF8 Unicode character set, 939 alert logs ASM unavailable for, 755 defined, 45 review, 127 setting tablespace alert thresholds, 190–191 usefulness of, 100 using, 121–122 Alert system exercise, 885–886 monitoring and notifying space, 880–881 notifications by, 882–885 review, 887 self test and answers, 887–889 server-generated, 880 setting thresholds for, 881–882 alerts configuring, 885–886 navigating to Support Workbench from, 968 1003 OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 1004 raised by MMON process, 847 stateful/stateless, 881 thresholds for, 190–191, 881–882, 883 aliases column, 387–388, 486 configuring service, 150 naming, 145 table, 487–489 ALL operator, 521, 524 allocation units (AU), 755–756 alphanumeric data types, 264 ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS command, 705 ALTER INDEX COALESCE command, 857 ALTER INDEX command, 282 ALTER SYSTEM command, 105 ALTER SYSTEM SET SKIP_ UNUSABLE_INDEXES=FALSE; command, 918 altering indexes, 282 views, 294–295 alternative quote (q) operator, 389–390 ampersand (&) substitution, 405–412 about, 405–406 DEFINE and UNDEFINE commands with, 409–411 double, 407–408 exercise, 411–412 expression and text substitution in WHERE clauses, 409 review, 413 single, 406–407 substituting column names, 408–409 VERIFY command in, 411 ANALYZE command, 854 AND operator, 401, 403 anonymous PL/SQL, 25, 340–341 ANY operator, 521, 524 ANY privileges, 218–219 Application Server architecture, 6–7 Application Server Control, 7–8 applications client-server model for, 6 Oracle Collaboration Suite, 11 Oracle Developer Suite, 10 Oracle E-Business Suite, 10 running with incompletely recovered databases, 616 web, 6 architecture Application Server, 6–7 ASM, 751–756 Data Pump, 839–840, 860 database server, 4–6 database storage structures, 40–48 Enterprise Manager, 7–8 Flashback Database, 704–705 instance memory structures, 19–28 instance process structures, 28–40 product stack, 4–13 Resource Manager, 775–780 review, 49–50 Scheduler, 806–807 self test and answers, 50–54 separation of user and server code, 6 shared server, 157–164 single-instance architecture, 13–28 two-tier client-server processing, 5 archival backups creating in RMAN, 596–597 retention policies and, 595, 600, 601 archive logs directing to ASM, 763 incomplete recovery if missing, 620 making image copies of files, 588 multiplexing, 566–567, 571–572 archive redo log files, 45, 578–579 archivelog mode converting database to, 565–566 critical datafile recovery in, 690–691 noncritical file recovery in, 616 RMAN commands for, 615 used by Flashback Database, 705 user-managed backups in, 680–681 archiving databases. See also archive logs; archivelog mode; Flashback Data Archive archive redo log files, 45, 578–579 multiplexing archived logs, 566–567, 571–572 review, 571 using archivelog mode and archiver process, 563–566 ARCn (Archiver), 35–36, 563–566 arithmetic operators, 386–387 ascending indexes, 281 sort order, 404 ASM (Automatic Storage Management) about, 178, 179, 748 architecture of, 751–756 ASM datafiles, 762–763 command line for, 765–766 disk groups, 760–762 exercises, 759–760, 761–762 file types for, 752, 755–756 instance components in, 753–754 managing instances, 757–760 raw devices needed for, 756–757 RDBMS instances using ASM files, 754–755 review, 766–768 RMAN with, 763–764 self test and answers, 768–772 third-party LVMs vs., 750–751 using cluster services with, 751, 759 ASMB background process, 754 ASMCMD utility, 765–766 asterisks (*) mandatory columns identified with, 374, 376 in queries, 13 asynchronous I/O in RMAN, 665, 666, 671 at (@) symbol, 136–137, 153 atomicity, 330 auditing, 240–248 databases, 241–248 exercise for database, 247–248 fine-grained, 245–247 limiting by session, 242 need for, 240 review, 248–249 self test and answers, 249–256 SYSDBA activity, 241 techniques for, 240–241 value-based, 244–245 authentication database connections and, 112–114 external, 211–212 global, 212 password, 211 user account, 209–212 using SYSOPER and SYSDBA privileges during, 114–115 autobackups of controlfile, 623–627 autocommit, 338–339 automated TSPITR, 655–657, 670 automatic consumer group switching, 794–795 Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor. See ADDM alerts (continued) Index 1005 Automatic Diagnostic Repository. See ADR Automatic Diagnostic Repository Command-line Interface (ADCRI), 967–968 Automatic Memory Management, 892–900. See also PGA; SGA exercise, 896–897 MEMORY_TARGET for, 896–897 PGA memory management, 892–894, 929 review, 927 SGA memory management, 892, 894–895, 928 Automatic Storage Management. See ASM Automatic Undo Advisor (ADDM), 875 Automatic Workload Repository. See AWR automating consistent backups, 580–582, 600 AutoTasks (Scheduler), 875–876 auxiliary databases connecting to, 579 defined, 651 AVG function, 461, 463–464 AWR (Automatic Workload Repository), 866–871 about, 866–867 DBMS_WORKLOAD_ REPOSITORY package, 869–870 exercise, 870–871 launched by MMON, 871 managing, 867–868 metrics and baselines in, 869 review, 886 self test and answers, 887–889 snapshots of data, 866, 867, 868, 871–872 statistics gathered in, 866–867, 869 BB B*Tree indexes about, 276–278, 280 options for, 280–281 background processes, 14 backslash (\) character, 374, 376 BACKUP command multiplexing parameters for, 664 tuning RMAN, 665, 670–671 backup mode, 681, 695 backup sets about, 579, 600 compressed, 579, 583, 600 parallelizing, 663–664 unallocated blocks not backed up, 583 backups. See also archiving databases; failures; recovery; user-managed backups archival, 596–597 automating consistent, 580–582, 600 creating reports from, 597 crosschecking, 597–598 databases, 544–546 detecting corrupt blocks during, 629–630 duplexing, 588–589, 600 enabling controlfile autobackup, 624–625 encrypting, 591–592, 601 incomplete recovery using backup controlfiles, 625–627 incremental, 578, 583–587, 600, 619 making image copies, 588 managing RMAN, 594–596, 598–599 multiple channels, 590–591, 601 multiplexing RMAN, 664–665 optimizing, 601 parallelizing operations, 590–591 resyncing catalog, 647 RMAN steps for, 662–663 self test and answers, 572–576 server-managed, 580–583 types of, 578–579 user-managed, 678, 679 using archivelog mode and archiver process, 563–566 using RMAN for ASM, 763–764 utilities for database, 68 while database open, 680 bad files (SQL*Loader), 833 baseline data (AWR), 869 bash shell variables, 74 BETWEEN operator making comparisons with, 395, 397, 403 setting nonequijoin conditions with, 497 binaries ASM unavailable for, 755 program files as, 13 binary sorting, 941, 953 bitmap indexes, 278–281 block change tracking, 585 Block Media Recovery (BMR), 630–631, 633 BLOCKRECOVER command, 630–631 blocks detecting corrupt, 629–630 fractured, 583, 681 grouped into extents, 45–46 illustrated, 46 occurring in database buffer cache, 20–21 Oracle and operating system, 173–174 recovering corrupted, 630–631 Boolean operators AND operator, 401, 403 NOT operator, 401–402 OR operator, 401, 403 brackets ([ ]), 526 BY SESSION clause, 242 CC caching sequence values, 300 calendars, 944 Cartesian product, 482, 485–486, 505–507, 509 CASCADE keyword, 856 case case sensitivity in statements, 383–384 conversion functions for, 421–423 insensitive sorting by, 953–954 CASE expressions, 450–452 CD-ROM, 988–989 change tracking files, 585 change vectors, 15, 21 channels allocating for backup, 601 defined, 579 launching multiple, 590–591 monitoring RMAN, 659–660 parallelizing RMAN backup sets, 663 RMAN backup steps for, 662–663 character manipulation functions, 423–426 about, 423 CONCAT, 423 exercise, 433–434 INSTR, 425–426 LENGTH, 424 LPAD and RPAD, 424–425 REPLACE, 426 SUBSTR, 426 TRIM, 425 character sets changing, 89, 946–947 choosing, 938–940, 945–946 default, 939 review, 957 Unicode, 939, 945–946, 957 characters changing to date, 443–444 character-based conditions in WHERE clauses, 393–394 . OCA/ OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 996 mounted database A situation where the instance has opened the database controlfile, but not the online redo log files or the datafiles. MTBF. logged on to an Oracle instance. SMON The System Monitor. The background process responsible for opening a database and monitoring the instance. OCA/ OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 1000 spfile. databases, 616 web, 6 architecture Application Server, 6–7 ASM, 751–756 Data Pump, 839–840, 860 database server, 4–6 database storage structures, 40–48 Enterprise Manager, 7–8 Flashback Database,