Chapter 5. Managing Oracle

Most Oracle users and developers aren’t actively aware of all the system and database management that goes on around them. But effective management is vital to providing a reliable, available, and secure platform that delivers optimal performance. This chapter focuses on how you can manage Oracle in a way that contributes to such an environment. Much of the management responsibility usually falls upon the database administrator. However, users and developers of Oracle also need to be aware of some of the techniques described here.

The DBA is typically responsible for the following management tasks:

  • Installing and upgrading the database and options

  • Creating tables and indexes

  • Creating and managing tablespaces

  • Managing control files, online redo logs, archived redo logs, job queues, and server processes

  • Creating, monitoring, and tuning data-loading procedures

  • Adding users and groups and implementing security procedures

  • Implementing backup and recovery plans

  • Monitoring database performance and exceptions

  • Reorganizing and tuning the database

  • Troubleshooting database problems

  • Coordinating with Oracle Worldwide Customer Support Services

Particularly in smaller companies, DBAs are also often called upon to take part in database schema design and security planning. DBAs in large enterprises may also help set up replication strategies, disaster and high-availability strategies, hierarchical storage management procedures, and the linking of database event monitoring into ...

Get Oracle Essentials: Oracle9i, Oracle8i and Oracle8, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.