Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics

Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics is about optimizing individual SQL statements, especially on production database systems. This Oracle-specific book begins by assuming you have already identified a particular SQL statement and are considering taking steps to improve its performance. The book describes a systematic process by which to diagnose a problem statement, identify a fix, and to implement that fix safely in a production system. You’ll learn not only to improve performance when it is too slow, but also to stabilize performance when it is too variable. You’ll learn about system statistics and how the Cost-Based Optimizer uses them to determine a suitable execution plan for a given statement. That knowledge provides the foundation from which to identify the root cause, and to stabilize and improve performance.

Next after identifying a problem and the underlying root cause is to put in place a solution. Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics explains how to apply various remedies such as changing the SQL statement, adding hints, changing the physical design, and more, and how they can be brought to bear on fixing a problem once and for all.

Rolling a change out smoothly is an important topic when dealing with tuning and optimization. Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics does not let you down in this critical area. The book contains two chapters of good information from an experienced professional on how to safely deploy changes into production so that your systems remaining running and available throughout the deployment process.

• Describes a systematic approach to tuning Oracle SQL
• Explains how things are supposed to work, what can go wrong, and how to fix it
• Takes you through the steps needed to stabilize performance in your production systems

What you’ll learn

• Determine the root cause of poor performance in a SQL statement
• Decipher each line of an execution plan and how it relates to its source SQL statement
• Know the various options and transformations available for the Cost-Based Optimizer
• Interpret the diagnostic data from Active Session History, SQL Performance Monitor, and from other sources
• Apply optimizer hints, SQL profiles, and SQL baselines when they are best used, and avoid them otherwise
• Manage object statistics used by the optimizer to ensure efficient execution plans

Who this book is for

Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics is aimed at Oracle Database administrators who are interested in performance troubleshooting. The book is also of interest to people in development roles who wish to be knowledgeable in the underlying technologies on which their applications run.

Table of Contents

PART I: Basic Concepts
Chapter 1. Basic SQL Statement Structure
Chapter 2. The Cost Based Optimizer
Chapter 3. Basic Execution Plan Concepts
Chapter 4. The Runtime Engine
Chapter 5. Optimization
Chapter 6. Object Statistics and Deployment

PART II: Advanced Concepts
Chapter 7. Advanced SQL Concepts
Chapter 8. Advanced Execution Plan Concepts
Chapter 9. Inputs to the CBO

PART III: The Cost Based Optimizer
Chapter 10. Access Methods
Chapter 11. Join Methods
Chapter 12. Query Optimization
Chapter 13. Query Transformations

PART IV: Optimization
Chapter 14. Why Do Things Go Wrong?
Chapter 15. Physical Database Design Changes
Chapter 16. Rewriting Queries
Chapter 17. Optimizing Sorts
Chapter 18. Changing Optimizer Transformations
Chapter 19. Advances Techniques

PART V: Managing Statistics with TSTATS
Chapter 20. Managing Statistics with TSTATS