The Next-Generation Self-Managing Database (11g)

This session by Leng Leng Tan was very interesting, listing all the new self-managing features of the next release (codenamed 11g). These features include…

Change Management:

• Database Replay – Allows the total database workload to be captured, transferred to a test database created from a backup or standby database, then replayed to test the affects of an upgrade or system change. Currently, they are working to a capture performance overhead of 5%, so you could conceivably capture real production workloads.
• SQL Replay – Similar to the previous feature, but this only captures and applies the SQL workload, not toal workload.
• Plan Management – Allow you to fix plans for specific statements, regardless of statistics or database version changes.

Fault Management:

• Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) – When critical errors are detected, they automatically create an “incident”. Information relating to the incident is automatically captured, the DBA is notified and certain health checks are run automatically. This information can be packaged to be sent to Oracle support (see following).
• Incident Packaging Service (IPS) – This wraps up all information about an incident, requests further tests and information if necessary, and allows you to send the whole package to Oracle Support.
• Feature Based Patching – All one-off patches will be classified as to which feature they affect. This allows you to easily identify which patches are necessary for the features you are using. EM will allow you to subscribe to a feature based patching service, so EM automatically scans for available patches for the features you are using.

Performance and Resource Management:

• Automatic SQL Tuning – The 10g automatic tuning advisor makes tuning suggestions in the form of SQL profiles that will improve performance. You can tell 11g to automatically apply SQL profiles for statements where the suggested profile give 3-times better performance that the existing statement. The performance comparisons are done by a new administrative task during a user-specified maintenance window.
• Access Advisor – The 11g Access Advisor gives partitioning advice, including advice on the new interval partitioning. Interval partitioning is an automated version of range partitioning, where new equally-sized partitions are automatically created when needed. Both range and interval partitions can exist for a single table, and range partitioned tables can be converted to interval partitioned tables.
• Automatic Memory Tuning – Automatic PGA tuning was introduced in Oracle 9i. Automatic SGA tuning was introduced in Oracle 10g. In 11g, all memory can be tuned automatically by setting one parameter. You literally tell Oracle how much memory it has and it determines how much to use for PGA, SGA and OS Processes. Maximum and minimum thresholds can be set.
• Resource Manager – The 11g Resource Manager can manage I/O, not just CPU. You can set the priority associated with specific files, file types or ASM disk groups.
• ADDM – The ADDM in 11g can give advice on the whole RAC (database level), not just at the instance level. Directives have been added to ADDM so it can ignore issues you are not concerned about. For example, if you know you need more memory and are sick of being told it, you can ask ADDM not to report those messages anymore.
• AWR Baselines – The AWR baselines of 10g have been extended to allow automatic creation of baselines for use in other features. A rolling week baseline is created by default.
• Adaptive Metric Baselines – Notification thresholds in 10g were based on a fixed point. In 11g, notification thresholds can be associated with a baseline, so the notification thresholds vary throughout the day in line with the baseline.

So in summary, the performance and resource management is very much and evolution of the 10g automatic management features, but the change and fault management is completely new in 11g. Exciting stuff!

Cheers

Tim…

Author: Tim...

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