New Presentation on Oracle Health Checks Using APEX From IOUG Webinar

If you were not able to attend Chuck Ezell’s IOUG Webinar on Performing Oracle Health Checks using APEX, you can still learn a lot from his presentation slides. Datavail has just made Chuck’s presentation available online. Here are some of the highlights:

Proactive vs. Reactive

Too much DBA time is spent repairing problems instead of creating positive outcomes. We need to go beyond “preparedness” and “emergency response.” We need to manage databases proactively.

Proactivity is more than just having a plan. “Proactivity is having a plan with a consistent baseline approach that is a documented, repeatable process focusing on results and reducing or preventing downtime,” says Chuck Ezell, Datavail’s Senior Applications Tuner.

Piecemeal Fixes Do Not Lead to Peace

In his presentation, Ezell points out that quick fixes are often the source of more problems then they cure. “Making corrections in one place affects performance in others,” says Ezell. “If you take a spot-shot approach to fixing one problem today, tomorrow you’ll have 10 more like it.”

In the presentation, Ezell shares data on the most common performance problems with Oracle databases. He stresses the importance of establishing a baseline against which improvements can be measured.

The 5S Approach to Database Health Checks

Datavail has developed a “5S” approach to health checks that is designed to mitigate database issues before they occur. Chuck’s presentation reviews the 5S framework:

1. 1. SQL Code
2. 2. Statistics
3. 3. Segmentation
4. 4. Sessions
5. 5. Scheduled Processes

Some of the database performance indicators reviewed using this framework for health checks include:

• Drive Speeds
• OS Parameters
• Application Details (e.g. JVM Sizing, Background Processes)
• DB Parameters
• Instance Details (e.g. SGA, DB Version Features)
• Table Space Naming
• Redo/Undo Log Sizing & Frequency
• I/O Waits
• Snapshot & AWR Retention

Using APEX for Health Checks

The second half of Ezell’s presentation deals with using APEX as a platform for developing ideas. APEX provides the rapid development and convenience for creating a repository.

Why use APEX? It is a no-cost feature: if you have an Oracle Maintenance Agreement, you can get APEX support free, at no additional cost. All the charting tools are already integrated in APEX, and unlimited applications with unlimited users can be built and deployed at no cost. Ezell lists several other reasons for adopting APEX in the presentation.

Ezell’s presentation provides a checklist of data to capture into APEX—10 suggested parameters to gather. He then provides a 6-step approach to capturing data into APEX. Other topics covered include:

• Using dblink to gather data
• Building a repository using Create Table
• Building refresh scripts to update repository
• Using DBMS Schedule for refresh scheduling
• How often to run health checks

Finally, Ezell’s presentation shows how to make correlations with APEX and then generate strong visual health checks for Oracle databases using APEX. The correlations and graphics help establish consistency when working with multiple Oracle databases

You’ll find Chuck’s complete 28-slide presentation at this link. A Datavail representative is available now for live chat through our website about staffing or scheduling health checks for your databases. Please contact us today to discuss your needs.