Improving Oracle Database Performance Through Tuning is a Five-Step Process

Improving Oracle Database Performance Through Tuning is a Five-Step Process

Tuning the Oracle database can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but it is actually quite simple. It is a five-step process, and you can use it to tune any database. In this blog, we’ll go through each step of the process and show you how you can use it to overcome issues you might be having with your database performance.

Tip 1

If you want to see how long a query takes to run in the Oracle database, you may check out the wait events that are made available by the database. Beginning with the slowest queries is a good place to start optimizing. V$ Views allows you to monitor your session and database’s status in real-time. Janis showed a query that collects data on sessions, waits for events, blocks session IDs, etc. by polling the V$ Views, however, this information does not persist. By having the system automatically query and poll every second, you may spot trends over time and prioritize your time spent on the most time-consuming inquiries. The V$ Active Session _History view, which stores information about the previous hour’s sessions, is available to Oracle database users who also have the Tuning and Diagnostic Packs.

Tip 2

You can receive execution plans in a number of ways from Oracle. In many cases, the actual results of a query will differ from the estimate provided by an explanation plan. To see the actual plan the Optimizer utilized, look at a cached plan. If you can decipher these blueprints, you can learn the Optimizer’s inner workings. It was great to have an insight into the Optimizer’s operation. It is important to learn how the Optimizer handles execution plans in each Oracle database released since the Optimizer changes over time.

Tip 3

Check out the pricey objects as you delve further into the slow query. Analyze the columns and rows in the tables. Take a look at data collection to see if the statistics being used by the Optimizer are up to date and, if they aren’t if that’s causing any problems.

You should check your index definitions, existing keys, and restrictions. Make sure you know how to use the index and are familiar with the column selectivity and ordering. Make sure the Optimizer can read the index, too.

Tip 4

Since your goal is to get the smallest possible result set from your query, knowing the total size of the real data sets at each stage of the execution plan is crucial. The number of logical reads is decreased as a result of that. In a nutshell, you learn about Joins and Filtering predicates to do data filtering at the outset of the query.

Tip 5

You can improve query performance by removing the following common mistakes that users make unintentionally:

• Nested views that employ DB links

• Cursor or row-by-row processing

Misuse of wildcards, functions on indexed columns, hard-coded hints, complex expressions, and joins across complex views are all common problems.

The following best practices should be adhered to at all times: 

• Use bound variables instead of literal variables

• Use an index if less than 5% of data needs to be retrieved

• Use equijoins wherever possible

• Always use a WHERE clause

Methodical Oracle Database Performance Tuning

Using two examples based on real queries and data sets, Janis illustrated the five-step method of adjusting Oracle database performance. This section of the presentation did a fantastic job of illustrating why it is prudent to approach tweaking Oracle database SQL queries in a systematic fashion.

Finally, we mentioned that query tuning may be made easier with the help of a tool like Fog light for Cross-Platform Databases by identifying and isolating the source of performance difficulties. Tools for performance monitoring greatly alleviate the burden when things get too heavy.

Conclusion

We appreciate you taking the time to read this blog post and we hope you found the advice provided herein helpful as you work to optimize Oracle database performance. There are many elements that can affect database speed, but following these five guidelines will get you off to a good start and prepare you for more complex techniques later. So, if you haven’t already, get going! Begin immediately to enhance the efficiency of your database.

About Enteros

​Enteros offers a patented database performance management SaaS platform. It proactively identifies root causes of complex business-impacting database scalability and performance issues across a growing number of RDBMS, NoSQL, and machine learning database platforms.​