Oracle Database 11g: The Top New Features for DBAs and Developers

In this multipart series, learn how important new features such as Database Replay, Flashback Data Archive, and SecureFiles work via simple, actionable how-to's and sample code.

Change, although constantly present, is seldom risk-free. Even if the change is relatively minor (creating an index for example), your goal is probably to predict its precise impact as accurately as possible and then take appropriate action

Many new change assurance (or "Real Application Testing," as Oracle calls it) features in Oracle Database 11g bring that dream closer to reality. The Database Replay tool, for example, allows you to capture production database workload and replay it in a test (or even the same) database to assess the impact of change. Or consider SQL Performance Analyzer, which predicts the performance impact of changes to SQL before they are made. In my opinion, this Real Application Testing functionality alone justifies the upgrade.

Overall, Oracle Database 11g makes database infrastructure far more efficient, resilient, and manageable. For example, very compelling new features in the realm of partitioning ease the design and management of partitioned tables immensely.

In this series (as in the previous series focusing on Oracle Database 10g), you will learn how these new features work via simple, actionable how-to's and sample code.

Enjoy the series, and the release!

Database
Replay  
             
Explore Database Replay, the new tool that captures SQL statements and lets
you replay them at will.

Partitioning                                
Learn about Referential, Internal, and Virtual Column partitioning; new
sub-partitioning options; and more.

Transaction
Management     
Get an introduction to Flashback Data Archive and explore Enterprise
Manager's LogMiner interface.

Schema
Management                      
Add columns with a default value easily and explore invisible indexes,
virtual columns, and read only tables.

SQL
Plan Management      
Use bind variables that pick the right plan every time and ensure a new
execution plan is perfect before it's used.

SQL
Performance Analyzer  
Accurately assess the impact of rewriting of SQL statements and get
suggested improvements.

SQL
Access Advisor              
Get advice about optimal table design based on actual use of the table, not
just data.

 

PL/SQL:
Efficient Coding         
Triggers that fire several times at different events and ability to force
triggers of the same type to follow a sequence are some new gems.

RMAN                                 
Explore Data Recovery Advisor, do parallel backup of the same file, and
create and manage virtual catalogs.

Security                                              
Learn about Tablespace Encryption, case-sensitive passwords, data masking,
and other features.

Automatic
Storage Management  
Learn about new SYSASM role, variable extent sizes, and other ASM
improvements.

Manageability                               
Explore automatic memory management, multicolumn statistics, online
patching, and more features.

Caching
and Pooling            
Explore SQL Result Cache, PL/SQL Function Cache, and Database Resident
Connection Pooling.

 

SQL
Operations: Pivot and Unpivot
Present information in a spreadsheet-type crosstab report from any
relational table using simple SQL, and store any data from a crosstab table
to a relational table.

SecureFiles                         
Explore next-generation LOBs: LOB encryption, compression, deduplication,
and asynchronicity.

Resiliency                                 
Explore Automatic Health Monitor, Automatic Diagnostic Repository, and other
new resiliency features.

Data
Guard                         
Query the physical standby database in real time without shutting down
recovery, just for starters.

PL/SQL
Performance                    
Explore in-lining of code, "real" native compilation, PLS timer, use of
simple integer, and more.

Data
Warehousing and OLAP  
Get a tour of new features in these areas, including Cube Organized MVs.

And
Don't Forget...                        
COPY command, Export/Imports,
Data Pump improvements, and more.