The Real Value of Oracle Health Checks
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The document discusses the importance and process of conducting health checks on Oracle databases, emphasizing the need for regular assessments to prevent issues and maintain performance. Key areas to evaluate include system stability, security, performance metrics, and space utilization, with recommendations for frequency based on the system's context. Datavail offers services to perform these health checks effectively, ensuring databases are optimized and compliant with necessary standards.
The Real Value of Oracle Health Checks
- 1. Real Value of Oracle Database Health Checks J a n 2 0 1 7
- 2. 1/23/2017 2www.datavail.com Welcome! Megan Elphingstone 15+ years of Oracle database experience 10 years as an Oracle Database Administrator Favorite part about being a DBA… I like helping customers and users solve problems and implementing solutions that are automated, stable, and reliable.
- 3. 1/23/2017 3www.datavail.com Health Check: Why, What, When, How And then what? Why should I run a Health Check? What should I check? How often should I run a Health Check? • OLTP vs • Warehouse vs How? • Manually vs automated • What tool should I use? • Should I use a service provider? Then what? • How do I interpret the results? • How do I react to the information?
- 4. 1/23/2017 4www.datavail.com I’m in a crisis, should I run a Health Check? It may be required by Oracle for an SR It could help diagnose the problem Users are complaining
- 5. 1/23/2017 5www.datavail.com Why do a Health Check on a stable system? You don’t know what you don’t know Do things seem acceptable when they could be faster? Are people complaining, but you aren’t hearing it? An upgrade is always on the horizon, are you prepared? • Ununsable indexes and invalid objects will cause problems in an upgrade – fixing them now will make your upgrade go more smoothly If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… • This mentality will leave you unprepared for an upgrade • Trouble may be brewing and you won’t know until it starts to affect users
- 6. 1/23/2017 6www.datavail.com What if I never run a Health Check? Can’t get access to the system when you need to Long delays and difficulties logging in Unable to replicate the database accurately Experience forced software upgrades performed on the spot rather than planned for Are fined for failure to properly comply with backup and security requirements
- 7. 1/23/2017 7www.datavail.com What to look for in a Health Check Size and Space Issues • Size of your SGA • Object size • Size of database • Space utilization, file system (ASM?) • Adequate space for backups • CPU, disk and memory utilization • Table space critical and warning threshold levels
- 8. 1/23/2017 8www.datavail.com What to look for in a Health Check System Issues • Database components • Backup test • Recovery test • Is it a supported version of Oracle? • Has it been patched?
- 9. 1/23/2017 9www.datavail.com What to look for in a Health Check Performance Issues • How are the stats being generated? • Issues related to collecting stats • Unusable indexes and invalid objects • Are table space, auto extendable data files used? • Top buffer gets, reads and lag times • IO balance across the file system • Block change tracking • Wait statistics through the database • Are you taking advantage of flashback? • Logging operations • Corrupt log files • IO stats: top reads, top writes • Re-do logs
- 10. 1/23/2017 10www.datavail.com What to look for in a Health Check Security Issues • Analysis of user accounts • Dormant accounts present security risks • Are privileges properly assigned? • Is recycle bin properly configured? • Listing of hidden users • Listing GRANTs on SYS tables
- 11. 1/23/2017 11www.datavail.com When should I run a Health Check? Monthly for high-stress, high-turnover agile environments Quarterly for a growing user base generating growing data Semi-annual for non- growing, steady-state user bases
- 12. 1/23/2017 12www.datavail.com How to run a Health Check ORAchk Oracle Health Checks Datavail Health Check Toad
- 13. 1/23/2017 13www.datavail.com How to run a Health Check: Orachk • ORAchk and EXAchk User’s Guide • Frequently required by Oracle when working an SR • With 12c it is installed with the software $ORACLE_HOME/suptools/orachk • Run on demand, via daemon, via cron • Output can be emailed or stored in a directory
- 14. 1/23/2017 14www.datavail.com Show Check Ids Remove finding from report ORAchk continued… • Finding Needing Attention On Database Server - On Database Server • Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) Scorecard • Finding Passed - On Database Server • RDBMS patch recommendation Summary report • RDMS Patch recommendation Detailed report • TOP 10 Time Consuming Checks Oracle orachk Assessment Report System Health Score is 88 out of 100 (detail) Table of Contents
- 16. 1/23/2017 16www.datavail.com Health Check Monitor Health Checks can be run via Health Monitor • Reactive • Manual • Scheduled PL/SQL Package BEGIN DBMS_HM.RUN_CHECK('Dictionary Integrity Check', 'my_run'); END; ADRCI View Data via Health MonitorViews • V$HM_RUN • V$HM_FINDING • V$HM_RECOMMENDATIONS
- 17. 1/23/2017 17www.datavail.com The DB Admin Module includes a health check Toad https://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for- oracle/b/weblog/archive/2013/07/07/toad-database-health-check • Vulnerability assessment • Configuration (including Oracle RAC and usage of Oracle options, OEM management packs and Exadata) • Performance • Storage
- 18. 1/23/2017 18www.datavail.com Have Datavail Do A Health Check Datavail has hundreds of DBAs with shared knowledge. We have a proprietary assessment tool that reports on a series of 72 tests of database capacity, speed, resilience, flexibility, and security. The Datavail Health Check report is easy to read and understand Your DBAs may be too busy fighting fires to be proactive – Datavail can help. Datavail can assess database health as well as provide solutions to issues.
- 19. 1/23/2017 19www.datavail.com Health Check results and responses Nologging operations that can result in unavailability or unrecoverability Corrupt log files can lead to a standby failure when you need it Forced upgrade – you may be so far behind on patches that a bug may crop up and you will be forced to upgrade as a solution from Oracle Failed RMAN backups may put you out of compliance with Corporate policies and cause major problems if you need them Potential space issues if disk space and growth isn’t monitored
- 20. 1/23/2017 20www.datavail.com Health Check results and responses Users with DBA privs should be evaluated. Locked accounts should be deleted Recyclebin contents – set up a script to empty on a regular basis Duplicate datafile names, or files with a double extension – address before they become a problem in a move Add auto extensible files to reduce I/O contention
- 21. 1/23/2017 21www.datavail.com Health Check performance issues 1 2 3 5 4 How are Stats gathered – Use latest method Are there objects without stats – gather stats on all objects unless there is a good reason How often are redo logs switching – goal should be 2-3 times per hour Are database writes/reads balanced – use auto extendible files across mount points Are there unstable plans – this can be addressed if on EE with diagnostics pack
- 22. 1/23/2017 22www.datavail.com Health Check Performance Issues • How are Stats gathered – Use latest method • Are there objects without stats – gather stats on all objects unless there is a good reason • How often are redo logs switching – goal should be 2-3 times per hour • Are database writes/reads balanced – use auto extendible files across mount points • Are there unstable plans – this can be addressed if on EE with diagnostics pack
- 23. 1/23/2017 23www.datavail.com Health Check performance issues
- 24. 1/23/2017 24www.datavail.com Download the Oracle Health Assessment Checklist www.Datavail.com/oracleHealthCheckList
- 25. 1/23/2017 25www.datavail.com Questions? Contact Datavail at www.datavail.com or call 866-600-2995