Database Blog


  • Watch Your FRA!

    Jul 10, 2020

    Reading Time: 3 minutes Now the FRA may sound like a magical area that should never run into storage-related issues—but that could not be farther from the truth.

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  • Schemas, Databases and Instances—Defined and Discussed

    May 12, 2020

    Reading Time: 5 minutes What is a schema as opposed to a database as opposed to an instance? And how do schemas differ between Oracle and MSSQL? Or between Oracle and PostgreSQL? Or between PostgreSQL and MongoDB?These terms are very important when planning a database architecture, so let’s explore them.

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  • Which Edition of Oracle RDBMS is Right for My Business?

    May 11, 2020

    Reading Time: 8 minutes Do I really need Oracle Enterprise Edition? Do I need Oracle Enterprise Edition in order to have a standby database? What version of Oracle do I need? Oracle’s editions and features can be a bit overwhelming. This post shares some key information that I hope will make your choice easier.

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  • Oracle Active Data Guard Replication Error with Cisco Firewall: Root Cause and Workaround

    Apr 22, 2020

    Reading Time: 2 minutes One of our customers had issues over the past several months with Oracle Active Data Guard replication to a standby server. The database on the standby server would intermittently fall out of sync with the database on the primary server, and log files were not consistently shipping to the standby server.

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  • Time to Validate Your Database Backup

    Jul 8, 2016

    Reading Time: 2 minutes Another new client, Another bad backup I originally wrote this post in July but I am updating it today because it is so important.  Yesterday we did an initial Oracle Database Health Check for another new client and found yet again that their backups are useless. This time the client was taking backups regularly, but was not preparing the database first and was just copying the database files. Unfortunately this renders the backup useless. Here…..

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  • Oracle In-memory Database—Speed and Simplicity Meet Up. Have you tried it out yet?

    Dec 19, 2013

    Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the major announcements Oracle made during the Open World was the launch of Oracle In Memory Database Option. The In-Memory option to Oracle Database 12c is 100 percent compatible with existing applications and leverages all existing Oracle Database functionality. At first look, some key benefits jump out: Though this is a paid option, it promises a high ROI It takes just one change in parameter to turn it on From published information, it…..

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  • Using the Data Dictionary to find hidden data in SQL Server

    Jul 12, 2013

    Reading Time: 2 minutes A client asked me recently how he could find a string in his SQL Server database without knowing what table or column it was in. The string was a translation of a code that appeared on one of the UI screens. This was a packaged CRM database and he had no documentation on the schema. With hundreds of tables whose names were not obvious, he had no idea where the translation might be kept, but…..

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  • MySQL Parser Deficiencies

    Jul 5, 2013

    Reading Time: 3 minutes MySQL is a very popular database for many applications. But the parser has some important deficiencies that developers need to be aware of. The parser is inconsistent and not robust in the way that it enforces statement syntax. This may lead to ambiguity and application defects that are very difficult to find. I include one example below and link to another blog article that discusses another. Inadequate Group By Parsing The MySQL group by function…..

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  • Oracle Editioning — Upgrading database applications while in use

    Jun 24, 2013

    Reading Time: < 1 minute Among the features introduced in Oracle 11g is Edition Based Redefinition. This feature enables us to have multiple active versions of database objects in order to facilitiate online application upgrades. Prior to this release, if an application used stored procedures or triggers, upgrades required database downtime in order to redefine database objects. This new feature facilitates zero down-time application upgrades but it is a complicated feature and using it can be difficult. Our colleague, Dennis…..

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  • Critical Oracle Security and Stability Flaw Discovered

    Jun 17, 2013

    Reading Time: < 1 minute Infoworld today announced that they have been researching a flaw in oracle that can result in the inability to restore your database. Large oracle shops with interconnected databases are most at risk. The problem revolves around oracle’s SCN (system change number). The number has a limit that if exceeded, can render a database unusable, even after restoring the database. Under normal circumstances, this limit would never be reached. However, there are two ways that the…..

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