1z0-084 Oracle Database 19c: Performance Management and Tuning Questions and Answers

In the provided code block, theDBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLDprocedure is used to set alert thresholds for the CPU time per call in Oracle Database. This procedure is a part of Oracle's Database Server Alert system, which monitors various metrics and generates alerts when certain thresholds are exceeded.

The parameters passed to theSET_THRESHOLDprocedure are as follows:

• The first parameterDBMS_SERVER_ALERT.CPU_TIME_PER_CALLspecifies the metric for which the threshold is being set, in this case, the CPU time consumed per database call.
• The second and third parametersDBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GEand'8000'specify the warning threshold level and its value, respectively. However, these are not relevant to the answer as they are overridden by the critical threshold settings.
• The fourth and fifth parametersDBMS_SERVER_ALERT.OPERATOR_GEand'10000'set the critical threshold level and its value. This means that a critical alert will be generated when the CPU time per call exceeds 10000 microseconds.
• The remaining parameters specify the warning and critical alert intervals, the instance name, the object type, and the service name. These are not directly relevant to the behavior described in the options.

Thus, the correct answer is B, as the critical threshold for CPU time per call is set to 10000 microseconds, and the system is configured to issue a critical alert when this threshold is exceeded.

References:

• Oracle Database 19c documentation on theDBMS_SERVER_ALERT.SET_THRESHOLDprocedure, which details the parameters and usage of this procedure for setting alert thresholds within Oracle Database monitoring system.
• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, which provides best practices and methodologies for monitoring and tuning Oracle Database performance, including the use of server alerts and thresholds.

TheDBMS_WORKLOAD_REPOSITORY.MODIFY_SNAPSHOT_SETTINGSprocedure allows setting attributes related to AWR snapshots. While the interval setting controls the frequency of snapshot generation, purging them is a separate process that can be managed either automatically (with retention settings) or manually.References:

• Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference, 19c
• Oracle Multitenant Administrator’s Guide, 19c

When MEMORY_TARGET is set to a nonzero value, Oracle automatically manages the memory allocation between the System Global Area (SGA) and the Program Global Area(PGA). If MEMORY_MAX_TARGET is not explicitly set, Oracle will behave in the following manner:

• MEMORY_MAX_TARGET will default to the value of MEMORY_TARGET, assuming the platform allows for the value of MEMORY_TARGET to be increased dynamically. This means that MEMORY_TARGET represents both the initial allocation and the maximum limit for the dynamically managed memory unless MEMORY_MAX_TARGET is specified differently.
• If MEMORY_TARGET is set to a value that is less than the sum of the current values of SGA_TARGET and PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET, Oracle will use the higher sum as the default value for MEMORY_MAX_TARGET to ensure that there is adequate memory for both areas. The database instance will not start if MEMORY_TARGET is not sufficient to accommodate the combined SGA and PGA requirements.

References

• Oracle® Database Administrator's Guide 19c: Automatic Memory Management
• Oracle® Database Performance Tuning Guide 19c: Using Automatic Memory Management

Given a server with 64 CPUs, if the buffer cache size increase did not alleviate free buffer waits and buffer busy waits, one can look into optimizing I/O and the efficiency of the DB writer processes.

C. Setting theDBWR_IO_SLAVESparameter to a non-zero value, such as the number of CPUs, would initiate I/O slave processes to assist the DB writer process. This can help reduce I/O contention when writing from the buffer cache to disk, particularly for systems without asynchronous I/O capabilities.

D. Increasing the value ofDBWRITERPROCESSESenables multiple DB writer processes to be active simultaneously. In a system with many CPUs, such as 64, increasing this value can improve the write throughput to disk and potentially reduce buffer busy waits.

References:

• Oracle Database Reference, 19c
• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, 19c

TheDBMS_STATS.GATHER_DATABASE_STATSprocedure is used to gather statistics for all schema objects in the database that do not have up-to-date statistics. These statistics are essential for the optimizer to make informed decisions about the most efficient way to execute a query. The procedure collects statistics such as table and column statistics, index statistics, and system statistics, which are all used in the execution plan generation.

References:

• Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference, 19c
• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, 19c

The SQL Tuning Advisor provides recommendations for improving SQL query performance. This may include suggestions for creating additional indexes to speed up data retrieval and materialized views to precompute and store query results.References:

• Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide, 19c

When you executeDBMS_AUTO_TASK_ADMIN.DISABLE, it disables all automated maintenance tasks related to the Auto Task framework. This includes tasks such as the Automatic SQL Tuning Advisor, Automatic Segment Advisor, and others. However, the Automatic Optimizer Statistics Collection (D) remains enabled as it is not part of the Auto Task framework. The gathering of optimizer statistics is controlled separately and is a critical part of the database's self-tuning mechanism to ensure the optimizer has up-to-date information about the data distribution within tables and indexes.

References

• Oracle Database 19c PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference - DBMS_AUTO_TASK_ADMIN
• Oracle Database 19c Database Administrator’s Guide - Managing Optimizer Statistics

The Active Session History (ASH) report is a tool that provides detailed information about active sessions for the time period specified. Since the AWR snapshot interval is one hour and does not capture the granularity needed for this issue, ASH reports aremore suitable as they contain more granular data for sessions that were active during the period of interest.

References:

• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, 19c

Baselines are typically taken during the production phase of the application lifecycle. They provide a snapshot of performance metrics under normal operating conditions which can be used for comparison against future performance. Baselines are essential for understanding how the system performs under its typical workload and for detecting deviations from this expected performance over time, especially after changes like migrations, upgrades, or significant changes in user activity.

References

• Oracle Database 19c Performance Tuning Guide - Managing Performance Through Baselines

Server-generated alerts in Oracle Database are designed to notify DBAs and other administrators about issues within the database environment. These alerts can be triggered by a variety of conditions, including threshold-based metrics and specific events such as ORA- error messages. Here's how these options align with the statements provided:

• A (True):Server-generated alerts are indeed notifications from the Oracle Database Server that highlight existing or impending issues. These alerts are part of Oracle's proactive management capabilities, designed to inform administrators about potential problems before they escalate.
• C (True):These alerts are logged in the alert log of the Oracle Database. The alert log is a crucial diagnostic tool that records major events and changes in the database, including server-generated alerts. This log is often the first place DBAs look when troubleshooting database issues.
• F (True):Server-generated alerts may include suggestions for correcting identified problems. Oracle Database often provides actionable advice within these alerts to assist in resolving issues more efficiently. These suggestions can range from adjusting configuration parameters to performing specific maintenance tasks.

Options B, D, and E do not accurately describe server-generated alerts:

• B (False):While the statement might have been true in some contexts, Oracle's server-generated alerts often include corrective suggestions, making this statement incorrect.
• D (False):Server-generated alerts can be viewed from various interfaces, not just the Cloud Control Database home page. They are accessible through Enterprise Manager, SQL Developer, and directly within the database alert log, among other tools.
• E (False):While it's true that threshold settings for some alerts can be modified, the method specified, usingDBMS_SERVER_ALERT, is not correct. Threshold settings are typically adjusted through Enterprise Manager or by modifying specific initialization parameters directly.

References:

• Oracle Database Documentation:Oracle Database 19c: Performance Management and Tuning
• Oracle Base: Alert Log and Trace Files
• Oracle Support:Understanding and Managing Server-Generated Alerts

To transport performance data from an Oracle Database Standard Edition, which uses Statspack, to an Enterprise Edition database, which uses AWR, you must consider the compatibility of data structures and repository schemas between these tools. The recommended method is:

• D (Correct):Export the data using theexputility with a parameter file appropriate for Statspack (likespuexp.par) from the Statspack repository and import it into a dedicated Statspack schema on the destination. Since Statspack and AWR use different schemas, it's not recommended to import Statspack data directly into the AWR repository.

The other options are incorrect because:

• A (Incorrect):expdpis not designed to export from Statspack, andawrloadis intended for loading from an AWR export file, not a Statspack export.
• B (Incorrect):Althoughexpdpandimpdpare used for exporting and importing data, the AWR repository schema is different from the Statspack schema, so importing Statspack data directly into the AWR repository is not recommended.
• C (Incorrect):Usingexpdpto export from Statspack and then importing directly into the AWR repository is not the correct approach due to the schema differences between Statspack and AWR.

References:

• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide:Migrating from Statspack to AWR

Statspack is a performance diagnostic tool provided by Oracle prior to the introduction of the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR). At snap level 6, Statspack captures the following types of statistics:

• A (Correct):Parent and child latches are captured. Latch statistics provide information about contention for latches, which are low-level serialization mechanisms used by Oracle.
• E (Correct):Enqueue statistics, which provide information on the waits for locks that manage the concurrency between users.
• F (Correct):Segment-level statistics, which provide detailed information on database segments such as tables, indexes, etc., to identify I/O and contention issues.
• C (Incorrect):While optimizer execution plans are an essential aspect of performance tuning, detailed execution plan capture is not part of the Statspack report at level 6.
• D (Incorrect):Plan usage data refers to how frequently a plan is being used, which is more associated with AWR and not typically captured in Statspack reports.

References:

• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide:Using Statspack

In theV$SESSIONview, Oracle provides information about the session waits:

B. When theWAIT_TIMEcolumn has a value of 0, it signifies that the session is currently waiting for a resource. This column represents the duration of the current or last wait.

C. If the session is not actively waiting, theWAIT_TIMEcolumn shows the time the session spent waiting for the last wait event. If theSTATEcolumn is showing "WAITED KNOWN TIME", it means the session is not currently waiting, but it indicates the time for which it had waited.

References:

• Oracle Database Reference, 19c
• Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, 19c