One of the most important challenges faced by Oracle database
administrators and Oracle developers is the need to tune SQL statements
so that they execute efficiently. Poorly tuned SQL statements are one of
the leading causes of substandard database performance and poor response
time. SQL statements that perform poorly result in frustration for
users, and can even prevent a company from serving its customers in a
timely manner.
In this book, Mark Gurry shares his in-depth knowledge of Oracle's SQL
statement optimizers. Mark's knowledge is the result of many hard-fought
tuning battles during his many years of providing Oracle tuning services
to clients. Mark provides insights into the workings of the rule-based
optimizer that go well beyond what the rules tell you. Mark also
provides solutions to many common problems that occur with both the
rule-based and cost-based optimizers.
In addition to the specific problem/solution scenarios for the
optimizers, Mark provides a number of handy SQL tuning tips. He
discusses the various optimizer hints, telling you when they can be used
to good effect. Finally, Mark discusses the use of the DBMS_STATS
package to manage database statistics, and the use of outlines to
specify execution plans for SQL statements in third-party applications
that you can't otherwise modify.
