Maximise Database Efficiency Using Proven Solutions from TUSC
ISBN: 0072263059
Pages: 967
Publisher: McGraw Hill
Topic: Oracle
Rating: 
– (4 out of 5)
Oracle Database 10g Performance Tuning is a massive book at nearly 1,000 pages and not a book you can hold for too long, it has 16 chapters and 3 appendices, so I can see this Oracle book being a reference book for a long time to come.
One nice aspect of Oracle Database 10g Performance Tuning is that the chapters have been earmarked for reading by either DBAs or Developers, some chapters are even marked for beginner DBAs or Developers. The book begins with a great chapter on Oracle Database 10g new features, which could be a book in it’s own right.
The second chapter is all about basic indexing principles, and the book moves onto discussing disk arrays and tablespaces and how best to set these up. There is a chapter on tuning the database using the initialisation parameters such as setting the DB_BLOCK_SIZE and tuning your shared pool.
There is a chapter on using Enterprise Manager and the Grid Controls, then a chpater on using EXPLAIN PLANs. Follwoing this is a full chapter on the use of HINTS in your SQL code.
There are then two chapters for developers and beginner DBAs covering tuning your SQL queries and how best to write table joins and tune those SQL statements. After you have learnt how to best tune SQL, then comes some chapters on tuning PL/SQL, which cover such tips as reducing the use of SYSDATE and the use of MOD functions to improve performance.
Other chapters cover tuning RAC and using parallel features, teaching you about the V$ views and a chapter on X$ tables, a chapter on using STATSPACK and how to perform a quick system review and monitor your system using unix utilities.
The book concludes with three appendices which cover key initialisation parameters including desupported parameters, top 25 parameters, top 13 undocumented parameters and more. The final appendices detail all the V$ views and X$ tables.
Overall this is a very concise tuning book. This must be the most definitive and most up to date Oracle Database tuning book on the market at the moment. Oracle Database 10g Performance Tuning is a must read for all Oracle DBAs and Oracle Developers.