Sometimes people will have a problem getting a TOAD feature to work – such as the PL/SQL debugger or profiler. For example a user might run TOAD and not be able to select or highlight the debugger icon on the main toolbar. So when they’re in the editor they cannot seemingly invoke or use the debugger. The initial conclusion is that TOAD must have a bug. But 90% of the time, it’s actually a database setup issue. Your DBA’s must grant TOAD users certain Oracle rights for some TOAD features to function. For example in both Oracle 10g and 11g, a TOAD user must have been granted the privilege DEBUG CONNECT SESSION for the debugger to function. We even have this specific information on the ask toad wiki. Since this privilege is not part of any of the pre-canned roles for Oracle 7 backwards compatibility (i.e. CONNECT, RESOURCE, DBA), we get this very question all the time.

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The last two posts have covered popular misconceptions or “urban myths” myths when measuring and performing benchmarks. That might seem like the “whole enchilada”, but there's yet one more critical aspect to successful benchmarking – preparation. I encounter numerous people who believe that they can simply assemble the necessary hardware, install the OS, install the database software, create the database, and then have at it. And usually they allocate just two to four weeks for all of this work. I'm reminded from my youth of the Boy Scout's motto – “Be prepared”. That's the single most important aspect to benchmarking – and yet often one of the most overlooked.

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The title says it all – there is no such thing. This is the second benchmarking myth or “urban legend” that needs exposed. However this is the most prevalent frustration or exasperation that people attempting database benchmarks experience – and experience the hard way (i.e. their efforts majorly or totally fail to meet their initial expectations).

 

There are many reasons for this benchmarking failure – first...

As with many facets of life, database benchmarking has several myths or “urban legends” that need summarily dispelled. So I’m going to write a few short blogs focusing one by one on some of these misunderstood database benchmarking issues. Note that I am not preaching that database benchmarking is a worthwhile task, because there are many who feel it’s not. In fact I recently read an excellent Forrester paper by Noel Yuhanna...

A lot of times people will ask the Toad Yahoo discussion group or live at Toad Tips & Tricks events whether Toad can do something. Specifically, the question might be more like can Toad version X support this very cool new Oracle feature I’d like to leverage.

 

For example, a user might ask does Toad 8.0 offer a screen for Oracle AWR. If you look back at my earlier Toad World blog about Toad versus Oracle versions,...

The joint IOUG and OAUG Collaborate 2009 conference is a just over two months away. Not only is Collaborate a premier event for Oracle database technology and applications technical sessions, it’s a good format for hobnobbing with fellow database professionals.

 

This year’s event is being held Sunday, May 3rd, through Thursday, May 7th, at the Orlando convention center. I’m taking my family along and fully intend...

Like most things in life, there are prerequisites and preparations for Oracle databases.  Regardless of version, this is especially true for application access and usage. Oracle is a highly scalable and configurable database, therefore DBAs must configure their database for how it will be used to guarantee meeting their users’ expectations – including database developers. Failure to do so can lead to perceptions of “slow performance”...

The Oracle 11g database is nothing short of a modern technical marvel. From the features it offers to the many platforms it runs upon – it’s amazing how far they’ve come. But as a “true enterprise” database, Oracle 11g requires some DBA oversight to be applied when creating databases. Although Oracle supplies a very simple and yet fully capable database creation assistant (DBCA) utility, one needs to use it intelligently. AS I tried to point out in a prior blog, Oracle 11g on a notebook: Tread Lightly, creating an Oracle 11g database on a notebook is not ideally done with DBCA defaults. So, I thought I’d walk you through my basic recommendations for creating a light weight Oracle 11g database.

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We don’t get this particular question per se as often as one would expect, but we do see enough user problems where this fundamental issue becomes the underlying question to answer for problem resolution. Below is a chart for the release dates for both Toad and Oracle. The “blue highlighted” dates are when Oracle first releases a major new version, such as Oracle 10g in January of 2004. But it’s the “red highlighted” dates...

Oracle explain plans – they are considered by many as critical when optimizing or tuning SQL statements (I however prefer to look at trace data in conjunction with explain plans). For those who prefer primarily to rely on explain plan interpretation, comprehension and improvement – Toad offers numerous capabilities to make the entire process simpler and more productive. Because let’s face it, explain plans are like much proofs...

I’ve got Toad Freeware installed and running on my Ubuntu 8.10 Linux machine – and so far, not a single problem has yet occurred (knock on wood).

 

Here are the basic steps that I had to perform in order to “Make it so” (as Star Trek Next Generation’s Captain Piccard would say):

Install Ubuntu with Wine – make sure that the Wine version is latest and greatest...

Many business analysts rely heavily upon Microsoft Excel as one of their primary tools for manipulating and reporting upon their business data. Sometimes they will send data extraction requests to their information systems (IS) people to perform and then deliver, sometimes they’ll instead access it themselves in place via the external data interface within Excel, and sometimes they’ll extract the data themselves from the Oracle...

Lately I’ve been seeing what I think might be an interesting yet disturbing new trend: whenever there’s a problem that initially seems unusual and/or unexplainable, it’s not uncommon to quickly question virtualization as a potential source of the issue. I fully understand that virtualization adds a new variable to the basic equation – and represents greater complexity due to more moving parts. But it seems to be somewhat rushed...

A few weeks ago I wrote Part III of this series – and fortunately (or unfortunately for my poor ego) an astute reader wrote to ask for some clarification on my Excel chart. Ends up my Excel formula had a mistake – so many thanks to Johannes V. Djernæs from Miracle A/S in Denmark. So I’ll be...

Just a very brief blog this Thanksgiving week (my favorite holiday of the year) – part 2 of last week’s relatively easy suggestions on how to make Oracle run as fast as possible on minimal computer setup. As before, my goal is simply to squeeze as much performance blood from the Oracle turnip as possible when deployed on limited capacity equipment....

Lot’s of people have asked “How can I setup Toad to run off a flash drive?” The reason for this question varies in nature and intent by requestor – but the general concept is that some users need the ability to carry Toad with them. Some are contractors who must use whatever computer and/or desk is open that day. Some are database developers who must travel around their company to perform or assist with various tasks. And...

Just a quick blog this week – some relatively easy suggestions on how to make Oracle run as fast as possible on minimal computer setups such as a notebook PC. My goal is simply to squeeze as much performance blood from the Oracle turnip as possible when deployed on limited capacity equipment. The suggestions below should work for most operating systems, including Windows, Mac-OS and Linux – simply interpret and apply the suggestions...

Catchy title – huh? But don’t laugh, in today’s hectic world many database professionals (whether DBA’s or developers – and sometimes even end users) just wish that the Oracle database would go faster. That may seem self evident – but let’s just accept that premise for now. So what does this mean for Toad users?

 

Toad offers numerous database monitoring, diagnostic and tuning screens or utilities. But not all...

I’ve always been a huge fan of Cary Millsap’s “Method-R” technique for Optimizing Oracle Performance via detailed analysis of all of the business process wait states. It is fundamentally sound since it’s based on genuine business concerns...

A few weeks ago I wrote about how simply adjusting various virtualized infrastructure default settings that a database could perform up to 440% better. Of course “your mileage” will vary, but the key point is that taking the time to properly layer your virtual infrastructure settings can have substantial impacts – which are only...

Last week I wrote about how simply adjusting various virtualized infrastructure default settings that a database could perform up to 440% better. Of course “your mileage” will vary, but the key point is that taking the time to properly layer your virtual infrastructure settings can have substantial impacts – which are only magnified...

Many people swore that database on a virtual machine would not fly – or at best, would be accepted very, very slowly. I was not one of those people – so I wrote a new book on just that subject: Oracle on VMware: Expert tips for Database Virtualization. However I don’t expect people in these tough economic times to just go out and buy every...

On many occasions, people will email or call me to get help with perceived RAC connectivity issues for various client applications – Toad and other Quest products included. Now some times they may have setups that we’ve not pre-tested, so they have a potential bug – or at least another regression testing scenario for us. But many times, it’s simply a SQL*Net configuration issue. While it’s easy to draw a simple diagram of...

It’s not uncommon for software to increase in install size and memory footprint over the years – and Toad is no exception. But, that does not mean that these newer versions have to run more slowly. We take great pride in keeping Toad expedient as it matures. Thus do not simply assume that if your Toad is running slower these days – that it’s just the “cost of progress”. Most often there are simple steps to keeping Toad humming...

Last week’s blog was the third in a series about how to make Toad run scripts and/or commands against multiple databases at once. Lots of people did not know that there are multiple ways in Toad to do this. This week I will highlight the fourth and final (???) method of running scripts against multiple databases using the new Toad...

Last week’s blog was the second in a series about how to make Toad run scripts or commands against multiple databases at once. Lots of people did not know that there are multiple ways in Toad to do this. This week I’ll highlight the third method of running scripts against multiple databases using the “Toad Editor” and Dynamic SQL...

Last week’s blog was the first in a series about how to make Toad run scripts or commands against multiple databases at once. Lots of people did not know that there are multiple ways in Toad to do this. This week I’ll highlight the second method of running scripts against databases using the “Toad Project Manager”.   ...

One of the more frequent questions people ask me is why can’t Toad run scripts or commands against multiple databases at once? Of course as usual the answer is Toad already can – so I’m going to dedicate the next couple weeks’ blogs to this topic.    This week I’ll highlight the first method of running scripts for multiple databases using the “Toad Script Manager”. It has been in Toad for a long time now – and it’s available...

When you go through the entire exhaustive process of doing an effective (i.e. accurate) logical model so that you have properly captured all the true business rules and requirements, you sure don’t want your data modeling tool to compromise those findings as you move into the physical model – which is database platform dependent. Yet most data modeling tools do a very poor job of translating certain data modeling constructs...

I have been doing Oracle work for just over two decades – and I’ve probably written thousands of SQL scripts. Many of those were DBA oriented in their task nature, but even application development presents times where SQL scripts are used. For example, the need may arise for the operating systems’ or third party schedulers to invoke a shell script to execute a SQL script to execute some PL/SQL code.

 

Historically...

Sometimes, even in today’s world of super GUI’s, a SQL script is still the best way to do something. Plus there are always those people who steadfastly prefer command line to GUI’s no matter what. Can Toad accommodate and even facilitate these needs? Of course you know that the answer is a resounding yes.

 

Let’s say that we want to turn on and off the referential integrity within an entire schema – whose list...

I have always believed that Toad Data Modeler offers the best, easy to use data modeling tool on the market for the money. Now my faith has been confirmed – others are starting to see just what a gem Toad Data Modeler. Take a look at this review. I agree 100% of course – but everything there is true.

 

http://www.databasejournal.com/features/oracle/article.php/3754671

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A lot of times people will ask Quest tech support or via our Yahoo discussion groups how to make the editor run SQL commands and do stuff more like SQL*Plus or how to better control the output look and feel (i.e. behavior). Along those lines and another very popular question is where one can set an option in Toad for the editor to do something specific (e.g. turn off feedback, etc) – because they have already done an online...

There are quite a few blogs out there about what happened or what’s new from this week’s ODTUG conference in New Orleans. So rather than restate what many others are reporting, I thought I’d try a slightly different approach – to instead report more on what was noticeably absent or different this year. J  

The Oracle Developers’ Tools User Conference (i.e. ODTUG) is, in my opinion, the premier annual event for Oracle...

Next week the annual ODTUG conference will be held in New Orleans. I’ll be attending sessions and visiting vendor booths in order to stay current with the database DBA and development markets (more developer oriented at this particular show). I’ll report my findings and things of interest next week. I especially hope to corner some Oracle folks on the 11g R2 beta – which I’ve already heard rumblings for.

 

Of...

I’m working with our product team to develop a novel idea – and need feedback from you, our customer base. So here comes what may seem like a silly question: How would you like to win a free copy of the Toad DBA Suite for Oracle?  

Let me explain. I’m proposing that we sponsor an Oracle database tuning challenge. The rules would be rather simple: Using the Toad DBA Suite for Oracle’s  many screens, wizards, utilities...

There have been several papers and blogs from Quest on the issues of benchmarking successfully, however the condition persists where people experience trying issues with Benchmark Factory and obtaining satisfactory benchmark results. I still maintain that it’s primarily attributable to a lack of proper and complete precursory work. But people generally seem to need more than a notice to prepare more, so I’ve constructed the...

It’s that time of year once again. The Oracle Developer Tool Users Group (ODTUG) is quickly approaching (June 16th-19th in New Orleans – see below). For Quest, this is a really great show. It’s very well attended by and representative of our Toad customer base. It’s not uncommon for a vast majority of this show’s attendees to be Toad users.

 

This presents a great opportunity for both our customers and Quest....

Sometimes people will compare Toad against low cost competitors or freeware (remember, Toad offers a freeware version as well). The idea being that one can save money by going with a lesser product. That seems fiscally responsible – until you do the math that is. So, let’s work a simple example to demonstrate just how valuable Toad can be to...

There are so many useful little make or break features inside Toad, it’s very often difficult to pick one to highlight. A few weeks ago I started to divulge some things coming in Toad 9.7 (and already in the beta). One item I mentioned was the enhancements to the Database Browser, where most DBA screens and/or utilities...

It’s not uncommon to discover databases that have simply evolved over time rather than having been built according to some overall design or “master plan”. And there seem to be no shortage of answers as to why this occurs. Sometimes DBA’s are just far too busy with a myriad of other tasks. Sometimes developers are under the gun for deliverables so quickly that there’s just not time. Or my favorite, this project started as just a couple new tables and then ballooned into a monster. Whatever the reason, the situation exists far too often in the real world of information systems.

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When using either Toad’s Stats Pack Browser or AWR Browser screens (both part of the optional DBA module and/or bundle), the plethora of graphs can sometimes be a wee bit overwhelming – as shown in the screen snapshot below. So how is any DBA in an urgent situation or hurry to both successfully and expediently interpret such database activity?

 

That’s where Toad’s basic mantra once again comes into play – making...

I’ve seen some people on competing product discussion boards say things like Toad’s schema browser Is far too bloated – with too many tabs and images sucking up all the precious real-estate. But like anything else in Toad, if you don’t experiment with and utilize all the cool options it offers – you could very easily arrive at this quite mistaken conclusion. So now let’s examine just how one configures the schema browser for...

I know – Toad 9.6 was just released this week – on Aprils Fool’s day no less. But we’ve already been hard at work on the next release (and the beta should start in a few weeks).

 

In last week’s blog, I asked you guys - our customers - to submit ideas for what should be added in Toad 9.7, because as we’ve always said, “Toad is your product, thus you should drive it.” So far though (and to my great disappointment), no one has commented. So I’m going to “prime the pump” by leaking some things prior to the first 9.7 beta, to hopefully stimulate you guys to chime in – and help us to drive Toad to where you want it to go.

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Recently, my Toad World blog asking whether we needed to update the Toad Handbook generated as many or more replies than all my other past blogs combined. So it obviously seems best to ask you guys – our customers and users – for more opinions and ideas.

 

I’m hoping this week’s post will open up quite a lively exchange. Every time we ask people what they’d like to see in the next version of Toad – we get the stock answer of just fix bugs. And we’ve heard you loud and clear – that remains a key focus for each and every release. But if you had to pick your one new, must have feature – what would it be?

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I often get asked by both new and exiting customers to aid them in the cost justification process for purchasing Toad or upgrading their licenses. I thought since I get asked this so often, maybe a short blurb on the topic would be generally beneficial.

 

To write this blog, I’m using Microsoft Word. When I’m done, I’ll be emailing it to our Toad World site manager using Microsoft Outlook. Very few people would...

An increasingly common question these days is does Toad support Oracle RAC (i.e. Real Application Clusters)? And if so – how, when and where?

 

HOW: There is nothing special required to support a RAC connection, other than a properly constructed tnsnames.ora file. Probably the best source for a correct RAC aware tnsnames.ora file should be your DBA. But I've included an example below. Some people ask why three...

The Toad Handbook is over four years old now. Even the more recent second edition of the Toad Pocket Reference is over two years old. And there’ve...

One key task for many DBAs is maintaining a database version control or change revision history. Database version control affords the DBA the ability to restore the database to any prior state, or to detect unplanned database revisions that cause the database to be out of compliance with its specification. One could argue that the latter scenario would unlikely happen in a well controlled production environment – however sometimes...

Did you know that Toad’s Database Probe screen is customizable? That’s why it’s vastly superior to the simple Database Monitoring screen. Here’s a basic screen snapshot:       Maybe I don’t think it’s a big deal that the SGA’s REDO LOG buffer can be pretty big these days – especially since it kind of sets itself...