Physical and logical structures

An Oracle database system identified by an alphanumeric system identifier or SID[3] comprises at least one instance of the application, along with data storage An instance identified persistently by an instantiation number !or acti"ation id# S$S %&'DA(A)AS* A+(I%A(IO,-. comprises a set of operating/system processes and memory/structures that interact with the storage (ypical processes include 01O, !the process monitor. and S1O, !the system monitor. 2sers of the Oracle databases refer to the ser"er/side memory/structure as the S3A !System 3lobal Area. (he S3A typically holds cache information such as data/buffers, S45 commands, and user information In addition to storage, the database consists of online redo logs !or logs., which hold transactional history 0rocesses can in turn archi"e the online redo logs into archi"e logs !offline redo logs., which pro"ide the basis !if necessary. for data reco"ery and for some forms of data replication If the Oracle database administrator has implemented Oracle 6A+ !6eal Application +lusters., then multiple instances, usually on different ser"ers, attach to a central storage array (his scenario offers ad"antages such as better performance, scalability and redundancy 7owe"er, support becomes more comple8, and many sites do not use 6A+ In "ersion 9:g, grid computing introduced shared resources where an instance can use !for e8ample. +02 resources from another node !computer. in the grid (he Oracle D)1S can store and e8ecute stored procedures and functions within itself 05;S45 !Oracle +orporation<s proprietary procedural e8tension to S45., or the ob=ect/ oriented language >a"a can in"o?e such code ob=ects and;or pro"ide the programming structures for writing them

[edit] Storage
(he Oracle 6D)1S stores data logically in the form of tablespaces and physically in the form of data files (ablespaces can contain "arious types of memory segments, such as Data Segments, Inde8 Segments, etc Segments in turn comprise one or more e8tents *8tents comprise groups of contiguous data bloc?s Data bloc?s form the basic units of data storage Oracle database management trac?s its computer data storage with the help of information stored in the SYSTEM tablespace (he SYSTEM tablespace contains the data dictionary and often !by default. inde8es and clusters A data dictionary consists of a special collection of tables that contains information about all user/ob=ects in the database Since "ersion @i, the Oracle 6D)1S also supports Alocally managedA tablespaces which can store space management information in bitmaps in their own headers rather than in the SYSTEM tablespace !as happens with the default Adictionary/ managedA tablespaces. [edit] Disk files

(his section reBuires e8pansion

[edit] Data files

At the physical le"el, datafiles comprise one or more data bloc?s, where the bloc? siCe can "ary between datafiles Datafiles can occupy pre/allocated space in the file system of a computer ser"er, utiliCe raw dis? directly, or e8ist within AS1 logical "olumes [D]
[edit] Control files

SiCe of control files (he siCe of the control files is go"erned by the following parameters#
* * * * * maxlogfiles maxlogmembers maxloghistory maxinstances control_file_record_keep_time

[edit] Database schema

Oracle database con"entions refer to defined groups of ob=ect ownership !generally associated with a AusernameA. as schemas 1ost Oracle database installations traditionally came with a default schema called SCOTT After the installation process has set up the sample tables, the user can log into the database with the username scott and the password tiger (he name of the SCOTT schema originated with )ruce Scott, one of the first employees at Oracle !then Software De"elopment 5aboratories., who had a cat named (iger [E] Oracle +orporation has de/emphasiCed the use of the SCOTT schema, as it uses few of the features of the more recent releases of Oracle 1ost recent e8amples supplied by Oracle +orporation reference the default 76 or O* schemas Other default schemas[F] include#
SYS !essential core database structures and utilities. SYSTEM !additional core database structures and utilities, and pri"ileged account. OUT ! !utiliCed to store metadata for stored outlines for stable Buery/optimiCer

e8ecution plans [G] "#, #$, %&, OE, 'M, and S% !e8panded sample schemas[@] containing more data and structures than the older SCOTT schema.

[edit] Memory architecture

[edit] System Global Area

1ain article# System 3lobal Area *ach Oracle instance uses a System 3lobal Area or S3A a shared/memory area to store its data and control/information [H] *ach Oracle instance allocates itself an S3A when it starts and de/allocates it at shut/ down time (he information in the S3A consists of the following elements, each of which has a fi8ed siCe, established at instance startup#

the database buffer cache# this stores the most recently/used data bloc?s (hese bloc?s can contain modified data not yet written to dis? !sometimes ?nown as Adirty bloc?sA., unmodified bloc?s, or bloc?s written to dis? since modification !sometimes ?nown as clean bloc?s. )ecause the buffer cache ?eeps bloc?s based on a most/recently/used algorithm, the most acti"e buffers stay in memory to reduce I;O and to impro"e performance the redo log buffer# this stores redo entries a log of changes made to the database (he instance writes redo log buffers to the redo log as Buic?ly and efficiently as possible (he redo log aids in instance reco"ery in the e"ent of a system failure the shared pool# this area of the S3A stores shared/memory structures such as shared S45 areas in the library cache and internal information in the data dictionary An insufficient amount of memory allocated to the shared pool can cause performance degradation

[edit] Library cache (he library cache[9:] stores shared S45, caching the parse tree and the e8ecution plan for e"ery uniBue S45 statement If multiple applications issue the same S45 statement, each application can access the shared S45 area (his reduces the amount of memory needed and reduces the processing/time used for parsing and e8ecution planning [edit] Data dictionary cache (he data dictionary comprises a set of tables and "iews that map the structure of the database Oracle databases store information here about the logical and physical structure of the database (he data dictionary contains information such as#

user information, such as user pri"ileges integrity constraints defined for tables in the database names and datatypes of all columns in database tables information on space allocated and used for schema ob=ects

(he Oracle instance freBuently accesses the data dictionary in order to parse S45 statements (he operation of Oracle depends on ready access to the data dictionary# performance bottlenec?s in the data dictionary affect all Oracle users )ecause of this, database administrators should ma?e sure that the data dictionary cache[99] has sufficient capacity to cache this data Iithout enough memory for the data/dictionary cache, users see a se"ere performance degradation Allocating sufficient memory to the shared pool where the data dictionary cache resides precludes these particular performance problems [edit] Program Global Area (he 0rogram 3lobal Area[9J][93] or 03A memory/area of an Oracle instance contains data and control/information for Oracle<s ser"er/processes (he siCe and content of the 03A depends on the Oracle/ser"er options installed (his area consists of the following components#

stac?/space# the memory that holds the session<s "ariables, arrays, and so on session/information# unless using the multithreaded ser"er, the instance stores its session/information in the 03A !In a multithreaded ser"er, the session/ information goes in the S3A . pri"ate S45/area# an area in the 03A which holds information such as bind/ "ariables and runtime/buffers sorting area# an area in the 03A which holds information on sorts, hash/=oins, etc

[edit] Process architectures

[edit] Oracle rocesses (he Oracle 6D)1S typically relies on a group of processes running simultaneously in the bac?ground and interacting to monitor and e8pedite database operations (ypical operating groups might include some of the following indi"idual processes !shown along with their abbre"iated nomenclature.#[9D]

archi"er processes !A6+n. chec?point process !+K0(. L6*42I6*DL coordinator/of/=ob/Bueues process !+>4n.# dynamically spawns sla"e processes for =ob/Bueues database writer processes !D)In. L6*42I6*DL dispatcher processes !Dnnn.# multiple8 ser"er/processes on behalf of users memory/manager process !11A,.# used for internal database tas?s such as Automatic Shared 1emory 1anagement log/writer process !53I6. L6*42I6*DL log/write networ?/ser"er !5,Sn.# transmits redo logs in Data 3uard en"ironments logical standby coordinator process !5S0:.# controls Data 3uard log/application media/reco"ery process !160.# detached reco"ery/ser"er process

memory/monitor process !11O,.# process for automatic problem/detection, self/tuning and statistics/gathering[9E] memory/monitor light process !11,5.# gathers and stores Automatic Ior?load 6epository !AI6. data mmon sla"es !1nnnn 1::::, 1:::9, etc.# bac?ground sla"es of the 11O, process[9F] process/monitor process !01O,. L6*42I6*DL process/spawner !0S0:.# spawns Oracle processes Bueue/monitor processes !41,n. reco"erer process !6*+O. remote file/ser"er process !6MS. shared ser"er processes !Snnn.# ser"e client/reBuests system monitor process !S1O,. L6*42I6*DL

[edit] !ser rocesses" connections and sessions Oracle Database terminology distinguishes different computer/science terms in describing how end/users interact with the database#

user processes in"ol"e the in"ocation of application software[9G] a connection refers to the pathway lin?ing a user process to an Oracle instance[9@] sessions consist of specific connections to an Oracle instance [9H] *ach session within an instance has a session identifier or ASIDA[J:] !distinct from the system/ identifier SID.

[edit] Concurrency and locking

Oracle databases control simultaneous access to data resources with loc?s !alternati"ely documented as AenBueuesA[J9] . (he databases also utiliCe AlatchesA // low/le"el serialiCation mechanisms to protect shared data structures in the System 3lobal Area [JJ]

[edit] Configuration
Database administrators control many of the tunable "ariations in an Oracle instance by means of "alues in a parameter file [J3] (his file in its AS+II default form !ApfileA. normally has a name of the format init(S#)*name+,ora (he default binary eBui"alent ser"er paramater file !AspfileA. !dynamically reconfigurable to some e8tent.[JD] defaults to the format spfile(S#)*name+,ora Iithin an S45/based en"ironment, the "iews -.'/&/METE&[JE] and -.S''/&/METE&[JF] gi"e access to reading parameter "alues

[edit] #nternationali$ation
Oracle Database software comes in F3 language/"ersions !including regional "ariations such as American *nglish and )ritish *nglish. %ariations between "ersions co"er the

names of days and months, abbre"iations, time/symbols such as A 1 and A D , and sorting [JG] Oracle +orporation has translated Oracle Database error/messages into Arabic, +atalan, +hinese, +Cech, Danish, Dutch, *nglish, Minnish, Mrench, 3erman, 3ree?, 7ebrew, 7ungarian, Italian, >apanese, Korean, ,orwegian, 0olish, 0ortuguese, 6omanian, 6ussian, Slo"a?, Spanish, Swedish, (hai and (ur?ish [J@] Oracle +orporation pro"ides database de"elopers with tools and mechanisms for producing internationaliCed database applications# referred to internally as A3lobaliCationA [JH]

[edit] %istory
[edit] Cor orate&technical timeline
(his article is in a list format that may be better resented using rose' $ou can help by con"erting this article to prose, if appropriate *diting help is a"ailable
(September 2009)

9HGG# 5arry *llison and friends founded Software De"elopment 5aboratories 9HGH# SD5 changed its company/name to A6elational Software, Inc A !6SI. and introduced its product Oracle %J as an early commercially/a"ailable relational database system (he "ersion did not support transactions, but implemented the basic S45 functionality of Bueries and =oins !6SI ne"er released a "ersion 9 / instead calling the first "ersion version 2 as a mar?eting gimmic? .[3:] 9H@J# 6SI in its turn changed its name, becoming ?nown as AOracle +orporationA, [39] to align itself more closely with its flagship product 9H@3# (he company released Oracle "ersion 3, which it had re/written using the + programming language and which supported COMM#T and &O "/C0 functionality for transactions %ersion 3 e8tended platform support from the e8isting Digital %AN;%1S systems to include 2ni8 en"ironments [39] 9H@D# Oracle +orporation released Oracle "ersion D, which supported read/ consistency 9H@E# Oracle +orporation released Oracle "ersion E, which supported the client/ ser"er model a sign of networ?s becoming more widely a"ailable in the mid/ 9H@:s 9H@F# Oracle "ersion E 9 started supporting distributed Bueries 9H@@# Oracle 6D)1S "ersion F came out with support for 05;S45 embedded within Oracle Morms "3 !"ersion F could not store 05;S45 in the database proper., row/le"el loc?ing and hot bac?ups [3J] 9H@H# Oracle +orporation entered the application products mar?et and de"eloped its *60 product, !later to become part of the Oracle */)usiness Suite., based on the Oracle relational database 9HH:# the release of Oracle Applications release @[39] 9HHJ# Oracle "ersion G appeared with support for referential integrity, stored procedures and triggers

9HHG# Oracle +orporation released "ersion @, which supported ob=ect/oriented de"elopment and multimedia applications 9HHH# (he release of Oracle@i aimed to pro"ide a database inter/operating better with the Internet !the i in the name stands for AInternetA. (he Oracle @i database incorporated a nati"e >a"a "irtual machine !Oracle >%1. J:::# Oracle */)usiness Suite 99i pioneers integrated enterprise application software[39] J::9# OracleHi went into release with D:: new features, including the ability to read and write N15 documents Hi also pro"ided an option for Oracle 6A+, or A6eal Application +lustersA, a computer/cluster database, as a replacement for the Oracle 0arallel Ser"er !O0S. option J::3# Oracle +orporation released Oracle Database 9:g !(he g stands for AgridAO emphasiCing a mar?eting thrust of presenting 9:g as Agrid/computing readyA . J::E# Oracle Database 9: J : 9 also ?nown as Oracle Database 9:g 6elease J !9:g6J. appeared J::F# Oracle +orporation announces 2nbrea?able 5inu8[39] J::G# Oracle Database 9:g release J sets a new world record (0+/7 3::: 3) benchmar? result[33] J::G# Oracle +orporation released Oracle Database 99g for 5inu8 and for 1icrosoft Iindows J::@# Oracle +orporation acBuires )*A Systems J::H# Oracle +orporation acBuires Sun 1icrosystems ,ote# as of October J::H the acBuisition awaits appro"al from the *uropean +ommission[citation needed]

[edit] (ersion numbering

Oracle products ha"e historically followed their own release/numbering and naming con"entions Iith the Oracle 6D)1S 9:g release, Oracle +orporation started standardiCing all current "ersions of its ma=or products using the A9:gA label, although some sources continued to refer to Oracle Applications 6elease 99i as Oracle 11i 1a=or database/related products and some of their "ersions include#

Oracle Application Ser"er 9:g !also ?nown as AOracle AS 9:gA.# a middleware productO Oracle Applications 6elease 99i !a?a Oracle e/)usiness Suite, Oracle Minancials or Oracle 99i.# a suite of business applicationsO Oracle De"eloper Suite 9:g !H : D.O Oracle >De"eloper 9:g# a >a"a integrated de"elopment en"ironmentO

Since "ersion E, Oracle<s 6D)1S release numbering has used the following codes#

OracleE OracleF OracleG# G : 9F G 3 D Oracle@ Database# @ : 3 @ : F Oracle@i Database 6elease 9# @ 9 E : @ 9 E 9

Oracle@i Database 6elease J# @ 9 F : @ 9 F 3 Oracle@i Database 6elease 3# @ 9 G : @ 9 G D OracleHi Database 6elease 9# H : 9 : H : 9 E !patchset as of December J::3. OracleHi Database 6elease J# H J : 9 H J : @ !patchset as of April J::G. Oracle Database 9:g 6elease 9# 9: 9 : J 9: 9 : E !patchset as of Mebruary J::F. Oracle Database 9:g 6elease J# 9: J : 9 9: J : D !patchset as of April J::@. Oracle Database 99g 6elease 9# 99 9 : F 99 9 : G !patchset as of September J::@. Oracle Database 99g 6elease J# 99 J : 9 !released J::H/:H/:9.

(he "ersion/numbering synta8 within each release follows the pattern# ma=or maintenance application/ser"er component/specific platform/specific Mor e8ample, A9: J : 9 for FD/bit SolarisA means# 9:th ma=or "ersion of Oracle, maintenance le"el J, Oracle Application Ser"er !OracleAS. :, le"el 9 for Solaris FD/bit (he Oracle Administrator's Guide offers further information on Oracle release numbers Oracle +orporation pro"ides a table[3D] showing the latest patch/set releases by ma=or release, operating/system, and hardware/architecture