The insights that Jonathan provides into the workings of the cost-based optimizer will make a DBA a better designer, and a Developer a better SQL coder. Both groups will become better troubleshooters.
— Thomas Kyte, VP (Public Sector), Oracle Corporation
The question, 'Why isn't Oracle using my index?' must be one of the most popular (or perhaps unpopular) questions ever asked on the Oracle help forums. You've picked exactly the right columns, you've got them in the ideal order, you've computed statistics, you've checked for null columnsand the optimizer flatly refuses to use your index unless you hint it. What could possibly be going wrong?
If you've suffered the frustration of watching the optimizer do something completely bizarre when the best execution plan is totally obvious, or spent hours or days trying to make the optimizer do what you want it to do, then this is the book you need. Youll come to know how the optimizer 'thinks,' understand why it makes mistakes, and recognize the data patterns that make it go awry. With this information at your fingertips, you will save an enormous amount of time on designing and trouble-shooting your SQL.
The cost-based optimizer is simply a piece of code that contains a model of how Oracle databases work. By applying this model to the statistics about your data, the optimizer tries to efficiently convert your query into an executable plan. Unfortunately, the model can't be perfect, your statistics can't be perfect, and the resulting execution plan may be far from perfect.
In Cost-Based Oracle Fundamentals, the first book in a series of three, Jonathan Lewisone of the foremost authorities in this fielddescribes the most commonly used parts of the model, what the optimizer does with your statistics, and why things go wrong. With this information, youll be in a position to fix entire problem areas, not just single SQL statements, by adjusting the model or creating more truthful statistics.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Great Book!
This book contains a wealth of information about how to evaluate and test the Oracle Cost Based Optimizer. Jonathan presents the material in a very easy to follow style. All the examples and scripts that he provides work as written. I would highly recommend this book.
Rating: - Invaluable Oracle Resource
Jonathan Lewis has perfomed an invaluable service to the Oracle community. He doesn't just offer opinions of how the CBO makes decisions from his vast experience. He also offers the scripts he used to verify behavior of the Oracle CBO. This equips the user to replicate Jonathan's work with newer versions of oracle and adapt the scripts to your circumstances.
Dennis Williams
Rating: - I was disappointed
It doesn't mean you won't love the book. I found it to be far too narrow and, even as an Oracle OCP, boringly written. That may say more about me than it does about Jonathin Lewis, who I know is brilliant and has written brilliant stuff before. I just didn't get as much out of it as I thought I would.
Rating: - Jonathan is a tease... but it's a great book!
Each quarter my team of DBA's has one book that we read and discuss in team meetings. This quarter, Cost-Based Oracle Fundamentals is it. This book is a wholly remarkable book for the moderate to advanced DBA. It is a deep dive into the Oracle optimizer, providing some wonderful insights into not only how it works, but why. It is not a book for the faint of hart, or those waiting breathlessly for retirement. It is a book for those who want to understand the CBO in more depth.
Rating: - Invaluable Knowledge and Applicability
This book gets a prized spot on my technical shelf. It is a challenging read, and has taken the most time of any book I have to get through, but it is quite good. The optimizer is such a core part of what makes Oracle worth the investment, that any DBA who does not understand it is doing a disservice to the company investing such capital into the product.
Lewis' use of proof through example is second to none, and leaves me feeling confident about the knowledge I've gained. His insights ... Read More
- Great Book!
- I was disappointed
