Lesson 10

Database Preparation Conclusion

Preparing to create a database

Different Initialization Parameters
You are almost ready to create the COIN database. Now that you have worked through this module, you should have an initCOIN.ora file that looks something like this:

View the code below to see how the initCOIN.ora file should look.

control_files = (c:\oracle\oradata\COIN\control01.ctl,
                       c:\oracle\oradata\COIN\control02.ctl,
                       c:\oracle\oradata\COIN\control03.ctl)
background_dump_dest    = c:\oracle\admin\COIN\bdump
user_dump_dest          = c:\oracle\admin\COIN\udump
db_block_size = 4096
db_name = COIN
db_domain = courses.DistributedNetworks.com
db_files = 20
compatible = 8.1.5
global_names = TRUE
processes = 30
optimizer_mode = choose

Glossary

This module introduced you to the following terms:

cache hit ratio:A ratio telling you how often Oracle goes to read a block, and finds it already in memory as opposed to having to read the block from disk.
directive: With regards to an Oracle initialization parameter file, a directive is an entry in the file that has meaning to the program reading the file, rather than to the Oracle instance being started. For example, the IFILE directive is processed by Server Manager (or SQL*Plus), and is not passed on to the Oracle instance.
GETHIT Ratio: The GETHIT ration tells you relatively how often an SQL statement is found already in memory, in the shared pool, and already parsed.
GETMISS Ratio:Tells you relatively how often Oracle has to go to the disk for data dictionary information as opposed to finding it already in memory, in the data dictionary cache.
initialization parameter:An entry in a database's initialization file, or parameter file, that controls some aspect of the way the database instance operates. For example, the SHARED_POOL parameter controls the size of the shared pool within the SGA.
mount point:On a UNIX system, a mount point is the place in the directory structure where a disk is inserted. A mount point is basically a directory path, such that the resulting destination is really the top-level directory of an entirely new disk.
Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) The Optimal Flexible Archictecture is a set of guidelines from Oracle that provides suggestions for directory structures, file placement, file naming conventions, and standard tablespaces that each database should have.
redo log switch:A redo log switch refers to the process of closing one redo log file and opening the next file in the seqeuence.
throughput:When used in reference to a disk drive, throughput is a measure of how much data the drive can physically pump back to the application in a given period of time. A typical SCSI drive, for example, might have a sustained throughput of 17 megabytes/second. If all your database files were on this one drive, your database throughput would be quite limited.

The next step is to write and execute a CREATE DATABASE statement. The next module will lead you through that process. Once you have done that, and taken care of a few housekeeping tasks, you will have a working database. Before you continue though, here is one final quiz for you to take on this module.

Names, Domains, Parameter File Settings - Quiz

Click the Quiz link below to test what you have learned.
Names, Domains, Parameter File Settings - Quiz