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Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics is about optimizing individual SQL statements, especially on production database systems. This Oracle-specific book begins by assuming you have already identified a particular SQL statement and are considering taking steps to improve its performance. The book describes a systematic process by which to diagnose a problem statement, identify a fix, and to implement that fix safely in a production system. You´ll learn not only to improve performance when it is too slow, but also to stabilize performance when it is too variable. You´ll learn about system statistics and how the Cost-Based Optimizer uses them to determine a suitable execution plan for a given statement. That knowledge provides the foundation from which to identify the root cause, and to stabilize and improve performance.

Next after identifying a problem and the underlying root cause is to put in place a solution. Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics explains how to apply various remedies such as changing the SQL statement, adding hints, changing the physical design, and more, and how they can be brought to bear on fixing a problem once and for all.

Rolling a change out smoothly is an important topic when dealing with tuning and optimization. Expert Oracle SQL: Optimization, Deployment, and Statistics does not let you down in this critical area. The book contains two chapters of good information from an experienced professional on how to safely deploy changes into production so that your systems remaining running and available throughout the deployment process.

Describes a systematic approach to tuning Oracle SQL
Explains how things are supposed to work, what can go wrong, and how to fix it
Takes you through the steps needed to stabilize performance in your production systems

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PART I: Basic Concepts

1. Basic SQL Statement Structure

2. The Cost Based Optimizer

3. Basic Execution Plan Concepts

4. The Runtime Engine

5. Optimization

6. Object Statistics and Deployment

PART II: Advanced Concepts

7. Advanced SQL Concepts

8. Advanced Execution Plan Concepts

9. Inputs to the CBO

PART III: The Cost Based Optimizer

10. Access Methods

11. Join Methods

12. Query Optimization

13. Query Transformations

PART IV: Optimization

14. Why Do Things Go Wrong?

15. Physical Database Design Changes

16. Rewriting Queries

17. Optimizing Sorts

18. Changing Optimizer Transformations

19. Advanced Techniques

PART V: Managing Statistics with TSTATS

20. Managing Statistics with TSTATS

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Tony Hasler spends most workdays tuning database queries for financial institutions in the City of London from his office in Fife, occasionally looking over the Firth of Forth towards Edinburgh castle. Tony spent the first half of his 30 years in IT developing software, during some of which time he worked with the International Standards Organisation (ISO) on interoperability standards in transaction processing. He also filed a patent on optimisations in two-phase-commit logging mechanisms. For most of the last 15 years Tony has been solving performance issues for major financial institutions throughout Europe. He is a regular speaker at UK Oracle User Group conferences.

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