March, 2004  

  In This Issue

All articles have been reprinted with the written consent of their respective authors.

Free Oracle Utilities

Database & User Connection Information
By Michael Selvaggio, Orsel Consulting Inc.

The attached anonymous PL/SQL block is useful to determine information about the connected user and to which database they are connected to. It makes use of the UTL_INADDR package which can return the IP address of any machine name or the name for a given IP address. This avoids having to start a host session to run a ping or nslookup. The first call to UTL_INADDR uses the IP address retrieved from SYS_CONTEXT for the connected user and returns the machine name. The next 2 calls pass no parameters and get the Database Server name and IP address.

set serveroutput on
set verify off

declare

v_gname varchar2(256);

begin
 select global_name into v_gname from global_name;
 dbms_output.put_line('User: '||user);
 dbms_output.put_line('Database: '||v_gname);
 dbms_output.put_line('Client IP: '||
 sys_context('USERENV','IP_ADDRESS'));
 dbms_output.put_line('Client Name: '||
 utl_inaddr.get_host_name(sys_context('USERENV','IP_ADDRESS')));
 dbms_output.put_line('DB Server IP: '||utl_inaddr.get_host_address);
 dbms_output.put_line('DB Server Name: '||utl_inaddr.get_host_name);
end;
/

Click Here to view sample output.
 
Oracle Administration

Tuning PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET in Oracle 9i
By Brian Peasland, Oracle Pipeline SYSOP

Oracle 9i introduced the PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET parameter to help better manage session working areas in a session’s Program Global Area (PGA). This paper discusses available methods to help tune this new Oracle 9i parameter. 

Click Here for the article.
  
Oracle Development

Transaction, Heal Thyself!  Part 2
By Darryl Hurley

Oracle 9i introduces a long awaited feature that suspends certain transactions instead of failing them straight away. In last month’s article Darryl discussed how to augment resumable statements to automatically resolve storage issues. In this second article of the series he focuses on a key area of resumable statements, namely, responding to timeouts and terminations.

This article was originally published in the June, 2003 issue of Oracle Professional.

Click Here for the paper.  


Quest ScriptRunner

Quest ScriptRunner (QSR) is the industry's most compatible SQL*Plus script execution utility -- including native SQL*Plus support for report writing. QSR's in-depth support for SQL*Plus, combined with its flexible script execution options, make a powerful new platform for running SQL*Plus DDL and DML scripts.

Quest ScriptRunner can be run from the executable or from the command line, giving you flexibility in how you schedule and run scripts.

Quest ScriptRunner V2.0.3 is included with the TOAD 7.6 Release. However, the link below will allow you to download the latest Beta version of Quest Script Runner. The link will also provide you with information about the significant enhancements in this Beta release as well as support information and plans for future releases. Quest ScriptRunner is a work in progress - please check frequently for updates. http://www.quest-pipelines.com/qsr/quest_script_runner.htm

 

Have you written a Users Group paper or presentation that you would like to share with your colleagues around the world?  Send your paper to newsletter@quest-pipelines.com for possible publication in the Pipeline Newsletter.  If your article is accepted, it will be mailed to over 28,000 readers!
Microsoft SQL Server

Change Management - Buzz Words or Real Value?
By Greg Robidoux, Edgewood Solutions

A lot of people look at change management as something they should have, but typically do not put the effort into creating processes that are easy to follow and repeatable. At most organizations, processes and procedures are usually ‘nice to haves’ and only become important when there is a problem. Once a major issue is identified, due to a mistake or implementing changes before they were ready to be deployed to end users, do the discussions begin. But after the fire is over and everything is running smoothly again our minds move on to other projects and the fix that was needed and fresh on everyone’s mind slowly becomes less of an issue until it is totally dismissed once again.

Click here for the article.  
 

Project Management Tips & Techniques
Estimating Duration and Cost
Tom Mochal, www.tenstep.com 
Each month, Tom Mochal presents a set of project management tips and techniques for handling various aspects of planning and managing a project. Tom has over 23 years of IT experience. He has developed a comprehensive, scalable project management process called TenStep (www.TenStep.com). He has also developed PMOStep (www.PMOStep.com), which is focused on building, implementing and supporting project management methodology through a Project Management Office. Tom also has a comprehensive application support methodology called

Whereas effort is normally given in terms of hours, duration is given in terms of days and an end date. For instance, it could be confusing to say that the duration of a project is three months, since you don't know if this means that the duration is actually 90 days or 60 work days. What you should say instead is that the project duration is 90 days and the estimated end date is 31 December 2004. If you describe the estimates in those terms, the estimated number of days of duration, as well as the targeted end date, is clear. 

Click here for more information on how to estimate duration and cost for a project.
 

News & Events

Free Webcasts
For detailed information on these free webcasts, please visit our News and Events page.

Tips of the Month
Oracle DBA Tip of the Month:  Restricting Access to Oracle 9i's Resumable Space Transactions Feature
PL/SQL Tip of the Month:  Inserting a "Generic Record Type" Using ANYDATA/ANYTYPE Types
DB2 Tip of the Month:  "Truncating" a Table
SQL Server Tip of the Month: Forcing Encryption of Packets in SQL Server
Puzzle

Interactive Crossword Puzzle: "Chocolate"
 

 
1 Down - Oracle, for Example		 Test your knowledge with the Pipeline Newsletter's Monthly Crossword Puzzle. 

Click here to Play!
Regular Features

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Our mission at Quest Software - RevealNet Labs is to anticipate the daily responsibilities and challenges faced by database professionals.  Our products help thousands of people solve problems and implement solutions every day.  This newsletter is designed to help facilitate the sharing of information among database professionals.  

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