Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How to use Oracle table extents to allocate less disk space

  Oracle expert Brian Peasland explains how to use table extents to allocate less disk space in Oracle.  Continue Reading

• An SQL solution for a customer order homework problem

  How do you select a max value in an SQL customer order table? Learn the answer here.  Continue Reading

• Using SQL date functions to get totals for last three days

  How can you use SQL date functions to get totals for the last three days in a table? Find out in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• How to use SQL's POSITION function with substrings

  Expert Rudy Limeback explains with an example how to use the SQL POSITION function with substrings.  Continue Reading

• Using CASE in the SQL ORDER BY clause

  Read about why one Oracle user is getting an error when trying to use CASE in the SQL ORDER BY clause.  Continue Reading

• Understanding Oracle cost-based optimizer (CBO) and rule-based optimizer (RBO)

  Oracle expert Brian Peasland explains how use Oracle RBO, CBO and statistics when executing a query.  Continue Reading

• How to use a wrapper script with cold backups in Oracle

  Read about how a wrapper script can be used with cold backups in Oracle and used to check the success of the backup.  Continue Reading

• How to rebuild a built-in Oracle package body

  Oracle expert Brian Peasland explains what commands to use in order to rebuild a built-in Oracle package body.  Continue Reading

• Can we use a single database update trigger for an Oracle database upgrade?

  Can a single trigger be used to update an entire Oracle database? Learn the answer here.  Continue Reading

• How to rebuild a database to change Oracle block size

  Oracle expert Brian Peasland explains how to rebuild an Oracle database in order to change the block size from 4K to 8K.  Continue Reading

• Defining Oracle host string vs. host name

  Read expert Brian Peasland's explanation of the difference between a host String and Host Name in Oracle.  Continue Reading

• How to choose a Sun server for an Oracle database on Solaris

  Find out how to choose a Sun server for an Oracle database on Solaris, including how to decide between a single-thread or multi-thread processor, in this tip.  Continue Reading

• How to separate records in Oracle tables according to date

  Read this tip in which Oracle expert Brian Peasland explains whether you can separate records from before a certain date in an Oracle table.  Continue Reading

• UNIQUE index vs. PRIMARY KEY constraint to rebuild Oracle indexes and constraints

  An Oracle user asks whether it's redundant to use both a UNIQUE index and a PRIMARY KEY constraint to rebuild Oracle indexes and constraints on a very large table.  Continue Reading

• How to fix drop table and truncate table commands frozen in Oracle 10g

  Read Oracle expert Brian Peasland's explanation of why drop table and truncate table commands may be frozen in Oracle 10g.  Continue Reading