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RE: oracle can ignore hints

From: Dan Tow <dantow_at_singingsql.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 12:04:48 -0800
Message-ID: <1079381088.40560c600eac0@www.singingsql.com>


Niall,

No offense was taken, I assure you! I gathered from context that your approach to the book was friendly and constructive, and I had a pretty good idea what you meant by "infuriating." I'm actually happier seeing some constructively critical discussion of the book than a lot of boring but uniformative thumbs-up (or worse-still, no mention of the book at all;-), so I do not wish to discourage critical commentary.

Dan Tow
dantow_at_singingsql.com
650-858-1557
www.singingsql.com
We make SQL sing!

Quoting Niall Litchfield <n-litchfield_at_audit-commission.gov.uk>:

> Hi Dan
>
> I could perhaps have been clearer. That the book has been infuriating me is
> definitely *not* intended as implying that it is a bad book, it is my
> emotional reaction to it, and anyway I *like* books that infuriate and
> challenge me to think, even if I end up rejecting the ideas as wrong (and I
> am definitely not at that stage) being wrong in a sensible and logical manner
> is always educational.In any case the book is worth the price of entry alone
> for the following as early as page 4.
>
> <quote>
> There are 3 steps to sql tuning
>
> 1. find out which execution plan you are getting
> 2. change the sql or database to get a different execution plan
> 3. find out which plan is best.
>
> </quote>
>
> Followed by the (hopefully obvious) discussion of the illogicality of the
> order of this approach. Stated like this it is obvious that most tuning
> efforts are at best wasteful of effort (and indeed could probably be done
> better by software which is great at trying hundreds or thousands of
> possibilities in a scattergun approach).
>
> Please don't take my comments as overly negative.
>
> Niall Litchfield
> Oracle DBA
> Audit Commission
> +44 117 975 7805
>
> P.S. I won't be commenting on the book in this public forum anymore - but I
> did think as it was possible that I seemed harsh on Dan in public I should
> try to clarify in public as well.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Mon Mar 15 2004 - 14:01:22 CST

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