Re: Oracle: Naked King in database land?

Anne wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am getting quite frustrated about Oracle and would like to get an idea if
> I am just being stupid, doing everything wrong, accidently using Beta
> versions or using the wrong OS or just unlucky or what? I am getting the
> impression that Oracle is
> like the vi text-editor: for freaks only and even freaks are quite easy to
> beat using most more modern software solutions.
>
> I am constantly having problems with Oracle server on three hardware
> platforms, AMD and Intel, 1+ Ghz, 1.5+ Gbyte, no Raid, Raid 0, 1, 1+0, 5,
> enough free disk and table space. All on MS Windows 2000 server (maybe that
> is the problem?) and win NT, Win2K and WinXP as client. Oracle 9.01 and
> 9.02. The problems below occur only when using tables larger than about 250
> 000 records, but on amounts below that I would really consider using
> MS-Access or something the like (don't start on transactions, multi-user,
> security etc., to me that's the vi freak - much used argument for little
> used features - point of view)
>
> Problems encountered in the last few weeks:
> * crashing the whole database running an insert query, having to reinstall
> and rebuild the whole thing (once)
> * spontaneous shutdown of the database running an insert query (twice)
> * constantly having ORA4030 (out of memory errors) when using Designer
> created insert-triggers
> * crashing oracle expert client when trying to view tuning recommendations
> * very time-consuming TAR handling, having to install patch on patch on
> patch and sending trace after trace after trace until you give up (I would
> prefer to send them script + data and get replies only when they solve the
> easily reproducible, common case, problem).
> * internal errors ORA00600 when using "order by" on indexed 1.5 million
> record tables
> * internal errors ORA00600 when creating indexes on large tables
> * does "end of communication channel" sound familiar?
> * prehistoric net client. Why not use dns + port by default and invent those
> error prone tnsnames workarounds only for "probably better but much less
> used" alternative network systems? Why install thousands of files and
> millions of bytes as smallest version oracle net client and not include an
> odbc driver by default on the 98% most used OS in the world?
> * so what is revolutionary about having multiple long/blob columns in a
> single table?
> * queries crash when autoextending tablespaces start to autoextend even on
> lots of empty disk space
> * getting a "processor too fast" diagnose for (a previous version) oracle
> installer
> * query optimizer clearly less intelligent than MS-Access and MySQL on some
> cases. Never found to be more intelligent.(Oracle workaround: analyze tables
> compute statistics, forcing use of indexes by removing wrongly used ones,
> forcing change of query execution plan by using nested queries).
> * unable to first-time connect to oracle from a new process within 1 second
> (necessary for standard websever cgi implementations). As comparison:
> MS-Access and MySQL connect times are negligable.
> * etc.
>
> Then why, you may ask, am I still using Oracle?
> * my boss tells me to and our customers believe they will have a very robust
> and stable database solution
> * after spending a huge amount of time on building and tuning the database,
> I must admit, the lookup-queries are quite fast
> * Oracle being the largest and best known database software, I am probably
> too much of a newbee and after some more experience I hope to find the yet
> undiscovered but must-be-there goodies of the software
>
> Are you, as an Oracle user, dba or developer constantly solving such
> problems as I mentioned above or are you, not like me, able to spend your
> time on creating new queries, views and reports, making easy backups and
> only very occasional but successfull restores, easily importing and
> exporting data to all kinds of sources, integrating the software in all
> sorts of environments and doing more such productive work as the sales
> department has promised when the database was sold to you? Or is Oracle, as
> I am starting to suspect, the Naked King in database land?

Two comments:

1. You definitely need training.
2. ORA-00600 is an unhandled internal error in Oracle indicating, most likely, an error on installation.
3. End of communication channel clearly indicates that you either have a failed installation or installed without reading the installation instructions and following them.

I would suggest you hire an outside consultant for one-two days to clean up your mess and do a proper installation.

Then get some serious training.

Daniel Morgan Received on Wed Apr 02 2003 - 12:03:04 CST