Re: Manual update / replication on a live database?

What bugs me in Mr. Hinsdale's option is the exposure to errors that go undetected for long time.
For example, if somehow the switch from the old to the new schema fails or is not done, in the event of a failure you can start using the old schema and run with it for while until you discover inadvertencies in the data... at that point is too late to do anything (at all). On top of that, your cleanup+import script(s) would have to be pretty "smart", to be able to handle errors of all imaginable types - lots of exposure to errors, unless you want to hire a professional dba willing (I can hardly imagine finding one) to supervise/execute the process as a full or part time job.

If you do make an RMAN full backup locally and transport it over, there is only one operation you have to take care of/coordinate/monitor: copying the backup to the new site. I will not expand on the other advantages of taking RMAN backups as that is a completely different topic, but the most important ones in your case would be the ability to validate: the source database against corruption and the backup. Now, if you really want to save resources on the source, you can do an incrementally updated backup which is basically a sort of "standby" waiting to be instantiated/copied to a different machine or the same one.

That being said, it is obviously your choice what solution you choose to go with and the same one (you) who takes the risks.

Cheers,
Valentin
P.S. All of the above assumes you do not use ASM, in which case things are slightly different. Received on Wed Jan 03 2007 - 12:43:19 CST