Re: Oracle Backup/Archive products wanted.

OK: Archiving. We sell a product called DATABASE ARCHIVER FOR ORACLE (DB*A for short). This allows you to select rows from tables based on a variety of parameters, including relative dates (ie "3 years" indicates a date three years ago). The product archives to a standard Unix file system, including named pipes. It supports referential integrity, either derived from the constraints or explicity described to the archiver).

Tables can be defined to be NOARCHIVE (ie select the data for referential expansion, but do not write to the archive file nor delete it); ARCHIVE (always write to the archive file, delete only if explicity told to); READONLY (always write to the archive file, never delete) and DELETE (write to the archive file and always delete).

Table definitions can be nested to any level (we have tested 50 nested tables). Selection criteria include all that SQL supports (ie all Oracle SQL functions are available), plus support for nested (parent-child) tables, plus support for externalled defined parameters (such as the 3 years example).

When restoring, the data can go to the same or different instance / schema / username. Tables or columns that do not exists can either be created or ignored. Columns that have beed added to a table since an archive will have NULLs inserted. Columns where the data type has changed will be coerced where this is reasonable.

An online log of what has been archived or restored may be kept, from which an archive operation may be repeated with minimal scripting and a complementory restore may be started.

The archive file contains details of the meta database in order to restore data. The file has tamper detection checks to ensure that the data is not amended whilst outside the database. The file is machine and oracle version indpendent. It has exported data from V6.0.33 on one platform which was restored under V7.2 on another. We cater for platform variations (big endian/little endian) and will have a VMS port out this year. The program is also supported on the Macintosh but we dont sell it actively there. We aim to have ports to any platform that supports an ANSI standard C compiler.

This is database administrators tool that is not intended for end users. The interface is via a scripting language. A version due out towards the end of the year will provide an MS-Windows or Macintosh based script writer.

DB*Archiver is sold exclusivly through:

	Kernel Tweaks 
	1 Bath and West Building
	Lower Bristol Road
	BATH
	BA2 3BD

	Tel: +44-1225-422-655
	Fax: +44-1225-422-772

	Ask for: Mahboob Hussain
	Email:   smh_at_kernelt.demon.co.uk

For all Oracle Backup (as opposed for Archive) I recommend that you use the DataTools product, SQL*BACKTRACK, which is now marketted via BMC Software. This will automate the writing of scripts for online, offline and incremental Oracle archive. What is much more important is that it will also automate the restoration of data in the event of a data loss or disk corruption. It does so smoothly and is a good way to stay cool when the machine room is going in to Panic Mode!

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