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RE: Explain Plan vs Actual Execution Plan

From: Cary Millsap <cary.millsap_at_hotsos.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 15:08:50 -0600
Message-Id: <24726.322581@fatcity.com>


I think you can trust the STAT lines in a SQL trace file to give you accurate information about what execution plan *did* take place. The test I would suggest is to compare the information in these lines to what EXPLAIN PLAN shows you. You'll need to look at the raw trace data, though, because tkprof doesn't always convert STAT lines into a correct execution plan.  

Cary Millsap
Hotsos Enterprises, Ltd.
http://www.hotsos.com

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-----Original Message-----
From: root_at_fatcity.com [mailto:root_at_fatcity.com] On Behalf Of Odland, Brad Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 2:24 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L Subject: Explain Plan vs Actual Execution Plan

Hello,

Heres a question to ponder. While tuning a SQL statment for a user I noticed that the explain plan from SQL Analyze was not the same plan that was found when I used OEM Top Sessions (9.2.0.1) upon executing to collect execution stats. Database is on HP/UX 11 version Oracle 8.1.7

The stats were not "stale" yet. Monitoring is on for the tables in the query. The query would actually never return. I suspected that the stats were a bit off so I ran new ones and then SQL Analyze displayed a different explain plan and the plan reteived from top sessions while the SQL was running matched.

My question is is the Explain Plan and estimate or is the actual plan. I suspect that when an explain plan is created it uses statistics and the optimizer to determine the estimated plan and cost. However when the SQL is actually executed I suspect that a different plan may be generated as actual execution begins....or am I just wacked.

Either way the statistics when run created a proper plan that worked fine. But I wonder why the difference in plans...

Brad O.

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Author: Odland, Brad
  INET: Brad.Odland_at_qtiworld.com

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