Beginning Oracle Database 11g Administration From Novice to Professional

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CHAPTER 14 DATABASE MAINTENANCE
should be
removed.
and system capacity should be reviewed regularly. Disk space
should be proactively added to the database.
should be changed regularly or when compromised. Unneeded
accounts should be locked or removed.
should be applied to the database when necessary.
Caution Index rebuilding and table defragmentation are often conducted without sufficient justification—
the paper by Juan Loaiza and Bhaskar Himatsingka listed at the end of this chapter questions the need for
these activities.
Backups
Backups are the most important aspect of database maintenance, but the honest truth is
that most companies don’t pay enough attention to them. Here are some best practices
for backups; please refer to the chapters on backup and recovery for specific information
on methods of backup (and recovery).
Generic Best Practices for Database Backups
The following practices apply to all database backups, not just Oracle backups.
for backups and recovery. Clearly document
the maximum amount of data loss that is permitted, backup retention
policies, and how much time is allowed for database recovery.
and have it formally reviewed. Publish the
documentation to an audience that includes the database owner.
environment. A recovery test establishes how long it will take to recover the database.
updates or deletes the wrong data. I presented several options in Chapter 13.