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Proper testing of all changes to Oracle are critical
especially when you change global instance
parameters. Also see my notes on
Oracle
System Testing areas and
Oracle Stress
Testing tips.
Some beginners are lead to
believe that artificial test scripts on a PC
constitute Oracle testing, but this approach is not
recognized as valid Oracle pre-production testing in
most real-world Oracle databases. For the
Oracle professional, a valid Oracle system change
test involves these Oracle testing best practices.
Artificial test scripts and
meaningless and Oracle testing must be conducted
according to Oracle best practices, using 4
instances, DEV, TEST, QA and PROD. Note: Log a
service request on MOSC: if you
need to change any undocumented or hidden
parameters.
-
Test the change in a DEV
instance - The DEV instance is the
developer" playpen where you can check your
Oracle test for basic functionality.
-
Test the change in a
TEST instance - The TEST instance is usually
refreshed from the PROD instance (i.e. using
Oracle Streams), and has production data and
application code. Small volume tests can
be conducted here to ensure validity.
-
Test the change in the
QA instance - The QA instance is an exact
replica of PROD and has volume-testing tools to
realistically simulate a real production load.
In the QA instance the Oracle testing involves
examining the Oracle performance statistics
using STATSPACK or AWR.
-
Final Oracle test in
PROD - At a pre-approved time, the tested
Oracle change is migrated to PROD, and
real-world performance characteristics are
gathered and compared to the before-change
levels.
In sum, Oracle best practices
mandate as-complete a real-world test as possible,
with real production loads and real production data.
Oracle testing does not include artificial
"test-case" scripts on a PC, which most IT managers
do not find relevant.
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Guarantee your Success!
Oracle is the
world's most complex, robust and flexible database, considered
impossible to master without a mentor.
That's why all BC
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