Oracle Parallel Processing

Preface

What is parallel processing? What does it have to do with Oracle? And how can you get the most out of Oracle’s parallel processing features? These are the questions this book attempts to answer. Oracle’s strong support for parallel processing sets it apart from other database systems on the market today. If you’re managing a large database, a database with a large number of concurrent users, or a database with high-availability requirements, you probably are already using at least some of Oracle’s parallel features. If not, you certainly need to investigate them.

Oracle’s support for parallel processing can be divided into two broad categories:

Oracle’s parallel execution features

Oracle’s support for multiple CPU systems allows you to leverage the power of two or more CPUs to complete a single task. The parallel execution features (provided as a standard part of the database) provide both speedup and scalability. When you use parallel execution features, individual tasks are completed faster than they would be otherwise, and you can increase throughput capacity simply by adding more CPUs and memory to your system.

Oracle Parallel Server (OPS)

While the parallel execution features allow you to leverage the power of many CPUs in a single system, Oracle Parallel Server (an extra-cost option) allows you to leverage the power of many systems against a single database. You can even combine the two features, taking advantage of the combined processing power of many CPUs in many systems, ...