Oracle PL/SQL for DBAs

Conclusion

The Oracle Scheduler is a new job management utility introduced in Oracle Database 10g. It is far superior to its predecessor, DBMS_JOB. Using the Scheduler you can schedule both PL/SQL code units (stored procedures and anonymous blocks) and operating system executables for execution. It allows you to use an almost English-like notation to specify a calendar showing the desired times of execution. All Scheduler-related activities are available as APIs in the DBMS_SCHEDULER built-in package. In addition, Enterprise Manager in Oracle Database 10g provides a graphical user interface that may be used to manage job scheduling, making scheduling extremely easy even for those using the utility for the first time. The Scheduler allows you to define a named schedule that can be called independently to execute an action, which may be a complete executable name or a named program that references the executable. Jobs may also be subject to Oracle’s resource management framework, which may be used to control the amount of resources (e.g., CPU, parallel query servers) available to individual jobs. In summary, the Scheduler is the only job management system you will need for any jobs except those that definitely need to be de-linked from the database—for example, for starting the database itself.