7.9 Conclusion

---

In this chapter, we looked into the various features available in Oracle RDBMS that should be taken advantage of when designing database systems. We also analyzed the behavior of these features with respect to a RAC implementation.

The chapter started with the introduction of a methodology that should be followed for application development, including logical and physical modeling. Then we looked at some of the best deployment or con figuration options that should be considered, like application partitioning and database partitioning, and then at data partitioning. Under data partitioning we looked at the various partitioning options that Oracle provides, like range, hash, composite, and list.

Data is inserted into the database to be retrieved, analyzed, and processed into reports, which are then viewed by users. To retrieve rows efficiently the data needs to be indexed so that retrieval is quick. Various index options were analyzed and their pros and cons compared, and we also discussed the best places where the various types of indexes could be most favorably used.

Then we looked at the feature that would help in making data warehouse applications more efficient, materialized views. A materialized view is a summary table that contains data from a set of underlying tables, which would normally have been retrieved by writing queries against these tables and through complex join operations. The materialized views will store data in a form that would be helpful for easy retrieval.

In the next chapter, let us install Oracle, with the RAC and partitioning options. We will also look at the configuration of a clustered database and some important administrative functions.

---