Stored Outlines.

Hi people,

I have been hit with a new functionality within Oracle today that I had no idea existed - Stored Outlines. Now I understand that you can now almost explicitly tell Oracle how to execute a SQL statement up until infinity with an outline, even if the optimiser may feel there is a better way to do things?

Is there a better way of saying this? OK.. I have a table that has 20,000 rows, and when selecting from this table I may have to do a full table scan to get the data I need. I could create a stored outline which says that this SQL statement will always use that execution plan - with the full table scan.

Suddenly a user decides to put 1,000,000 rows in to that table, and a full table scan may not be the best way to go around this, but because I am using the stored outline with this particular statement it will still go ahead and do it? Ass backwards I know, but the best I can come up with before I knock of to get my first beer of the day down my throat :)

My question:

Does anybody out there use stored outlines? If so what benefit do they add, when would you use one, why would you use one, and what would you use it for?

I ask the question as this is a new functionality in one of out SQL optimisation tools, and I have absolutely no idea what benefit it will give to you guys in the "field" :)

Any insight greatly appreciated!

Regards

Mark

Mark Leith
Cool Tools UK Ltd

T: 01905 330 281
M: 07771 691 122
E: mark_at_cool-tools.co.uk

"Everybody has to believe in something, I believe I'll have another beer!" Received on Thu Jan 25 2001 - 11:17:09 CST