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Maximizing Import Performance

August 19,  2003
Don Burleson

 

The options used when the data is exported have no influence on how the data is imported. For example, it is irrelevant to the import process whether it was a direct path export or not. The result is a plain export file whether is was generated from direct or conventional means.

Unfortunately, there is no direct option available for imports (only for export and SQL*loader). The import process has more tuning limitations than other utilities. The DBA should consider the following when trying to optimize import performance:

  • Set commit=n – For tables that can afford not to commit until the end of the load, this option provides a significant performance increase. Larger tables may not be suitable for this option due to the required rollback/undo space.

  • Set indexes=n – Index creation can be postponed until after import completes, by specifying indexes=n. If indexes for the target table already exist at the time of execution, import performs index maintenance when data is inserted into the table. Setting indexes=n eliminates this maintenance overhead.

  • Use the buffer parameter – By using a larger buffer setting, import can do more work before disk access is performed.

When tuning import, emphasize reducing the amount of work that import needs to do. This can be accomplished by committing less frequently, not importing indexes, not generating statistics, or by using the buffer parameter to reduce disk access.

For the table with one million rows, the following benchmark tests were performed using the different import options. The table was truncated after each import.

Import Option Elapsed Time (Seconds) Time Reduction
commit=y 120 -
commit=y
buffer=64000
100 17%
commit=n
buffer=30720
72 40%
commit=N
buffer = 64000
67 44%

The table above shows that increasing the size of the buffer has a positive performance impact. However, the most dramatic increase in performance was obtained when setting commit=n. The increase in the size of the buffer resulted in a marginal improvement when commit=n.

Before devising a strategy for using export / import to copy data from one database to another, the SQL*Plus copy command should be considered.


Deep inside the operating system executables there are many utilities at the fingertips of Oracle professionals, but until now there has been no advice on how to use these utilities. From tnsping.exe to dbv.exe to wrap.exe, Dave Moore describes each utility and has working examples in the online code depot. Your time savings from a single script is worth the price of this great book.

Get your copy of Oracle Utilities: Using Hidden Programs, Import/Export, SQL Loader, oradebug, Dbverify, Tkprof and More today and receive immediate access to the Online Code Depot!

http://www.rampant-books.com/book_2003_1_utils.htm

Regards,


 
   Don Burleson
   
www.dba-oracle.com
   
www.remote-dba.net

 

 
 

 

 

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