STAY ALERT TO YOUR DATA INTEGRITY WITH EXCEPTION REPORTS.

Peter Robson 
Technical Author


INTRODUCTION

Exception reports are a familiar technique to the Oracle dba (checking runtime 
parameters etc), but they are particularly important when used to test for any 
conditions that compromise the integrity and consistency of the data in the 
database. No matter how fast and efficiently Oracle actually runs, if it is 
holding corrupt data - the plot has been lost!

The condition of the data in the dbms (as distinct from the dbms function 
itself) can be monitored by 

a - building a comprehensive metadata system around the database, 
b - running exception reports on the integrity of this metadata, and 
c - testing the veracity of the metadata references to the actual underlying data.

Alert systems have been built that run over 100 tests every night, with the 
results mailed to key personnel, and logged into persistent store in the 
database itself. 

The paper describes the various types of alerts being executed, and 
demonstrates the scripts used to run and process them.