Answers to Review Questions

1.​B, C, E.  The recovery catalog provides a means of storing metadata related to a database’s RMAN backup and recovery operations. Additionally, it provides the ability to store scripts that can be used by any database connecting to the repository via RMAN. Finally, the recovery catalog provides the means to store backup records for longer than a year.

2.​A, C.  The RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER and RESOURCE privileges are required to create the recovery catalog. The DBA privilege includes RESOURCE and CONNECT and will work, but this role has many additional privileges that are unneeded. SELECT ANY DICTIONARY is not required.

3.​B.  Use the create catalog command to create the recovery-catalog schema.

4.A, B.  Anytime you execute an RMAN backup operation when connected to the recovery catalog, RMAN will automatically resynchronize the recovery-catalog metadata with the database control file. The resync command is used to manually resynchronize the recovery catalog with the database.

5.​D.  You would use the execute script RMAN command, contained within a run block, to execute the backup_database script.

6.​C.  You would first create the recovery catalog database. Then you create the recovery catalog user, granting that user the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role. You then issue the create catalog command from RMAN, which will create the recovery-catalog schema. Finally, you connect to the target database and register the database with the register database command.

7.​D.  To give the RVPC user rights to specific databases, you must connect to the recovery catalog with RMAN. You then grant those rights to that user from the RMAN prompt using the grant command.

8.​A, C.  The RVPC user can register database if they are granted the register database privilege. They can also see all recovery-catalog database metadata to which they are granted access.

9.​D.  The script will prompt for the missing substitution variable. The script will return an error if you do not put in a value for the second substitution variable.

10.​C, D.  Options C and D show the correct format for the RMAN command line. Option C connects to the database locally, while option D connects through Oracle Net. Both methods are completely legal.

Database recovery ought to be easy in our minds. You have enough problems when your database has unexpectedly left the building, and those problems should not be made worse

by a bad piece of database-backup-and recovery software. RMAN makes recovery of your database easy as long as you have crafted a solid backup and recovery strategy (discussed in previous chapters). Additionally, the old adage that practice makes perfect very much applies to database recoveries. So take some time and practice a recovery or two before you have to deal with the real thing. All too often, people wait for disaster to strike rather than learning what to do beforehand.

This chapter is about what to do when disaster strikes and you are under the gun to get your backup restored. In this chapter, we will discuss the following topics:

The best way to really learn about backup and recovery is to do it. A lot. The exercises in this chapter along with the examples of the various forms of recovery will certainly get you on your way.

Exam objectives are subject to change at any time without prior notice and at Oracle’s sole discretion. Please visit Oracle’s Training and Certification website (http://www.oracle.com/education/certification/) for the most current exam-objectives listing.

In this chapter and in Chapter 8 we have opted not to use a recovery catalog in our examples. The functionality demonstrated is the same with or without a recovery catalog. Where there are exceptions to this rule, we will note them or provide additional examples.