OPN Certified Specialist , Oracle Certified Expert, Oracle Exadata Database Machine X3 Administrator (1Z0-027)

Exadata Database Machine Overview

• Identify the benefits of using Database Machine for different application classes
• Describe the integration of the Database Machine with Oracle Database Clusterware and ASM
• Describe Exadata Storage Server and the different Database Machine configurations
• Describe the key capacity and performance specifications for Database Machine
• Describe the key benefits associated with Database Machine

Exadata Database Machine Architecture

• Describe the Database Machine network architecture
• Describe the Database Machine software architecture
• Describe the Exadata Storage Server storage entities and their relationships
• Describe how multiple Database Machines can be interconnected
• Describe site planning requirements for Database Machine
• Describe network requirements for Database Machine

Key Capabilities of Exadata Database Machine

• Describe the key capabilities of Exadata Database Machine
• Describe the Exadata Smart Scan capabilities
• Describe the capabilities of hybrid columnar compression
• Describe the capabilities and uses of the Smart Flash Cache
• Describe the capabilities of the Smart Flash Log
• Describe the purpose and benefits of Storage Indexes
• Describe the capabilities and uses of Exadata Secure Erase

Exadata Database Machine Initial Configuration

• Describe the installation and configuration process for Database Machine
• Describe the default configuration for Database Machine
• Describe supported and unsupported customizations for Database Machine
• Describe database machine operating system options and configurations

Configure Exadata Storage Server

• Configure Exadata software
• Create and configure ASM disk groups using Exadata
• Use the CellCLI Exadata administration tool
• Describe Exadata Storage Server security

I/O Resource Management

• Use Exadata Storage Server I/O Resource Management to manage workloads within a database and across multiple databases
• Configure database resource management plans
• Configure category plans
• Configure inter-database plans
• Describe and configure the I/O resource manager objectives
• Monitor I/O using I/O Metrics

Recommendations for Optimizing Database Performance

• Optimize database performance in conjunction with Exadata Database Machine
• Monitor and configure table indexes, accounting for the presence of Exadata

Using Smart Scan

• Describe Smart Scan and the query processing that can be offloaded to Exadata Storage Server
• Describe the requirements for Smart Scan
• Describe the circumstances that prevent using Smart Scan
• Identify Smart Scan in SQL execution plan
• Use database statistics and wait events to confirm how queries are processed

Consolidation Options and Recommendations

• Describe the options for consolidating multiple databases on Database Machine
• Describe the benefits and costs associated with different options
• Identify the most appropriate approach for consolidation in different circumstances

Migrating Databases to Exadata Database Machine

• Describe the steps to migrate your database to Database Machine
• Explain the main approaches for migrating your database to  Database Machine
• Identify the most appropriate approach for migration in different circumstances
• Identify the most appropriate storage configuration for different circumstances

Bulk Data Loading using Oracle DBFS

• Use Oracle DBFS for bulk data loading into Database Machine
• Configure the Database File System (DBFS) feature for staging input data files
• Use external tables based on input data files stored in DBFS to perform high-performance data loads

Exadata Database Machine Platform Monitoring

• Describe the purpose and uses of SNMP for the Database Machine
• Describe the purpose and uses of IPMI for the Database Machine
• Describe the purpose and uses of ILOM for the Database Machine

Configuring Enterprise Manager Grid Control 11g to Monitor Exadata Database Machine

• Describe the Enterprise Manager Grid Control architecture as it specifically applies to Exadata Database Machine
• Describe the placement of agents, plug-ins and targets
• Describe the recommended configuration for high availability
• Describe the plug-ins associated with Exadata Database Machine and how they are configured
• Use setupem.sh
• Configure a dashboard for Exadata Database Machine

Monitoring Exadata Storage Servers

• Describe Exadata Storage Server metrics, alerts and active requests
• Identify the recommended focus areas for Exadata Storage Server monitoring
• Monitor the recommended Exadata Storage Server focus areas

Monitoring Exadata Database Machine Database Servers

• Describe the monitoring recommendations for Exadata Database Machine database servers

Monitoring the InfiniBand Network

• Monitor InfiniBand switches
• Monitor InfiniBand switch ports
• Monitor InfiniBand ports on the database servers
• Monitor the InfiniBand subnet master location
• Monitor the InfiniBand network topology

Monitoring other Exadata Database Machine Components

• Monitor Exadata Database Machine components: Cisco Catalyst Ethernet Switch, Sun Power Distribution Units, Avocent MergePoint Unity KVM Switch

Monitoring Tools

• Use monitoring tools: Exachk, DiagTools, ADRCI, Imageinfo and Imagehistory, OSWatcher

Backup and Recovery 

• Describe how RMAN backups are optimized using Exadata Storage Server
• Describe the recommended approaches for disk-based and tape-based backups of databases on Database Machine
• Describe the recommended best practices for backup and recovery on Database Machine
• Perform backup and recovery
• Connect a media server to the Database Machine InfiniBand network

Database Machine Maintenance tasks

• Power Database Machine on and off
• Safely shut down a single Exadata Storage Server
• Replace a damaged physical disk on a cell
• Replace a damaged flash card on a cell
• Move all disks from one cell to another
• Use the Exadata  cell software rescue procedure

Patching Exadata Database Machine

• Describe how software is maintained on different Database Machine components
• Locate recommended patches for Database Machine
• Describe the recommended patching process for Database Machine
• Describe the  characteristics of an effective test system

Database Machine Automated Support Ecosystem

• Describe the Auto Service Request (ASR) function and how it relates to Exadata Database Machine
• Describe the implementation requirements for ASR
• Describe the ASR configuration process
• Describe Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) and how it relates to Exadata Database Machine

Quality of Service Management

• Describe the purpose of Oracle Database Quality of Service (QoS) Management
• Describe the benefits of using Oracle Database QoS Management
• Describe the components of Oracle Database QoS Management
• Describe the operations of Oracle Database QoS Management