14 Managing Database Growth

This chapter describes how to manage the growth of large numbers of flow instances, adapter reports, and fault alerts in the database with the purge scripts in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or SQL*Plus, table partitioning for enabling schema tables to be range-partitioned on time intervals, and the truncate script for removing all records from runtime tables without dropping the tables.

This chapter includes the following sections:

Note:

Table partitioning is an advanced database task and must only be performed by an experienced database administrator (DBA).

For additional information about troubleshooting database growth issues, see Parallel Purging and Table Partitioning Issues, Extending Tablespaces to Avoid Problems at Runtime, and Resolving Database Growth Issues Caused by a High Volume of Transactions.

For information about database growth management strategies, see Developing a Database Growth Management Strategy.

Introduction to Managing Database Growth

When the amount of data in the Oracle SOA Suite database grows very large, maintaining the database can become difficult. To address this challenge, several methods for managing database growth are provided, as described in Table 14-1.

Table 14-1 Database Growth Strategies

Environment Use See Section

Small development installations with more than 100K rows in the database

Auto Purge page of Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or the looped purge script

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

or

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with SQL*Plus

Medium installations that generate less than 10 GB of data per day and retain less than 500 GB of data

Auto Purge page of Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or a scheduled parallel purge with optimal thread count

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

or

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with SQL*Plus

Large installations that generate more than 10 GB of data per day or retain more than 500 GB of data

  • Partitioning (for infrequent, long running processes).

  • Combination of parallel purge and partitioning (for long running processes than span several months). For example, perform daily purges and monthly partition dropping.

  • Auto Purge page of Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

Deleting Large Numbers of Flow Instances, Adapter Reports, and Fault Alerts

Partitioning the Component Database Tables

Partitioning Component Tables

  • For recreating and rerunning test scenarios

  • For creating a production or test environment clone in which to keep the schemas from the production environment so that the production customizations and new job definitions are kept, but all instance data is truncated, regardless of state

Truncate scripts

Removing Records from the Runtime Tables Without Dropping the Tables

Developing a Purging and Partitioning Methodology

This section summarizes the main points into an action plan that you can follow to purge and partition the dehydration store. Purging is an essential part of any plan and should be performed when data is consuming too much space or you have some other reason for removing the data.

There are three main strategies for reducing the size of the schemas:

  • Purge script, which can be executed through either of the following methods:

    • Automatically from the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

    • Manually in SQL*Plus

  • Purge script + partitioning (or, more correctly, dropping table partitions)

  • Partitioning all tables

The purge script uses standard SQL DELETE statements to remove rows from the BPEL tables. For most sites, this is sufficient. However, some sites accumulate so much data that the purge script takes too long to run. In this case, partitioning becomes the better solution. The trade off is that partitioning involves significantly more database maintenance. Moreover, partitioning is an advanced technique and requires a knowledgeable and skilled DBA. By contrast, running the purge script is straightforward and does not require significant DBA knowledge.

Try to profile the input messages, database growth rate, and how much data is purged in the purge process. If the input rate and purge rate match, then regular purging is sufficient. Otherwise, consider partitioning.

If you use partitioning, Oracle recommends that you add disk space and eventually drop the partition. However, this creates additional requirements for managing disk capacity, deciding on the correct partition size, and so on. Do not use partitioning and then rely on the purge script to reclaim disk space.

Note:

Partitioning functionality is available only if you purchase the Oracle Partitioning option in Oracle Database.

Deleting Large Numbers of Flow Instances, Adapter Reports, and Fault Alerts

You can delete flow instances, adapter reports, and fault alerts with the purge scripts (invoked either automatically from the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or manually in SQL*Plus).

Note the following details:

  • The purge scripts delete instances that have completed or are in error (have faulted). For more information, see Purge States.

  • The purge scripts do not delete instances that are in-flight or can be recovered (are in a recovery required state).

  • The purge scripts delete all Oracle SOA Suite-related tables except for Oracle B2B. If you have an installation in which Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle B2B are co-located, ensure that you also invoke the Oracle B2B purge scripts. If you have separate Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle B2B installations, you must run only the appropriate purge scripts on the respective product schemas. For information about purging Oracle B2B, see Purging Data and B2B Command-Line Tools in Using Oracle B2B.

  • Beginning with 12c (12.1.3), Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control and the purge scripts delete the MEDIATOR_RESEQUENCER_MESSAGE and MEDIATOR_GROUP_STATUS tables.

  • Installers must configure the database scheduler timezone properly or the purge job may run at unexpected times.

  • You can delete the following tables by running the purge scripts from SQL*Plus or from the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control:

    • MEDIATOR_GROUP_STATUS

    • EIS_CONNECTION_DOWN_TIME and MESSAGE_STATISTICS (JCA adapter reports).

    • FAULT_ALERT

  • Group information for resequencing groups is not deleted. Groups contain the necessary information about the next sequence ID for that group. Purging this information is the same as starting the group from the initial sequence ID, which may not be your intent.

The following sections describe how to invoke the purge scripts from the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or from SQL*Plus to delete flow instances, adapter reports, and fault alerts:

Note:

There is no purge script support on the IBM DB2 database.

Purge States

Instances in the following states are purged with the Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control or the purge scripts:

  • Completed successfully

  • Faulted

  • Terminated by user

  • Aborted

  • Unknown (instance tracking is disabled)

Purging of the following instance states is not supported:

  • Instances pending recovery at the BPEL process service engine level or SOA composite application level

  • Running instances

To purge these instances, you must first move them to one of the instance states supported by the purge scripts.

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

Use the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control to schedule and execute jobs that automatically remove older flow instances, adapter reports, and fault alerts data from the database.

Note:

  • Oracle recommends that you enable automatic purging on the Auto Purge page to optimize runtime environment performance. The status of automatic purging is displayed in the Key Configuration section of the Dashboard page at the SOA Infrastructure and individual partition levels. Automatic purging is automatically enabled for new 12c installations, but not for upgraded environments.

  • Ensure that you back up important data before enabling or changing purge configurations.

  • The Auto Purge page is not available if you are using the Java database included with the SOA Developer Install option. Use the truncate_soa_javadb.sql script to purge the database.

  1. Access this page through one of the following options:

    From the SOA Infrastructure Menu... From the SOA Folder in the Navigator... From the Key Configuration Section of the Dashboard Page... From the Key Configuration Section of the Dashboard Page...
    1. Select SOA Administration > Auto Purge.

    1. Right-click soa-infra.

    2. Select SOA Administration > Auto Purge.

    1. Click the Related Links icon.

    2. Select Auto Purge.

    1. Click the icon to the right of Auto Purge Status.

    2. In the message that is displayed, click Set Up Auto Purge.

    The Auto Purge page is displayed.

  2. Select values appropriate to your environment, and click Apply.

    Field Description

    Auto Purge Job

    Select a predefined database purge job to run:

    • SOA Flow Purge Job 1 to purge on a schedule appropriate for weekdays (Monday through Friday at midnight). This job is automatically enabled.

    • SOA Flow Purge Job 2 to purge on a weekend schedule (Saturday and Sunday) that may be more aggressive.

    • SOA In-Memory Flow Purge Job to purge in-memory flow-related records. This purges only the in-memory instances that are persisted to the database. This job is enabled when you set inMemoryEnvironment to true in the SOA common properties in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control.

    • Integration Workload Statistics Purge Job to purge the Integration Workload Statistics (IWS) snapshot data from the SOA database. By default, the job is scheduled to run daily at midnight. For information about IWS reports, see Monitoring and Troubleshooting SOA-Wide Issues Using IWS Reports.

    • Health Check Purge Job to purge SOA Health Check reports. For information about SOA Health Check, see Using SOA Health Check.

    • SOA Component State Based Flow Purge Job to purge flows and related tables based on the states of the components (other purge jobs are based on the flow instance state). This handles cases where the flow instance state is not in sync or turned off. This job is enabled when you set CaptureFlowInstanceState to false in the SOA common properties in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control.

      Note: This selection is available in 12c (12.2.1.3) only if you have installed patch 31572611 or later. Sign in to My Oracle Support and search for the patch number to locate and download the patch.

    Note: You cannot add purge jobs.

    Warning: When you enable or disable an auto purge job, you must save or revert your changes before selecting a different job or navigating away from this page. Otherwise, any unsaved changes made to the currently selected job are lost.

    Enabled

    Select to enable automatic database purging with the database purge job selected from the Auto Purge Job list.

    The purge interval begins when it is enabled. For example, If you specify seven days in the Retain Data field, data is retained from the day you re-enabled this checkbox. Newer data is retained for seven days from when it was created.

    Calendaring Expression icon

    Click to view examples of job scheduling syntax. Copy and paste the syntax appropriate to your environment into the Job Schedule field and modify as necessary. Click More Info to access documentation about how to configure job frequency by setting the repeat_interval attribute.

    Job Schedule

    Specify a job execution schedule to purge instances. The default schedule is to perform a daily purge at midnight. This is a required field. To specify the schedule, use valid calendaring expressions. Click the information icon or the Calendaring Expression icon to view examples of commonly used expressions. The scheduling syntax is not case sensitive.

    Purge Type

    Select the type of purge script to run. This is a required field.

    • Single: Single, loop purged script that performs a batched purge.

    • Parallel: Functionality is the same as the single, looped purge script. However, this option enables the dbms_scheduler package to spawn multiple purge jobs, with each job working on subset data.

      Note: If you have a multiple CPU host, use of the parallel script can be beneficial. However, Oracle recommends that you enable the parallel script only during off hours. In addition, when purging data during off hours, Oracle recommends that you drop indexes before purging large amounts of data and then add the indexes back in. This speeds up the purge process, and also keeps indexes from becoming unbalanced.

    For more information about the single (looped) and purge parallel scripts, see Looped Purge Script and Looped Purge in Parallel Script with dbms_scheduler.

    Retain Data

    Specify the time interval in days for which to retain data. Data within this interval is not purged when the job runs. The default value is seven days. For example, if you specify a data retention interval of seven days, data is protected from purging for the seven days since it was created. Older data already in the system is retained seven days from when automatic purging was enabled.You can ignore the retain data filter by setting this property to -1.

    Maximum Flows to Purge

    Select the maximum number of instance flows to purge in a single job run.

    Batch Size

    Select the maximum number of business flows to delete at a time. The default value is 20000.

    This field is displayed if Parallel is selected from the Purge Type list.

    Degree of Parallel

    Select the number of job executions to run in parallel. The default value is 4.

    This field is displayed if Parallel is selected from the Purge Type list.

  3. To view and configure advanced configuration properties in the System MBean Browser, click More Auto Purge Configuration Properties.

  4. Click PurgeJobDetails.

  5. Expand a job to display all properties for single and parallel purges. When either the single or parallel purge type is executed, the appropriate property values for the selected type are executed.

    Note:

    If you need to edit the advanced purge properties, do so with extreme care. For example, do not change the job names.

  6. View or change values, then click Apply.

    Field Description

    DOP

    Defines the number of job executions to run in parallel. The default value is 4.

    PQS

    Displays the number of parallel query slaves. You can add additional slaves to improve performance of expensive SQL commands.

    batchSize

    Displays the maximum number of business flows to delete at a time. The default value is 20000.

    Enabled

    Indicates if the database purge job is enabled.

    executionSchedule

    Displays the job scheduling syntax.

    ignoreState

    When set to true, purges all open and closed instances within the specified date range. The default value is false.

    Note: Use this parameter cautiously because purging open instances may leave your system in an inconsistent state.

    maxCount

    Displays the maximum number of flows to purge.

    maxCreationPeriodDays

    Displays the maximum creation period in days. This property is used with minCreationPeriodDays for selecting the flows created between a certain period.

    maxRuntime

    Expiration at which the purge script exits the loop. The default value is 60. This value is specified in minutes.

    minCreationPeriodDays

    Displays the minimum creation period in days. This property is used with maxCreationPeriodDays for selecting the flows created between a certain period.

    purgePartitionedComponent

    Indicates if partitioned tables should be purged. If set to true, the same purge job is invoked to delete partitioned data. The default value is false.

    Note: If tables are partitioned, you do not want to purge them because they are maintained by a DROP statement.

    purgeType

    Displays either single or parallel.

    retentionPeriodDays

    Specifies the time interval in days for which to retain data. Data within this interval is not purged when the purge job runs.

    sqlTrace

    If set to true, indicates that SQL Trace is set.

    For information about SQL Trace, see the Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide.

    Note:

    Retention period does not operate at the granularity of hours. So, if the retention period is set to 1 day, it does not mean that a job will be purged within 24 hours of its completion. Instead, it can take up to 48 hours (that is, with a retention period of 1 day, if a flow completes at 12:01am on the 20th, it will not be purged until 12:00am on the 22nd).

Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with SQL*Plus

Note:

When upgrading Oracle SOA Suite Release 11g to 12c, do not start the Upgrade Assistant while the purge scripts are running. Wait until the purge is complete before starting the upgrade process. The upgrade fails if the purge scripts are running while using the Upgrade Assistant to upgrade your schemas. For more information about upgrading, see Upgrading Oracle SOA Suite and Business Process Management.

You can run the purge scripts in SQL*Plus to automatically remove older flow instances, adapter reports, and fault alerts data from the database. There are two types of purge scripts:

  • Looped purge script

  • Looped purge in parallel script with dbms_scheduler

Looped Purge Script

The master purge script includes a looping construct that allows for a batched purge. You can also provide this script with a max_runtime parameter that stops looping after the value for this parameter is exceeded.

The master script drives the purge of SOA database tables. You can use the delete_instances procedure to purge SOA database tables.

Note:

Set max_runtime to a higher value if there are many instances to purge. In this case, you should expect to wait for a longer time before the script exits. Alternatively, use a smaller batch size if you want the purge script to exit sooner.

delete_instances Procedure

Use the delete_instances procedure to delete instances. The following example shows the syntax:

procedure delete_instances (
                   min_creation_date in timestamp,
                   max_creation_date in timestamp,
                   batch_size in integer,
                   max_runtime in integer,
                   retention_period in timestamp,
                   purge_partitioned_component in boolean
                   ignore_state in boolean
                   composite_name in varchar2
                   composite_revision in varchar2
                   soa_partition_name in varchar2
                   sql_trace in boolean
                   PSQ integer
                   );

Table 14-2 describes the script parameters.

Table 14-2 delete_instances Procedure Parameter Descriptions

Parameter Description

min_creation_date

Minimum creation period in days for the business flow instances.

max_creation_date

Maximum creation period in days for the business flow instances.

batch_size

Maximum number of flows selected for deletion and committed in one execution of the single loop purge. The default value is 20000.

max_runtime

Expiration at which the purge script exits the loop. The default value is 60. This value is specified in minutes.

retention_period

Specify the time interval in days for which to retain data. Data within this interval is not purged when the job runs. The default value is seven days. The retention period is based on the entire flow. The period is compared to SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE.UPDATED_TIME.

This parameter checks for and deletes records in the CUBE_INSTANCE table. The value for this parameter must be greater then or equal to max_creation_date. The default value is null.

Specify a retention period if you want to retain the business flow instances based on the modify_date of the BPEL instances (CUBE_INSTANCE).

In this example, the modify_date of the BPEL instances table, which can be different than the composite created_date, is used as a second level of filtering:

min_creation_date = 1st June 2011 
      max_creation_date = 30  June 2011
      retention_period = 1st July 2011

This deletes all business flow instances in which the creation_time of the composite is between 1st June 2011 and 30 June 2011 and the modify_date of the CUBE_INSTANCE is less than 1st July 2011

purge_partitioned_component

Indicates if partitioned tables should be purged. If set to true, the same purge job is invoked to delete the partitioned data. The default value is false.

Note: If tables are partitioned, you do not want to purge them because they are maintained by a DROP statement.

ignore_state

When set to true, purges all open and closed instances within the specified date range. The default value is false.

Note: Use this parameter cautiously because purging open instances may leave your system in an inconsistent state.

composite_name

The name of the SOA composite application. This parameter, along with the composite_revision and soa_partition_name parameters, enables you to purge the instances of a specific SOA composite application. For more information, see Purging the Instances of a Specific SOA Composite Application.

composite_revision

The revision number of the SOA composite application.

soa_partition_name

The partition in which the SOA composite application is included.

sql_trace

When set to true, this parameter configures a SQL trace that generates a trace file in the destination specified with the USER_DUMP_DEST initialization parameter. The SOA_INFRA user must be granted the ALTER SESSION privilege, which can then be revoked by the database administrator once the trace details are collected.

GRANT ALTER SESSION TO SOA_INFRA

Note: Only use this parameter for debugging because it impacts performance.

PQS

Displays the number of parallel query slaves. You can add additional slaves to improve performance of expensive SQL commands.

Note:

  • If you do not provide a value for retention_period, the value for this property defaults to the value of max_creation_date (this is, if retention_period equals null, then retention_period = max_creation_date). This consequence also applies to the script parameters described in Looped Purge in Parallel Script with dbms_scheduler.

  • If you are not upgrading from Release 11g to 12c, the max_creation_date and min_creation_date parameters are optional. The purge can be run entirely by retention_period, which is also optional.

  • The purge scripts are restricted to purging only the database and existing rows in a table. There is no way for the purge script to look at runtime execution. Therefore, assume you attempt an automatic recovery immediately after an active row has been deleted with the purge scripts (with the ignore_state parameter set to true). Because of this, a row is created after the purge has been executed. This row remains dangling because the SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE table row has already been deleted.

Looped Purge in Parallel Script with dbms_scheduler

This script is functionally the same as the looped purge script described in Looped Purge Script. However, this script uses the dbms_scheduler package to spawn multiple purge jobs, with each job working on subset data.

Note:

If you have a multiple CPU host, use of the parallel script can be beneficial. However, Oracle recommends that you enable the parallel script only during off hours. In addition, when purging data during off hours, Oracle recommends that you drop indexes before purging large amounts of data and then add the indexes back in. This speeds up the purge process, and also keeps indexes from becoming unbalanced.

delete_instances_in_parallel Procedure

Use the delete_instances procedure in parallel to delete instances. The following example shows the syntax.

PROCEDURE delete_instances_in_parallel (
                   min_creation_date in timestamp,
                   max_creation_date in timestamp,
                   batch_size in integer,
                   max_runtime in integer,
                   retention_period in integer,
                   DOP in integer,
                   max_count integer,
                   purge_partitioned_component in boolean,
                   ignore_state in boolean,
                   composite_name in varchar2,
                   composite_revision in varchar2,
                   soa_partition_name in varchar2,
                   sql_trace in boolean
                   );

Table 14-3 describes the script parameters.

Table 14-3 delete_instances_in_parallel Procedure Parameter Descriptions

Parameter Description

min_creation_date

Minimum creation period in days for the business flow instances.

max_creation_date

Maximum creation period in days for the business flow instances.

batch_size

Maximum number of flows selected for deletion. The default value is 20000.

max_runtime

Expiration time at which the purge script exits the loop. The default value is 60. This value is specified in minutes.

retention_period

Specify the time interval in days for which to retain data. Data within this interval is not purged when the job runs. The default value is seven days. The retention period is based on the entire flow. The period is compared to SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE.UPDATED_TIME. The default value is null. For more information about this parameter, see Table 14-2.

DOP

Defines the number of job executions to run in parallel. The default value is 4.

max_count

Defines the number of rows processed (not the number of rows deleted). A big temp table is created and then jobs are scheduled to purge based on the data. This is the maximum purge row count to use; it defaults to one million. The default value is 1000000.

purge_partitioned_component

You can invoke the same purge to delete partitioned data. The default value is false.

Note: If tables are partitioned, you do not want to purge them because they are maintained by a DROP statement.

ignore_state

When set to true, purges all open and closed instances within the specified date range. The default value is false.

Note: Use this parameter cautiously because purging open instances may leave your system in an inconsistent state.

composite_name

The name of the SOA composite application. This parameter, along with the composite_revision and soa_partition_name parameters, enables you to purge the instances of a specific SOA composite application. For more information, see Purging the Instances of a Specific SOA Composite Application.

composite_revision

The revision number of the SOA composite application.

soa_partition_name

The partition in which the SOA composite application is included.

sql_trace

When set to true, this parameter configures a SQL trace that generates a trace file in the destination specified with the USER_DUMP_DEST initialization parameter. The SOA_INFRA user must be granted the ALTER SESSION privilege, which can then be revoked by the database administrator once the trace details are collected.

GRANT ALTER SESSION TO SOA_INFRA

Note: Only use this parameter for debugging because it impacts performance.

Running the Purge Scripts

As an alternative to the steps here, you can also run these scripts by following the steps in Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control.

To run the purge scripts:

  1. In SQL*Plus, connect to the database AS SYSDBA:

    CONNECT SYS AS SYSDBA
    
  2. Run the following SQL commands:

    GRANT EXECUTE ON DBMS_LOCK TO USER;
    GRANT CREATE ANY JOB TO USER;
    

    where USER is the soainfra account to run the scripts. These privileges are required to run the scripts.

  3. Load the purge scripts by running the main purge script at MW_HOME/soa/common/sql/soainfra/sql/oracle/122130/soa_purge12/soa_purge_scripts.sql.

    For a parallel purge, the debug logs from the jobs spawned by a parallel purge are logged into files created in the directory named SOA_PURGE_DIR. This directory must be accessible to the Oracle database.

  4. Create SOA_PURGE_DIR and grant write permissions to the soainfra user.

    mkdir -p /tmp/purgelog
    CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY SOA_PURGE_DIR AS 'SERVER_DIRECTORY'
    

    where SERVER_DIRECTORY is the name of the directory to create (for example, '/tmp/purgelog/'). Note the required single quotes around the directory path.

  5. If you want to run the scripts in debug mode, run common/debug_on.sql and set serverout to on in SQL*Plus. This step is optional.

    SET SERVEROUT ON
    

    The logs from the spawned jobs are logged into the directory created in Step 4 (separate files per job). The rest of the logs are displayed on stdout (or the spool file, if configured).

    There are two options for purging:

    • Looped purge

    • Parallel purge

  6. Run the purge scripts as shown below. Examples are provided for both options.

    1. For looped purge:

      DECLARE
      
         MAX_CREATION_DATE timestamp;
         MIN_CREATION_DATE timestamp;
         batch_size integer;
         max_runtime integer;
         retention_period timestamp;
         composite_name varchar2(500);
         composite_revision varchar2(50);
         soa_partition_name varchar2(200);
         PQS integer;
         ignore_state boolean; 
      
        BEGIN
      
         MIN_CREATION_DATE := to_timestamp('2019-10-01','YYYY-MM-DD');
         MAX_CREATION_DATE := to_timestamp('2019-10-31','YYYY-MM-DD');
          max_runtime := 60;
          retention_period := to_timestamp('2019-10-31','YYYY-MM-DD');
          batch_size := 10000;
          composite_name := 'example_composite';
          composite_revision := '1.0';
          soa_partition_name := 'default';
          ignore_state := false;
          PQS := 5; 
           soa.delete_instances(
           min_creation_date => MIN_CREATION_DATE,
           max_creation_date => MAX_CREATION_DATE,
           batch_size => batch_size,
           max_runtime => max_runtime,
           retention_period => retention_period,
           purge_partitioned_component => false,
           ignore_state => ignore_state,
           sql_trace => true); 
        END;
    2. For parallel purge:

      DECLARE
      
         max_creation_date timestamp;
         min_creation_date timestamp;
         batch_size integer;
         max_runtime integer; 
         retention_period timestamp;
         composite_name varchar2(500);
         composite_revision varchar2(50);
         soa_partition_name varchar2(200);
         PQS integer;
         DOP integer;
         max_count integer;
         ignore_state boolean; 
      
        BEGIN
      
         min_creation_date := to_timestamp('2019-10-01','YYYY-MM-DD');
         max_creation_date := to_timestamp('2019-10-31','YYYY-MM-DD');
         batch_size integer;
         max_runtime integer; 
         retention_period := to_timestamp('2019-10-31','YYYY-MM-DD');
         composite_name := 'michael_composite';
         composite_revision := '1.0';
         soa_partition_name := 'default';
         ignore_state := true;
         PQS := 5;
         DOP := 2;
         max_count := 100000; 
          soa.delete_instances_in_parallel(
           min_creation_date => min_creation_date,
           max_creation_date => max_creation_date,
           batch_size => batch_size, 
           max_runtime => max_runtime, 
           retention_period => retention_period,
           DOP => DOP,
           max_count => max_count,
           purge_partitioned_component => false,
           ignore_state => ignore_state,
           sql_trace => true);
         END;
Resolving Dead Locks After Running the Looped Purge in Parallel Script

You may observe a dead lock in the thread logs for one thread after running the looped purge in parallel script. The following example shows the error found in the thread logs:

SOA_PURGE_LOG_THREAD1 (total of 4 threads)
17-JUL-2012 03:03:48
: Purge AUDIT_DETAILS. Error Code = -60, Error Message = ORA-00060: deadlock
detected while waiting for resource
17-JUL-2012 03:03:48
: ERROR(delete_inst_in_parallel_job. Error Code = -60, Error Message =
ORA-00060: deadlock detected while waiting for resource

To resolve the dead lock issue, rebuild the AUDIT_DETAILS table and increase the values for either of the following:

  • Increase PCTFREE (to allow for more interested transaction list (ITL) allocation).

  • Increase INITRANS (initial ITLs). This option is described below.

To recreate the AUDIT_DETAILS table and increase the INITRANS value:

  1. Create a temporary table and increase the value for INITRANS (for this example, a table named AUDIT_DETAILS_TMP is created).
    SQL> CREATE TABLE "PS6_SOAINFRA"."AUDIT_DETAILS_TMP"
       (    "CIKEY" NUMBER(*,0),
            "DETAIL_ID" NUMBER(*,0),
            "BIN_CSIZE" NUMBER(*,0),
            "BIN_USIZE" NUMBER(*,0),
            "DOC_REF" VARCHAR2(300),
            "BIN" BLOB,
            "CI_PARTITION_DATE" TIMESTAMP (6)
       ) SEGMENT CREATION IMMEDIATE
      PCTFREE 0 PCTUSED 1 INITRANS 4 MAXTRANS 255 NOCOMPRESS LOGGING
      STORAGE(INITIAL 331350016 NEXT 1048576 MINEXTENTS 1 MAXEXTENTS 2147483645
      PCTINCREASE 0 FREELISTS 6 FREELIST GROUPS 1 BUFFER_POOL DEFAULT FLASH_CACHE
    DEFAULT CELL_FLASH_CACHE DEFAULT)
      TABLESPACE "PS6_SOAINFRA"
     LOB ("BIN") STORE AS BASICFILE (
      TABLESPACE "PS6_SOAINFRA" ENABLE STORAGE IN ROW CHUNK 8192 PCTVERSION 0
      CACHE
      STORAGE(INITIAL 16384 NEXT 8192 MINEXTENTS 1 MAXEXTENTS 2147483645
      PCTINCREASE 0 FREELISTS 1 FREELIST GROUPS 1 BUFFER_POOL DEFAULT FLASH_CACHE
    DEFAULT CELL_FLASH_CACHE DEFAULT)) ;
    
    SQL> INSERT /*+ APPEND */ into audit_details_TMP select * from audit_details;
    
    SQL> COMMIT;
    
  2. Drop the AUDIT_DETAILS table.
    SQL> DROP TABLE PS6_SOAINFRA.AUDIT_DETAILS CASCADE CONSTRAINTS;
    
  3. Rename the AUDIT_DETAILS_TMP temporary table to AUDIT_DETAILS.
    SQL> ALTER TABLE PS6_SOAINFRA.AUDIT_DETAILS_TMP RENAME TO AUDIT_DETAILS;
    
  4. Create a unique index on AUDIT_DETAILS.
    SQL> CREATE UNIQUE INDEX "PS6_SOAINFRA"."AD_PK" ON "PS6_SOAINFRA"."AUDIT_ DETAILS" ("CIKEY", "DETAIL_ID");
    
  5. Add a constraint and primary key to AUDIT_DETAILS.
    SQL> ALTER TABLE "PS6_SOAINFRA"."AUDIT_DETAILS" ADD CONSTRAINT "AD_PK" PRIMARY
     KEY ("CIKEY", "DETAIL_ID") ENABLE;
Purging the Instances of a Specific SOA Composite Application

You can purge the instances of a specific SOA composite application and leave the instances of other composites unpurged. This action enables you to purge certain flows more frequently than others due to high volume or retention period characteristics.

The purge scripts include an option for purging based on COMPOSITE_DN. Purging based on COMPOSITE_DN is supported with the parameters composite_name and composite_revision.

The purge logic is based on flows IDs, and not COMPOSITE_IDs. Therefore, apart from the intended COMPOSITE_DNs, other composites sharing the same flow ID may get deleted. The following scenarios may occur:

  • A business flow instance is closed, but the flow is still open:

    In a scenario in which composite A calls composite B, the purge intends to delete instances of composite A. However, there may be a case in which an instance of composite A is closed, but the corresponding composite B instance is still open. Therefore, because the overall flow is still in an open state, the composite A instance (even though closed) is not purged.

  • The business flow instance is closed and the flow is also closed:

    Composite A again calls composite B. The purge intends to delete instances of composite A. Therefore, in a case in which composite A is closed and composite B is also closed, because the overall flow is closed, both business flow instances A and B are purged.

These scenarios maintain the consistency of the flow.

For information about the composite_name and composite_revision parameters, see Looped Purge Script and Looped Purge in Parallel Script with dbms_scheduler.

Resequenced Message Purge States for Oracle Mediator

The purge scripts include purge commands to purge the information persisted in the Oracle Mediator resequencer tables (MEDIATOR_GROUP_STATUS and MEDIATOR_RESEQUENCER_MESSAGE). The following information is purged from the resequencer tables when you run the purge scripts:

  • Completed and aborted messages for all resequencer types

  • Timed out messages for standard resequencers

  • Groups in a ready state for best effort and FIFO (first in/first out) resequencers (these are the only groups that can be purged)

To allow fault recovery and message processing to be completed, the purge scripts do not purge all resequenced message information. In addition, standard resequencer groups store information that should not be purged. The following are not purged when you run the purge scripts:

  • Faulted messages for all resequencer types

  • Running messages for all resequencer types

  • Group information for standard resequencers

  • Groups in a state other than ready for best effort and FIFO resequencers

Note:

The purge scripts for the Oracle Mediator resequencer purge messages first and then move on to groups. If there are messages for a group in the MEDIATOR_RESEQUENCER_MESSAGE table, the group cannot be deleted.

The above describes processing for both looped and parallel processing of the purge scripts, and regardless of whether instance tracking is enabled or disabled. Before any sequence groups are purged, a check is performed to verify that all messages associated with the group are processed.

Below is a list of group state codes used in the resequencer tables:

  • 0: Ready

  • 1: Locked

  • 2: Error

  • 4: Timed out

  • 6: Group error

Below is a list of message state codes used in the resequencer tables:

  • 0: Ready

  • 1: Locked

  • 2: Completed

  • 3: Error

  • 4: Timed out (this is ignored)

  • 5: Aborted

Monitoring the Status of Purging

You can monitor purge jobs executed from Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control with the SQL commands described in Table 14-4.

Table 14-4 SQL*Plus Commands for Monitoring the Status of Purging

To... Execute This Command...

Show the job history and status

SQL> select log_date, status from user_scheduler_job_
log where job_name = 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_JOB1' order
by log_date;

DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_JOB1 is enabled by default. DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_JOB2 can also be enabled.

For information about selecting the job on the Auto Purge page, see Deleting Large Numbers of Instances with Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control.

Show a running job

SQL> select session_id, running_instance, elapsed_time, cpu_used
from user_scheduler_running_jobs
where job_name = 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_JOB1'; 

Show job details

SQL> select log_date, status, req_start_date, actual_start_date, run_duration
from user_scheduler_job_run_details
where job_name = 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_JOB1'
order by log_date; 

Find the job schedule

SQL> select SCHEDULE_TYPE,START_DATE,REPEAT_INTERVAL
from user_scheduler_schedules
where schedule_name = 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_SCH1'; 

DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_SCH1 and DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_SCH2 are based on the job selected.

Change the default job schedule

BEGIN
   DBMS_SCHEDULER.set_attribute (
    name      => 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_SCH1',
    attribute => 'repeat_interval',
    value     => 'freq=daily; byhour=0; byminute=0; bysecond=0');
END; 

Change the job schedule (for this example, to hourly at the thirtieth minute)

BEGIN
   DBMS_SCHEDULER.set_attribute (
    name      => 'DELETE_INSTANCES_AUTO_SCH1',
    attribute => 'repeat_interval',
    value     => 'freq=hourly; byminute=30');
END; 

Generating a Database SQL Trace

The purge scripts include a parameter to generate a SQL trace:

  • If running the purge scripts directly from SQL*Plus, the parameter is named a sql_trace parameter.

  • If running the purge scripts from the Auto Purge page in Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control, the parameter is named sqlTrace (located beneath the More Auto Purge Configuration Properties link).

Setting this parameter to true generates a database SQL trace that is placed in the database user dump directory. For the parallel purge script, the SQL trace is also generated for each subordinate parallel purge jobs (J000, J001, and so on).

If parallel query slaves have been enabled in the purge scripts, then trace files are created. The trace files are generated when sql_trace is set. With the parallel purge script, multiple trace files are produced named J*.

For information about SQL Trace, see the Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide.

Partitioning Component Tables

The runtime and schema code for the following components has been modified to store the flow creation date column with their transactional tables.

  • Oracle BPEL Process Manager

  • Oracle Mediator

  • Human workflow

  • Oracle B2B

  • SOA Infrastructure

  • Oracle BPM Suite

The CPST_CREATED_DATE column contains the flow creation date time populated by the instance tracking code. This is available as the normalized message property oracle.integration.platform.instance.CommonConstants.SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE_CREATED_TIME.

All SOA components are partitioned on the same partition key. These partitioned components use the same time range and partition ID.

Note:

Before performing complete or partial partitioning, run the purge scripts.

Partitioning the Database with the Repository Creation Utility

You can select a database profile when running the Repository Creation Utility. The profile determines the size of the SOA database and enables you to use existing performance features of the Oracle database for Oracle SOA Suite-related storage.

  • Large: Provides a large partitioned schema. This selection is for databases of 200 GB or more.

  • Small: Provides a small schema with no partitions.

For more information, see Section "Custom Variables" of Creating Schemas with the Repository Creation Utility.

Partitioning the Component Database Tables

Oracle SOA Suite has been instrumented with partition keys that enable DBAs to take advantage of Oracle RDBMS partitioning features and capabilities. This action enables the schema tables to be range-partitioned on time intervals. This is useful when you must reduce the database maintenance window of large tables. (Though not discussed in this chapter, this also provides for the possibility of archiving partitioned data.)

The task of partitioning the Oracle SOA Suite tables must be performed by an experienced DBA. Since partitioning tables is considered a core DBA skill, this chapter does not provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to partition tables. Rather, it provides the DBA with the knowledge and understanding of Oracle SOA Suite schemas and their associated scripts. With this knowledge, the DBA can customize any partitioning strategy for their environment, and incorporate any tuning parameters in response to the performance of their database. Tuning is never a one-size-fits-all proposition or a one-off configuration change. Rather, it is an iterative process of monitoring and tuning.

The following components are associated with their own database schemas:

  • Oracle BPEL Process Manager

  • Oracle Mediator

  • Human workflow

  • Oracle B2B

  • SOA Infrastructure

  • Oracle BPM Suite

For more information about table partitioning, see the Oracle database administration documentation library located at the following URL:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/index.html

Note:

  • A hash subpartition is an option the DBA may want to explore, especially for tables with large object (LOB) segments. This can assist with high water (HW) enqueue contention.

  • A global hash index on primary keys that are monotonically increasing (like CIKEY) may relieve block contention.

Referential Integrity and Equipartioning

For performance reasons, the Oracle BPEL Process Manager, Oracle Mediator, human workflow, Oracle B2B, SOA Infrastructure, and Oracle BPM Suite schemas have no foreign key constraints to enforce integrity. This fact discounts the use of the RDBMS feature known as referential partitioning. This feature provides significant benefits because it equipartitions master and detail tables across foreign key constraints. Equipartioning means that the associated dependent table rows are in a database partition with the same partition key interval as their master table rows.

One benefit of this feature is that the state (for example, completed, faulted, and so on) of each detail row in the equipartition can be inferred from its associated master table row.

Although the RDBMS referential partitioning feature cannot be used, similar behavior can be mimicked to achieve some of the same benefits. The Oracle BPEL Process Manager, Oracle Mediator, human workflow, Oracle B2B, SOA Infrastructure, and Oracle BPM Suite components ensure that the partition key of every detail table row is the same as the partition key of its master table row (that is, the date (timestamp) that is the partition key is pushed down). To then complete the setup, the DBA must ensure that the master and detail tables are range-partitioned on the same intervals. Some examples are provided in subsequent sections of this chapter.

Note:

You may decide that referential integrity of aged partitions is not a concern for your site. For example, the site may have ample disk space, allowing data to significantly age, or there may be no apparent, adverse impact of allowing unreferenced data to be stored in the dependent tables.

Range Interval Partitioning

Range interval partitioning is a Release 12c extension of the Release 11g range partitioning feature. With range partitioning, you had to manually allocate each partition. With range interval partitioning, you do not need to manually allocate partitions. Partitions of a specified interval are automatically created when the interval value of the partition key that you assign exceeds all of the existing range partitions. The verification scripts support range interval partitioning.

For more information about range interval partitioning, see Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide.

Equipartitioning and Range Interval Partitioning

A goal of equipartitioning is to ensure that all dependent table partitions contain the complete set of associated rows for their master table partitions. This is accomplished as follows:

  • A partition key value is propagated down from the master key to all dependents so that they have the same range.

  • The master key contains the state of each flow (open, closed). When the master is checked and everything is closed, dependent tables with the same partition range can be dropped.

The range interval partitioning verification scripts check the following for each dependent table partition against the master partition:

  • The same interval definition (each table requires the same interval definition for monthly, weekly, number of days, and so on).

    • The upper and lower bound high values are automatically maintained by the database.

  • Partitions that must be dropped require the same upper bound high value.

Range Interval Partitioning Example

The following example describes how range interval partitioning works. For this example, the SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE master table is used.

CREATE TABLE SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE
(FLOW_ID INTEGER NOT NULL;
. . .
. . .
CREATED_TIME TIMESTAMP NOT NULL)
PARTITION BY RANGE (CREATED_TIME)
INTERVAL(NUMTOYMINTERVAL(1, 'MONTH'))
PARTITION p0 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE('1-2-2007', 'DD-MM-YYYY')));

Table 14-5 describes the syntax shown in the preceding example.

Table 14-5 Range Interval Partitioning Example

Syntax Description
PARTITION BY RANGE (CREATED_TIME)

The partition key (for example, a date of July 1, 2013, which is specified as 01-07-2013).

INTERVAL(NUMTOYMINTERVAL(1, 'MONTH'))

The interval (for this example, one month is specified). Therefore, if a partition key is specified for July 1 (as 01-07-2013), a partition is created for July. Partitions are then automatically allocated monthly for August 1, September 1, October 1, and so on. You do not need to manually allocate each partition.

Note: All Oracle SOA Suite tables must be created with this same interval value so that the upper and lower bounds are created with respect to equipartitioning.

PARTITION p0 VALUES LESS THAN (TO_DATE
('1-2-2007', 'DD-MM-YYYY')));

The first partition must be a range partition. This is the transition point after which all partitions are automatically allocated. It is recommended that the first range partition have a DATE interval that is never used (such as the completed date of 1-2-2007).

The date for this partition makes it virtual metadata. This date makes it easier to drop the partition, if necessary.

The SQL command shown in the following example identifies the first range partition created. A value of No in the last column indicates that this is a range partition, and not an interval partition.

SQL> select partition position, partition name, high value, interval
      from user_tab_partitions
       where table_name = 'SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE';

--------------------------------------------------------------
1     P0        TIMESTAMP' 2007-02-01 00:00:00'    No

The SQL command shown in the following example identifies the system name, the upper bound high value, and whether this is an interval partition. A value of Yes in the last column indicates that this is an interval partition. The second row in the output is dropped. The first row is simply metadata and is not dropped. The partitions are automatically allocated as you insert the date. System names are automatically generated and partitions are allocated as necessary based on the date.

SQL> INSERT INTO SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE VALUES(..TO_TIMESTAMP('1-5-2013', 'DD-MM-YYYY')...};
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
1     P0        TIMESTAMP' 2007-02-01 00:00:00'    No
2     SYS_P532  TIMESTAMP' 2013-06-01 00:00:00'    Yes

The SQL command shown in the following example identifies the second and third rows as the partitions to drop. Because this is performed over an earlier month (March 2013 instead of May 2013), another partition is inserted. The positions of the partitions are changed.

SQL> INSERT INTO SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE VALUES(..TO_TIMESTAMP('1-3-2013', 'DD-MM-YYYY')...};
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
1     P0        TIMESTAMP' 2007-02-01 00:00:00'    No
2     SYS_P578  TIMESTAMP' 2013-04-01 00:00:00'    Yes
3     SYS_P532  TIMESTAMP' 2013-06-01 00:00:00'    Yes

Introduction to Partition Key Selection

The following factors were considered when selecting the schema partition keys:

  • Convey or imply state (for example, completed) for referential integrity

  • Allow range partitioning on time intervals for maintenance operations

  • Be static to avoid row movement that may lead to unreferenced data

  • Be static to avoid row movement when table maintenance operations are performed

  • Provide performance benefits for console queries through partition pruning

Configuring Partitions

Partitioning is not configured by default; it is a postinstallation step that must be performed manually. Once you decide to implement partitioning of the database, you must perform some initial configuration tasks only once:

  • Using the information in this chapter, decide which groups you want to partition.

  • For each of those groups, decide which tables you want to partition, remembering that there are some mandatory tables in each group that must be partitioned.

  • For each group, decide on the partition interval.

  • Create the partition scripts to partition the Oracle SOA Suite schemas. No scripts are supplied; each DBA is responsible for creating the partition scripts appropriate for their environment.

Introduction to the Verification Script

A verification script is provided for a DBA to identify when to drop a partition and its equipartitioned dependent table. The verification script also identifies if there are active, long running instances. You can then move these instances to a different partition, and then drop the original partition. The verification scripts support range interval partitioning.

Note:

The verification script does not drop any partitions; it just ensures that partitions are eligible to be dropped. It is important to enable partitioning for all tables for the scripts to get correct data

Component Tables

This section describes partitioning constraints and lists the component tables, the groups to which they belong, and their partition key.

Partitioning Constraints

Note the following table partitioning constraints:

  • You have the choice of the following approach to partitioning:

    • Complete partitioning: All tables of a service component/service engine are partitioned.

    • No partitioning: No tables of a service component/service engine are partitioned.

    • Partial partitioning: Restrict partitioning to specific tables with a high growth rate.

      You can partition any of the tables by following these constraints:

      • If you want to partition a dependent table, you must also partition its master table.

      • All tables should be equipartitioned along the same date ranges and the same name.

      • Always partition the SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE table. This constraint is essential when the Audit Level property is set to Development or Production for any of the composites. The verification script checks for active flows based on the active business flow instances within that partition. Therefore, if the SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE table is not partitioned, the entire verification script logic based on the equipartitioning of all the tables fails.

  • Regardless of the group and component, all tables that are partitioned use the same time range and the partition ID.

Component Tables, Range Partition Keys, and Groups

Table 14-6 through Table 14-11 are divided into three groups.

  • Group 1: This includes tables that are directly related to the end-to-end flow trace of a composite. A majority of the tables fall into this group.

  • Group 1A: This includes a small set of tables that are not directly related to the flow trace.

  • Group 2: This includes a small set of tables that have a dependency on multiple tables from Group 1 and 1A tables. You must first execute the group 1 verification script and drop the group 1 partitions before running the group 2 verification script.

    Note:

    Groups 1 and 1A are combined in the verification script. Running the verification script does not require you to have knowledge of this classification.

Table 14-6 Component: SOA Infrastructure

Table Range Partition Key Group

SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE

CREATED_TIME

1

SCA_FLOW_TO_CPST

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_COMMON_FAULT

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_FLOW_ASSOC

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_META_DATA

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_REJECTED_MESSAGE

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_ATTACHMENT_REF

PARTITION_DATE

1

SCA_SENSOR_VALUE

PARTITION_DATE

1

AUDIT_DETAILS

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

AUDIT_TRAIL

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

Table 14-7 Component: Oracle BPEL Process Manager

Table Range Partition Key Group

CUBE_INSTANCE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

CI_INDEXES

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

CUBE_SCOPE

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

WI_FAULT

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

WORK_ITEM

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

DLV_SUBSCRIPTION

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

DOCUMENT_CI_REF

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

DLV_MESSAGE

RECEIVE_DATE

1A

HEADERS_PROPERTIES

DLV_PARTITION_DATE

1A

DOCUMENT_DLV_MSG_REF

DLV_PARTITION_DATE

1A

XML_DOCUMENT

DOC_PARTITION_DATE

2

Table 14-8 Component: Oracle Mediator

Table Name Range Partition Key Group

MEDIATOR_DEFERRED_MESSAGE

CREATION_DATE

1

MEDIATOR_PAYLOAD

CREATION_TIME

2

Table 14-9 Component: Human Workflow

Table Range Partition Key Group

WFASSIGNEE

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFATTACHMENT

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFEVIDENCE

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFHEADERPROPS

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFMESSAGEATTRIBUTE

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFNOTIFICATION

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFREVIEWER

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFROUTINGSLIP

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASK

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASK_TL

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASKAGGREGATION

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASKERROR

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASKHISTORY

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASKHISTORY_TL

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

WFTASKTIMER

COMPOSITECREATEDTIME

1

Table 14-10 Component: Oracle B2B

Table Range Partition Key Group

B2B_BUSINESS_MESSAGE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

B2B_APP_MESSAGE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

B2B_WIRE_MESSAGE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

B2B_DATA_STORAGE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

B2B_EXT_BUSINESS_MESSAGE

CPST_INST_CREATED_TIME

1

Table 14-11 Component: Oracle BPM Suite

Table Range Partition Key Group

BPM_AUDIT_QUERY

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

BPM_MEASUREMENT_ACTIONS

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

BPM_MEASUREMENT_ACTION_EXCEPS

CI_PARTITION_DATE

1

Equipartitioning and Interval Partitioning Verification Script Checks

The verification script uses following two tables when performing checking:

  • USER_PART_TABLES

  • USER_TAB_PARTITIONS

To check the interval definition that you defined for your table:

SQL> select INTERVAL from USER_PART_TABLES 
     where table_name = 'table_name';

To check the upper bound high value for a partition:

SQL> select high_value from USER_TAB_PARTITIONS
     where table_name = 'table_name'
     and partition_name = 'partition_name';

Running the Verification Script

The verification script is located in the following directory: MW_HOME/SOA_ORACLE_HOME/rcu/integration/soainfra/sql/verify. There are two versions of the verification script, depending on whether your schema is Interval partitioned or Range partitioned:
  • soa_exec_interval_verify.sql

  • soa_exec_verify.sql

The verification script helps determine if a partition can be dropped. When you execute the verification script, a log file and a result file is generated for each partition. The log file should be examined by the database administrator to assess if a partition can be dropped by running the result file.

On examining the log file, the database administrator might find that there are too many active instances, and decide to let the partition age further. If the database administrator finds that only a small number of instances are open, say 5%, the administrator may decide to execute row movement to move these instances to another partition. Once the active instances in a partition have been moved to another partition, the partition can be dropped.

To execute the verification script:

  1. Set up a database directory for the result and log files.
    Before you run the script, the operating system directory, say /tmp/verify, must exist with the appropriate access.

    Log in to SQL*Plus as the SOAINFRA user and map the directory to store the result and log files.

    sqlplus soainfra
    Enter password:
    SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY PART_DIR AS '/tmp/verify';
  2. Truncate the temporary tables for Group 1 and Group 2.
    For Group 1 tables:
    $ sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> BEGIN
    SQL> verify_soa.trunc_verify1_temp_tables;  
    SQL> END;
    SQL> /
    
    For Group 2 tables:
    $ sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> BEGIN
    SQL> verify_soa.trunc_verify2_temp_tables;  
    SQL> END;
    SQL> /
    
  3. Edit the Group 1 verification script.
    Edit the RANGE or INTERVAL script, as per the type of partition used.

    Note:

    The partitions assessed by the verification scripts are those belonging to the SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE fabric table, as all other tables are equi-partitioned on this fabric table.

    • For the Range verification script soa_exec_verify.sql:

      Update the PL/SQL table with the SCA_FLOW_COMPOSITE partitions that are candidates to be dropped from the schema. For example:

      mySoa_drv_list   := verify_soa.soa_drv_table();
      mySoa_drv_list.extend(1);    -- Ensure that you set this correctly
      mySoa_drv_list(1) := 'P01';  -- One entry per partition.
    • For the Interval verification script soa_exec_interval_verify.sql:

      Update the SOA_MAX_TIMESTAMP variable to an appropriate date. Any partitions with a high value less than this date become candidates to be dropped from the schema. For example:

      soa_max_timestamp := to_timestamp('2013-08-15','YYYY-MM-DD');

  4. Run the verification script for Group 1.
    The verification script does not drop the partitions, but generates the log and result files in the PART_DIR database directory. The database administrator must examine the log file to determine if the partitions can be dropped by running the result file, or whether row movement is necessary.

    The Group 1 partitions for an interval must always be dropped before the Group 2 partitions. The verification procedure assesses the Group 2 tables partitions based on whether they are still referenced by the Group 1 tables. So, if the Group 1 table partitions are dropped first, then it increases the chance that the Group 2 table partitions can be dropped.

    • For range partitioning:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> @soa_exec_verify.sql 1   -- 1 for Group1.
    • For interval partitioning:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> @soa_exec_interval_verify.sql 1   -- 1 for Group1.
  5. Review the log and result files in the PART_DIR directory.
    The SCA_FLOW_INSTANCE partition name is included in the log and result file each interval. For Interval partitioning, this partition name is an RDBMS system-generated name.

    Example log and result files for range partitioning are SOA_P01_LOG_1 and SOA_P01_RESULT_1.sql. Example log and result files for interval partitioning are SOA_SYS_P579_LOG_1 and SOA_SYS_P579_RESULT_1.sql.

    For each partition interval, the database administrator must review the log file carefully to ensure that the partition for that interval has passed all tests. If there are open/active flows reported, then row movement is required before the partition can be dropped.

    Moving Active, Long Running Instances to a Different Partition describes the process to move rows across partitions.

  6. Drop Group 1 partitions that can be dropped.
    The generated result file contains the command to drop the partition. The foreign keys must be disabled before you can drop table partitions with foreign keys. This is an RDBMS requirement, and the SOAINFRA schema presently defines many foreign keys. It is best to DISABLE the foreign keys, and then run all the required verification result scripts. You should re-enable the foreign keys after you have dropped the partitions.

    Note:

    To help with the disabling and enabling of foreign keys, a routine is provided, which generates a script with the appropriate commands. You only need to generate the script once. The database administrator can choose to customize the script. See Alter Foreign Keys (verify_soa.alter_FK) for more details.

    To drop the partitions for an interval, run the result script. For example:
    sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> SOA_SYS_P579_RESULT_1.sql
  7. Run row restore if rows were moved.
    This procedure is required only if you used the row movement procedure to move open Group 1 instances. This procedure updates the partition key of the moved open instances back to their original flow creation date value. The mechanism for range and interval partitions is as follows:
    • For range partitions, the row movement procedure moves the open flows to a safe partition, enabling the aged partition to be dropped. The row restore procedure then updates the partition key back to the original creation date, which moves the flows to the appropriate, still-available partition. This usually does not trigger any row movement, as the current partition is likely to be the only appropriate and still-available partition.

    • For interval partitions, the row movement procedure moves the open flows to a safe partition, enabling the aged partition to be dropped. The row restore procedure then updates the partition key back to the original creation date, which triggers the RDBMS to re-create the aged partition in order to accommodate the open flows. The re-created partition will be small, and will be picked up on the next run of the interval verification script. Note that the interval verification script uses a less-than date value to select candidate partitions.

    Row restore is required only for Group 1 tables, and is the same procedure for range and interval partitions. Ensure that the table row movement is enabled. (See the Step to enable table movement in the database for more details.)

    sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> verify_soa.exec_row_restore_1;
    SQL> END;

    Run row restore truncate once the row restore routine has successfully completed. The row restore routine can be repeated until successful. Once you have run the row restore truncate routine, row restore cannot be repeated.

    sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> BEGIN
    SQL> verify_soa.trunc_verify1_rst_temp_tables;
    SQL> END;
  8. Run the Group 2 verification script
    The Group 2 verification scripts should only be executed once the Group 1 partitions for the same interval have been dropped.

    The steps to drop Group 2 partitions are similar to those for Group 1, as described in the preceding steps:

    1. Edit the Group 2 verification script like how we did for Group 1 (Details as described for Group 1).

    2. Run verification script for Group 2:

      • For range partitioning:

        sqlplus soainfra
        SQL> @soa_exec_verify.sql 2   -- 2 for Group1.
      • For interval partitioning:

        sqlplus soainfra
        SQL> @soa_exec_interval_verify.sql 2   -- 2 for Group1.
    3. Review the log and result files in the PART_DIR directory. (Details as described for Group 1).

      Depending on the results, row movement might be required for Group 2 tables. See Triggering row movement for Group 2 for more details.

    4. Drop Group 2 partitions (Details as described for Group 1).

    Note that the row restore routine is not required for Group 2 tables.

  9. Re-enable the foreign keys.
    See Alter Foreign Keys (verify_soa.alter_FK) for more details on scripts provided to assist with enabling and disabling foreign keys.

Note:

A verification script is not provided for business rules.

Moving Active, Long Running Instances to a Different Partition

The verification script logs provide a count of total instances, open instances, and the percentage of open instances in a partition. If there are open instances, the database administrator can run the row movement procedure to move these rows to a different partition. The row movement procedure updates the partition keys of the open instances, which in turn initiates a row movement of these instances to a different partition.

Moving rows is expensive, as the row movement procedure needs to move the rows in all the equi-partitioned tables. When planning a partitioning strategy, ensure that the partitions are allowed to age sufficiently, so that the percentage of open instances is less than 5% of the total number of rows in the partition.

  1. Enable table row movement
    The row movement procedure moves rows from one table partition to another. For the RDBMS to perform this task, row movement on the tables must also be enabled before row movement can be performed. Customize and execute the SOA_ENABLE_MVT.SQL script for your environment.
    sqlplus soainfra
    SQL> @SOA_ENABLE_MVT.SQL
  2. If you are running row movement for Group 1, go to Step 3. If you have already dropped the Group 1 partitions, and are running row movement for Group 2, then go to Step 5.
  3. Trigger row movement for Group 1.
    Execute one of the following procedures to move rows for Group 1 tables, depending on whether the schema is range or interval partitioned:
    • For range partitions:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> PROCEDURE exec_row_movement_1( partition_name in varchar2, 
      new_partition_date in timestamp );
    • For interval partitions:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> PROCEDURE exec_row_movement_interval_1( partition_name in varchar2, 
      new_partition_date in timestamp );

    where:

    partition_name is the name of the partition on which to execute row movement.

    new_partition_date is the new date with which to update the partition key column.

    Note:

    Once the rows have been moved, you should truncate the temporary Group 1 tables, run the Group 1 verification script again, and check the generated log file to ensure that there are no more open instances.

  4. You can now proceed to dropping the Group 1 partitions.
  5. Trigger row movement for Group 2.
    Execute one of the following procedures to move rows for Group 2 tables, depending on whether the schema is range or interval partitioned:
    • For range partitions:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> PROCEDURE exec_row_movement_2( partition_name in varchar2, 
      new_partition_date in timestamp );
    • For interval partitions:

      sqlplus soainfra
      SQL> PROCEDURE exec_row_movement_interval_2( partition_name in varchar2, 
      new_partition_date in timestamp );

    where:

    partition_name is the name of the partition on which to execute row movement.

    new_partition_date is the new date with which to update the partition key column.

    Note:

    Once the rows have been moved, you should truncate the temporary Group 2tables, run the Group 2 verification script again, and check the generated log file to ensure that there are no more open instances.

  6. You can now proceed to drop the Group 2 partitions.

Routines to Assist with Partition Maintenance

Oracle SOA Suite includes several routines to assist with the database side of partition maintenance. Routines include scripts to enable and disable foreign keys, alter intervals for interval-partitioned tables, and restore rows after row movement.

The row movement and other partition maintenance routines were included in 12.1.3 through patch 21181834. The routines have been included in 12.2.1 through patch 21520523. The following routines are described below:

Row Restore (verify_soa.exec_row_restore_1)

This routine is used to restore the Group 1 table partition keys back to their original values. You can run the row restore routine once the flows have been row-migrated, and the appropriate partitions have been dropped. Once the routine completes successfully, you can execute the Row Restore Truncate routine.

The following example illustrates running row restore:
BEGIN
 verify_soa.exec_row_restore_1;
END;

Row Restore Truncate (verify_soa.trunc_verify1_rst_temp_tables)

This routine truncates the table verify_r_group1. Run this only after the Row Restore routine has been successfully run. The Row Restore routine should be repeated until successful. Once you run Row Restore Truncate, the Row Restore routine cannot be repeated. (NOTE: Consider backing up table verify_r_group1 prior to the truncation).

Note:

Consider backing up the table verify_r_group1 before running the truncate routine.

The following example illustrates running Row Restore Truncate:
BEGIN
verify_soa.trunc_verify1_rst_temp_tables;
END;

Alter Interval (verify_soa.alter_interval)

Use this routine to alter the interval for Interval partitioned tables. The routine generates a SQL script in the PART_DIR directory. The SQL script can then be executed by the SOAINFRA user.

The following example illustrates running Alter Interval:

Step 1: Generates the SQL Script

set echo on;
set serverout on;
/*
NUMTOYMINTERVAL(1, ''MONTH'')
NUMTODSINTERVAL(1, ''DAY'')
NUMTODSINTERVAL(7, ''DAY'')
*/
begin
 verify_soa.alter_interval('NUMTODSINTERVAL(1, ''DAY'')');
end;

Step 2: Runs the Generated SQL Script

SQL> @SOA_ALTER_INTERVAL_GROUP1.SQL

Alter Foreign Keys (verify_soa.alter_FK)

Use to disable the foreign keys before dropping a partition, and then to re-enable the foreign keys after the partition drop command. The routine generates two SQL scipts in the PART_DIR directory. The SQL scripts can be customized to suite your performance requirements. The SQL scripts must be run as the SOAINFRA user.

The following example illustrates running Alter Foreign Keys:

Step 1: Generates the SQL Scripts:

set echo on;
set serverout on;
begin
 verify_soa.alter_fk;
end;

Step2: Runs the enable and disable commands, as required:

SQL> @SOA_DISABLE_FK.SQL
SQL> @SOA_ENABLE_FK.SQL

Update Global Indices

The partition maintenance scripts execute the drop partition statements with the update global index clause. This clause avoids the need for the indices to be rebuilt, but causes contention. To avoid the contention, perform partition maintenance during off-peak hours or maintenance window.

Partial Partitioning of Components

If you have an environment in which some components are partitioned, while other components are not partitioned, the nonpartitioned data set must be purged using the purge scripts described in Deleting Large Numbers of Flow Instances_ Adapter Reports_ and Fault Alerts.

For example, assume human workflow is not partitioned, while other components are partitioned. The verification script reports that all SOA partitions can be dropped using the command for dropping partitions. However, the human workflow tables continue to hold workflow data until the data is purged using the loop/parallel purge scripts.

Removing Records from the Runtime Tables Without Dropping the Tables

The truncate scripts (truncate_soa_oracle.sql and, for the Java database provided with the Oracle SOA Suite Quick Start installation, truncate_soa_javadb.sql) enable you to remove all records from all Oracle SOA Suite runtime tables without dropping the tables. You cannot reclaim database space with the truncate scripts.

The truncate scripts are useful for the following scenarios:

  • To create a production or test environment clone (test-to-production or production-to-test) in which you want to keep the schemas from the production environment so that the production customizations and new job definitions are kept, but all instance data in the SOA Infrastructure (that is, in the cloned database) must be truncated, regardless of state.

  • For testing purposes in which test scenarios must be recreated and rerun.

The truncate scripts provide this option by including truncate statements covering all the runtime tables of the following components:

  • Oracle BPEL Process Manager

  • Oracle Mediator

  • Business rules

  • Oracle B2B

  • SOA Infrastructure

  • Oracle BPM Suite

To remove records from the runtime tables without dropping the tables:

  1. Start SQL*Plus:
    sqlplus
    
  2. In SQL*Plus, connect to the database as the SOAINFRA user:
    CONNECT SYS AS SOAINFRA
    
  3. Execute the truncate script located in the MW_HOME/SOA_ORACLE_HOME/rcu/integration/soainfra/sql/truncate directory:
    SQL> @truncate_soa_oracle.sql