As a Database Administrator, you can use SQL Watch in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Database Management service to proactively predict and prevent the SQL execution performance issues caused by system modifications or environmental changes, and ensure optimal database health.

Database Management SQL Watch provides workload level as well as a per-SQL level view of how environmental changes such as database upgrades and refreshing optimizer statistics impact SQL execution plans and statistics. By running one SQL statement at a time before and after changes, SQL Watch generates a comprehensive report, which outlines the net impact of the system change on the workload and identifies any regressed SQL statements. For the regressed SQL statements, SQL Watch offers detailed execution plan insights and recommendations for optimization.

SQL Watch is currently available for External Databases, which are Oracle Databases located outside of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and connected to a resource in the External Database service. You can use SQL Watch for single instance and RAC databases, which include Container Databases (CDBs), Pluggable Databases (PDBs), and Non-Container Databases (Non-CDBs), of version 11.2.0.4 and later.

Here are the key features available as part of SQL Watch:

• SQL Performance Analyzer (SPA) to assess the overall effect of system changes on real-world applications in test environments before the changes are deployed to production.
• Reports generated by running SQL statements to compare SQL performance before and after the change.

Here are the benefits of using SQL Watch in Database Management:

• Safeguards your production database against SQL performance regressions due to database changes
• Provides optimized workflows, which are integrated with best practices
• Generates comprehensive workload reports for the assessed changes
• Provides a granular view of changes impacting SQL execution plans and various statistics