Veritas Storage Foundation™ for Oracle 5.0.1 Administrator's Guide

Typical database problems solved with Database FlashSnap
Database FlashSnap is designed to enable you to use database snapshots to
overcome the following types of problems encountered in enterprise database
environments:
■ In many companies, there is a clear separation between the roles of system
administrators and database administrators. Creating database snapshots
typically requires superuser (root) privileges, privileges that database
administrators do not usually have.
■ In some companies, database administrators are granted root privileges, but
managing storage is typically not central to their job function or their core
competency.
■ Creating database snapshots is a complex process, especially in large
configurations where thousands of volumes are used for the database. One
mistake can render the snapshots useless.
Because it does not require root privileges, Database FlashSnap overcomes these
obstacles by enabling database administrators to create consistent snapshots of
the database more easily. The snapshots can be utilized for repetitive use.
About Database FlashSnap applications
The following are typical applications of Veritas Database FlashSnap:
■ Database Backup and Restore
Enterprises require 24/7 online data availability. They cannot afford the
downtime involved in backing up critical data offline. By creating a clone
database or a duplicate volume snapshot of data, and then using it to back up
your data, your business-critical applications can continue to run without
extended down time or impacted performance. After a clone database or
snapshot volume is created, it can be used as a source to back up the original
database.
■ Decision-Support Analysis and Reporting
Operations such as decision-support analysis and business reporting may not
require access to real-time information. You can direct such operations to use
a clone database that you have created from snapshots using Veritas Database
FlashSnap, rather than allowing them to compete for access to the primary
volume or database. When required, you can quickly resynchronize the clone
database with the primary database to get up-to-date information.
■ Application Development and Testing
Development or service groups can use a clone database created with Database
FlashSnap as a test database for new applications. A clone database provides
225Using Database FlashSnap for backup and off-host processing
About Veritas Database FlashSnap